John Edward Cooper’s Notes

A shocking night. I was so tired I could not switch off. I tossed and turned for 5 hours, wide awake… I finally dozed off after 3am and had a very queer dream. I was relieved to wake up out of that. I had another short sleep over an hour later and lay awake until nearly 8am. I finally got up. I had almost done in the bathroom when there was a knock at the door and a man asked if I wanted room service! I was naked except for my knickers, and [John] was fast asleep. What the hell! At first I thought he was delivering food to the wrong room, then realised he’d asked to clean. I managed to be polite and explain…, “Not now!” After I shut the door I realised we probably wouldn’t get our room done today so, before we went for breakfast, just after 9am, I went to reception and told what had happened and [that I was] concerned we wouldn’t get our room cleaned. I was assured all would be OK (Hah!). In the meantime, whilst [John] was getting ready, I Googled hairdressers [that were] open nearby. I’d intended washing my hair before dinner but didn’t want to do it myself. I found a place called Zoo… and booked for 10.30am. [John] was feeling a bit off, so he just had ‘pobbies’[i] and coffee. I had fruit and coffee, as yesterday. At ca.10.00am we set off for Zoo.

[i] Pobbies was the word my Grandma Cooper used for breakfast cereals. It originally meant pieces of white bread soaked in warm milk.

Janet said to me, “Good morning…!” (08:38), so I showered, etc. We left the room to go down for breakfast (09:18). I only had cornflakes and coffee, because I was feeling a bit nauseous. We were back in the room ca.25 minutes later (09:54). I opened the Maps app and plotted the route to Zoo from the hotel. We left the room and followed the route there (10:05–10:24).

It was pretty windy — but not as bad as Friday and Saturday — and quite cool. We found Zoo, and Ryan did a good job on my hair. It was so relaxing I almost nodded off (I’d had hardly any sleep).

…I paid … (“Zoo salon”, £36.00, 10:52).


Receipt from Zoo Salon, printed “10:52:30”

He recommended that we visit a church he often goes in for peace and contemplation called Our Lady and St. Nicholas — for fishermen.[ii] A small church. So we set off for that, and it rained.… I’d taken the brolly out of my bag. Did not want to get my hair wet. I spotted a bar just up the road, so we went in for shelter. It was called The Tempest, and we had a Diet Coke each…, and lingered until the rain stopped and the sun came out.

[ii] “Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, sailors, merchants, and pawnbrokers.” [Google “AI Overview”]

Leaving Zoo, following a route plotted on the Maps app, we turned right and walked along Hackins Hey, intending to turn left at the end along Tithebarn Street and its continuation Chapel Street till we got to “Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)”.


Monday 15 June 2026 10:55:12
Zoo Hairdressing, 6 Hackins Hey, Liverpool L2 2AW


Monday 15 June 2026 10:55:59
Proceeding along Hackins Hey, Liverpool: murals on the walls of buildings


Monday 15 June 2026 10:55:59 (detail)
A “beehive”, complete with bee!

But it started to rain, so we hurried to the nearest “” shown on the map, on the right corner of Hackins Way and Tithebarn Street. I paid for our glasses of Diet Coke … (“Tempest on Tithebarn”, £5.40, 11:08).


Monday 15 June 2026 11:11:30
Shelter from rain at Tempest on Tithebarn, 12 Tithebarn Street, Liverpool L2 2DT

The church was just down the road, and we went inside. We were, after a few minutes, on our own. I was glad we went.

We left Tempest on Tithebarn (11:37), turned left along Tithebarn Street and Chapel Street, then turned left just before the church into Old Churchyard, entering the church from there by the door in its liturgical west / geographical east end.


Monday 15 June 2026 11:42:46
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas), Old Churchyard, Liverpool L2 8TZ


Monday 15 June 2026 11:45:23
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 11:45:51
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 11:47:18
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas): “St. Nicholas”


Monday 15 June 2026 11:47:55
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas): “Our Lady”


Monday 15 June 2026 11:48:43
Greg Tricker (1951– )
The Grail Boat, 2010


Monday 15 June 2026 12:06:15
Greg Tricker (1951– )
The Grail Boat, 2010


Monday 15 June 2026 11:49:27
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 11:49:58
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 11:52:49
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 11:53:16
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)


Monday 15 June 2026 12:08:16
Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas)

There was one of the payment machines in there, such as we’d seen at the two cathedrals, so I… [made] a donation (“Lat * Liverpool PCC”, £15.00, 12:10).

We set off back to the hotel down The Strand, as [John] had come out without his jacket and was cold. We stopped at a Tesco Extra en route to buy bread and a banana for my lunch [tomorrow]. Back at the hotel, a cleaning cart was almost at our room, to my relief. [John] Googled Italian restaurants nearby, and found Ninello’s, not far away in Duke Street. So we went there, and had a really good meal. [John] got his grappa and we both had decent coffee at last! And it was cheaper than Gusto! Wish we’d found it last night. Hey ho! It had rained again whilst we were in there. We had a good chat with the owner. He was from Sicily, and was going home this weekend (lucky [fellow]!)

