Welcome to the new FAARTALS website, brought to you by the Fairfield and Avondale Retired Teachers & Lecturers Society. As you can see we are mostly about walking in the countryside, preferably up and down hills and perhaps a little slowly as befits our venerable status. We are protected by, St Petronilla, patron saint of hill walkers, and enjoy the conviviality of hostelries where we imbibe in traditional potions to recover from our perambulatory exertions. Chief Faartal
After storms and floods today brought us a massive fire which destroyed much of the shopping precint in the centre of Chesterfield. It is thought to have started in the Somerfields store and quickly spread to several adjacent shops with at least 8 have been completely destroyed. It would appear that the library and nearby shops have been saved.
The view from near the Portland Hotel
The view from Markham Rd traffic lights
The view along New Beetwell Street as smoke is blown towards us.
The view from the Post Office footpath.
At least the Spire is safe.
What next … a plague of locusts??………………….
And just as quickly as it came……The first 4 pictures are taken in the same places where flood water flowed 14 hours earlier. The Council did an amazing job in tidying up the town and Park overnight but it was a different story in the Retail Park.
The sale begins… Customers waiting for Curry's to open!
Yesterday's river…This is where the lady was trying to cross a torrent to get home last night.
Tools of the trade…A boat and a wheelbarrow.
The clean up begins at the tearooms
But not all is completely back to normal!
Water on the line at the miniature railway.
Begonia Island… The rowing boats from the boating pool are teathered to a tree 200 yards downstream!
I bet there are many people in Chesterfield who did not even know we had 2 'rivers' flowing through it. Yesterday they made their mark and the pictures tell it all. Not as bad as Sheffield but still a disaster for those affected.
Queens Park's new tearooms.
Going home - somehow!
Boating weather
Saleing buy!
Recording history
Pets at home - I hope not.
Waiting for the tide to turn! -A long wait as no other way through the floods.
7.20 p.m. on the Spire clock
THe river Rother near Chesterfield station
Houses flooded near the station
The river is supposed to flow under the bridge not over it.
A deserted bypass with 2 cars facing the wrong way!
One of the dryest places in Chesterfield
A tale of jealousy, escape, passion and purity.
I think not.
Roger.
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Not exactly a walk, but still something of an outing!
It was necessary for the Faartals to make a weekend trip to New York (near Ripley) to discover the murderer of Pepi Roni, the Godfather of the Roni family.
We were greeted by Father Alfredo, with more bottles in his/her bag than rabbits in a magician's hat, but by midnight we had disposed of them all.
Clair Voyant produced a copious meal of which any Italian would be proud, and which was very fitting for the occasion.
Mama Rosa looked suitably distraught all evening while the dapper Rocco Scarfazzi was always close by to comfort her in spite of his fiancee, Tara Misu being around all the time. Mind you it appeared that Tara had been around quite a bit, if you know what I mean!
Daughter Angel soon showed she was a woman of ambition and fantasies and by no means a good Italian girl! Her main fantasy was the dashing Bo Jalais, a French wine making cousin in charge of the Scarfazzi vineyards.
Lastly came son Marco Roni, who Mama said was a good boy! All he wanted to do was play professional football, but his family had other ideas and insisted that he worked in the family restaurant.
Could you believe that one of these Faartals was the prime suspect??
Many thanks to mine hosts for a brilliant evening!
One of the reasons for the outing was to try out the new boots -
We shall post a further picture of the said boots in 6 months time to see if they are still in this pristine condition!!
I think it would be good to have a separate post to record worthwhile wildlife sitings over the coming months. To start this off, we walked today beside the river Bradford and spent some time watching at least one dipper 'doing its stuff', fairly oblivious to our presence. Several other dippers were seen further up the valley and this quite shy bird does now seem to be coming more accustomed to man. Yesterday was a day for a mini Faartal (on my own) above Ladybower and beneath Stanage Edge. This is well away from the main walking area around here and provided good sitings of 4 Golden Plovers and 2 Mountain Hares. I think I also saw a Peregrine Falcon but without anyone else to back me up I am reluctant to claim it as a siting! The best siting so far this year has been of the wild Red Deer above White Edge. In autumn they were down below the Edge on the rutting ground but this time of year they get as far away from civilisation as possible. I counted 27 including 3 males with multi-pointed antlers. Adam and Margret spotted them a few days later.
Wednesday 11th April. Roger & Celia went in search of the 'drumming' snipe. It is a long time since I heard snipe drumming and it occurred to me that Ramsley Moor and Leash Fen would be a good place to hear them.
Early evening and appropriate refreshment at the Barrel Inn. Clear skies all day meant fantastic views from the Barrel as the sun set in the West. The stone walls were particularly noticeable as the long shadows of the evening spread across the valley
At 8 p.m we were on Ramsley Moor but not a thing to be heard apart from the occasional curlew and lapwing. At 8.30 p.m. there was very little light left but this is obviously the time for snipe to get going. Within 10 minutes they could be heard all around us but we could not see one of them. Their drumming is made by the air vibrating 2 tail feathers as they dive at 45% and is just a way of showing off to their mate during the breeding season! Celia had not heard them before and I think she thought the cold and discomfort had been worthwhile!.
Friday 13th April. Celia and Roger on their own again as the Fairfield contingent still in Spain. From a wildlife point of view this walk is memorable for the first swallow of the season - seen near Foolow in late afternoon. According to my sister there was snow on the ground on the 9th April last year and now the temperature is above 20 degrees.
Lily beetles are on the plants at home. These insects have only recently moved up North and to find them here in April must be very unusual.
