Christmas | Now I'm 64

The Wizard of Oz makes a Christmas appearance at Castle Howard

It’s that time of year again, when stately homes up and down the land get dressed up in Christmas finery, and members of the public pay handsomely for the privilege of seeing what they’ve been up to. Some take a general, untargeted approach, and assume that a few brightly decorated trees and random reindeer, wise men and shepherds will be sufficient to get their visitors into the Christmas spirit.

Others take it a lot more seriously, spending a small fortune on themed light and sound installations that seem to have more to do with extravagant showmanship than with the spiritual origins of the festival. This year Castle Howard, a grand mansion in Yorkshire, has gone for it big time, playing host to no less than the Wizard of Oz over the festive period.

OK, it’s time for a confession: the Wizard of Oz is a total mystery to me. I’ve never read the book, nor have I seen the movies. The only Yellow Brick Road I’m familiar with is the one Elton John sings about, and neither tin men nor cowardly lions have ever crossed my path. But hey, it’s never too late to learn!

The tour began with a visit to Dorothy’s house after it has been trashed by the tornado. It looked surprisingly convincing, and puts me in mind of some of the near derelict buildings Mrs P and I occasionally encountered on road trips around remote corners of the US. Happy days!

***Along the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, lined with giant hand-made poppies.***

And then we stepped out onto the yellow brick road, making our way to the Emerald City by way of a corridor that had been magnificently transformed by the Castle Howard team, who worked long and hard to create 64 giant handmade poppies and various other floral decorations. The coloured lighting added an extra dimension, and made the whole thing eerily attractive.

***Christmas tree in the Great Hall, a.k.a. the Emerald City***

Soon we were in the Great Hall, dominated by a Christmas tree that is 28 feet (8.5 metres) high, a tree that had been dressed with 3,000 decorative baubles as well as 1km string of twinkling lights. It took the dedicated team three days of hard work to decorate the tree, but it was clearly worth the effort. Most visitors took a selfie in front of it, so it is amazing that Mrs P managed to take her photo without a single person in view. She has the patience of a saint, does Mrs P, though it doesn’t stop her grumbling about people standing between her camera and her proposed subject!

***A performance artist puts on a show in the Emerald City’s high street.***

In an area of the castle that had been converted into the Emerald City’s High Street an exuberant performance artist engaged joyfully with visitors young and old, as well as performing some gymnastic exercises that made my eyes water. My body was never, ever even half that supple! I don’t know if this lady was portraying a character from the original Wizard of Oz, but in my book she was a superstar. Move over, Judy Garland!

And then, as we progressed through the rest of the castle, we met some other characters who were most definitely part of the original tale. The cowardly lion looked nervous, as might be expected given the huge numbers of visitors wandering past his bed, and the scarecrow seemed baffled by what was going on all around him. The tin man, however, seemed unconcerned by the suffering of his two colleagues; in fact he came across as totally heartless!

There was plenty more to enjoy as we explored Castle Howard’s take on the Wizard of Oz, including various spectacular sound and video creations. Overall, the installation proved to be a wonderful piece of escapist nonsense. On doing some research after our visit I’ve learned that some scholars believe the Wizard of Oz to be a work of great depth that contains within it important messages about life, the universe and everything. My gut feeling is that they’re overthinking it: surely Frank L Baum’s wacky story, originally written in 1900, is meant to entertain, and from what I saw during our visit it does just that. However I would add that, while I have absolutely no idea what Mr Baum was drinking when he wrote his novel, I would be delighted to get hold of a bottle (or two!).

Snowmen and snowdogs

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Platypus Man

It snowed overnight on Saturday. No surprise there, the forecasters had been banging on about the possibility for days, but there was not nearly as much “white stuff” as they predicted. Certainly not enough to build a snowman, but who cares – we had our fill of snowmen a few weeks ago, and spotted some snowdogs too, when we explored a couple of local sculpture trails organised by Wild in Art.

***Eight Maids a-Milking***, **by Donna Newman**

Both trails were inspired by the work of Raymond Briggs (1934 – 2022), a notable illustrator of children’s books. The Snowman was first published in 1978, and remains his most celebrated work. It is a story told entirely without words, relying instead upon a sequence of simple pencil crayon illustrations.