Monday 15 June 2026 12:16:00
Returning to the hotel, looking ahead: Royal Liver Building


Monday 15 June 2026 12:17:34
Returning to the hotel, looking behind: Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady and Saint Nicholas) and entrance to Our Lady and Saint Nicholas Church Garden

On arrival in the hotel room (12:42), I put on my jacket. I also picked up the camera and hung it from my neck (though I didn’t use it; the couple of photos I took were done using my phone).… I looked at the Maps app for nearby Italian restaurants, and plotted the route from the hotel to one six minutes’ walk away: Ninello’s. We left the hotel room (13:03).
 Just then, my phone rang (13:03): it was G— B—, saying that it wouldn’t be he who’d be coming for us tomorrow, but Louie. He regretted that, because he’d miss having a “yarn” with us.
 We turned left into Strand Street, left again along Canning Place by the bus station, continued on the first part of Hanover Street, and bore right at the somewhat complicated six-way junction into Duke Street, not far along which on the left we found the fairly narrow frontage of Ninello’s. Janet had a salad. I had “Bruschetta Pomodoro” as an appetiser, and “Casarecce Piccanti” (“Casarecce pasta with spicy ’nduja and sausage”) as a main. To drink I had a pint of Peroni “Nastro Azzuro” beer (5% a.b.v.). We both had coffee, suitably small and strong. I was pleased to see two grappe listed under “Amari & Digestive” on the drinks menu: the choices were Bepi Tosolini “Grappa di Moscato Bianca” (£7.75) and Bepi Tosolini “Grappa di Moscato Barrique”[iii] (£9.92). The former nowadays is my usual staple whenever I order a bottle, so I chose the latter today.

[iii] Grappa Barrique (also known as Grappa Barricata) is a premium Italian spirit that has been aged for a minimum of 12 months, with at least 6 months spent in small, toasted oak barrels called "barriques". Unlike clear, young grappas, this aging process transforms the spirit into a deep golden or amber liquid with a smooth texture and rich complex aromas. [Google “AI Overview”]

Monday 15 June 2026 13:47:40
Lunch at Ninello’s, 15 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5AP: Casarecce Piccanti (“Casarecce pasta with spicy ’nduja and sausage”)


Monday 15 June 2026 14:23:56
Lunch at Ninello’s, 15 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5AP: Grappa di Moscato Barrique

I paid the bill… (“Ninello’s”, £70.68, 14:46).


Bill from Ninello’s, printed “1:22:26pm”

[We] managed to get back to the hotel before it rained again (a day of sunshine and showers). I was not surprised to discover that our room had not been cleaned, despite my visit to reception this morning (hah!). I was very angry and we went to reception (fortunately, it was the same lady), and [I] was assured that one would come, up to 4pm. I didn’t believe that: the cleaner had obviously gone by our room. We returned to our room and, not long after, a cleaner arrived. (Quelle surprise! If I hadn’t complained, it wouldn’t have been done — as I said.) So we went to the bar for ½-hour, and [when we] returned to our room it was done.… [John] had a sleep, and I updated this [journal], etc., then looked at some Morocco holiday photos until ca.5.30pm, when I woke [John] for dinner at 6pm. We were the only ones in the restaurant (we didn’t care) and we were back in our room at ca.7.30pm.

We returned to our hotel room and, finding that it hadn’t been cleaned, visited reception and reported that fact. She told us that it would be done by 4pm. We returned to the room (15:00).… There was a knock at the door (15:04): it was the cleaner; so we vacated the room. We returned (15:42). … I [did this and that] ([to] 16:09). I then lay down (16:11). Janet spoke to me to wake me up (17:30).… We left the room (17:50), and went down to the Exchange Restaurant.


Monday 15 June 2026 18:15:50
Dinner at the hotel: Korean Chicken Burger


Bill from the Exchange Restaurant, Hilton Liverpool City Centre, printed “18:02”. I had one pint of Stella Artois this evening; but I informed the server that a pint had been omitted from the bill on Friday 12 June, so that was also included.

In contrast with the last time we were there (Friday 12 June), I had a struggle to eat what was put in front of me. We returned to the room (19:18).… Janet got ready for bed. … Using Windows Photo Viewer, I showed Janet yesterday’s and today’s photos. I shut down the computer (20:27);… cleaned teeth; and went to bed (20:44).

I had a shower [and] brushed my teeth; and we looked at photos from yesterday and today. (We looked at Friday’s and Saturday’s photos last evening.) We were in bed at ca.8.45pm, feeling very tired (no surprise there!).

…

[Tuesday 16 June 2026]