As a small child I remember my daddy playing the teddy bears picnic to me and singing along. Now he does the same to my son. I used to love singing to the themes of the children's programmes "Barnaby the Bear" and "Rupert"
At the age of five I went to see a live production of "Rupert the Bear" the Bristol Hippodrome, in which Rupert was captured by Pirates and locked in a cage. After that I experienced the reoccuring nightmare featuring Rupert.
As a teenager I used to go to Stokes Croft roundabout (what became known as the Bearpit) to shop at Bonie Maronie's & Paradise Garage. Two shops that were the hangout for Goths and Punks, later there was a good record shop there, where Jodie from Way out West worked for a while.
I moved to Ldn & travelled the world. I even went to Bear Mountain in upstate New York where the strange events documented in Communion by Whitley Streiber took place.
In the years I have been away the Bristol rugby team has been rebranded the "Bristol Bears" and the "Bear Pit" had become a cool hangout for graffiti artists skaters and hipsters, But now on my return to Bristol as I walk to my capoeira class on Thursday evenings. I notice that as austerity bites and homelessness has increased. There are increasing numbers of street drinkers in the bearpit , The artists seem to have gone, The council have earmarked it for regeneration and now an assault has proven the trigger for the police to evict the squatters it is now on lockdown patrolled by private security.
As a teenager I used to go to Stokes Croft roundabout (what became known as the Bearpit) to shop at Bonie Maronie's & Paradise Garage. Two shops that were the hangout for Goths and Punks, later there was a good record shop there, where Jodie from Way out West worked for a while.
I moved to Ldn & travelled the world. I even went to Bear Mountain in upstate New York where the strange events documented in Communion by Whitley Streiber took place.
In the years I have been away the Bristol rugby team has been rebranded the "Bristol Bears" and the "Bear Pit" had become a cool hangout for graffiti artists skaters and hipsters, But now on my return to Bristol as I walk to my capoeira class on Thursday evenings. I notice that as austerity bites and homelessness has increased. There are increasing numbers of street drinkers in the bearpit , The artists seem to have gone, The council have earmarked it for regeneration and now an assault has proven the trigger for the police to evict the squatters it is now on lockdown patrolled by private security.
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