Since I was trapped indoors yesterday, mostly reading, I don't have much to blog about! So here are some more recent photos from the ol' iPhone.
First, the shadows are lengthening on my morning walks with Olga!
This strange, 2001-like monolith appeared on Finchley Road. I have no idea what it could be. I thought it was some kind of parking meter, but I don't think there's parking along this stretch of road, so that seems unlikely. Stay tuned!
A rather sad collection of free stuff on a bench outside the West Hampstead library...
I love that someone wrote graffiti outside the train station as "The Fare Evader." Not particularly skillful graffiti, though.
This medallion is on the exterior wall of a local auto supply store, but I have no idea what it refers to. I've tried Googling and come up with nothing. I'm not sure how long this shop has sold auto supplies -- it may have been something else in an earlier life. Any ideas? (*See addendum below)
I do know what this stands for -- the Zoological Society of London. Also known (at least by me) as the Sloth Car! When I was taking the photo a woman walked up and unlocked the doors. "I bet this car gets a lot of attention," I told her, and she agreed!
Finally, Dave bought a loaf of Warburton's bread recently that was the tiniest bread loaf I've ever seen. The slices were scarcely bigger than the palm of my hand. (I have biggish hands, but not gigantic.) I used it to make tiny sandwiches, which is pretty much all you can do with tiny bread.
*Addendum: The intrepid Jenny O solved this mystery! The LCS wreath is the mark of the London Cooperative Society, an organization that linked independent grocers, department stores and other retailers across the city between 1920 and 1981. Thanks, Jenny!
The LCS with wreath is here: http://paintedsignsandmosaics.blogspot.ca/2011/05/million-londoners-tokyngton.html (googled 'acronyms LCS wreath' and lucked out)
ReplyDeleteTiny bread & tiny sandwiches is hilarious :) But you're totally right! And it looks good.
On one lawn along my walking route there is a whole tarp covered with free stuff including a picnic cooler, a golf club bag (I didn't check to see if the clubs were in it), a Gund teddy bear and assorted small toy trucks. Looks like someone cleaned out their garage. It wouldn't have made nearly as colourful a picture as yours, though - everything looked washed out and grey and dingy. Even your photos of someone ele's freebies are classy!
Hope you are starting to improve, cold-wise.
Jenny O: Bravo for finding that so quickly! I Googled LCS and various combinations of words but never thought to add "wreath." Duh! Anyway, glad the mystery is solved. I've tweaked the blog post to add the new info. As for the cold, I'm still coughing and carrying on, but I think I'm on the mend.
ReplyDeleteIt's disappointing that you applaud fare evasion Steve. In my old-fashioned way of thinking, I think that fare evasion is just plain wrong. Jenny O got there before me with LCS. The Co-operative movement was forged in the north of England. I believe it began in Rochdale north of Manchester and was underpinned by socialist tenets at a time of much hardship.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't mean to applaud fare evasion. It IS just plain wrong. I just thought it was a funny phrase to use as a graffiti tag!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos. You had me at the shadows on your morning walk, but then each one that followed was more thought provoking than the one before. As a series, it's just lovely.
ReplyDelete"Fare Evader" is indeed a rather literal tag for a criminal. If The Sundance Kid had just called himself "Harry Bank Robber", nobody would remember him today.
I think the wrapped-up monolith might be a video billboard.
It's important (to me) to remember that grocers got their name because they bought produce and merchandise by the GROSS. They did not buy by the GROSH. So they are not GROSHERS, they are Gross-ers. I've given up trying to correct the world on its use of the word "literally", but I'm still fighting for the "S" sound in Grocers/Grocery.
That bread would also make very large croutons.
ReplyDeleteNice pictures, Steve. The free stuff is rather heartbreaking.
yes, an interesting selection of pictures. I would like that tiny bread if the slices are normal thickness. probably TMI but bread gives me gas so we buy rye in the more oval shape and I cut one slice in two for my sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteYour "ol' iPhone" sure has a lot of fine stories in pictures to tell us. A wonderful journey out and about. Glad to know you are on the mend!
ReplyDeleteThat first photo made me think of fall immediately. The long shadows give it away. A fine assortment of iPhone photos!
ReplyDeleteAn interesting view of England.
ReplyDeleteI love the markings on Olga's back - they're just so interesting. And that bread IS tiny. Perfect for those of us who are trying to lose weight, but want a tuna sandwich. :)
ReplyDeleteThe bench flotsam almost made me cry
ReplyDelete