Day 205/6 “Start the Week”

I finished watching the Netflix series The Crown this morning after getting up respectably late! In my previous blog, I described it as being set from the time of George VI; in fact, I was “out” by at least one monarch, Edward VIII whose abdication was covered in some detail, as well as the resulting brutal disapproval of most if not all of the Senior Royals. I never did warm to the Queen Mother who was portrayed magnificently in this series. I am astonished how accurately the characters are portrayed. Perhaps J.F. Kennedy and Billy Graham’s appearances were less recognisable, but Churchill, Queen Mary and Harold Wilson could have been exhumed to play those parts!

I never had an objection to Royalty, and, perhaps my long suffering father would have preferred not to have stood with me for hours on end in the Mall, waiting for The Queen to ride by on horseback, during (I think) the 1960 Trooping The Colour birthday celebrations. As a youngster, I was thrilled, but thinking about it, my father less so! Daddy, who grew up in Catford, S.E. 6 did enjoy showing me, and explaining to me the sights of his home city. However, I was more interested in the buses, beautiful red leviathans with gold lettering beneath the lower deck windows declaring “LONDON TRANSPORT” – as on the Underground trains also. Some buses had their route numbers above the front second deck windows, but my favourites were those rare pre-war examples with a split rear second deck window with a triangle design at the top of the “split”. Was it a coincidence that City of Manchester buses, and those of London Transport had similar liveries. Before the advent of “all-over red”, London’s buses and underground trains were red with cream upper decks and grey roofs, just about the same as in Manchester. The underground trains were red with cream window surrounds, a livery re-introduced on the Isle of Wight rail services which can still be seen today on their adapted former Underground rolling stock. Manchester followed London revising the livery of its buses to red throughout, Daimler built bus number 4429 being tested in this revised livery c1958. The things I remember from childhood!

The Crown brought back several memories of events of my early childhood, and their significance which I never could have grasped at the time. But Aberfan, was that disaster really 54 years ago? “Where has it all gone?” I hear my present contemporaries lament.

DAY 206

I walked into Buxton Yesterday, starting the blog for that day during lunch at the Tradesman’s Entrance on Buxton’s Market Place. I had picked up my medication for the next two months, and then visited the Post Office. Much to my dismay, its contract with The Royal Mint ceases at the end of November. The manager had developed a worthwhile clientele who collected special Royal Mint issues and it was a good opportunity to support a local business.

I needed to buy some stationery to assist with work at home. Thus, I walked further into Buxton, after lunch yesterday, taking the opportunity to view The Crescent. It appeared to be just as busy as when it first opened at the beginning of the month. From what I gather, reviews are generally favorable with the occasional exception of one or two who might complain if they won the lottery! I took a few more photographs which I include with this blog.

Today, the gardeners arrived at 8.30 am to tidy the garden. Even now, it still looks very well maintained, and I’m delighted. This afternoon, a warmer dryer afternoon provided the opportunity of a brief ramble. We would return to the Monsal Trail to either walk along, or, somewhere close by. The car park was full; with far too many people milling around. We moved on towards an alternative nearby trail which offered panoramic views of the Derbyshire Dales. The undulating countryside looked infinite and the Tunstead Quarry works, an irritating blot on a distant landscape. We could see where once a volcano had erupted millions of years ago. The area, centuries later, would be quarried, the land eventually becoming a council tip. Now grassed over, there is little evidence of its lengthy history. I was shown an ancient tomb, illustrated below. The stones could only have been positioned there by the labours of hundreds of men. I am being shown and told so much about the local countryside – it’s astonishing.