2017 - Second Time Around
w/e 07 January 2018
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
Well another year has rolled by and here we are at
the start of 2018. It's been my custom in recent years at the
turn of the year to look back over the previous twelve months
and pick a picture or two from each month that didn't make the
cut first time round; then to list them in chronological order
showing some of the places visited or events attended in each
particular month as an annual review. This year I've decided
to do it a little differently.
I was surprised looking back at 2017 at how many different parks
we had visited. There are of course the local ones, Victoria
and Chaucer Old Park (several times), plus Shipley Country Park
and those that are a little further afield like Markeaton which
we visited in March, Chaddesden in April and Allestree in May.
You can add Highfields at Nottingham to that list in May but
we started 2017 with our customary January visit to Wollaton
Park (above).
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There's always a picture waiting to be taken in Victoria Park
whatever the weather and whatever the season but throughout 2017
there were a number of events held there too. Among others were
the Celebration at the end of the refurbishment works, the Summer
Sounds Concert, Brass and Wind Pipe Band concerts throughout
the summer season and this event pictured above held on Father's
Day in June.
It was also in June that we made a return visit to Wollaton
Park; saw the "Weeping Window" poppy display at the
Silk Mill Museum in Derby; had a wander around Gedling Country
Park and paid a visit to the Nature Reserve at Attenborough.
And we mustn't forget the events at the Erewash Museum either
which included "Swing Back to the Forties" in June
and the "Beach" during the school summer holidays.
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August was another month packed with events. We saw the return
of the Classic Car and Heritage Vehicle Show in the town centre
and there were also some classic vehicles on Gallows Inn Playing
Field when the Festival of Water was held on the adjacent Erewash
Canal.
At the Festival of Water the canal was double-parked with narrow
boats side by side and the towpath crowded with sightseers but
the week before that event we caught a bus to Sandiacre and walked
the four miles back to Ilkeston along the towpath. Then it was
quiet and peaceful but none of the images I captured during that
walk have seen the light of day on the website until now with
this one above. The tranquillity of this scene though is under
threat as it is from where the proposed HS2 rail viaduct will
cross the canal - twice!
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Unlike some months there were no events of note to photograph
during March and the majority of the images on the site for that
month featured various spring flowers. There were crocuses in
Stanton Road Cemetery overlooked by the Ilson Giant, more in
Victoria Park where the new entrance gates had also been installed
whilst Park Cemetery had a fine display of daffodils in front
of the twin chapels.
Apart from the Remembrance commemorations November was similar
to March with few events. Even the Christmas lights switch on
which normally takes place in November didn't happen until December
1st but we did take a look at the decorations in the town centre.
We also took a walk around Spondon Village where I even titled
the page "Nothing Happened", another in Shipley Country
Park and yet another where we caught a bus one way and walked
back. That one like the Sandiacre to Ilkeston walk resulted in
a number of images that are still unpublished but the route took
us across Kirk Hallam Meadows and up the footpath by the Pewit
Golf Course (above) and across the Recreation Ground.
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And talking of walking leads us nicely into September and the
Autumn Footprints Walking Festival across Erewash and Amber Valley.
I could have picked any one of literally hundreds of images to
illustrate this month but I particularly like this one from Wyver
Lane at Belper across someone's flower garden to the River Gardens.
September was also the month we photographed some of the former
school sites in Ilkeston and visited another of those aforementioned
parks. That one was West Park in Long Eaton where we concluded
the Tree Trail that we had been following but the vast majority
of the images for September were from the Walking Festival (above).
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The weather during the Walking Festival was changeable throughout
the sixteen days with more "wet" days than I remember
in previous years but when it came to December those hankering
for a White Christmas would have been disappointed when the snow
fell a couple of weeks early.
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It was cold in February too but no snow although there was a
thin film of ice on the disused Nottingham Canal that we saw
during a winter walk. Another winter walk during the month took
us to Shipley Country Park (again) and we also stopped off at
Oakfield Farm Shop to pick up some meat and enjoy a guided tour
to see the farm animals whilst there.
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We had more miscellaneous walks during the year, one of which
took us in April to the Erewash Canal (above) in Ilkeston and
we were also by the canal when we went to a Sandiacre Lock Open
Day when the Lock Keeper's cottage was open to the public. We
began the Hermit's Walk at Dale Abbey (viewing the bluebells
in passing) with Part 1 in April and Part 2 followed in May but
we still have to complete the rest of the route. And of course
with Easter falling in April in 2017 we had the Christian Walk
of Witness through Ilkeston too.
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As well as the second part of the Hermit's Walk, it was in May
that we visited two of those parks mentioned earlier, Allestree
at Derby and Highfields at Nottingham but nothing says May like
the blossom that graced the town throughout the month.
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There were a number of anniversaries that were marked during
the year including several that remembered the sacrifices made
by our Armed Forces. In fact Armed Forces Day was marked in June
with nationwide events, Merchant Navy Day in September and Remembrance
Sunday and Armistice Day in November. Several significant dates
from the Great War were also remembered. "Celebrated"
is the wrong word to use with these remembrances of these conflicts
but several events such as the 80th anniversary of Disney's Snow
White film release were celebrated at West Hallam Well Dressings
Festival (above). We also visited more Well Dressings in July
at Crich and Fritchley.
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And last but by no means least we have October. We had a stroll
along the Lover's Walk in Matlock Bath, a look at the autumn
colour in Ilkeston and of course there was the Charter Fair.
Another walk returned us to Osborne's Pond in Shipley Country
Park but it would be remiss on me not to mention one other celebration.
That marked the anniversary of our marriage in October 1967 and
were fortunate enough to receive some lovely cards and presents
from our family and friends to mark our Golden Wedding anniversary.
So that just about wraps up the review of 2017 and
I haven't even mentioned Straw's Bridge and Stoney Clouds Nature
Reserves; Kirk Hallam's Lakeside Festival, the Moorgreen Scarecrow
Trail, League of Friends' Summer Fayre at Ilkeston Hospital,
the Arena Church's "Serve Day", a walk around Breadsall
or the fact the Ilkeston's Carnival became a victim of the weather
and was cancelled again but you can find all of these (except
the Carnival) by following the links from the "Favourites
2017" page which shows all the winners of the weekly
"Pick A Picture" vote. Now onto 2018 and let's do it
all again!
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