Review of lynneaboutloughborough 2015

Review of 2015

2015 has, in many ways, been a momentous year for me. I’ve spent virtually the whole year working full-time, and lynneaboutloughborough has suffered a little for this. On a more personal note, daughter gained a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics from Reading, and we were all ablet o go to her Graduation Ceremony. One son successfully completed his first year at university, and the other started his first year at Queen Mary in London, in Chemistry. Mid-way through the year, my daughter and I celebrated her 21^st birthday with a visit to Ascot Races, courtesy of her older brother. During a week-long summer holiday in St Ives, we became aware of health issues and undertook to loose some weight, eat more healthily and get fitter, a state of affairs that continues to this day. In September, my wonderful partner and I got married after 21 year together. 

In Loughborough, so many things have happened, it’s impossible to document them! I’m thinking along the lines of pedestrianisation of High Street, the conversion of several pubs into convenience stores, and work starting on the new cinema complex.

As for lynneaboutloughborough, blogposts have varied in quality, detail and subject matter, ranging from a pub quiz, posts about WW1, needlemaking, posts about people, events and parts of the town, and posts consisting solely of pictures.

Here’s a reminder of the most popular posts of 2015:

Most visited post: Spotlight on Ancient Loughborough 2

2^nd: Sunloch, a winning horse

3^rd: Pub Quiz

4^th: Market Place sale

5^th: Loughborough 2014 in pictures

Joint 6^th: Red about Loughborough 2

Joint 6^th: Museums

8^th: Stoneywell Cottage

9^th: Old Bleach Yard

10^th: Loughborough Remembers

The posts you viewed least in 2015 were:

Least visited post: Out and about (Hathern Band etc.)

2^nd: Needlemaking and other Loughboroughconnections

3^rd: Ascot, Stamford and Loughborough

4^th: So who was John Nichols?

5^th: Needlemaking in Loughborough

Joint 6^th: A walk in Booth Wood

Joint 6^th: WW1 memorial and church of All Saintswith Holy Trinity

8^th: Richard III and Leicester

9^th: Shakespeare in Loughborough and Macbeth

10^th: 250 years of Lloyds Bank

Of the posts that were not the most popular, nor the least popular, these are my favourites:

A society wedding: a description of the marriage of Edward William Cradock Middleton, banker, to Augusta Sophia Vavasour, daughter of the Rev, Marmaduke Vavasour, vicar of Ashby

Never far from Loughborough: description of things that reminded me of Loughborough whilst I was on holiday in Wales (like Taylors Bellfounders, the De Lisle family, and Richard III)

Walking China and Loughborough: a photographic record of my walk from Shelthorpe to the GCR, past the old Ladybird factory, along School Street, Pinfold Gate and Coronation Way, past the Cherry Tree flats, Cottons factory and home via the Baxter Gate development.

So, I do hope you all had a great break, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Please enjoy these few photos from the Christmas tree service held at St Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray, with Hathern Band.

Ascot Stamford and Loughborough!

Well, I hadn't intended to write a blog post today, as I anticipated feeling too tired, and not really having enough time. However, here's a quick picture diary of the last 4 days:

This was my Thursday:

I went along with this young lady

to this place

  to see some of these

and some of these

but I wasn't expecting to see these

and I hadn't thought I might see some of these, either

Then, on Saturday I went to Tolethorpe. In the afternoon I saw this

And in the evening I saw this

Then I spent the night here

The following day I took  a trip on this

and saw this

and this

I tried to be a bit arty with the camera

and then snapped these

Luckily, I didn't need these

Later that same day, I went along to the Loughborough History and heritage Network Community Local History Day, at which there were stalls, talks and panel events, focussed around the topic of the Future of the Past. Well done to the organisers for a well-attended, interesting, informative and exciting event! Although I arrived very late, I was still able to chat to people I knew, listen to a couple of panels, chat to people I didn't know, and buy a few books. From what people said to me, the event was well-attended, and there was a real buzz in the rooms. History, particularly the local history of Loughborough, is alive and well, and if any of us who attended the event have anything to do with it, it will continue to live for a long time to come.

These are some of the books I bought:

Ian Porter's The last of the Luddites

Neil Fortey and Robert Sparham's Angels and Dragons

Christopher Matchett's Ale houses of Whitwick

Hoping for a quieter week next week!