Birthday treat...

A swanky continental market in the city centre, one of those that tours cultureless cities around the country. Because, I suppose, we would never be able to sample fancy things like cheese, crepes and salami unless it's brought to our doorstep from these distant foreign lands. An excuse for tracksuited sorts to exclaim "eeurgh!" in the direction of bread they don't like the look of, and for ladies to show their superior knowledge of paella when someone wonders "what's in the big pan?" Inexplicably, amongst the foodstuffs and the flower bulbs and the trinkets, was a stall selling rather un-continental "winter sets" comprising the sort of badly-made woolly hats and scarves once fashionable in the 1930s. Sadly the smell of nice food was somewhat overcome by the smell of Hull's city centre drains, which don't appear to have been "flushed out" as per a recent announcement. People who claim to be big city centre movers and shakers were on the local radio and television yesterday saying that Hull has the potential to be the "Covent Garden of the north", a rather bizarre, intangible thing to aim for and, even if I could work out what it meant, I feel it's probably a long way off. And, given the fishing heritage and the stench, maybe we should gun for aping Billingsgate Fish Market first.

Youngest son Sam was 11 today. So, by way of a really special treat, we took him to the Ferens (free admission) to cock a snoop at the Master of the Sea - Charles Napier Hemy exhibition, which opened today. Lots of oily marine paintings from the late 19th and early 20th century. All rather drab, really, I thought, although the odd one did capture the danger of working at sea. Sam agreed, stating, after he'd looked at one, "This is boring". So off we trotted for a party tea, with jelly and ice cream and everything, even though he's far too old for that sort of thing now and can often be seen in art galleries.

Listening: Faithless - Don't Leave.

Tags: Covent Garden, Ferens, Charles Napier Hemy