Bristol’s Best Bits: Windmill Hill City Farm

One of the many reasons why I have so much love for Bristol is for its ability to surprise you, even after years of living here. Since moving to the Bedminster/Totterdown/Windmill Hill area (I am right in the middle of all three) I’ve been trying to get to grips with my new area, and have been seeking out the little hidden gems which lie in plain sight in the BS3 neighbourhood.

The city farm concept seems to sum up the spirit of Bristol as a whole. Sheep and chickens in the middle of a busy city? Sure, why not. These community farms offer a piece of the countryside in the middle of metropolis, which can sometimes prove to be a bit confusing when you’re walking back from the supermarket and you hear a cockerel crow. Or in the case of St Werburghs City Farm, when you’re sitting in the pub and you can hear the baa’s of the sheep next door, and then the familiar rumble of a train passing nearby.

Wanting to explore more of my own slice of countryside on my doorstep, a few weeks ago myself and Tom took a short stroll through Victoria Park to Windmill Hill City Farm, to say hi to some goats.

Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol

It was a bit of a grey Sunday afternoon and it had just begun to drizzle, but despite this there were still a few young families dotted around looking at the animals. Windmill Hill City Farm is a lot bigger than I’d anticipated, and houses pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. There’s also an established vegetable plot and allotments, a play area for the kiddos, and a cafe open all week. Sadly I think we were a bit late for the cafe, but I’ve made a mental note to pop back, as their food looks AMAZING.

Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
This goat was apparently comfy sleeping like this.
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol
Windmill Hill City Farm Bristol

We didn’t stay too long as not shortly after it started to rain, but I’m definitely going to be heading back on a sunnier day. There’s something to be said for taking a short walk from the supermarket and ending up in a farm, with the chickens clucking at your feet! I love how many green spaces there are in this city I’m lucky to call home. Seeing as it’s less than 10 minutes from our house, I think many repeat visits are on the cards, plus if you ask nicely they’ll let you walk the pygmy goats!!

A Grand Day Out

Train Day Out

Happy Mother’s Day, blog-land! I trust you’ve all had reet good’uns with your nearest and dearest? I went home to visit me mam this weekend – on Saturday me and my little sis ventured up to Brum to see the X Factor Live Tour (ANDREAAAA! <3) and today we celebrated the day of Mothers by gallivanting on a steam train in the great British countryside. It’s nice to pop home every once in a while; now that I’m an actual adult with a 9-to-5 it’s hard to make time at the weekend in between all the housework and the blogging and that, so when we do get to spend the weekend adventuring it makes it proper special.

Train Day Out
Train Day Out
Train Day Out
Train Day Out
Train Day Out

We decided to go on a little jaunt up to Toddington on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, which was right up my alley because a) I’m an old person, and b) I bloody love steam trains because I am a massive nerd. This particular train we were travelling on was build in 1906, but the interior had had a delightful makeover in the 1960s. There was lots of old vintage-looking things to peruse, and we even had time to squeeze in a cheeky cream tea and well-deserved brew.

Train Day Out
Train Day Out
Train Day Out
Train Day Out

Hat – H&M // Top – H&M (old) // Necklace – Moxham // Skirt – The Whitepepper (*) // Shoes – Dr Martens (*) // Coat – Urban Outfitters (old) // Backpack – Fjallraven Kanken Classic

Train Day Out

I decided to dress for the occasion in my beautiful new Dr Martens Mary Janes (*), the best skirt that ever existed, plus I gave my Kanken a trip out as well, as it’s the perfect size to hold all of my adventuring essentials in, and I’m a huge fan of its cheery mustard colour. I’ve got a bit of a thing for this egg print at the moment – as well as this skirt I also may have taken advantage of The Whitepepper’s amazing flash sales and bought the matching crop top and also a shift dress. Oops.

Train Day Out

All in all we had a grand day out, Gromit, despite the grey English weather. I’m fully planning on coming back in the summer for some more train adventure times, that’s for sure. I’d probably pack a bit more of a picnic next time, and also make sure I had a first class ticket (instead of sneaking into a first class cabin like we did, ha!).

Hope you’ve all had equally excellent weekends and Mother’s Days, whatever you were doing.

