All the fun of the fair

There are some days when so many weird and wonderful things happen you don't know where to begin. As yesterday was the start of the 30th annual Bristol Balloon Fiesta (click her for more details) I decided to have a day out with my camera and eventually wind up there for the 6pm take off. On my way however, I managed to come across stuff both beautiful and bizarre.

I was going through Bedminster on the bus when I saw this guy, literally covered in pigeons so I rang the bell jumped off and rushed back to take his picture.

Next as I was drinking coffee on Corn St I saw these cops giving the guy on the steps a hard time. I'm not sure why as he wasn't doing anything illegal or disruptive. Simply resting.

As part of my 100 Strangers project on Flickr I sometimes go up to people and ask if I could take their photograph. As I had already had success with the guy with the birds in Bedminster I thought I'd ask this woman busking. She said yes and told me that she is travelling around the south of England busking and playing gigs. Click here to listen to her music on her Myspace page. Brooke Sharkey is playing at the Blue Lagoon, Bristol on the 9th August.

Next it was onto the Bristol Balloon Fiesta at Ashton Court and to tell you the truth I wanted to get as close as possible in order to take photos of what happens before the balloons lift off so I blagged my way through the cordoned off area saying I was looking for the Press Office to get my credentials. Naughty but fun. As I was passing this balloon the pilot asked me if I wanted to take some pictures which was great. That reminds me I have to send off a bunch of emails to the people I photographed as I promised I'd send them pictures.

Somebody told me the guys in the balloon were part of a famous band so I thought I'd take their picture just for the hell of it. Click here to find out more about Blake. The guy on the right, for those of you not living in the Bristol area is a local anchorman.

That evening was the monthly get together of the Bristol Flickr group and thankfully even though I went to the wrong pub I bumped into another Flickrer and so didn't miss anything.

And just to round off the night a couple of boat loads of people dressed up as pirates swarmed into the pub. At first I thought it was a hen night but it turned out that these guys were all accountancy students on a booze cruise around the harbour. Rock on numbers dudes!!!