Turning Back Time

We all know it's impossible to turn back time and the nearest we'll ever come to it is when we change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time every year. The clock on St Mary's Church today was still showing BST but no doubt will be changed soon. I often wonder though if this messing about twice a year is absolutely necessary.

It usually takes me a couple of weeks to adjust each time so I am out of kilter for at least one month in every twelve. If therefore you espy a zombie walking around Ilkeston in the next fortnight, it won't be a leftover from Halloween - it will just be me as my body clock adjusts!

Halloween Heroes

There was a stall on the Market Place today raising funds for the Help the Heroes charity.

The heroes of course are members of the armed forces but you have to be some sort of hero to stand in the town centre on a Saturday morning dressed as a giant pumpkin like this fund-raiser did!

Smells Like Christmas

The workmen who have been putting the Christmas lights up in the town this week were nowhere to be seen today but others were erecting scaffolding in front of the Town Hall. I was told last week the the balcony on the building was not safe so I'm assuming that repairs are being carried out before the Christmas decorations are fixed. The leaves are still on many of the trees and many are now showing their autumnal colours but that Christmas feeling is already making its presence felt not only with lights across the streets but also in the shops.

There was another feeling of the upcoming Festive Season today as our two younger grandsons came for a baking session where they helped make three cakes - one for us, one for our son and one for my birthday in January. As they cooked this afternoon there was a smell of Christmas even though it is still only October. 

Double Quick Time

The "something else" that I mentioned yesterday the workmen were engaged in was the erection of the Christmas lights and they've wasted no time at all in stringing them across both South Street and Bath Street. They were still there today working with two cherry-pickers and there's still work to be done on the Market Place displays but Bath Street and South Street have been done in double quick time this year and all concerned need to be congratulated on the speed and also on the minimal disruption there operations have caused.

Job Done

With the return of the bollards and seating on the Lower Market Place, I think that all of the street furniture that was removed for the Fair has now been returned to its rightful position. The workmen have not left though as I spotted them doing something else on my way home. I couldn't get a photo of them but hopefully I'll see them tomorrow when all will be revealed.

Back In Place

The tubs that were returned to the town centre yesterday had been reinstated to their former positions before lunch today and although work was still going on elsewhere to replace more of the seats and bollards, the Market Place is fast returning to its normal appearance.

Return Of The Tubs

After the Charter Fair's departure yesterday, workmen wasted no time in installing the seating around the Fountain on the Market Place today along with several of the bollards that had been removed. And at lunchtime a lorry turned up laden with the tubs which it was soon unloading. In no time at all the street furniture will all be back in place and the Fair will become a distant memory.

Almost Gone

The hive of activity that was Ilkeston's Market Place last night was almost clear this morning and by lunch time all the Fair vehicles had disappeared altogether. It's amazing how quickly the stalls, rides and other attractions are removed from the town centre as the travelling showmen head off for their next destination to bring more fun to other communities but for Ilkeston folk it will be back to the normal routines tomorrow.

 

Young At Heart

It's not just the children that enjoy the Annual Fair and this gentleman climbing into a car with a Sponge Bob balloon is ample proof of that. When I asked him if he minded if I used his photo for the Blog, he said "Did you get the name in?" So here's a free plug for Yeomans on Nottingham Road and if you ever visit, just tell him you saw his photo here. You could also ask how Sponge Bob is!

World's Fair

Ilkeston's Annual Charter Fair may not make the newspapers around the world but one of the stall holders today was catching up with the news in the "World's Fair" as he waited for business to pick up. Mind you this was around lunchtime and the Fair had only just got going so maybe he was on his lunch break.

Free Riders

So after  weeks of preparation the Annual Charter Fair was officially opened this lunchtime and the Mayor of Erewash driven by the Chief Executive of the Council led a parade a civic dignitaries to enjoy the traditional free ride on the Dodgems. When I was a lad, it was the Gallopers where everyone flocked for the free ride but these have long since been relegated to a back street.

Wash & Brush Up

Final preparations were being made today for the opening of the Fair tonight including the Dodgems where two men were giving the ride a wash and brush up - literally! The official opening is not until noon tomorrow but the Fair will be in full swing tonight.

Nearly ... All The Fun

It was a case of all the fun of the setting up of the Fair today as the town centre was closed to through traffic but was still full of heavy vehicles bringing the rides, stalls and amusements into the Market Place and surrounding streets. All the old favourites appear to be here and when it's easier to get round we may find some new ones as well.

Setting Up

Most of the fairground rides and stalls will be erected tomorrow ready for the opening on Wednesday but the car park on South Street has already been closed and some of the attractions moved into position.

Caged

After all the activity on the Market Place yesterday, it was almost deserted this morning but it did enable this shot of the old Horse Trough and Fountain. This too like the War Memorial has been "caged" to offer some protection during the duration of the Fair. Notice too that all the benches and street furniture around the Fountain have been removed.

Emergency

I'm taking a break from the Fair preparations today as there were scenes of an emergency on the Market Place this morning with police, fire, ambulance and paramedic vehicles in attendance all with their relevant personnel. Two smashed up cars were the cause of their presence but it was all in aid of a safety campaign and demonstration.

No-one was injured but it did help to fill a depleted market. Not so very long ago there would have been market stalls here and there would not have been room to stage such an event on a Saturday.