Eleven Pipers Piping, by Sue Guthrie

The Snowman is a magical tale of a boy who builds a snowman in his garden and is astonished when his creation comes to life at the stroke of midnight. Boy and snowman play together happily, but without making a sound to avoid waking the boy’s parents. Later, after a shared candlelit feast, the loveable snowman flies through the air above the snowclad English countryside with the entranced boy held tightly under his arm.

Seven Swans a-Swimming, by Laura-Kate Chapman

When their flight is over the pair return home, the boy to his bed and the snowman to the garden. Upon waking the next morning the boy rushes into the garden to re-join his new best friend, but a thaw has set in and the snowman is little more than a pile of slush. It’s a sad end, a reminder that nothing is forever and that all things must pass, but the abiding memory is of the cheerful, chubby, larger-than-life character of the snowman.

Four Calling Birds, by Laura-Kate Chapman (the other two are on the snowman’s back!)

Such was the impact of Briggs’ enchanting story that in 1982 it was adapted into a 30 minutes long animated film for television. The film caught viewers’ imagination and brought The Snowman story to a whole new audience. It has been repeated regularly ever since.

Twelve Drummers Drumming, by Sue Guthrie

Today the loveable snowman is a Christmas icon, recognised by one and all, so it was no surprise to see Briggs’ creation starring in a sculpture trail at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, during the final weeks of 2024. The trail featured a series of sculptures of our hero, his ample body covered with designs inspired by the ever-popular festive song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.

*Six Geese a-Laying,* by Matilda Elizabeth

As I’ve written previously about similar Wild in Art sculpture trails that we’ve followed in recent years, this one wasn’t about sophisticated art or high culture. It was nevertheless a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, to throw off the miseries that Covid had inflicted upon us just a couple of weeks earlier, and to have some much-needed fun.

* * * * *

The impact of the original snowman film was so great that canny television executives craved a sequel. It duly came to pass in 2012. Raymond Briggs gave The Snowman and the Snowdog his blessing, although he was not personally involved in the project. The story introduces a brand new character, a snowdog, who enjoys a series of magical adventures alongside the snowman and the boy.

The snowdog inspired his own sculpture trail in October 2024, in the elegant Derbyshire town of Buxton. If I’m honest, this one was not quite up to the standard of the snowman trail that we visited a few weeks later, with several of the designs seeming a little lacklustre. Nevertheless tracking down the snowdog sculptures was a good excuse for a day out, free entertainment in a part of Derbyshire that we really should try to visit more often. Later in the year, maybe…

Clockwise from Top Left: Rosy Posy by Jessica Perrin; Elf, by Amanda Quellin; Starry Night, by Benjamin Fowler; Sparky, by Wild in Art; Ginger, by Donna Newman; Gizmo, by Wild in Art; Roodle, by Easy Grass.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, at Wentworth Woodhouse

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Platypus Man

With the Big Day fast approaching, and our recent encounter with Covid weighing less heavily upon our bodies, we decided to make one more attempt to get into the festive spirit by checking out the Christmas decorations at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire. I’ve written previously about Wentworth Woodhouse, one of England’s grand stately homes, which is being rescued from a state of near ruin by a determined Preservation Trust.

The theme for Wentworth Woodhouse’s Christmas 2024 decorations was “A visit from St Nicholas”, based on a nineteenth century American poem. Beyond the first four lines (“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”) it’s not a poem I know at all well, and the connection between it and the lights display was largely lost on me at the time.

But who cares, the lights were bright and colourful, and the scattering of highly decorated fir trees – with wrapped presents piled up beneath – left us in no doubt that Christmas was indeed upon us. This has been a tough year in so many ways and I’m grateful, therefore, for the couple of hours of innocent escapism that Wentworth Woodhouse’s Christmas decorations offered us. It wasn’t sophisticated, it wasn’t artistically challenging, it wasn’t – in any sense of the term – “high culture”, but it was fun, and don’t we all need a bit of that right now.

And with that thought, it’s time for me to sign off for 2024 by thanking anyone out there who ever reads or comments on this blog. Your continuing interest has helped keep my spirits up throughout another challenging year. It’s my absolute pleasure to wish you a Merry Christmas, and Happy & Healthy New Year. See you in 2025, guys!

***May Santa be kind to you this Christmas!***

Christmas already! Harewood House lights up.

