Monday 31 March 2014

A Bouquet of Flowers and a Roadworthy Van

Out this morning on Claremont, I spotted this abandoned boot on the pavement - somebody's hopping home.
Blooming flowers. 
A magnolia in glorious blossom. 
An abandoned hat - it's just like one of mine, and I thought it was mine at first.
Our cherry blossom enjoying its second spurt of blossom. 
A neighbour's tulips are doing well.
A floral numberplate. 
More flowers. 
The next best thing to having your name carved in stone is to have it scrawled in concrete. 
Very purple flowers. 
Mock orange flowers. 
Good display of heather that the bumble bees really liked. 
A rather lurid colour of front door. 
Cherry blossom. 
More magnolia blossom all on the way down to the garage to pick up the van - which is now legal for another year.
On the way down to my Pilates class this evening, yet another magnolia in flower. 
This day a year ago, we were up to enjoy the first dawn of British Summer Time. 
Su's news story of the day returned today with this from the Independent (the version in today's was even fuller): Cough’s the word: Bridge world champions found guilty of cheating

Sunday 30 March 2014

Films, Obelisk, Weir, Abandoned Items and Mother's Day

Out with Bella this morning, an abandoned sock on a gatepost.
We headed off into town via Lansdown Road - this was the view looking down to St Stephens church. 
Lovely carpet of flowers under these trees. 
We caught the Park & Ride bus down the hill, stopping at Spencers BelleVue on the way - looks like the stonemason missed off the "e" of Belle to begin with (and the apostrophe).
On a lamp post on Milsom Street - I haven't yet read the QR code yet, so I hope it's for a legal, decent and honest site! 
We went down to the Little Theatre to see a preview of Calvary, starring Brendan Gleeson. The poster called it a black comedy but both Su and I thought it was more of a tragedy with comic elements - and a really powerful, good film. 
Afterwards, we went for a bit of a wander and actually stopped to read this plaque in front of the obelisk.
Another plaque by the obelisk which we'd not read before. 
Looking back at the Abbey. 
These apple trees are early into bloom. 
Looking at the weir on the river. 
I liked this conjunction of shapes on the skyline. 
A good sign above the weir - it made some Chinese tourists laugh. 
Pulteney Bridge - one of the few remaining bridges with buildings on, like Florence but this bridge still has traffic crossing it.
Walking up Walcot Street as the bride-to-be came out of the Hilton Hotel to her waiting Bentley.
Out with Bella this afternoon, I admired these ribes flowers. 
Unfortunately found this dead bumble bee on the pavement. 
An abandoned earring had been carefully placed on this house sign on Charlcombe Lane. 
Looking out over to Little Solsbury. 
Forsythia bush in full flower, alongside a rather lurid-coloured car. 
Sharp colour to this euphorbia. 
A nice display of blossom on this cordon of trees. 
A glove abandoned in the hedge. 
This shrub has been rather sharply bound up and trimmed.
An abandoned glove in the gutter. 
This day a year ago, abandoned gloves were also the theme of the day. 

Saturday 29 March 2014

Visited in the Sunshine and Buddhist Bunnies

A bright and warm day - lovely to have the door open and to go out without a coat at last!
Down at Morrisons, I saw this cat food - surely the advertising executive who dreamed this name up was suffering from a severe case of species confusion. I've seen a cat swish its tail, but never wag it…
Ben and Lena have been here for the day, so not many photographs as we have been too busy nattering:-) Lena described somebody as a bit of a "raincoat", which we eventually decoded as an "anorak", as well as coming out with "Buddhist bunnies". Maybe you had to be there… We went for a walk, and I liked the look of these silver birches in the afternoon sunshine.
This day a year ago, we crossed the plains of Gloucestershire on our way to Westonbirt. 

Friday 28 March 2014

MoT, Gothic Details, Numberplates & The Inevitable Flower Pics

Took the van down to Larkhall Garage for a service and MoT. It's its first visit there in over a year and nothing major needed fixing - I'll get it back on Monday and roadworthy for another year! That's the van with its lights on in the garage.
Seen on a car window. I've not heard of this campaign before - Rivers Access Campaign is organised by Canoe England but is not aimed just at canoeists, but anyone who thinks that everybody should have a right of access to rivers. What many of us probably assumed the so-called right-to-roam legislation already allowed for…
The sun struggled to come out for most of the day.
Walking back home past St Saviours Church, I took time to study the Gothic detail of this doorway.
The church's foundation stone.
Flowers on every bush and tree at the moment, it seems.
Bella sniffed every corner, bush and wall on the way back up the hill - it was a long, slow ascent.
Magnolia flowers already going over on this tree.
Lovely detail on this one.
Bob came over to play some music, which Bella seemed to really enjoy - at last, a fan! Later on, we all went out for a walk in the brief but welcome afternoon sun. Showed this neighbour's hyacinths off well.
The carving in the terrace up the hill is finished and painted - looks good.
Looking out over to Little Solsbury - blue skies for a while!
Along Charlcombe Lane, this house conversion is finally getting a neo-brutalist finish to its back steps after a couple of years of bare breeze blocks.
Personalised numberplate interlude #1.
#2!
Liked this logo for R LeHuray electrical contractors - packed lots of detail in!
Personalised numberplate interlude #3.
On Richmond Terrace, a tree with peeling bark like another I've seen elsewhere on Mount Beacon.
Liked this garden sculpture and the surrounding fritillaries.
Clematis coming out.
Now, I can honestly say I've never seen one of these on the front of a Vauxhall van - or any other vehicle!
This day a year ago, croci were still going strong and the weather was still cold, but brighter.