[A massive thanks to my sister and mam for taking these photos!]

Posted in adventure, fashion / Tagged day out, dr martens, , gloucestershire, outfit, outfit post, steam train, the whitepepper / 2 Comments

Bristol’s Best Bits: Tobacco Factory Sunday Market

I’ve been waxing lyrical about Southville recently – today I found out that my ‘You Know You Live in Southville When…‘ post went up on the Time Out Bristol blog, yay!

Believe me when I say that North Street really is a highlight of Bristol. Tucked away in the deep south across the bridge on the other side of the river, Southville and Bedminster might seem like far away when you’re dwelling in the North of the city, but you can find some real gems down here.

One of said gems is the Tobacco Factory Sunday market, which takes place – yup, you guessed it – at the Tobacco Factory car park every single Sunday! We popped down a couple of weeks ago to have a mooch around.

Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol

I love this market for the way that it seamlessly blends the ‘truer’ elements of your standard market – baker, fishmonger, fruit & veg stall, pieman – with some of the most delightful bits that our city has to offer. The lovely Ivory Flowers has a stall there every weekend, as does the awesome , and when we popped along there was fresh homemade chai from relatively-new-guy-on-the-block, . I made a special trip to get a crisp fiver from the cashpoint to sample a cup, but when I got back they had sold out :( . Another time!

Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol
Tobacco Factory Sunday Market Bristol

On the first Sunday of the month it’s also home to ‘Retroville’, showcasing some of the city’s best vintage picks in homeware, books, records and clothing. Tom spent a good deal of time flicking through that box of vinyl, whilst I bopped along to Madonna’s ‘Cherish’, which was blaring out of an old speaker stack set up next to the coffee campervan. Such hipsters.

There really is nothing better to do with a Sunday morning when you’re hungover than to pop down to North Street, grab a bite to eat, have a mooch of the market, and pick up a trinket or two to take home. It’s always changing, too, with new things every time I visit. Keep up to date with all the market goings on over on their (and whilst you’re there, , too?).

February Favourites

Woooow, this post is very late. Sorry about that. I’ve just been having far too much fun and February has flown by! Better late than never eh? Some of my highlights included…

February 2015 Favourites

Learning all about the lovely new Lush spring products // Marvelling at the beauty of Totterdown // Wearing my tooth collar clips! // Taking a cycle to the flea market

February 2015 Favourites

Misty morning walks to work // Byron burgers for dinner! // Dressing up like bees After Hours // Tom’s birthday!

February 2015 Favourites

Use yer loaf at Christmas Steps // Amazing pancakes for pancake day! // Seeing Wicked for the first time // A tour of Bristol Beer Factory

February 2015 Favourites

Learning all about Analytics at Blog Club // I fell in love with the best shoes ever // Created a croissant bread and butter pudding monster // Chocolate van at work!

Well, we’re only a week into March and it’s been a right good’un already. My diary is getting full up quickly too, but I’m looking forward to all the fun things coming up over the next few weeks! If you fancy a nose at what I’m up to, follow me on .

Bristol’s Best Bits: Mathilda’s Chilli Bar

More food! I’m spoiling ya.

Can you believe that it’s been almost a whole year since I wrote this post about the awesome Mathilda’s Chilli Bar? No, neither can I. My writing style has definitely improved!

On the weekend the fantastic Mathilda’s celebrated their first birthday in style, with a fully booked birthday party, a free bar, and more fried pickles than you can shake a stick at. Not wanting to miss out on any of the action, myself and Thomas popped along to wish them a hearty congratulations on turning another year wiser.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

Tucked away in the deepest corner of the newly revamped Bear Pit, Mathilda’s is just how I remembered it. The school style table and chairs were arranged in a canteen fashion in the sleek monochrome tiled interior, with the open kitchen kicking out all sorts of delicious smells. The balloons were out in full force and the party was in full swing as we stepped in from the rain, and so we joined in with the festivities by ordering a delicious brew from New Bristol Brewery and perused the menu.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

I opted for half and half last time, so to shake things up a bit, this time I went all out and plumped for their straight up meaty treat, the Texan brisket chilli, served with spicy guacamole and sour cream. Our choice of side was another easy decision – these deep fried pickles are quite honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten, even if I can taste a heart attack with every delicious mouthful.

