Bits and pieces, news, views, reviews and stuff
As you can see from the fair few blog posts, last Sunday in the rain we managed to find and photograph a fair few Shaun the Sheeps.
Outside the Victoria Rooms was 31. Flock ‘n Roll, a celebration of British music and pop culture.
As well as the union jack paintwork, this Shaun has some badges on him as well.
See a page with all the Shauns we have seen so far.
Despite the rain we went hunting Shauns last Sunday.
Over by the back of Park Row next to the Bristol Grammar School we have 29. Thunderbirds Are Go, with Shaun masquerading as Thunderbird 2.
This Shaun has blue LEDs that light up at night, as we were there in the day we didn’t see them. This Shaun is surrounded by mirrors, not sure why, as there aren’t that many hidden details. I like the pointed nose though, which is strange as Thunderbird 2’s nose isn’t pointed!
Outside the Royal West of England Academy we have 30. Rex. This is either Shaun dressed up as a dinosaur…
…or is it a dinosaur which has swallowed Shaun!
Up on Brandon Hill is 26. From Dusk ‘til Shaun who, as it was quite wet, was surrounded by mud. He is very bight and colourful taking in both night and day imagery.
43. Lotus is outside the offices of the place which started all of this so long ago…
…of course we’re talking about Aardman Animations. Looking very much like a Chinese Ming vase, this ornate blue and white Shaun stands guard outside the very offices of the company that created him.
See all the Shauns we have seen so far.
In Bristol Museum is probably one of my favourite Shauns, 27. Baaack to the DrawingBoard.
As you can see, this Shaun is covered in storyboards from the original Wallace and Gromit tale which starred Shaun the Sheep, before he went off and got his own TV show.
You could spend ages looking at this Shaun, which you couldn’t as everyone was waiting to take photographs of it….
In the entrance foyer is 28. Arabian Lights, and like some other Shauns this one has lights.
Didn’t think much of this one myself, difficult to photograph too with the windows behind it.
See all the Shauns we have seen so far.
I only recently watched the Dismaland advert on the Dismaland website
If you have ever watched any of the Disneyland adverts you will appreciate how this was made and filmed. Very clever.
The first few Shauns (about 15) in the full list of 70 are scattered around Bristol. There are three at Cribbs Causeway whilst number four is at Bristol Parkway Station up in the north of the city. This is 4. Starstruck, a blue Shaun covered in white stars.
This is quite a challenging Shaun to photograph, partly as you really need to drive to find it (or go by train I guess) and the short term car park is full of people not just picking and dropping off rail passengers, but also lots of people like us photographing and visiting the Shaun.
See all the Shauns we have seen so far.
Despite the rain we went hunting Shauns last Sunday. This time we headed to south Bristol and in my previous post we found two by Ashton Gate and the Riverside Garden Centre. It was then onto the South Bristol Swimming Pool in Bedminster to find 50. Shear-lock Holmes.
To be honest though I lived for five years in Bedminster and Southville back in the 1990s, I didn’t realise or know there was a swimming pool here. So this was my first visit, and we weren’t even going swimming.
There are some really nice details on this Shaun, I liked the pictorial links to Sherlock Holmes, the violin, the pipes and the London themes that are all over the sheep. Very cleverly done.
I did like Shear-lock Holmes, though not entirely sure about the connection with swimming? Sometimes the Shauns seem very much linked to the sponsor or their location, such as 47. Championsheep, however this one, no idea what the link is.
Over in North Street is the bright orange 48. Jasmine.
Like some other Shauns this one is in quite a quiet remote part of Bristol.
Despite the rain we went hunting Shauns on Sunday. This time we headed to south Bristol and the first stop was at the Ashton Gate stadium to find 47. Championsheep.
I initially thought we might not be able to get in, with it being Sunday, the building work and the shut gates, but one thing that made it easier were all the other families and people trying to find it complete with cameras and phones.
This one reflects the location it is in, and is covered in different sports.
After the stadium it was a quick trip to the Riverside Garden Centre in Southville to find 48. Posy.
Again another Shaun reflecting their location, covered in flowers by a garden centre.
I have noticed a high number of Shauns with flowers.
See all the Shuans we have seen so far, not long to go now to get the rest in…
This is a Lego Recycling Lorry from 2011.
It has a lot of play features, including the ability to dump the recycling down some country lane illegally. In addition there is a sack truck on the roof, which requires breaking about three health and safety policies to get down and use.
There is a lot of orange lego in this model.
Well, well, well, after much speculation about the so called filming for a feature film in the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare, it was announced today that it is a modern art exhibition by Banksy and many other modern artists.
Dismal Land – a festival of art, amusements and entry-level anarchism.
Are you looking for an alternative to the sugar-coated tedium of the average family day out? Or just somewhere a lot cheaper?
Then this is the place for you. Bring the whole family to come and enjoy the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus…
“I loved the Tropicana as a kid, so getting to throw these doors open again is a real honour,” said Banksy.
It will be on view for five weeks (or is it six) with tickets at £3 each limited to 4000 a day. If this is going to be anything like the Banksy show at the Bristol Museum, this will sell out very quickly and will be very popular.
Having passed it a few times over the last week I did wonder what was going on. The construction crew behind it all were all staying in caravans close to the railway station. There was talk it was a film crew, but once the tanker truck could be seen along with the disney’esque castle it seemed to be less a film, more likely something else. I did think it might be a crystal maze type TV show, but the more you thought about it, the more likely this was something else. Once the Banksy rumours started earlier this week, then it was pretty obvious it was going to be Banksy.
Looking forward to going and having a look, and as a local I might try and get in for free tomorrow.
The coastal pathways in Pembrokeshire are stunning, as these photographs of mine from 1998 show.
Beautiful cliff paths, that as you walk along, you can see the waves crash against the rocks below.
