Now we have had time to think...

When we set off we attracted a lot of attention.  Lots of smiles and puzzled looks, even a black cat in Newton did a double take!  Looking at Sal N, then Sal L, then back to Sal N again.  As we passed through the village we saw an old lady in a window and we waved and she waved back with enthusiasm.  After Newton, we climbed up to the mast on Newtonwood lane and then down through Teversal, the old village and on towards Pleasley.  As we rolled down the hill to the mill at the bottom of the lane, we passed two men working and one in trousers and shirt (maybe the gaffer?) all staring at us with intrigue.  We waved, said 'hello' and tootled by.  It began to rain.  Should we shelter by the bank of trees or push on?  We pushed on to Rowthorne and found shelter by a wall.  It seemed very deserted.  We ate flapjack and then put the camera on the opposite wall to take some photos. This must have caught Margaret Smith's eye, because she came out to see who we were.  After a brief chat we were invited into her yard to set up the museum.  It began to rain more and so she showed us into her outhouse where the cats lived, complete with carpet, wardrobe and settee!  

While we set up the museum we talked about what we were doing and showed her some completed labels.  At first she thought she didn't have a story to give us but then she started to tell us about Lawson White and all the amazing furniture and tools he had made for her.  We exclaimed that this was a good story and we were really intrigued by what she was telling us about the life of Lawson and the village life that they shared in Rowthorne.  She took us inside to show us some examples of Lawson's work and to take a photograph for the museum.  There were several pieces in her room and we asked her to choose her favourite; she chose the chair. He made his pieces from wood he found in the nearby fields and land and copied some of his designs from other furniture that he liked.  Frustrated by his day job as a farmer, he would rather have been a craftsman at which he was very talented.  It took Margaret a long time to get to know him when they moved into the village; he would peer out from behind walls as they passed by.  They knew of him but it took a while to get to meet him.

Margaret shared this with us, and it felt really important that she had shared this piece of hidden history.  This thought set a seed in our minds about what we were really up to...


We pressed on through Glapwell, Shirebrook and the Langwiths. The sun had returned and the wind was in our sails till just after Whaley Thorns Sally L's chain came off and she took a leisurely fall into the grass verge!  Fortunately it was a soft landing and she got up laughing.  Chain and Sally back on bike and onwards to the railway crossing.  Sally N was worried we wouldn't get across as the trailer might not fit through the pedestrian gates.  We rang the bell and a man opened the big gates for us but he didn't have any stories and he said he was only there on relief.  We ploughed on and passed a man in Whaley fixing his car who gave us a big smile, and into Elmton to stop for lunch.  We were just trying to decide where to sit and eat because it was very blustery, when a big blue van pulled up, kept the engine running and asked us what we were doing.  He wasn't going to stop but we persuaded him to turn off his engine and find out more about us.  He didn't think he had a story to share but then launched into a big description of a charity open day that he had hosted at his farm, which raised £3317 through hog roasts, raffle, trailer rides, etc.  He gave us two pens and two bluebell potatoes (a new variety) and didn't want his picture taken!

We decided to go off the map and avoid Cresswell as time was ticking on.  We saw two builders who shouted hello but we didn't stop which was a missed opportunity for a good yarn- racing against time is not the way we want the project to go...  We carried on towards Whitwell, missing our turn to Clowne. We saw a turn that was a possibility.  A passing man said it was a dead end but we discovered after it wasn't.  We passed through Whitwell, onto the A619 which was horrendous, lots of inconsiderate driving, so we came off again and headed back towards Clowne.  The rain came down and we sheltered for a short time under a car wash, to the bemusement of the workmen, but they didn't come and talk to us so we carried on in the rain.  We caused more bemusement as we passed an accident in Clowne, directed by 4 police who shouted hello and looked rather puzzled by our appearance.  Onwards to the horrible A619 which took us over the M1, Sally L was glad she wasn't in amongst all those lemmings.


At Maston Moor, we finally turned off the main road, and some boys outside a corner shop shouted 'Gie us a backie!' but we said 'Its hard enough already mate'.  So then we headed up through Renishaw onto another busy road where, intimidated by lorries, we missed our turn to pass the Hall, and ended up on the main road for longer.  Still, we took the next left turn which put us back on our little roads again, phew!


To be continued...