The Shamrock (3)

Last Sunday was bright and breezy. 

Just the conditions that were required for these beautiful classic boats to show off in Plymouth Sound.

The Shamrock (2)

By Sunday, the quays of Sutton Harbour in the historic Barbican quarter of Plymouth, were packed with getting on for a hundred beautiful old craft, which joined Shamrock for the 25th annual Plymouth Classic Boat Rally.

The Shamrock (1)

Way back in March of this year I posted some pictures of the sailing barge Shamrock,

 undergoing a refit at Cothele Quay, her base up the River Tamar, near Calstock.

On Friday she sailed into Plymouth, for this year's Classic Boat Rally and was looking fantastic.

The old man and the sea

Health Warning.

The sudden appearance of the sun in the UK in the last few days has prompted renewed warnings from the medical authorities about the frightening rise in the incidence of skin cancer here in recent years. 

Despite their advice the message doesn't seem to have got through to everyone yet.

The beautiful weather has brought out the barbecues at long last.

But why is it that men who probably never help in the kitchen always take charge of "cooking" the meat?

In the cool of the evening.

Yesterday was the most gloriously hot, sunny day, so by evening,  the very best place for a stroll and drink was on the waterfront, looking out onto Plymouth Sound.

The owl and the pussycat went to sea

In a beautiful pale blue boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are, you are, you are,

What a beautiful Pussy you are."




with apologies to Edward Lear

At last, Summer!

After several weeks of record breaking rainfall yesterday was the most wonderful change, a crystal clear sky, warm sunshine and barely a breath of wind. We deserved it. 

This is mouth of the River Lynher where it joins the River Tamar as it flows down to Plymouth Sound.

From this promontory on the Cornish bank of the Tamar you can look across to Devonport Dockyard, a major home of the Royal Navy since the 1600s. 

A good day for a family outing.

Whilst blazing summer didn't actually arrive yesterday, as the forecasters had promised, 

it was quite good enough for a trip up the River Tamar.

The Camel Estuary near Padstow

The weather forecasters are promising an improvement, starting today. 

Perhaps the Jet Stream will move back north to its normal track and summer can start at last. 

Hopefully this view over River Camel, from the famous village of Padstow back up river towards the beautiful town of Wadebridge, will once again be bathed in warm sunshine.

Maybe the footpaths through the Camel Valley will get the chance to dry out and cease to be muddy steams.

Well maybe.

Living History

Sir Francis Drake, Elizabethan sailor and navigator, and the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe,  

is often seen with his wife Mary Newman strolling through the narrow streets and along the quays 

of the old Barbican district of Plymouth

Pretty in Pink

Busking outside Barclays Bank

Although this guitar playing busker was outside on the pavement 

I read that most of the fiddlers are still inside Barclays.

Normal service was resumed briefly over the weekend

The rain stopped, most of the clouds cleared and the sun came out, and so did the people.

Boat trips around Plymouth Sound and up the River Tamar were busy, for the first time for quite a while,

Serious matches were in progress on the putting course on Plymouth Hoe,

and the wonderful smell of fish and chips filled the quayside on the Barbican.

However, it didn't last. Monday dawned cold, wet and windy, as usual.

Marrowbone Slip in Sutton Harbour

These two buildings, the China House Pub and the apartment building behind it, are separated from each other by not much more than thirty five metres in distance but over three hundred and fifty years in time.

The China House building was first seen in a watercolour of Sutton Harbour painted in 1666, by Sir Bernard de Gomme, the military engineer, who in 1665 was appointed to oversee the building of the Royal Citadel.  With its massive seventy foot walls it still stands guard over the city and its approaches.

As we look back across Sutton Harbour from the pub's terrace, past the Fish Market, to the massive walls of the Royal Citadel, it is easy to imagine the scene which Sir Bernard had from his high vantage point as he looked down across the bustling harbour towards this building all those centuries ago. 

A Parasol?

Sheltering from the sun!
This is definitely one of the rarest sights in our current record breaking  wet summer.

Making a Splash

Even the sea temperature is lower than normal for this time of year.

Line Astern

These three boats, from the sailing school at Mount Batten, are making their way across the Cattewater, where the River Plym enters Plymouth Sound, for their morning lesson.

It shows the dark, rainy weather that has become the everyday norm for us this summer.

Zen and the art of fishing

                                                   1. Adopt the Lotus Position
                                                   2. Become one with your tackle
                                                   3. Bond with the millions who have fished throughout the millennia

See, it works every time.

Thank goodness it has stopped raining ...

.... if only for a short period this afternoon.

Keep right on to the end of the road.

To their great credit, none of these 'power walkers' even glanced at the ice cream van.

So temptation was avoided.

A very rare glimpse of the sun.

This Summer's appalling weather continues, but on Wednesday afternoon we had a three hour burst of beautiful sunshine.

For that brief period the Tinside Lido had the look of one of David Hockney's Californian Pool paintings.