Thought Fragments from Bristol



Hustling bustle slows
To Temple tranquility
Stately sentinels salute
Relics in their midst

Roses for rememberance
Simple blossoms bloom
A pause in city life
Complete with birdsong

Scattered thoughts
Gather around me
I'm at peace
Time to pause, to reflect

Sirens shatter stillness
I walk on.

Comments

  1. Suburbia9 April 2008 at 23:12

    You're missing Bristol?! Come and visit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9 April 2008 at 23:30

    No - not bad poetry (Why do you use that tag?)
    I enjoyed it - along with the images
    Regards
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
  3. chey10 April 2008 at 00:22

    Very nice post. Loved the shadows on the lawn!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chris Eldin10 April 2008 at 06:49

    I love the top photo!

    (I saw you at David's blog and clicked on your link)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Viooltje10 April 2008 at 13:36

    Lovely! And thanks for all your comments about Klapa music, I hope you will enjoy many more of it and if you ever need any sources, there's a whole lot of full albums for download of different klapas and different old, dalmatian songs so I can always suggest some good ones. Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nessa10 April 2008 at 13:42

    All very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  7. mrsnesbitt10 April 2008 at 14:31

    This was lovely!
    have you checked out "It's not easy being green" lonk on my blog? You would love it. Also next Wednesday we have a new member to ABC Wednesday, Compostwoman! She is a pal of mine. You will love her!
    Dxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rose10 April 2008 at 14:37

    Beautiful photos, and I enjoyed your poem. I call myself a bad poet, too, but you do not deserve the title.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rose10 April 2008 at 14:39

    Sorry, meant to edit my last comment before hitting "publish." What I meant to say was that you shouldn't call yourself a bad poet (wish there was a way to italicize words here), because your poem was very good!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Threadspider10 April 2008 at 16:47

    I loved your poem and the images- don't sell yourself short with the "bad poetry" tag! The old school song was bad poetry ; )

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10 April 2008 at 17:14

    Nice photos, good poem! xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Viooltje10 April 2008 at 17:43

    Btw, there's an award waiting for you @ my place.

    ReplyDelete
  13. kate smudges10 April 2008 at 21:02

    Those are beautiful photographs. I love the tree shadows on the green lawn (I've forgotten that lawns are green since the ones around here - now uncovered from snow - are brown and yellow).

    I enjoyed your poem and agree with Karen - it isn't bad. It needs the label 'good poetry'.

    ReplyDelete
  14. dND10 April 2008 at 21:14

    Hi VP
    I have nominated you for a blog award. The details are on my blog.
    Cheers,
    Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  15. VP13 April 2008 at 19:41

    Suburbia - that sounds a great idea!

    Karen, Rose, Judith, Flighty and Kate - thanks for your kind words about my words :) Luckily you outnumber the number of nominations I have currently for a bad poetry award ;)

    Chey - welcome and thanks. I'll hop on over and check your blog out soon.

    Christine - thanks for coming on over from David's, good to see you!

    Viooltje - thanks for enriching my (and the choir's) understanding of the music we're singing. No doubt we'll be asking your expert advice very soon!

    Nessa - good to see you!

    Denise - yes I have, but have been put off by having to register to use the site. Other forums allow guest readers too. Didn't notice that you're one of the moderators though - so expect to see me in there soon :) I look forward to meeting Compostwoman! How many bins does she have? I've got 10...

    Deborah - aw thanks, that's really kind of you. I've checked it out and am just mulling over who to pass it onto.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Compostwoman13 August 2008 at 20:46

    I have in excess of 20 ( blush)

    Is that a problem, do you think??
    ( CW looks around, worriedly...)

    ReplyDelete
  17. VP15 August 2008 at 22:59

    Not at all compostwoman - I aspire to your level :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

Unusual Front Gardens #39: The aliens have landed!

Image
Perhaps not quite as unusual as some of the others in this strand owing to the date, but I'm delighted by this recent transformation on my way into town. On Thursday I had to make my way around a lorry parked on the pavement with a delivery of scaffolding. Then look what the owners did to take advantage of the situation ready for Hallowe'en the next day! I spotted the owner as I took this photograph and congratulated her as best I could whilst shouting across the busy traffic between us. She was delighted with my reaction and told me they're having work done on their house's drainpipes. What quick thinking to make something amusing out of much needed building work 👌👏😍
Read more

Coming of age!

Image
I'm celebrating Veg Plotting 's 18th birthday by kicking through the autumn leaves in the sunshine! My blog may have come of age today but I haven't 🤭 It was pouring with rain on that day; I much prefer today's weather and I love the buttery yellow leaves in the woodland next to our house. I hope there's sunshine wherever you are today 🥰
Read more

For Apple Day: Eat your way to the river

Image
  It's Apple Day, one of my favourite days of the year and what better way to celebrate than to tell you about my recent trip to Longney, where Gloucestershire Orchard Trust have 18 acres of apple orchard under their tender care. Here you'll find older orchards with some trees well over a century old, plus their newer plantings of around 94 Gloucestershire cultivars which have just acquired national plant collection status at Plant Heritage . The jury's out on the actual number as DNA testing has revealed at least one locally named variety is actually a more well known one: Ribston Pippin in this case. Don't worry, there are dozens there which definitely have their origins rooted firmly in Gloucestershire and their cultivation at Longney is vital to their continued presence and preservation. There were around 200 local varieties at one time and today it's around 100 still in existence. Steve Mason - the Trust's Curator - was our knowledgeable guide who invited ...
Read more