So, was it as good a year on? The answer is a resounding YES. Just as before, the chilli was incredible – nicely spicy, a generous portion (maybe even a little too much), with the fluffiest rice on the side. I should really order a different side dish next time I go, but these pickles are just too good to pass up. I did quiz our lovely waitress as to what mysterious ingredient they put in their blue cheese dip to make it taste quite so heavenly, but she wasn’t giving the secret away so easily.

I’m so glad that Mathilda’s has lasted a whole year, usually small businesses find the first year the hardest, but luckily the food scene in Bristol seems to be going from strength to strength. Thank you to the lovely people at Mathilda’s for inviting me along, and here’s to many more successful years!

Jamie’s Italian, Bristol

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

The weekend before last, to celebrate Thomas turning a quarter of a century, we were kindly invited along to test out the rather impressive looking Jamie’s Italian Bristol, situated at the top of Park St. I’d been along to the equally beautiful one in Cheltenham, but had never popped in here before, so was looking forward to seeing what this branch had to offer.

After a few quick drinks in the Christmas Steps, myself, Thomas and his parents trekked up the hill to test out their menu on a surprisingly busy Sunday evening. The restaurant is much bigger than I had anticipated, stretching over four floors, with a lovely bar area if you fancy a drink and a quick nibble. We were shown to our table by a very friendly waiter, hastily ordered a bottle of wine and perused the menu.

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

To start, we chose a massive butternut bruschetta and some of the ‘Italian nachos’ to share between us. The bruschetta was fantastic, but completely overshadowed by this other brand new creation – pulled pork inside a crispy ravioli shell, with a smoky chipotle tomato dipping sauce. Everyone agreed that it was absolutely amazing.

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

Our main courses didn’t disappoint, either. I chose a vegetarian main course, because I’m a firm believer in testing the quality of the restaurant on the effort they put in to their veggie options. I was pleased to see that they also offer vegan dishes, although you have to have a bit of a chat to the waiter about these. I had a porcini fettuccine (which sounds delightful when you say it out loud), which came with a spoonful of lemony crumbs to sprinkle on top. It was delicious – all my favourite things on a plate!

Tom surprised me and went for a salad, but to his credit, it was full of beef. Beautiful, delicate strips of bresaola and a substantial salad of leaves, artichoke, Colwick cheese, crushed almonds and ricotta – amazing! Tom’s dad went for one of the specials on that evening – a whole sea bass served with mussels and crispy potatoes. I’m a bit funny about fish, but apparently it was delicious. Tom’s mum went for one of her faves, calve’s liver and bacon with mash, which she really enjoyed. All in all, we were very pleased with our mains, and even more so with the lovely waiter chap who kept checking that everything was OK (and more importantly, topping up our diminishing drinks).

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

Not satisfied with our bellies being stuffed with delicious grub, we ordered a couple of puddings to share between us. We went for a sour cherry and almond tart (another two of my favourite things) and the lemon meringue cheesecake, topped with a beautiful layer of fluffy marshmallow-y meringue. They were both absolutely incredible, and we polished them off no problem!

We were really impressed with Jamie’s Italian in Bristol, the service was absolutely faultless, the restaurant was beautifully decorated (the toilets were the fanciest things I have ever seen!) and we chose some really amazing dishes, which all added up to a fantastic evening out. If you haven’t yet been up to the restaurant on Park St then I urge you to do so – you won’t be disappointed!

[I was invited to review this restaurant, but all opinions are my own]

L.A. Punks & Cartoon Heroes: Dr. Martens SS15

There’s a change in the air… the nights aren’t drawing in quite so early, the days are getting warmer, and the birds are cheeping a little louder. Spring is on it’s way! The best part about this time of the year is that it’s time to start building up a new wardrobe in time for summer, because what better way to wave goodbye to winter than to treat yo’self to some new clobber?

Following on from their beautiful AW14 collection, Dr. Martens have just launched their brand spanking new range for Spring/Summer 2015, and I was lucky enough to have a sneaky peek.

Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015

I popped down to the Bristol Broadmead store to take a look at the exciting new ranges, the most prominent being the West Coast Hardcore collection, inspired by the DIY aesthetic of the 1980s LA punk scene. I love the Bristol shop, the staff are genuinely always really friendly and helpful, plus it’s only a stone’s throw away from Cabot Circus. The new collection was pride of place in the doorway, and the deeper I delved into the shop the more treasures I unearthed.

Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15
Dr Martens New Collection SS15

“The Dr. Martens’ SS15 range is hardcore style mixed with pure Americana, re-creating the rebellious self-expression and creativity of the 1980s US West Coast hardcore scene.”

This collection is a celebration of colour, creativity, and individuality. A traditional British classic meets the American cultural underground, creating a capsule collection inspired by those early hardcore musicians touring the UK and taking a little piece of our heritage back with them. They were responsible for the first wave of imports of Dr. Martens into the US, and would customise their boots by painting them, even the sole, which is replicated in the ‘rub off’ colours of the new collection.

In keeping with the brand’s tradition and wanting to evoke a nostalgia of that era, the brand’s designers have tracked down vintage pairs to create both authentic versions and modern takes on original styles. I love the colourways of the new collection, it’s use of Japanese tattoo prints, and the unique shape of the new range of women’s styles.

Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015
Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol Spring Summer 2015

As well as having a look at the brand new range, I was incredibly lucky to be asked to pick out a pair for myself. I chose these absolutely beautiful Mary Janes(*), which are part of the Archive collection, again celebrating the heritage of the Dr. Martens brand by drawing inspiration from the original footwear made popular by those early fashion pioneers all those decades ago.

It was love at first sight with these shoes. I bought a pair of the 1461 originals last year and they have hardly left my feet since, but I was on the lookout for something a bit different. The colour of these Mary Janes is a super vibrant cherry red, and I reckon these will dress up just about any outfit. As with any pair of Dr. Martens, at first these and my feet weren’t pals, but a few Compeed blister patches and some sore heels later and I’m finally starting to break them in.

1024px-Adventure_Time_Logo

As well as the West Coast Hardcore range, Dr. Martens have also just announced a collaboration which has got the internet very excited – Dr. Martens x Adventure Time!

For those who don’t know about Adventure Time (have you been living in a cave for the last few years?!), it is a Cartoon Network series following the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his shape-shifting talking dog, Jake. It’s a surreal jaunt into the colourful land of Ooo, where inhabitants are made of cake, and there’s always danger and excitement around every corner. It’s technically a kids show, but there’s some dark elements and bits of surreal humour in there enough to entertain the adults, too.

Adventure Time x Dr Martens

I was so excited about this collaboration when I first heard about it because to me, it is quite simply a match made in heaven. Adventure Time is eclectic and independently minded, just like the Dr. Martens brand. The new boots are modelled around the two main characters, with a limited edition run of only 1460 pairs created. The new styles look brilliant – it’s as if your feet have magically morphed into Finn and Jake!

The new collection lands in the Bristol Broadmead store on Monday 2nd March, and to celebrate, there will be a special Adventure Time themed morning with the staff dressed up as Jake and hopping around on Finn spacehoppers. If you fancy getting in on the action it’s all taking place from 9:30-10:30 – pop in and say hello!

Dr Martens Broadmead Bristol

The West Coast Hardcore and Adventure Time collections are available at Dr. Martens Bristol, 16 Broadmead BS1 3HH. 

A massive thanks to Dr. Martens for inviting me to collaborate with them on this post.

Posted in bristol, fashion / Tagged adventure time, doc martens, dr martens, , finn and jake, la punks, sponsored, west coast hardcore / 3 Comments

Bristol’s Best Bits: Wicked at the Bristol Hippodrome

I’ve lived in Bristol for nearly 6 years now, and I’ll confess something… up until last week, I had never been to Bristol Hippodrome! This legendary Bristol insitution is prominently positioned slap bang in the middle of the city centre, opposite the fountains on St Augustine’s Parade.
Tom is sadly not a massive fan of musical theatre, or theatre in general, which is probably the reason that neither of us have been since the duration of our living in the city, although visiting has always been high on my to-do list. I just didn’t fancy going by myself!

