Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2010-07-10 07:39:55 - Graham Ellis
In relation to attractions in Melksham. Here's an admission. I've been down to the Conigre Mead Nature Reserve in Melksham a number of times, and quite frankly found it difficult to understand what all the fuss is about. As a wild area, I hadn't expected "post card pretty", but never the less I searched hard for inspiration there, with the continual roar of traffic on one side, and the view of the cemetry on the other.
Then Lisa and I went back - high summer Saturday afternoon - a week or two ago. And I have to say it looked very much more attractive in its wildness. A pretty river frontage, nettles taller than us, with dragonflies and all sort of other insects darting around, young couples enjoying the afternoon, linking up; a surprising tranquillity. Even the neighbouring road was less intrusive - we could have been in the middle of the countryside.
At the Local Transport Planning event last week ....And very nice it looked too ... the artist's impression on the right of the projected slide, showing how a boulevard in the centre of Bristol would look if and when a suggested transit system or some sort is put in, and with cycleways too, and trees, replacing cars. The current set - looking superficially very much less attractive, was shown on the left.
But wait a moment. I can't deny there was a lot of improvement bewtween the pictures ... but much of it was down to the weather and season. An artists impression with trees in full leaf, fluffy white clouds in a blue sky, and the crisp boundary between light and shade where the people (hansome and pretty ones, of course), trees, and bus/tram cast their shadows. And a photograph taken on what looked like a blustery, dull day off season. Grey sky ...
I do hope the scheme that was being shown will deliver perpetual summer weather, a class of people who we'll be proud to have around, and a public transit system that's so frequent that they'll always be a service in each direction somewhere in site. If it doesn't, I might feel just a tiny bit mislead ;-)
Illustrations show Well House Manor and the fields behind Melksham Spa in winter and in summer - a reminder of just hom much the seasons, nature and use change the look of a place during the year.
In relation to attractions in Melksham. Here's an admission. I've been down to the Conigre Mead Nature Reserve in Melksham a number of times, and quite frankly found it difficult to understand what all the fuss is about. As a wild area, I hadn't expected "post card pretty", but never the less I searched hard for inspiration there, with the continual roar of traffic on one side, and the view of the cemetry on the other. 
Then Lisa and I went back - high summer Saturday afternoon - a week or two ago. And I have to say it looked very much more attractive in its wildness. A pretty river frontage, nettles taller than us, with dragonflies and all sort of other insects darting around, young couples enjoying the afternoon, linking up; a surprising tranquillity. Even the neighbouring road was less intrusive - we could have been in the middle of the countryside.
At the Local Transport Planning event last week ....And very nice it looked too ... the artist's impression on the right of the projected slide, showing how a boulevard in the centre of Bristol would look if and when a suggested transit system or some sort is put in, and with cycleways too, and trees, replacing cars. The current set - looking superficially very much less attractive, was shown on the left.
But wait a moment. I can't deny there was a lot of improvement bewtween the pictures ... but much of it was down to the weather and season. An artists impression with trees in full leaf, fluffy white clouds in a blue sky, and the crisp boundary between light and shade where the people (hansome and pretty ones, of course), trees, and bus/tram cast their shadows. And a photograph taken on what looked like a blustery, dull day off season. Grey sky ...