Just to note that I am following government advice during this national emergency and the photograph was taken during my government sanctioned one form of exercise per day.

Bits and pieces, news, views, reviews and stuff
After last week’s ten sculptures, here are another ten.
For over ten years now, there has been an exhibition of sand sculptures on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. To call them sandcastles is a bit of a misnomer as these are truly remarkable sculptures and the artists have spent hours and days carving the compacted sand.
We have been most years and I bring my camera to capture the sculptures, here are some photographs of this year’s carvings.
For over ten years now, there has been an exhibition of sand sculptures on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. To call them sandcastles is a bit of a misnomer as these are truly remarkable sculptures and the artists have spent hours and days carving the compacted sand.
We have been most years and I bring my camera to capture the sculptures, here are some photographs of this year’s carvings.
The theme this year was “What if?”.
What if Rome had never fallen?
What if mermaids were real and were suffering due to the pollution and plastic waste in the sea.
For over ten years now, there has been an exhibition of sand sculptures on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. To call them sandcastles is a bit of a misnomer as these are truly remarkable sculptures and the artists have spent hours and days carving the compacted sand.
We have been most years and I bring my camera to capture the sculptures, here are some photographs of this year’s carvings.
These sculptures all start like this, wooden frames, filled with sand which is then compacted down.
When I mention where I live, the talk often comes round to people getting stuck in the mud or cars getting caught by the tide.
Those who live in Weston-super-Mare will know that every summer weekend, a visitor or three gets caught in the mud trying to cross between Uphill beach and Break Down. The river Axe gets in the way, but it’s usually the mud that gets in the way first.
After the mud, the other thing that comes up in conversation is the tidal range.
Usually referred to the as the second highest tidal range in the world, it is actually the third, only the bay of Fundy (North America) and Ungava bay (Hudson straits) are bigger. The tidal range on the Severn can be as much as 15m (49ft). What this means for Weston-super-Mare is that the low tide mark in Weston Bay is about one mile from the seafront. For most of the time you don’t see the sea, which is why when I get the chance to see the beach with the tide in I take a photograph!
Although the beach itself is sandy, low tide uncovers areas of thick mud, hence the colloquial name, Weston-super-Mud.
The other aspect of this long ideal range is that sometimes people get caught out by the fast rising tide having parked their car on the beach and their car gets swamped by the incoming tide.
This was the first time seeing the tide in at Uphill beach (just along from the main beach at Weston-super-Mare) that I saw a bus right by the high tide.
This wasn’t any old bus though, this bus served coffee!
Here are ten of my favourite sculptures from this year’s Sand Sculptures at Weston-super-Mare. This year’s theme was “when I grow up…” and there was a range of sculptures that were inspired by this theme. Click the image for larger versions.
So who wanted to be a firefighter when they grew up? So there are the fires, the hoses and the water.
If I found these surgeons looking over me, just about to go under a general anaesthetic, I would be feeling rather scared. These are rather freaky.
Now who wants to go to the moon? Astronauts are often a childhood dream. This sculpture was really tall and I was impressed with the height of the thing, and the nice details, like the chimpanzee looking out of the window of the rocket.
A rather depressed farmer looks after his crops and a sullen cow. Maybe its’ the sand, but he does look sad. The sculpture was rather flat, and it was quite effective.
No this wasn’t about someone growing up to be a Pharaoh or even an Egyptian god, no this was about growing up to be an archaeologist, you can see the little figures in the sand.
I think this was a vet, or someone wanting to be a mad scientist growing over sized dogs.
Lots of young people want to be professional footballers.
Tut, tut, construction worker stereotype!
This was just plain freaky! No idea what it was supposed to represent.
Yes, we can all grow up to be superman! To infinity and beyond… oh wait!
I am always impressed with the quality and the ideas of the sculptures.
Noticed in the blog stats one of the search terms used that resulted in someone finding my blog was
the cafe on tv at weston super mare is it real
I suspect my recent blog post on the filming of The Café was the reason Google directed them to my blog.
There is no real Cyril’s, it’s a fabrication, just a set, but they do film in Weston-super-Mare.
The café building itself is just a set, it’s not a real café dressed at Cyril’s but a set built for filming and when done, it’s broken down and taken away until the next season (if one is commissioned) is filmed.
This evening they were filming down on Weston-super-Mare seafront for the Sky series, The Café.
This is a comedy that is shown on Sky.
Funny, touching and a little bit romantic, too, The Café is a brilliant new comedy from director Craig Cash, and co-writers and stars Ralf Little and Michelle Terry. The Café is a sweet sitcom based in Cyril’s in Weston-super-mare. Run by three generations of women, gran Mary, divorcee Carol and daughter Sarah (played by Michelle Terry who co-wrote The Café with Ralf Little), Cyril’s sees all sorts on the seaside front, from gobby hairdressers to living statue Kieran. Meanwhile Sarah meets up with old sweetheart, Richard (Ralf) who has hopes of re-kindling their romance.
Of course there is no real Cyril’s, it’s a fabrication, just a set, but they do film in Weston-super-Mare.
Apart from the awful rain coming down, which I guess they weren’t expecting, if they planned to film in July, what they did have was a high tide…
You could actually see the sea in Weston-super-Mare (aka by the sea).
Normally, because of the extremely high tidal range, you rarely see the sea all the way up the beach. The pier is usually never “in” the water and all you can see is sand and mud.
For the last few years there has been an exhibition of sand sculptures on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. To call them sandcastles is a bit of a misnomer as these are truly remarkable sculptures and the artists have spent hours and days carving the compacted sand.
We have been most years and I bring my camera to capture the sculptures, here are some photographs of this year’s carvings.
See more photographs of sand sculptures on my Flickr set.