2018 - Another One Gone
w/e 30 December 2018
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
As we stand on the threshold of a new year the thought
crosses my mind once again that it doesn't seem a year since
I was last looking back and reviewing the images taken during
the previous twelve months. It's with some justification this
time though as this will be the third time I've gone through
a similar review process. The first time was during the first
week of January when I reviewed 2017 for the first update to
the site for 2018. Then in February illness laid me low and with
new images being few and far between I selected some from the
beginning of the year for the update and now here I am, due to
the vagaries of the calendar, conducting another review for the
final addition to the site for 2018.
Apart from the 2017 review in January, we had a walk through
Bramcote Hills Park, another through the centre of Derby and
of course the customary visit to Wollaton. As well as a walk
through the park, we also had a look at the Natural History Museum
and the Cassandra Room in the Hall and admired the stunning architectural
features both outside and inside (above) the Hall.
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  More walks in February took us along
the Nottingham Canal between Trowell and Cossall, looking for
snowdrops (right) in Shipley Country Park and we found both snowdrops
and crocuses at Stanton By Dale (above). Standing in bitterly
cold weather on Ash Wednesday when the BBC paid a visit for a
news item (left) probably contributed to the illness I referred
to in the introduction.
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  And talking
of cold weather it was at the end of February and the beginning
of March that we were hit by "The Beast from the East"
which blanketed the country with snow. These two photos left
and right of 'Illy 'Oleys taken from a similar position were
just a few days apart. Later in the month though the daffodils
were out when we took a walk from Kirk Hallam Lake along the
Nutbrook Trail (above). In March we also walked at Kimberley
and began the Town Walk series at Long Eaton.
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There was another visit to Long Eaton for the second part of
the series in April and as the weather picked up we enjoyed a
Mothering Sunday gift of a cream tea at Beauvale Priory, saw
more daffodils at Kirk Hallam and viewed some of the historic
buildings in the Risley Conservation Area. We would return to
Risley again in September for an Autumn Footprints walk. With
Easter falling in April this year we also took park in the annual
Good Friday Walk of Witness through the town.
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As the weather continued to improve the bluebell season started
and we found them not only on a walk from Commoners Lott in Stanley
Common but also in Lea Wood when we did a circular route taking
in the Cromford Canal (above) in May.
It was also in May that an "Aspects of Ilkeston" exhibition
was staged in St Mary's Church in conjunction with the Local
History Society and it attracted many visitors over the early
Spring Bank Holiday. We also attended a couple of events at the
Erewash Museum in May, namely a Motorcycle Day and a Royal Garden
Party celebrating the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
There would be more events at the museum throughout the summer.
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And what a summer it was! The sun shone, the temperature rose
and it was hot, hot, hot all the way. Events came thick and fast
but we did find time for a trip to Smisby to wander through the
peace and quite of the Bluebell Arboretum in June.
Other June events (and visits) included a Festival of Water at
Langley Mill, Ilkeston's Carnival, the Beating Retreat Ceremony
on the Market Place and a Forties Garden Party at the museum.
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The scorching July weather didn't do the flower beds in the town
any favours despite constant care and attention by the Council's
Green Space Team and the town's entry in the East Midlands in
Bloom Competition resulted in a silver award when gold was hoped
for.
July saw a whole host of events and activities in the local area
including another Forties themed event at the museum "Swing
Back to the Forties", the Arena Church's Serve Day, West
Hallam's Well Dressing Festival and Scarecrow Trail and the Summer
Sounds concert in Victoria Park. Oh and the sun kept shining
and the flowers kept blooming.
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Those flowers included poppies and zinnias and we had a fine
display of both in the garden - as well as the sunflowers - but
in August we also saw some of the decorated robins on the Hoodwinked
Trail in Nottingham and enjoyed a stroll through Matlock Bath
by the side of the River Derwent. The Classic Vehicle event on
the Market Place was one of the few days during the summer where
umbrellas were needed as protection against a light shower. At
other times parasols would have been more appropriate.
Another place we visited during August was the unusually situated
Cascades Gardens at Bonsall near Matlock where we spent a pleasant
couple of hours exploring the various settings in this quiet
spot.
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The Long Eaton Town Walk had reached its fifth part in September
but most of the month was taken up with photos from the sixteen
day Autumn Footprints Walking Festival in Erewash and Amber Valley
and the above composite shows just a few of the photos that didn't
make it in the additions to the site and there are still many
more I've not shared - yet!
  As the heatwave
started to come to an end, the autumn colours became apparent
and we found them in Victoria Park (above), in Shipley Park and
also around the Straw's Bridge Nature Reserve (left) as well
as many other places too. But October of course is the month
of Ilkeston's Annual Charter Fair (right) and we devoted two
weeks to the event showing the Fair in full swing and also the
week after.
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The 100th anniversary of the Armistice was marked with a service
in St Mary's Church on Remembrance Sunday that continued around
the Cenotaph on the Market Place and the Battle's Over commemoration
on the same day in the evening.
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As the year drew to a close the lights went on for Christmas,
we made another trip to Long Eaton for the eighth part of the
series, photographed in Ilkeston just before Christmas and took
the customary photo (above) of the Christmas tree on our way
to church on what was a misty Christmas Day morning. So as the
title to this page says, that's "Another One Gone"
and as we look forward to another brand new one that is 2019,
all that remains is to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Follow the links from the "Favourites
2018" page to see more from each week during the year..
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