It's time again for another collection of random pictures from my iPhone. I took this one for my brother, who's a VW van enthusiast, although I keep forgetting to send it to him. I kind of like these little planters, but I'm not sure I'd pay £18 for one.
An artful coffee cup, well-placed in a rubbish bin.
A discarded mask I found on the street. It's very William Morris.
A cleverly-named barber shop down near the tube station.
The windows on the tube are curved in such a way that if you're sitting in a certain position, your upper reflection meets your lower one and you become a set of conjoined twins!
As long as we're blogging pictures of me wearing my silly monkey shirt, here's one that shows me in Belgium with that ridiculous bong-shaped glass I mentioned. The waiter told me to hold it that way. Does it even fit in a dishwasher?!
Another picture from Belgium -- a bicycle pannier decorated with dog noses.
A set of coffee cups from a shop window in Brussels, featuring various French terms of endearment (?) including chicken, sausage, ugly and doe. I'm sure some of these are double-entendres -- "ma chatte" seems like it should mean "my cat," but Google actually translates it to "my pussy." Perhaps "saucisse" for sausage has a similar double meaning. I guess I don't need to translate "lazy ass."
And finally, a sticker from Brussels, with a sentiment we can all appreciate.
I am guessing that "Skin Fade" is about lightening the skin colours of darker people. The opposite of a tanning studio for white people.
ReplyDeleteI too wondered about skin fade and made the same guess as the above esteemed. It's a nice collection of interesting photo. What can one say about the last photo. I never seen the like of that before.
ReplyDeleteI like your monkey shirt. I have one of those VW planters in yellow. I haven't planted anything in it, my little redheaded dolls like to pretend ride around in it. Didn't those long beer glasses used to be called a yard glass? Being a yard long and there were contests to see who could drink the yard without stopping. Yours looks more like a half yard though.
ReplyDeleteVery different from the industrial 1960s Belgium I wrote about. As is everwhere.
ReplyDeleteA fade is a hairstyle, young African Americans like the fade. There's a tall version called a high top fade.
ReplyDeleteGreat gallery today, Steve.
You're giving me Conehead in your self-portrait.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I go to Hell Razor, but then I'm not sure I wouldn't.
Whoa! Sideshow Steve! I do like your shirt.
ReplyDeleteThat glass is ridiculous. And no, it would not fit into a dishwasher. Well, perhaps a commercial one and then, yes, probably. I think I would feel like I was drinking bong water from it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite picture is the bottom one. Perfect!
A wonderful collection of random photos, Steve.
ReplyDeleteI thought "conehead" too when I saw your tube window photo!
ReplyDeleteNow I am wondering what the sticker with the knife and skull is about on that last photo.
I love when you do these posts, Steve. Thanks!
I do love that sticker. Just going to say that I would detest a glass that requires instruction to drink from. What can I say? I am a simple woman...
ReplyDeleteI didn’t know “traditional Turkish barbers” were a famous thing. I looked it up and found so many!
ReplyDeleteAgree with Bob, in the tube reflection you do look like you are from France. I would be a lark for you to go into the barber shop offering Hell razors and ask for a trim. Have Dave go with you to film it...
ReplyDeleteStella and I saw those beer glasses, tourists drinking from them, and we did have a thought, "those are the most impractical vases, ever! And why are people drinking beer from them?"
Your monkey shirt is FAVORITE! ADORE!!
Final sticker on rubbish bin, Oh yes!
I loved these random photos! I have been studying French this summer online. I do a lesson everyday for about 30 minutes or so. I learned French in high school and then did some in college. I was never fluent, but I could make myself understood. I also spent a month in France with some of my students and it was in a place where English wasn't widely spoken so I really had to dig back into the inner reaches of my brain to remember some French. Anyway, I digress. In my French course I am taking, they do some grammar types of things. One lesson was on le chat and la chatte. They said to be careful when using the feminine version because it does indeed mean "pussy" in the derogatory way that it means in English!
ReplyDeleteI thought Conehead, too. LOL Those mugs!! quite a collection. I love the VW buses but only to look at on the shelf :)
ReplyDeleteAn interesting collection of iPhone shots. You do look just a bit scary in the tube shot. That beer must have been a bit challenging to drink but obviously you managed. I on the other hand, would have spilled it all over me.
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ReplyDeleteVery subtle message in the last photo.
The beer bong reminds me of the frozen margaritas available everywhere in Las Vegas. But of course they're plastic and you get to keep them. That wooden frame looks complicated.
ReplyDeleteThe mask also makes me think of Vera Bradley.
You look so happy in that photo x
ReplyDeleteThat glass is amazing and you're beaming! I would be too since that's the color of beer that I generally drink.
ReplyDeleteYP: I think "skin" and "fade" are separate concepts -- they do skin care and also fades, which is a type of haircut. (Granted, the awning needs some punctuation!)
ReplyDeleteAndrew: I was happy to see a sticker pushing back against the far-right political trends we see these days in Europe and elsewhere.
Tasker: I bet! But yeah, most places are dramatically different now than they were in the '60s.
Boud: Yes! I think it's similar to a military "high and tight" cut, with longer hair on top that fades into a very short back and sides.
Bob: "We are from France!"
Ellen: Thanks! I get a lot of compliments on that shirt, actually.
Ms Moon: That bottom picture says it all, doesn't it?
Robin: Glad you liked them!
Ellen D: I didn't pay too much attention to that adjacent sticker but I think it was just an advertisement. Looks like it says "brasserie," so that would be a restaurant. No idea why skulls and a knife are featured!
Debby: I'm with you! Why not use a normal pint glass? Honestly.
Mitchell: They take hair very seriously in the Middle East. (OK, Turkey is borderline Europe, but still.) It seems every barber in London is from the Middle East or North Africa. When I was in Morocco guys used to get their hair cut practically weekly.
Michael: I never knew that, and I've taken French in the past, too. I guess we never covered "dirty" words. LOL
Jenny-O: I agree. I was happy just to take a picture of them. That's enough. :)
Sharon: If you move around you can get your head to disappear entirely -- joining your neck to your neck. That's even MORE alarming. LOL
Red: Well, I don't know if it's subtle, but it's a positive message!
Kelly: Yes! That's why I said in my original post that it made me feel like a frat boy on Bourbon Street. I had to look up Vera Bradley. It could well be her pattern!
John: I felt so goofy! LOL
Margaret: It was VERY good beer, I'll give it that. I would have preferred it in a simpler glass, though.
River: Yeah, mine was not a full yard, for sure. I can't imagine trying to drink from anything longer than that!
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue: Although I like the amusing name, I'm a little nervous about walking into a place called Hell Razor. Besides, I have sworn off barber shops. I do not need them in my life. LOL