The Stump on the Eddystone Rocks.

The current Eddystone Lighthouse is the fourth to have been erected on the notorious Eddystone Rocks.

< The First  was Winstanley's Tower 1698 - 1703,
destroyed in the Great Storm of 1703





Then  Rudyerd's Tower 1709 - 1755,
destroyed by fire 2nd December 1755 >








< Third Lighthouse was Smeaton's Tower 1759 - 1882.

In the 1870s cracks appeared on the rocks on which the structure stood so it was dismantled, stone by stone, and re-erected on Plymouth Hoe, where it stands to this day.

Douglass's Tower 1882 - present day  >

The current lightnouse has been fully automated and unmanned since 1982.

The stump of Smeaton's Tower can be seen to its right.

Smeaton's Tower on Plymouth Hoe.

On a clear day you can see for ever ....

.... or at least as far as the horizon, beyond the edge of Drake's Island on the right, beyond the Breakwater lighthouse on the left, and on out to the Eddystone Lighthouse, about 14 miles off Plymouth, 

warning shipping of the treacherous Eddystone Rocks.

This lighthouse is the fourth to have been built on the rocks. 

The first light shone out its warning on 14th November 1698.

Come back tomorrow to find out about the "stump" beside the lighthouse. 

At last the rain has stopped.

After the horrendous downpours of the last week or so, we are promised a few days of dry weather.

It is much needed by the people who have suffered damage to their homes during the gales and rain.

This gull has been waiting patiently for the lady who feeds him regularly.

Today she was able to resume normal service

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

The wooden Christmas Market "Alpine Chalets" are all built and occupied and the stock of seasonal merchandise is as expensive as ever. 

Whoops! I nearly forgot. It's not Christmas any more, nowadays it is the Winter Festival.

Inundated

The city is experiencing the worst period of heavy rainfall since records began. 

So far sixty people have had to be evacuated from up to twelve flooded sites across the city. 

The National Meteorological Office has issued more Yellow Alert rain warnings for the period from noon on Sunday to 9 pm on Monday, whilst in the wider area beyond the city there are four severe flood warnings, 100 medium flood warnings, and 63 alerts in place.

The rain on Saturday was relentlessly intense, and thrashed down for the entire daylight period continuing to  well beyond midnight. 

A brief respite on Sunday morning came to an end around noon and the deluge continues.

The water has entered many  nooks and crannies, where as the light fades, ripples produce surreal images.

Good Morning World .......

.......... It's a brand new day.

And when I've finished this cigarette and had a good cough, 

I'm going out there to fulfil my destiny.

Where is everybody?

A very rare occasion. 

This play area is almost never totally empty.

Did the Pied Piper pass by?

Sunday on the Prom (3)

This chap really impressed me.

As the afternoon wore on the wind became quite strong and the temperature fell 

but despite the adverse conditions, this young man, in shorts, tee shirt and ordinary sports shoes, 

made tightrope walking almost easy.

His companions didn't look in the slightest impressed.

Sunday on the Prom (2)

Kite flying was never as exciting as this when I was young.

He was having a great time on Plymouth Hoe last Sunday afternoon, in a brisk, cold wind.

Sunday on the Prom.(1)

Summer or winter, Sunday afternoons on the promenade of Plymouth Hoe are always busy with youngsters and their parents bike riding, skateboarding, kite flying, racing small radio controlled cars

 or simply exercising the family dog. .

This youngster kept calling for more speed.

Of all the coffee stalls ...

.... on all the beaches

   in all the world.

This one on Constantine beach in North Cornwall, is the best. 

In high summer or mid winter.

Autumn in Saltram Park (3)

The duck pond was very colourful in the autumnal sunshine.

Autumn in Saltram Park (2)

A stroll in the park.

After the recent gloomy weather it was wonderful to see the sun on a crystal clear, crisp day.

Autumn in Saltram Park (1)

The city of Plymouth grew up on the shore Plymouth Sound on the land between two rivers, the Tamar, which enters the Sound at the western corner and Plym entering at the  eastern corner.

Many centuries ago, on a bank of each river, near their entrance to the Sound, two rich families each built themselves a splendid house surrounded by enormous parkland estates.

Both these houses and parks have survived to this day and are now opened to the public all year round.
Mt Edgecumbe Park , to the west, on the River Tamar and Saltram Park , to the east, on the River Plym.

A few days ago I strolled through Saltram Park enjoying the autumn colours.
Even if you have never visited Plymouth or the park you may well have seen glimpses of it as the house and park provided the backdrop for the Oscar nominated film "Sense and Sensibility" in 1995.

Autumn Colour

Many areas of Plymouth are very colourful this autumn because there are lots a trees in public places and in private gardens, while here in Wyndham Street, an inner city area that has seen better times, these few trees are doing their best to add some colour and cheer people up in these difficult economic times.

Wet Paint

The EU has 23 official languages. Why choose only English, Spanish, German and French?

 What about the other 19?

Here they are listed in alphabetical order.

1) Bulgarian 2) Czech 3) Danish 4) Dutch 5) English 6) Estonian 7) Finnish 8) French

9) German 10) Greek 11) Hungarian 12) Irish 13) Italian 14) Latvian 15) Lithuanian

16) Maltese 17) Polish 18) Portuguese 19) Romanian 20) Solvak 21) Slovene

22) Spanish 23) Swedish

Here is how this notice could look.

I hope he has a good head for heights.

I wonder if he is as wise as his sweater would have us believe?

From Barbie to Barbarian

On Sunday afternoon two of the leading women's rugby sides in the west country met in a top of the table clash, when Plymouth Albion Ladies entertained Bristol Ladies at the Brickfields in Plymouth, .

Bristol ran out winners by 20pts to 17, in a hard fought game, with plenty of high quality attacking play and resolute defending.

(Albion Ladies in white, green and red, Bristol Ladies in blue and white.)

The aerial battle was pretty even

The Albion attacker going for the gap with the Bristol defence closing in fast..

It was like hearing the first cuckoo of spring.

Yesterday I spotted the First Patio Heater of Winter.

But it still wasn't enough to attract any customers as the wind howled and the rain threatened.

British Iconography

A Pub

The Union Flag

A Mini

I am a long time admirer ....

..... of The Plymouth City Council Parks Services Department, 

but even I suspect that solving ANY problem is asking a bit too much in these difficult days.

Autumn Mist

"Why is summer mist romantic and autumn mist just sad?"

                                                                                                            Dodie Smith   I capture the castle.

The Dawn Patrol.

At sunrise, on a misty autumn morning, a small group of swans make their way up the River Tamar 

to their preferred daytime headquarters, beneath Brunel's Railway Bridge, on the shore at Saltash. 

The eye of the beholder.

These two hotels, near Plymouth Hoe, are separated from one another by about 100 metres and 100 years.

This is The Duke of Cornwall Hotel, built in 1865,

 and this is the Quality Hotel, built in the 1960s.

take a closer look at the façades below. (click to enlarge)

The scaffolding structure at the base of the Quality Hotel 

appears to be a protection against any more bits falling off.