A bookshop to visit in Derbyshire

The things I learn thanks to Independent Bookshop Week, which is ending today (which reminds me, I must visit our local one). So anyway, I found out on social media that there is a bookshop in Buxton, Derbyshire that looks like a freaking tower. Scrivener's Books and it sells secondhand books. And look at how stylish it is. I have never been to Buxton, but we have friends in Derbyshire, so maybe we could find a way to go there. I know, I know, it i a bit far, but visiting it must be quite an experience. And I can only imagine the many treasures I could find in there.

Tramway journeys

I took this picture during our visit to the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire back in 2019. It was our last English holiday and one of my favourite discoveries in Derby. Journeying in a tramway is not as excitingas in a vintage train (that is the top), but it was a great fun and it felt like being in another time. I cannot wait to do it again.

The Green Men of Derbyshire

I blogged a few times before about the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire, one of the best thing we discovered during our last English holiday (it feels like ages now). In a piece of woodland next to the village itself, there is a little promenade where there's many sculptures of creatures of folklore and legends, including many, many trees with faces. I think they were meant to represent Green Men. It must certainly be the case of this one,who looks like a typical Green Man. He alsolooks alive and I was half expecting him to start talking. I really loved walking there, it was like becoming a character of old myths and legends.

Des singes et des lions

J'ai pris cette photo à Chastworth House dans le Derbyshire. J'ai déjà blogué sur le sujet de cette oeuvre d'art ici. Hélas, je n'ai pas pris le nom de l'artiste, mais je crois qu'il est asiatique. Je n'ai pas grand-chose à dire, sauf que l'on peut voir un lion et des singes. Je ne sais pas trop pourquoi cette oeuvre me fascine, peut-être pour l'aspect harmonieux entre les différentes bêtes et leur environnement rocailleux.

Les singes du Derbyshire

J'avoue que ce billet ne sert à rien d'autre que partager une photo qui date un peu. Rien que parce que je suis assez peu inspiré, mais j'ai envie de partager des photos qui sont sur cet ordi depuis quelques années. Toujours est-il que j'ai pris cette photo à Chastworth House dans le Derbyshire. Cette famille de singes font partie d'une oeuvre plus grande, faite de pierres et de miniatures. Je ne me rappelle plus qui est l'artiste (l'un des désavantages de publier des photos des années après les avoir prises), alors veuillez m'éclairer si vous le savez. Je crois qu'il était asiatique, je me trompe peut-être, et l'Asie est vaste. Sinon, je ne sais pas trop pourquoi j'ai pris cette photo, à part que je trouvais la famille de singes mignonne.

Samson killing a Philistine

This post is a bit of a correction of an another one: I blogged on Sunday about a statue that you can find on the garden of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. I thought that it represented Cain killing Abel. I was wrong. My wife made a research and found that it is Samson killing a Philistine. More details about it here. I know far less about Samson than I knew about Cain, but I think it is the weapon that threw me off: in many traditions, and even some creative translations, Cain is described as killing his brother with a donkey's jawbone. Even though in Genesis, it is not specified how he commits the murder. Well, I thought this was quite interesting.

Cain and Abel?

I took this picture in Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, during our last visit there back in September 2019. Its ground has many statues, some modern and abstracts, some older and often representing characters from Greek or Roman mythology. I have not made any research on this one, but my bet is that it pictures not any dramatic moment of a greek myth, but the murder of Abel by Cain. I guess it could just as easily be Romulus killing Remus, and maybe it was the intention of the artist to remain ambiguous as to who they were, but my money is on Cain and Abel. The murderer looks plain nasty and does not show the dignity one would expect to find for the founder of Rome. The man giving the blow looks like an enraged savage. I know I could probably find it online with a bit of research, but just looking at the sculpture as it is, what's your take on it?

