Thursday, November 2, 2023

In Birthday Denial


This was the view as I walked home yesterday at about 4:45 p.m., looking toward the approaching sunset. Don't recognize that corner? It's the same one where the Emminster and Hinstock apartment blocks once stood. The buildings are rubble now -- there's still a snaggled fragment of Emminster standing beyond the trees to the right, but it's only a few floors high and will be gone soon enough.

And soon enough, new apartment blocks will be rising in their place, so I'm going to enjoy this open view while it lasts.

Today is a momentous day in our little household -- I turn 57 years old. Not that there's any significance attached to that number, really. In celebration (or denial), let's have a look at an assortment of completely non-birthday-related random photos, shall we?


Hmmm...what happened here?!


I found this little sticker in support of BullyXL dogs, which are basically gigantic pit bulls. (I'm sure some dog aficionados will take exception to that description, but please give me a pass and don't harass me in comments. It is my birthday, after all.) The government has outlawed the BullyXL breed in the UK, and this sticker makes the point that the owners are the problem, not the dogs.

I will say that I've seen BullyXL dogs on the street and even I think they're scary-looking. And I'm a dog person. They're about twice as big as Olga. But I don't dispute that their training makes a huge difference in their behavior.


Scene from a rubbish bin on our high street: Poor pumpkin, smacked in the face with packing tape, and poor ghost, now an ashtray. Another holiday past.


I was watching an old episode of Bob Newhart the other day when this scene came on, set in Jerry's dental office. See that Picasso poster on the wall? I had an immediate flashback to my childhood, because I remember that poster. It was very popular in the early '70s and I'm pretty sure we had one hanging in our house, maybe even in my room. Or maybe someone had it at my parents' office. I liked it as a kid and in fact I've now added an image of it to my blog sidebar, below the archives.


I found this hat on the pavement. My first thought was that Bunga Bunga must be some place in Australia. Turns out it's an Italian nightclub in London, and it's also a slang term that refers specifically to the sexual exploits of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Who knew?!


I was walking the dog on Halloween morning when I found this awful thing sitting on someone's garden wall. It scared me!


And finally, this building has a very strange decorating scheme. It looks like someone tripped and spilled a bagful of squash down the front steps.

We were supposed to get a big storm overnight, Storm Ciarán. Winds of more than 80 mph were predicted, but that hasn't happened here -- maybe by the ocean. Here we're just getting rain -- par for the course in this very damp year.

37 comments:

  1. Picasso's Peace Bouquet seemed to be everywhere in the '60s and '70s. A great assortment of images today. That first open view is beautiful. Wishing you a happy birthday.

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  2. Happy Birthday young man....have a good day and I hope that the wind and rain stays in the south!
    There must have been a lot of rain in the night as our leaky ceiling bucket had over an inch in it!

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  3. Did I remember to say Happy Birthday last time? I think not, so Happy Birthday.
    Is Olga a bulldog? I thought she was/is a boxer.

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  4. Ever heard of Heinz's 57 varieties? Happy Birthday Steve! I hope you eat some nice food this evening.

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  5. Happy Birthday Steve! I hope Dave and your friends and colleagues spoil you today, you deserve it! xx

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  6. Hope you are celebrating you! Happy birthday youngin,
    The xl bullies that were/are so popular on the big island HI, are scared for sure. Unreal breed with cropped ears probably so that they don’t get chewed off by other dogs, heads are massive. Visually a very ugly dog. Breeders should be locked up!

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  7. Happy Birthday Steve!

    I loved the Bob Hewhart show.

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  8. Happy Birthday you gorgeous young thing!

    I would have thought Bunga Bunga was Australian. Indeed, there is a Lake Bunga just up the road.

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  9. Happy birthday, dear Steve! It just occurred to me that you are the same age as one of my brothers.
    I cannot help but think that giant pit bulls would not be safe to have around. As sweet as pitties can be, they were bred for fighting and even if raised in the most gentle of ways, their instincts are always there. I say this as someone who has had pit bulls and loved them tremendously.
    I really hope the world is kind to you today on your birthday and that there is cake.

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  10. That hand is super-duper creepy!
    And the doorway is a tad schizophrenic, all decorated up but with a forbidding black velvet rope barring entry.
    Most importantly- Happy Birthday 🎈!

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  11. The owners not the dogs. Now replace "dogs" with "guns" and it makes the issue clearer for those in the UK that don't get it.

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  12. Wishing you all the best on your birthday! Celebrate, it is your day. I used to take the day off from work. A day off for you might be just the ticket???

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  13. Happy birthday! You're close to my son's age. Have a great day.

