What the Hull is that?

You'll have heard of the City of Culture thingy that approaches in 2017, well every thingy like this needs a thingy, a what's it, erm a logo;  that's it. And here,  designed by committee, is the very thing that will adorn all events for that year and thereafter, per omnia saeculorum. I'm told it's not a drowning menorah ... but a series of aitches (aitch, as in Hhhhull, geddit? the irony being that the aitch is almost always dropped in common parlance, it's 'Ull, doncha know!) disappearing into the horizon; like I say, designed by a committee to please a committee.

To go with this there's a collection of soggy slogans whose utter banality defies belief, here's a taster: "Someone bothering you? Tell them to go to Hull" (Ba dum tsh!)  or "I went there for the Hull of it" (that'll have them queuing for miles on the M63!). And they pay real people real money to come up with such an original play on words. I know you think I'm making this stuff up, don't you?  ... well click here or here and be underwhelmed.

For my next trick ...

You sometimes see some odd things as you pass through town on a Saturday. I'm pretty sure a three year-old could figure out this old illusion outside a well known purveyor of beef patties. 

Angel wing

Oh dear. This poor swan has angel wing, a deformity of the last joint of the wing that causes feathers to stick out from the body instead of lying flat. From the little I've read about it, it's thought it could be caused by too much protein in the diet and this guy swimming in a pond near Driffield was very fond of the white bread being thrown to him by little children. So if you're tempted to feed the ducks and so on chuck them some seeds instead.  I've also read that the outlook for birds with this condition is bleak but either there's a lot of this about or this guy has been lurking around Driffield for at least five years since I took the picture below in 2010.

Weekend reflections are here.

The Store

This imaginatively named emporium and former church is on the Promenade, Bridlington.

Somehow the week seems to have escaped me and it's the weekend again which means there'll be monochrome magic over at the Weekend in Black & White.

It's happy hour again

You never quite know what you might bump into at Hull Fair. This is guy I believe is called Rabbit De Niro but don't quote me on that.

Margot is responsible for this.

Leisurely Development

You turn your back for a year or so and lo, a brand new £20-odd million  leisure complex appears from out of the rubble of the old one. They seem to have opted for the grand piano style of sea front building which is not totally displeasing. It opens next year but if you can't wait here's a little animation of how things are expected to be. 

Anchorman

Meanwhile, back in Bridlington, a new sculpture depicting a ruddy-faced chap in period costume carrying a grapnel anchor has appeared atop the Bridlington Harbour Commissioners' offices. Reading about the plans for this I find it was intended to be situated in gardens across the road; a quote from a local councillor in 2013  "I think tourists will see it and probably stand next to it for a photograph", he goes on, "People will delight in having their picture taken and if they spread the word when they go home perhaps it will encourage people to come here." Hmmm, well such were the plans; now it's just stuck out of reach on a plain old brick hut serving little or no purpose. 

The culprit, sorry, sculptor of this is one Ronald Falck.