After the success of the Twerton Snowmen versus Whiteway Snowmen contest, I was wondering what else could be done to bring Twerton, Whiteway and Southdown together. It occurred to me that there could be some quizzes with questions about all three areas.

You can do the first South West Bath Quiz by clicking on the picture above. There are 10 questions to answer. If you like, you can email me some questions and answers of your own to be made into a quiz at a later date.

Joe, 12/02/09

ABC Toddlers

The ABC Toddler Group which used to meet in the Church Rooms at Twerton High Street has relocated to the Rose Cottage Community Centre and Cafe in the same street. The group's new manager is local resident Caroline Gray, who has four daughters of her own. Caroline said that she's looking forward to building up the group and getting more parents along.

Running from 10am to 11.30am on Mondays and costing £1, a typical morning includes story time, song time and craft activities. When I visited the other week, the children had been potting some plants. Below is the playhouse at Rose Cottage.

Snowmen

In the contest between the Twerton snowmen and the Whiteway snowmen, the Whiteway snowmen currently have 77 votes and the Twerton snowmen have 83. There are 17 votes saying both sets are equally good. To find out more click here.

Photos

I took so many photos on Thursday that it's taken time to process them. Here are the ones I promised people I would put on the website:

Hayley and Gemma   Igloo   Bob and Dave   Lads at Innox Park

Joe, 07/02/09

The snow is slowing everything down and it's been slowing down the news on this website too, because I keep going out to take photos of all the action. Yesterday I found that people had decorated the area with lots of fun snowmen.

Left: a Twerton snowman; right: a Whiteway snowman

Please play a part in the Twerton Snowmen versus Whiteway Snowmen contest! Watch a photo slideshow of 10 Twerton snowmen and 10 Whiteway snowmen and vote for which was the better crew. To do that, just click here.

While looking for snowmen at Whiteway, I met a man who keeps a European Eagle Owl which you can see here. If you were waiting for a particular photo to appear on the website but it hasn't, hang in there, I've got some more to add.

Joe, 06/02/09

It's not often you get to see Whiteway looking white, so yesterday's weather conditions prompted me to go out and make a photo slideshow of Whiteway and Southdown in the snow. You can see the slideshow here.

My walkabout took me to Bath City Farm first, where they've just borrowed a massive pig called Bertie. He's been put in the sty with the farm's own pig, Molly, to breed some piglets. There's a picture of him on the slideshow.

I also went past the Southside Youth Centre where a community cafe for young people is being built. You can see a photo of it here. It is planned that the cafe will eventually open for the whole community about a year after it begins with the youngsters.

Left: photo of The Hollow; centre and right: sledging at Roundhill

From the afternoon onwards, lots of people went to the top of Roundhill at Mount Road to do some sledging. Some young men named Dan, Mickey and Bob hauled a huge surfboard up the hill to use it as a sledge. The lads did a great job of entertaining the crowd of excited children that gathered around, putting them onto the surfboard and then launching it down the hillside.

Luckily the surfboard didn't travel too fast because of its weight and the weight of all the people on it. Most children made it to the bottom of the hill. Always sledge carefully in a safe place, and look out for any hazards such as barbed wire.

Joe, 03/02/09

A helping hand is needed to collect unsightly litter from Bath City Farm at the annual spring clean on Sunday 22nd February from 11am to 2pm. This is the time of year when all sorts of rubbish gets blown on to the farm. It is not only unsightly but also a danger to humans, farm animals and wildlife.

Litter pickers can join in for as long as they wish and will be provided with gloves, refuse sacks and grabber sticks. Refreshments will be provided including hot chocolate and soup. The spring clean starts at 11am at the main entrance to the Farm at Kelston View, Whiteway. Volunteers are asked to wear sturdy shoes, bring gloves if they have them, and warm ⁄ waterproof clothing. Anyone can take part but a responsible adult must accompany children under 8.

Joe, 01/02/09