Tuesday 14 July 2015

Sheep Shape and Bristol Fashion.

Well it's been a while I know. The first 6 months of 2015 have been shit, I had hoped things would get better by now. Instead work has been completely relentless recently, on top of which more health dramas have happened and frankly it's all been getting to me. It's hard to stay positive when life keeps kicking you in the balls. Hard.

So I've kind of been keeping my head down plodding on through and hoping for better times.

I have a lot to look forward too in July though, lots of plans, good times already had and many more still to come.

Himself and I went to Bristol for a couple of days which rather than being restful saw us pounding the pavements doing 5 of the different Shaun the Sheep trails.

You can find out more here

We managed to see 47 of the 70 Sheep dotted around the city and surrounding area. We got absolutely soaked to the skin and chased by a demented drunk man in the process but you can't have it all.

As ever the one thing you can't guarantee is the British weather. Occasional showers were predicted, but rather than this being the dry spells with an odd shower here and there that I expected from such a forecast. It turned out to actually mean relentless steady rain with occasional torrential downpours just for good measure.
When it all got too much we retired to the pub where I managed to knock beer all over my lap but luckily the endless rain rinsed that out for me so I didn't smell too much like a brewery by the time we decided to go out for dinner!

Thankfully by then the rain had stopped so we were able to amble back to our hotel whilst enjoying the sights.

After a very comfortable night (thumbs up to Ibis Hotels) we were up early and off out to find more sheep before catching our train home.
I discovered I had forgotten my hairbrush but as all the rain had turned my head into an insane professor style mad mop it hardly mattered. Unlike the girls posing outside the cathedral I wasn't looking for a pinup shot.

We spotted this skeleton on our travels, clinging on by it's fingertips. I know that feeling well.
Whilst photographing this Arthurian sheep outside the Cathedral
we were fascinated by the girls I mentioned above. They were clearly taking part in a graduation ceremony though not from a university I have heard of before. Our fascination came from their appearance.
We could only conclude they had all passed their degree in nightclubbing with flying colours, because to a woman (there were no boys) they were in teeny tiny skintight mini dresses teamed with a regulation minimum 6 inch heel and as much make-up as their face could manage.
I'm all for each to their own but in all honesty it just looked rather bizarre on a grey wet Monday morning!

From there we walked to Clifton. I thought it was beautiful but for the relentless rain.

In the end it defeated us so we gave up and caught the bus back to the train station where we decamped to Wetherspoons until it was time for our train home.

The most amazing bit of the whole trip?

 I didn't shop at all!

8 comments:

  1. Bristol is fab, isn't it? I love trading down there, the city has a real alternative edge and yes, Clifton is gorgeous.
    Those sheep are fun especially the Arthurian one.
    I've spent the best part of the last month working outside and to be honest, think Summer is pretty good. Its been drizzling since Monday but its warm so I can cope with that.
    Here's to a better half to 2015. xxx

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  2. Sorry to hear the rain spoiled your trip to Bristol, I must go there sometime. Clifton looks gorgeous and did you know IKB was only in his early twenties when he designed the bridge and died before it was completed. Hope things improve for you soon Gisela. x

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  3. There's a famous(ish) early 1970's song by Al Stewart called 'Clifton in the Rain.' I live on the outskirts of Bristol and have so far not managed to see even one Shaun the Sheep so you've done much better than me. Hope the second half of 2015 is kinder to you.

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  4. I do hope that the second half of 2015 is a little easier, Gisela.
    I've only been to Bristol once, but I think it's a beautiful city, and Clifton, including the incredible bridge, is fantastic.
    Loving the sheep! xxx

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  5. Here's to a better second half of 2015. It has been a peculiar time...I think almost everyone I know has had a difficult start to the year.
    I love Bristol. We used to stay there a lot in the 80's in the St Paul's area no less! I loved it for it's edginess, bookshops and general not giving a fuckery! I love the Arnolfini and the Watershed too.
    These Shaun's are great fun. I do like it when a city does this kind of thing. The Bath pigs were great. This year it's zebras in Southampton!
    Can't believe so didn't buy anything...blimey girl!xxxx

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  6. Bristol is a great place; there used to be plenty of rock clubs and pubs there back in the 80s and 90s. Its still a good place to see gigs though.

    I hope things start looking up for you over the next 6 months plus and you get to give the hassles in life a good old kick in the balls for a change! xx

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  7. I love Bristol, it has an anarchic spirit while still being very artsy. The Gloucester Road area has some great charity shops. What was the university, UWE?

    Sorry to hear 2015 is still being crappy to you - you'll have plenty of cause to celebrate on new year's eve, that's for sure, you'll probably be glad to see the back of this year.

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  8. Bristol is fab. I'd happily live there. Whenever I pop in to see friends, we meet in Clifton, so I know it well. There are some great little pubs down by the harbour too though, and an afternoon in the pub is legitimate if there is rain involved. Let's hope the second half of 2015 is a bit kinder to you xxx

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