Martin's Mag.

I met some old (in both senses) friends in a pub called The Volunteer Tavern, between Old Market and Cabot Circus in central Bristol. I seem to have missed this pub, over the many years that I have been visiting such places in the area. It’s a good one: dedicated young landlord, real ale, simple fresh food, garden, wooden floor/no carpet (always a good sign, don’t know why).

Afterwards I took some photos.

The greenhouse is working well. Another few years and it might have paid for itself! This year has been great for tomatoes, chillis, cucumbers and various herbs, particularly basil. Bowls of toms like this every couple of days have been a regular harvest for the last month or so. Very good for the prostate, I understand, although not sure what’s in it for Sal.

One of Bristol’s regular Summer events with possibly even more variety of airborn craft than the more famous Balloon Fiesta. We walked down to The George at Abbotts Leigh afterwards where I had a pint of prawns. Ages since I saw prawns sold by the pint; reminded me of Southend.

The biggest kite in the world! Alledgedly.

Sal’s favourite kite.

We stayed with Freda for a couple of nights in a village a few miles south of Salisbury. The village is called Alderbury, which is very close to Whaddan. So close, in fact, that they share a village sign:

Alderbury-Whadden in Wiltshire.

We had a very nice day in Salisbury, and, the next day, a meandering trip back along the River Wyle and then the Salisbury Plain.

Salisbury market.

Fungi at Salisbury market.

Salisbury market.

Salisbury Cathedral from cafe.

Salisbury cottage.

Salisbury.

Brave duck.

“Lion” cottage, Salisbury.

Salisbury across fields.

Langford Lakes nature reserve.

Langford Lakes nature reserve.

You’re right, we do seem to spend a lot of time around Bristol docks. The area, including Hotwells and into the old centre of Bristol is very familiar to us, and, although neither of us is a Bristolian, the area is probably the closest we get to a home town.

Today we visited the M Shed, a museum of the history of Bristol, for a photographic portraits exhibition.

Exhibition organised by The National Portrait Gallery, M Shed, Bristol.

One of the many Gromits, with fan.

View of Bristol Harbour through grill of temporary boarding.

Clevedon has a Victorian “pleasure” pier. The “pleasure” was the ability to use it for promenading and for boarding pleasure craft, which were largely unaffected by the tides. Any Victorian pier is, to me, a slight disappointment as I grew up near Southend-on-Sea, which has a mile-and-a-quarter long colossus, complete with train (see previous entry).

However, Clevedon’s is a real gem and, being the cheapskates we are, we took advantage of an evening’s free entrance, saving the magnificent sum of £3.60.

Clevedon pier.

Clevedon pier.

Clevedon pier.

Clevedon pier.

Dekchair design exhibition on Clevedon pier.

Onions, garlic and shallots.

No more onions! – Ed.

Last Christmas my uncle, Ivor, bought us a packet of shallots for our allotment. Yesterday, we lifted them, and a fine sight they were! We also lifted some onions as well as the usual selection of courgettes, peas and runner beans.

Shallots (before lifting, obviously).

Shallots (after lifting, ditto).

The lady of shallots.

Shallots (after sorting out).

Onions from the allotment.

Broad beans, courgettes, potatoes.

Onions, garlic and shallots drying in shed.

The Medway Queen at The Albion Dock, Bristol.

When I was a boy, in the ‘fifties, an annual treat was to board the Paddle Steamer Medway Queen at the end of Southend-on-Sea Pier (an excursion in itself as the pier is a mile and a quarter long and had – has? – a train running its length) and sail south to exotic destinations in Kent, such as Margate and Herne Bay. A highlight of the trip was to visit the engine room, below decks. The engine was massive, oil-fired, made of cast iron with gleaming brass accessories and attended by a number of incredibly well-muscled and tanned dwarfs, who, like the beast they served, were covered in a fine mist of engine oil. No, they can’t have been dwarfs, can they? I have to stop myself imagining that they performed somersaults and juggled spanners as they worked, but, in retrospect, there was certainly an atmosphere of gay theatre about the place. It was very hot and we had to stand behind steel railings. Unintelligible instructions were barked from the captain, way up on the bridge, which arrived via tubes. It was fabulous, darlings! After all this, Herne Bay was, frankly, disappointing with its short, trainless, pier, and I couldn’t wait for the return journey.

I’m not sure if I was aware at the time, but Medway Queen had a proud history, including serving at Dunkirk, rescuing 7,000 men, and minesweeping duties during the war.

After contributing to my childhood memories, she was withdrawn from service in 1963, opened as a nightclub for a while on the Isle of Wight then, in the ’70s and early ’80s, lay derelict.

But, the good news is that she was returned to Chatham, the Medway Queen Preservation Society formed and, to cut a long story short, she was moved to the Albion dry dock in Bristol in 2009 for extensive restoration work. [Note to self: Phone Lloyd-Webber; there must be a musical in this.]

This weekend Bristol held its Harbour Festival, a get-together for anyone interested in boats of all types. We went early on Saturday (because we’d seen the weather-forecast) and I visited the restored hull of Medway Queen. I was talking to one of the volunteers and mentioned that I travelled on the boat, as a small boy, from Southend to Herne Bay. He said that he had lived in Herne Bay when a child and was taken by his parents on the boat to Southend. Now that would have been a day out!

We laughed. Albeit briefly.

The Medway Queen at The Albion Dock, Bristol.

Canal narrow boats at Bristol Harbour Festival. The famous Brunel’s Buttery in the background, still serving breakfasts.

Grommit statue in Millenium Square, Bristol.

A sweet stall at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boats at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boat from Prince’s Bridge, Bristol Harbour Festival.

Steam-powered boat at Bristol Harbour Festival.

Bristol Harbour Festival.

Railway truck at Bristol Harbour.

Flats next to Bristol Harbourside.