A good day

No crafting from me, not today or yesterday.  Friday was taken up by dental appointment, praise to my dentist for not inflicting any pain on me, even though she removed a tooth. Didn't have any of those horrible side effects that you get as the numbness wears off.   But I did feel a bit yucky, so I had a quiet day.

Today was entirely different.  I woke up to find that it was chucking it down with rain, then sleet, a bit of hail chucked in for good measure.  I was sure that the visit to the museum would be cancelled.   Yet the weather forecaster kept telling me that it was sunny, dry but cold... yeah, right!   I still got myself ready, checked the bus times and was determined to go.    The plan was to  head for the Museum of Liverpool life,  see first picture.

It is a very impressive place and I had wanted to have a look round for ages, but going on your own is no fun.  By the time I was ready, hair washed,  warm clothes, plenty of layers, the sun was out and the rain had gone.  So off I went. First challenge was to get the bus, absolutely no point in driving into town, parking charges are horrendous.   At last the bus arrived, well I was early,  nice bus driver took good care of me and told me where to get the bus for return journey.  It was freezing down at the Pier Head, and windy, as it usually is.  I couldn't see Rachel, so went inside to keep warm, no sign of her there either.  Then she arrived,  she is a lovely, lovely young lady, who always has a smile on her face.  Her good and sunny nature is infectious.  She introduced me to the others, some former members of the art therapy course, and 3 who were current members.  We had a tour guide, Sophie, she also was lovely,  and it was plain to see how much she enjoyed her job. She took us to a few exhibits, just to get a taste of the place.   I was reminded of mum, but in a very nice way, mum did a local history course shortly after my father died.  Every week mum would go off and have a wonderful afternoon, then she'd come back and tell me all about it.  I once helped her with some 'homework', she had to find some landmarks in Liverpool, I remember that day so well, mum armed with her piece of paper and me with the A-Z as we wandered around trying to find them all.  The tour has certainly whetted my appetite for more.   I had been to the old Museum of Liverpool Life, but it was so far removed from this.  We were all impressed by what we saw.   It was just such a lovely afternoon, everyone was happy to chat away to each other.  That, I have to say, is the benefit of being amongst people who also suffer from depression and anxiety.  No we are not all doom and gloom, far from it,  we just need some understandind and a whole lot of patience.  But being with others who know how you feel makes life so much easier. For a start you can drop the pretence and be yourself, no need to make out that you are a confident person and all that rubbish.

And I am also immensely proud of my city.  It does get rubbished, sometimes from those who should know better.   Yet it is a colourful, vibrant and beautiful city.  I know that the majority of people who come to Liverpool for the first time expecting the worst, leave the city with a very different view.  When I was at university I met many students who had been nervous about coming to Liverpool, but they all ended up loving the place and wanting to stay.  No it is not perfect, far from it,  we have our problems.   But we do have a very rich history,  whcih would surprise many.   Did you know for example that we were once the 2nd City of England?    And how about that for a skyline?   Not bad, it rivals New York and Sydney - so there!

And this is a cityscape, which is in the museum. When I first saw it I thought it was a photo, but iti s a painting.  The artist is Ben Johnson, who should be rewarded for his patience and attention to detail.  The painting itself is huge and took him and nine others months to paint. I, and the rest of the group, were picking out familiar landmarks.

And I bet you can't guess what this is?   Well had a Mr Lutyens got his way it would have been our Catholic Cathedral, amazing isn't it?   This model is in the museum,  I have to say I think to have seen that in Liverpool would have been amazing, the perfect riposte to the Anglican Cathedral at the other end of Hope Street - oh you didn't know we had two Cathedrals?  Oh yes, two tunnels, two football teams, two Cathedrals, we like to have a spare.   And fairly unique that they are linked by a street called Hope.  Sadly, Lutyens design was far too expensive and would have taken years to build, so they ditched it.  They also had many argumetns over the Anglican Cathedral, which now points the wrong way, it was meant to be much bigger than what it is.  I had the joy of looking at the Cathedral every day when I was at University.

And here is our Catholic Cathedral, or affectionately known as Paddy's Wigwam, or the Pope's Colander. The photo isn't doing justice to the amazing stained glass that forms the crown.  When you are inside the colours are so incredible, you really need to lie down to get the best effect from it.   I've visited both, and love them equally, I couldn't care less about how they practice their form of religion.  To me a church/cathedral should be a place for contemplation, to do your thinking, and have a word or three with Him upstairs. Oh don't stand on ceremony, I don't.  I've ranted and raved at him many a time.  I watched documentary about the Salvation Army last week,  very interesting, but it also made me very angry.  You see unless you declare that you declare your devotion and belief in the Almighty, then you are sent to Hell.  So I watched aghast when two of the people in the documentary professed their concern for loved ones who had died without doing this,  one loved one had dementia so was incapable. I was just furious, how could anyone be so narrowminded?  Or think that a loving God would turn anyone away?  The problem with faith is religion.   Oh you can see said documentary this Monday, 11.20 on BBC 4 or on Iplayer.

So that was my day, well some of it.  I came home cold, tired and hungry.  My return bus trip was nice, I had the same driver,  she actually had spotted me at the bus stop as she drove in to the Pier Head.   We had a nice chat until we had to pick up more passengers.  The world is full of really nice people,   I know as I met a few of them today.

I'll be back tomorrow,  and maybe with some crafting!