16/11/06
Blue sky and clouds
Autumnal yellow trees

Driving into Liverpool along the M62, at the end of the motorway, following the signs for Tourist Attractions and the Albert Dock you ‘S’ bend onto Edge Lane Drive – immediately greeted by rows of Liverpool’s iconic purple wheelie bins lined up outside semi detached properties. And then you hit the road works of the “Big Dig”, “The Edge Lane Project: a radical and comprehensive regeneration scheme that will transform Edge Lane and the surrounding area and create a high quality 21st century gateway to Liverpool city centre.” www.edgelane.com.
I park my van up in the retail park – a closed down Carpet World, a closed down shiny stainless steel clad American Diner, and a Blockbusters – that’s open.
I went into the Blockbusters and explained to the store manager, Tony, that I was cycling the area as part of the Liverpool Independents Biennial and would it be OK to leave my van outside the shop for a few hours. He, like so many others I have spoken to, had never heard of the Liverpool Biennial, but I got the Ok to park.
Next to Carpet [empty] World is a Brownfield, on the corner of Edge Lane Drive and Mill Lane –
Up to my usual activity of head lent against an 8ft high security fence, trying to get a measure of the interior space - I’m interrupted by…
“Ey gerl – what’s that cone on ya bike?”
2 young men – sharing a spliff.
“Oh, it’s… um…I’m doing a project cycling around Liverpool, and the cone… um…”
Sometimes I feel like such a plonker when I attempt to explain the cone…
I start again
Oh, that’s to do with the Liverpool Independents Biennial – have you heard of it?
“No”
“Oh, it’s a really big art show all over the city and I’m an artist in the Biennial and I’m looking at places like this (point to site) to check out the wildlife on them”
They look at the derelict site and then look back at me – heads slightly tilted.
(These young men were proper Scouse, and I will do my best…)
“Oh…”
“Av ya seen the foxes? Round ere there’s loads ov em”
“I took a load out with me pellet gun and last night – should un a said that should I - bet ya like foxes, ay gerl?”
We chatted a bit about the Edge Lane development. One mentioned that he lives down Mill Lane, but because the traffic congestion is so bad, he now parks over the other side of Edge Lane Drive and walks the rest of his way home because he can’t stand just sitting there in the traffic.
I ask them what they think of the Development Plan, and what’s been going on with Mrs. Pascoe -
“Oh er – can’t stand er – she was throwing stuff at our kid the other day”
Not what I expected to hear – but might not be the same Mrs. Pascoe, the pensioner that hit the national news last week with her efforts to halt the demolition of the Victorian Houses further down Edge Lane.
Then one of them blurts out…
“What’s that blue thing in ya mouth?”
At which point I realize that I had, until this point, been in conversation with a blue tag held firmly between my teeth – Clint Eastwood cheroot style…
Taking the tag out of my mouth …“Ah, it’s a blue tag for the site – this site got evaluated as a Blue which means that it’s got quite a lot of different wildlife in there.”
Again, they look blankly through the fencing at the debris covered Tarmac erupting in places with tall herb vegetation and saplings.
It takes a while to wave farewells to these two very cheery, very chatty, very Scouse lads.
As we walk our separate ways, they keep calling back to me – about football, who do I support, and something about Rooney being fat and out of it.
And then a final
“Yeh – but gerl, what is that cone on yer bike?”