2006 - Bristol - View from Cosy Castle

August: The more time I spend here there more I'm loving being here. True, I was sad to be torn from Brislington, but as this picture shows... Brislington is just on the other side of the trees. What the picture doesn't show is the deep, very very deep gash in the landscape, with a river running through it. That's not smoke in the photo. It's mist, drifting up off the river. The gash and the river make it an impractible walk. My biscuit tin has become my life-line. Iam able to drive to the Boca bar every day. I still use all the places around the Happy Flat. I can see Sonja. I can pop in to see Nic. It's great. Plus, there are some hidden treasure around Hanham. So I've got the best of both worlds being here.

2006 - Bristol - Mum, Pete, Rosie

A Magical Weekend.

August 18th, 2006.

I've been living in Bristol since October 1991. In all that time my mother has never been down to visit. That all changed this weekend, with much thanks to Pete for booking it (forcing mum's hand).

Friday morning, I wake before sunrise and take Jo's car to airport. Mum, Pete & Rosie arrive. The heavens open. Torrential downpour as I drive them back to Cosy Castle. Arriving is surreal. Seeing this people I associate so strongly with Newcastle, here, in Bristol... and in the Cosy Castle. It's great though.

I make bacon sandwhiches and mugs of tea. Everyone chills for a while. Pile into Jo's car and drive to Brislington. Go into the Happy Flat. Mum see's where I spend 11 years of my life.

Drive on, park up by Clifton Suspension Bridge. Walk up to the camera obscurer but it was closed. We miss another heavy downpour by moments. Safe in the car we drive on.

2006 - Bristol - Mum

A Magical Weekend.

Boston Tea Party. Grab a parking spot on Park Street just across the road. Rain lashes down. We hustle inside, drink coffee and eat bakewell tart. Delish. Walk down Park Street. The rain goes away.

2006 - Bristol - the whole gang.

A Magical Weekend.

Millenium Square. The sun burns through all the clouds. It's hot and lovely.

2006 - Bristol - Pete

A Magical Weekend.

Millenieum Square. Las Iguanas. The sun is shinning. We all feel like we're on holiday. It's a wonderful mood and moment. We grab food and beer. Sitting outside where eariler it was a rainstorm.

After food we drive to SS Great Britain. Jo, mum and I pass. Pete and Rosie go inside.

2006 - Bristol

A Magical Weekend.

We head home via Sainsbury for supplies. We've got a thirst for margaritas so buy in Tequila, Triple Sec and limes.

The sun is still shinning. I drive Pete down to a secret discovery...

...skip back a couple weeks, Jo and I driving around the area, find an old mill, find a narrow stone walled lane just wide enough for the car to ease through, steep descent down to the river and wonderful collection of pubs and food places and several hundred people enjoying the sun. You would never have guessed it was down there. It felt special to find it.

... Pete loved it. We knocked back a pint then headed home to join the gang.

2006 - Bristol - Rosie & Mum

A Magical Weekend.

It's a friday night. It's the final of Big Brother 7. The contest is between Pete, Glyn or Richard. We're all BB7 addicts. We buy in Chinese and settle down for a chilled evening. A bottle of whiskey gets drunk as does most of the Tequila and Triple Sec. I start and stop watching Jeepers Creepers, Born ID, the Fog, Young Frankenstein. At some point we all roll upstairs into our beds.

Mum looks sooooooo cute in her PJ's lost in our bed.

Pete & Rosie have a matress in my study.

Jo and I sleep on carry mats and sleeping bags on blue room floor.

It's all cool. It's great having people stay.

2006 - Bristol

A Magical Weekend.

I snap awake around 6am. Pad downstairs and find mum sitting on the kitchen steps, smoking a fag and supping coffee... lovely sunshine easing through the windows and the open stable door. It's great to see her there.

I drink tea, snooze some more. Then we're all up, eating toast and goats cheese. I take the gang to Boca Bar for a 1st morning coffee. I take them in the biscuit tin and she does Okay!

Boca Bar is great. The sun is great. The coffee is great. Head back to Cosy Castle, jump into Jo's car and head out.

2006 - Wells - Rosie, Mum, Pete

A Magical Weekend.

Nice drive through sommerset. Reach Wells. Step into a fab rustic pub called Kings Head. I wolf down steak & ale to die for and a delish pint of lager. It starts to rain. We stay outside anyway.

Take a walk to the cathederal but then the rain starts to come down insanely. It's coming down horizontally. Everyone huddles in the archway of the ancient walls. A small band spark up an Umpa-umpa tune. Its surreal and wonderful. Mother is laughing and smiling. The rain starts to ease. We head back to the car but the rain comes on strong again. We all get a good soaking and thoroughly happy in the process.

The car park is flooding. We pile into the car, head down to Glastonbury with black clouds and walls of water following us... we give them place a hello-goodbye glance over. Carry on through to Cheddar Gorge.

2006 - Cheddar Gorge - Pete, Mum, Rosie, Oj

A Magical Weekend.

Cheddar for me is all about sitting in a tweedy cafe knocking back a fruity scone smothered in clotted cream and strawberry jam, chased by strong coffee. This trip was no exception and was yummy to the max.

Jo, Pete and I left Rosie and Mum to window shop, whilst we climbed Jacobs ladder to the top of a rocky ridge. Lovely view of a bald hill in the distance. Day dreams of England as it might have been in olden times. Yellow Dawn slips into my thoughts. Good visuals.

We drive up into the gorge and snap some shots then head back to Bristol for the final evening.

2006 - Bristol - Sonja, Mum

A Magical Weekend.

We buy another litre of whisky and supplies. We brew coffee and cut cake. Sonja arrives. I've known her 1997. Finally, after 9 years, her and my mother get to meet.

Everyone is tired. It's a 5am start the next morning. Tiredness curtails the evening. But what a weekend. Truly... magical. I've got memories I'm going to recall and savour for the rest of my life. Jo says the same and I hope mum, Pete and Rosie do to. Fantaaaastic. *smiles*

2006 - Bristol - Simon, Dom, NGT, Lucy, Oj

It was the final week of August and time to say farewell to Dominic & Lucy. His work is in the Middle East and it's unlikely we'll be seeing them for a year now, unless any of us grab a flight to Dubai during some of his time-off.

Simon had just returned from scuba diving in Italy. Tony is preparing to move out of the house he's been in since (1999?) and into a larger place round the corner with Sophos.