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Platypus Man

It’s that time of year again, when stately homes up and down the land get dressed up in Christmas finery, and members of the public pay handsomely for the privilege of seeing what they’ve been up to. The grouch in me says that mid-November is way too early for this kind of thing, but as we were passing nearby on our way back from a gig, Mrs P and I decided to call in at Harewood House to inspect its take on Christmas.

Located close to Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, Harewood is a grand country mansion designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam. It was built between 1759 and 1771 for Edwin Lascelles, the 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation and slave owner. As the Harewood website clearly acknowledges, the origins of the house are totally abhorrent, but the building itself is an outstanding example of Georgian architecture and design, and boasts a wealth of fine furniture and art.

The theme of Harewood’s Christmas in 2024 is Mischief at the Mansion. The website explains that “a troop of not-so-angelic cherubs have escaped from the Christmas tree and Harewood House sparkles into life with singing baubles, swirling ceilings and gossiping statues. Marvel as the House tells you festive tales of bygone times…”

There is much more to admire here than the standard Christmas fayre of extravagantly decorated fir trees and colourful flashing lights, including witty spoken dialogue between the cherubs and extensive use of projected, moving imagery.

***The Christmas tree baubles were engaged in lively conversation!***

***The Christmas cakes also had a lot to say for themselves!***

Unfortunately, much of this show – and it is a show – doesn’t lend itself well to photography, so you’ll have to believe me when I say that the result is spectacular. A lot of time and money was clearly spent to impress paying visitors, ensuring that the “wow factor” is alive and well at Harewood this Christmas.

Harewood House is open for visits all year round, and based on what we saw a couple of weeks ago I’d happily return at another time of year. This would enable us to better appreciate its fine architecture, furniture and art without the ongoing distractions of Christmas bling and cheeky cherubs! Next year, maybe?

Burton Constable Hall celebrates Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Platypus Man

Many of the UK’s grand stately homes rely on entrance fees to pay for their upkeep. And their owners have long recognised that a few random yuletide decorations, plus the occasional fir tree draped in flashing lights, are a sure-fire way to boost winter visitor numbers and income. After all, we Brits are creatures of habit – we’ve seen all of this a hundred times before but, what the hell, it’s the season of goodwill so we’ll gladly pay to see it again somewhere else. And so it was that this year Mrs P and I ended up at Burton Constable Hall.

Located in a sparsely populated corner of East Yorkshire, Burton Constable Hall dates from the mid-16th century. A couple of hundred years later it had become unfashionable, and so was substantially redesigned and rebuilt in the 1760s by owner William Constable (1721-1791) to give us the building we see today.

The exterior of the Hall is impressive, but not nearly as spectacular as its interior. Some of the stately homes we have visited over the years at Christmas have gone so overboard with their seasonal decorations that the rooms themselves have almost become invisible. You could be anywhere, with the merits of the buildings becoming lost beneath a mound of gaudy yuletide bling.

Fortunately this was not the case at Burton Constable, where the grand rooms remained the stars of the show. The Christmas trees – often tucked away unobtrusively in corners – and other decorations we encountered were well executed without being excessive, discreet seasonal additions that in no way detracted from the Hall’s Georgian elegance.

Having said that, we look forward to returning at another time of year, when Christmas is but a distant memory, to focus exclusively on Burton Constable’s history, architecture and design. This is an exceptional building, regardless of the season of the year, and deserves to be better known than appears to be the case.

And with that, it’s time for me to sign off for 2023 by thanking anyone out there who ever reads or comments on this blog. Your continuing interest has helped keep my spirits up throughout another challenging year. It’s my absolute pleasure to wish you a Merry Christmas, and Happy & Healthy New Year. See you in 2024, guys!

Peter Pan, Castle Howard and Christmas

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Platypus Man

By late November Christmas is already impossible to avoid. Television channels are boasting endlessly about their holiday schedules. Shops are groaning under the weight of seasonal goodies. A yuletide wreath, laden with holly and ivy, is proudly displayed on a neighbour’s front door. And in stately homes up and down the land the Christmas lights and decorations are going up, sending their electricity bills through the roof. But no worries – we, the paying public, will cover the cost!

