Liverpool

Before we begin, click this link (which will open in another tab) and get the music playing. It is the official soundtrack to this post. Done? Yes? Now you may continue.

Yesterday I, along with the parents, hopped on the M62 and visited the other end of the Leeds Liverpool canal to explore and do a bit of shopping in the 2008 City of Culture.

We began by wandering down the high street and nipping into a few shops (I ended up buying yet another pair of sunglasses, so I’ll add those to the pile), but then I ended up wandering down a side street and finding a little museum and cafe, so I took a few photos and explored the area…

We wandered thorough the archways and ended up in a cute little courtyard, where people were just lounging around eating and reading. The architecture was quite quirky and made for some interesting photos…

Then, after a bit more shopping, me and my dad headed down towards the docks, where I took about a thousand photos. I’ve picked out a few of the key ones to save you a few hours of your life…

We also encountered some of the infamous Superlambananas along the front by the Liverpool Museum. I was reminded of a fabulous talk by Paul Kelly of Lancashire County Council on the history of the sculpture as part of a larger talk on public art in general, which was part of a Blaze Arts Forum last year – how time has flown! Which reminds me, after a large spell of minimal contact with Blaze, I’m heading over there tomorrow morning for the latest Blaze Forum. I’ll be sure to report back with another blog post!

Now I know I’ve mentioned this before, but seeing as this is a photography-heavy post, all my photos are taken on an iPhone 5S and then edited with an VSCO Cam, an iOS app that I’ve made mention of before here. I’ve considered buying a proper DSLR quite a bit recently, but my photography knowledge is rudimental at best, and so I’d have no idea where to start. If anyone has any suggestions be sure to leave a comment or get in touch via Twitter, Email or on Facebook.

My latest purchase, however, was made yesterday in Liverpool, I popped into the Apple Store and picked myself up am iPad. I’ve been eying them up ever since they released the Mini and have now finally taken the plunge! I couldn’t justify buying one after the splurge on my MacBook in 2012, but now I’m more mobile in regular travels around the country, I thought it’d be beneficial. Also, after my recent excitement of receiving the paid scholarship from university, I thought I’d treat myself – it may also be a useful research tool, you never know!

But veering off topic slightly there, back to Liverpool. After a snoop around Liverpool One, me and my dad wandered off once more to the Cavern Club area, birthplace of The Beatles! You will, of course, have the brilliant “Lovely Rita” playing already as I requested demanded at the start of the post. If you haven’t, then shame on you, and here’s the link again.

In other recent news, I took a few hours out on Tuesday afternoon to indulge in a spot of baking, assisted for a while by my mum. She mixed and baked the basic plain buns, which I then turned into butterfly buns (after a bit of a buttercream disaster), and then I went on to create some delicious triple chocolate buns with a peanut butter core. They were good. Here’s a few photos from my Paul Hollywood-esque adventure…

But for now I’m going to grab my iPad and set off on a quest to find some killer apps for it. Currently really sad that FiftyThree’s Pencil isn’t yet available in the UK, so for now I’ll just play Solitaire and Tetris until I fall asleep.