Map key

Nobody has looked at this blog for days, but just in case someone from China or America does drop in, I thought I would provide a bit of interpretation to the map below. So here is the key to the crudely painted numbers.
1. Bristol - where I live.
2.Bath, famous historical city - about an hour and a quarter away by bike along the cycle track.
3.Number three is in the Severn Estuary or the Bristol Channel (not sure where it stops being one and starts being the other). The little islands(not to scale) are Steepholm and Flatholm; both Viking names. On the other side of the water is Wales and the capital, Cardiff, is the town near the little islands.
4. Swansea is just above the number 4.

5. The high mountains of Wales, called the Cambrian mountains
6. Six is north Devon and the Quantocks(if you'll pardon my language)
7. Is the Isle of Wight, once home of the Jutes. Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix both played at pop festivals there in the 60s.
8. The Mendip hills, south of Bristol, where the Romans mined lead. As did subsequent generations who all went mad with lead poisoning.

9. The Cotswold hills.
10. London town.
11. Unknown land. Here be Dragons.

Cycle network map

Passed this map today. It shows the national cycle network (created by Sustrans who are based in Bristol) on a big wall mural.

Second photo shows a detail of this part of the world

Third, photo of a shop taken from the bus. Hadn't noticed the flowers before. From the bus I also noticed - huge hoardings at junction of Easton Way removed. Hooray! And large photos of the area in Easton Renewal Shop window, at least one of them by me!! Must have a better look

A day in Greenbank

Cycling home last night. Went a different way, two streets from where I live. A guy out on the pavement with big (12 -15") telescope. He let me look at Saturn through it. Best view I've ever had, but still not that good because of street lights.

Went to off-licence opp St Marks Church. As I came out guy approached me while I was unlocking my bike. "That's a nice bike. How much did it cost?" It's a crap bike, free from a dead friend. Guy - young Ali G like,big, scary, track suit with cartoon cat on top and bottom, holding can of drink. " I've got a bike for sale..." and so on. As I'm riding a bike, he thinks I might want to buy his. Hard work telling him I don't.

This morning, 9 am, lady from two doors down, out in a pinny sweeping pavement in front of her house. All the pavement looked clean except in front of mine (will photo). But she is old, of a dying breed. Or maybe not. Perhaps we should start looking after our localities again.

Leaving the house at 8:15 pm, the police helicopter buzzing nearby, two policemen talking to the naughtiest boy in the street (he shares the title with his mate), not related to helicopter unless he's been particularly bad, police car whizzing down Greenbank Road.

Further up Greenbank Road, near the Chocolate factory, somebody in their front room playing soft,sad piano. Cemetery opposite, no traffic.

Oh,yes. And a hedgehog outside my front door when I got home.

Icelandic Money

I got palmed off with an Iceland 50 kroner instead of a pound.
Here's some real pounds for your perusal





Welsh Dragon and Scottish Thistle



Lizzie (looking mean) and a nice Celtic Cross design







More lions: three for England(according to irritating song) and one for Scotland




Bridges. don't know what ones. One has railway line around edge of coin.



Welsh Leek and English official looking one.

BCC Ride?

Strange Images

BibliOdysseyStrange site full of surreal artwork from the distant past.

Popocatapetl

Popocatapetl is an active volcano in Mexico. It is the second highest volcano in North America. At Christmas 1994 it was threatening to erupt. I remember seeing pictures of it on the telly. It looked so fearsome and impressive that I was inspired to write a poem about it. The poem is still not really finished, as it's hard to get something to rhyme with Popocatapetl, but this is my best effort so far.


Popocatapetl


There was a young man from Popocatapetl,


Who got on a train to llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch


But the train was delayed


By essential maintenance work in the Birmingham area


And he had to wait


For a long time


at Crewe.

Norbert Dentressangle

Picture stolen from Hank's Truck Pictures




Norbert Dentressangle - the epic poem

If you're ever up a tree

Or tangled in a mangle

The man you want, you must agree, is Norbert Dentressangle

If you're bitten by a bee

Or your Wingle will not wangle

Just take a little tip from me, call Norbert Dentressangle

Norbert Corbett, Norbert Forbert, Norbert Dentressangle

He's the kind of German man with whom one shouldn't tangle

He doesn't wear a lucky charm to dangle on a bangle

That strangely named truck-driving geezer, Norbert Dentressangle






In a desperate attempt to amuse people I've taken to publishing my poetry. The lorries of Norbert Dentressangle are often seen trundling along the motorways of Britain. The name was so poetic that it fired up my inner Muse (I don't use my outer Muse for Health and Safety reasons). I thought Norbert was German, but it's a Franglicised German name pronounced Dontruss'onglll or something, which would spoil the poem a bit, so I've used a poetic licence that I bought from the Post Office. Also I've employed the popular technique of making up words in order to get a rhyme. First used to great effect by W.B Yates in his "Ode to a Porange".

Bugger off

Minus three people looked at this blog yesterday. I don't know if I want such negative people looking at this site.
So if you are one, just bugger off.

Ivor Cutler

Ivor Cutlerwho died recently

Statistics for this site

This is a graph showing the visitors to this site since I signed up for a counter a few months ago. As you can see, I used to have thousands of people looking at this site and now it's gone down to minus figures - well, nearly.
Why aren't you looking at this site, damn you! (well, not you obviously, as you are looking now). I mean, what's wrong with it? It's really interesting. It's got photos of my cat, litter in my garden, um...flowers, an insect slide show, pictures of Andover and a clock. I've sweated blood (metaphorically) to create this site and all you can do is ignore it.

WHAT MORE DO YOU BLOODY WANT?
I tell you what I'm going to do - if I have zero viewers for the next six months, I'm going to stop doing it. I mean it. So you better start looking or else!

Pulmonaria

Pulmonaria (Lungwort) in my garden

Slide show

If you left click on the pictures in the slide show, it shrinks the picture and shows the name that I've given it.

Out in the Garden

Doing a bit of gardening today. Lots of litter gets thrown over the wall. Here's some photos of snack wrappers and some flowers that are out now.Space Raiders is the most popular with two wrappers. There are some pretty primroses and grape hyacanths and a marigold just poking its head out. I've jazzed up a couple of these pictures to show off.