Church Road Church

Gargoyles on the tower of Church Road Methodist Church.

What came first, Church Road or the church on Church Road?

(Isn't church a funny looking word when you look at it!)

Summer Attraction

We have a traditional carousel here for the summer.  Along with the big wheel it is something for tourists to do in the absence of the pier.

Not the most beautiful of places to put it, I would have liked to see it actually on the seafront but I am sure there are good reasons for it not to be there.

Painted Lady

A Painted Lady drinking nectar from a flower in the sensory garden in Grove Park created for the blind in 1958

Tailor & Hosier

Or he was, I wonder what 'L' stands for?

I am going for 'Leonard'... I wonder if Google can help out? 

The Criterion

A little shabby perhaps...

The Criterion on Upper Church Road has been open and closed more often than an open and closed thing lately it seems.  It is open again now and looks like having a decent list of beers & ciders on offer.

Worth a look!

Discovery

I would have loved to grow up next to the sea!

Chips

Shamelessly eating chips on the sea wall...

I am sure it wasn't set up but wouldn't this be a great way of advertising - I certainly couldn't walk past her without wanting to pop round the corner to Kings fish & chip shop!

Land Train

Another welcoming sign for the tourists...

This is not a huge, dangerous & menacing train mowing down hapless civilians, it is a tiny tractor turned into a 'train' for kids to ride up and down the seafront.

A church steeple

This is a close up of a church steeple that I can see from my house. I am not sure what the name of the church is, although think it may be connected to a graveyard that I know is roughly around there. I love the way it rises above the roofs of the houses surrounding it.

Weston skyline

I have recently moved and the view from my house is quite striking as we live nearly at the top of Worlebury Hill. This photo doesn't really do it justice due to the wide angled lens, but I love the beautiful clouds in the sky. This is shot towards the seafront.

The Sea - A rare visitor!

Not fair really, we get the sea as much as any coastal location but when the tide goes out it goes out a very long way!

When I saw the waves rolling in near Knightstone Island it reminded me of a Ride record I bought years ago.  The reflections are quite interesting, the muddy brown of the sea contrasted against the reflected evening light.

Grove Park War Memorial 2

A close up of the bronze at the war memorial

Tourist Attraction

Ah we do a great job of selling the features of our town... ;)

Driftwood close up

It's been a while since I posted due to moving house and having no internet for a while. Here is a macro photo of driftwood with some interesting red 'stuff' (the technical term!!?) on it from Sand Bay, where I, sadly, used to live.

The Major From Glengarry

The Major From Glengarry.  Not a pub I have tried yet but I guess I should as it is so close to the house, I always tend to walk past it in favour of the bars on the sea front.  One day...

The name could have something to do with the Glengarry Light Infantry, will have a nose about if I go in someday.

The Pier Barge

The wind was too strong for the barge that is holding the huge crane used to pile drive the new pier supports into the bedrock to remain near the pier so it went out to sea.

The camera was fooled by the difficult exposure so the image was pretty washed out.  I should have spent some time sorting it out by going to fully manual but I was too busy having a lovely day!

So, push the contrast & duo-toned in Lightroom.  That'll do!

Youth Event in the Italianate Gardens

Some kind of youth event in the gardens.  A kind of 'jam' session for young bands and lots of information being handed out.  Big adverts for 'Chlamydia' - thought it was popular enough without the adverts...

The Seafront Looking Down Towards The Pier

Catch Me If You Can

We don't need to...  Pretty soon you will fall off the roof & do yourself serious damage!

Water Ski Club

Personally I don't see how they can get enough speed up being towed behind a tractor but what do I know?

Trees

What is the oldest tree in the world?  The highest? Largest in diameter?  Most useful?  Most beautiful?  Most amount living in it?

The Seaward Hotel

Definitely Seaward!  Only a few metres from the sand with a great terrace to enjoy a drink or two is the Seaward Hotel.

As we are off to the beach now for a bit of a barbecue I might well be in there in an hour warming up!

Grove Park War Memorial

Something to really look at rather than just glance at.  Every single name on this, and every other memorial to every war in every country of the world, is or was a real person.  Someone will have photos of them at home; labels underneath the photos saying 'Dad' or 'Son' or 'Uncle' or 'Daughter'.

Not just names cast in bronze.  Far too many names cast in bronze.

I looked for names from my own regiment and found a few, I also saw names from so many other countries that had supported us.  I will try to make some kind of montage to show a few.

Knightstone Island & Marine Lake

Parkour Guy Final

The last time this guy is going to be featured on the blog, unless I spot him doing some other equally noteworthy stuff of course.

