2 August 2026

 In Bath this evening I walked up to Shires Yard for a solo supper. In this sheltered stone courtyard planted with olive trees there was a mood of lingering, unhurried summer evening outdoor eating.

And lots of seagulls. This well-fed, glossy specimen below was just taking off after doing a round of the tables, confident and unafraid -

Lots were perched on the tops of walls and chimneys -

I had a chicken salad and sparkling water which felt perfect after a hot day -

Walking back around 9 pm the sun was low and the Bath stone glowing 

I liked the tight juxtaposition of the 12th century church, the quaintly named St Michaels Without, and the Saracens Head pub with its dashing Muslim on the sign. 

Looking them both up later I discovered that Saracens is the oldest pub in Bath, but built around 600 years after the church  (Dickens took rooms here when in Bath and it appears in the Pickwick Papers). 

Close to home, the Abbey was golden -

I had cat-sitting duties to fulfil, and can't say I minded them one bit.