Castle Howard is a grand stately home in North Yorkshire. Dating from the 18th century, it’s said to be one of England’s finest historic houses, set in a parkland dotted with lakes, fountains, temples and statues. Twelve months ago we were fascinated by a television programme revealing the extraordinary lengths to which its owners go to attract hordes of additional visitors during the Christmas season, so this year we vowed to check it our for ourselves.

Every year Castle Howard selects a new theme for its Christmas celebrations, and in 2023 it is Peter Pan’s turn to put on a show. Here’s what the visitor guide has to say about it:

This year we fly to Christmas in Neverland, entering the world of J M Barrie’s boy who never grew up. It’s a world of sparkles and shadows, of pirates and mermaids, of shaggy dogs and Darlings, where dreams and reality fade imperceptibly from one to the other. Where better to find the story of daydreams made real than in the fantastical surroundings of Castle Howard?
Source: Printed guide for visitors to “Christmas in Neverland” at Castle Howard

Wow, they don’t lack ambition, do they? And modesty’s clearly not their strong point either! But is all this hype justified by the reality of Castle Howard’s extravaganza? Read on and find out.

Sadly, things don’t start well. We’ve already bought timed tickets over the internet, which should allow us to walk straight in at our allotted hour. But when we arrive queues are snaking out of the entrance into the courtyard, and it’s 30 minutes or more before we can get out of the cold and begin our tour.

My cynical outlook on life quickly leads me to conclude the underlying problem is greed, too many tickets sold in a feverish attempt to make as much money as possible. As it happens, a friendly member of staff suggests the problem is a coach full of visitors that has arrived late and thrown the rest of the day’s schedule into disarray. Hmm, OK, sounds plausible…maybe.

But anyway, all things must pass, and in due course we get into Castle Howard and begin our exploration of Neverland. And now I have a confession to make…Peter Pan’s never appealed to me! Don’t know why, but the concept of a perpetual child, his fairy companion and random pirates, Lost Boys and crocodiles leaves me cold.

***On the deck of the Jolly Roger, Captain Hook’s pirate ship***

So although a series of more than a dozen extravagantly dressed rooms and other spaces are designed to take the visitor chronologically through the Peter Pan story, it doesn’t really work for me as I’ve never read the book or seen the film. I must therefore judge what we see at Castle Howard simply as a visual spectacle, regardless of the links to J M Barrie’s tall tale.

As it happens, the spectacle is, well…spectacular. Although I don’t know the story I can appreciate the tableaux depicting it, including a bath-time scene, the deck of a pirate ship, a mermaid’s bedchamber and a dining table set out with a lavish Christmas feast.

With a nod in the direction of the Disney movie, there are also some action scenes created through the projection of moving shadows on to brightly lit walls and ceilings. These include the fairy Tinker Bell flitting hither and thither, and Peter Pan and the evil pirate Captain Hook fighting with cutlasses. It’s all very entertaining, enthralling visitors both young and old. At one point an enormous shadow crocodile appears out of nowhere and snaps his jaws at the horrible Hook. Go on my son, do your worst!

***The cutlass fight between Captain Hook and Peter Pan, cleverly depicted in moving shadows***

Clearly, no expense has been spared to create a festive atmosphere in Castle Howard’s Neverland. Coloured lights and lavish decorations abound, just what we need to get us in the mood for Christmas. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it. The world’s in a bad way right now, and an afternoon’s innocent escapism offers a welcome break from the relentless torrent of bad news that threatens to drown us all.

***Table laid for the Lost Boys’ feast***

Well done, Castle Howard, for this brave attempt to raise the spirits of your visitors. Even the queues didn’t spoil our day there – it’s the season of goodwill, after all, so I’ve forgiven you! But we must make a return trip at another time of year, so we can fully appreciate the house itself without being distracted by all that gaudy Christmas bling.

What energy crisis? Dinosaurs light up Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Platypus Man

While Brits will know it only too well, overseas readers may be unaware that – due to the knock-on effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the UK is in the middle of an energy crisis. Prices have gone through the roof, and we are warned that energy rationing, through a rolling programme of power cuts, is a real possibility if there is a prolonged cold snap later this winter.

Everyone is being urged to be energy aware, and to cut down on power consumption if at all possible. But you’d never know that there was any problem at all, if you were basing your opinion on the Festival of Lights and Lanterns at Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP).

