Fun with a ball

Leeds Dock. We came here to go to the Armouries and became totally enthralled by the old docklands. A modern waterside retail park and residents on what used to be Clarence dock in Leeds.

This dock was constructed in 1843 to transport mainly coal from collieries around Rothwell and Wakefield to industries in Hunslet and Leeds city centre. Constructed for boats on the Leeds and Liverpool canal and the Aire and Calder navigation,

It is now just called Leeds Dock. The side of the dock once had a massive crain to unload goods from canal barge boats, By the 1990,s this area was mostly derelict victorian buildings, all very run down. This area suffered greatly when all the mills were closed in this Yorkshire and heavy engineering moved away. Also all the collieries closed.

The Armouries was the first construction to be built to rejuvenate this area. This cost 42.5 million pounds and is purpose built fine designer amazing building. jaw dropping in fact.
" Heck" said Lee. "that is a lot of concrete"

We came here today to go to the Armouries. As always I was drawn to the water and we took a stroll down the old dock.....

It is now very sleek and very very modern. to the point of scarily uniform and characterless....The dock was started to be redeveloped in 1991 with the opening of The Armouries , though nothing much else happened until 2004. The area was intended as a posey living residential area with retail and loads of restaurants and cafes. I think it was meant to buzz.

There are a few bars and cafes but the area appears empty. The shops that did come here in great excitement all closed ages ago. So I really do not know what to make of it all. We came here to day because it was free entry to the Armouries. We did not spend any money at all except to park in the multi story car park.

I saw a few tourists. but not loads. I saw a very few in the water side cafes but not very many.....mostly empty tables and chairs. This is August too.....so I guess this area did not become the mecca it was hoped for. We live about twenty minutes away. This is only the second time we have visited for pleasure.

When we both worked on the Rusty van....we ran a small business called "a man with a van" where we did light removals/ deliveries stuff like that....a call from a customer wanting to move here was one of trepidation as I knew it would be a nightmare. To get a vehicle close enough to flats to move belongings in to these building is not allowed. So generally we had to carry everything from the barriers then negotiate lifts and security in the building themselves. In the end I just turned the jobs down to be honest. ......So Yes! we have not been here for a while.

We were discussing all of this as we walked down the new walk ways......there is vast amounts of space here.....and the apartments are rented out fully furnished fortunately.....

Then I spied this huge reflective ball and headed towards it......this ball was the most fun we had all day in this modern sole less place.....

as always...Lee could be relayed upon to pose....

These were also the best pictures I took all day as well.....

Just looked up how much it costs to have a two bedroom apartment here....about £850 a month. They are diddy. we moved people in at one time.
"it's crazy! " said Lee " you could have a nice house with a garden for that.....what about food? bills....all that? yer would have to work al't time.....never be there any way,"

This sculpture is called "a reflective approach" and was created in 2007 by Kieth Atherton. 

As the ball is pushed closer to the waters edge it becomes bigger and bigger making the task harder.......

Sisyphean task

As a punishment from the gods for his trickery, Sisyphus was made to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again. The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus. As a result when Sisyphus was condemned to his punishment, Zeus displayed his own cleverness by binding Sisyphus to an eternity of frustration with the boulder rolling away from Sisyphus when he neared the top of the hill. Accordingly, pointless or interminable activities are often described as Sisyphean. Sisyphus was a common subject for ancient writers and was depicted by the painter Polygnotus on the walls of the Lesche at Delphi.

So that is what this sculpture is based upon. So that leads me to the question "Why?".....
" I think it is just a co onisidence" stated Lee "I think they thought it would be fun to have someone push a ball into the dock....and he wears modern clothes. there are other shiny balls around in Leeds as well.  Not based on that daft story I think....."

So back past the empty cafes we went to the Armouries.

This cafe even had a little library...for borrowing books to read whilst you sit on your own in this wast souless space.
Are you getting that I don't like this area? well I kind of do...but I also find it very scarey. I was already spooked by the multistory car park and the lifts in there. ( i do not like lifts! I get spooked big time when the door close...)
So we went into the Armouries and then rescued a dozing Monza and went back to Kirkstall for lunch.