Apart from his flying, twisting somersaults he and his friend did a nifty little backward somersault from standing on the beach wall.  Show offs! ;)

Grove Park Fountain

You just have to love spring...

Coat of Arms in Grove Park

A very pretty, if a little strange coat of arms on a war memorial in Grove Park

The Wheel

Back to the wheel with colours pushed, quite an extreme vignette and the flare accentuated.

It made sense at the time...  ;)

The Marine Lake

A low light photo of the Marine Lake.

I saw a guy kayaking in the lake the other day, he looked like he was getting quite a workout, handy with the tidal flow being so strong here and the tide going out so far!

The English Rose

Plantagenet: Since you are tongue tied, and so loath to speak,
In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts:
Let him who is a true-born gentleman,
And stands upon the honour of his birth,
If he believe that I have pleaded truth,
From this briar pluck a white rose with me.

 
Somerset : Let him that is no coward nor no flatterer,
But dare maintain the party of the truth,
Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me.

Henry VI Part One, II.iv.25-32 

English Rose

No matter where I roam

I will come back to my english rose

For no bonds can ever tempt me from she

Ive sailed the seven seas,

Flown the whole blue sky.

But Ive returned with haste to where my

Love does lie.

No matter where I go I will come back to my english rose

For nothing can ever tempt me from she.

Ive searched the secret mists -

Ive climbed the highest peaks

Caught the wild wind home to hear her soft voice speak

To hear her soft voice speak

No matter where I roam

I will return to my english rose

For no bonds can ever keep me from she.

Ive been to ancient worlds

Ive scoured the whole universe

And caught the first train home

To be at her side.

No matter where I roam

I will return to my english rose

For no bonds can ever keep me from she

Weller

Boat Paint

The final shot of the paint on the boats in Uphill Boat Yard

The Secret Lives of Trees

I didn't even try to identify it despite currently reading 'The Secret Life of Trees' by Colin Tudge, but I loved the contrasting colours & strong shadows so had to shoot it.

Award Winning Donkeys

Fantastic stuff!  Our donkeys are award winning!

Grove Park Bandstand

Grove Park is really lovely, this bandstand came in really handy for a spot of alfresco chip eating.

Bloody Big Crane

There is so much work being done on the seafront.  I don't know if this is here to work on the Pier or the secondary sea defense wall.  Quite a crane though!

Parkour Guy Again

The Traceur again, I wanted to post this to show the concentration and obvious effort on his face.

Boats at Uphill

Birnbeck Pier

Birnbeck Pier in the distance, something has to be done before it slides into the sea forever.  surely we can't lose two piers - that would be just careless...

Keepy Uppy

Another shot of the lad I posted a few days back.  I was always pretty rubbish at keepy Uppy, just not committed enough to give it the time needed...

The Best Ice Cream in WsM

A few minutes walk from the Grand Pier where the ice cream is the normal stuff served everywhere you can get superb cones from this little cafe.  Worth the shoe leather!

Boats (again)

Another shot of the boats in front of Knightstone Island.

Lorrain's Revisited

Looking a lot happier than when it appeared last on February the 19th.

Still no idea where that missing 'e' has gone though!

Granville

What can be more British seaside than a donkey ride?

This is Granville taking a break, the owners must be fans of classic Bristish comedy.

Things to Come

We are in line to get one of these wheels permanently, a 'Weston Eye'.

This has been put up temporarily on the seafront, it was doing a roaring trade in the great weather yesterday.

Messing Around on the Beach

Well the weather has not let us down, Bank Holiday weekend by the seaside and the 'sun is cracking the flags'as my mum would have said.

These two were practicing their free running or Parcourt - very impressive.

A Great Day to be a Bird in Weston-super-Mare...

Sadly it is a bit of a grey day here today, not an auspicious start to the Easter weekend.

Hopeful for tomorrow though...

Evolution

I am sure these birds didn't evolve purely to clear Weston-super-Mare beach of dropped or discarded chips & ice cream but they are certainly making  a living of it now!

Broken Stones

Like pebbles on a beach

Kicked around, displaced by feet

Like broken stones - all trying to get home.

Like a loser's reach

Too slow & short to hit the peaks

So lost & alone - trying to get home.

As another piece shatters

Another little bit gets lost

And what else really matters - at such a cost?

Like a loser's reach -

Too slow & short to hit the peaks

Paul Weller

Boat Paint

Another peeling boat shot from Uphill.

Beach Patrol

What a job!  I'm sure it can be grim in the winter when the wind is raging & the rain horizontal but a nice drive down the beach in the evening sun sounds good to me!