On the Water Part 1

One of the choices for the Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt is No. 7 On the Water. The last two walks that I have done with my walking group incorporated some kind of water, surprisingly enough not rain!

Our December walk was in Bristol and we walked around a fair bit of the harbour. This regenerated area is rich in colour both in the houses on the edge and the boats on the water.

On the left of this first picture is St Mary Redcliffe Church spire. This can be seen from quite some distance. The church is reputed to be described by Queen Elizabeth I as "The fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England". There are also caves accessed through the wall below the houses where red sand was mined for the production of glass and pottery. A fascinating step back into Bristol's history.

Further on there is a marina of more modern boats.

There is a blend of old and new houses all equally brightly painted. It has become quite the trendy place to live.

Our destination was the boat seen in these two pictures.

The Grainbarge is a floating restaurant where we had a very pleasant if not slightly different Christmas meal. My choice was the chicken stuffed with whiskey haggis. My only complaint would the brussel sprouts which were so hard they would have made great canon balls to aim at the famous SS Great Britain which was directly opposite.

The First Flowering Bulbs

The days are getting slightly longer. Despite all the rain there is occasionally a little promise of Spring in the air. Snowdrops are beginning to come out.

An encouraging sight to see.

Take Three Thursday: Six Months Old

I am joining Mary Lou again with her Thursday meme showing 3 photos from this week. It's quite a while since I have done a Poppy post. So here she is.

The sun was shining when we went for a walk today so an ideal time to capture her.

She is now 6 months old and becoming a little more testing. Her favourite trick is finding different ways to get out of the garden. Bless her!

Horses are In

We have had a very wet spell of weather which has made all the fields very soggy. When the weather is like this we cannot let the horses out. We have a system of putting up a sign when the horses have to remain in their stables. 

My niece's horse Vicky is very well behaved and is allowed to wander out on the grass in the yard while her stable is mucked out.

She is styling her new head ware.

Ahh, that's better!

Now for a quick leg stretch to the muck heap.

Take Three Thursday : Winter Sky

I have just made it still in Thursday to join Mary-Lou in her Thursday meme where you capture three pictures of what you have noticed.

It's been a glorious if not rather cold day and most of the time I was indoors helping with the lunch club. Thank goodness for the days getting longer because I got home in time to walk Poppy while it was still light. 

The sun was just beginning to go behind the trees and hedge but I caught these on my phone of the lovely sky and the tree silhouettes.

A Sense of History

My December walk with my walking group was around some of the historic parts of Bristol. I have chosen some of the sights that we passed as possible options for No. 16 A Sense of History in the Winter photo hunt. One of our first stops was The Exchange in Corn St. Once a busy corn exchange and now part of St Nicholas Market. Outside are some of the original 'nails' where merchants carried out their business. The pillars had edges to the tables to prevent coins rolling off. Deals were closed by payments on the nails. 

We also passed one of the oldest taverns in Bristol. The Llandoger Trow was built in 1664.

This fish restaurant was originally a granary on the harbourside built in 1869 in what is known as the Bristol Byzantine style. It has also been a nightclub in the 70's and 80's. It remains quite a striking building.

Lastly the replica of John Cabot's Mathew outlines the far more modern Big Wheel in the background.

A Few Options for the Photo Hunt

I have been very slow getting going with the Winter Photography Scavenger Hunt. I did however manage a couple at the Aerospace Museum. 

No. 2 Luggage 

This cross section of a plane doesn't have any passengers but it does have the luggage!

No. 25 A Peek Inside 

There were several cockpits on view to peep into to give a feel of being the pilot.