Exploring Bath, Dreaming of Travel Further Afield

I was on a bit of a mission today, but it took me a while to extricate myself from the house - what with the paper to read, washing to put on, fiddling about to do, an unexpected software update which required finding an old registration code, deciding what to wear on such a grey and misty day.... Eventually I got out of the door and meandered down the hill into town, passing one of my favourite shops on the way. 

The name sums up the way Su and I have felt since we got back from Greece - every day sees us entertaining different possibilities of where and when to go.  Sometimes we actually manage to do this - generally by jumping in the van, but the weather is not really conducive to extended trips at the moment.  Today though we had great news - confirmation that I will be teaching in Hong Kong in February (with April most likely as well). So we are now laying plans to celebrate  our wedding anniversary (the day after I finish my February teaching) in the Far East!  That will keep us going through the next few months, as well as helping us cope with the "C" word:-

 Down the hill a bit is a great lighting shop, which has old actual US crossing lights for sale...

 Also on sale, this time at the estate agents - price cuts on houses! Times must be hard...

 This lurid display reminded me of the colour of some of the compounds I used to synthesise when I was a research chemist. These aren't chemical feedstock or sweets but slabs of soap...

 Down an alley, I found a shop full of merchandise celebrating old gits guys. I resisted the urge to go and buy something...

 I popped in to the Post Office to send back my 5 year-old iPod nano to Apple, who are kindly going to send me a brand new one free of charge.  This is getting to be a habit with them - it feels a bit like a loyalty bonus for all the use I have made of their products over the years.  This particular replacement is driven by some models having a battery fault.  This will in fact be my third iPod nano for the price of one - they already replaced the first one some years ago when the screen developed a fault.  I wonder what I can get upgraded for free next! 

On my way to buy tickets for "Flare Path" (a 1941 Terence Rattigan play), at The Rondo next week, I came across this exhibition of garden sheds which is actually the site of Bath's German Christmas market which starts next Thursday.  It lasts for three weeks, and is very popular with coach loads of people coming to pack into a small space and buy merchandise at expensive prices - that's the spirit of Christmas!

Finished my wandering at Prior Park to meet up with Su for lunch, but the cafe was oversubscribed. So we came out of the centre up to Whiteways Garden Centre instead. Much more relaxing.

Tomorrow, I'm playing some music with Steve up the hill.  He has retired as a teacher recently, so we have a few things to chew over.  He has also recently bought an oboe so I am looking forward to hearing how he has come on in the last few weeks - I fantasise about Roxy Music covers!