Man on wire
I also feel like I’m walking a tightrope ….. and that soon I might fall off! On the first of January I set myself a goal, to get out and take photographs every single day no matter what. So far I have achieved this goal by walking in snow, heavy rain, ice, and trudging through mud looking for interesting things to shoot. After a month of this challenge it’s fair to say I’m looking back at my pics and not being wholly inspired or satisfied by them. Lockdown means I am limited to walking the same places over and over and I feel it’s like getting blood out of a stone some days. This causes a bit of stress and creative pursuits should bring pleasure not stress! I’d prefer to use a better camera and take pics when I’m truly inspired. This exercise has been good for me in terms of learning about what interests me and what doesn’t. I don’t think I’m one for taking pretty pics of cliche beauty spots and that has featured here on this blog a bit. I’m more interested in kooky, ugly, weird and offbeat subjects of which there are not too many walking daily over the downs. I may just take the pressure off myself now and shoot when I’m inspired. It’s ok to fall off the rope sometimes, the guy below fell off many times as I watched him. He got back up there again though which is all that matters.
A STROLL IN THE SNOW
Knocked out a 7K walk today in cold and snowy conditions. It seemed like fun at first, but, after getting wet and cold the fun soon wore off and we stormed back up the hill home at a record-breaking pace. I was romanticising English winters when I first started this blog, loving the mist and the gloomy skies but now it’s getting to me and I want it to end! Doesn’t help when my Melbournian friends send me pics of them frolicking on the beach. Enough already!
Just another day in lockdown....
Not much to say, was a gloomy old day.
CLIFTON CRUISIN
Another day wandering the streets of Clifton….
Arnos Vale Cemetery
Today was another wet and bleak day, but as usual that did not stop me from heading outside. Getting outside exploring is the one thing keeping me sane during this third lockdown. Arnos Vale is an interesting cemetery, it dates back to 1837 and includes lots of grade II listed monuments and buildings. It’s surrounded by about 42 acres of woodlands and was designed in the style of a Greek Necropolis. This cemetery was almost sold by the owner to be later developed into a housing estate, but, Bristol council stepped in and acquired it under compulsory purchase. It’s a pretty wild and interesting space, most noticeable was the amount of Ash trees suffering from disease and having to be chopped down. Another very interesting place to walk in Bristol.
MUD AND MIST
Today was a moody, misty, melancholic day wandering through the woods and mud.
Before and After
So within 24 hours graffiti has gone along with the banner giving pointless and much repeated corona instructions to people exercising on the Downs. I think the council must have realised it didn’t go down too well and was a graffiti magnet!
Slip and slide by the harbourside
Icy paths and slippy steps made my harbour side walk a bit of fun today. Had a lot of laughs with other people as we all skidded, slipped and wobbled along the pathways hoping we didn’t end up in the Avon. The sun was shining and people were smiling regardless of the grim times we find ourselves in.
John Cabot … discovered North America in 1497.
Aliens in the snow
So, we had snow overnight but unfortunately it didn’t last too long. Long enough for some kooky snowmen to appear on the downs though 😊 It appears that lockdown messages from the government are appearing in beauty spots now … with some public pushback. If we can’t get out for a walk without feeling guilty or bad or like we’re going to kill others I’m on board with the protesters! Today is a rather random selection of pics from my daily walk.
Wall graffiti that appeared overnight.
Thank god they’re wearing a mask!
ICY, SUNNY AND BEAUTIFUL
Walking on the downs on a freezing yet sunny day is uplifting. Yes we’re in full on lockdown but that doesn’t stop Bristolians from getting out and enjoying the outdoors . There is so much life, energy, activity and vibrancy on the downs it really does lift your spirits in these challenging times.
Shinrin-yoku
A lovely winters day walk in the forest and open fields of Ashton Court Estate. I feel so very blessed to have the best of both worlds, both city and nature on my doorstep. Bristol is a great place 🥰
same old same old
So today, as previous days, the weather was hideous and all I could do was get out for a quick stroll across the downs and over to Clifton and back. Trying to see new things and take interesting pics was a real challenge today! Day 21 of taking a pic every day … so yeah, this is all I could muster 😊
When there’s too much rain this is what can happen!
From my front door at 4.45 pm tonight. Incredible winter sky! And believe it or not this photo is untouched. No editing at all, it came out glorious just as it was!
So many beautiful churches in Bristol!
Misty wet view over to the suspension bridge.
This Avenue is beautiful through all seasons.
Every week someone leaves a fresh posy tied to this bench. Love to know what and who it’s for.
Getting down on the downs
Too wet, windy and wild for much exploring today so did the daily getting down on the Downs as it’s only 1 min stroll from my door.
Don’t do it Paulie!
Dog on wheels literally flying along!
Wet miserable day
Not much opportunity to walk today but I had to meet my daily target of posting a pic a day, hence the same old same old … Clifton suspension bridge 😊 Still, I never tire of looking out from the top of the gorge at the spectacular view.
Last minute dash....
Today it wasn’t possible to get out walking and investigating my local area as had tradies at my house. But, since I have set myself a target to take a picture every day I forced myself out onto the Downs in the rain just as it was getting dark for a quick stroll. Nothing too exciting today, but, at least I ticked the box :-) haha.
These signs seem to be following me …
It's chill down in Pill
Pill is a funny old place on the outskirts of Bristol. Pill was once home to 21 pubs and was known as being a rough place, to the extent that the founder of the methodist church John Wesley, said in an entry in his journal in 1755 “I rode over to Pill, a place famous from generation to generation, for stupid, brutal, abandoned wickedness.” It’s not like that now, it has a strong and supportive community. Looking in the shop windows today I noticed lots of touching thank you cards from people who have been helped and supported through lockdown and the Covid crisis from the surrounding community. A quirky little place though!
17th Jan and still plenty of Xmas trees around 😊
Bristol oddities
Whatever your thoughts on Bristol, there is one thing you can’t claim and that is that it’s boring! Never a dull moment here!
Redcliffe
The perfect dreamy location for a quaint and cozy pink cottage.
How long until the new owners of the Norwich Union building transform it?
🤔
So are all the other alternatives.
This guy was rotten drunk and about to throw himself into the river. A group of us had to gather around him and persuade him not to! We told him he would die but he didn’t seem to care. He only stopped when one of us told him we were calling the police. Surprisingly! Poor dude 😕
The quintessential cliche Bristol Banksy shot 😊
Forest Bathing
Forest bathing or as the Japanese call it ‘shinrin yoku’ is a method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply. Some may prefer to just call it a walk in the woods but calling it ‘forest bathing’ adds a touch of romance and magic haha :-) Today was a welcome break from the grey and drab winter days we’ve had this week, the sun was glistening down through the trees creating a magical light speckled atmosphere. We chose Blaise Castle Estate for our ‘forest bathing’ we’re lucky as it’s just a few minutes from our door. It’s a place where natural beauty and interesting history combine.
Industrial Exotica
Severn beach in Bristol is probably one of the most beautiful and exotic beaches in the UK. Especially so if you like muddy sand, industrial chemical plants and wind turbines on the beach front. Ok, ok, thats probably a bit mean, it is, in actual fact, a very interesting place. There are far reaching views over to Wales and the impressive Severn bridge along with magnificent skies. The architecture of the industrial buildings is fairly out there too!