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  14. First of all, happy birthday! I hope you do something fun to celebrate and that the new year is good to you.
    That IS a creepy hand. A clever idea, but seriously creepy.
    I always liked that Picasso, too. I was wondering if the storm was going to hit London. I was watching BBC news last night -- they were reporting from Jersey, which I think got slammed -- and they said it was headed to Southern England.
    Rick has always said "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners." I think that's basically true, although some might be a bit more hotwired through in-breeding.
    Here's hoping your day is just terrific!

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  15. Happy happy birthday!!! Was it intentional, or a happy accident that the Picasso image was on your sidebar RIGHT BESIDE the screen shot of the TV show? Very convenient for looking at it. Also? I liked the squash arrangement - but only if no one is ever going to try to walk on those stairs. Ha!

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  16. Happy Happy Birthday. Another ride around the sun.

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  17. I'm curious as to what that place is with the pumpkins and gourds on the steps and the dark and purple floral swaths around the columns and windows and then they put a barricade in front so no one can enter.

    there's a lot of people that would like to outlaw pitbulls here but my daughter had one and he was just a big lug, friendly and loving so yeah, it's about the owners and how they treat their dogs.

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  18. Happy birthday Steve🎉🎂🐕

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  19. Happy Birthday, Steve. Hope the year is filled with good health and fun adventures!

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  20. Happy birthday Steve! Keep on blogging and taking pictures!

    We are experiencing really strong winds, thanks to Ciarán, which currently results in lots of family messages as there are two Ciaráns and one Ciara in the Irish set of my family.

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  21. I guess I can sympathize with London. I can't fathom trying to police proper training of dog owners but it is a very simple thing to police dog breed bans. Besides, I'm assume the law is similar to here and they are only banned within city limits. If you just have to have that breed of dog, you are free to move out to the countryside and have as many as you desire.

    As always, I admire your photographic eye. I always enjoy your random picture posts.

    Happy birthday old man! I'm not quite as old as you so I can say that!

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  22. Happy Birthday, Steve! 🎂 Both of my boys are older then you!
    I can see why that gnarly hand would give you a start ... or ... a moment of pause!!
    Yes, it is definitely the owners of the pitbulls that need training as well as the dogs!
    How in the world do you pronounce this name: Ciarán

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  23. Happy birthday Steve. Have a great day.

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  24. That creepy hand-thing would have scared me too. In fact it looks pretty awful in just a photo.
    Oh yes, I've heard that term in relation to Berlusconi. He was another in the this new epidemic of unhinged world leaders.

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  25. Happy, Happy Birthday!
    Wishing you many, many more healthy and happy years!

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  26. Happy 57th! It sounds so young to me. :) I didn't know that about Bunga, bunga either and it still doesn't make much sense to me. In looking at stats, pit bulls have far and away caused the most injuries and deaths, so either crappy owners buy them, they are bred for aggression or a combination of both. There is also something about how their jaws lock on? Not too sure I understand that part. I am happy with my 9 pound cat!

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  27. Happy birthday, Steve! I hope you have your cake and eat it too and that all your birthday wishes come true!

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  28. Always Enjoy The Randomness Post - A Very Happy 57 Chevy Day There Brother Reed

    Cheers

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  29. I'm not a proponent of BSL for any type of dog. Pits are not even a specific breed, but a variety of breeds/mixes. Olga would fall under that category in many places and we know what a sweetheart she is. We had Rottweilers when our children were growing up (wonderful family dogs) and there are places that ban them along with GSDs and Dobermans. But to each their own....

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEVE!!! I hope you've had a wonderful day! 🎉

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  30. Happy birthday, Steve. 57. If it is good enough for Heinz, it will be a good number for you.

    I can always tell a problem dog. They have a problem owner. In very many cases, people gravitate towards an animal like that because they want to be intimidating.

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  31. Happy birthday to you.
    I like the pumpkin on the steps decoration.
    Yes, I knew about the Italian sleazebag and his Bunga Bunga parties.

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  32. Eh, fifty-seven is just 3 nineteen year old Steves.
    That Picasso poster was in an episode of Starsky & Hutch too (late 1970s, as I assume you know).
    Happy Birthday!

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  33. Happy Birthday, Steve, and many more! I love your comment on the pumpkins. So much of suposedly "professional" home decor ideas seem idiotic to me! But maybe I'm just a small-town hick :)

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  34. Thanks so much for all your comments, everyone! I got more birthday wishes here than I did anywhere else in life or online! Forgive me for not answering you all individually, but I do appreciate all of you. :)

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