Getting a buzz

After working at the holiday playscheme ( baking today, and making sculptures from willow withies) I walked along the canal towards Waitrose, and then on to Bowbridge, my junction.

The Lock Keepers cafe closed in June, but there's another tea room in its place. I did not go in, but mentally bookmarked it. Will they have G-F cakes? I wondered. Maybe I'll check it out tomorrow.

This little buzzer almost caused me to fall into the dirty old canal! Beyond Wallbridge Upper Lock, the section of the Thames and Severn Canal re-opened in 2011, the canal is choked with weeds until it reaches the A419 and new Capels Mill section, opened 2013. No money has been found to clear and dredge it. So it is hard to tell where the edge begins or ends. However, I kept my footing and proceeded upon my way.

Does anyone know what this insect is? It looks better in Large.

At the Capels mill section, trees and wildflowers have been planted on the knoll which is on top of the former rubbish dump. It will eventually look lovely, but there is an angular metal sculpture (new) nestling among the trees. I met another woman there, and we speculated as to whether this was the winner of the recent sculpture competition, which was sponsored by Pangolin, the world famous sculpture company along the road, and organised by a friend of mine. The woman said that the brief was to use whatever pieces of scrap had been left lying around at Pangolin, rather than creating an original design and having it cast in bronze by Pangolin, as the well known artists do.

I see I've now written a lot about it, and will have to go back and blip it! Reminded me somewhat of an unpopular sculpture on the St James Centre roundabout , at the head of Leith walk in Edinburgh, which was supposed to light up, but never did. It was removed 31 years ago, around the time I was queueing for tickets for David Bowie.