Odds and Sods - May 2020

The world started to open up a little bit again in May, compared to the very small contained world of April.  We were allowed to go out a bit more and our daily exercise wasn't limited to just one trip out a day, we could go and exercise outside as much as we wanted.  We could start to meet up with people as long as we were outside and observing social distance.  It felt much more hopeful and cheerful.

Finn and I have still been able to go out for our evening walks - the temperature has been very hot or very muggy so we tend to go out in the evenings when it's a bit cooler.

Finn has been such a lovely companion now that I'm spending so much more time at home, although I'm sure he wishes I'd go out a bit more and leave him alone!

I've finally got my hands on some flour - it's been in such short supply during the lockdown - so I've been doing quite a bit of baking, and as a consequence I've put on half a stone over the past twelve weeks!  My alcohol consumption has also increased.

I'm being very resourceful by using things I already have - which is also saving me money - and I found this vintage wool in the loft so have made Dad a waistcoat for his birthday.   I still need to sew it up, but the knitting is all done.

Towards the end of May, we were allowed to start seeing people again, and, as I was so desperate to see the sea, I had a jolly up to Rat and Pam's in Sheringham with a lovely beach walk.

Still desperate for a haircut though!

Wallace and Gromit

Back in July 2018, my dear friend Mary was on a flying visit to the UK from her home in Dubai, to check out universities for Charlie and Harry, and by chance one of the universities they were researching was Exeter, only a ninety minute drive from the caravan at Pilning.   With this in mind, I asked Amanda if she could have Finn for the weekend and I'd spend a weekend at the caravan, so I could catch up with Mary.   I could also then combine the visit to go and see another art trail featuring Wallace and Gromit around Bristol.  

I love it when a plan comes together!

I drove down to the caravan on Friday morning and had a quick catch up with Andy who was on his way to Warrington for the weekend, and I headed into Severn Beach to catch the train to Bristol.  This was my first trip into Bristol and I'd already produced a walking map so I knew how to get to the Tourist Information office, to pick up my Wallace and Gromit map.   I'd tried to print off a map in advance, but it was so small I'd have needed a magnifying glass to read it!

Man, it was hot!   Sadly, the weekend I visited coincided with the Bristol festival so a lot of the Wallace and Gromits had been removed from their plinths and positioned elsewhere.  And because I only had an afternoon to see them before getting the train back to Severn Beach and don't know Bristol at all, I didn't have time to go and find them.  Such a shame.  

The ones I did see though were fantastic.   There were three different figures - Wallace, Gromit and Feathers McGraw.   Rather wonderfully, the Wallace figures were all on benches, so there was plenty of photo opportunities to sit down with him!   When there were no other people about, then it was all about selfies.  But where there were people about, we all took it in turns to take each other's photos - it was all really companionable!

Have you seen this chicken?!

Fabulous that the Gromit based on The Scream was outside the Bristol Art Gallery!

I'm clearly having too much fun!

The following day, after my trip to Exeter with Mary - post to follow - I headed to Cribbs Causeway shopping centre, about four miles from the caravan - to the Wallace and Gromit shop - which I LOVE! - and to see some more figures.

The shop was full of Feathers!   All decorated by local school children who had clearly let their imaginations run away with them!

Me and Morph!

And a few weeks later, Andy and I headed to Thornbury to get some barbecue stuff from the local supermarket and we bumped into another Gromit!

Bonus!  

I do love an art trail!