“Just off for a Saturday Smithdown Stroll” I say to Sarah as I’m leaving the house. “Oh that means records then” she perceptively replies. “It might?” I mutter, and as you can see it does. But more of that later.
With Coming Home dominating my weeks, now I’ve stepped back from pretty much everything else I was involved in, I like to spend my weekends doing hardly anything beyond walking around, reading, listening to music – and quietly observing life, as I will today.
As a ‘gastro social eatery experience’ called ‘Horse’ or perhaps ‘Equestria?’
Be back in a bit, not ready to eat yet.
Evil Eye is highly recommended though, even if their food could work better served on plates than in tin foil. Just an idea.
Defend Vinyl, Smithdown’s New Shop of the Year.
He is even more proudly modelling his ‘Christmas Time’ jumper.
The stock of records is splendid today, so it’s hard to limit myself to just one other, the new Car Seat Headrest album.
And as I don’t want to go to the Asda, stroll around the cemetery or continue to Lodge Lane, that’s as far along Smithdown as I’ll go today.
In here I read in a newspaper about a row between Prince Someone-Orother And Prince Someone-Else about whether the men their daughters haven’t married yet will be called Earls of This or That. Or not. And wonder, not for the first time, about the brains and moralities of such self entitled creatures, whilst people are starving around them.
Never been in but it looks great!
For years this was a piece of cleared land where every December some people would come, set up and sell Christmas trees. Well now this falsely turreted disgrace to architecture has been built on the land, guess what? It’s made no difference. They can’t let the shop units so the corner one is being used for selling Christmas trees.
On the corner of Smithdown and Penny Lane is this. ‘The Most Pathetically Slow Piece of Development on a Historically Significant Site in Liverpool This Century.’
It’s the ‘shelter in the middle of a roundabout’ from The Beatles ‘Penny Lane’ song. And more years ago than I could be bothered researching some developer got planning permission to put that extra storey on it and re-open it as a restaurant. But it never has opened and how the developer retains their planning permission is a mystery to me? Every once in a very long while a couple of blokes will turn up and do a bit of plastering or painting, watched by the beamingly proud developer. Then they all go away again.
Anyway, by this stage the road called Smithdown has become Allerton Road.
Staplers, file dividers, that sort of thing.
Maybe offer a few kindly words of advice to Bob’s Angling?
So I turn round and walk home. With records, as predicted. A peaceful Saturday Stroll in the dwindling light.
See also the companion piece from the following day “A Sunday Circular Stroll”
I enjoyed that walk very much…especially the triumph of the Christmas tree sellers.
Absolutely !x
Hey Ronnie, great little stroll with you down a road I know well. I don’t know if you know but the guy in the vinyl shop used to front a great band called V. I don’t know if they’re still going but I used to see them quite a lot when I was playing on the scene. .
Graham plays bass in Silent Sleep these days.
Love the photos and especially the round- abouts. We have them here, too, and they are called the same thing, at least where I live. Wonderful tableau!
Hi Jan, lovely to hear from you x
I used to have my “Astronomy” magazine on hold in that W H Smith. It wasn’t until I saw the photo that I remembered.
It was rather baffling to me that libraries didn’t open when most people could visit them, the one in Banbury closed at 17:30 and only opened every other Saturday.
I loved going down to the central library but I didn’t go that often. The post you did about the black poppies was fascinating. I would love to see more about the libraries.
I love the Xmas tree sellers use of that empty building, at least it was good for something. On your next stroll down that neck of the woods I can recommend the Tavern ( great brekkies), Oxfam furniture shop also good for vinyl and the Emporium upstairs from the fireplaces.
Just found this post and made up I did. Lived in the area for the past few years, so know this stroll well. Particularly liked the strong nod to Purple Carrot, but I might be a tad biased…it’s my shop! Thanks so much for the mention and so much for the fab post. See you soon. 😊