Liverpool entered its second lockdown a few weeks ago. Due to the rapid rise of Corona cases the city was put into the highest tier of emergency measures.
Looking on the bright side Liverpool was chosen for a trial run of fortnightly Corona Virus tests for all residents to try and control the spread. People responded well and we are currently transitioning out of the highest tier of lockdown after just 3 weeks which is remarkable really. I'm not 100% sure if this is jumping the gun a little but the science seems to indicate a rapid decline in the R rate of infection.
It seems to me that what we have happening now in the UK is a kind of political chess game between central government and local authorities. One side is more interested in economic concerns than human lives, while the other tries to advise the best course of action to limit the impact on stretched public services. I will leave it up to your imagination as to which side cares more about the economy than human lives.
Lockdown didn't change much for me to be honest. Just a chance to race around on my bike without worrying about colliding into people. I thought I would share some pictures of my bike ride last week along with a trip down memory lane as the ride took me past my old school. Also some of my thoughts about the fading of the year in this quasi zombie apocalypse 2020.
As the wind was blowing westward, I decided to take a route that followed the river west on the way home. Riding against the wind on the banks of the Mersey can be a test of the old calf muscles. I used to ride the river bank against the wind when training a while back... but those days have passed.
The route follows 3 parks on its way to the river near Garston, but I didn't get off my bike to photograph my journey until I reached Calderstones park (pictured above). The white building in the right of the picture is my old Highschool, Calderstones. Originally called quarry bank:
John formed a school band called The Quarry Men and I like to 'imagine' that a creative spirit runs strong in the stones of that school. Noted horror writer Clive Barker was also a pupil at Quarry Bank. And from my generation, two of my friends who attended Calderstones are now successful writers. Also, the greatest Liverpool skateboarder Geoff Rowley attended the school and was three years ahead of me.
I skateboarded between 1998 and 2008, when injury forced me to give it up for a more serine pastime 😂 I still remember the feeling of cruising into the city center to skate a sunny day away. The concrete a tapestry of possibilities, a place of play and a boneyard to grind out life's frustrations. There is a visceral creativity to skateboarding, making the seemingly impossible possible to the theme of the music in your ears and spilt blood on the asphalt. I eventually had to stop due to a twisted tendon in my knee. But that is enough of this little trip down memory lane. Back to the serene drifts of autumn leaves scattered on the breeze.
The cycle route took me through the park, resplendent with autumn color. Amber hues mingled with the burnt umber of peeling bark. Flashes of crimson speckled the foliage creating a kind of fiery cascade of shades with the green of the turning leaves.
This time of year always inspires that reflective muse in me. The eternal cycle of life and death speaks of the poetry of the cosmos. The drifts of leaves falling to decay in a riot of color contain a glimpse of the duality of the universe. An expression of nature's beauty in death, the symbiosis of those scales weighing time in myriad moments, only to die and be reborn like the falling leaves.
Autumn is a special time in the northern hemisphere. The landscape speaks of renewal, and offers a gateway into the world of memory. A portal to the past.
As I wandered through the walled gardens the sun broke through the clouds and birds emerged from the boles of trees. Squirrels rustled in the undergrowth and the quiet mummer of a distant traffic breathed a susurrus through the afternoon air.
As I left the walled gardens the clouds drew in and a spot of cold rain hit my upturned face. Time to jump on the bike ride 'hell for leather' to make it the seven miles home before the heavens opened.
On the way I stopped at Otterspool park to snap the graffiti on this derelict building.
Back to civilization.
And caught the tide on the way out before riding the west wind back to the city center and home.
All images used in this post are my own original photographs. If you have enjoyed this slice-of-life blog, you can check out my homepage @raj808 for similar creative content. Thank you.
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