Signs 2017

The end of another year is upon us and I'm planning to start a new annual, end of year tradition with this post. Last year (2016), I published a post entitled Signs-Part I with photos of signs that we came across in our travels that had either made us laugh, think, or, just generally intrigued us. Often, the best ones go by in a flash if we're in transit, so we can't get a photograph, but, here are a few we came across in 2017 that may amuse you.

Don't remember where we came across these three...

The next four were in New Zealand...

One from the USA...

and a few from Canada...

This one isn't a 'sign', but, it definitely brought a smile on a woodland walk...

This one, seen on a park bench in Revelstoke BC, was a little unusual in that it didn't commemorate the dead as is usually the case with plaques on sponsored benches, but, expressed thanks to a place and community that obviously meant much to them. A few simple words, but, so evocative it really tugged at the heartstrings.

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Weston-Super-Mare

While waiting to move into our furnished rental in Bristol, we decided to head to the seaside for a few days as we'd been missing the sea already.

Just an hour or so from Bristol is Weston-Super-Mare, a traditional seaside town. We went not knowing what to expect, probably a faded, down-at-the-heels town with social problems. There was quite a bit of that, especially in the old-fashioned hotel we stayed in. Cobbled together from a row of old mansions, it was very worn around the edges and like a rabbit warren inside with steps up or down every few feet. Located directly on the front, across from the pier and adjacent to a shopping mall, the hotel was very busy. The included breakfast service, 'full English', of course, was run like a military operation. They couldn't serve a minute before 8:15, then, the whole team sprung into action. It seemed comical, but, the cheerful efficiency was appreciated and the food was mostly edible.

The town's natural setting on the Bristol Channel was superb. The weather was beautiful, cool, but, sunny, perfect for a long walk along the incredible beach.

Tidal heights of almost 14.5 metres did mean you had to watch the clock. The low tide mark is about 1.6 km from the seafront.  Although the beach itself is sandy, low tide uncovers areas of thick mud and gives the town its nickname of Weston-super-Mud.

One day, we walked east, the next west. One of the things I like best about the UK is you don't really have to plan a day trip, just set out from where you are and soon you will encounter something interesting. Today's treat was a Norman church, high on a hill with a vista of the Channel and the Mendip Hills. It was a hike to get up there, but, worth it. St. Nicholas Church, dedicated to the patron Saint of sailors, was consecrated in 1129. Although without a roof since 1860, there is a small, intact portion of the Church. It's usually locked, but, the day we were there it was being decorated for an upcoming Christmas candlelit choir service and was open to view.

At the base of the hill was a medieval port village, aptly named, Uphill.

Leading to the village was a tidal estuary and boggy marshland which we slogged through.

The next day we headed the other way, past the new, modern pier directly across from our hotel. It charged £1 admission to walk on it. It was full of tacky, noisy arcades with barely a way to get outside to admire the sea view.

Then, we came across the day's surprise. Just a little further along the front was the historic Birnbeck pier. Currently a ruin, there is a trust trying to raise funds for its restoration. Interested parties have come together to form the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust. It looks very much worth saving. Look more closely at the lifeboat shed and slipway. I'm assuming there must be a piece missing, otherwise it would have been quite a challenge to launch a lifeboat at low tide!

There were some quality buildings to look at.

Tucked in behind a sheltered wall, we also found this iris, in perfect bloom the first week of December, a welcome sight.

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Bristol UK - First Days

We'd been discussing returning to the UK for a while and had already decided on Bristol as probably the best place for us. So, when we left Australia sooner than we had anticipated, the decision on where to go was easy.

Why Bristol? It's an old place, having received a royal charter in 1155. It's on the west coast. In the past, we have already lived in London and the South/South East, so, wanted to be in another part of the country. Bristol is ideally located to explore the West country and more of the North. A rich maritime heritage and a location on the mighty Bristol Channel appealed (second highest tides in the world, after the Bay of Fundy), as did its long history with architecture to match. It's a university town, small (only about 465,000), has an international airport and a rail station from which you can get to anywhere in the country. When we later learned that the Sunday Times had rated it the 'best place to live in Britain' for 2014 and 2017, we felt we'd made the right decision. Bristol also won the EU's European Green Capital Award in 2015, the first UK city to do so.

On the downside, with a population growth of over 10% in the last three years and a large student population, it has a very tight rental market and prices are only next to London in their heights. As usual, we applied logic to the process and quickly found a suitable rental, we move in next week. We would have liked a period property, but, most were unfurnished and/or needed work. We needed furnished and fast so took a new build. No one has lived in it, so, it will be all new and we can just move right in. We can walk everywhere from there, including to Bristol Temple Mead railway station, no car required, hooray!

Walking around The Floating Harbour (located on a stretch of the tidal River Avon its depth is lock-protected) is a delight. Its banks are lined with historic ships.

One of the boats with a Canadian connection is a replica of 'The Matthew', the boat John Cabot sailed to Newfoundland in 1497.

Other interesting sights are a steam crane and a row of historic, moving gantries, used to load/unload ships.

There'll be a lot more posts on Bristol in the months to come. There's a wealth of things to see and do here and in the surrounding area. Bristol is just 106 miles west of London, 77 miles south-southwest of Birmingham, 26 miles east of the Welsh Capital Cardiff and 60 miles east-southeast of Swansea. Interestingly, it's a city and also a county, positioned between North Somerset and Gloucestershire.

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Hemisphere Relocation!

It's only been a short couple of weeks since Gjoa was hauled out to sit on the hard in Carnarvon Western Australia, but, it seems like a lifetime ago considering I'm writing this in the UK. More on that hemisphere relocation in a minute. Back in Carnarvon, there was no travelift available, so Gjoa was pulled out on a 'jinker', Australian for flatbed trailer. With her bilge keels she sat on the trailer firmly and flat while coming out of the water, one less thing to worry about. It all went very smoothly. We spent a quick couple of days getting her ready to leave on her own for a few months and getting ourselves packed and ready for a quick departure.

Departure? We had already planned for Gjoa to be on the hard for a few months. We had been going to resume our land travel in the campervan and then get on with some of the necessary boat maintenance jobs before restarting cruising. Given the traumatic events of the last few weeks however and the fact that Northern Australia was now entering the wet season, not the best time to travel there, we decided that perhaps it made sense to take a break before resuming our travels. We gave it a lot of thought and decided that returning to the UK would be the best choice, even though it would mean giving up Spring in Australia and going into late Autumn in the UK. Frankly, we'd had enough of the glaring sun, endless wind and heat day-after-day anyway and were dreaming of cooler temperatures more suited to lengthy country walks and outdoor pursuits. Can you ever get tired of wearing tshirts, shorts, flip/flops and sunglasses all the time? Actually, yes.

We drove to Perth, parked the campervan in storage and got on a plane, first to Abu Dhabi (UAE), then, to Dublin, Ireland and finally Southampton, UK where we hopped on a train to Bristol, our chosen destination. It only took about twenty-four hours altogether.

Here are a few parting photographs of Australia taken on the way to Perth. We plan to be back onboard Gjoa in six months or so. In the meantime, follow along with us as we explore new areas in the UK.

Leaving a glorious Spring does have drawbacks. The jacaranda trees were in full bloom in Perth and absolutely stunning.

It was only mid-November, but, Christmas decorations were everywhere. Kangaroo and palm tree motifs were new to us. We're more used to reindeer and evergreen tree decorations.

The closing shot is, of course, another bird picture.

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