THE mercury rocketed, the sea shimmered and sun-seekers piled down there in their thousands.
This weekend, Crosby Marina and beach were more Baywatch than Mersey shore – but with the enhanced frisson of loose pit-bulls and pyromaniacs who made their hotly anticipated return for the 2012 season.
In the summertime,
when the weather's fine...But for most it was a jolly wheeze, and the normally desolate sands had all the feel of a holiday resort.
The record numbers and record temperatures will undoubtedly have seen sales of sunscreen rocket, but for one Antony Gormley statue, the story was nothing but a cover-up.
Who crocheted this bespoke body stocking is a mystery to all except the thoughtful hand knitter who, when things were nippier a couple of weeks ago, went to great lengths, and great yarns, to kit out his or her main man.
Is it the work of Polish artist Olek who famously gets her needles out on landmarks and people the world over, including the New York Stock Exchange? After all, what's good enough for Wall Street is good enough for Waterloo.
Smart OlekOne thing we do know is that those responsible were dressed in the same knitted outfits, and they made their escape in a van, according to Sefton Councillor Mike Roche who was out for a stroll.
But by yesterday, as the other 99 iron men stood stoic in the heat, it wasn't just the disposable barbecues sizzling.
Maybe our friend was the lucky one. For although he may have been a tad warm, there is nothing worse than a burnt sausage.
Update
Well folks, Yes, it was indeed she.
The BBC spotted our story and tracked Olek down in New York where she said her outfits for the Gormley sculptures were "transforming old into new".
"I think it is his most successful installation," she said. "The pieces have been there for a while and people stop paying attention to them.
"By covering them and giving them a new skin, I made them more alive... besides, it is a public work and needs an interaction with a viewer."
Ta daaaa!