As I’ve written before, I have some reservations about keeping wild creatures in captivity (don’t we all?), but YWP seems OK. The animals are plainly well cared for, with plenty of space to roam. Importantly, the Park supports a number of conservation initiatives to breed highly endangered species in captivity, and seeks to educate visitors about their plight. But conservation costs money, so managers are happy to embrace initiatives that will attract paying members of the public through the gates. And what better way, at this festive time of year, than to flood the place with countless coloured lights?

We went to last year’s Festival of Lights and Lanterns, and had a great evening. It’s not the most obvious way to celebrate Christmas, but it worked for me and countless others too. Giant, glowing coloured lanterns were distributed throughout the Park, representing some of the critters living there, including polar bears, tigers, giraffes and okapi, and a few others that just wouldn’t feel quite at home, such as whales! There were even a few dinosaurs, poignant reminders of the world we have lost.

The regular critters – tigers, giraffes and the like – were back in force for this winter’s Festival. It was good to see these old friends, and also pleasing to note that last year’s favourites had been recycled and not simply trashed. But the big change, for the 2022/23 season, was in the population of dinosaurs, which seems to have exploded over the last few months!

And don’t the visitors love them, T-Rex and Triceratops, and all their brutish buddies? Children looked on in awe, and adults lapped it up too, a welcome opportunity to escape – if only for an hour or two – the stresses and strains of life in the UK at the end of 2022. Just for a short while it was possible to forget the energy crisis, and bathe irresponsibly in the light of a thousand colourful lanterns. But spare a thought, if you will, for YWP’s Director of Finance…he may be in for a few sleepless night when the Park’s next electricity bill arrives!

In the Deep Midwinter: Christmas at Chatsworth House

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Platypus Man

Chatsworth House, ancestral home of the Dukes of Devonshire, is one of England’s foremost stately homes. It’s run as a business, depending for its survival largely on the income it generates by welcoming paying members of the public to explore the stunning house and massive ornamental gardens. As with so many visitor attractions, the Christmas season is vitally important for the health of the enterprise. This is even more true in 2022, as Chatsworth seeks to recover from the damage inflicted upon the business by Covid.

***Chatsworth’s famous Cascade, which dates from around 1708, flanked here by rows of eerily lit trees***

And when we visited a couple of weeks ago visitors were out in force to experience this year’s Christmas extravaganza. Here’s what the website told us to expect:

Deep Midwinter: A Nordic Christmas at Chatsworth brings to life the Christmas folklore and traditions of the Arctic and Nordic regions through a series of themed roomscapes. Sculpted ‘ice’ walls, tranquil pine forests, lanterns, traditional Nordic Christmas decorations and foliage foraged from woodlands and hedgerows across the estate evoke the sights, sounds and scents of the natural world at wintertime…

Our Nordic theme continues into the garden with an enchanting Christmas light trail. Experience our ‘northern lights’ over the Canal Pond, let colour guide you along Broad Walk into a glade of glowing lights and, for the first time, see the Maze illuminated and filled with festive music.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But sadly, it didn’t live up to expectations. In 2019, the last time we visited Chatsworth at Christmas, we were blown away by decorations on the theme of “a land far, far away.” This year, however, we were distinctly underwhelmed: the Nordic associations pretty much passed us by, and the decorations lacked impact. Worse still, we paid nearly £30 (USD 37) per head for the privilege.

Some grand stately homes in other parts of the country charge quite a bit more for their Christmas celebration – Blenheim Palace, for example – but, if recent television coverage is to be believed, they offer a lot more too. Clearly, £30 per head isn’t a fortune, but that’s not the point. The question is, does it represent value for money, particularly as we are currently in the midst of a nationwide “cost of living crisis”? I don’t think so.

***One of the more attractive features of the “enchanting lights trail” in the garden.***

Don’t get me wrong, our visit wasn’t a total waste of time. Parts of the garden lights trail were pretty good, while the best of the decorated rooms of the House were very well done. And if you’d never been to Chatsworth before the whole show probably made a good, although very crowded, introduction to the House’s splendours. But we know the place well and – based on what we saw in 2019, and what we paid for our tickets this time – we expected rather more. The photos I’ve used to illustrate this piece feature the highlights, but the majority of “the experience” was a lot more mundane.

