Another Wet Day

Out with Bella this morning, noticed this double-take gate in the gloom.

Another take on sprouting moss. 

And another one… 

Old man's beard in a hedgerow. 

Gnomic markings on the pavement. 

The weather deteriorated until the afternoon, when I went out with Bella for a cold and windy walk.

Central heating outlet adding to the murkiness. 

This day a year ago, the morning sunrise was promising.

Out and About in Three Counties

Out and about this morning, saw this shop clearly no longer in use - fully bespoke service for any situation!

This next door makes the mind boggle! 

We popped by the vets to pick up a prescription for Bella - I waited in the car opposite these neo-brutalist Ballance Street flats.

Looking up Julian Road provided a different aspect.

Then it was off to Walcot Street - this street art spied from the car park.

Continuing our action- packed morning, we popped along the Box Road to see what the new owners of what used to be Dick Willows have done to it.  It's now called The Shed, as this outside cladding suggests. Lots of renovation and construction work going on inside - and a warm cafe, even if the rest of the building was as cold as ever.

From there we set off through Bradford on Avon to the Frome Road, where these trees at a junction caught my eye. 

Our destination was Mole Valley Farmers at Standerwick, in search of a warm coat for Su - a successful quest.

Not many supermarkets have guns just along the aisle from jam making equipment. 

On the way back into Bath, stopped in traffic opposite this grand frontage on an old building - can't quite make out the writing. Pity about the grey weather all day… 

This day a year ago, I got back from teaching at UWE to take Bella out for a walk in a lovely afternoon sunset.

I am doing some extra teaching at UWE for the next few weeks, covering for colleagues teaching in Hong Kong, On Tuesdays, I have a very full day, so Su will be guesting on the blog then. Shouldbe much more interesting!:-)

Nature Study and Man Up Pole

Out with Bella this morning, I was again taken with these moss sprouts and the way they glistened with moisture.

 Ivy berries looking plump.

Dead heads of buddleia still retain a hint of their summer colour. 

Not the brightest of mornings - the day carried on in this vein. 

On the way to teaching at UWE, stopped by traffic lights for this excellent climbing platform working on this mast next to the MoD. 

This day a year ago, enjoyed the steam from these workers laying tarmac on Fairfield Park Road. 

Two Different Days

Apologies for missing yesterday's blog post - I didn't get home after Pilates until too late to write it. Before that, it had been an eventful day - started with observing some of our garden growth, beginning with this shiny fungus.

Our snowdrops seem happy. 

The weather forecast was mixed, so we decided to head for the sea - hoping that the sun would be out when we got there. Drove through some heavy rain, but when we got out of the van at Brean beach there was brightness to be seen.

There were big, dramatic skies. 

We debated if the tide was coming in or going out. Decided that it was actually coming in, so moved the van off the beach just in case it came right up - we didn't want to be a feature on local news!

Enjoyed a cold brisk walk on the beach with Bella before soup and a sandwich and enjoying the sight of a murmuration of starlings as well as a panoply of changing cloudscape. My phone had run out of battery charge, so no more photographs from the beach - just had to enjoy the sights.

Out with Bella this morning, she didn't spot this table tennis ball - not that it would have survived her attentions very long if she had!

Sun over the terrace broke through to brighten the day. 

This is one way to avoid worrying about a garage door - this has now been repurposed into a music practice/recording space.

Moss sprouts turning greener and getting taller. 

Heather flowering. 

I wasn't sure about this offer! 

Then it was off to UWE for some dissertation supervision and covering tutorials for an absent colleague. Spotted this headline on my way through the campus.

Went to the Library to sort out my access to university email system, and was delighted to see Sheepdog Gromit, which UWE won in the recent charity auction. 

Here's the sheep at the wheel. 

On my way out of the library saw this notice on a bin some way from the building doors - part of a new university campaign. 

Right by the building doors (much nearer than the bin with its discrete sign) was this gaggle of smokers. Campaign's not much good without some enforcement!

This day a year ago, I was also at UWE and enjoying this view of the building-block lift structure. 

Rain, Voodoo Dolls and Culture

A definitely wet morning.

The weather cleared up a little and we went over to Bristol. Walking up to the Triangle from the car park, we looked across to the Wills Building. 

In the shop we once bought a sofa from, now lives the "sci-fi and cult megastore", Forbidden Planet.

Spotted in a shop window and demonstrated here by Su, a poar bear car windscreen scraper. Managed to resist the urge to buy one.

Inside the shop, I never thought I'd see the day when voodoo dolls were on sale on the HIgh Street.

Looking at the Victoria Rooms. I knew this building first as the home of the Exploratory before it moved to Temple Meads.

Our destination - The Royal West of England Academy, where we had come to get a dose of culture by checking out their 161st annual exhibition - hundreds of works for sale by unknown, emerging and established artists showing painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture and architecture.

One of the first rooms we looked in was black and white works.

This is not a photograph, but a drawing - great skill by this UWE student. 

In another room, sculpture inspired by stars - very unusual.

I was taken by this 3Dish painting. 

The major space of the exhibition. 

 A striking artwork.

I liked this, "Every Cup of Tea She'd Ever Drunk" 

Didn't actually see what this painting was of until I donloaded the photographs - really liked the technique 

A photograph that demanded a photograph.

Another impressive example of painting technique. 

On the way back to the car park, noticed ths building with blocked up windows - evidence of window tax, maybe?

After that, we decided that we should go and visit Dynasty for some delicious dim sum. 

Got home in time to take Bella out for her afternoon walk - saw this little person's mitten that somebody had kindly left on a post by the road.

This day a year ago, the snow had largely melted revealing this old tiled floor to me when out walking with Bella.

Today is Australia Day and Republic Day in India - good wishes to all our readers in those countries!