More images

Well done Rosie for spotting that the film location was indeed Pride & Prejudice featuring Ms Kiera Knightly balancing on top of a rock at Stanage Edge.


And to the other Rosie, did you seriously think I wouldn't take a photo of Little John's Grave? (Little John as in Robin Hoods big Mate)

I thought I would share some more of the photo's I took the other day. Blogging helps me spot things I have never noticed before, and a lot of the smaller details that give me great joy.

Hathersage Walk

For hubby's biggy birthday, we both took the day off work, and after breakfast in a wonderful Italian cafe in Sheffield, we headed out to the Peak District for a nice bracing walk in Hathersage. As funds are extremely low - owing to the recent boiler crisis, we kept out of the shops, and headed through the woods and up the hill.

How utterly sweet was this little fella - I was still a bit wary of his horns though.

The views over Hathersage and beyond are truly beautiful.

We headed up passed North Lees Hall - now houses 2 self catering apartments. It looks a fabulous place to stay. It is believed to be the inspiration for Mr Rochesters house in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte stayed in the area a few times.

I thought that this looked a dodgy crossing for 2 old codgers with a combined age of 100 years!! but we made it.

Its a bit steep for me, but hubby calls it a gentle slope!!!!

There is a fab crystal clear pond at the top. It gets full of frogs, but I inspected and found no evidence of frogs spawn. I reckon it will be later this year because of the extreme cold temperatures.

We followed the stream back down the hill.

And we said a big "Thank You" to Evelyn. Hubby now wants to be a footpath inspector.

We found a cottage - I think estate agents would call it "ripe for renovation"!

And I'll leave you with yet another film location. Can you remember seeing these rocks in a film over the last couple of years? Its a film I bet you have all seen. Answers in the comments box, and I'll let you know next time if you were right.

We then went home, and had a party with a few family and friends, got a bit drunk, nearly killed a few pensioners on the Wii fit board, ate too much food and had a real laugh. He had a great day bless him.

Pamper Swap

With some trepidation, I put my name down for Michela's Pamper Swap. It is only the second swap that I have done - I get a bit scared by them (don't ask me why!). Anyway, I was delighted to be paired with a blogger that I hadn't met before - Juanita. This meant that I had a whole new blog to discover! Juanita is from Singapore but lives in Switzerland and she has a great blog, so why not pop over and introduce yourself - tell her Diane sent you. I posted my parcel to Juanita yesterday, but her gift for me arrived today. Everything was packaged so beautifully - with a smattering of hearts too. She had also included something for the Dancing Queen.

The parcel contained some fab herbal teas - ones that I haven't tried before. Some gorgeous fragrance burning sticks, a recipe book, but best of all, a wonderful pair of Juanita's earrings and a necklace. I am wearing them as I type. They are really lovely. I wear earrings all the time - I feel naked without earrings and lippy!!!

The package for the DQ contained some funky badges that she absolutely loves.

Thanks again Juanita - you made my day!
And can I just say a very big well done to Michela for orchestrating such a well organised swap!

A huge dose of perspective.

Well done to all of you who spotted that we were indeed at the most impressive Salford Quays, in the extremely sunny city of Manchester. And a big well done too if you recognised Audrey Roberts from Coronation Street (in the black leather jacket). Ive not watched any soaps since hubby and I got together - (I couldn't stand the constant moaning and tutting all way through!!) but both hubby and I recognised her - it must have been the hair!!

Hubby had always wanted to visit the Imperial War Museum of the North, so we drove over the Woodhead Pass to what we Yorkshire folk like to call the "wrong" side of the Pennines. It was far too dark in the museum to take decent photographs, but it is well worth the trip if you get chance. I don't know what it is with boys and war, but whilst hubby and the young man thought everything was exciting, I found the exhibits quite traumatic. They have lots of very personal possessions from people who were caught up in wars from the 1st World War to present day. When you read such poignant letters in a soldiers own handwriting, or see possessions that belonged to a nurse who was working in Hong Kong, and was captured and interred in Japanese prisoner of war camp for years, then the human toll seems enormous.
They had a special exhibition by Don McCullin - a photo journalist who spent his whole career photographing every war since 1960. I found every photograph harrowing and couldn't help but cry looking at the faces of innocent people - from babies to very old people - who are caught up in such unimaginable circumstances. I have never seen anything as moving. Apparently, he suffered a few breakdowns in his line of work and he realised that he was addicted to it. His work is truly a really important legacy to mankind.
Another thought that struck me, as I wandered from 1960 - the Berlin wall being erected overnight and the cold war, Biafra, Cambodia, Bangledesh, Vietnam, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Bosnia, The Gulf etc etc etc - to present day, is that these are actually my years, the years I have been alive. Apart from making me feel really really old with all this history under my belt, it made me realise that I take peace in my life, and my freedom totally for granted when so many women my age have gone through so much.
As we watched a film where a lady my age told the story about a family in Bosnia who were made to leave their beautiful town, lovely home and everyone they knew because they were the wrong "race" - even though their families had lived there over 200 years. 2 years on, whilst they were safe and healthy, they still didn't know where they would end up. Unimaginable. It made my whinging about having to fork out £2500 unexpectedly for a new gas boiler, when the old one wasn't quite 4 years old pathetic. It certainly put things firmly in perspective for me and I count myself so lucky to feel so safe, sound and warm with my family around me.