Maybe they had a limited budget in 2022, as a result of Covid’s impact on revenue streams? Or did they spread their resources too thinly, by having “an enchanting lights trail” in the gardens as well as decorating the House (in 2019, the Christmas extravaganza was limited just to the House, and didn’t extend into the gardens). But I can’t help worrying that Chatsworth’s trading on its name, making a calculated underinvestment in this seasonal attraction on the assumption that people will turn up anyway, just because it’s Chatsworth?

Top left: The Painted Hall. Top right: Another room, another group of trees, and a stray speaker playing Christmas music! Middle right: The Library. Bottom: The Chapel. The golden statue between the trees is by the notorious contemporary British sculptor Damien Hirst.

If so, I fear that may be a bit short-sighted, as there are plenty of other stately homes around here that also put on a show at Christmas. People who shared our disappointment with Chatsworth’s efforts this time may well choose next year to get their seasonal cheer somewhere else, somewhere offering the prospect of seeing more while paying less.

Hopefully, this is a one off, and Chatsworth will be back on form in time for Christmas 2023. Until this year they’ve had a good track record, so we’ll probably give them another chance. I’ll report back 12 months from now!

Burton Agnes celebrates Christmas

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Platypus Man

Although Burton Agnes may sound like the upper crust villain of an Agatha Christie novel, the reality is altogether more interesting. Built between 1598 and 1610 near the village of Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Burton Agnes is a magnificent Elizabethan mansion that’s been associated with the same family for over 400 years.

Although the Hall is now managed by a charitable trust, the family still lives there. To help cover the cost of its upkeep, paying visitors are invited to have a poke around this Grade I Listed architectural masterpiece. And, inevitably, the period before Christmas is a great time to pep up the income stream.

This, of course, is nothing unusual. Up and down the land the good, the bad and the ugly of British stately homes open their doors to the Great British Public at this time of year, anxious to milk the cash cow that is Christmas.

Some do a great job, investing heavily to decorate their mansions with festive frivolities that are sure to get their visitors into the mood for Christmas and, hopefully, will encourage them to return the next year. Others, I suspect, do the absolute minimum that they calculate is necessary to prevent the paying public demanding its money back.

Burton Agnes, which we visited a couple of weeks ago, felt like good value for money. The place was tastefully, but not excessively decked out in seasonal finery. They say that “less is more”, and whoever planned the Christmas decorations here clearly understands the benefits of measured restraint in such matters. The seasonal adornments seemed in tune with their setting rather than simply overwhelming it, which has been the case in some of the places we’ve visited over the years

To be honest, I would normally find it difficult to feel festive in mid-November, but by the time we left Burton Agnes I could happily have polished off a plateful of mince pies and knocked out a verse or two of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Roll on Christmas, I’m ready for you now!

The White Drawing Room

And, just as important, our visit to see the Christmas decorations also served as an introduction to a truly spectacular building. The Great Hall is just that, a masterpiece of plasterwork and panelling. The Long Gallery, with its barrelled ceiling, is light, airy, elegant (and very, very long!), while the White Drawing Room is comfortably tasteful. Although the decorations were great to see, the quality of the building itself shone through clearly.

Above: The Red Drawing Room. Below: The Long Gallery

Burton Agnes has been described by the author Simon Jenkins as ‘the perfect English house’ and as one of the twenty best English houses. I’m not sure about that, but I do know that there’s lot to admire in it. Mrs P and I have agreed that we’ll make a return visit at another time of year when the Christmas decorations have been removed, so we can get to know it a bit better.

2021: Making the Best of It

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Platypus Man

This will probably be my last post of 2021. Planning it, I thought I’d write a retrospective piece, focussing on the highlights of the last 12 months. Well that wouldn’t take long, would it, given that there haven’t been any highlights. It’s true that 2021 hasn’t been quite as bad as 2020, but not by much. On balance it’s another year I’d rather forget. But, thankfully, there have been a few compensations along the way.

***Without the company of visiting cats Malteser (above) and Milky Bar, our 2021 would have been a whole lot bleaker***

That was the year that was (all jabbed up, with nowhere to go!)

When I left work in 2018 the plan was that we’d do a lot of travelling, see more of the world and the UK too. And for the first 18 months it worked out just fine, with big trips to the USA – centred on Yellowstone National Park – and New Zealand, as well as shorter stays in various corners of our own country. But since Covid struck nearly two years ago we’ve spent just a couple of nights away from home, in the nearby county of Rutland. Retirement wasn’t meant to be like this!

