Dear God, I had to get out of the house yesterday. I don't doubt that my blog has been feeling a bit claustrophobic lately -- garden, dog, garden, dog, rinse, repeat -- because it's an accurate reflection of my life! I really needed to take a walk.
So I hoofed it over to Kentish Town, not too many miles away, and spent several hours taking pictures. (Dave's joke about Kentish Town, which I'm sure I've already told, is that "it's not really Kent. It's only Kent-ish.") I left Olga to the mercy of her dog-walker, and knowing how frustrated -- literally, barking mad -- she sometimes gets when I stop to take pictures, it's just as well.
I didn't stop anywhere along the way -- just walked and walked. I found some quirky street art and some interesting shadows and shopfronts and street life, and I'll post more of those photos in the coming days.
I blogged a canary above, so how about a cat, too? Isn't this a beautiful animal? Kind of a shame it was lying on top of the rubbish bins, rather than posing picturesquely on a flowery windowsill, but oh well. It's a cat -- it knows it doesn't have to please me.
In case any of you just can't live a day without seeing an image from our garden, here's a photo I meant to post a couple of days ago when I was showing you our current crop of flowers. It's a snapdragon, one of several that came up and bloomed again -- two years after I first planted them. They were slow to get going, but they're pretty durable!
Other than my walk, yesterday was pretty uneventful. We're watching the third season of "Bosch" and I had to go back and watch the first episode of the season again, because I just wasn't following a couple of plot points. Dead guy in a camper, dead guy in an apartment, potential new romantic interest, spy cameras, dead graffiti artist/hustler, and remnants of last season that never seemed to get resolved. My head was spinning. I think I've got it more or less figured out now.
The New York Times had yet another article about whether the USA should get rid of pennies. Do you know it costs 2 cents to make every penny? The government actually loses money on the scheme. I have no idea why they're still in production -- and the same is true in the UK, where they are equally useless. (In fact here we've got an additional useless coin, the two-pence piece.) Sixty percent of them are used only once before being abandoned in jars or discarded. I think we ought to round everything up or down to the nearest nickel. But the last time this idea got bandied about in the UK, the tabloids ran headlines saying "Save our coppers!" Somehow a sentimental attachment to an antiquated symbol always wins the day.
A penny for my thoughts...
ReplyDeleteKentish Town, Kentish Town
Everybody's got their heads bowed down
The sun don't shine above the ground
Ain't a-goin' down to Kentish Town
Who's the fat guy between the barbershop and the cafe? Looks suspicious to me.
Australia got rid of the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back in 1992. Prices in shops are still shown in exact cents and all of the odd cents are added up at the cash register. If you pay by card, then you are charged the exact amount (e.g. $5.77) but if you pay by cash (who does?) then the total charged is either rounded up or down to the nearest five cents - and a 5 cent coin may show up in your change, depending on the amount paid. Now the argument that is raging is whether to get rid of the 5 cent and 10 cent coins likewise. I have a whole box full of useless coins, mostly 5c and 10c. But the whole argument may be rendered irrelevant soon anyway - hardly anyone under 65 uses cash now, even more so due to Covid. I haven't used cash at all since about February this year and still have a $20 note that has been tucked into my wallet since then, "just in case."
ReplyDeleteI really needed a good Kentish joke. I also needed a yellow bird. How did you know?
ReplyDeletePennies are cute, I love them- I like to polish them and put them in glass, they smell funny though, I think it is the only
american coin that has
b.O.
The canary really is naive art, or just bad art. A nice backdrop to detract from the cat with the most beautiful background? He clearly thought not.
ReplyDeleteWe rid ourselves of one and two cent coins many years ago. Now there is good chance five cent coins will disappear. But it is somewhat of a moot point as using dirty cash is disappearing now. The last bastion where we visit has finally fallen to electronics. I just need cash to tip my masseur, when we are again allowed to have a massage, and I won't be rushing into that.
Can I send you some UK coins for free? You just have to pay the freight.
Well, you are at least able to get out. That is huge. Thanks for the photos.
ReplyDeleteGood for for getting out and walking, there's always something to photograph.
ReplyDeleteAnd the cat with its luxurious coat and crossed eyes.Just beautiful.
I'm in hospital right now and have had a few conversations about cats, they hold a lot of appeal for many people. And funny tales to tell.
