This is a hotchpotch post. But there is a theme. Which is Things That Take Off -- often against the odds.

1.

We'll start our catalogue of unlikely stories with Mr Potato Head. I know him from the movie Toy Story, but he was around long before that, and after undergoing many evolutions, "has become a staple of American culture over the years".


But what is Mr PH's connection with Belper?

Well, Hasbro, the company that invented the toy (along with Monopoly, G.I. Joe, and many more childhood staples), is based in Pawtucket, and Pawtucket is Belper's twin town, and the 2-metre figure came as a gift in 2001.

One of those gifts, it seems, that you don't quite know what to do with...

Some folks felt he didn't really fit with their UNESCO World Heritage Site status. So the poor guy has moved around a LOT, and has really had much more aggro to put with than a humble spud should. If I were the Pawtucket donors, I think I'd be miffed.

His current location is the courtyard of the De Bradelei Mill Shopping Village, where you can find Lauren's Courtyard Coffee Shop, which we've been back to a couple of times.

2.

Then there's the story of the Beaurepaire Gardens. Some say that the name Belper derives from "Beaurepaire", meaning "beautiful retreat" (the name of a hunting lodge that appears in the annals in 1231), but others -- as the way of these things -- say the origin is different... As erstwhile residents of New Zealand, however, we can't help associating the name with Beaurepaire tyres, which (in our day) were advertised by the relaxed and amiable Vince Martin...

Anyway, the story of the Beaurepaire Gardens is this: In 2003, Peter Davies, the owner of a local photograph shop, was asked to reproduce an old picture that dated back to around 1905. It showed a man in a bath chair, with a nurse standing next to him, and the setting was what had been the garden of the Cottage Hospital. Mr Davies had walked past this piece of land many times, without realizing that it had once been a garden. Having seen the photo, he decided to buy the plot, and restore it to its original use once again.

It's now gloriously quirky, and thoroughly engaging. And a little haunted, maybe? "Peter swears that during a recent warm twilight evening, he saw once again the man and his nurse sitting in the garden taking in the air and tranquility that has returned to this part of Belper."








3.

The Triangle, another garden, is one of the projects run by Blooming Milford, a group of volunteers.




4.

On another "growing" note, we popped briefly down to Worcestershire last week, to visit some rellies who live there.

We had lunch together at The Vernon, in the village of Hanbury, and discovered that this pub lays claim to being "the birthplace of The Archers". As their website explains: "Godfrey Baseley, the original creator and editor for 22 years, often drank in the bar and it is widely believed that many of his characters were based on local Hanbury villagers."

In our days of British residence we were great fans of The Archers, which is apparently the longest running daily serial in the world. When it kicked off in 1951, specifically aimed at a farming audience, the creators would surely have never expected it to take off in such a spectacular way.


5.

And whoever would have forecast that crocheted post box toppers would become such a thing...?

We didn't really notice this trend until our first post-pandemic visit, but it seems it started around 2012.

I just love this idea. It's such a jolly, zany, whimsical way of beautifying our everyday life, and represents a wonderful demonstration of public spiritedness and creativity.

Over the years, we've seen Christmas, Easter, and Coronation post box toppers. And this year we were here for the Remembrance Day variant:


6.

And finally, in my tales of unusual growth, IKEA... We spent a goodly number of hours in the one on the edge of Derby the other day.

Again, who'd have predicted this would be such a "rags to riches" story? The first IKEA, launched by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, sold things like pens, wallets, and picture frames. It wasn't until five years later that the furniture business began. Now IKEA has hundreds of stores in dozens of countries.


There are lots of Swedish highlights. In the canteen, you can try Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam. And you definitely SHOULD NOT MISS the Daim cake, which is the most delicious thing ever.

So, there we are. We can never predict what will take off, or come back to life, or take on a life of its own.