We went to Buxton last Saturday when the sun was beaming down and making everywhere look fantastic.

Even being in a queue from the M57 right to Glossop couldn’t dim our enthusiasm for the trip. Then just after Dinting I turned right towards Marple and went through  Hayfield before joining the A6 and missing the rest of queue and benefiting from the fabulous country views.

Now this is starting to worry me because my childhood was spent in the country (mainly Lincolnshire and Rutland), does this mean I’m losing my love of the big(ish) city?

Anyway we arrived in Buxton to find it too bathed in sunshine and teaming with life. The Opera house positively shone in the warm spring sunshine. And Spring Gardens itself was very busy and all the shops nearby seemed to be bristling with people browsing and shopping.

Meanwhile our time in the queue had really pushed our stomachs beyond endurance and lunchtime so we went to Waitrose to select a sandwich. Unfortunately none of us were impressed with what they had to offer so went next door to Marks and Spencer where I’m happy to report our sandwich needs were fulfilled Plus as an added bonus I sneaked a couple of cheese and ham crepes into the shopping basket for when we got home!

The reason we’d gone to Buxton in the first place was to see one of Kay’s friends Mothers house as they were selling it and it had some interesting Victoriana that would be useful in the museum.

Sure enough they’d got a rather lovely Singer sewing treadle currently in pride of place in the kitchen at the Hall. They also kindly gave us a chair and loaded us down with other things that will really help the hall to look even more lived in and give everyone the chance to see what life was like in Victorian times.

If you’d like to come and see that sewing machine, and another hand machine they gave us come on down to Clayton Hall on the 16th April (it’s open every third Saturday).

I’ve noticed that contrary to what many say Manchester does attract a fair bit of sunshine. However, I’ve also noticed that it tends to be in May rather than in the more “normal” months of June, July and August.

I remember coming to Manchester for a University entrance interview and seeing a completely cloudless blue sky. When I took up the offer to study in Manchester I was very lucky to be here during the heat waves of 1975 and 1976. And in fact even the following years were agreeable.

When I got married (in May, quite a few years ago) the weather was very breezy,  but a lovely sunny day with an amazing blue sky. Remember last year? Lovely blue skies in May. In fact maybe those skies prompted the forecasts of barbie weather all summer from the unfortunate forecasters!

Speaking of forecasts…

I was listening to the weather report from the BBC today and it mentioned that the north  and north midlands would be overcast. I can report the weather has been superb, proper lovely sunny, great to be alive weather.

Now, here’s something I’d like an answer to…

Why does Manchester always seem to be missing from the weather maps? And yet plenty of other smaller places are shown. Is it a conspiracy or maybe the weather people can’t bring themselves to put down a name with the politically incorrect word “man” it it? Which do you think it is? Or maybe there’s a really good reason that I don’t know.