For some people it is a matter of faith.

They believe that if you carefully prepare the "Canvas", and have enough faith,

then Banksy will come in the dead of night and produce one of his masterpieces.

Visit this collection of Banksy's work

April Showers (2)

Making the best of a blustery day.

April Showers (1)

The wonderful spring sunshine of the last couple of weeks 

came to a sudden and stormy end at the weekend.

Looking from the east towards the city.

The view from the top of Burrow Hill, in the suburb of Plymstock, 

down over Hooe Lake, in the foreground, 

and on to the River Plym, as it flows out into Plymouth Sound.

HMS Argyll (F231) leaving Plymouth Sound.

About a week ago the Plymouth based, Type 23 Frigate left her berth in the Devonport Naval Base,

sailed down the River Tamar to The Sound and headed back out to sea.

Recently, while she was taking part in a training exercise in the Dockyard, 

a torpedo was accidentally fired into a dockyard wharf.

Fortunately it was an unarmed test dummy torpedo, with no explosive charge, 

there were no casualties and only very minor damage to the wharf.

Just considerable embarrassment, I suspect. 

Dos amigos Mexicanos ......

...... en el  Paseo Maritimo en Plymouth.

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (6)

Supporting my team, Plymouth Albion, in their last home rugby game of the season.

Unfortunately we lost again.

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (5)

Take the family to Devonport Park, set up your "rope", and practise your 

Funambulism Skills

From the Latin:- Funis - a rope
                                 Ambulare - to walk

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (4)

Enjoying an ice cream at Constantine Beach, on the North Cornwall coast,

during a walk along the Coastal Path to Lighthouse at Trevose Head. 

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (3)

Meeting friends for lunch at The Berkeley Bar, in the City Centre,

and sitting on the Terrace.

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (2)

Sitting on the quayside in Sutton Harbour with a friend, 

and throwing stones in the water.

Simple Pleasures in the Springtime Sunshine (1)

Exploring the rock pools at low tide.

Mush!

A beautiful young Husky with his "saddle bags"

Retail Therapy

Two young bag ladies.

The Water Tower

Rising to a height of 24 metres, The Water Tower (2000) by William Pye, 

stands on Roald Dahl Plass, the vast Plaza outside the Cardiff Millennium Centre.

As waves of water flow down the highly polished face of the tower display an ever changing, impressionistic, reflection of the surrounding buildings and passers-by.

The Wales Millennium Centre

The inscription emblazoned above the main entrance to The Wales Millennium Centre

is in two parts

The left hand side of the inscription is in Welsh and reads,

"Creu gwir

Fel gwydr

Offwrnais awen." 

While the right hand side is in English and reads,

"In these stones

Horizons

Sing."

Click Here to hear these two inscriptions in context

High Visibility in Cardiff Bay

The Pierhead Building, rebuilt 1897 following destruction by fire of the original in 1892, 

is one of the iconic buildings preserved in the massive regeneration of the Cardiff Bay Dock area.

In 2010 it opened to the public as a museum and exhibition venue dealing with Welsh history.

It was joined on the Pierhead by
The Wales Millenium Arts Centre, completed in 2009.
(more details of this tomorrow)

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work we go.

I've been in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, for a few days this week.

But the world over, the early morning trudge to work is pretty much the same.

Twin Turrets.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

It's a man's world.

Be it ever so ramshackle, 

there's very little to beat the pleasures of a man's shed.

Graveyards (2)

See yesterday's post.

Graveyards (1)

On the eastern edge of the city this cemetery looks down on Hooe Lake,

and the 'dead' vessels gently rotting in the mud at low tide.

This sceptred isle .....

..... This precious stone set in the silver sea.

                                                 Patriotic speech by John of Gaunt

                                                                                       Richard II

                                                                                Act II  Scene I

                                                                      William Shakespeare

Late afternoon on the North Devon coast.

The river frontage of Bideford

Bideford is a small, attractive, market town (pop 17,000) near the mouth of the River Torridge.

It is 56 miles due north from Plymouth, on the beautiful North Devon coast.

The journey across the South West Peninsula, from south to north, 

takes you around the southern fringe of Dartmoor 

and through the beautiful, "empty" area of Mid Devon.

Many men go fishing all their lives ......

....... without knowing that it is not the fish they are after.

                                                                                           Henry David Thoreau

New York has its Yellow Cabs ........

......... while Plymouth has its Yellow Water Taxis.

This one is running from The Barbican Landing Stage, near The Mayflower Steps,

across the Cattewater to Mount Batten. 

Red sky at night sailor's delight.

Sunset and rainbow over the road and rail bridges across the River Tamar.

Street Lamps ....

.... like snowdrops

Spring Quartet

A seasonal cluster

Change and Decay

This once proud fishing vessel lies gently rotting in a secluded creek 

off the River Tamar, just across the river from Plymouth.