Ann and I have been offline for two months. Then, Open Reach put in a sudden and unexpected appearance and here we are, back in communication. At times over the past few months we had no internet, no mobile, no landline and no television – it was wonderful! Not really, it was a bind. When you need to buy things or seek information, Google is essential. However, a house move is always a challenge so it came as no surprise. This is our 16th move and our second in 18 months. As stated in my last post, life is a new stone house in a stone village called Bradwell. Local people call the village Bradda.

Offcomers

We are offcomers but nobody has actually used that word. Having said that, many conversations have more than a hint of you are not from these parts. The first words might be, “Are you visitors?” We usually reply, “No, we live here.” A look of surprise can be noted. “In one of them new houses,” they might say. “Yes,” we reply and we have been pigeonholed. However, unlike many places we have lived, I feel part of the Peak District. Do you really need a birth certificate to belong? For instance, I have walked and run in the Peak District since the 1960’s, a full 57 years. It is a fact that I know more local hills and footpaths than many locals. In 1981, I won the premier fell race, the ‘Kinder downfall‘ from Hayfield. Surely, I can class myself as a local.

Bradwell

However, what does ‘local’ really mean. Ann and I are just part of the constant changes Bradwell has experienced. For instance, a Bronze Age tumulus sits above the village so people lived here 3,500 years ago. Later, the Romans controlled the area and some believe existing locals are descended from the slaves that dug out the lead ore. Those slaves would have been European. Many centuries later, an army of immigrants expanded the lead industry and local mills. Does ‘local’ mean anything when related to such a long period? But, what a background so forgive me if this generates a mass of future blogs. Meanwhile, the photo is our house from the heights above, called Rebellion Knoll. That’s the great lump that prevents tv and mobile signals reaching us. I am actually looking at it as I write and there is a smile on my face.