2015 - Here We Go Again
w/e 03 January 2016
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
It really doesn't seem like a year since I sat down
to review the previous twelve months but having looked back at
the places we've been to in 2015, it certainly helps jog the
memory and more than once I've thought "That seems a long
time ago." Such are the vagaries of the conscious mind and
as we look forward to the new year with fresh hopes, plans and
aspirations, we do so with a backward glance with this selection
of images from 2015. So whether looking back over 2015 or forward
to 2016, here we go again.
On the Latest Images page of the site, we began the year with
the customary look back to 2014 and followed this with a visit
to Morley for the final part of the Village Trail that we had
been following since August 2014 at monthly intervals. The above
image of the Breadsall Priory Golf Course didn't make it into
the Village Trail series as it fell within the next parish but
was one of several taken on that same visit on a lovely cold
and frosty January day. Also in January we repeated a walk in
similar conditions under the title "This Looks Familiar"
that we had first done in 2010 when the ground was covered in
snow. There was no snow about though at the end of the month
when we began the first of three short walks at Milford near
Belper for another Village Trail which continued at regular intervals
until the end of March.
|
We haven't been to Milford since March and those three walks
fall into the "That seems a long time ago" category.
February trips to Shipley Country Park and Sawley Marina (above)
don't fall into that category though possibly because they have
merged in the memory banks with other visits to the same locations
later in the year. The February to Sawley was on a cold misty
day; the later visit in September was a scorcher!
|
As winter came to an end in March, trees slowly began to blossom
although there wasn't much evidence of this on a walk along the
Erewash Canal (above). A week later daffodils were blooming at
various places and it was crocus time in the town's parks.
|
The flowers continued to bloom in April with daffodils planted
by Erewash Council staff aided and abetted by children from Chaucer
Junior School putting on a splendid show on 'Illy 'Oleys (above
far left) and the trees that came into leaf on Victoria Park
(far right) looked lovely in the spring sunshine. The Easter
Walk of Witness though was not so fortunate and took place on
Good Friday (second from left) in pouring rain. We concluded
our April walks by following a Walking For Health route around
Elvaston Country Park (second from right), somewhere else we
were to return to in June.
May was a colourful month with spring flowers everywhere and
of course it was bluebell time. The weather was rather changeable
throughout the month but we found time to visit two adjacent
Local Nature Reserves at Straw's Bridge and Manor Floods on consecutive
weeks and began an occasional irregular series at Shardlow, the
latest in the Village Trail series. The Erewash Museum hosted
a number of events in 2015 and in May it was Motorbike Day.
|
The changeable weather continued through June where it could
be fine one day and raining the next. Early in the month the
sun shone on us as we explored the Conservation Area at Nuthall
but Ilkeston's carnival was actually rained off which meant we
had to find an alternative for the update. This turned out to
be another event at the museum, the Big Knit. It was also unfortunate
for our American visitor Betsy who had arranged her trip to the
UK from America to include a week in the East Midlands when she
hoped to see the carnival. It was during her week here that we
returned to some of those locations we had been to earlier in
the year in somewhat better conditions. These included the country
parks at Shipley and Elvaston, Victoria Park in Ilkeston and
Shardlow. A highlight of Betsy's week with us was the Battle
of Waterloo commemoration at Cossall where I had my 15 seconds
of fame being interviewed for BBC's local news programme. We
also managed to pull in an alternative carnival for Betsy but
even there at Long Eaton the event was marred by rainfall. Despite
the weather the month was full of events and after Betsy had
left to continue her vacation in Wales, there was the "Swing
Back To The Forties" event at the museum, a Summer Fayre
with the Ilson Giant in Stanton Road Cemetery and there was still
time to enjoy the Lakeside Walk (above) in Highfields Park at
Nottingham before the month drew to a close.
|
Events continued apace in July with from left to right above,
Kirk Hallam's Lakeside Festival, an Open Day at the Fire Station
and of course West Hallam's Well Dressing Festival and Scarecrow
Trail. Add to that visits to Gallows Inn for a Saturday afternoon
cricket match plus frequent walks through Victoria Park to view
the brazen colour scheme of the redesigned flower beds (above
right) and you can see there was plenty to keep us entertained
during the summer.
In August we had a day out at Tapton Lock in Chesterfield, walked
along the Trent and Mersey Canal for two parts in the Shardlow
series, took a walk from Mapperley through Shipley Country Park
and climbed the tower of St Mary's Church with Peter, one of
the churchwardens for an overview of the Classic Car Show in
the Market Place.
|
And so to September which was a bumper month for photos.We began
the month with the concluding part of the Mapperley to Shipley
walk and followed this with a selection from the Tour of Britain
Cycle Race (above left) which passed through Ilkeston. There
was a supermoon (second left) which created a lot of interest
but the majority of photos came from the Autumn Footprints Walking
Festival. This year's Festival saw more wet days in the two weeks
than in the previous seven or eight Festivals put together. I
got drenched at Attenborough Nature Reserve (Second from right)
and also at Ripley. It was quite pleasant at Risley (far right)
and the walk from Trent Lock to Shardlow was a scorcher of an
afternoon.
I walked getting on for eighty miles during the Autumn Footprints
Festival and could have chosen any one from hundreds of photos
to illustrate the month but instead chose this one from the launch
of the brand new Ilkeston Life newspaper which has proved to
be very popular with the local community.
|
As the nights began to draw in we observed the transition from
summer to autumn and eagerly awaited the arrival of the Fair
which was celebrating the 763rd anniversary of Royal Charter
that authorises holding the event in the town centre. Someone
else celebrating a significant anniversary in October was Mrs
Wittering and we were invited to a party to celebrate her 100th
birthday. We also paid another visit to Shardlow and investigated
the Cavendish family's connection with the village. Another walk
at Shipley was cut short because of impending rain that ultimately
failed to materialise significantly.
|
We returned to Shipley to extend that walk towards the end of
November and enjoyed a drink at the Nutbrook Coffee Shop but
prior to that there were some dark clouds at the Remembrance
Day services like the one seen above on the Market Place. We'd
also captured some autumn colours in Ilkeston's parks and more
pictures under typical grey November skies. With Advent approaching
we were back on the Market Place for the switching on of the
Christmas lights as November drew to a close.
|
The majority of December's images had a Christmas theme to them
with pictures of shop window displays in Ilkeston, of Derby markets
and of St Mary's Church decorations. A final collection of images
based on a C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S acrostic saw the old year out and
the new one in. Unseasonably mild weather means that winter hasn't
really taken a grip on us yet but here in Ilkeston we have much
to be thankful for. In the north of the country record rainfall
has caused floods and devastation to large areas and brought
misery to many families. I'm sure many of those affected would
much prefer the sharp frosty morning (above) we woke up to on
New Year's Eve than the conditions they have experienced but
even here the clouds rolled in after lunch and the temperature
rose again. I'm certain many people will be glad to see the back
of 2015 but looking back over the year there have been plenty
of good times too.
But the only way is forward and as for my plans and hopes for
2016, well they are pretty much the same as before. There will
be the usual mix of walks, events, carnivals et al and I hope
to complete the Shardlow Village Trail. It's perhaps time too
to resurrect the First Impressions series, "Nine Roads Into Ilkeston" which hasn't seen
the light of day since May 2013. In addition I'm toying with
the idea of an Ilkeston A-Z series taking at least one photo
of every street in the town. That should keep me busy for much
more than the next twelve months so here we go again!
To revisit the places we have been to in 2015 the easiest way
is to follow the links from the
"Favourites
2015" page which shows all the winners of the weekly
"Pick A Picture" vote.
|
