Barber's Shop Trio

Something I noticed the other day is just how many barbers there are on Spring Bank, must be about half a dozen. Now I've not set foot in a barber shop for over twenty five, nearer thirty, years so I can give no appraisal of their services. Anyhow in no particular order and for no particular reason here are a bunch of three. 

Fool, money, soon parted ....

There's this pay-per-view telescope down by the riverside and I've never seen anyone using it. So I thought I'd give it a go and put in my 20p. Well I guess I should have known better. It doesn't work. Now I know why no-one uses it ...

Tenfoot of Trouble

Amid claims that the Avenues area is becoming like "a New York ghetto" a row is simmering about plans to put gates on the tenfoots^*. A fine fellow with no concept of the absurd is seeking to have these passage ways declared restricted byways which would mean that they have be open to anyone and indeed cars would not be able to use them as an ancient bylaw insists that only people on foot or on horseback can use them. I love these little local difficulties they provide whole minutes fun on a dull day. Meanwhile the graffitistas and fly-tippers do their worst. This garbage (or is it trash?) lurks off Westbourne Avenue. My apologies to any New York ghettos who feel offended.

^*A tenfoot for those of you who don't come from these parts is an alley way between and behind houses that allows access to the rear of properties. They are about ten feet wide in case you were wondering.

The old weekend in black & white has come round again; it's here.

Underfoot

Not, as you might think, a picture of the last thing some unfortunate Lilliputian saw as Gulliver bestrode the earth like a colossus but a mere advertisement for the services of a quack, oh sorry, no, erm, a chiropractor. This one on Wednesday Market in Beverley. Despite there being little or no evidence that joint snappers do any good at all and may even do considerable harm, they seem to be thriving in Beverley as there's another one on Railway Street with this charming fellow in the window.

Sharp Street Roll of Honour

Two years after being removed to make way for the demolition of Goodfellows supermarket the Roll of Honour has been restored. Actually it was restored in March but I've only just noticed it. There's a plaque to show a bishop blessed it, the Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire (the what now?) and a host of Council knobs turned up to be seen to be there. The supermarket was pulled down to make way for much needed new housing but since I posted about it not a single brick has been laid nor even the ground broken up, nothing, ... the mills of planning grind slowly, they grind exceeding small, with impatience we're still waiting, no doubt they'll grind us all.

Standing room only

Plans have been published for a £25 million revamp of the city centre. On the whole they don't look too bad, a few gripes here and there about minor details but, there is one major fault that screams out from the picture shown. There are practically no seats, nowhere to sit and admire the grand works. Seems this no seats policy is part of a worrying trend.
Back in December 2012 I posted about plans to develop an outdoor café area near the War Memorial on Ferensway.  Well it's up and running and looking every bit as tatty as I imagined. The price paid for all those cuppucinni al fresco is that there are now no seats for members of the public to rest their weary backsides on. Even the seats by the memorial have been removed. If you want to sit down near here you've got to be a paying customer. 

Thanks to marvells of Google Street View or whatever it's called here's what this place looked like before it was cleared to make way for the cafe culture. Clearly we can't have people just sitting around and not paying; what's the fun in that? Mind you it appears that the very thought of sitting down and thinking for a short while is so horrific for some that they would rather give themselves an electric shock so maybe removing the seats eases their stress.... but planners please bear in mind some people do like to sit and admire the view.

Copyright Google, so sue me!

Noctilucent Clouds

I suppose if you don't go to bed early you'll sooner or later start seeing things even rare noctilucent clouds. This was around 3.10am on July 7. Seems there's been a spate of these over Europe this past week, must be something in the air.