New paintings and regular art updates.
Seen on the side of a canal barge today at Etruria, Stoke on Trent. Not your usual castles and roses, but very nice image. I’ve actually seen a heron on that stretch of the Trent and Mersey canal. I like the waterlilies that have been included, they are not usually found in city canals though and the water is generally not that clean as there is usually some pollution. But I would say canals, are better maintained than in the past.
Little bridge over a rocky chasm, (a small split in the rocks), another feature at Biddulph Grange. I’d forgotten this photo. I think we walked over the bridge, but to be honest I can’t remember. It seems to teeter over the gap, and I get vertigo, so maybe not! The approach up to it isn’t fenced in, so I’d be nervous just walking up to it…
Spanning the Cauldon Arm of the Trent and Mersey canal. This white painted metal bridge arcs over the canal near the Etruria Industrial museum. The steps are metal too so when people walk over it their steps ring metallicaly.
The other side is a car park on Kilndown Close. This is where Canada geese used to congregate, but netting has been tied to the fencing to keep them off (possibly because of bird flu?). They still swim on the canal.
Notice the sky? It was blue with puffy white clouds floating in it. Today was the best day we have had for a while. There was even a hint of heat from the sunshine despite a strong wind that was rippling the surface of the canal. Lovely bridge, lovely day.
#bandofsketchers prompt again… Today’s was Bridge/Bay. I did the white bridge at Etruria a few weeks ago, and a bay in Devon as part of my college work so I decided to draw a Bay horse instead. And why not. Felt pens again, two separate sets. I’m using ones that don’t bleed through to the other side of the paper as I don’t want to ruin other drawings…
A few views of the area near Etruria Flint Mill and along the canal towards Shelton. Then we walked along the main road back to our starting point. By then the mist was dropping down and fine flakes of snow had started to fall so I drove us home… At least we fed the geese and I had a short walk. That’s four walks in five days. A couple of years ago I would barely walk a couple of hundred yards. My friend has encouraged me and I’m starting to really enjoy it and feel a lot fitter for it.
Two sketches in Etruria today. A corner house and the White bridge over the Trent and Mersey canal. Both were done in response to an online virtual sketch out with #uskstoke (Stoke Urban Sketchers). There was a zoom meeting, but I couldn’t join as I was out and about and had no Internet access. These are hopefully going to be included in an online ‘street’ of people’s images that represent the city. They were very quick sketches and I tried to draw the corner house a few times, it was difficult to get it to fit on a small sketchpad page…..
Before we got to Llanrwst we called at a village which was next to a beautiful bridge. I didn’t see a sign identifying it. But it was on a curve in the road and the bridge led off the main road into the village.
The river was in full flow with the water rushing along. We spoke to a resident who had seen it yesterday she said it had been about 18 inches deeper, but last week it had been very shallow and her 4 year old grandson had been paddling in it.
As we drove away along the road you could see places where the river was higher than the road, and huge puddles in the fields and along the road where water was still lying after yesterday’s downpour.
More rain is forecast for tomorrow so we might have had the best day today. We shall see.
Prompted by Martha Kennedy Ragtag Daily Prompt “Bridge”.
I’ve walked and driven over a lot of bridges lately. Strangely I only regularly go back over one….the road over the canal leading into and out of Stoke-upon-Trent the town that the city of Stoke is named from.
That is a little road bridge which then takes you under a railway bridge which is the main line to Stoke Station.
Other bridges are the footbridge in Rhyl that was recently made (built?).) pictured). It is a beautiful, shiny metal object. The central section has a steel mast rising up to the sky. Somehow the bridge can rotate to the allow boats further up the river channel, although I haven’t seen it in operation.
Finally I’m thinking about the Humber Bridge in Yorkshire. This spans the Humber River. It crosses from South to North into the city of Hull. You can tell you are arriving at something very imposing as you drive along the road towards it. There is countryside on either side and the bridge looms up in the distance. It’s one of those optical illusions where it seems to diminish as you get closer. Then you are paying at a toll booth and onto the span of the bridge itself. It is very high and long. A beautiful example of engineering.
Then on the news today. The Severn Bridge between England and Wales has just had its toll booths removed. No charge for crossing it any more!
Now don’t get me onto the Forth Bridge! That’s another story.
X
This is a new footbridge at Rhyl. The bridge can lift up on both sides of the footpath so that boats can navigate the lower area of the river. The footbridge is at the west end of Rhyl just near the blue road bridge and next to Rhyl’s bike hub where you can hire bicycles.
On our visit the sun was shining, but it was quite windy. The river below looked quite muddy and because the river is tidal the water was rushing out towards the sea.
The structure is interesting, the footpath seperates around a central mast and you can see down to the hydraulic rams that can lift up the two halves of the bridge. I haven’t seen in operation but I imagine it looks spectacular.
Mallaband-Brown