We bunked off yesterday. Technically, when you are your own boss (which we both are) there is no such thing as bunking off. However the lot of the self-employed is that we take significantly less holiday than the wage slaves. So – to Derbyshire. Or to be precise, Chatsworth Farm Shop.

I am my father’s daughter and therefore stocked up on shin of beef and lamb for the freezer. Matt – against all odds – turned down the chance of purchasing pork wrapped in pastry; I have no idea what has happened to him.

It’s not obvious but there are about 30 or so deer in this picture – at the back.

My summer residence

Endesor – the village at Chatsworth – was our other destination. The architecture here is traditional and Victorian, with the highly decorative wood and stone work of a style that can actually be found all over Birmingham. It’s just in much better state of repair here, most of the buildings G1 and G2 listed. The Peaks tourist board say this:

“The 6th Duke of Devonshire moved the original village to the present site, because it spoilt his view from Chatsworth House. When re-building, he chose to have every house built to a different design, virtually one of each from the pattern book offered by his architects.”

Oh the joy of being a landowner.

Edensor church

Anyway the point of mentioning this is because on our wanders I spotted a wild hop. It was massive, growing up another tree so probably 10 or 15 ft tall, and significantly bushier than I might have imagined. Seems that Matt’s hops have still got a way to go.

Wild hop