March 31st 2010 - Gatehouse

Bitterly cold day to end March. Spring seems late this year, these daffodils in Sefton Park's Field of Hope are usually in full bloom by now. Seen in the foreground of this shot, they are barely open. I thought the Gatehouse (now a nursery) peering over the hedge, looked like something from Hansel and Gretel.

'March, master of winds, bright minstrel and marshal of storms that enkindle the season they smite.' March photographs which did not make the blog will be added to the slideshow.

March 30th 2010 - Barry - Penny Lane Barbers

'In Penny Lane there is barber'... having his photograph taken.

I stopped to 'say hello' to Barry who owns the barbers on Penny Lane. He has been open for a couple of months and business has been good. Well worth a visit - the inside of the shop is decked out with photos of 'every head he's had the pleasure to have known', and plenty of Beatles memorabilia. A really friendly barbers shop.

March 29th 2010 - Working for the Lord
Walking past All Hallows Church today when I saw two men ascending the Church tower. At first I thought they were putting the hour forward on the clock... but it turned out they were carrying out a few repairs to the masonary. One way to get closer to Heaven!

March 28th 2010 - Chinese State Circus

The annual 'Big Top' has come to Sefton Park and this year it is the turn of the Chinese State Circus. I went to see them perform last year and it is worth going to witness the 'Motorcycle Ball of Death' alone! Amazing, it defies belief. The photograph shows it is not all fame and fortune in show business...the washing still needs to be done!

March 27th 2010 - Earth Hour

I travelled over to the other side (Birkenhead) to take a photograph of Liverpool in the dark. Today was 'Earth Hour', where everyone was encouraged to turn off all uneccessary lights to help in the quest to save the earth from global warming. Some people remembered (Well done to the Anglican Cathedral) but then again...it appears some didn't...oh well.

March 27th 2010 - Old Nick's Caves

A strange day weather-wise in Liverpool - so I sought out a 'strange' location...Sefton Park's own grotto, an artifical cave known also as Old Nick's Caves, built around 1870 by French rockwork specialist, M. Combaz. Over the past few years the park has undergone renovation work, and the caves were included, with the addition of a fountain, stepping stones, and reflective mirror pond. As a child, my wife recalls being able to venture inside and explore these mysterious caves, but they have been fenced off for 'safety reasons' for some time now. There are many ghost stories about these caves, I shall save them for the week of Halloween.

March 25th 2010 - St. Anne's School, Stanley

One of, if not the, oldest primary school building left in Liverpool, St. Anne's (Stanley) has been educating the children of Stanley and the surrounding areas since 1914. The school is linked with nearby St. Anne's Cof E Church, built when Stanley was but a tiny rural village between the hamlets of Old Swan and Stoneycroft in the 1830's. These districts still exist, Stanley being one of the smallest (and least 'well known') districts in the city. The church and the school play an important role in the community and residents are rightly proud of both - the school received 'Outstanding' in their recent Ofsted inspection, the first Liverpool school to gain '1' in every inspection area.