As If By Magic

A large crane has appeared on the Pimlico car park today and construction of one of the rides at the Fair has commenced as if by magic. Which is quite appropriate as the ride is a roller coaster called the Magic Mouse. The ride takes longer to erect than the other attractions at the Fair and usually arrives a day or two in advance of the rest but it was already beginning to take shape today and should be completed in good time for the opening next week.

Staking A Claim

It's not quite the gold rush but pitches for stallholders at next week's Fair have already been marked out on the ground in yellow chalk around the town centre. Not quite the gold rush but the stallholders will no doubt be hoping to make enough money to make their presence worthwhile.

Barriers

Although several fixtures and fittings have been removed from the Market Place there are some new additions too as I noticed today that the customary barriers had been installed around the War Memorial as protection during the Charter Fair. The Fair doesn't open until next Wednesday but the preparations are well in hand.

It Begins

I've been anticipating this for several days now but today there was evidence that efforts to clear the Market Place in readiness for the Fair were well under way. The tubs that usually contain flowers and plants have all been removed as have some of the bollards. Some seating has also gone. Still over a week to go before the Fair opens but the signs are there for all to see.

Blue Skies

When there's a spell of fine weather at this time of year it is often referred to as an Indian summer but whether the blue skies of this afternoon would fall into that category or not, I'm not sure. The clear blue heavens though just begged to be photographed and provided a pleasing backdrop to both the evergreen and deciduous trees. As the forecast for the rest of the week is grey cloud and light rain, I made the most of today to record the wide blue yonder for posterity.

It's also an excuse to continue yesterday's music theme with a few lines from Irving Berlin's classic song - "Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies  do I see"

Sunday Sweet Sunday

Part of the lyrics from a song in the musical "Flower Drum Song" say "Sunday, sweet Sunday, with nothing to do, lazy and lovely, my one day with you". The routine for most of my Sundays is semi-fixed with church and getting the latest additions for the website ready to upload so a photo for this Blog is often "A Puzzlement" - but I think that's from another musical "The King and I". I overcame the puzzle today with this photo of the rose in our garden. There are no more to bloom this year sso this is the last rose of summer - but that's yet another song altogether:

"'Tis the last rose of summer left blooming alone
All her lovely companions are faded and gone
No flower of her kindred, no rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes and give sigh for sigh"

Bumper To Bumper

If you were parking your car and there was no obstruction in front and you accidentally reversed into the car behind, wouldn't you at least pull forward again before getting out of the vehicle and going off somewhere? Maybe the driver of this car was taking too much notice of the sticker in the back window for "RAM FM" think it meant to ram into other vehicles but whoever it was surely has no right to own a driving licence let alone a car!

It's Coming

Nottingham's Goose Fair is on at the moment but it'll be another couple of weeks before Ilkeston's Charter Fair takes centre stage. Signs have gone up this week warning of the closure of roads in the town centre.

Goose Fair has received lots of exposure on the TV news programmes but Ilkeston's Fair, although older than Goose Fair and still one of the largest (if not the largest) street fairs in Europe will be lucky to get half the coverage.

Misty Morning

We woke up today to a misty morning which cleared to a sunny afternoon but when walking up to the market about 10:30, I spotted numerous webs on the railings at the end of Chalons Way and the moisture in the atmosphere made them stand out especially against the passing traffic. Good job it's not Halloween yet or it would have been really spooky.

 

Cat Alert

We're having some work done at home which has upset the routine somewhat. Pom (at the top of the stairs) , helpful as ever had his nose into everything whilst Splinky made himself scarce until the workmen had gone when he joined his brother on the stairs to reclaim his territory. The work will continue tomorrow so I don't suppose we'll see much of Splinky again and Pom will still be under everyone's feet.

Sequence Broken

If you guessed today was going to be wet I'm afraid you were wrong since the sequence since the beginning of October was broken. A cloudy morning gave way to a bright sunny afternoon (see the picture below taken this afternoon shows) but it has stayed dry all day.

The picture also illustrates another example of surplus to requirements road signs. The "new" roundabout has been there for a number of years and one of the triangular signs is about "new" surfacing on the road. It begs the question how long does something have to be in existence before it is no longer deemed new? Maybe the signs will disappear after the government's review!

Wet & Dry

October so far - a wet Friday, dry Saturday, wet Sunday, dry Monday. Anyone like to hazard a guess as to what tomorrow will bring? This is from this afternoon over Station Road from the bridge over Chalons Way.

Soggy Leaves

Well yesterday's fine weather did indeed prove to be a brief respite from the rain as the downpour since turned this morning's journey to church quite hazardous in part where the precipitation had turned the fallen autumnal  leaves into a distinctly wetter shade of soggy!

A Break In The Weather

The population seemed to be taking advantage of a respite in the weather and crowds were swarming all over the town centre this morning. Perhaps after all the rain of yesterday, it was a good opportunity to take advantage of some sunny weather before the next system comes in and deposits another load of rain on us and that's the forecast for the next few days. I bet the market traders in particular were thankful for today's better conditions. Seen here from the bottom of Bath Street, the top end seemed particularly busy.

Who Put The Lights Out?

It's never really got light today and felt more like the last day of November instead of the first of October. This picture taken early (for me) this morning in the drizzle on the Market Place doesn't tell the whole story as the sky was much darker than it appears here.

Seeing the council vehicle parked there, I half expected to see the workers removing the empty tubs but it turned out they were mowing the grass in St Mary's churchyard before the heaviest of the rain arrived. I hope they were wearing wellingtons as well as those bright yellow waterproofs!