A twofer

Here's St Alban's V2.0 on Hall Road. The fairly hideous brick block building was started in 1938 and finished after a long delay in the 1950's. It was built to replace the temporary church built in the 1920's which still stands beside it as the church hall. From the amounts spent repairing the newer building it might have been a wiser move to stick with the first effort. It's Grade 2 listed, a testament to its ugliness.

Hall Road is not to be confused with nearby Hull Road, I mean, come on, Hall and Hull; two completely different words aren't they. Not to taxi drivers and the Royal Mail apparently grrrrrrrr! 

Dull is often underrated

I think there may have been a homesick Yorkshire Dalesman responsible for naming the streets immediately near to where I live. Here we have Wensley Avenue, then there's Aysgarth and Leyburn Avenues. Together they make a small block of redbrick terraced houses where seemingly nothing much ever happens. Quiet, safe, secure streets, dull maybe but then dull is often underrated, it's what city living is all about, isn't it? Could maybe do with a few trees though.

A shot of shots

Newland Avenue, Hull

Now it's been a while since I studied la língua española (put it this way Franco was still regrettably Caudillo de España, Por la Gracia de Dios) and I really don't care that much but surely(or just maybe) that should be los chupitos? It doesn't matter much, I just liked the sign. This place is, as you might have guessed, a Mexican themed restaurant that opened recently on Newland Avenue. This street  is fast becoming what someone has described as a United Nations of food.  ¡Basta ya! Hasta luego.

A word from our sponsors

A couple of Government sponsored adverts have appeared on Cottingham Road, they accompany others on TV and in newspapers in a similar vein. It is a new development, in this country, that the Government should seek to advertise like this, trying to convince us that the country is doing "Great".(War time hype excepted) It comes on the back of other advertising campaigns about the Scottish referendum and the UK's role in Afghanistan. Overall Government advertising spending has risen by 22% this year. I cannot recall anything like this particular campaign in my lifetime, maybe the pathetic "I'm backing Britain" thing in the 60's comes close but it was nothing like as widespread as this. One might almost call it propaganda. Oh and there's an election coming up in May did I forget to mention that? I expect the Government will win that again ...

Sunday mornin' and I'm fallin' ...

So what would get a crowd out on a Sunday morning in Orchard Park?

Well maybe a bit of demolition might stir some interest

Seems the world and his mother was there to see the fun.

Then the bang, well bang's too short a word for the thumping great crack like thunder and the jolting shock.

And a second later it was all over. Done and dusted as they say.

Party's over; time to go home.

This was the end of Highcourt on Orchard Park. Bit of a blink and you'll miss it situation, it came down too fast for me, so if you want to see the action here's a video from YouTube.

Smoke ring

Nelson Street, Hull

The laws against smoking mean that poor nicotine dependent souls have taken to congregating in little huddles on the streets to share their 'vice'.  

Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, addity

Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, addity,
Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, ay,
Singing too-ral-li, oo-ral-li, addity,
And we're bound for Botany Bay.

Sorry, couldn't resist a quick chorus of this well known ditty which has absolutely nothing to do with today's post, so let's get back on track shall we ...

You might have thought a florist opposite a large hospital would have a good trade in what Larkin called "wasteful, weak, propitiatory flowers". But the shop despite (or perhaps because of) its fine name has, like old Larkin, failed to thrive. I remember when this was a post office many years ago. The online history of Anlaby Road informs me that the building, 197 Anlaby Road, was originally known as Albert Cottage and was built between 1842 and 1848 it also notes that it is "a rare survivor" of the original buildings in this area though how much longer it will last is anyone's guess.

It's a bit of an earworm that song....

Now all my young Dookies and Duchesses,

Take warning from what I've to say:

Mind all is your own as you toucheses

Or you'll find us in Botany Bay.