BANKSY V BRISTOL MUSEUM

We queued for over 2 and a half hours to visit Bristol Museum where Banksy had set up an exhibition. It was worth the wait. Many of the normal exhibits were adorned by Bankys trademark graffiti. In the pamphlet given to us it states "Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is proud to present a unique collaboration between the city's foremost cultural institution and one of the region's most overrated artist."

Two days in Bristol

I travelled up to Bristol on Sunday with my son and his fiancee to visit my daughter and her boyfriend who live there. We had a pleasant drive up and spent a couple of hours going round the Harbourside Festival. Apparently the day before was a wash-out but the day we went it was glorious weather - so we were lucky. The Harbourside was packed with people and the river was packed with all sorts of boats.

END OF FIRST WEEK

Well its nearly the end of my first of 2 weeks holiday. The weather has been a mixed bag to be honest so havent been able to get out and about as much as i would have hoped.

We did manage to clear the back garden though in preparation for August 22nd - the day set aside for a farewell BBQ for my son and his fiancee as they embark on 3 months travel overseas. Rhe photo above on the left show the garden as it is at the moment waiting for all the rubbish to be taken away.

I went on a very long walk from my house with a friend and her dog on Thursday - i would say about a 4 mile jaunt. Thankfully we didnt get too wet and managed to avoid most of the rain when we sheltered under the trees and the usefull umberella! Ventured down The Ride and saw a static gypsy caravan site and met two very blonde boys who would show us their new puppies - all 8 of them

We walked through the bottome end of Saltram House and ended up at Sainsbury's and then walked along the embankment back to Laira Bridge. By the time we had got back to Laira Bridge i was ready to sit down. The photo on the right was taken as i walked through Saltram - not sure what it is but it can be seen from the Embankment quite clearly and i have never been so close to it so decided to take a snap.

On Friday 31st - which was my wedding anniversary - i went with 2 friends to Greenway - the summer residence of Agatha Christie. We were lucky with the weather and had a very enjoyable time going round the house and gardens. After the visit we went to The Willows and had a Carvery for £3.50 which was exceedingly good and i would recommend it to anyone.

So now its Saturday 1st August and weatherwise its still unsettled. I went over to Millbrook this afternoon to watch my son play football - and to have a little wander around the football pitch to see if i could find any butterflies. I did manage to find a bumble bee or 5 and a slug. There were some butterflies but they didnt settle so i was unable to take a snap!

ROD STEWART AT HOME PARK JULY 2ND 2009

Spent the whole evening dancing and singing along with Rod Stewart at Home Park; home of Plymouth Argyle. The rain held of thankfully but nothing could dampen the spirit of a capacity crowd. He certainly knows how to entertain. He performed on stage over 2 hours and sang all the classics. I sat 4 rows from the front and had a fantastic view.

Hopefully there will be some more big names venture down this way next year...........and i for one cant wait to see who it will be!

Fathers Day 2009

This year I decided to celebrate Fathers Day with a picnic at Mount Edgcumbe. My daughter and her boyfriend Phil travelled down from Bristol for the weekend so that made is really special as we dont often all get together.

Fortunately the weather was warm and quite pleasant so we were able to sit back and relax. We had plenty to chat about and plenty to eat. My daughter was centre stage and asked us to be quiet. She had an announcement to make - the delightful news of a new addition to the family in 9 months time. Me a Granny! We were all very surprised as the news was so unexpected but nice all the same. They have even chosen the names Leon for a boy and Melody for a Girl. I suppose i will have to start getting used to be being call Granny Addy!

Day out at Coleton Fishacre - 5.6.09

A luxuriant garden by the sea, with an Arts & Crafts-style house, featuring Art Deco-influenced interiors - that describes where i spent the whole day today. Visiting Coleton Fishacre a beautiful National Trust House/Gardens.

The house at Coleton Fishacre was built as a country home for Rupert D'Oyly Carte and his wife, Lady Dorothy D'Oyly Carte, between 1925 and 1926. The architect was Oswald Milne, a former assistant to Edwin Lutyens, who designed the house with the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement in mind: simplicity of design and quality of craftsmanship. The influence of this older movement notwithstanding, the house is influenced by its own time, especially in its Art Deco interior.

The garden at Coleton Fishacre runs down a narrow combe from the house to the sea at Pudcombe Cove. The garden features rare and exotic plants.

What a fantastic day out today - walking around the house and gardens of this beautiful property. We took advantage of the warm sunny day and headed out to Coleton Fishacre; however the journey was not without incident as we ended up in Dartmouth on the wrong side of the river! We eventually headed towards our destination via the Higher Dart Ferry - a bit pricey at £3.50 but well worth it when we eventually got to Coleton. We sat in the sun and ate a very nice lunch surrounded by elderly men and women enjoying the weather too. On our walk round the gardens we kept bumping into couples out for a leisurely stroll who made light of the walk downhill and uphill unlike me and my friend who had to stop for a breather on the conveniently placed benches every now and again.

