So on to soup

Today was a restful and relaxing day. We went for a walk at Ilam in the Derbyshire peaks. The National Trust site has always been an attraction, sitting at the side of Thorpe Cloud and the long ridge of Bunster Hill. We walked along the park, following the flow of the River Manifold and returned via the church and on into the village. The church at Ilam has a very distinct shape, unmistakable in its unusual form.

Rosie and I are working strange hours next week, so this chance for a short break is an ideal opportunity to relax. On the drive back home we ventured to Leek and down through Cheddleton, a much more pleasent drive than the bleak road across Couldon Lowe.

I made soup and we had a leisurely lunch, only pesterd occasionally by hungry cats! Cream of mushroon with big chunks and a couple of home made loaves. It was delightful.

Fluffy the Lionhead

This is Fluffy, my brother's lions head rabbit. She lives with the guinea pigs as both a house bunny and a professional lawnmower. On my visit to see her, I was delighted to be accepted and groomed without reservation. This bunny is a delight and such a friendly pet.

Their new little kitten, Gizmo, was the runt of the litter from the family cats. Such a sharp and active little individual. Life is new and exciting for the puss, who gets on fine with the dog, cat, rabbit and guinea pigs who often have the freedom to roam together.

Brrrrrrr!

This morning was cold. A dull misty atmosphere hid the damp that pervaded the neighbourhood. It was so unfriendly out there that even our tom cats would not venture out for their morning constitutional. It was a case of check the cat flap. use the lit tray and stay in, wishing for the weather to ameliorate.This wishful thinking persisted for some hours until the sun started to break through the mist and the day warmed to more than 5 degrees. The cats just stayed in long enough to see the window cleaners do their job (not a job I would want in this weather) and then they were off to explore the world at large.

Updating.........

I run an information website called The Pterosaur Database. The format of the pages has been under review for some time and I have developed the pages to disuade people from extracting copyright images. Today, I was given the opportunity to update a whole swaithe of pages in a short time - this involves pasting existing page information into a standard template page - a swift operation.

Having now complete the update of all of my Cretaceous Era pages I need a break. This type of work really plays on the mouse wrist if you overdo it.

It was an interesting exercise as I was able to re-check information and identify a number of typographical errors in the original pages.

The picture is of a cast of a pterosaur called Pterodactylus kochi. This little cast sits in one of my cabinets. I am quite proud of it as this was the first pterosaur specimen that I owned. It was given to me in the 1970's when I was recording specimens at the Natural History Museum in London (then the British Museum of Natural History). It was an overcast - the one they make in case any of the others in a batch break. None did!

In the city

It was my day off today and we had no firm plans. The weather was dull and damp and the wind was a main disincentive to taking a walk. We decided to drive out and find an indoor venue for a bit of distraction, ending up in Derby. There is a wonderful car park on Bold Lane, near the Museum. It has a secure system where you take a ticket on entry and a door opens to let you in. The car parking bays are numbered and have sensors fitted. As you leave the car park, you key in your bay number and you are let out. The only way you can re-enter the car park is by using the parking ticket as a door key. The exit door will only open on your ticket if you have paid the fee.Derby taxis are all yellow and they do look fine in their ranks. It is a real contrast with the black cabs in Stoke and other UK cities. We took a look around the new Westfield shopping centre. It is big and glossy with lots of floor levels and a wealth of eating venues and coffee shops The views from the upper levels are quite extensive.

Then off to the Museum to look at the natural history collections and the new exhibits. Whilst waiting to cross the road and old bus passed by. It had a driver and a conductor on board and actually stopped to pick up passengers at a scheduled stop. I have not seen buses like this in service for years. The photograph shows the bus outside the Library and Museum entrance. The bus was a Leyland Routemaster in the old Derby Corporation colours and it was going to Littleover Lane.

Back to Ashbourne for lunch, then home to bake bread before starting work again tomorrow.

Ghosts on the doors

On Halloween, I found myself visiting a client at an army base in Shropshire. It was a bright and clear evening with a cloudless sky. The temperature was good, but falling. Many of the houses had decorated front doors. The tension was mounting as the sun started to set and the local children started their "trick-or-treating". Below is an example of the intricacies of the door decoration to be found there at this time of year. The young children were out in force (with an appropriate adult escort) to obtain as many treats as possible. My client's two daughters allowed me to trick or treat them, one gave me a sweet. The other lass trick or treated me and I gave her the sweet, much to the distaste of the younger girl. I think they may still be arguing over who should be entitled to that special sweet!

On the way back home, I drove through Stafford to see groups of boys and girls with illuminated devil horns and twinkly costumes parading around the streets. Firework displays were happening in many parts of the county and the world seemed interesting and content.