***We enjoyed visiting a few historic buildings in Derbyshire and surrounding counties. In the 19th century, Shibden Hall (above) was home to the extraordinary Anne Lister, aka ‘Gentleman Jack’***

But at least we’ve had our jabs. Two doses each during the spring, and more recently booster doses to counteract the threat of the omicron variant. We remain healthy and feel safe, but the restrictions and continuing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic have so far deterred us from planning any trips next year. Seems like we’re all jabbed up, with nowhere to go.

**A canal-side stroll at Bugsworth Basin allowed us to escape briefly from our everyday suburban existence**

So, with our passports gathering dust all year and our UK horizons severely restricted, we’ve had to resort to simple pleasures.

Simple pleasures

One of the few bonuses of Covid has been that, with long distance travel out of the question, we have found ourselves exploring much closer to home. We’ve finally visited some places that have been on our list for years – decades, even – but never made it to the top. And others that we were totally unaware of, even though they’re in our own backyard. So it’s not been a wasted year, but not at all what I would have predicted when I started drawing my pension in 2018.

***Yorkshire Wildlife Park is part of a European conservation initiative to protect the endangered Amur Tiger. Early next year I’ll write a post about our multiple visits to the Park during 2021.***

The internet has made lockdown life much more tolerable than it would have been had Covid struck before the world went online. During 2021 I’ve spent a lot of time on the web listening to folk music, an interest that dates back to my childhood. We’ve also attended several online gigs on Zoom, and every week I’ve listened to several regional folk music shows via online catch-up radio. We even plucked up the courage to attend one day of the Derby Folk Festival in person, and enjoyed seeing Ninebarrow – a folk duo we discovered online during the first lockdown – perform live.

***All manner of surprises were on offer in the sculpture garden at Burghley House. I’ll share some more of these in 2022.***

But more than anything else the thing that has made this year bearable has been the company of our visiting cats, Milky Bar and Malteser. Being at home just about all the time has allowed us to get to know them much better than before, and they’ve repaid us by spending lots of quality time here, sleeping, playing, making mischief and eating any treat we’ve put in front of them. Our Covid experience would have been a whole lot bleaker without those two fabulous felines.

***Visayan Pigs (aka Warty Pigs) are another of Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s impressive conservation projects. Post to follow in 2022.***

So that’s it, that was the year that was. Of course, it could have been been much, much worse. But I can’t pretend it’s been a bundle of laughs either. Let’s all hope 2022 will be a whole lot better.

Christmas gifts

Christmas is a time for gift giving, and in that spirit I’d like to present you with this link to a recording on YouTube of Benjamin Zephaniah reading his wonderful Christmas poem that invites us all to Be Nice to Your Turkey this Christmas.

Benjamin was born and raised in Birmingham, England, and is a celebrated dub poet whose work “is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls ‘street politics’.” Many years ago Mrs P and I were thrilled to attend one of his gigs. It was nowhere near Christmas, but his performance of this poem still brought the house down. If you’re not familiar with his work do click on the link and listen to the man do his stuff – it may well be the best two minutes and eight seconds of your whole Christmas!

My second gift to you is Joan Baez singing The Cherry Tree Carol. I’ve already observed that my interest in folk music dates back to my childhood. My father loved Joan Baez’s singing, and had several vinyl albums of her work. I grew to love them too, and remember playing and re-playing her records on our ancient radiogram (anyone else remember radiograms?) until the grooves were worn away.

Although dating back in some form to the early 15th century, the Cherry Tree Carol as we now know it was collected by Francis James Child (1825-96) during the second half of the 19th century and included in his famous anthology of English and Scottish Popular Ballads. I am not a religious man, but the spirituality of this song moves me deeply. And who can possibly listen to Joan Baez’s fabulous folkie voice without getting a lump in their throat? Listen and enjoy!

And finally …

Thank you for reading my blog, and for sharing your comments with me from time to time. With Covid restrictions curtailing travel opportunities and limiting our social interactions, I’ve really appreciated exchanging ideas and experiences with WordPress pals from across the globe. You’ve helped make a difficult year more bearable.

I wish you all a happy, peaceful Christmas, and a healthy and fulfilling New Year.