Saturday, November 27, 2010

Snow (hey oh!)

Like a dusting of icing sugar over a heavy frost.

It's absolutely beautiful!

And slightly dangerous if you don't like landing on your bum in the middle of the street.

Adds a certain something to greasy breakfast in the local pub before I get the train back to Malvern though. I think it is predicted to get to about 2 degrees today in Malvern... practically tropical compared tot he rest of the UK! Only -3 overnight tonight. It slightly bothers me that the temperature can change so little in the space of 24 hours! But I'm betting there will be more snow on the hills in Malvern, I can't wait to settle in to my attic room with my camera, I've got an even better view than the last ones I posted now, and it's all going to be covered in snow, yay!!!

Okay I don't hate winter quite so much as I say. I even almost wanted to go snowboarding again. Almost. But not quite. It's still cold. But then I am wearing a dress.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Pool of Liver!



I'm definitely going to have to give it to Liverpool, they've produced good music and they've still got an awesome scene... I am impressed! I was expecting the Beatles mania, and it was easily found. Hadn't realised how many awesome people had played at The Cavern Club (so aptly named)... seriously, the list on their wall just went on and on, everyone you've ever wanted to see has played there. Well, maybe not everyone, but almost everyone. Beatles (obviously), but also Bowie, Queen, The Who.... I couldn't bear to read it all. Did go in for a drink, barman asked me three times if I was from Australia and I couldn't make out a word of it, the Polish girl I was with had to translate!!! Totally bizzare... two native 'English' speakers and the one who has English as a second language was the only one who could understand both of us!

So in case you didn't guess, that's the Cavern Club above (it really put me in mind of Refuel for those who know it! Underground, chewing-gum stairs, live music, somehow seedy despite their best efforts to do better...).

That monstrosity to the right is Lambanana..... something something European Cultural capital.... something = the birth of Lambanana. Seriously, don't ask me how. Also this one is multi-coloured, and I don't know why that is, most of them were yellow, but sometimes they were in odd positions, or had things around them. I think they're supposed to refer to genetic engineering (not sure how that links to cultural capital...).





The River Mersey on a lovely morning in Liverpool. It had lots of boats and stuff. I *think* this way was looking towards the mouth of the river, but I'm not 100% on that one- it really is a good way up the river. There were millions of seagulls though, just as evil as seagulls in the rest of the world. Damn seagulls. I was going to go for a ride on the river, they were only about £5, but there was never anyone at the boat dock where you could *apparently* buy your tickets 20 minutes before sailing times. It was a lie. So no ferry across the Mersey for me. Just as well probably, it was really cold.

More random art from European cultural capital 2008! At least these ones were kinda neat, and double as
decent seating- there was actually someone sitting on the other side of that close stack when I took the picture! If you get up close you can read the luggage labels... Ringo, Macca, etc. Yay more Beatles worship! Nah, I actually do like this sculpture (?). Also, I had to wait ages to take a picture, there were lots of students going past on their way to lectures. Or escaping from a lecture maybe. Who knows. But there was definitely a lot of them!


Liverpool wins the prize for weird cathedrals by the way. This... thing was created in.... I forget. I think this design might have been chosen in the 50's or 60's, although apparently the crypt underneath was made around 1900 for an earlier cathedral which never quite happened. But I have to give it to the Catholic church, it make look seriously odd from outside, but it's lovely inside. The seating is circular, so that nobody is more than 25 meters from whoever is speaking, and it has all these little rooms coming off. I can't remember what they're called, but they have different saints, some are just for children to colour in religious pictures, or light candles for dead babies (hey I didn't make that up, they're really did!), or whatever you think you mis-deeds are. I don't like taking pictures inside churches, but its light was amazing, that whole top of it is stained glass. I'm still not sure about the whole 'King of Liverpool' thing though. Religion + politics = bad.



Why yes, I *have* been hanging around the men's bathrooms again! I figured if I was in there I might as well take a picture... they're a grade II listed building okay! See- wikipedia says so! Just the gentlemen's bathrooms as I understand, the rest of the pub is just pretty and famous, but not historically special. Sorry, it's not the best picture, my camera isn't keen on inside artificial lighting, but it makes up for it with good outside pictures, so I don't mind.