A prince amongst quince

Image
I'm exhibiting my first ever quince for all the world to see 💛 I've had the tree for years and I've monitored it carefully previously for any signs of flowers or fruit; then I threatened its days in my garden as numbered many times when none appeared; so of course the year when I've ignored it completely is the time when it presents me with one solitary fruit. Naturally, it is truly a prince amongst all quince. I made the discovery when harvesting the figs, which have gone bonkers this year and screened off the quince tree from the rest of the garden. Perhaps that's the secret to success? At first I had quite a time deciding whether it was ripe, but that initial lime green I saw has now morphed into a wonderful warm yellow and a fruity fuzziness that tells me it's time. Now what shall I make with it? 🤔 Your ideas are welcome... You may also like: I've just fished out the link to my recipe for poached quince , which in turn links to my recipe for quince tar...
Read more

Down by the river

Image
We've had just a few sunny days this month, so it was great to go for a decent walk recently with W in pretty warm sunshine for November. Our usual meet up spot is on the Town Bridge; it's always an interesting view whilst waiting, further enhanced since late September by the latest mural courtesy of Public Art Chippenham.* This one's by Sophie Mess ( @sophiemess_ on Insta) who's noted for her vibrant botanical art and she doesn't disappoint in this instance. I'm glad to admit I made a small crowdfunder contribution to this one, especially now the mural's been revealed as the subject matter resonates with me and quite a lot of this blog's content. I'm pleased she's included the word Unity in her piece, which is a link to Chippenham's town motto, Unity and Loyalty. It's good to be reminded of it during these strange and relatively turbulent times.  Next up is a competition for the next project: ideas for the decoration of the Open Reach ...
Read more

Adventures with Stick Me

Image
I have a new alter ego in the shape of Stick Me . She was created for British Heart Foundation 's Strong Woman Challenge in April to bring in a bit of fun and help document progress. Seeing my first alter ego was VP , I wonder if any future ones will also have to rhyme? 😉 My drawing skills aren't that great, especially when it comes to people so it was fun to acknowledge that and still have something useful for my intended purpose. The drawing above is Stick Me 's latest incarnation for my review of progress for October's Strong Woman challenge compared to April's achievements. As you can see, I'm very happy! I wasn't in a happy place at the start of April due to the effects of Long Covid plus shoulder problems due to hypermobility; the Challenge showed the start of a return to health again and October's challenge shows real progress. Over £300,000 was raised from October's Challenge and I'm happy to continue with the monthly donation I've b...
Read more

Weekend Wandering: Public Art Discoveries

Image
  It's been great to find lots more public art around Chippenham this year; enough to make this collage for your delectation. From left to right and top to bottom we have: Mustard Bustards  by @lucas_antics  next to Cousin Norman's and Artel31 on Union Road; Morris Dancer by the ever reliable Chippenham Knatty Knitters  on Chippenham High Street for this year's folk festival; In Unity Beauty Unfolds by Sophie Mess at Rivo Lounge Kingfisher by Nathan Pritchard in the Kingfisher pub car park on Hungerdown Lane; Chippenham collage by 2024's Fringe February contributors; Canal scene by Ed Poster at the bus station Winnie's Barbershop by @hardlytryinganyway  on Sheldon Road; Mystery horse next to St Andrew's church; Rainbow High Street project led by Public Art Chippenham for Chippenham Pride 2025 Sadly the Morris dancer was the last topper for the post box as it's now gone solar as have at least 2 others in Chippenham. Fingers crossed the other locations get th...
Read more

Friday Bench: Meet Geoffrey

Image
  I'm rather taken with Geoffrey, a friendly giraffe used to promote Toys R Us since 1965. I'm even more taken with his bench inside W H Smith in Chippenham. Prior to the chain's sale earlier this year, it was agreed that certain stores would also have a Toys R Us section within them. Geoffrey's bench marks the transition from one of our traditional High Street retailers into something more fun and entertaining, though sadly rather empty when I took this photo. At some point the name W H Smith will morph into its new owner's chosen rebrand name, T G Jones* - rather bland in my opinion which appears to have been made up, unlike the original name which refers to the company's original founder Henry Walton Smith and reaches back to the year 1792. * = it has already in nearby Malmesbury, though they have yet to erase the etched W H Smith from the glass doors. They seem to have retained the corporate blue colour on the shopfront too, for now at least. UPDATE - it tur...
Read more

Weekend Wandering: Candlesnuff

Image
My latest find just yards from our house is this intriguing candlesnuff fungus (aka Xylaria hypoxylon ) growing on a pile of logs by Hardenhuish Brook. It looks like little reindeer antlers adding a festive decoration on my walk into town, though the Woodland Trust tells me * it can be found year-round. I'm delighted to see it for the first time. Apparently the greyish white part contains the spores, so I hope the recent high winds have spread them out a bit as we have tons of fallen deciduous wood in need of a little decoration. Although it's the first time I've seen it, this fungus can crop up pretty much anywhere, from woodland through to urban parks. Have you spotted it in your neighbourhood? * = scroll down to item 7 on their list
Read more

Friday Bench: With Wallace

Image
The Gromit Unleashed trail in Bristol is providing a lot of free fun and laugher in Bristol this summer and it was the perfect excuse to meet up with my Girls Night Out friends recently. We started off as colleagues 26 years ago, and now are firm friends, though it's rare to find so many of us together these days. Here we are with Wallace providing a stand-in for our one missing group member. This photo makes me so happy! The trail comprises 53 various Wallaces, Gromits, Feathers McGraw and Norbots spread over a wide area in and around Bristol with a few extra surprises along the way such as the roving labybird Gromit and a few items hidden around the Museum. It's great fun and don't we look fab!
Read more