"R & G are dead"

A great week. International cricket is back. Having previously beaten Ireland in two 50 over matches, this week England have beaten South Africa TWICE.

Mark Wood winning the second match by bowling  a very clever last over

This is a good sign for England as the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy starts on 1st June - South Africa are very strong side and two England wins in these pre-tournament warm-up matches will give us a good confidence boost.

Also - B and I went to City Screen in York for a live broadcast from the Old Vic Theatre in London of Tom Stoppard's play "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". Very enjoyable - really good performances from Daniel Radcliffe as R, Joshua McGuire as G and David Haig as The Player.

Meanwhile - back at home - I haven't mentioned our daily visitor. Since October 2016, this chap has been visiting us for lunch every day.

A cock pheasant who comes to share the seed.

If there is insufficient for his meal he jumps up and knocks the feeder

After lunch he often goes for a sleep behind the flowers in the undergrowth

We are pleased to see him and pleased that he feels safe enough to stay for a post-lunch kip. No sign of a hen yet or of any nest-building; do pheasants make nests?

"Alien Covenant"

If you liked the first "Alien" film then, I believe, you will enjoy this film. "Both B and I thought this was far better than "Alien Prometheus".

Alien Covenant" is the latest release in the Alien series. It is part two of a four part sequence of prequel films that are building up to the original film "Alien". There is nothing really new here but the craft, the storytelling, the acting are all extremely well done.

Bristol

I spent last weekend in Bristol and had a really nice time. 

City centres are changing, as the economy goes more online and as more people move back into the centres. Bristol is like a number of English cities, it is going through a period of regeneration. A lot of buildings are being repurposed; old warehouses are being gutted and converted to apartment blocks, bank branches are closing and being redeveloped into coffee shops or restaurants with apartments above. Small squares are being opened up for use. As an example, since my last visit a year ago, this footbridge has been installed.

Passed old and new buildings

91M refers to the length of the footbridge

It leads to this canyon between buildings

which leads onto a square holding a (weekly?) street food market

Back on the other side of the river, I came across another street food market.

All this food made me very hungry so stopped and had a delicious Moroccan chicken couscous - how trendy is that.....

It may not be the new Jerusalem, but for me, as a city boy I find these changes away from the old satanic mills to be stimulating and envigorating.