Day off

We had a nice day off on Saturday. Where we live isn't too far from Bath and I always enjoy popping into the city. We usually park the car in Victoria Park and walk into town from there. It was a joy to walk through the park, with the grass strewn with crunchy autumn leaves on a bright autumn day. The city centre was as busy and bustling as ever. We grabbed some Cornish pasties and ate in the shadow of the magnificent Abbey. Bath is such a random place. I love it. Roman Baths, posh spas, big shops and classical colonnades are intermingled with buskers, beggars and fire juggling street performers. As we were eating lunch a troupe of bizarrely dressed traveling actors passed by, advertising their next performance.

One of the reasons we headed for Bath was to catch the new Pixar release, UP. The film was a real treat with some great laugh out loud moments, beautifully realised in stunning 3D. Unusually for a family movie, the main character is an old codger called Carl whose wife has died and whose house is surrounded by a noisy building development. He escapes being consigned to an old folks home by tying helium-filled balloons to his home and taking off into the bright blue sky. He heads for Paradise Falls in South America, the place he and his wife, Ellie had longed to explore when they were childhood sweethearts. His adventure is enlivened by an accidental stowaway in the shape of Russel, an eight-year old Wilderness Explorer. As well as being great fun, the film is a poignant meditation on love, loss, ageing and mortality. It's central message is that love is the greatest adventure.