My week in Somerset (Part 2)

Waterside

Day 2- Bristol

After having such a surprisingly action packed day yesterday we decided to go for a stroll around Bristol. Due to it being sunday we didn't think there would be much to do as everything would be shut however when we walked over Prince Street Bridge we found the Balmoral docked by the M Shed. The Balmoral in my family means a lot as my granddad was a draughtsman in his younger years, which he helped design the Balmorals diesel engine. I learnt from my gran that the boat used to sail for day outings however not many tourists used it due to financial hardship and the "lovely" english weather.

After taking some photos of the Balmoral we then carried on walking by the docks. As we walked past the M Shed we saw that it was open. M Shed is a museum about bristol featuring bristol places, people and life in the city. I have never been in the M Shed before so it was an opportunity not to be missed. When you walk around the museum you can find various artefacts such as old milk bottles from the milkmen of Bristol or the old Bristol bus where you can hop on and listen to people talking about the past. 

Front of Bristol Bus

Back of Bristol Bus

M Shed 

M Shed Upper Floor

When we finished looking around the M Shed we decided to walk down to the S.S Great Britain restaurant to have a drink and a bite to eat. Along the way you can see the new building by waterside that will soon be flats, all the buildings are different shapes. We also passed a little building called Brunel's Buttery which my gran told me was renown for the bacon butty and has been going for over 30 years.

Electric Cranes

Matthew 

Birds Nest Matthew

After lunch Gran and I got a little ferry across the River Avon to the other side of the docks. On the way to the bus stop we walked past the Matthew which was sailed by John Cabot in 1497 to North America, the boat that is docked in the harbour is said to be a replica of the original. We the proceeded to walk by the water features outside At-Bristol. I love the planetarium there as the reflections on a nice day look amazing.

At-Bristol Planetarium

Reflections

After a busy day around Bristol we headed back home to catch the sun set behind Wales and managed to get another glimpse of the Waverley leaving Clevedon pier.

Sunset

Waverley Alight

My week in Somerset (Part 1)

Every summer for one week I go and stay with my gran who lives in Clevedon. When I stay we go out every day, this varies from bus rides around Bath to shopping in Bristol. With each day being different I get to learn different things about the area that my grans lives in and where my mum was raised, this also gives me a chance to use my camera. This year I travelled down to Bristol to meet my gran on a train in first class. Not only did I have a comfy seat for the 2 hour journey which actual feels like quarter of an hour but I also had a complimentary free drink just to make my ride that more enjoyable.

  

Day 1- Weston-super-Mare

White Flags

On the first day gran and I decided to visit Weston-super-Mare. Seeing that the both of us can't drive we took the 125 bus from Clevedon to the seafront of Weston. During the journey we happen to go past a couple of places that I used to go when I was little such as Cadbury Garden Centre, my grandparents and parents used to look around especially at christmas time when I went to visit Santa. We use to spend half a day there as the adults were avid gardeners whilst I was bribed by the chance of looking at the animals in the pet section and a bag of sweets at the end.

                          

                             Octopus

Mermaid

When we finally arrived at the seafront we decided to go to the see some sand sculptures on the beach that my gran had heard about however we got there we were a bit early, so we deiced to go for a wonder along the Marine Parade, this is when we saw kites in the sky. At first we thought the kites were to do with the Aquarium as they were next to the building and there were sea animals shaped kites. When we looked closer we found out that it was a two-day kite festival where they displayed different unusual kites and had kite displays. My favourite kite was the octopus as I loved colours used and how it was grand in size, whilst my gran preferred the mermaid as the way it moved in the sky mirrored how it would move in the sea. We were lucky as that day even though it was very sunny it still was a bit windy perfect for the kites.

Happy!

Bright Kites

                                   Hollywood Sign

After spending some time looking at the kites we went to see the Weston Sand Sculpture Festival. This year the sand sculpture theme was Hollywood, this featured sculptures of paparazzi, the Oscars, film characters and the famous Hollywood sign. Now I must admit I wasn’t expecting much as it was in a small area that was cut off from view to the general public. However as soon as we paid our entry both gran and I were amazed at the height and detail of all of the sculptures. There was not one where we had to guess what movie a certain sculpture was from. By each sculpture there was information about the sculpture, the artist and what they did whilst at Weston.

                                                                                                           

Davy Jones

Hitchcock

Batman and the Hulk

After the sculpture we went for a walk along the Royal Parade until we go to Dr Fox’s Tearoom where we both had a hot chocolate. My gran was raving over the hot chocolate and wanted me to try one, now I am a bit of a hot chocolate expert but this was the first time I tried one with the chocolate on a stick and melting it in the hot frothy milk. This is one of the best hot chocolates I have ever tried and must say I will be back again. After this we went down by the marina then took a slow walk back to the bus station.

Pier

Sponsors Names

Waverley

I was exhausted by the time we got home, however I soon got excited when the Waverley sailed past close to my grans flat. It was a real treat to hear the paddles go round powering the steam boat. After the boat had gone the sun began to set and I managed to get some photos however I don’t feel my camera did the colours of the sky justice.

Sunset

Waverley silhouette

Sunset over Wales

Card Design

Tester and Cards

Recently I have sent two Thank You cards to both my grandparents. I came up with the idea to make my own using just plain cream card with the use of watercolour for the card design. Both of these card have a similar design but have a different range in colours. I tried to incorporate there favourite colours with the card being both professional and aesthetically pleasing.

Tester for Walk in a Field

The first card is called Clevedon Sunset which features the colours red, orange and yellow. It is influenced from my stay in Clevedon where I witnessed many sunsets. It is one of the best places in the UK to take a picture of last rays of the sun. This makes the seaside town perfect for any photographer wanting to capture a stunning sunset.

Clevedon Sunset

The second card is called Walk in a Field and is influenced by some fields by my house on a nice sunny day with no clouds in the sky. I chose to have a two toned blue sky with a green field in the foreground. I chose this design as the recipient of the card is into gardening. I thought the image on the card was very relaxing unlike Clevedon Sunset which has more energy. I am pleased with both designs as they are simple yet very sophicated.

Walk in a Field