Back in Liverpool now, Saturday dawns sunny and we have our second joint run of the week.
Running round the lake we see all seven cygnets and both remaining goslings (yes, down to two as of a week or so ago) with their parents, all well. No photos of course, we were running after all. (See Sunday update at the end of this post.)
Then early afternoon Sarah wants to go to town for various ‘bits’ and me and the camera come along too.
Now from here to town we’ll recreate one of Liverpool’s greatest pieces of cultural heritage, The End magazine. In the early 1980s, alongside their music articles, who and what’s ‘In and Out’ columns and skits of all things Scouse, they regularly published ‘Great bus journeys of the world.’ All of which were, of course, in Liverpool.
So come with us now, from Smithdown to Town, on the 86.
Which we do, crossing at the lights between Renshaw Street and Berry Street.
Sarah’s particularly hungry after the run and so is even keener on eating than shopping. Recently Leaf have taken over the running of the café in FACT, with appetising results, so we decide to go there.
Ten years of being a thoroughly good thing. Cinemas, galleries and gathering places.
Lunch arrives and is picturesque as well as tasty, but I don’t photograph it. I’m more than a bit sick of seeing that happen.
It would be fair to say that Rennies Arts and Crafts ranks only just behind George Henry Lee’s in Sarah’s short list of ‘The Greatest Shops in the World.’ No visit to town is complete without a good root round in here.
Say ‘Cooper’s’ to anyone of a certain age in Liverpool and they’ll say ‘The smell of the coffee’ straight back at you. Try it.
The building where Brian Epstein signed The Beatles on 24th January 1962. A little piece of our history now gone.
1977, Geoff Davies benignly behind the counter, while Roger Eagle rages around the shop telling everybody not to buy anything other than the new, first, Clash album.
Half the shop units are currently vacant. And it looks like many of the offices above them are vacant too. All of this sitting on top of somewhere truly significant. (For any first time visitors, the place further along the street calling itself The Cavern now, is just a replica, not the real place.)
By now I’m not going into any of these shops. Sarah’s long completed purchasing her original list and is now enjoying herself improvising. I’m not much of a shopper so I enjoy myself sitting in the street watching the people go by. I’ve got a degree in it. True! It’s called Sociology.
Before much longer though, even Sarah’s shopping muscles are tired. Time for a sit down, a cup of tea, and maybe a piece of cake?
Now it’s hometime. So, walking up Bold Street we cross over to Leece Street.
A lovely day, and another day of photographing ordinary things that aren’t all that ordinary at all.
Thank you for the days. To the place and all its people, particularly Sarah.
Time for a song, I’d say.
The Kinks. On the right day, and this was the right day, pretty much as good as The Beatles and not even from Liverpool!
Sunday cygnet update.
Sadly we lost 3 of them overnight. So just 4 left now. It’s a hard life being a baby swan in the city.
Probe is turning on the people!
Indeed it did.
And who would have thought that Probe, though now by the Bluecoat, would outlast its much bigger competitors?
I would vote with Sarah! But what a lovely wander around those busy streets with so many enticing shops. I find the mix of buildings fascinating and I wonder what the DSS building was used for originally ….. shame that has gone. Also I liked the look of the rose lemonade and it really isn’t fair that the cygnet family is slowly disappearing…not fair….
I only ever knew it as ‘The Dole’ and went in there once to sign up for their ‘Professional Employment Register’ ie not manual work. So it was them got me the first City Council housing interview I had back in 1972.
And the cygnet count is still 4, all 3 we lost were on the one night.