Just as I was planning a trip for my birthday, I was lucky enough to receive an email asking if I would like to go and see the UK tour of the smash hit West End musical, Wicked. Of course I jumped at the chance, and after some much needed sister time, I took along my little sister and BFF, Nelly. This leg of the tour is only on in Bristol for four weeks, and ends on the 21st March, so if you want to see it then you better hurry!

Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome
Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome
Wicked Musical at Bristol Hippodrome

Bit of a history lesson – the Bristol Hippodrome opened in December 1912, and is one of the largest stages outside of London (according to Wikipedia), hence why it regularly hosts such top productions of West End shows. It’s pretty amazing to think that because of the size of it, Bristol is regularly host to larger productions and top comedians – who says we need an arena?! Its spot on St Augustine’s parade next to Boots is easily walked past on the way to Park St or Cabot Circus, but there’s certainly no mistaking its grand facade. It’s just as fancy inside, too.

The Hippodrome looked absolutely amazing, decked out in green glory, complete with a green carpet for the event. Even though I had tickets for a Thursday (and despite the weather!) it was absolutely packed – apparently the best times to catch this tour are midweek, Monday to Wednesday, and there are matinee showings as well. This is the UK & Ireland tour following a massively successful showing on both Broadway and on the West End, and having never seen the musical before I had no idea what to expect.

Wicked UK & Ireland Tour_Credit Matt Crockett_5046_Kickline
Wicked UK Tour_Ashleigh Gray (Elphaba)_Photo Matt Crockett_0880_sm_RT
Wicked UK Tour_Emily Tierney and Ashleigh Gray_Photo Matt Crockett_0766_RT

It follows the untold story of the witches of Oz, and as a bit of a fan of the Wizard of Oz anyway (I played the lion in my drama group production when I was 9, wow, such fame) I was looking forward to seeing how their characters were portrayed. I was definitely not disappointed! The story blends seamlessly into the original plot of the film, and even threw in a few cheeky references for good measure. It’s a pretty powerful tale in its own right, however, detailing how Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West, obvs) and Glinda the Good Witch first met as students, and following their friendship through highs and inevitable lows.

I was pleasantly surprised how I knew some of the songs already. I’m not entirely sure how, possibly through some kind of pop-cultural osmosis of sorts, but I found myself bopping along when the cast burst into ‘Defying Gravity’ and ‘Popular’. The production value of the whole thing was quite simply breathtaking – they never let the energy up for one moment, and the costumes, sets, props, giant dragons, pointiest hats… everything made the whole thing one of the most magical things I have ever seen.

It’s suitable for an audience of 7+, and if you haven’t seen it before, then I thoroughly recommend taking the kids along and watching. The Hippodrome is the perfect backdrop too, and it excited the history nerd in me to think of of all those theatrical productions over the last hundred years. I’m glad to have ticked that one off my Bristol bucket list!

[A huge thanks to Wicked UK for inviting me along – I was invited to review this production but all words and opinions are my own]

Vintage Styling with Babyliss

Vintage Styling with Babyliss-8

I’m having a bit of a hair dilemma at the moment. It never seems to do whatever I want it to, and so most of the time I resort to having it piled in a bun on top of my head. What I would really love is to have a polished ‘do every day of the week, but that’s something which is impossible with early starts to get up and go to work.

Just when I thought all hope was lost, in steps Babyliss. I was very kindly asked to select something from their Boutique range, and I chose this Soft Waves curling wand(*), sold at John Lewis. It’s intended for creating beachy styles on longer hair, but I wanted to do something a little different with it. It comes in a beautiful looking box, and would make a gorgeous gift for someone (Mother’s Day coming up… maybe?!).

My ‘Hair Envy’ Pinterest board is full of photos of retro styles, and I thought I would see if I could create a quick but polished retro up do before popping off to work one morning. I’ve attempted a full set of overnight curls before, but it never works. This way, the styler does all the hard work so I don’t have to!

