Liverpool

I have been up since 0730 hrs finishing a map project which has been a nightmare, OK, a bit dramatic but it may be cursed, I finished one map and saved it as something else thereby obliterating the original, this meant redrawing said map again without the lure of money at the end. I also saved all the maps as a different version on my new PC and thus instead of sitting comfortably in my study finishing the job I had to sit in the PO instead. Also unlike all the lovely people I have dealt with so far this time I am not so lucky.

I keep thinking it is a Sunday and want to start on another 'View'.

We decided to go out yesterday instead of sitting staring at the walls and watching several more episodes of Chicago PD, police after my own heart, but sadly fictional. We went to Liverpool, I don't have happy memories of Liverpool, I took a driving course there after I left the Navy and can regale you with a ghost story if I ever get the time, I do however enjoy Scouse humour. Anyway off we went and everything went well until we hit the outer environs, it is rough, there are nice bits and I have seen them but this way in I was hoping we would not break down. Despite the Satnav I ended up on the wrong side of the Mersey and have now been across it, or under it, twice.

Our destination was the new Waterfront area near the Liver Buildings, it was very clean but the new modern monsters grate with the beautiful old granite buildings, these were very impressive monuments to the city's past. We visited the Slavery and the Maritime museums, the first as you can imagine dumped huge amounts of guilt on Europeans, mostly deserved, but I know for a fact none of my family ever owned a slave and were more akin to slaves themselves in the 19th and 18th centuries, the Anderson fortune was made by me and the missus, and it's not much of a fortune. But it did take a welcome stand against modern slavery and opened my eyes to some of the horror perpetrated today. The Maritime part I found a bit disjointed, perhaps it could have done with a larger area, but interesting nonetheless, I especially liked some of the artefacts brought up from the 'Titanic' debris field, a lovely White Star Line wine decanter in particular.

Royal Liver Buldings.

 There are also a lot of flashy restaurants and bars in the area and I suspect it would be buzzing at night, especially on a nice summers evening. The only thing missing is a ship, a real ship you can visit and walk around as a focal point. I had heard a story that a replica of the 'CSS Alabama' was to have been built and put in one of the dry docks as it had been built at Birkenhead, but it was deemed politically incorrect and the project never left the drawing board, a shame.

CSS Alabama

 Leaving Liverpool seemed to be a lot easier than getting there, also the traffic on the motorways heading north to the Lakes for the bank holiday had gone, so it was plain sailing so to speak. You can take the boy out of the sea but ...............

So today, pack up the Western town from Saturday, paint some horses, yes I am still at it, and catch up with Hank Voight at the 21st Precinct.