View from the boundary

As the snows and frosts of Winter fade to a distant memory it becomes time to dust down the old willow bat, rub in the linseed oil, whiten the pads, don the white flannels and peaked cap and stride out to face the bowling. Hah! as if! Even so many do play up and play the game, there are many local cricket leagues which are fiercely competitive especially in Yorkshire which likes to think itself home to the best (it's God's own county don't you know?). Here's Driffield's neat little ground where the groundsman had just finished preparing for a match, it's great ritual of cutting and rolling the pitch till it's just right, painting the creases and so on. I hope they managed to finish before the evening thunder storm rolled in and rain stopped play.

"He's fallen in da water ..."

Many years ago on the radio the Goon Show had a catch phrase or running joke, I suppose you might call it, where someone (little Jim?) would say (in a strange voice) "he's fallen in da water". This would for some reason have the audience in paroxysms of laughter. Ah those were the days, long ago, when there was probably some water to fall into at this point on the river, nowadays you'll most likely get a concussion from the mud and that's no joke.

Willow pattern

Bright sunshine is all well and good but to my mind a bit of shade is always welcome and Hull could do with more trees like these delightful mature willows on Paragon Street.

A Definite Maybe

The good ship (sorry, boat) Maybe in Hull's marina.

"There is no hurry ...

...We shall get there someday."

After nigh on six months the pier still awaits repair. Perhaps it could become an art installation, one of the hidden surprises of Hull. Just don't fall in, it's a long way down.

On the map

A cartographer's delight parked up by the Minerva.

Umber without number

Umbers by the Humber, ah well. This is yet another part of the seemingly endless fish trail that winds round the town and pops up when you least expect it. This is part of a small shoal carved into the planks of Victoria Pier. You may know umbers as grayling, but "grayling by the Humber" doesn't quite do it, does it?

The Weekend in Black & White goes on here.

For those interested in football Hull City lost (2-3)  to Arsenal in the FA Cup yesterday.