Fine At First, Rain Later

We were in Bristol over the weekend, as I had to transport a couple of framed pictures that have been shortlisted in an upcoming exhibition to Bath, and Bath is just a ten minute train-ride from Bristol, where we have a flat. It takes considerably longer than ten minutes to get to Bristol's Temple Meads station from the flat on a Saturday, though, especially since the council set about making the city centre impossible (impassable) for cars by blocking off most of the obvious through-routes. Google Maps wasn't kidding when it showed the optimal route from Clifton Downs to Temple Meads ran via the Portway, Southville, and Redcliffe (oh, look it up). 

As I'm sure I must have said before, one of the main attractions of our Bristol flat is the view from the kitchen window over the Avon Gorge. The changing seasons, the rise and fall of the tidal river, the bird's eye view of the birds (plus the squirrels, foxes, and occasional badger): it's spectacular, picturesque, absorbing, and a terrific way of being busy doing nothing for hours on end. Eating a leisurely breakfast with the spectacle above laid out before you at 7:30 in the morning can easily become a protracted business; before you know it, it's time for some mid-morning coffee.

The other thing that changes, of course, especially at this time of year, is the weather. Being situated high above a deep natural channel, you get to see it coming from miles away. Monday started as a gloriously sunny day, and I had every intention of going for an aimless ramble, but then the cloud started to thicken, rain began to fall in the distance, and finally swept in from the south-west with a little hail mixed in for good measure, obliterating the view. So, more coffee, then?

I heard today, incidentally, that one of my two shortlisted pictures will be hung in the show (the Bath Society of Artists Open Exhibition), to be held in the Victoria Gallery on Bridge Street from 2nd October until 20th November. Which is a distinct improvement over getting shortlisted but not hung, which has become my usual experience recently. The Chosen One is an old warhorse I've had hanging around framed since it was shortlisted but not hung for the Royal West of England Academy's open a few years ago, and then again in the Royal Academy's Summer Show. You may recognise it:

Descent (Southampton Water)

It will finally get its chance to shine, and with any luck it may sell, plus – who knows? – maybe even a few copies of the unframed print. If you're in the area, why not drop in and have a look at what sort of company it's keeping.