Grotesques on the restored canal bridge, Thrupp

Gargoyles, or grotesques, to give them their generic name, are made deliberately ugly in order to scare away evil spirits. I'd say these ones fit the description!
    
 The bridge was repaired in 2019, along the canal near Thrupp.

GG and I walked from the house to the canal, then headed east along the towpath to the Stroud Brewery pub. I'd had a cooked breakfast already, so had a coffee and GG went for a breakfast bap. Then we walked back in the sunshine. GG wanted a rocking horse that had been put out for trash at the bottom of our road, so I carried it up to her car. She's going to gift it to a friend who has just become a grandmother. I'm glad it has found a new home, as it was too nice to be thrown out.

CleanSteve and I then set off to Lansdown, Stroud, to view some Open Studios. I wanted to buy a print from artist Amanda Bradbury but she didn't have many for sale. I hope to visit her solo show in Nailsworth in August. I already have a curlew print of hers, and now I think I want an otter next. Picture will follow, in due course.

We'd hoped to visit the Open Gardens of Box, a Cotswold stone village on Minchinhampton Common, but when we got there we saw so many parked cars that we turned tail and went to the ice cream factory on Rodborough Common instead. Box is too small to hold thousands of plant-seeking pilgrims with sharpened elbows.

I made courgette and bean soup for supper. It was Not That Interesting. Next time we have a glut of courgettes/zucchini, I'll make a courgette cake instead.