Category: stuff

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Stuff: Top Ten Blog Posts 2019

Bristol HarboursideOver the last twelve months I have posted 68 blog posts to the blog. This is less than in 2018 when I published 89 posts. However most of the 89 posts in 2018 were from the Gromit Unleashed 2 trail across Bristol. I did post 24 televisual advent calendar posts in 2019 so this boosted the total.

Most of the top ten posts are nostalgic posts about Bristol in the 1990s…

There are in reverse order starting off with the tenth most popular post on the blog.

Remembering the Bristol Temple Way Flyover

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Five

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Six

Changes at the railway station

“the cafe on tv at weston super mare is it real”

Cinematic Advent Calendar #05 – Leon

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Four

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Three

https://jamesclay.net/bristol-harbourside-in-the-1990s

https://jamesclay.net/bristol-harbourside-in-the-1990s-2

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Cabot Circus Christmas Changes

On my way to do a pick up from the Vue Cinema, I took a photograph of the festive Cabot Circus.

Cabot Circus Christmas

Searching Flickr I found this similar images from December 2012.

Cabots Circus by David X Mitchell via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Its interesting to see the differences. Cafe Rouge has gone and has been replaced by Five Guys. I noticed recently that Giraffe had closed and the unit was now a Slim Chickens. On the ground floor was was SoHo (which has moved around the corner) is now a Tortilla and a Typo. In 2012 Patisserie Valerie was still open, today it’s closed and boarded up.

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What did you want to be when you grow up?

I found this BBC article interesting about a report from the OECD.

By the age of seven, children are already facing limits on their future aspirations in work, according to a report from the OECD international economics think tank.

It got me thinking about my own aspirations and career plans when I was younger.

If I remember correctly at the age of seven I think I wanted to be a postman!

Royal Mail Van

At secondary school I went through a range of ideas, including being a BBC camera operator, an architect and working in a bank. I even ran our school bank for a couple of years.

Midland Bank

Then doing work experience at my local Midland Bank certainly put me off working in a bank!

When I was in my teens I wanted to work in the city in London. As a result I did Economics at A Level. Then I watched ITV’s Capital City and decided not to!

Just doing a Google search on the series I now see it had a young Jason Isaacs in the cast.

Jason Isaacs

I thought Capital City was broadcast in the mid 1980s, but according to the Wikipedia page it was actually broadcast in 1989. Shows how time plays tricks with your memories, as I always thought Capital City was one of the reasons I studied Economics, which wasn’t true, as I chose my A Level choices in 1985, a good four years before I saw the series. Now thinking that the series probably had a negative impact on my career choices.

At University I studied Economics, however my career plans were somewhat skewed by doing charity fundraising. So was not going to attempt to work in London.

I left university without a clear career plan. What about you? What did you want to do when you were seven?

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My top ten tweets of 2018

WHSmith at Bristol Temple MeadsLast year I posted my top ten tweets for 2017 and I did the same in 2016 which were interesting to see which tweets of mine were popular.

The top tweet back in 2016 was this one for #WednesdayWisdom

Whilst top tweet for 2017 was this one from the 2017 ALT Conference and it was my sketchnote of Bonnie Stewart’s keynote on openness.

My tenth most popular blog was a response to another tweet of mine which was responding to the question:

Men of Twitter, is there a woman that you look up to in your own field or in another one? Who is she and why does she inspire you?

The ninth most popular tweet was a response to a Jeremy Vine about tweeting and cyclists. My point was that signs don’t work!

The tweet at number eight was responding to the question:

Men of Twitter, is there a woman that you look up to in your own field or in another one? Who is she and why does she inspire you?

The seventh most popular tweet was my sketch note of Maren Deepwell’s keynote at the 2018 ALT Conference.

The tweet at number six was about Bristolian emoji.

Fifth tweet was a reply to Andy Ihnatko with a composed image of Andy with Beyonce on the International Space Station.

No real idea why the tweet at number 4 was so popular, it was just a complaint about some issues I was having with Twitter back in April.

The third tweet which saw The Range competing with WHSmith on shop floor tidiness.

Second most popular tweet was about a carpet, a carper in a WHSmith in the Bristol area.

