Today is 31-1-13. The same whichever end you start with. I love things like that. After a half day of trying to calm a frustrated, non-verbal child and provide play opportunities for a dozen others, I left work and headed for Tesco's. Not sure why, except that I wanted to be by water and there's plenty nearby. On the pond in the park, only one cygnet appeared to be left, of the original three that hatched last spring. Last time I visited, there were two. Next time...

I walked along the path by the river Frome till I reached Cainscross road, then strolled up to join the Cotswold canal at the new Brewery bridge, which Princess Anne opened a couple of years ago. There is some water in the basin at this point ( the canal is in the lengthy process of being regenerated, a multi-million pound scheme) and I noticed that just where the clear water ends and the reeds begin, someone had thrown a studded leather armchair. If it wasn't so heavy, I'd throw it right back. Idiots!

Up the towpath I continued until I reached the underpass of the A419/Dr Newton's Way, where the big diggers have been in evidence for over six months, and the canal is being diverted from its original course so that the Frome river crossing at Capel's mill, which I blipped in August, doesn't have to be spoiled. An area which was used as a rubbish tip as recently as the 70s has been excavated and is being flattened, and some water has been introduced into the new canal bed. This is what you see here, with the orange barriers at the end. It is not possible to walk any further than this at present, but I got my shot: the water, the light, and the graffiti.

After this the walker has to pop up onto the main road, and go to Waitrose ... it's not easy to re-find the canal further along the A419 until you reach Bowbridge, which is where I'd get off to go home. The current phase of regeneration will stop there, until further funding is found to carry on as far as Brimscombe port (a splendid former port on the canal, which once housed a Customs and Excise office).

I think my own task is to attempt more urban/semi urban shots, and get out and walk in the sunlight as much as possible. The latter is a very attractive proposition!

Read the graffiti

Thanks to all who made my 2ooth blip birthday so special. My [frankly pants] shot even reached the spotlight, which says more about friendships than image quality! I am very grateful for all your kind words. And sorry to Dawn C, whose comment about chair-chucking I just deleted when I changed this image (slightly). The joys of working on an Ipad!

PS Several people asked me how the graffiti came to be on the opposite side of the canal from the towpath! The answer is that the canal used to follow the exact route of the road, Dr Newton's Way. When the road was built in the 80s, the canal was filled in/culvertised for a stretch, and a path built on top of it. The road passed overhead, with a bridge over the former canal bed. So it would have been possible, even up to last April, to walk along the path and spraypaint the bridge. This image shows how the canal bed looked last year. The shot is taken looking East to West, whereas mine is taken looking West to East.

This shot shows the route of the former canal, before the road/Dr Newton's way was built.

I am going to add a further image to my blipfolio, that I took of the 'new' water and canal bed beyond the underpass. It's only a reference shot, so don't expect quality!

As a result of this research and the excitement that I felt on seeing this phase of the restoration, CleanSteve and I are going to join the Cotswold Canals Trust. Soon we may be able to take a trip along another stretch: a trip boat has been purchased, and the Trust is recruiting volunteer 'drivers'.