Push me Pull you

We are sailing in the Baltic at the moment. I will be posting again in a week or so. I hope you visit again then.

They are still attacking.

Where am I?

The Bounty and the Biker

Against the wind

We were runnin' against the wind

We were young and strong, we were runnin'

Against the wind

                                                  Bob Seger

The Bounty

The Bounty

The Bounty

The Bounty Replica

The ship that was built for the 1962 film "Mutiny on the Bounty" arrived in Plymouth a few days ago. She was built from the original ship's drawings, on file in Admiralty archives. She was constructed in the traditional manner but all the dimensions were scaled up by approximately one third.

Plymouth's link with the Bounty is that Captain Bligh was born here in September 1754, although the residents of the lovely Cornish village of St Tudy will give you a pretty convincing argument that he is one of theirs. For the full story of the ship, the events of the mutiny, etc. Follow this Link

I'll post some more pictures of her tomorrow.

Black, White and Pink?

Setting out the tables and chairs, ready for the lunchtime trade at the Blues Bar and Grill, on the Barbican

No one shall pass.

The shopping streets of every town in the UK are regularly invaded by teams of young people in coloured T shirts emblazoned with the logo of some very worthy cause.

Some days ago we had the blue shirted group from Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The skills of one young woman would have impressed the defence coach of many rugby teams.

Nobody got past her.

You are surrounded ..........

Put down the knife and fork, stand away from the table and leave the crumbs on the plate.

It looks set fair for a calm crossing.

Over on the right of the picture is the Brittany Ferries ship Pont Aven, in Millbay Docks. When loading is complete, it will be setting out for Santander, in Spain. The crossing from Plymouth takes about 18 hours.

HMS Daring passing Drake's Island

We don't see HMS Daring very often in Plymouth because she is based in Portsmouth. The most distinctive design feature of Daring is her sleekly designed straight edges and superstructure free from clutter. These are commonly called stealth features, and are intended to give the ship a low radar cross section.

A Wedding Photo

One of the Bridesmaids has persuaded the Bride and Groom to come out from the reception in the restaurant, for one last photo on the quayside before the next shower arrives. She looks as if she is lining them up with Smeaton's Tower in the background.

Drake's Island

The wind has been cold these last few days but it has been great for the sailors in Plymouth Sound.

The Big Screen

The Big Screen on the Piazza in the centre of Plymouth is one of 18 around the country, but it has the distinction of being the only one, so far, with an image attached to the back.

The picture shows crowds of Plymouthians straining to catch sight of the recently defeated Napoleon, on board HMS Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound, en route to exile in Elba. At six pm each evening he would parade on deck, to the delight of flocks of people crammed into small boats.

Change and Decay

The Palace Theatre, in Union Street, opened as a music hall in 1898. After only eight months it was damaged by fire but it re-opened in 1899 as the New Palace Theatre of Varieties. In 1961 it was converted to dual use as a theatre and Bingo hall, operating as such till 1983 when it became The Academy Disco. It was closed in 2006, following police anti drugs operations.

The building is Grade 2 listed, and is included by The Victorian Society in its list of the UK's 10 most endangered and best Victorian and Edwardian buildings.

If only someone could suggest a viable use for it and could afford to renovate it.

The circus comes to town.

Yesterday The Circus Starr arrived in Saltash. They are giving two performances today (12th May).

Circus Starr is very different from many traditional circuses. They call themselves "the all human circus with a purpose" and they raise funds from the sale of tickets and sponsorship packages to local businesses. Much of their fundraising is targetted towards the Hospice movement.

Check them out here

This is the view from their pitch in Longstone Park. You can see where the River Tavy joins the River Tamar as it flows in under the little railway bridge, which carries the Tamar Valley Line.

Now you see him.

Now you don't.

I keep a close watch .........

......... on this heart of mine

I keep my eyes wide open all the time.

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

Because you're mine.

I walk the line.

Devonport Dockyard.

There has been a continuous connection between Plymouth and the Royal Navy since 1691 which has had a profound influence on the development of the city.

For generation upon generation, the lives and prosperity of the people was bound up with the Navy and the Dockyard, overwhelmingly its major employer.  As with many other cities with such an over-dependence on one source of jobs, recent decades have been characterised by the struggle to build a resilient, new economic base as the old has contracted to a tiny remnant of its former importance.

Feeding Time

These pigeons have an established routine.

At the same time everyday rain or shine, summer or winter, an elderly lady arrives with a great big bag of food for them.

About five minutes before she appears they start to gather.

The Great Escape.

At first it was just a tiny tendril that poked its head through the very narrow gap between the boards of the boundary fence with my neighbour's garden.

Each day it grows more beautiful.

Back to normal.

In many southern regions of the UK the wonderful weather throughout April was the warmest and driest for 350 years. The Plymouth area was no exception but it is all over now. We are back to normal, it is wet, windy and, by the standards of last month, it feels cold.

The tables outside coffee shops are deserted and the view from my favourite pub window is bleak, to say the least.

Shrink Wrapped.

City Symbols 2

They have just refurbished one of my favourite city centre bars, and there they are, Sir Francis and the Prawn. (See yesterday's post for the originals) 

City Symbols 1

Every city has statues of its famous sons and daughters. This is Sir Francis Drake (1540 -1596), renowned for finishing his game of Bowls on Plymouth Hoe before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada, in 1588.  The statue was unveiled in 1884, and since then his image has been used on everything from tea towels and postcards to the covers of national and local government reports. 

Drake has recently been joined by the "Barbican Prawn" as a logo for the city. Increasingly, Drake and the Prawn are found side by side in the most unlikely circumstances.