Dirty Parsnips and More Cockayne

Another drive in the rain today.  Started off at Leek with a Staffordshire oatcake (double with crispy bacon) and a look at The Longworth Gallery.  It was so posh prices were NOT displayed.  There was a really good taxidermy dome (dead bird and chandelier) in the window.  I didn't ask if it was a Polly Morgan.  I wouldn't be surprised if it was because everything was pretty top-notch.  We didn't actually speak inside the gallery except to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" to the nice man.

Then back into the rain.  Hurried past the market, pausing only to look at some Dirty Parsnips.  Yes, they were actually labelled Dirty Parsnips.  They were quite big.  And not really that dirty, I thought, but then my dad has a vegetable garden, so I've seen dirty vegetables before.  Onwards to Cromford via Onecote and Bottomhouse.  Any excuse to go to Bottomhouse.  I'm childish like that.  Past Wetton and Thor's Cave which I have just been reading about in Legendary Britain by John Matthews and R J Stewart, where The Lair of The White Worm was set by Bram Stoker, and where Ken Russell filmed The Lair of the White Worm.  His clever filming makes the cave seem a whole lot bigger than it seems when you're actually in there.

At Cromford, we were headed for Arkwright Mill, and my favourite shop Arum-Lilie Designs. 

A Very Cool Shop

Browsed the great stuff in the shop, planned a few Christmas presents, talked to the very nice Lizzie and Tim, and bought a Halloween special chapbook from Candlestick Press:

A Chapbook which Contains Spookiness

Then drove (in the rain) to Bakewell via Stanton-in-the-Peak (home of The Nine Ladies), past Haddon Hall (home of Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester) to visit The Old House Museum.  Said hello to my favourite smock, Newark woad-dyed, amazing embroidery on the boxes, and saw a 1840s wedding dress that would have quite suited Jane Eyre, and a couple 1810 dresses.  Beautiful.  Then there was a section on church music in pre-Victorian times, and there had a musical instrument called a serpent on display.  Great place to see a serpent in the flesh as it were.  Loads of good stuff, all donated by local people to the museum of local stuff.  Well-recommended.  One of the samplers was by a 13-year-old girl with the surname Cockayne.  More clues to The Land Of Cockayne.  I'll get there one day.


Hello Brazil!  Come back soon!