Can you guess....

where Ive been today?
We started out first thing this morning, and drove 15 miles towards our destination and came across more of the white stuff. My old Grandad used to say, that if it doesn't all go at once, there will be more to come to take it away, and he was never wrong - so you have been warned.

Its hubby's 50th birthday celebration week - the grumpy old man has his birthday mid week, so we started his celebrations on Friday night, and are continuing them through the week. I knew he had a hankering to visit this place, so that's what we did today. The architecture of the building was stunning. The architect has been commissioned to work on the ground zero site in New York .

I'm still not telling you where it is, but I'll give you a few clues. I had trouble taking some of the photos because of the sun - and that doesn't happen here often!!

This iconic building was just across the canal.

Just look at those skies - not one cloud all day. This place is not famous for its clear blue skies.

This is quite a historic place, at one time it was a very busy and bustling port - and then it died. It is now being resurrected in a stunning way.

There are lots of canals all joined together - a bit like Venice Michela, but totally modern. I loved capturing the reflections in the water.

It is going to be the new home of part of the BBC. Apparently they are struggling to get the "southerners" convinced that a move "up north" is a good idea. When I went to see Stuart Maconie, he said that they should stay in London if they think that is the best place to be - more jobs for the notherners!!

I even managed to snap a celebrity for you!! How good is that!! She walked past me twice, and I only dared to snap once she got past me. If you enlarge it, you might be able to tell who it is. I'll give you a great big clue - I very spookily only mentioned her in my blog last week!! (no its not Germaine Greer). I wonder if I mention George Clooney this week, he will turn up? I told you I was a bit of a witch.

Anyway, after a totally brilliant day out, we headed back home.

Can you guess where we went and who the celebrity is? I have to say, that I was totally impressed by this place, it wasn't what I thought it would be - blue skies always help though! I'll tell you later where it was, and all about what was in the building we visited.

Je m'appelle Diane

Ive almost come to the end of my beginners french course at the fabulous Northern college. Its always been too dark to take outside photo's to show you, but with daylight hours lengthening (thankfully!!), when we went this week, I was able to take a couple of photographs of the marvellous frontage.

The room lit up here is the Long Gallery that I photographed for you a couple of weeks ago.

This little window is just outside our classroom. Its been fairly easy brushing up on my schoolgirl french - when I arrive on the campsite in Normandy later in the year, I will be able to introduce myself and my family to our neighbours. I will be able to tell them what we do for a living and how old we all are!!!!!

The weather last Sunday was great for a bit of gardening (at last!!) I "dragged" the young man to the Garden Centre and ended up buying this delightful little shrub.

She is a Witch Hazel called "Diane". Now the kids and my hubby often call me a Witch, my dad wanted to call me Hazel when I was born, but my mum got her way and called me Diane, so you see, I feel that she was destined to be mine!!

That's not me gazing into the crystal ball by the way! If it was, the Euro millions lottery would be mine - and I'd be probably hung out to dry in the Betty Ford clinic by now! xxxxx

I can't leave without saying a huge Thank You to everybody that leaves me a comment - you really make my day. And a big "Hi" to "Anonymous Diane" who left me a comment on my last post. xxxxxxxx

Coast to coast - LA to Chicago...

"So what are we having done today?" I'm sat in the hairdressers chair, and she asks me the dreaded question - Ive calculated that since my mum stopped cutting my hair when I was 20, if Ive had my hair cut on average every 8 weeks, I have been asked this question at least 195 times! and the answer is always the same - " I don't know, what do you think? " I sit in the chair - hating every minute - forced to stare at a baggy old saggy face that doesn't reflect the "girl" that I still am. I feel like an idiot - I never know whether the gown goes on like a coat, or the other way round. She snips away, to be fair, she cuts it very well, but then blow dries it so I look like Audrey Roberts!!. It looks a bit different each time she cuts it, but then I get home and wash and dry it, and it looks exactly the same as it did before I went - only shorter.

Its Friday night. My hairdresser and I are the same age, and we reminisce that this time 30 years ago we would have been getting ready for a night on the town. I tell her my routine. I would play Alexander O'Neil or Luther Vandross whilst quaffing a glass of Lambrusco - drying my hair upside down for maximum volume. We laugh at all the nightclubs we frequented - The Hoffbrau house (best night out ever - dancing on the tables to the Ooompah Band and drinking Steins !) Josephines (always the hen night destination), Roof Top Gardens in Wakefield (always on a minibus ), The Wappentake (dead rough - my hairdresser was a biker chick), The Amsterdam Bar in Huddersfield (featured in "Rita, Sue and Bob too!!!) none of them still in existence. We discuss how it never entered your head that someone might be carrying a knife, and that we didn't need "drugs" - a Cherry B or Pony (the little drink with the big kick - tasted like Benolyn!) were strong enough. You never saw people sprawled out on the pavement like you do these days - your mates saw you home if you were ill! We conclude that they were the "best days" and that our kids don't have it as "fun" as we did. I get home and "The Best of Sade" courtesy of Play.com has landed on my door mat. I run a bath, pour a nice glass of red, and dance around the bedroom to "Smooth Operator" singing in front of the mirror - into my hairbrush - as you do! I might not be donning my glad rags for a night painting the town red, but I am still very much in touch with my "inner girl".