Fa – the Green Dragon

A Place for the Odd Musings of an Expat Bristolian

The last time I saw my oldest sister

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the last time I saw my oldest sister was in 2000. She came to visit me from the U.K.  She brought me a gift, which some people thought was rather odd but, something that has not only been very useful to me and has allowed me to remain connected to my roots in the city of Bristol where I was born. That gift was a book of street maps of Bristol.

If thees wanna find summat, use this un.

Bristol Street maps

It’s quite old and probably out of  date however, I like to see and read posts each day about the Bristol street art scene (you can see them at Natural Adventures on WordPress). I have forgotten where a lot of the places that are posted are. So I use my old street maps guide.  My sister passed away last year. What some considered an odd gift turned out to be a very thoughtful one. So much so,  that I felt compelled to return the thoughtful favour by sharing it here today.

 

 

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Author: Cethru Cellophane

I have reached the regrettable realization that I may have squandered my life. I did a quick count recently and figured that I have visited about 66 countries, and lived for more than 3 years in 3 of them. During this time I completed 14 corporate moves (relocations) and have changed my address more than 23 times. I should have settled on a profession that would have kept me in one place with no packing and unpacking. When I think of the time I have spent bundling my life into and out of boxes. Ah well, it's all water under the bridge. But I am grateful for the experience. At the end of the day I will be able to say with a certain authority, "been there, done that". A note about this site’s Header Image The Header image for this site is of the Smith Avenue High Bridge. The bridge was built in 1889 and carries Minnesota State Highway 149 across its span of 2770 feet, 160 feet above the mighty Mississippi River. The picture was taken from the river looking to the north-east and downtown Saint Paul. The bridge is about 1040 miles from New Orleans. One of the reasons I like this view is that I come from a city which has a spectacular bridge. It’s the Clifton Suspension Bridge http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/clifton-suspension-bridge which spans the Avon Gorge and the River Avon in Bristol, U.K. It’s about 1350 feet long and stands 245 feet above the river below. Sadly it has claimed the lives of more than 400 people who have committed suicide by jumping from the bridge. As a side note, not all attempts were successful. two small girls thrown off the bridge by their deranged father survived the fall when they were fished from the river by the crew of a passing pilot boat. The bridge was opened in 1864 and was designed by the 24 year old architect, Isambard Kingdom brunel. It took 35 years to complete.

6 thoughts on “The last time I saw my oldest sister

  1. You can take the man out of Bristol but you obviously can’t take Bristol out of the man 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  2. That was a dear, and as it turned out, a very practical gift from your sister.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. If fact Ina, I refer to it almost daily. It’s beginning to fall apart though. Thankfully there is Google Earth. There I am able to visit almost anywhere that comes to mind. Places I have visited or lived.

    Liked by 1 person

    • My sister “googled earth” to see if the house we lived in as young children in the 40’s in Houston, Texas was stills there. It was. We went to Houston to see it and the present owner let us inside. Amazing!

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  4. Well that was a truly inspired present, and I am sorry she is no longer with us. I am deeply touched that you wrote this post, and am pleased that the map connects you with your Bristol roots and Natural Adventures. Some new roads coming up soon.

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