Alphie
Excellent Little Get Out - I Will Say, In These Summer Months, I Truly Don't Mind Your Garden Photos In Every Post - I Surely Don't Mind Olga Photos Dominating The Landscape Of Your Postings - As For The Coins, It Was Brought To My Attention Many Moons Ago, Our Younger Generation Pays With Debit/Credit Cards And Find ALL Coins Annoying - Personally, Been A Coin And Two Dollar Bill Collector For Years - Nothing All That Fancy But I Am Proud Of My Wheat Pennies And The Two Buffalo Nickels - My Prized By Far Is My One Silver Dollar - Anyway, It Is What It Is, Pure Silliness - You Just Keep Snapping Away Photographs And I Will Keep Stopping By For The Read
ReplyDeleteCheers
I don't get this sentimental attachment to these wasteful, useless coins. If you're sentimental them, then save them yourself, but get them out of circultion. I never tire of your garden and your beautiful photos. But I've never been to Kentish (or even Kent), so this was a fun walk for me, too. I'm feeling the same as you. And, although the humidity is even higher today, I'll probably take a long, sweaty, masked walk later this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteYour snapdragon is beautiful. I love the photo of the yellow bird. What a beautiful cat. Such gorgeous blue eyes! As for the coins, If everything is rounded up to the next nickel think of all the money businesses are going to make. Those pennies really do add up. I hope that long walk helped you to feel less stifled. You're very lucky you can get out and walk. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow bird may be naive art as Andrew says but I love it. It reminds me of my tiny Tweety hen.what a beautiful thing to be able to get out and ramble! Good for body and soul. And that is a lovely cat. Thank you for sharing your walk.
ReplyDeleteYes, get out and have a walk. I walk the same route all the time so I should change and make things more interesting.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you got out for another photo walk. I love that top photo with the real workmen having lunch at the Workman's Cafe. Perfect! And, that is a fine looking cat. Last night I watched the original 1968 version of The Thomas Crown Affair. I enjoyed it very much but I was particularly struck by a scene of a computer spitting out stacks of those old IBM punch cards. It was obviously in the movie to show how modern and up to date it was. In fact, that scene felt more dated than the 60's era cars roaming the streets.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got out for a long walk. It's so revitalizing to see something new.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm going to think about pennies. It'll give me something to do today. Thank you for that. LOL.
Well that's a pretty penny-ante post. But amusing-ish.
ReplyDeleteLike Australia, Canada got rid of the penny a few years ago, and cash transactions are rounded up or down to the nearest five cents, while plastic transactions are charged at the exact price. We don't miss pennies. And the only time I use nickels is in parking meters. They are worth two whole minutes each. And yes, I live in such a small town that sometimes I only need a couple to cover my stop. We've also replaced $1 and $2 bills with large coins, which more than makes up for the weight saved by not carrying around pennies, and we've replaced all paper money with plastic, which will curl up and die if exposed to heat, such as a radiator or clothes dryer. On the bright side, we can wash it. Hah.
ReplyDeleteThat IS a beautiful cat, and clearly environmentally conscious as well :)
Growing up in the UK, when needing a toilet, we always said (and still do say), "I have to pay a penny." It was because you actually did need a copper to slot into a device on public lavatory doors in order to access the toilet stall. There was no such thing as free toilets (at least, for women) in most places in London. I still have a ha'penny piece (half penny), a copper, a thruppence (3 penny), sixpence (used for all family weddings--in the bride's shoe for good luck) and a shilling (basically around 12 pennies). All from the pre-1970 UK coinage era. In those days, the cost of some items might be in three dimensions, so to speak--2£/3s/6p or stated as Two pounds, three and six.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, I still have about £20 in coins (which feels like 20lbs) from my last visit to UK this past January. Whether I ever get a chance to spend them again is the question. Already put off planned trips for two years...my doctor's expectation of when I might safely travel overseas again. :(
Sounds like a good walk. That cat is beautiful but looks funny too as it is a little cross eyed. I just wanted to say that I agree about the bunny and thought the same thing-scary clown bunny. He looks less scary in real life!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got out. it doesn't do to bounce off the walls. I get that feeling that your blog has gotten boring. I feel that way about mine often, especially when page views or comments are down for whatever reasons that probably have nothing to do with me. but never fear, still enjoying your posts.
ReplyDeleteWalking around London - I wish I could join you. Always loved doing it.
ReplyDeleteThis country here is a stickler for the pennies, while across the border in the Netherlands, everything is rounded up/down to the nearest Euro. People just don't bother with small coins at all. Not even the german tourists because it's so cute and Dutch.
While I was in NZ last year, I hardly used any cash. Everything is paid for by transaction cards - all varieties - and google money, i.e. via the screen of your smart phone. I even paid for an icecream that way.
Lovely photos, especially the cross eyed Siamese cat.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have pennies anymore, same thing, cost more to make them than they're worth.
I need to get the dogs out for a walk today before it heats up too much. They're suffering in the heat along with us.