Le visage de l'arbre

La photo a été prise à Crich Tramway Village dans le Derbyshire, dans le boisé à côté du village même, où il y a pleins de sculptures et d'artefacts qui m'ont fascinés. Dont des arbres, enfind es faux arbres ayant des visages, comme celui-ci. Ainsi que bien des sculptures vues lors de notre promenade, l'arbre doté de conscience et vaguement anthropomorphique est un personnage récurrent dans le folklore et les mythes et légendes et il a aussi été présent dans bien des oeuvres modernes de fantasy (dont bien entendu Tolkien). Celui-ci a l'air fâché, mais je ne crois pas qu'il soit malveillant, sans doute simplement environnementaliste. Dans tous les cas, ces arbres à visage m'ont beaucoup fasciné.

The Sword in the Stone

I took this picture at the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire, more precisely in this little pathway in the woodlands by the village. It is the sword in the stone, most likely the one from the Arthurian legend. And no, it's not the same one as Excalibur. I have seen more impressive displays, but in the woods, it's still a pretty nice sight. I was rewatching the pictures from our day there and it struck me that I must make time to reread proper Arthurian literature. Or read the numerous pieces I have not done so since I finished my PhD, and that was a few decades ago. I am a bit ashamed to admit it really. I need to check my bookshelves, but I know I have at least a few titles here and I think one of my reading objectives this year (and the next) should be to rediscover the Matter of Britain.

The treasure in the woods

I took this picture at the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire, one of my favourite attractions there. It was taken in thelittle pathway in the woodlands by the village itself. There were lots of crafts like this one, representing monsters, or Merlin, or other things from folklore and legends. There was also this treasure. It struck me then that any story and make belief game set in a far, far away past needs a treasure of some sort to have the heroes motivated. And a forest, however small, is the perfect place for adventures and dangers. I can't wait to go back there with Wolfie, when he will be able to enjoy the walk again and use the treasure and other things there as props for his games.

Chinese Dragon

I took this picture in our friend's home in Derbyshire. I don't know if they got it in China. They have lots of stuff they bought in the different places in the world they have visited (they are quite wealthy), so it is possible. I really loved it, so I took a picture, just for the heck of it.

Des animaux de la lointaine Afrique

Photo prise dans le Derbyshire chez nos amis, je la partage ici car encore une fois elle sert mon propos (même si ça n'a rien à voir avec le Derbyshire). Toujours est-il qu'hier, notre fils a décidé soudainement de faire une carte à son grand-père maternel (son "daddad"). Il a donc collé des images d'animaux d'Afrique sur un carton plié en deux. Et il insistait pour que les animaux soient d'Afrique, cette terre très lointaine. Je ne sais pas quelle mouche l'a piqué, mais j'ai trouvé ça très mignon.

Le retour des chauves-souris

La photo a été prise à Crich Tramway Village dans le Derbyshire et je la partage ici parce qu'elle sert mon propos. On ne peut pas sortir bien souvent ou bien loin ces temps-ci, mais cette semaine, j'ai pu voir des chauves-souris qui volaient au dessus du jardin. Des chauves-souris très petites, très rapides, mais j'ai appris à les reconnaître. Je les appelle nos voisines. Je sais que ça peut paraître un peu bête d'être excité à l'idée de voir des chauves-souris voler, mais comme on ne peut même pas voyager dans un avenir proche, il faut se divertir comme on peut. Et puis j'aime bien la présence de nos voisines dans les airs.

Merlin in Derbyshire

I took this picture at the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire. There is a path in the wood, a bit outside the village and there are a lot of wooden statues and creations, some representing characters and monsters from British folklore. Including this old mage on a throne.I have good reasons to believe this is Merlin. There was a sword in the stone nearby, for one (and for the record, no, the sword in the stone is not Excalibur, see my post here for more details.). It could be any other mage or wise old man, but let's face it, when you see a wizard in the woods in a medieval or pseudo medieval setting, it is either Merlin or Gandalf, and it is almost certain this one is Merlin. And as a former medievalist, I cannot wait to visit these woods again.

