Life without Marcus!

 

Bella is now in charge!

  

In the garden ........

Meeting up with young friend.......

.... and some nice shadows spotted by the photographer.

 

He's gone to Hong Kong and I went to the dentist.

Marcus is in the air so I'm writing the blog for the next couple of days. He's currently somewhere over Germany on his way to Oman where he changes his flight to take him to Hong Kong. Poor thing is travelling business class both ways. His return takes him to Athens, Rhodes and Symi.  Makes you want to weep!!

So I dropped him off at the bus station this morning and took myself to the dentist for a check up.  I like our dentist and today we chatted about his forthcoming trip to Istanbul. He also gave my teeth the all-clear as well as the bill for his services so that's ok.

I had intended to go to the Little Theatre to see "Lilting" but discovered I could rent it online....and there began the saga of downloading a new application on my mac without the resident technical support. Perseverance paid off so I can be a happy couch lout tonight.

And finally, if anyone wants a Kindle I'm selling one on ebay......

MoT time, Immobile Cyclamen & Impending Trip

Spent most of the morning between home, Prior Park garden centre and the MoT testing station where Su's car was being  checked out (only a minor fix needed, so the bank balance is still healthy!). Driving about in the van, I spotted this nihilist registration plate.

 Out with Bella this afternoon, I admired the extent of this virginia creeper.

These cyclamen and hydrangea plants are still in the back of the same car… 

These signs have started appearing all over Bath - to see this pair, you need perfect vision… 

Newly chiselled sign on the drive up to the house above the Perfect View dog walking area. Don't know where the towers are! 

Blackberries are ripe and abundant. 

Liked this combination of verbena bonariensis and fennel flowers. 

Heavy skies over Little Solsbury. 

This day a year ago, Ben & Lena popped in on their way back from a festival and we enjoyed the lovely Bank Holiday Monday weather - topped off with this Brock Street sunset.

I'm off to Hong Kong tomorrow for another bout of teaching for UWE. I'll be in the air from the afternoon until the following evening, so should be back with you on Jetlag Friday. Su will be keeping you posted till then.

Grape Jelly, Sawing Wood and Theatre at the Cinema

Yesterday, Su adopted the role of kitchen goddess, These were her fresh rosemary and bay leaves drying.

Jars in the oven drying and sterilising. 

Grapes, apple, sugar and herbs bubbling away.

Meanwhile I was in the garden being the chainsaw god sawing wood before today's forecast rain. In between ruining the neighbour's enjoyment of their back gardens, I enjoyed seeing the bees still getting nectar from our veronica flowers.

Twenty jars of grape jelly later (as well as evening meal and a strawberry loaf) - all hail Su!

Phlox flowers doing well. 

The bark on our silver birch at the bottom of the back garden is peeling away. 

No blog yesterday because I went off down to play some music with Stephen - looks like we might do some open mic nights when I'm back from Greece in October. Today was very different weather, with clouds coming down off the hill a long way into the valley.

We went down into town and parked in Victoria Park where this bright display helped to dispel the gloom of the afternoon.

We went down into town to the Little Theatre to see a film of a live performance from the National Theatre of Skylight, a David Hare play starring Bill Nighy and Carey Mulligan. Excellent stuff!

Afterwards we went into the gardens for Queens Square for the first time, to see these new signs on the bins.

The obelisk in Queens Square, featuring Su nipping off round the back 

An arm and leg appeared.

Then Su's head appeared on the other side. 

Looking up the obelisk to infinity… 

Then we went into the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, also for the first time. There we found an exhibition of fossils Somerset which had languished for many years in their store rooms.

Upstairs these three Georgian mansions knocked into one in we saw this cast of a fossil dug up in Northumberland.

This day a year ago, Bella enjoyed swimming at the foot of the waterfall down from Greyfields Woods near Clutton where we used to live.

Circus, Mezze, Creeper and Clouds

We went down to Alice Park with Bella this sunny morning - we found the circus was in town.

The big top was up. 

A plaque we'd passed but not noticed before. 

 Bella was checked out by some dogs from the circus.

As well as dalmatians, they had a dappled pony - reflected in the poster design?

We went out for a delicious lunch with Richard and Barbara at the Mezze restaurant in Congresbury. Later on I took Bella out for her afternoon walk and enjoyed my first sight of this high wall's Virginia creeper turning into its autumnal colours.

The skies were really dramatic - I thought we might get drenched but thankfully just a few spots of rain was all we had.

This day a year ago, we were still enjoying the after effects of our up close and personal gig with the Pushy Doctors in Bristol the night before. 

Flowers, Portaloo and Film

Out with Bella this morning into a brighter and warmer day than yesterday.

Pretty rose. 

The ivy flowers are on their way. 

Liked this perfect new bramble leaf. 

Two doors up is being completely gutted and rebuilt - today they took delivery of a portable toilet - gas masks on before it's been used:-) 

Out with Bella this afternoon, spotted this great example of the determination of plants to grow anywhere.

In the spring, I admired the flowers which have now turned into these hawthorn berries.

Hebe flowers. 

Spotted in the back of a car - an array of cyclamen. 

This evening we went down into town to the Little Theatre to see Two Days, One Night - an enjoyable and engaging French film. 

 Afterwards, we past Strada Italian restaurant, where I was once again reminded of its former inhabitant

 He lived there with his handsome and faithful mistress, Juliana Popjoy!

This day a year ago, I posted a short text-only blog as we were about to go out to Bristol for a meal and to see some jazz.