A special day

Around about this time last year we had a family holiday in Liverpool to mark a milestone birthday f  A good time was had by all especially as our granddaughter was able to take time off from her studies to join us.

The Albert Docks

Liverpool Metropolitan Roman Catholic Cathedral

and the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

 out-and-about and a celebration birthday meal

Hippy Café, M and daughter A,
 Rosa's Thai Restaurant birthday meal,
M, daughter A, A's brother S and Mr P
 at the Yellow Submarine Café,
  Daughters outside The Cavern Club

Fast forward to this year - the Easter holiday and our daughter's birthday have been very different. As she's a paediatric health visitor based in a hospital all holiday time has been cancelled.  She's been deployed into the intensive care premature baby unit as well as her usual time in the Accident and Emergency Department in an advisory paediatric role. On Saturday she made her own birthday cake and grandson helped decorate it. (Our granddaughter is still in the student house in Liverpool continuing studying remotely and finishing her dissertation for her final year of her degree). The lemon drizzle Victoria Sponge Cake was decorated with limoncello icing and during the weekend social distance visit our daughter and grandson brought us half of the cake.  Sadly we couldn't have tea together, but after the two had gone back home I did get out a tea set and Mr P and I had a slice of the birthday cake with a cup of tea and thought once more about the challenges we're all experiencing at the moment.

Getting out the tea set (we usually drink our breakfast tea from mugs) led me on to sort out the china cupboard during this week.  We have so much china that hardly gets any use except during family gatherings and yet I keep a lot of it for sentimental reasons. 

It has been quite a busy week so far.  Yesterday I went for another walk, this time up to the Common, which I'll write about next time.  I hope that your week is going well.

Around the Albert Dock, Liverpool

The River Mersey Waterfront

  

You can see the Anglican Cathedral in the distance between the warehouses

whose arcades have been converted into shops and restaurants.

Old transport vehicles have been converted into

refreshment venues selling ice cream, food and drink.

The Piermaster's House, Albert Parade was originally built in 1852 for the piermaster and his family.  The piermaster was responsible for the safe passage of ships entering or leaving the dock.  The house was one of four built on the site, the only one left standing following heavy bombings during WWII.  The rooms are now dressed in the period of the 1940s with original period furniture and everyday objects to represent life in wartime Liverpool.  It would be interesting to see inside - perhaps next time?

 I'd like to go back and see the art exhibitions

in Tate Liverpool Art Gallery.....

Instead there were several art installations and statues around the dock that you couldn't help noticing. The above sculpture next to the Piermaster's House in Mermaid Courtyard is called Liverpool Mountain.  The artist, Ugo Rondinone, is known for his large-scale sculptures displayed around the world. It is made up of five enormous colourful rocks, stacked vertically, and is the first sculpture of its kind in Europe. It is inspired by naturally occurring hoodoos (spires or pyramids of rock) or the art of meditative rock balancing.  It marks the 10th anniversary of Liverpool European Capital of Culture as well as the 30th anniversary of Tate Liverpool.

evening and daytime photos of the statue

This statue is of Billy Fury who was a rock-and-roll star in Liverpool and well known before the time of the Beatles became famous. Billy and the other early UK rock stars of the time I do remember well!

Another art installation - I didn't make a note of

the artist or what this piece of art represented.

I found this sculpture on the waterfront next to the Piermaster's House very touching.

Whilst the others in our family group sat and had a welcome drink in the old Pump House/converted pub and eatery I took a walk back to the main road called The Strand as I wanted to take a closer look at some of the famous buildings along it that are opposite Albert Dock.

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral (part 2)

It's early morning in our household and I'm posting more about the Liverpool Cathedral on this Good Friday as I have some quiet time to myself before the day begins. (Yesterday one of the grandsons and his girlfriend drove up from Berkshire on his way north to see his other grandparents and we went out into the countryside, which I'll share after the Easter weekend and our other grandson and his girlfriend are also coming for our family reunion on Easter Sunday.

A visitor to the cathedral has to walk up a hill (St James' Mount) to the main entrance. Surrounding it are many old buildings and you can walk down into St James' Garden.  During the 18th century this was a quarry providing stone for the beautiful Georgian buildings in the city. Later it was developed as a cemetery and the Parthenon like building know as the Oratory served a the mortuary chapel. In the garden is a mineral spring. If we go back to Liverpool it's another area I would like to return to.

the war grave of a Victoria Cross for Gallantry

recipient.

The family grave of the Gilbert Scotts

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (a Roman Catholic) was only 22 years old when, in 1902, he won the design competition to build the cathedral.  It became his life's work over the next six decades.  Medieval in design, 20th materials and techniques were used in the construction.

The cathedral is dedicated to the Risen Christ and a statue of Christ with outstretched arms over the main West Doors welcomes visitors as they enter the building. The work by Elisabeth Frink was erected just a few days before her death in 1993.

The Benedicte Window over the Great West Doors

by the artist Carl Edwards takes inspiration from scripture

'O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord'.

the Dulverton Bridge usually allows visitors to view the

nave and high altar from above, but is closed for repair at the moment

Looking back from the transepts in the nave

towards the West Doors and the Dulverton Bridge.

Looking toward the high altar from the nave

The High Altar (difficult to photograph with my small digital camera). The Last Supper is illustrated in the lower panel. Above is the Passion and the Crucifixion of Christ. Above and behind in the 

Te Deum window.  The Te Deum is an ancient hymn of praise, 'We praise thee, O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord....'

a choir stall with a carving of a cormorant

(the symbol of the city 'the Liver Bird')

the organ

the Chapter House

The Holy Family in the Children's Chapel

a last look at the Benedicte Window before leaving

below a neon light installation by the artist, Tracey Emin

reads " I Felt You And I Know You Loved Me"

I'll leave you today with a photo mosaic - home and

our church fellowship garden.