Friendly Crow

Have I mentioned before that I think crows are a bit special? This one simply would not budge until I took its picture, so what was I to do?

Meanwhile in another part of town (and on a different planet perhaps) there were complaints that crows on Holderness Road were getting too bold and "intimidating" people because (and now we reach new heights of fantasy) the local McDs was closed for a refurb! "Crows on the rampage in Hull because they can't get their McDonald's fix" ran the headline. For heaven's sake! Are the folk of East Hull who survived the Blitz without so much as a whimper suddenly afraid of a few feathered friends? Two crows were seen pecking at a dead pigeon which it was claimed they had killed! Something must be done about it! Well no, something must not be done about it. "Carrion Crows Eat Carrion" wouldn't really make much of a story but in the febrile imagination of a local journo it's practically Hitchcockian out on Holdy Road. Just to be absolutely clear on this, crows clear up the mess made by people; it's either them or rats, you make your choice.

The weekend in black and white is here.

Sky and wires

Here's Sharp Street with its new bunch of houses on the site of the old Goodfellows supermarket. Well they look a bit like houses but in fact they're really the size of rabbit hutches. They're student accommodation so clearly built to pack in as many wannabe debt slaves and rack out as much rent as possible.

Margot took this while I was in the shop doing her shopping; I think it's called job share or some such.

Spells of moths

I did promise not to go hunting for these commemorative glass fibre moths but it seems there's swarms of the little bleeders so you can't really avoid them. Each of these monsters is sponsored by some firm or other, the one below by a firm of solicitors and the blingy beast above by the kind folk who brought us all the orange barriers. So praises or brickbats are due to them. If you are at a complete loss as to why these moths are even here at all (and I do sympathise) then it's all explained here.

Rescue of a daft dog

So I'm taking a stroll by Victoria Pier when I notice the Humber Rescue guys climbing up the stairs at the end of the pier and with them a dog. Strange, I thought, what were they doing with a dog. I paid it no more mind until I got home and found the drama behind it all. Some dogs are just plain daft I suppose.

Comrade of Hull

Well here's a little bit of nautical history moored up in the Marina. The Comrade is a type of craft known as a Humber Keel designed to carry cargoes around the Humber and Trent. The design is ancient and thought to be based on Viking longships with a shallow draught and a square rigged sail. Comrade was built in 1923 and could get as far inland as Sheffield. It's last commercial voyage was in 1975 when it was acquired and renovated by the Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society. Of course it has its very own picture filled and informative website.  There's also a pretty comprehensive history of the vessel here.

That old triangle

I started the month off with an abandoned street but did not have the space to include this empty pub also on that street. This is the Dram Shop that I posted before in happier times. There are more, many more, unoccupied buildings on this and other streets but to post them all would give the impression that Hull is the least prosperous place in the country and that would be a poor show, old sport ...

Left behind

Even the litter has a certain sculptural quality to it here in the City of Culture ...

The weekend in black and white is here.