The Strand

This morning at 9am I was stopped at a red light on Barrows Strand, it was raining and I had a drunk in the back of the cab who couldn't manage a full sentence; and it was raining. Then three hours later at 12am I was stopped at a red light on the Strand in the shadow of Liverpool's liver building, the radio was playing the Beatles's "Let it be"and the sun was shining. I could see the mouths of the drivers and passengers of the cars in front and either side singing the words to the song in perfect time. What a contrast, but what was I doing in the Beatles home town on a new eve years morning? Well truth is I was taking time out. I had taken a guy down to Liverpool's John Lennon airport, he was going home too he told me "the heel on the boot of Italy" The way he described it, it sounds a bit like Barrow "remote and hard to get to with bad roads and locals who speak a dialect others can't understand". When I asked him what he thought of Barrow he told me " very nice, but the girls they not wear much clothes when they go out". Well can't argue with that," maybe they are tough" he said "or maybe they are daft" I replied. And so after a nice trip down with my Italian friend I decided to detour back via Liverpool centre down past the Albert Dock and Maritime Museum, the town centre of Liverpool must be the biggest building site in the UK, when it's finished they say it will be spectacular,which to me sounds like a good excuse for a trip down there later on in 2007.