We had a laugh at one point over a very nice Magnolia tree. You really had to be there to appreciate just how funny it was. Now looking back it is still quite funny - the smell of the Magnolia was something to cherish and i went over to take a photo of it. Quite harmless you may think however my friend decided to pull the branch down so i could take a "close-up" shot at which point whilst pulling the branch towards me the head of the Magnolia snapped off and ended up on the floor. Something and nothing but we couldn't stop laughing. A real tonic for both of us.

I cant wait for my next day off so that we can visit another National Trust property - hopefully sooner rather than later.

Thanks Mate!

Mrs Toni Hawkey

Just had to publish this photo of the Bride and her pride and joy - her little boy!

BY FAR THE HOTTEST WEEKEND SO FAR THIS YEAR

What a weekend - plenty of sunshine - not a cloud in the sky and plenty to eat and drink.

On Saturday evening i attended a Work Colleagues wedding. She looked stunning as did her husband! We had a brilliant time in a very pleasant setting overlooking Plymouth Sound.

There were so many works colleagues there - too many to mention by name. A good time was had by all - including my Husband.

Darren and Craig my 2 favourite gay guys in the whole world! Bit of an exaggeration i think!

That's me and my other half - had a couple of drinks by then! Married 31 years this year - not bad in this day and age.

Pretty as a Princess - the first dance for the newly married couple = Toni and Steve


The Royal Corinthian Yacht Club actually

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

In need of a pick me up i drove to my friends house and picked her up and took her down to Looe. The sun was out and it was such a nice day it was great to see all the holiday makers mingling with the locals and enjoying a sunny afternoon.

There were even people in swimming - quite brave as I'm sure it wasn't quite that warm to venture into the sea.

We walked around the streets of Looe day dreaming about buying one of the properties and turning it into a B & B (well we all have our dreams!).

The scene on the riverside of parents and their children hanging over the edge with the fishing line trying to catch crabs was quite idyllic.

We sat and watched them in the May sun and then decided to have a Cornish Cream Tea. What a brilliant end to a fantastic day. One we will do again i am sure. It did us both good to get out of the house and get some sea air.

Im amazed by the way

Argyle v Barnsley : last day of the season

The last day of the season for Argyle and thank goodness we didnt have to even get a point to survive the drop to League 1. As it was Barnsley were depending on the result involving Norwich and Charlton. They wanted Norwich to lose and lose they did!

A packed Home Park witnessed a very boring display by Argyle. We did take the lead and we thought we would increase that lead but how wrong we all were.

Barnsley were on top for most of the game and managed to pull an equaliser out of the hat and then just to rub salt into our wounds they scored the winner. Oh well - we survived and thats all that matters. I did buy my season ticket last week and would have probably bought it even if we had been relegated.

August will soon come and we will start again. Hopefully by then we will have shed some of the players and bought in some more - but knowing Argyle like i do it will be all last minute.

Im a bit confused today as the match was on Sunday and it now feels like a Saturday! Got a Bank Holiday tomorrow to look forward to - hope the sun continues to shine as it has today.

day out in Tavistock

Couple of Photos taken today - hope they publish ok.........tried several times to no avail. I always seem to have problems with photos on this blog!

Out and about - Tavistock/Lopwell

I decided to head out to Tavistock today as it appeared that it was going to be a sunny day - that was short lived! As i drove out towards the Dartmoor the heavens opended and i was subjected to heavy hailstones. Not very nice to be driving in i may add! I popped in to Tesco on the way for a light lunch and to get out of the rain.

The sky was black and grey and blue and white all at the same time! Never the less i headed on to Tavistock. Parked the car and headed towards the indoor market. I love it in there. The shops in Tavistock are really different to the ones in Plymouth and i could spend hours looking at them.

I wandered around the streets for a while and then thought i had better head for home as it was getting late. I was driving back accross Dartmoor and came accross the signpost for Lopwell and spur of the minute decision turned off. It was years ago i visited Lopwell Dam and thought i'd pay it another visit. However i followed the signposts and still got lost! It could only happen to me. I have no sense of direction when im in a shop and none whatsoever when im driving! Anyway i ended up in a very pretty place which is near to Lopwell Dam. I discovered when i got home that i should have turned right at the T junction! Great i will know next time i go - maybe later in the week! All in all a mixed day weather wise but i enjoyed getting out and about.

SUNNY DAY IN PLYMOUTH

On my way home from work on Friday i strolled around Plymouth City Centre and came across a Farmers Market. The sun shining makes all the difference to the City Centre. I didn't have my camera with me so couldn't take as many photos as i would have liked so relied again on my mobile phone. They came out OK i think!