Finally, the Bombed Out church. It's a local landmark, and I totally love it! It's a pretty old building, and it has no roof since WW II. As I understand it got a bomb through the roof and it has never been repaired or restored. It gets used as a venue for open-air plays and performances, although someone was telling me you have to sign a disclaimer before you go in because bits might fall off the building! Interesting relic from the past though, left as it stands.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

And I thought Yamyam was difficult...

Scouse is awesome. I was sitting next to a bunch of kids in Burger King the other night, and the only word I could understand of their entire conversation was 'Yeah'. Seriously, it was a good ten minutes of solid talking and I couldn't comprehend a word of it!

Anyway, Liverpool is neat. It's even colder and wetter than Birmingham. But it's a bit of student town, which I hadn't realised. I do like student towns. I haven't done much touristing to be honest, it's too wet to want to leave the safety of the pub. It seems like every time I go inside it starts raining, so I don't want to go out again. This would probably be less of an issue if my shoes didn't leak, but it seems that they do. The left one significantly more than the right. I'm planning on going to the museums on the docks tomorrow. People keep recommending the modern art gallery, but I just don't like modern art, so I think I'll give it a miss. Or maybe I'm just being contrary.

Oh and for those of you familiar with Red Vs Blue, it's got a whole different meaning here, probably enough to get you killed. Or at least in a lot of trouble. Yay football hooligans! Hilarious- red (Liverpool city) and blue (Everton) are really close together- other sides of the park or something ridiculous. I'm glad nobody has asked me about football. I think being a girl with an accent gets me out of a lot :D My answer is "I know nuzzing!!!"

Anyways, time to get going again, my feet are getting cold from sitting around.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Finally some news!

So my workmate and I had kind of stopped talking about the London thing, we had started to think it would never happen, so figured it best not to make plans and get too excited. I had started looking for a room here, figuring that at I could be closer to work until London got around to happening.... I was honestly just about to take a room here, but was too busy to call up and say that I wanted it, which was turned out lucky- that night my lovely workmate told me that she had just heard that London will be happening, and probably before Christmas!

So all going well another month or six weeks here, and then down to London by Christmas time. Which probably doesn't assist my plan that it's going to snow for Christmas, seeing as London is really in the warmer parts of the country. But hey. Oh, I'm thinking of going to Spain in January. Apparently I have two weeks leave or there about, and it has to be used before April. So I'm thinking of escaping the winter for a little while. I will definitely be well over winter by January. Speaking of adventures, I'm planning on Liverpool next weekend. Not sure why Liverpool, except that I can get a direct train from work an hour after I finish on Friday afternoon. Yes, afternoon. Not evening. I finish at 3.00pm and my train is at 4.00pm. Well 4.08pm. Yay!!! I really don't know anything about Liverpool, except that it has a river called Mersey, and that The Beetles are from there. And the train station is on Lime Street. Which I think might be a main street, but I couldn't be certain. I haven't even organised accommodation yet. This should be a good adventure. I've booked my ticket and that's basically it. And there isn't going to be a hell of a lot of time for organising it this week. I think it will be luck of the draw as to what I get!

In other news, it's terrible to think that it's early November and I've already done all my Christmas shopping, but I really have! All that is left is Dad's birthday present, and I might get a couple of little things in stock for when I figure out who I'll actually be with on Christmas day... Where I'll be on Christmas day! I'm guessing work, but it's all liable to change at a moments notice in this job. And in particular this situation! Technically Christmas day falls at the end of my week of waking night shifts, and I have Christmas day and boxing day off, but it's not really important to me, so I might volunteer for extra shifts. People with children can go home and have a family Christmas, I don't really mind. Besides, I think it is time and half pay, or a day in lieu, or something. Yay extra money! It can go on this holiday I'm planning in January... I'm really going to have to brush-up on my Spanish, it's been years since I studied it!

....and back to work.