Friday, February 10, 2023

Big, Retro, Bondian


It's time for another random assortment of photos taken out and about!

First, some cute cat graffiti on a McDonald's advertisement adorning a phone booth in Swiss Cottage.


Another sticker, another vision of socialist Utopia.


It always helps to have a dose of inspiration with your morning coffee!


I came across this tile outside a restaurant or shop on the St. John's Wood high street. I really like it, but Dave is not a fan.


A retro '80s sticker on a light pole in Fortune Green. Reminds me of college!


Some Bondian graffiti on Finchley Road.


Someone's frosty ear muffs, left on a fence near our flat. I think these are what another blogger recently referred to as an "ear bra." Which is an apt description.


And finally, a painting -- a print, not an original -- being discarded by a neighbor on our street. Definitely a memento mori; I could see why they might not want it hanging in their living room! I did not rescue it.

22 comments:

  1. What people miss when they drive everywhere.

    I wonder if MTV still operates as I remember it. I doubt I would like the music now.

    It's not like you don't work for it, but you do live such a nice, interesting and convenient area.

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  2. I missed the cat on first look. Oh, for a new normal. I find the tile kind of interesting and I would not want it in my house. (So, I guess I agree with you both.) I have a pair of those ear muffs. I'm going to call them my ear bra from now on. Yeah, I'd also take a pass on that print.

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  3. I am going to follow the advice on the coffee cup and "DREAM BIG". I will dream of The Pacific Ocean, Mount Everest, the planet Jupiter, the Grand Canyon and William Bradley of Market Weighton.

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  4. My question is how is the MTV sticker so pristine? Was it carefully preserved and then recently applied? And if so, why?
    So many questions!

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  5. I love the tile.
    I think I want that tile.

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  6. The honeycomb tile is a quilting pattern. Odd to see it in a hard medium.

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  7. I love the tile and would absolutely use it in my house.
    And hell, I'd probably rescue the print and find someplace for it. Or well. Maybe not.

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  8. A nice collection of photos today, Steve. I wonder at the things you know about and often learn something from your posts.
    The tile is pretty!

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  9. I had to look a few times and then turn my tablet a little to the left to discern the cat in the corner!
    Personally, I really like that tile ... muted florals, green foliage ... what's not to love?
    I look forward to your random photos days!

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  10. Nice collection of random photos, Steve. I like the tiles.

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  11. I don't like the tiles. We ripped tiles much like those out of a house. Tim saved them. I'm not sure where he stashed them. If I knew, I would make sure they disappeared.

    The little white dots across that last picture reminds me of Santeria for some reason. It gave me the shivers.

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  12. I'm glad you didn't pick up that painting. I love the tile and that kitty graffiti is pretty darn cute.

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  13. Top photo made me hungry for crap food. I like the tiles very much though they are a bit twee, don't you think? I love your random shots! Always!

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  14. I like the tiles, they're interesting. You see such interesting things on your walks, still jealous!

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  15. Such interesting finds on your walk! I like the tiles but wouldn't want them in my house. Nor that painting--creepy!

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  16. I had no idea what memento mori was so thank you for educating me.

    I love the tiles.

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  17. I like the tiles.

    I'm not particularly fond of the painting, but I do like skulls in artwork, especially for Dia de los Muertos. What I really want is the alarm clock shown on that link you provided for memento mori!

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  18. The tiles remind me a bit of Laura Ashley dresses. I would wear them. Ha!

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  19. Ohh, that painting would look great hanging over your loo.

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  20. Our neighborhood is pretty tame compared to yours. That MTV sticker really took me back!

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  21. I (day)dream big all the time and it's kind of a shock when I wake up to normal.

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  22. Andrew: I think MTV does more scripted or "reality" shows than when we watched and it was all music videos.

    Mitchell: The cat does kind of blend in, doesn't it?!

    YP: I had to look up William Bradley! LOL

    Marty: I think it's a newer sticker made to look retro. Just a guess.

    Bob: Right?! I would use it for sure!

    Boud: They were relatively large honeycomb-shapes pieces, too. I've seen honeycomb tile but usually the pieces are very small.

    Ms Moon: Not only is it a little too spot-on as a reminder of death, it's not very good!

    Ellen D: I try to link a source if I mention something people might not know, so hopefully I've done that for you. (It's the journalist in me!)

    Marcia: Funny! It's so big and transparent it's easy to look through it, I suppose.

    Robin: So do I!

    Debby: Ha! Well, to each his or her own. There's definitely a creepiness factor to the painting. I didn't even think of Santeria, but it does look something like that.

    Sharon: Yeah, that painting needs to go to the landfill, I'd say.

    Linda Sue: Are they? I think they run the risk of becoming dated over time, but I like the design itself.

    Allison: That WAS an ear bra, right?!

    Margaret: I think I could live with the tiles but not the painting.

    Pixie: I don't know why I remember that term -- something I learned in art history, I suppose.

    Kelly: That alarm clock IS pretty amazing.

    Bug: But those used to have tiny flowery prints. These tiles seem much more impressionistic and shadowy. To my eye, anyway.

    Catalyst: Ha! Now I'm wondering if I should save it!

    Susan: Surely it can't have been hanging there all this time?! I think it must be either an old sticker or a new one made to look retro (most likely).

    River: Ha! Maybe that's what it says on the other side of the cup. "Dream Big, Live Small." :)

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