Bristol fashion

After an early start and a chilly session selling cards in the market at Nailsworth, I quit the marketplace early and went back to Stroud, where I had arranged to meet some others for a trip to Bristol.

We drove down the M5 and headed towards the Old Vic theatre, where we had tickets for the matinee performance of La Strada. It is the new Sally Cookson production.I loved every moment of it: the stripped -down staging and use of light and shadow: the music, and the sheer passion of the performers. It is very physical theatre.


Afterwards, we had time for a walk in the bright afternoon, along the waterfront. S and J decided to stay close to the car; C and S and I went for a route march, although me and S stopped off for a cuppa after a while. An acrobatic young man was performing tricks and stunts within a giant hoop, so we watched him hurling himself around on the hard stone.

We then had the unpleasant task.of driving across Bristol to our  next destination. The roads have all been taken up again. Bristol is a remarkable city but, as someone once said about Bahrain,
" it'll be nice when it's finished".

Cities are never finished. Like the man in the hoop, Bristol keeps on moving. Revolution succeeds revolution, sweeping away a different layer each time. Sky and water are the only certainties.

Eventually we reached The Lido in the Clifton area. Unike most swimming pools, it has a cafe AND a smart restaurant. Our table overlooked the water, as you can see from this none-too-perfectly angled shot. The evening sun soon left us, but the air of exoticism remained. There was no smell.of chlorine, either!

I had two starters instead of a main. The asparagus with Pine nuts was the youngest  and most tender asparagus I  have ever tasted.

I arrived home just after nine. As days go, the memory of this one will linger, a jay's feather coming to  rest among paler plumage.