Autumn Sunrise

Both Sunshine and I were wide awake at 6:30 this morning (must have been all that chocolate at his parents last night!). As a joke I suggested that maybe we should just get up and go find somewhere to see the sunrise ... and somehow the idea caught on... Looking it up it appears there's not many good views of the sunrise from Bristol (lots to be found of the sunset), so we thought we'd just hedge our bets and head up to the Observatory overlooking Clifton Suspension bridge. All wrapped up and flask of tea at the ready, we drove up to Clifton in the cold but fortunately dry morning ... sooooooooo glad we did! The sunrise was a bit hidden round the corner behind some trees and a crane, but it was lovely to be up that early in the quiet city and watch it wake up.

We then headed into Clifton village for some hot chocolate and toast and then back home to DIY ...

Play Festival 2012

Sunshine and I (and a lot of our friends) go out to the Welsh contryside every summer to a little festival known as Play Festival, and this year, despite the rain, we went again . Not a lot of photos as we were too busy just hanging out ... but the one sunny and dry day, we and the Domakkes walked up to the top of the hill overlooking the site (the site is the slightly dense and colourful bit at the bottom of the first picture). We're back now after 5 days of camping and hanging out and dancing and signing and shows and enjoying ourselves ... here's to Play 2013!

London with Allen

We've been in London this week as Sunshine had his students exhibiting at New Designers. I like to tag along as it gives me an excuse to see the show and also catch up with London friends.
This time we stayed with our friend Allen who has been  stationed in London the last month working on his dissertation on the ethnomusicography of tabla makers ... and yes, he plays too. 

Sunshine didn't have to spend all his time with the students so when he had a bit of time off we walked round London visiting an art exhibition in the Barbican Centre, strolled round the Southbank and ending up with a lovely pub dinner  near where I used to live 8 years ago. All the bits of London that I love ...

Peregrine Watch

Today we went up to the Downs to catch the Bristol Ornithological Society doing a Peregrine watch. You can read more about it here. 

We got to see two parents and three fledgelings flying around. We even caught a glimpse of the fledgelings being chased by a couple of kestrels! We don't quite have a birding zoom lens so this is the best picture we got - of one of the adults (I think) flying overhead. I love Bristol and its wildlife!

Kew with Americans ...

We hadn't really planned on going anywhere over the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend but then we had a message from our friend Mark saying that he had a half day layover in Heathrow on his way from the States to East Asia. He was thinking of coming and visiting us but it just didn't make sense with the timings... so instead Sunshine and I drove across to Heathrow; picked him up; and then drove over to Kew Gardens for they day - finishing with dinner and dropping him back at Heathrow (and us driving back to Bristol). Our other American friend Allen who is also in London this month came out to meet us too... 


I love Kew; I could spend DAYS there just sitting and drawing plants. We all got really excited by this Australian plant called the Wollemi Pine which looked like a Christmas tree with its own baubles! We also spotted a beautiful green woodpecker and Sunshine managed to get a few decent shots of it pecking at a tree. Even the slight drizzle didn't put a damper on things (we'd just run into a green house every time it rained!).... mmmm must go again ...

Dorset day 2

Today we were not so lucky with the weather, so we drove down to Studland and took the chain ferry to visit some friends in Poole. We sat in their living room; staring out at the fantastic view; drinking copius amounts of tea; and just catching up on life ...


The rain had died down a bit by the time we headed back to pick up Loz. I managed a few springy pictures - look, a robin collecting for its nest; and spring blossoms - before we packed up and headed home, stopping on the way to visit the symbol of fertility that is the Cerne Abbas Giant...


Back home now ... and that was definitly too short a trip. SO going back to Dorset soon ... it was beautiful! Thank you Loz and Marky (and Sunshine) for a smashing weekend ...

Dorset day 1

Weekend away in Dorset with our friend Loz ... we drove up last night to her boyfriend's (who lives in Dorset) and ended up in the most fantastic 'local' pub full of entertaining locals and great music - and its own museum! This morning we headed off to buy some fish for dinner ...

At Lulworth Cove ...

From Lulworth Cove we took the coastal path to Durdle Door ...

After which we walked all the way back and then stopped off for lunch in a pub overlooking Corfe Castle.
From there we headed off for another walk ...

Finding massive ammonites, on the way to some abandoned limestone quarries ...

In the evening Marky took us POND DIPPING! We fund a newt, some lesser and greater boatmen, and a whole bunch of other insect nymphs and larvae (sorry no photos - was too dark). Then we had our fish (grey mullet, yum yum ....) and sat round reading books and watching films ... aaaahhhhh ... just the kind of holiday we needed....

Yurt living...

