Several trips outside of Derby, provided great 'photo ops!' The trip to Wales by train is very scenic, passing through green fields full of sheep and new lambs.

Pwllheli, is located on the Llyn Penninsula, in Northwest Wales. On a clear day there are views of snow-covered Snowdon, and other peaks.


All signs are in Welsh and English.
The Northwest and West of Wales have the most Welsh speakers. All children in this area learn the Welsh language when they begin public school; most people are bilingual. Welsh is a Celtic language closely related to Cornish and Breton.

Welsh is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population of this area. It is a very melodius language; perhaps a reason that Wales produces excellent singers and musicians?
















The streets are wide enough for one car, and the sidewalks for one person!

House made of Welsh stone

Easter Sunday Gift

Emma arrives to visit Derbyshire, what a lovely "Easter Bunny!"

My Birthday celebrated with a luverly pub meal. The English pub is a great institution - social club, restaurant, warm cozy place to hang-out with friends and family.
Drunk driving is heavily penalized in the U.K. so pubs are now changing to food service as a primary revenue. The quality of food is excellent, as are the choice of wines. No more jokes about "British Food!"








We walked more than five miles to dinner! It was worth it - right?!
The Holly Bush is a charming pub located in the tiny village of Church Broughton, just "up the road" from Hilton where I live.
We took a car ride home courtesy of some neighbors. That's the way it works here in rural England.

Trip to Tutbury Castle

Not much remains of this Norman Castle built in 1071 for Hugh de Avranches; then immediatley transferred to Henry Lord of Ferrers and Chambrais in Normandy. In 1174 Henry II had a row with Lord Ferrers and destroyed the Castle! It was rebuilt in 1263 but another king got mad and destroyed it again. In 1265 Henry III gave Tutbury Castle to his younger son the Earl of Lancaster, and it has remained in the family ever since. Over the years it was rebuilt; however, when its most famous occupant Mary Queen Of Scots, was imprisoned there in the late 16th century, it was still in a poor state of repair. Oliver Cromwell in 1646, finished off Tutbury Castle after a three-week seige. It has remained in ruins ever since.




There is a very good view of the surrounding countryside from the North Tower. This is a steep climb on very narrow stone steps!









Queen Victoria's 80th Regiment

Re-enactment of life on the battlefield. This Derbyshire regiment fought in the Zulu War.
















Mary Queen of Scots - Alive!

Arise Lady Emma

Lady Emma and her Cavalier

Trip to Liverpool

Liver Buildings
Top is the mythical Liver Bird from which Liverpool got its name!

"Ferry across the Mersey . . ."
We didn't take the ferry; just enjoyed
a rare glimpse of sunshine.
We also had a delightful lunch with
family friends Barbara & Brian Cuddy,
and their son Graham.












No trip to Liverpool would be complete without
a visit to the famous shrine of the Beatles,
The Cavern.
The Cavern as it exists today is not the original club. The cellar that was the original club fell into disrepair then was filled in. This present site is just up the street from the original Cavern.
I spent my early teens rockin & rollin in that dank dark cellar!












The pub that used to be opposite the
original Cavern now a few hundred yard away.
A 'watering-hole' of mine!













Back to the pastoral beauty of Derbyshire.