Trouvez le canard mouillé

Photo prise dans le Derbyshire (à Chatsworth pour être plus précis, je vous recommande d'y aller par ailleurs, c'est vraiment charmant) et je la mets ici car elle sert mon propos, un peu aussi parce que je cherchais une excuse pour l'utiliser. Vous voyez le canard? Il n'est pas si difficile à trouver, mais il est quand même un peu camouflé. Il a les pattes mouillées, mais il s'en fout. Toujours est-il qu'on annonce de la pluie aujourd'hui et pour le reste de la semaine. L'eau devrait nous tomber dessus comme sur le dos d'un canard. Une autre raison de se réjouir de pouvoir passer sa journée à l'intérieur.

Les réserves de bière

Photo prise dans le Derbyshire, je la publie ici car elle sert mon propos. J'ai bu cette bière de Bradfield Brewery chez nos amis qui vivent là-bas et qui ont de bonnes réserves d'alcool: bières, vins, whisky, etc. Ça me rend un peu honteux de n'avoir jamais été aussi bien approvisionné, mais je suis le seul buveur de cette famille. Toujours est-il que nos réserves d'alcool ici, pour des gens en quarantaine, fait assez pitié. Mais j'ai décidé de remédier à cette situation hier et je vais bientôt me faire livrer de la bière d'une microbrasserie qui n'est pas trop loin. Ce n'est pas comme visiter la place et faire une razzia dans les étalages (une activité que je faisais trop peu souvent avant la pandémie), mais ça fera l'affaire pour le moment.

Birthday berry cupcakes

You may remember that we went to Derbyshire last year, where we stayed with the family of my wife's childhood best friend, whi has a son the age of Wolfie. The two boys have become best friends, in spite living very far away. It was shortly after Wolfie's birthday, so when we arrived they had prepared a second birthday party for him. There was a buffet meal and a few desserts, including a bunch of cupcakes with berries in them. Topped with candles, as a "real" birthday cake would. The cupcakes were as delicious as they were original and I thought this was a really sweet gesture. It will be my birthday tomorrow and, while I will have a "proper" birthday cake (at least I hope so, if we can bake it), I wished we also had these for the rest of the week.

Farmer's Ale (the beer with the tractor on the label)

I had this beer in a pub in Derbyshire. I cannot remember the name of the pub just now, but I want to blog more about it bcause it has an interesting history. Right now, I just want to tell this funny anecdote. I dranks lots of products from the Bradfield Brewery during our stay there. This one was called Farmer's Ale and you can tell why I had it. One of them is because it was nice and dark enough and really the perfect beer for a cold and wet night. The other is that it had a tractor on the label, and little Wolfie being completely obsessed about tractors, it is the one he wanted me to have. Yes, he is too young to drink, but he still helps me to choose the right beer. Sometimes he can be very bossy too.

Attic fascination

I took this picture when we visited our friends in Derbyshire. This is the door leading to the attic room where we slept. I love attic rooms, for more details see my blog post from 2008 on the subject. Sleeping again in an attic room was one of the many nice aspects of our time there. And I discovered no later than today that Wolfie is also fascinated by attics. He insisted that I should move some of his old toys in the loft. It is true that he saw me going there last week and maybe all he wants is to see me using the ladder again. Still, he was really adamant that I should move things up in the loft.

Orange and rooibos

Or, maybe the title should say: rooibos à l'orange or rooibos with orange. Anyway, during our last stay in Derbyshire with our friends, we were really treated like royalties. Which means they had plenty of fancy, upmarket food and drinks which they generously shared with us. In the evening, when I did not drink alcohol, I used to drink the Rooibos Orange from Newby. I did not know this company, but apparently this particular brew of rooibos is award winning and I could see why. The orange gives it a bit of extra citrus taste that really mixes well with the rooibos. Rooibos is my caffeinated free drink of choice and what I consider the best beverage that came out of South Africa. And this rooibos is one the best I've had.