Guinea pigs to play gently with.
The enormous but gentle shire horses to get to know.
A baby calf is always a draw. We reluctantly gave up milking when the quota system was introduced by Europe 10 years ago and we received a financially unviable quota, but we do miss the sweet nature of milk cows. They have such individual characters with a distinct pecking order so that the boss cow leads out the herd and the younger, more pliant cows bring up the rear.
The adventure playground is such fun for all the family even though it's a tight squeeze at times! 
A not-so-intrepid Nicole is encouraged to reach the top. 
Back to look at the new born kid.
Even large Dads are welcome to be young again.
Baby Will thinks that this is more what he likes - while the family relaxes in the picnic area.
I try to go to Chatsworth every year as they introduce something new each year and Christmas is magical with wonderful present ideas in the Orangery shop and also in the Stable block shops.
I try to go to Chatsworth every year as they introduce something new each year and Christmas is magical with wonderful present ideas in the Orangery shop and also in the Stable block shops.
On my last visit in autumn, sadly before I had my digital camera, I was impressed to see that for those not too mobile you could get a buggy ride for a small sum which took visitors all round the grounds on a guided tour - a great idea.
Sorry if this sounded like a commercial but it is such a value for money day out and a full day is needed to enjoy the gardens and the walks and the sculptures and the childrens corner if you are bringing a young family.
Now that I have my digital camera I will be posting more in Spring, so watch this space!
Back home Nicole has to feed her pet rabbit who lives in a run out in the farmyard and is a favourite with visiting children being very docile and child friendly.
And Nic feeds his best ram a bit of extra corn so that he will be full of energy and ready to go out to join the selected 35 ewes on the 4th November.
Jess is not allowed to "help" but is happy to wait patiently by the gate.
Mildred, loved by all, died in September at a great age but she was always in attendance when Nic was out in the fields. We still miss her charactered presence and no dog ever got the better of her - she'd just sit there and fix them with her gaze and very seldom even had to hiss or scratch their noses. Now we only have Tommy left and we have discovered that he is 16 years old! Obviously the life at Cote Bank suits cats as well as us.
The first week of July is Buxworth wells Dressing week when the whole village comes alive.
On the 4th July we raise the American flag in honour of Joel Clayton from Buxworth who became Governor of California and has a town named after him there.
The Church is decorated for a flower festival and we serve lunches and delicious homemade cakes and a well is decorated by the scouts right at the Church as well as one down at historic Bugsworth Canal Basin
This is a rather jumbled posting as I am trying to catch up on a year of pictures and am still such a novice at it - I hope I'll get better and that our visitors will see how marvellous this area is all year round.
