Court in the Moment

My week started with a whole two-days off of work and, rather sadly, no plans to do anything in particular or to see anyone socially (which hurt twice as much, following the disappointment of Saturday). For both days, the weather forecast was, to say the least, a little worse than what we could’ve hoped for and the severe flooding that we’ve suffered in the days since is evidence of that. Upon waking up, Monday didn’t look too bad. If there were rain clouds in the sky, they didn’t look ready to burst for a few hours. I was looking to escape outdoors somewhere with my camera but, I also said I would take the time to drop my sister off at her volunteering job and pick her up again after lunch. She usually walks there but, she had some trouble with her shoes recently and so, if we were to account for thirty-minutes of driving in each direction, that would’ve left me with no more than one-hour to spend with my camera (not nearly enough time).

Oldbury Court Estate, Bristol

So, I moped around in my bed for much of the day and postponed my adventure until Tuesday, when I awoke to the sight of rain falling heavily from the dark clouds above. It wasn’t letting up but then, I was very bored and fed up of being stuck indoors. My boots were still in the van from Sunday’s walk and I felt as though they could do with a wash so, I donned my waterproofs and off I went to the Oldbury Court Estate in Bristol.

Yes, you read that right – this beautiful area exists within the city of Bristol. A few miles from the centre but still, only a stone’s throw from the M32 motorway.

How I wish my parents had taken me to this play area, as a kid!

Autumn Leaves

At the time I arrived, it wasn’t raining and, although many trees had already begun to shed their leaves, well, it looked beautiful almost everywhere you looked, with such vibrant colours.

When I first caught sight of the river flowing through the estate, with each of its audible falls, I felt as though I’d somehow teleported across the Atlantic Ocean… It’s a scene reminiscent of something you would see in an American film from the 80s or 90s… I have The Fugitive in my head.

There’s something so calming about the presence of water on its own. When you hear it crashing in to a larger body though, it’s quite beautiful. A comforting reminder of the true force of nature. I only wonder how this site may have been affected by the flooding that has plagued the south west this week (and, continues to threaten this weekend).

I found this part quite surreal, where the water appears to suddenly alter its pace and tempo. Although, I’m sure there’s a logical or geographical explanation.

Carry on a bit further towards Snuff Mills and the scenery only continues to blossom with its beauty.

Winter’s coming…

I decided not to venture any further past Snuff Mills on this occasion, as the rain beginning to fall much harder and faster by the time I got this far. There is supposedly a little cafe where you can rest and regenerate, before continuing on to Eastville Park and Frenchay Common – both of which, I’ll have to explore on a drier day.

That image reminds me of a scene in Pinocchio (the original, animated film), right before he and his father Gepetto fall helplessly in to the mouth of the giant whale…

When it rains…

One good thing about the rain is that it does bring all the ducks out of hiding. That’s twice now in as many weeks that I’ve witnessed them first-hand – they’re fast becoming my favourite! 🙂

Returning to the car park along a slightly different path. One very muddy in places that allowed me to remain close to the water (instead of heading for higher ground) and allowed me to spot a few obstructions almost creating a dam.

Dam…

I managed to capture 88 photos in all and, if you’d like to look through them all then, I’d welcome you to take a look at my Flickr set.

It’s another great ‘find’ within the proximity of the city of Bristol. I never would’ve found it if not for the suggestion of my good blogging-friend ‘L‘. A guy I work with did once try to describe it to me but, even the internet couldn’t help me, based on his description alone. I’m very glad that I went and got myself soaking wet. Let’s not talk about the drive home, where I ended up heading in the wrong direction and almost ran out of fuel… 😉