An Equestrian Double
I took these pictures yesterday outside St. George’s Hall in Liverpool.
The view of the hall would be better, if they didn’t use it as a car park!
I wonder if there is another pair of equestrian statues in the world of a royal husband and wife, where each is treated equally. I don’t think there’s another statue of a lady in such a prominent place, where the lady is riding side-saddle. Certainly, there isn’t in the UK. But there is one of Queen Elizabeth on Burmese in Regina, Saskatchewan. But then Burmese was born in that Canadian province.
I also went over St. George’s Hall for the first time. It is rather a creepy and forbidding place in the cells under the courts, which are no longer used, but the whole is a marvel of Victorian architecture. As it is right in front of the station, it is an ideal place to spend an hour or so before cstching a train. Especially, as it is a free attraction.
A Liverpudlian First
Oriel Chambers was built in 1864, so soon it will be 150 years old.
Oriel Chambers
It is the world’s first metal framed glass curtain walled building. It is also a Grade 1 Listed building, one of 27 such buildings in the city.
These buildings alone, are a good reason to visit the city.
Liverpudlian Humour
They used to say you don’t have to have a sense of humour to live in Liverpool, but it helps.
A Creche For Husbands
Strangely, the pub didn’t seem to be that busy. But then it was the middle of the afternoon. Or could it be that the average Liverpudlian felt that as they’d spelt crèche wrong, the pub wasn’t very cultured?
How Slovenly!
As BBC Breakfast cut to the local news, you could just see Louise Minchin kicking her shoes off. I wonder what the style police, that insist all women on the show wear stilettos, will say later.
Does Anybody Still Use Gross?
I mentioned to a guy yesterday that as he lived at 144, that that number was a gross.
He didn’t quite get it.
Has the use of 144 as a gross died out?
Does anybody refer to 25 sheets of paper as a quire? That incidentally is a very useful Scrabble word.
Steph McGovern Wears A Bustle
The BBC breakfast’s business reporter, Steph McGovern, looked like she was wearing a bustle. The black of her black and white dress. this morning was the same shade as the chair she was sitting on. From some angles, it looked like she was wearing an enormous Victorian bustle.
Or was it just a simple case of a “My bum does look big in this” picture.
Will I Live Longer Than My Cat?
This question has been posed by the wonderfully-named Professor David Spiegelhalter on the BBC’s web site.
I certainly will, as I don’t have a cat! But if I acquired a cat, would that lengthen my life? On the other hand, all the cats, that I’ve previously owned have been rather clever in finding veterinarily expensive ways of killing themselves at quite a young age.
Actress Or Actor?
I thought that these days, the term actress wasn’t used, as female actors, prefer to be called actors.
But the BBC has just used the term, Actress under Keira Knightly‘s name on an interview this morning. However, Miss Knightly is referred to as an actress on Wikipedia.
So it would appear that different organisations have different rules.
The Future Of Freeview
I have been looking at an article which describes digital terrestial television in the UK, which is generally referred to as Freeview.
At present there are a hundred or so TV and radio channels, most of which are free-to-air, but some like Sky Sports One and Two are available through various subscription methods like BT Vision, which I have.
When the switch-over is complete and everybody in the UK can get their free-to-air channels in a digital form, terrestrially if they want to, the old analogue signal can be switched off and the spectrum released can be sold off.
I had thought that this free spectrum would end up with those providing mobile services, but it would appear that there’s nothing technically to stop a broadcaster buying spectrum and using it to broadcast other services, whether they be free-to-air or by subscription.
I did say technically, as they would probably have to be regulated by the British authorities.
So would this have attractions for other broadcasters? The obvious candidate would be Sky, as it might like to setup a new Freeview multiplexer to broadcast all their channels terrestrially, probably using similar technology to that used by BT Vision.
It would also allow a powerful sports body such as the Premier League or Formula One to have their own channel.
I think the days in the UK, where you needed a satellite dish to get certain channels may well be numbered. I don’t think Sky will be objecting, as they know how to price a service to maximise the revenue. They are also one of the partners in Freeview.
A Missed Picture!
I waited by the Angel Building for a New Bus for London to trundle up the hill to the stop, so that I could photograph one with Lauderdale Tower and The Shard in the background.
Lauderdale Tower and The Shard
But one didn’t come!
Jessica was on the bus-stop opposite!
Jessica At The Bus Stop
She must have the most displayed midriff in history.
The Anonymous Widower 