Well I'll be ... it appears I have forgotten about blogging for a while ... weeeeeeeelll, not really forgotten - just been too busy. And none of what I've been busy with seemed worth blogging about - illustration work, dance teaching etc. Yesterday seemed to be the first day in weeks that I felt like I had time to just go away and enjoy the day ... and so we did!

We loaded up our trusty steed Bramble, and went on a 45 miles tandem ride into the countryside to visit our friends Amy and Guy who live in a yurt that they have built themselves on the egde of a gorgeous little forrest. The only downside was that to get there we had to do a lot of cycling UPHILL. Sunshine had his gps phone tracking thing on (so we could track our route) and it told us that we had climed 900 meters! All worth it though to end up where we did - such a gentle way of life ... sitting in the yurt eating cheese sandwiches, watching bluetits, great tits, coaltits, long-tailed tits, nuthathces, and even a greater spotted woodpecker through the window. We then went for a walk into the forrest and bumped into a startled deer (no photos as he ran off before I could get a the camera out ... you get a llama instead). Lovely afternoon and then fortunately a mostly downhill ride home.

Sunshine and I were so tired when we got home that we could barely do anything last night. Still feeling it today ... but what a great way to start the spring ...

Back Bedroom Part 4 & Lit-up-cycling

Its Christmas eve, and what have we been doing? Filling!

Whilst Sunshine recessed some plug sockets ...

But we also downed tools at 6 pm so we could go and join a group of about 20 people cycle around the Bristol harbourside in their lit up bicycles ... you can see us fairly clearly at about 2:25 - we're the only tandem (and yes, the cargo bike does have a Christmas tree!)



Then we came home and Sunshine made the best mulled wine on the planet ever! Yes, I am a bit biased ... who wouldn't be about their best husband ;)

Lisbon day 4

Thank you Abbu and Ammu for a fantastic holiday (and some of the photos too...)

Lisbon day 3 (Sintra, Cabo de Roca & Cascais)

Happy Birthdy Abbu! Also the day Sunshine arrives ...

Lisbon day 2

Look at how each of us has a camera in hand ... ;)

Lisbon day 1

Family holiday with the rents ...

Happy 2nd Birthday Sophs!

Its niece Soph's 2nd Birthday in a couple of weeks but she will be holidaying at her grandparents (my inlaws) at the time. So we though we'd go deliver her her Birthday present before they leave on Wednesday for their holiday.

Sunshine and I had been looking for something special for a while - and saw this at our favourite toy shop in Bristol - "Playful", on the Gloucester Road. Soph's dad is a musician and we knew her parents would appreciate having something that made beautiful music however its played - and so we got her this pentatonically tuned glockenspiel from Auris.

Auntie Mithi also made her a card and Sunshine sewed her a carrier to protect her new little musical instrument (don't you just love a man who sews???)


Sunshine (with his designer's head on) decided to film an "unboxing experince" ... as you can see here...

We think its gone down very well - she does a mean rendition of "Twinkel Twinkle Little Star", whilst playing on the glockenspiel. I think she also quite enjoys just hanging out with her Uncle.

Happy Birthday Gorgeous!

Zoo life with Sophs

Today I went on an impromptu outing to the zoo with Favourite Niece Sophs ...

First we had a wonder round the butterfly house...

Then Sophs and her mum decided to see which animals they could run as fast as ... "1, 2, 4 ... go!!!"

After, we went and made friends with some meerkats doing a pile up ...

... followed by watching some gibbons preening ...

We wondered round a bit more and saw some more lovely fauna ...

Finally Soph decided it was time to drive us home.

What a smashing day!

Congratulations The Domakkes!

And what a smashing do it was too ... we were having too much fun to actually take any photos so here are a couple by Sy (I'll upload a few more of our favourites when we get hold of them...)

Sunshine waiting to sign on the wedding certificate as an official witness...

Sunshine and I probably listening to some speeches ...yes, I made an effort to dress up this wedding ...

Setting up for the Dommakes ...

Spent today setting up our friends "The Dommakes" wedding - its going to be FAB :)

Before...

After!

Brecon Beacons

Day off DIY to have a day hill walking with friends in the Brecon Beacons - Black Mountains, Wales.

*Sorry for the image quality - its a rather large image and it obviously doesn't like being compressed by Blogger.

Bristol Ballon Fiesta 2011

I love living in Bristol. Bristol Balloon Fiesta weekend ... watched the balloons go over our house everyday from Thursday to Sunday. Friday watched them with Paul from the harbourside. Sunday watched the Red Arrows from the comfort of the Peskimo's balcony. All photos by Sunshine ... I was too busy staring at the sky to take pictures...

Sand Point with Jeanine

Windy day out with house guest Jeanine and Sunshine at Sand Point.