Wednesday 20 January 2010

Bean to Bawth end Beck

Just a note to say we've been away this past weekend to Bath, land of the clinched jaw speech. Actually, they didn't talk that badly, Bill just likes to tease about their regional accent. We were walking around The Circus (which apparently always was more than just a word for round, though this is just a ring of terraced houses with a huge tree in the middle) and he noted where the coal chutes had been back in the old days days. He said that was the old joke about sex.

S: What joke?
B: That's what coal came in.
S: I don't get it.
B: Sex, coal was delivered in sex ... sacks.

Unfortunately, most of his humour is that sort of sideways stuff I don't get.

Raising the tone a bit (but not reliably much, if you're familiar with the esteemed author, now Chancellor of Durham University, a beautiful place), Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue has interesting explanations for the different regional accents.

Anyhow, Bath is a place I've long wanted to see. When Bill said he had a course in Bristol Monday through Thursday, it seemed a perfect opportunity to visit Bath (about 15-20 minutes by train from Bristol) over a long weekend. It was everything I'd hoped and more. Of course I took tons of pictures to share with you. Now, if I could just get the camera to cough up those pictures...

1 comment:

Toad said...

Bath is one of the coolest places on earth. Last I was there I overheard a tour guide telling how the roman baths were rediscovered in 1790. I felt like I was in Brigadoon.