Hunter in the gorge

hunter in the gorge, originally uploaded by Dru Marland.

Continuing my soon-to-be-a-series of Aeroplanes That Flew Under The Clifton Suspension Bridge, here is a Hawker Hunter doing just that.

Next up will be a Gloster Meteor, just as soon as I've finished painting it.....

meanwhile here is the Canberra...
...and a Javelin (though I have not heard of a Javelin really doing this run)


...and, talking of painting (see what I did there?) ...I was driving along Stapleton Road yesterday and saw a chap pressure-washing the Banksy gorilla, that had been painted over last week.
This story is interesting because of the notions of reification and commodification that it brings to mind. Well, to my mind, anyway. Here is the chap who painted over it:

New owner Saeed Ahmed assumed it was a regular piece of graffiti and had it painted over. "I thought it was worthless," he said.

He added: "I didn't know it was valuable and that's why I painted over it. I really am sorry if people are upset."

It reminds me of the time, two summers back, when the Banksy exhibition was drawing in huge crowds at the City Museum, and employees of the same Bristol City Council were assiduously painting over some very good wall art in Stokes Croft, despite it having been done with the approval of the owner of the wall in question....

some tags; aircraft, aeroplane, RAF, flying, flight, flew under, the, Clifton Suspension Bridge, low flying, Hawker Hunter

a low pass

a low pass, originally uploaded by Dru Marland.

This chap flew by, the other day, while we sat on the edge of the gorge. Very exciting it was too.

There's something about bridges that seems to attract aeroplanes. The best-known flight under the Clifton Suspension Bridge was one that ended in disaster; a Vampire jet fighter, that safely flew under the bridge but then appeared to attempt a roll and crashed into the cliff on the Leigh Woods side of the gorge.

Looking around over on PPRUNE, though, it seems that several other jets had previously flown under this bridge, too. Including a Gloster Meteor, a Canberra B2, and possibly a Hawker Hunter. One poster reckoned that it was quite a popular activity, and the pilots would fly low until well out over the Bristol Channel to remain invisible to radar, to avoid being identified and reprimanded....

the Hunter

the Canberra

counting the goats

The goats have arrived in the Avon Gorge. So we went to see them.

First, though, we did a little detour to my favourite cave, at Burwalls, just over the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Mal was impressed. She knew someone who used to live in a cave, and wondered if this was the one. "He got flooded out. He came round, all muddy."

"Maybe it was one on the other side," I said. "There are some quite shallow caves over there. This one is pretty sheltered."

She phoned him to find out, but only got an answering machine. The wonders of technology. You can phone someone from a cave, but that doesn't mean they'll answer you.

Climbing through the woods again, a fox sauntered past. It gave Mal an indifferent glance as it passed.

When we emerged onto the grass above, the fox was there again. This time, Pig saw the fox. The fox saw pig. It took a moment for their atavism to kick in. Then they were off! -crashing through the undergrowth, immediately out of sight and the noise of the chase rapidly receding.

"Pig! Pig!" we called, preparing to mount a rescue mission. Pig once had to be saved from rocky death by abseiling coastguards, down in Devon, after she took an ill-advised turn down a cliff. And the Avon Gorge is pretty cliffy.

Pig trotted out of the trees, perky as you like.

Pig, in relaxed mood

"Maybe Pig should go on the lead", we agreed, when we came to the goat enclosure in Walcombe Slade.

Scrambling around the edge of the gully, we saw three big white goat-ish things, sunbathing on an outcrop across the way. Very placid they looked.

The goats are feral, and came from Great Orme, near Llandudno. There are six males, and they've been neutered, which apparently renders them less likely to go wandering off.

A while ago, I'd suggested that the goats, being welsh, should be greeted bardically, with poetry and song. The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife folk thought that this might be a bit upsetting for the goats. So here is a small verse for the occasion. Quietly, now.

Mellifluously bleating, fleet of hoof,
Vertiginous in choice of your abode;

Be you aged billy, white-fleeced yoof,

Welcome to Bristol, anyroad.

And here's a traditional song to help you count goats.