May Day in England is recognized as a time
for worker's solidarity.
These groups in Chesterfield represent
Trades Unions, groups associated with
worker's rights, and Peace activists.


Several miles away at Bolsover Castle,
we go back in time to experience life in the
seventeenth century.

This castle looks like a fortress, as it commands
a view of the Vale of Scarsdale.














The Cavendish family built the house to
celebrate the age of Chivalry and Romance .






May Day was also the Knights' Tournament at the Castle. This is the 'real thing' - history brought to life! Four teams, each with a Knight and several of his Squires, compete. The Tournament moves to a different castle each month and culminates in the Grand Final at the end of the summer.



Blue Team - Challenger for the North Sir John Babbington



















Yellow Team - Challenger for the East
Sir George Melton





















Red Team - Challenger for the South
Sir Thomas Heron












Green Team - Challenger for the West
Sir Richard Mortimer

















Squires prepare their longbows for the archery competition











The Knight Marshall, and his men, judicate each event.








The Squires shoot over a distance of 66 feet.


















Falconers provide a different kind of sporting event. The Master Falconer puts his birds through their paces; an ancient and highly skilled sport. The birds are resting in the pavilion prior to taking the field. These birds were used to hunt game for the King and his Lords'.











Squires take the field once more for the Mounted Skill at Arms competition. They are outfitted in heavy armor for protection. This is not a rehearsed fight! The Squires took some nasty blows from these medieval weapons.




















Knights prepare for the Mounted Skills at Arms contest.




































The mounted Knights strike at a cabbage with a sword, thrust a javelin into a straw dummy, and strike a quintain so that it revolves a complete 360 degrees. The joust is perhaps the most exciting and recognizable activity of the tournament. The Knights are mounted in full armor and charge at each other with lances at a speed of 50 mph!
UNFORTUNATELY my camera battery expired at this most crucial time - no photographs!


The VICTOR: Sir George Melton -Challenger for the East
Yellow Team - scored the most points .

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.

Spring is almost here in Derbyshire. The daffodils grow wild along country lanes. The locals say they are late in blooming this year.

A small rural post box adds a splash of color to the landscape.

The spire of St Mary's church is in the distance.

The tiny village of Marston on Dove


Sheep begin lambing in February; however, there are still some new babies to be seen in the fields.






Church of St Mary built in the 13th century.

This church contains the oldest bell in Derbyshire;it still rings every hour on-the-hour.

In the churchyard, are the graves of
many generations of local families, dating from the 1700's.

This is the start of what promises to be a very interesting 6-months of travels.
My goal is to keep family & friends informed of my adventures - I won't document the boring days!
I arrived in Hilton, Derbyshire last Friday; flying from LA to London, then by bus to Derby. This was a 24-hour trip made interesting by two women sitting either side of me on the plane.
Travel tip:
One of the women was travelling alone as her husband's travel pouch was stolen from the security area! All of his travel documents, credit and debit cards, and military ID were taken. BE AWARE the 'Security Officers' are not interested in your security, so don't let your belongings out of your sight!
The village of Hilton is my home for the next two months; it is in South Derbyshire, only three miles from the border of Staffordshire. This may not mean alot to most people; however, my paternal grandmother's family came from Litchfield, Staffordshire. A day-trip is planned to the church to do some geneaology research. These counties are known for manufacturing: pottery, beer, and lead crystal.
The area is also known as the "Shires" - if this conjures up visions of Hobbits you are correct! My home, an old cottage, is definitely Hobbit size; people over 5'2" should wear hard hats! The pub across the street was built in the 1500's, and Tutbury Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned on two occasions, is just down the road.
Mushy the cat is my companion; he is around 12 yrs old. He wasn't very well when I arrived; however, we have 'bonded' wonderfully, and he has me trained to take care of his every whim! This frequently means a miaow, and gentle tap on the face about 4:00 a.m. when he wants attention. No worries - I'm happy to spoil him!
The countryside and people are all I imagined; very idyllic countryside, and friendly people. I have merged into the community thanks to the popularity of Ben, the homeowner. He introduced me to neighbors and friends, and I feel quite at home. I've been 'adopted' by the Hilton Amateur Dramatic Society (HATS) - 'stage-hand' and 'tea maker' are my job titles so far!
I am also kept busy working on my Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate. For those who HATE grammar, like me, it is quite a challenge; 3-4 hours each morning at the computer! I'm hoping that my creative punctuation will improve by the end of the course!