Showing posts with label Derbyshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derbyshire. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Saturday, 17 March 2012
366/77 - Ashover, Derbyshire
Click here for today's Project 366 - a photo of the village of Ashover.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Royal Shrovetide Football - Ashbourne, Derbyshire
The annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, a game of "street football", takes place on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
Background
It has been played since the 12th century, but the exact origins of the game are unknown - one theory suggests the 'ball' was originally a severed head tossed into the waiting crowd following an execution.
The match begins at 2 p.m. Each day when the specially made ball is "turned up" from a plinth in Shawcroft. Two teams, the 'up'ards' and 'down'ards' compete to 'goal' the ball at their particular goal post. The two sets of goal posts are 3 miles apart at former mills on the brook.
Anthem
Before the match begins, the following anthem is sung in a ceremony in the town's Green Man Hotel:
There's a town still plays this glorious game
Tho' tis but a little spot.
And year by year the contest's fought
From the field that's called Shaw Croft.
Then friend meets friend in friendly strife
The leather for to gain,
'And they play the game right manfully,
In snow, sunshine or rain.
Chorus
'Tis a glorious game, deny it who can
That tries the pluck of an Englishman.
For loyal the Game shall ever be
No matter when or where,
And treat that Game as ought but the free,
Is more than the boldest dare.
Though the up's and down's of its chequered life
May the ball still ever roll,
Until by fair and gallant strife
We've reached the treasur'd goal.
Chorus
'Tis a glorious game, deny it who can
That tries the pluck of an Englishman.
Rules
*Committing murder or manslaughter is prohibited. Unnecessary violence is frowned upon.
*The ball may not be carried in a motorised vehicle.
*The ball may not be hidden in a bag, coat or rucksack, etc.
*Cemeteries, churchyards and the town's memorial gardens are strictly out of bounds.
*Playing after 10 p.m. is forbidden.
*To Score a goal the ball must be tapped 3 times in the area of the goal.
Background
It has been played since the 12th century, but the exact origins of the game are unknown - one theory suggests the 'ball' was originally a severed head tossed into the waiting crowd following an execution.
The match begins at 2 p.m. Each day when the specially made ball is "turned up" from a plinth in Shawcroft. Two teams, the 'up'ards' and 'down'ards' compete to 'goal' the ball at their particular goal post. The two sets of goal posts are 3 miles apart at former mills on the brook.
Anthem
Before the match begins, the following anthem is sung in a ceremony in the town's Green Man Hotel:
There's a town still plays this glorious game
Tho' tis but a little spot.
And year by year the contest's fought
From the field that's called Shaw Croft.
Then friend meets friend in friendly strife
The leather for to gain,
'And they play the game right manfully,
In snow, sunshine or rain.
Chorus
'Tis a glorious game, deny it who can
That tries the pluck of an Englishman.
For loyal the Game shall ever be
No matter when or where,
And treat that Game as ought but the free,
Is more than the boldest dare.
Though the up's and down's of its chequered life
May the ball still ever roll,
Until by fair and gallant strife
We've reached the treasur'd goal.
Chorus
'Tis a glorious game, deny it who can
That tries the pluck of an Englishman.
Rules
*Committing murder or manslaughter is prohibited. Unnecessary violence is frowned upon.
*The ball may not be carried in a motorised vehicle.
*The ball may not be hidden in a bag, coat or rucksack, etc.
*Cemeteries, churchyards and the town's memorial gardens are strictly out of bounds.
*Playing after 10 p.m. is forbidden.
*To Score a goal the ball must be tapped 3 times in the area of the goal.
Saturday, 11 February 2012
Breakfast at Fresh Basil
I'd recently read good things about Fresh Basil, a deli and eaterie in Belper, and so, without the normal Saturday morning commitments due to it being half term, I decided to go there for breakfast this morning.
Belper is an odd town, at the heart of a World Heritage Site but with a disturbing number of charity shops. It has an independent cinema, The Ritz, two supermarkets, and a rail station that you can almost miss (the rail line, and the station, runs in a cutting through the middle of the town).
Fresh Basil can be found in a lovely building on Strutt Street that used to be depot for horse drawn fire engines. Internally, it is on two floors, with the deli and a few tables and armchairs on the ground floor and additional tale seating upstairs. canvas bags and wicker baskets hang from hooks on a bar across the ceiling to add to the informal and, perhaps, slightly rustic feel.
The deli counter has plenty of meats and cheeses (the vast majority of which are locally sourced) and olives. The Independent listed it in its Top 50 delicatessens in the UK. The eaterie, too, has a menu that is impressive in its range of options with wraps, sandwiches, breakfasts...
Fresh Basil won the award for Best Breakfast in the Derbyshire Food & Drink Awards last year. I had the vegetarian breakfast which comprised vegetarian haggis, grilled halloumi, fried egg, mushrooms, tomato, fried potatoes and toast. All for £5.90 (the same price as the Full English breakfast for meat eaters).
The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and the staff amiable and helpful (they knew many of the "regulars" by name). Sunlight streamed through the windows and Fresh Basil was a place that anyone would want to be, whether for breakfast coffee, a snack..
