Upside down or sideways?

Took this in January and somehow never got round to putting it on here. I turned it this way 'cos I thought it looked more interesting, if you don't like it perhaps sideways might suit you. I often think that Hull might be greatly improved if was turned upside down and given a good shake.

Don't sit there like a dummy

Earlier this year Peacocks, a clothing retailer, went into administration. This branch on Whitefriargate was emptied out apart from some mannequins which were left artfully posed no doubt by disgruntled staff.

The Summer's gone

Next week it's back-to-school for these likely lads. No more doing what you like and spending all day by the fish pond; no it's book learning and hard graft from now on ....

West Bulls' Bus Stop

While waiting for the bus you can take a seat, turn your back on the world and watch the hedge grow!

West Bulls is the name of the pub you can just about see in the background. It in turn takes its name from a farm whose land was built on when the road on the right in the distance was created.

Coifi - a potted history

Coifi was a pagan priest at a temple in Goodmanham near York in the early 7th century. So what is he doing on the walls of Beverley's ever-so-Christian Minster? The story, as far as I can glean from the web, is that Edwin of Northumbria was thinking about converting to Christianity so he asked old Coifi for some advice. I paraphrase his response as paganism hasn't done us any good so why not give Christianity a go? I get the feeling he was having a mid-life crisis. Then, and here it gets a bit strange, Coifi  took off on a war stallion carrying a war-axe or a spear and a sword depending on who you believe (being a pagan priest he wasn't allowed to do any of these things), rode to the temple and threw the weapons inside. Apparently this was a big pagan no-no. Seeing that nothing untoward happened he then burned the temple down for good measure. Edwin converted to Christianity but it didn't do him much good because he was defeated by old fashioned pagans at the battle of Hatfield Chase a few years later. Anyway here is Coifi immortalised for losing his faith and a spot of arson.

You can read an extended and possibly more cogent version of this here.

Polar Bear

One of the most popular exhibits in the Maritime Museum is the Polar Bear. This specimen is an adult male and is nine foot long, good job he's stuffed really. These are pretty old pictures and he wasn't looking in too good a condition, fortunately they had a collection and took him away for some TLC and conservation work.

Stone Head

Here's a stoney head outside a hotel near the Marina. I can't find anything about what it's meant to represent or who made it. With its rugged features and flowing locks it's clearly been modeled on my good self ....