The headline above could describe almost any of my posts, because my brain is full of miscellany and I inflict it on you here every morning, but today's post is especially miscellaneous because it's yet another collection of random iPhone photos.
First, a very autumnal scene on my walk to work. This section of Abbey Road, just north of Belsize Road, is always good for shadows on sunny mornings at this time of year. Something about the angle of the light.
Here's a look through the window of a new shop opening in St. John's Wood, specializing in antique textiles. Seems like a very specialized line of commerce! I wonder what they'd make of my great-grandmother's quilt?
Another view of the tall construction crane down the hill from our flat. I took this through a tiny gap in the plywood wall (or "hoarding," as the British say) surrounding the site. I'm always intrigued by what's going on behind walls and fences at construction sites. In New York there's often a hole in the wall so passers-by can look through and indulge their curiosity, but here in London we're apparently expected to mind our own business.
A curious and rather abstract figure in someone's front garden in Hampstead. A Frankenthaler Frankenstein?
I found this sign on the ground and couldn't help wondering what it used to be stuck to. And what a curious smiley face! Took me a while to work it out -- I've never seen one with a neck.
Another autumnal shot -- Olga putting her olfactory skills to use on her morning walk.
When I was over near Paddington on our recent trivia night, I decided for old times' sake to walk past the Shakespeare Hotel, where I stayed when I first came to London on a trip in 2000. I stayed there again on a second visit in 2003. It was a perfectly good budget hotel with a view over Norfolk Square and I remember I enjoyed their breakfasts. I haven't been inside for almost 20 years so I have no idea what it's like now, but the front door looks the same!
The coffee machine at work was displaying this error screen a few days ago. I've never seen this before and it amused me. It seems so emphatic, with the exclamation point, and yet the green check mark seems to suggest that everything is fine. It can't make up its own mind. (Oh, that's right, it doesn't have one.)
42 comments:
The shop would probably make a couple of cardigans from your great grandmother's quilt.
We call them hoardings too. As usual, we go both ways, ahem. Some hoardings seal off the view of interested passers by and others don't.
I thought the lower marks on the sign were a waistline and legs, but I think you are right.
The coffee machine is certainly confused. Whether it is actually working is not Black or White at all.
I wish I lived so close to the quilt shop. It's owned by a lovely chap called Christopher Wilson-Tate who buys and sells antique quilts and also designs fabric.
The Abbey Road shot at the top of this post is a splendid one. We only seem to get that kind of light in autumn and shooting into the sun is I find so tricky. Thought bubble from Olga's head: "Squirrel! I am sure I smell squirrel... but it could be mouse!"
Great miscellany! An interesting idea for a shop, but I wonder if the audience will be too limited. Maybe they’ll expand their inventory once they get going. That coffee machine screen confounds me, but I know cranberry juice is good for problems with flow.
Will be interesting to see how long the vintage fabric store survives. Definitely a limited market, but as Fran (above) says, the owner also designs fabric, so perhaps the store front is bolstered by that activity. Engaging display of quilts.
Norfolk Square has a few budget hotels...in the past I've stayed at St David's Hotel a couple of doors down from Shakespeare's Hotel. Good access to Paddington station. The square is quite nice.
I would LOVE the vintage textiles shop. And they would love your grandmother's quilt.
Is that a neck on the smiley face or tiny legs? Hard to tell. Probably a neck.
As always when you post iPhone photos, I love them!
Love the sun through the trees; very autumnal.
That mannequin is kinda creepy. I think it would startle me if I came upon it.
I thought the bottom lines on the smiley face were his/her legs and feet. I guess we all see different things.
And a coffee machine with an attitude? Too early for that!
The last one sounds like a prostate problem.
You do take photos of lots of things! It must take you a while to walk anywhere since you stop and snap pics along the way. You do have a great eye for spotting the unusual! Camera phones are so handy now and the photos are great!
Wow! A truly great collection of iPhone photos. You see the coolest things, Steve. It always makes me smile when you take a photo of Abbey Road. Olga in the autumn leaves is so beautiful. And then there's the crazy headless mannequin. Wow!
Always interesting photos. A shop of vintage textiles sounds wonderful but expensive. I looked back at your great grandmother's quilt, beautiful.
This is why I grab my phone anytime I step outside. You never know when you'll need to capture the perfect photo! Your leaf litter is certainly more colorful than mine, which is mostly brown. "Reading the news" with her nose is probably the best part of Olga's walk.
Somebody took that item but left the note. I don't like the smiley face with the neck--creepy!
Maybe the check mark is where you touch to get to the screen that helps you correct the problem (i.e., "if you want to fix it, touch here")...
I like your miscellaneous photos. Always something for everyone :)
Having a phone in your pocket all the time gives you many opportunities for photos.
Oh, that quilt shop is a truly exciting place to me.
Any walk gives a miscellany of images...it's a thought provoking experience!!
A great set of random photos. I love the sun and tree on Abbey Road. That figure in someone's front garden is very strange. And, that error message on the coffee machine is very amusing. Maybe it's saying "I've made an error but everything is going to be okay".
Doesn't look like much is happening behind the 'hoarding'. What a weird word for a construction fence. And I guess someone got a good deal on a mannikin and primary color paint.
That's a good looking door on the hotel.
Yeah, I wonder where the word comes from? Because the wall "hoards" (keeps, protects) everything behind it?
I wonder how often they have to clean that glass?
Interesting that the Aussies also picked up that word. Hoarding (as a noun) is not something I ever heard in America.
Interesting! Thanks for the research! It didn't look open when I went past and it's new in this location. Maybe I'll check it out when it opens, though I'm not sure I'm in the market for a quilt.
I love the long shadows at this time of year. The phone did surprisingly well shooting into the sun -- as you said, it can be tricky. I just lightened the shadows a bit in Lightroom.
The quilt guy probably does a lot of online business.
I don't remember St. David's, but as you said, there are a lot of hotels in that area. It's very convenient!
I don't think I would sell my great-grandmother's quilt, but I'm also not sure my mom is using it. I should probably retrieve it when I go to see her next.
The smiley face is very strange. It's like one of those images that can be interpreted in several different ways. At first I thought it was a face with two fangs sticking out of the mouth!
LOL! As Mitchell said, cranberry juice!
Camera phones make it so easy to snap a picture, it doesn't take me any extra time at all. The camera requires more fiddling!
Glad you liked the pics! I never get over the fact that I'm walking on Abbey Road almost every day to get to work.
Yeah, I wonder what he charges for those quilts?
She's very into sniffing -- sometimes to my great frustration!
I know, it's weird that they wouldn't take the note too. Maybe it fell off.
Oh, I hadn't thought of that! I didn't try to touch it.
It's very handy!
Time for a visit!
It's true -- even my routine daily walk to work can reveal something unexpected at any time.
It's anybody's guess what that error screen means!
According to Oxford languages: "early 19th century: from obsolete hoard in the same sense (probably based on Old French hourd; related to hurdle)"
What an interesting note to put on something. I hope the person getting the free item left a thank you. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
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