Shipshape and Bristol Fashion

A quiet day today - I did some typing for KG as he is doing a presentation later on this year on Madeira - I must admit his spelling is challenging - he wanted it as bullets so I had to use creative thinking.  Having eaten so much yesterday we decided to have a quick meal that involve no cooking. (Leftovers)  Caught up on Casualty at lunchtime and KG will be watching the England Match shortly - good luck England 
So what to blip - well my youngest daughter gave me a small bottle of Shipshape and Bristol Fashion Gin (very delicious) at Christmas  and Feverfew tonic to go with it!!
  Her friend actually produces the gin and KG did some pictures for her actual launch using iconic Bristol places.  Looking it up on the website I note that it retails for about £32.00 and that it also sells at an off licence near where my daughter lives.
Some background on the phrase Shipshape and Bristol Fashion below 
 Ship-shape and Bristol fashion' isn't widely used outside the UK and even there less so than in earlier times, so a little background may be in order.
   
Bristol has been an important English seaport for more than a thousand years. The city is actually several miles from the sea and stands on the estuary of the River Avon. Bristol's harbour has one of the most variable tidal flows anywhere in the world and the water level can vary by more than 30 feet between tides. Ships that were moored there were beached at each low tide. Consequently they had to be of sturdy construction and the goods in their holds needed to be securely stowed. The problem was resolved in 1803 with the construction of the Floating Harbour. There's no absolute proof that the term 'Bristol fashion' originates with that geography but the circumstantial evidence seems very strongly in favour of it.
Just as an aside, Bristol has another linguistic claim to fame. In earlier days the town was called Bristowe (or Brigstow). A quirk of the local spoken dialect is to add els to the end of words, hence Bristowe became Bristol. 

Bristol does have a fascinating history

Another dull day but no rain