The lights are on, but there's no one home

Matlock Bath: Famous for illuminations, motorbikes, fish and chips and a cable car. It has the distinct feel of being by the seaside. There's only one thing missing - the sea. For Leanne's birthday, as the 'illuminations' have started, I thought it was a good idea to pop into Matlock Bath for an indian, and a wander round the illuminations. The illuminations are, I suspect, particular to the UK. What happens is - strings of lights are put in trees, cute scenes are recreated in lights, and people wander around looking at them in a awe.

At Matlock bath, the people seemed to be missing. And it appeared, so were many of the lights. I think I should have looked at the guide book before setting off. Not all the lights were there, and the boat show and fair was not up and running, only at the weekends. It was also raining a little. OK, I cant be blamed for the rain.

The indian was excellent, and actually the lights that were there were kind of fun. We loved the reflections in the river. There was a cute frog scene with it appearing to jump over the river.

AND - big news: Maisie started secondary school. She looks great in her uniform. We have been very proud parents all week.