2021 - A Strange Year
w/e 02 January 2022
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
It's been a strange year. Around
the end of December and the start of January each year I usually
look back over the previous twelve months and select images that
have not been seen before for a review of the year. I was in
two minds about whether to do that this year as many events were
cancelled or scaled back due to restrictions put in place because
of the pandemic. Several times during the year I was forced to
delve back into the archives and select images from previous
years to ensure a regular weekly update. But I persevered and
this is the result.
We started the year with a look at our Christmas decorations
at home and followed it with a short walk along the Erewash Canal in cold and frosty conditions. With the requirement
to "stay at home" in force we were unable to make our
January jaunt to Wollaton Park so that
meant a first delve into the archives. Towards the end of the
month another short walk took us after a winter storm to Victoria Park in Ilkeston for the first time. We were to
enjoy many similar walks throughout the year on canal towpaths
and in various parks but had to end the month with another archive
selection from a previous visit to the Bluebell Arboretum
at Smisby.
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Our walks in February again took us to parks, canals and we added
cemeteries to the list too as we began the search for early signs of
spring. Crocuses appeared early in
the month and became more abundant as time
went on but in between a walk along the ice covered Nottingham Canal took
us close to numerous hungry robins grateful for the food we offered.
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There was little sign of a change to the restrictions in March
so during the first week I took photos of some of the town centre signs and followed this with another dip into the
archives for some photos from a visit to Alton Towers in 2003
and then a walk in Park Cemetery to view
the daffodils that were now blooming. At the end of the month
we began a Walking For Health route to Swan Lake which had
to be abandoned part way through due to the ground conditions.
It still provided enough images for one week in March and the
first two weeks of April though. We later returned to complete
the missing
link in June. Who would have thought
that a three mile walk would provide enough photos for five weeks?
The Christian Walk of Witness at Easter was another casualty
of the COVID restrictions in April so another Walking For Health
route, this time in Shipley Country Park,
sufficed for another two weeks' worth of photos. Then it was
back to the parks and streets of Ilkeston to view the blossom on the trees like this one on Chaucer Old Park
('Illy 'Oleys) at the beginning of May.
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The restrictions were eased during May and our first trip out
of town acted as a substitute for our missed walk in January
as Wollaton Park beckoned
again and the following week we headed in the opposite direction
towards Derby for a look at Borrowash. The May
weather was changeable and I got caught in a heavy rain shower
whilst taking photos of bluebells in Shipley Wood so the
following week I stayed at home and just took photos of the flowers
in our
garden. At least if it rained I didn't
have far to go to shelter!
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One event that was put on this year was The Ram Trail in Derby
and over a period of three months, June, July and August, I took
photos of all thirty sculptures around the city centre. As already
mentioned, two weeks in June were taken up by the missing link
of the Health Walk which took us again to Swan Lake and the fourth
week saw us make a short trip to Shipley Gate.
It was back to parks and flowers in July with a walk in Bramcote Hills
Park and a look at the Ilkeston's colourful flower
beds which obviously meant another
visit to Victoria Park. We spent
a lot of time during the year in Victoria Park, it's in the open
air, it's very pleasant surroundings and the coffee from the
"Barefoot In The Park" refreshment kiosk housed in
the Bowling Green Pavilion is always welcome. West Hallam's annual
Well Dressing Festival
in July was scaled back and although the wells were dressed as
usual, the entertainment and dancing displays were pushed back
to a Festival Day in September.
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In August and September we were able to get out and about more
and as well as visits to Nottingham's Highfields Park and
a walk through Mapperley
Village we made our longest trip for
a long time with a forty mile round trip to Matlock. After being
advised to stay close to home for so long the change of scenery
was a tonic. We followed that with a look at the Headstocks Nature Reserve
at Brinsley.
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September of course also saw the return to the calendar of the
Autumn Footprints Walking Festival although it was much scaled
back on previous years. As a consequence I didn't do as many
walks as usual but I did manage the Launch Walk in Shipley
Park and later, used images from Crich and Codnor
Park walks in October.
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Also in October we went to one of the few events at the Erewash
Museum that survived albeit later in the year than usual. This
was the "Return
of the Forties" day and of course
October also saw the return of Ilkeston's Charter Fair. Even
so the cancellation of Nottingham's Goose Fair meant many more
people turned up in Ilkeston and the crowds made social distancing
impossible so our usual Thursday night visit was cut short.
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More crowds gathered in the Market Place in November for Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday Services and the Switching
On Ceremony for the town's Christmas
Lights but with coronavirus still all around and new variants
becoming a cause for concern we returned to the old favourite
for a walk along the Erewash Canal.
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And so to December and during Advent we made a tour of Erewash to
the surrounding towns and villages and also made a brief shopping
trip into Derby to see some of
the Christmas decorations but also approached the end of the
year as we had started it by feeding the birds, this time back
in Shipley
Park. Yes as I said, we spent a lot
of time in various parks and gardens this year. With the virus
still a cause for concern, we can only hope that 2022 is better
for all of us. We wish you all a healthy, peaceful and happy
New Year.
2021 was a strange year.
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