My most popular tweet in 2017 was about the newly revamped WHSmith at Bristol Temple Meads complete with storage cage!

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Stuff: Top Ten Blog Posts 2018

Over the last twelve months I have published 89 posts.

The tenth most popular post on my personal blog was Cinematic Advent Calendar #07 – The Eagle has Landed.

Cinematic Advent Calendar #07 – The Eagle has Landed

In at number nine, is one of a few posts about the harbourside in Bristol, Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Five

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Five

Eighth most popular post, was about how Trenchard Street in Bristol had changed from the 1970s to today.

Trenchard Street, Bristol, circa 1970s

At number seven, was a post about the Bryan Brothers’ Garage Demolition, Bristol, in 1999.

Bryan Brothers’ Garage Demolition, Bristol, 1999

The sixth most popular post was about A nice clean new shiny Millennium Falcon as would be seen in the Solo: Star Wars Story film.

A nice clean new shiny Millennium Falcon

The post at number five was a post containing photographs from the harbourside in Bristol. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Two

Fourth most popular post was Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Three. This was another post containing photographs from the harbourside in Bristol.

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Three

Post at number three, Changes at the railway station, was how things have changed at Weston-super-Mare railway station.

Changes at the railway station

Second most popular post was some photographs from the Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s

Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part One

The most popular blog post this year was Cinematic Advent Calendar #05 – Leon.

Cinematic Advent Calendar #05 – Leon

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65. Swallows & Amazons

The 2016 hit film Swallows and Amazons, based on the Arthur Ransom’s book is the inspiration for 65. Swallows & Amazons, which can be found at the main entrance to the Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke. Gromit is basically a map.

65. Swallows & Amazons

I love the flags on the ears, now is the flag of the Swallow boat, the other is the skull and crossbones of the Amazons.

65. Swallows & Amazons

On Gromit’s back you can see more details and places from the stories. Wild Cat Island taking centre stage

65. Swallows & Amazons

There are also the boats from the story as well as Holly Farm where it all beings.

65. Swallows & Amazons

The whole map thing works really well.

Back in 2015 I attempted to see and photograph all 70 Shaun the Sheeps I managed to get 62. This time I am aiming to get all 67 sculptures. I have created this page to record all the sculptures we find. Download the app to find the sculptures.

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Snowing again

We’ve had some heavy snow again, combined with cold winds from Siberia, a storm from Portugal called Emma. This snow is different to the snow we’ve had before in Weston-super-Mare, this was colder, icier and blew around a lot. So in some places we had big drifts and in others the snow had been completely blown off the pavement.

I have over the years (when we had snow) taken a particular photograph so here is the 2018 version.

Snow in 2018

This with the wind and the cold was actually some of the worst weather I have seen down here, but as you can see it doesn’t look too bad…

This was how it looked in December 2010. Back then we had very heavy snow.

Snow December 2010

This was how it looked in eleven months earlier in January 2010,  again heavy snow.

Snow Jan 2010

And here it is in February 2009. At this time this was some of the worst weather we had seen in twenty years.

Snow in 2009

This time though we are seeing less of the slushy roads, people appear to be taking note of the advice and driving less. Also it is very cold so the snow isn’t melting as quickly. You can also see in the series of photographs how much the tree on the left had grown.

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Stuff: Top Ten Blog Posts 2017

The ten most popular posts from 2017 in reverse order.

10. The tide is coming in…

9. Trenchard Street, Bristol, circa 1970s

8. Things never said in the office…

7. Cinematic Advent Calendar #05 – Leon

6. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Five

5. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Four

4. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s

3. Bryan Brothers’ Garage Demolition, Bristol, 1999

2. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s Part Three

1. Bristol Harbourside in the 1990s

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Muscle and Power Cars and Trucks

On Tuesday evening, a bundle of muscle cars and American trucks arrived on the Weston seafront for a “cruise”

Nice looking vehicles, but to be honest I have no idea what they… though I can see this is a US Ford F150 pickup truck.

…and this one is an older Ford pickup truck.

A Ford Popular.

No idea what this one is….

Big gas guzzler…

Ford

A Ford hotrod!

A Ford Mustang?

All looked very nice, bright and shiny.