2009 - Reflections
On The Year
w/e 03 January 2010
All this week's pictures were taken
with a Kodak DX6490
As we embark on another year, it's a time to be looking
forward and firming up some of those plans and ambitions we have
for the next twelve months but it's also a time when we can reflect
on the joys and sorrows of 2009. With constant references being
made to climate change and the global recession plus the Afghanistan
situation, many would agree that 2009 was not a vintage year
but that year has now gone and it wasn't all bad news. In fact
locally there were highlights throughout the year and the following
images bring back memories for me of just a few of them.
We began the year with the first update for Ilkeston Cam being
a review of 2008 but early in the month we had taken a walk along
the Nutbrook Trail by the partially frozen Manner Floods (above).
We followed this with an addition to the Sentimental Journey series, the ninth and
to date the last in the series but as this is open ended, there
could be more to follow. Another series that reached a conclusion
in January 2009 was the town walk around Stapleford but we began a new series under
the title of "First Impressions". The idea of this
series is to follow all the main routes into Ilkeston from the
town boundary to the town centre and is really a fill in for
when there is nothing else of interest happening. By April we
had, in four parts, reached the end of Millership Way and the
series has temporarily stalled there but we will be picking it
up again from there soon.
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In the previous December we had experienced a light covering
of snow which quickly disappeared but as we entered February,
heavier falls turned the town and Victoria Park in particular
into a winter wonderland. The weather caused schools to be closed
and public transport services to be cancelled but once again,
the inclement weather did not last long and we were soon back
to normal. It was in February too that we enjoyed a trip to the
National Space Centre at Leicester with the grandchildren and
closer to home, started a monthly visit that would run through
to September to neighbouring Eastwood for an investigation into
the D. H. Lawrence connection.
 March was a
five week month and as well as adding parts to the "First
Impressions" and "Bert's Town" series, there was time
to begin another new series following the route of the Erewash
Canal as it passed to the east of Ilkeston. This series "Lock
To Lock" ran for seven parts and concluded at the beginning
of November but the other two weeks in March saw us "Up
Shipley Hill" and "Near The Crossroads" at West
Hallam where we saw lots of spring flowers at both locations.
Colourful blooms were also plentiful and much in evidence in
Ilkeston on market days (left).
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Easter fell in April in 2009 and it was the Silent Procession
on Good Friday that completed the month's updates as the other
three weeks were filled with the aforementioned series. It was
also at Easter that I captured the above image of more flowers
in this beautiful display in St Mary's Church on Easter Sunday.
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In May the fine weather enabled us to get out and about and we
enjoyed walks in Wollaton Park (Nottingham) and another along
the Cromford Canal near Matlock in Derbyshire. We also got plenty
of exercise closer to home by taking my son's dog out so let
me introduce you to Jewl. She's a cross between a pedigree Labrador
and a Labradoodle (Labrador/Poodle cross) so she's mainly Labrador.
Whatever her breeding, I'm sure there is some Greyhound in her
blood-line as she has only two speeds - fast and run! I was surprised
when reviewing the photos from the year just how much she has
grown since last May as she is now about twice this size.
 As we
entered June, events were coming at us thick and fast with Carnivals
being held both in Ilkeston and Long Eaton on consecutive Saturdays.
Our visit to Eastwood for the fifth part of "Bert's Town"
meant we spent a very interesting hour or so in the Birthplace
Museum - one of the highlights of the series for me and a place
I would heartily recommend. One of the quieter walks during the
month took us for an evening stroll around the Straw's Bridge
Nature Reserve at West Hallam and I observed more of nature in
our garden with a series of images of a bee working around the
foxgloves (right).
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July was a month of festivals with a Well Dressing in Derby,
an Arts Festival in Ilkeston and a Flower Festival in Long Eaton.
There was another Well Dressing Festival at West Hallam where
we covered the inaugural Scarecrow Trail for this site and in
the middle of the month I took over a hundred and fifty photos
at the wedding of my godson Andrew to Charlotte (Charlie to her
friends) although this is the first I've added to the site. I
did wonder though how many photos I appeared on whilst I was
taking this one as I think I was the only person to be standing
behind the happy couple at the time.
 In August
we had "A Day At The Coast" but had to travel no further
than Nottingham to enjoy it as the Old Market Square had been
transformed with an artificial beach and a large paddling pool
along with many other attractions to replicate a seaside resort.
At the end of the month we enjoyed a walk in Elvaston Country
Park (near Derby) and in between observed a demonstration (right)
at the Ilkeston Police Station Open Day of a device to stop stolen
vehicles. If you count the bee in July, this is the second stinger
to feature on this page! It was also in August that we began
another short series looking at the "Trees
of Victoria Park".
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We began September with a look at several events that were taking
place locally and later we were out nearly every day for a fortnight
participating in the Autumn Footprints Walking Festival in Erewash
and Amber Valley. Images from the walks didn't get uploaded until
the beginning of October, but the festival was not only one of
the highlights of September but also a contender for the highlight
of the walking year. On the way to one of the walks we broke
our journey in Derby for the Farmers' Market and found a selection
of wheels on vans, bicycles and the huge observation wheel in
the Market Place. Our new series about the city's heritage due
to begin later this month will start in the Market Place.
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As well as the Autumn Footprints images, October also saw the
third part of the Victoria Park trees added and we couldn't let
October pass without a few images from the Annual Charter Fair.
This one above of the Chaos ride overlooked by St Mary's Church
reminds of the chaos on Stanton Road too as road works and traffic
light replacement commenced just as the fair vehicles were rolling
into town. As we enter 2010 the work is still ongoing but why
it has taken so long is beyond me.
 November
was another five week month and the "Lock To Lock"
and "Trees of Victoria Park" series both came to an
end leaving the remaining three weeks for us to look at the preparations
for Christmas. Not only did we observe the decorations going
up in Ilkeston's town centre (right) along with some of the shop
window displays, we also witnessed the switching on of the Christmas
lights towards the end of the month and then visited Nottingham
to view the decorations that adorned the city centre there together
with the temporary outdoor ice rink and the German Market.
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It was Christmas all the way in December with visits to a Food
and Gift Fayre at the Denby Pottery Visitor Centre, a walk through
Derby's city centre streets, another look at Ilkeston's decorations
as darkness fell and concluding the year with a selection of
images from Christmas week. I often reflect at this time of year
on all the frenzied activity that takes place in the lead up
to Christmas when in the blink of an eye, it's all over and done
with and we are into another year. This image above tries to
capture some of that frenzy with shoppers hurrying about their
business or queuing at the cash machines at the bank seemingly
oblivious to Ilkeston Brass playing a musical backdrop of carols.
Hopefully the real meaning and message of Christmas will not
bypass them all and they will realise the Christ of Christmas
is there throughout the year. And throughout the year of 2010
Ilkeston Cam will attempt to capture more images from this part
of the world - hope you'll join us each week.
The series mentioned on this page are linked to the appropriate
pages and other pages from the year can be easily accessed from
the Favourites
page for 2009.
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