Playing with boats

HMS Explorer, often to be found moored in the marina, is a patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy at least that's what Wikipedia tells me. It's really a fancy recruiting toy to get university students interested in taking the Queen's shilling or whatever the going rate is these days. Used to be they pressed ganged 'em now its flash motorboats...

Protecting the East

 

 So to east Hull and a remnant of 16th & 17th century defense spending. This is nearly all that remains of a massive citadel that protected the approaches to Hull from attack by whoever the English government had annoyed at the time (probably most of Europe). There is a blue plaque to tell the passing stranger all about it; unfortunately it's so high up that it's almost unreadable. I had to take a photo just to find out what it said. This stump sits in the middle of a large modern housing estate.

Some of the citadel's demolition material was used to create the charmingly named Khyber Pass feature ( from a futile intrusion by Victorian Britain into Afghanistan, all part of the never ending great game )  in East Park. It's just a glorified rockery really. Sic transit, as they often say in these parts.

Hull Art

It was in June 2010 that I posted about this work by Jimmy Boyle called Mankind Under Threat. At the time I ranted a bit about how the bars had been removed presumably by Hull City Council. I emailed the Council and complained but that did no good; so I emailed the company that sponsored the project but I got no reply. Well I don't know if was my moaning that did the trick but the bars are back. Let's hope the metal thieves don't find out about them.

I'd like to thank a local group called Hull Art, in particular Tim Everett, for alerting me to this pleasant turn of events.

A sad tale

For the past 6 weeks or so a young man has been missing. He was last seen on this bridge and despite massive searches and a huge number of posters he was not found. On Saturday a body was found in the Humber about 8 miles upstream, the searching is over. These balloons and flowers are just a portion, the whole bridge is covered in these tributes.

Taken by Margot K Juby

In a posting last year I mentioned that this was an area noted for people falling into the river and that fencing had been suggested. In the manner of closing the stable door after the horse is running down the street guess what? Yup, a fence is being put up.

We fix Mac's

I do like a good grocer's apostrophe; this one is on Anlaby Road. I found a Flickr group devoted to this grammatical feature here.

 

Waiting for the little green man

The wait to cross this road is considerably shorter than the wait for improvements to traffic flow on Hull's busiest road. The improvements do not even figure on the list of major road projects approved by the Department for Transport. 2015 is the earliest date we can expect work to begin on Castle Street but I'm thinking it might never happen.  So until then we'll just have to push the button and wait for the signal.

Means of escape

The near train will take you to Bridlington; the far train goes to London, the others to all points in between.