The other weekend I had a lovely weekend at home with not much planned and sometimes that is just the sort of weekend you need. I was ready for a little rest.
First I had my usual morning coffee with my bird feeders, but this weekend it was so sunny it was warm enough to sit out on my garden bench for coffee, with a coat on of course, it’s not quite cracking the pavements yet here in Yorkshire!
I noticed this weekend just how much the spring flowers in the garden have come out with the little bit of warmth and sunshine following the snow and the garden is starting to look really pretty.
It was so nice by lunchtime that I decided to have a little drive out to the Peak District and the village of Eyam for a little hike and a bit of fresh air as I’ve not been to this lovely little village for quite a while.
If you don’t know Eyam, it is worth a visit as it has a great deal of history. The village became famous during the Black Death Plague (Bubonic Plague) of 1665 and 1666. The plague reached the village in a flea infested bundle of cloth from London, which was delivered to the local tailor. Shortly after, he died, and the plague started to spread amongst the villagers. The villagers decided to completely isolate themselves from the rest of the country and surrounding area in order to stop the spread of the plague. The outbreak lasted for 14 months and only 83 of the 350 villagers survived. There are all sorts of little bits of history regarding this event dotted around the village and one of these is Mompesson’s Well, named after the Reverend William Mompesson, to whom the villagers turned to lead them through this pandemic. I walked up to the well on my visit. It is about a mile and a half out of the village, up on the hillside. Its significance is that it is was a dropping point and the place where everything the villagers needed to survive was deposited by the outside world in order for them to collect it later the same day.
There is a lovely view from the top of the hill but the most spectacular thing today, in addition to the daffodils, were the clouds. They were quite enchanting with the sun shining through them and you know how I love clouds.
On the way back I had just enough time for one small adventure. A plunge in the ‘Plunge Pool’ at Rivelin Valley. It’s quite simply a pool at the bottom of a waterfall in the River Rivelin, Sheffield. I thought I’d just have a little look to see how fast flowing it was, and how cold it was after all the snow melt of the previous few weeks. But I just could not resist. The wet suit was on and I was in. Freezing cold but much better than a jacuzzi! My face says it all!
And then to top off a lovely day I got home to my Mother’s Day greetings card on the rug! Yes you heard that right……one card….. I have two children but one card! Funnily enough I got one card on my Birthday (three days late). The one that forgot my Birthday remembered Mother’s Day and the one that has forgotten Mother’s Day remembered my Birthday. Or perhaps they are just sharing the card sending responsibility out, I don’t know. It’s a good job I love them lots and the message more than made up for it! I can’t wait to see them at Easter as it’s been months and despite them descending and creating chaos when they return I still miss them so much!
I will forgive the forgetting of the odd card, although I do like kisses in my card so I’ve sent a little sarcastic tutorial message about the location of the ‘x’ button on the keyboard for when typing your message on an online card order. Oh yes, I forgot to say, it was an online card order with the message computer typed inside! It would be far too much effort for a student to go to a card store, hand write a card, put a postage stamp on it and then locate a post box! No mother is worth that when you can sit in the comfort of your gaming chair and order an online card at the touch of a button. But it’s the thought that counts! Now, I know we have to move with the times and I might be getting a little cynical and long in the tooth but there are just some elements of this modern world of convenience that I just can’t adapt to. If you get a card from me I can guarantee that it won’t be an online one. I will have handpicked it personally, it will be handwritten in my best handwriting and it will have a little personal message. If I’ve not seen or spoken to you for ages it might even have a letter in it. Call me old fashioned but that’s just the way I do it!