Sunday, 3 July 2016

Cottingham Day again and again


As ever on Cott Day there's the usual device for hanging children, with a nearby climbing frame so they can fall to their early demise with attendant queues of parents eager to dispose of unwanted offspring.

 

There's the vintage cars lining Hallgate




and people taking pictures of vintage cars on Hallgate.


There's the display of birds of prey who really should be in shade but are left to pant in clear distress in the warm sunshine while crowds ogle them and have their pictures taken holding them.




There's wannabe singers, of course, where would we be without them?


And people taking pictures of wannabe singers ...


There's the large stage with a pretty awful singer who...


...is ignored by a less than appreciative audience;


And there's always a display of vintage motorbikes but by this time they'd had enough and were off home. Just like me. See you next year, same time, same place, same whatever...

Saturday, 2 July 2016

Meanwhile ...


... the world keeps on twirling, the birds are still singing and the roses still blooming.

Today is the annual Cottingham Day to which I shall no doubt go if I can dodge the heavy showers with the hint of thunder. This is, of course, high Summer in this green and pleasant land and we expect no better.

Friday, 1 July 2016

Don't look down


So we're waiting on a bus on Spring Bank and Margot starts taking pictures of the trash that abounds in those parts. "What do you want to do that for?" says I. "No reason," says herself "but I bet it ends up in your blog one day"  ... Hmmm

The uplifting theme for the start of July is 'Look Down'.

Thursday, 30 June 2016

The Truth is out there

They are building something on Newgate Street in Cottingham (a residential care home I'm told but I don't really care). Naturally they need a crane, a really big crane. 
As it's a tall thing it has a red light on top to warn passing aircraft I suppose. After a while this is spotted by someone (who may or may not have under the influence of the demon drink) in Hull a mile or so away and reported in the paper as a UFO... but, but, but he sputters it's not just one light there's another in the east, yup, that'll be the cranes at the University . It's sobering to think that the fate of nations is in the hands of people who cannot tell a crane from a flying saucer.



Monday, 27 June 2016

A Thing


Someone sat down, or more probably in this town a whole committee sat down, and decided it would a good idea if there was a thing at just this point. Plans were drawn up, consultations held, a contract signed (with Things Inc. no doubt), steel forges fired up, presses squeezed the metal  sheets which were cut and then engraved and welded to give us the glory that is this thing. Now tell me this isn't a worthwhile thing ...


Sunday, 26 June 2016

Never saw the sun shining so bright


Here's an odd thing at the marina, I've no doubt it has meaning but I'm damned if I know what it is. This was taken before the EU-know-what and that shade of blue known as Euroblue or Brussels blue will not be seen in these parts again as blue skies come to us courtesy of the sunshine articles of the Lisbon Treaty (tru dat, tru fact innit!).

Saturday, 25 June 2016

The Neverendum


Well now two days after the end of the world as we knew it and everything still seems to be going along just dandy. The markets fell then rose to level higher than before the referendum (hardly the financial Armageddon predicted by the remainers). We're still in the EU in case anybody thinks otherwise (despite being told by Mr Juncker to pack our bags  and leave, now, instantly, go on get lost!). We've still got a Tory Government although it is now completely dead in the water with no mandate for Brexit, no Prime Minister and no real majority in Parliament and no respect in the country. The opposition is threatening to rip itself apart again in yet another meaningless leadership challenge (but no-one is listening to them so this doesn't really matter). The Brexiters have admitted (to no intelligent person's great surprise) that their ridiculous claims on immigration and spending on the NHS (£350million a day or was it a week? I wasn't paying them so much attention) were a complete pack of lies. Despite, or perhaps because of, all this the debate-cum-slanging match continues. The losing side now want a re-run referendum ( "We lost, it wasn't fair that we lost". You know the sort of thing that losers say. Perhaps a best of three option will keep them quiet, who knows?). Scotland is making those old fashioned independence noises again (or could that just be bagpipes), the Irish problem is threatening to become a real problem again. The young are thinking themselves betrayed by the old (t'was ever thus). London wants to remain in the EU by a massive margin and what London wants it by and large gets.
Oh and these damn silly flags are still flying. 
Like I say, dandy.