We had a tourist day walking around Clifton and Bristol in brilliant sunshine today. Of course the Clifton suspension bridge across the Avon gorge but also the SS Great Britain, the largest ship ever powered by steam. Both engineered by I. K. Brunel. I used to cycle across the suspension bridge after school in Clifton and there was one Sunday where we saw the rusting hull of the old ship come back to the dock where she was built for restoration. Now her six masts tower over Bristol's floating harbour that has become a truly attractive waterfront.

Here's my postcard of the fireworks in Marseille last night to celebrate Bastille Day. Lots of static lights to show rays in the smoke and the Palace du Pharo was illuminated in the French colours of red, white and blue.

Half a million pounds worth of fireworks went up in smoke in half and hour!

The fireworks were launched from pontoons in the Vieux Port and from the forts around the harbour. Also from a wire suspended across the water.

Here in the North, a day of tourism by car yesterday to Dumfries and Galloway. Interesting to see the profiles of the Lake District massifs from the opposite direction across the Solway Firth. No duty-free allowance and no passports yet but there's an old toll house at Gretna Green which would be ideal if the Scots do vote to split from the rest of the UK and join the Schengen group.

Apart from that... very scenic but a lot of not a lot. Reminded me of Wyoming or Colorado.

A surprising and mad garden paradise built on a bank of the river Isère, the garden is blessed with many dozens of springs which have formed travertine pools. The first view of the garden is from above, the path leads down to a number of garden rooms which are built around water features. The design is mad... there’s a dresser filled with plants, the seats and music stands for a band which have been overgrown by plants and a frame that has nothing inside, just a view of more garden. The “English garden” has a table laid for dinner set in a pond cruised by some satisfyingly large golden carp. Not to mention the deck chairs laid with turf.

The centre piece of one of the gardens is a major waterfall falling on to cascades and pools of travertine rock. The sound of water cascades, fountains and streams is everywhere, giving a peaceful atmosphere. The monotony of the sound of moving water is broken by a number of water clocks which count time by the principle of filling containers. Their regular but unsynchronised chimes attract our attention, holding it with the fascination of working out the very visual principles of operation.

The flowers are laid out by size and colour or on an aesthetic or whimsical basis: the Jardin des Fontaines Pétrifiantes is a fantasy garden, much of it is mad and it's absolutely not a botanical reference site.

We visited on a cloudy day so heat was not an issue, this place has mmde its own micro-climate and would be a refreshing visit in the summer heat.

Jardin des Fontaines Pétrifiantes, La Sône, Isère (38), France