I have only two criticisms:
1. There was no free public wifi - surely, all cafés/eateries these days should provide free wifi?
2. They don't accept cards for payment under £10 (yes, I understand the reasons but I don't like cash and look forward to a time when all payment is via card)
Having said that, I had a great breakfast and hope it's not too long until I get the chance to return.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Fresh Basil
Strutt Street
Belper
DE56 1UN
Website: www.freshbasil.co.uk
Belper is an odd town, at the heart of a World Heritage Site but with a disturbing number of charity shops. It has an independent cinema, The Ritz, two supermarkets, and a rail station that you can almost miss (the rail line, and the station, runs in a cutting through the middle of the town).
Fresh Basil can be found in a lovely building on Strutt Street that used to be depot for horse drawn fire engines. Internally, it is on two floors, with the deli and a few tables and armchairs on the ground floor and additional tale seating upstairs. canvas bags and wicker baskets hang from hooks on a bar across the ceiling to add to the informal and, perhaps, slightly rustic feel.
The deli counter has plenty of meats and cheeses (the vast majority of which are locally sourced) and olives. The Independent listed it in its Top 50 delicatessens in the UK. The eaterie, too, has a menu that is impressive in its range of options with wraps, sandwiches, breakfasts...
Fresh Basil won the award for Best Breakfast in the Derbyshire Food & Drink Awards last year. I had the vegetarian breakfast which comprised vegetarian haggis, grilled halloumi, fried egg, mushrooms, tomato, fried potatoes and toast. All for £5.90 (the same price as the Full English breakfast for meat eaters).
The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and the staff amiable and helpful (they knew many of the "regulars" by name). Sunlight streamed through the windows and Fresh Basil was a place that anyone would want to be, whether for breakfast coffee, a snack..
I have only two criticisms:
1. There was no free public wifi - surely, all cafés/eateries these days should provide free wifi?
2. They don't accept cards for payment under £10 (yes, I understand the reasons but I don't like cash and look forward to a time when all payment is via card)
Having said that, I had a great breakfast and hope it's not too long until I get the chance to return.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Fresh Basil
Strutt Street
Belper
DE56 1UN
Website: www.freshbasil.co.uk
Friday, 10 February 2012
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
366/31 - River Derwent at Belper
Click here for today's Project 366:
River Derwent at Belper
Psycho by Bernard Hermann
Word of the Day: idoneous
River Derwent at Belper
Psycho by Bernard Hermann
Word of the Day: idoneous
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Saturday, 21 January 2012
366/21 - Devonshire Dome
Today 's Project 366 posting features the Devonshire Dome, Buxton, some orchestral music by Mike Oldfield and the word WELTSCHMERZ!
Thursday, 13 October 2011
NEWS: The Matlock Blackout
And so the Matlock Blackout continues, 18 hours and counting.
Yesterday afternoon, at about 1pm, an electricity substation in Winster (a village a few miles from Matlock) exploded. It took firefighters several hours to put out the fire.
At its peak the loss of the substation had knocked out power from 34,000 homes from Matlock to Ashbourne and on to Leek in Staffordshire. By mid-evening many homes had power back. Overnight, though, 15,000 homes were still without power.
The kids saw it as a great adventure, all excited with the torches they have for camping.
When I drove back into Matlock at around 8.30 p.m. it was odd - somehow spooky with the lack of people put and about, and also the darkness with shops, houses, puns and restaurants plunged into blackness.
Behind some windows there was the flickering of candles.
Also surprising was the number of businesses that had an emergency supply to illuminate their windows. I'm sure the environment weeps each night.
The local pizza delivery firm was somehow fully open and, I suspect, doing a roaring trade.
And what of today?
I had always thought a national grid meant that if one part failed another could be switched over but it appears not. There was an announcement last night from the County Council saying that Matlock could be without power "for a few days" - in the 21st century this is ridiculous.
I've just been sent a text from my children's school saying they have power back and so will be open as normal - that's a relief!
We're hoping the food in the freezer stays frozen and will try to charge phones, etc. probably via car chargers.
In the meantime, to conserve energy, it is a communications blackout!
-------------
7.13 a.m. update: My wife has just popped out and reports street lights have returned and some houses in our road seem to have power - how odd!
----------
11.53 update
And we're back. Power has returned!
Yesterday afternoon, at about 1pm, an electricity substation in Winster (a village a few miles from Matlock) exploded. It took firefighters several hours to put out the fire.
At its peak the loss of the substation had knocked out power from 34,000 homes from Matlock to Ashbourne and on to Leek in Staffordshire. By mid-evening many homes had power back. Overnight, though, 15,000 homes were still without power.
The kids saw it as a great adventure, all excited with the torches they have for camping.
When I drove back into Matlock at around 8.30 p.m. it was odd - somehow spooky with the lack of people put and about, and also the darkness with shops, houses, puns and restaurants plunged into blackness.
Behind some windows there was the flickering of candles.
Also surprising was the number of businesses that had an emergency supply to illuminate their windows. I'm sure the environment weeps each night.
The local pizza delivery firm was somehow fully open and, I suspect, doing a roaring trade.
And what of today?
I had always thought a national grid meant that if one part failed another could be switched over but it appears not. There was an announcement last night from the County Council saying that Matlock could be without power "for a few days" - in the 21st century this is ridiculous.
I've just been sent a text from my children's school saying they have power back and so will be open as normal - that's a relief!
We're hoping the food in the freezer stays frozen and will try to charge phones, etc. probably via car chargers.
In the meantime, to conserve energy, it is a communications blackout!
-------------
7.13 a.m. update: My wife has just popped out and reports street lights have returned and some houses in our road seem to have power - how odd!
----------
11.53 update
And we're back. Power has returned!
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