Above and below: part of the university buildings next to the bridge.
The bridge spans the Avon Gorge.
There’s an interesting story about the bridge – Telford was supposed to judge the competition, and rejected all the entries, submitting one of his own instead. This ploy was not popular and in the end the project was offered, after another competition, to a 24 year old man called Brunel …a name now pretty much as well known as Telford.
It was his first major construction, started in 1831. However it wasn’t finished until after his death many years later – for political and financial reasons.
Above: You are never far from the water in Bristol – once one of the great ports of Europe, with some unpleasant ties to the slave trade.
Below: The city is full of little corners of architectural gems from the past.
Below: what about the delightfully camp guys on the church clocktower?
The photo, taken in Cardiff yeseterday, is just to show you that Spring weather – yep, bare arms and sunshine in mid-April. Who says UK has lousy weather?Two lovely reviews for Stormlord Rising, the second book of the trilogy, this week.
The first is from Crisetta MacLeod (who like me at the moment is wondering if she is going to be able to get home from UK!) at AurealisExpress, April 2010. The review ends:
The second review is from Helen Venn, over at Specusphere.
She says some lovely things about the character and setting and concludes by saying:
“Larke’s many fans will be delighted by the complex plot and intriguing twists that augur well for the next book. In fact, Stormlord Rising will appeal to anyone who enjoys a well written fantasy. There are very few books that I find literally impossible to put down, but like its predecessor, The Last Stormlord, Stormlord Rising was one. I read them in single marathon sessions and I do not look forward to the wait before Stormlord’s Exile, the final book in the trilogy, comes out and all the threads of the story are brought to a conclusion.
“One of the outstanding Australian fantasy writers currently in print, Glenda Larke was deservedly shortlisted for the 2009 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel for The Last Stormlord and she has maintained the quality in Stormlord Rising. I will be surprised if this book does not figure in the 2010 Aurealis Awards.”
Below: About all the birding that I am doing this trip…
All these photos were taken on a walk from my daughter’s house to the centre of Cardiff.
And, I might say that every time I come to the UK, the weather is fabulous. I have been in the UK too many times for me to be certain of the number of times – ten at least, and never less than 10 days at a time, spread over 30 years, and I have hardly ever had a grey, miserable or rainy day. If what everybody says about British weather is really true, then I think they should consider employing me as a weather warden. Just send for me, and my presence will change things around to gorgeous blue skies and balmy breezes.
Of course, you may also end up without any air travel available. I mean, that is the sort of thing is old hat to those who get noramlyed. Although I must admit, I seem to have outdone myself this time, haven’t I? It is a bit over-the-top cosmic-scale disruption when travel plans involve volcanic eruptions in Iceland…
Meeting my agent was great – first face to face meeting in 5 years. Here are some shots from where we had a leisurely lunch.Two days earlier I was having lunch with my editor at Orbit in London, right near the border of the City of London. Believe me the Orbit offices are not at all like your traditional idea of a publishers’ office, stacked high with teetering piles of manuscripts…this is one modern open plan workplace. Nice. Also nice was to be told that Waterstones is extending their featuring of The Last Stormlord because it has been selling so well!
The two dragons keeping an eye on the City of London on The Embankment…
Drove down to Devon to meet my agent today, which involved transversing darkest Somerset. So Cheryl Morgan, Somerset resident, warned us to look out for wyverns – but maybe Somerset has left the dragon age behind and entered the era of steam punk.
Engine 5521 was on the rampage, apparently hellbent on making roadkill of our our pursuing VW Golf.
And there was a new online review today:
“The ‘poor child destined for greater things’ scenario may well inspire a weary groan from the veteran fantasy reader, but Glenda Larke’s The Last Stormlord proves there’s life in the old idea yet. Not only does she spoil us with two impressive protagonists (brothel maid Terelle and Gibber boy Shale) instead of one, but the struggle towards their destiny takes place in a world as harsh and uncompromising as any of Steven Erikson’s severe settings.”
…
“One of the novel’s real strengths is its well-developed, intimate protagonists. Shale’s transformation into Jasper Bloodstone is particularly enjoyable and Terelle’s journey of self-discovery rarely loses momentum. High Lord Nealrith, Taquar, Davim and Russet work well as the supporting ensemble, framing the protagonists and adding extra layers to the youngsters’ complicated journey into adulthood.”
You can read the whole thing at Total Sci-fi Online.
And now I am off to Devon to meet my agent, first time in 5 years…
.
Still in Cardiff. Weather still magnificent. Britain’s bad weather is all a myth…
These are the slopes my knees survived. We climbed down to the beach and back again…
I am also doing a bit of writing. Really. I swear.
So who says the volcano was all bad? Not me….
