Sunshine on Gloucester Road

Glorious Day today but we took the bus into the City centre to go for Eda's swimming session. She had three companions today and went under the water for the first time. She was a little bit shocked but didn't cry and as before really enjoyed herself.

Coming out into the spring sunshine we passed the St Nicholas Market outdoor food stalls. A wonderful variety (the covered market here also has great eateries.) We treat ourselves to a fresh Arancini (Spanish rice ball) and then bought a couple of Baguettes from a little shop around the corner. We sat outside in Castle Park opposite the derelict church that stands as a memorial to the dead of WW11. If anyone watched the recent series 'Blitz' you would see that Bristol was very badly hit. Just as bad as Coventry and London but it was decided to keep it quiet so as not to affect morale. This church stood in the centre of the oldest and main shopping area of the city. The programme said that the people of Bristol thereafter never took to Broadmead the 'new' shopping centre that was built there as a replacement. Nor were they happy that the city didn't get the recognition it should have for the suffering the blitz inflicted on its people.

We walked back through Stokes Croft and then up Gloucester Road. We have been watching Kiri on catch up which is set in Bristol. The first place we recognised was Stokes Croft with its garish murals. The one of the Tigers is a new one to me and much nicer than many of the others that are there.

When we got up to Bishopston I noticed some great new banners promoting the road in amongst the lovely pollarded Plane trees.
We noticed whilst watching the programme that they drove down Gloucester Road and then up again and then down again all in the same journey! I like Sarah Lancashire but I feel she is a 'northern lass' so I'm not sure her Bristolian accent is a success.

More of the St Nicholas area of the city centre - on this Flickr set