Vintage Styling with Babyliss-9
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-10
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-11

The curling wand has a variable heat setting, which is great if you’re not comfortable putting a lot of heat on your hair. I set mine at a fairly low temperature, and set about curling my hair by wrapping the ends of it around the barrel. I have to admit it felt a bit weird not having anything to grip it to (and I’m rubbish at doing things backwards in a mirror) but after a few minutes of fiddling about I finally got the hang of it.

Vintage Styling with Babyliss-3
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-4
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-5
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-6

Once the curls are in place it’s super easy to do a quick victory roll on each side. Wrap a little piece of hair around your thumb and slide it off, then take the little roll of hair and turn in in on itself, winding all the way to your scalp. Fluff it out a bit and pin in place. Voila! This is a really great tutorial if you’re stuck. (If you can’t do victory rolls then I always do cheat ones – take a piece of hair and twist it towards your head, then place against your hair and push it slightly forwards to ‘bump’ it up a bit, then pin it in place).

Vintage Styling with Babyliss-1
Vintage Styling with Babyliss-7

I love how the width of the barrel makes a nice big loose curl as well – I think it would probably work a little better on longer hair but it’s not too bad on my kind-of shoulder length mop.

I’ve always been a fan of this look, but never had the time to commit to a full head of curls. I’m quite enjoying the vintage style though, what do you reckon?!

[this product was sent to me to review, but opinions are my own]

Posted in beauty / Tagged babyliss, babyliss boutique soft waves, Beauty, pin up hair, retro, sponsored, vintage style / 8 Comments

Bristol’s Best Bits: At Bristol After Hours – Love & Luck

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

I think we’re all secretly still children at heart. I certainly do not consider myself an adult.
So imagine my excitement when I got an invitation to At Bristol’s After Hours event – the chance to mess around in a science museum, at night, after hours, have a drink and play on all the exhibits. Even as a grown up. AWESOME!

At Bristol, for the non-Bristol folk, is a ginormous science museum just off Millennium Square, home to absolutely loads of amazing science exhibits, educational bits and pieces and fun things to do. It’s a fantastic day out to have with the kids, but not having any of my own, it was one of those places I had never visited before.

After Hours takes place every few months, with the idea of opening up one of Bristol’s best attractions to a wider audience. I took my good friend Jude along because like me, she is a nerdy science child at heart, and I knew she’d love it.

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

We set off from Bedminster and went to cross over Pero’s bridge and encountered the first excitement of the evening – the whole thing has been turned into an art exhibition, and was bathed in a mysterious fog. It’s part of an interactive art installation ‘Fog Bridge‘ by artist Fujiko Nakaya, celebrating Bristol as European Green Capital 2015. If you want to go along and check it out, it’s running til the 22nd Feb!

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

Each event is centered around a different theme, with different events taking place throughout the night. With it being Valentine’s Day and all this month, this event’s theme was ‘Love and Luck’, with events such as heart dissection (which I was really sad I missed out on) and neanderthal speed dating, which I wasn’t brave enough to try out!

Safely inside the venue, we were given our wristbands and ushered into the main area. The lights were low and there was a DJ belting out some choons, making a proper Friday night atmosphere (well, as much as you get with a science museum!). It was really nice to see people of my own age acting like little kids on some of the interactive exhibits. Wanting to get stuck in ourselves, we made our way up to the Animate It bit upstairs and did some Aardman-style drawings, and even got to have a go at animating our own little film!

At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
Heart dissection!
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck
At Bristol After Hours 13th Feb 2015 Love and Luck

There was so much stuff going on that to tell you about it all, I would be here all night! Amongst all the fun happenings and events throughout the evening my highlights were making giant bubbles big enough to go over your head, taste-testing my way through chillies right the way up to 500,000 scovilles, playing ‘Fancy’ on some giant wind pipe type things that you hit with paddles, a mysterious floating ball, playing with different coloured lights and shadows, and one of my favourite things to do, dressing like a bee!! I walked around in that bee outfit for a good 15 minutes until I could no longer bear people’s sideway glances at me. If anyone at AtBristol is reading this, please can I buy one from you?! It made me the happiest person ever.

If you fancy getting a piece of the late-night science action, then there is another After Hours event happening on the 6th May, with the theme of Food. Yes, FOOD! You can betcha I’ll be there. Will you?
Find out more about At Bristol and After Hours here.