Last week, for the first time that I can recall, we got a letter with a King Charles stamp on it. I'm sure these stamps aren't exactly new -- we rarely get stamped mail anymore, so I think I just haven't seen one until now. I have yet to see any money bearing Charles' image.
And since that's a rather random thing to start a post with, let's just make this a roundup of some other random recently collected photos!
This person says they "wanna be a artist."
I took this photo in Dublin -- a takeaway shop declaring its solidarity with Ukraine. I assume the shop's name is a portmanteau of Ireland's most famous brand of beer and the world's most famous fast-food restaurant.
This is part of the "Kids Painting Summer '78" mural on the Abbey Road railway bridge near the Alexandra Estate. The mural has suffered in the last ten years, having been tagged and overpainted in many areas, but this guy is still relatively unaffected. If I had to guess, I'd say he's a weightlifter. I'm not sure why there are two giant diaper pins on either side of him. (I'm showing my age by even thinking of them as diaper pins.)
I think this is part of a really hideous shelving unit, but I'm not entirely sure.
A discarded tulip on someone's garden wall -- still quite beautiful, I thought.
More tulips on the housing estate where I often walk Olga. Looking good!
And finally, remember the newly-planted bulbs on West End Green that I photographed last fall, when they were protected with netting? The netting is gone and the bulbs have come up. I'm still not sure what they all are. Some are crocuses, both purple and white, but the leaves on many others look too broad and strappy to be crocuses. We'll see if they produce flowers.
They want to be an artist...well, they have made a start.....
ReplyDeleteMcGuinness ..nice one!
Not surprising that that table is out on the pavement, but somebody must have liked it!!
Might the broader strappy leaves be tulips?
I want to be AN wizard.
ReplyDelete“Kids Painting Summer” mural is interesting. I wonder why the safety pins. And the barbell(?) looks like a handrail for a shower.
The person who wants to be an artist should consider a different occupation - possibly bus shelter cleaner! He/she/they would never be short of work.
ReplyDeleteMcGuiness. I love that!
ReplyDeleteThat hideous shelf or table; no wonder it was tossed to the curb.
I like the Irish Ukrainian crossover!
ReplyDeleteGood gravy, but that table is hideous! I enjoy watching furniture flipper videos, but I have to say that I don't even see how you could even repurpose something like that!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be kind of neat to have money with a main image that changes periodically. I've been staring at the same six dead guys for my entire life.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I have to say that I am so glad I live in a place where there are mostly trees to look at.
ReplyDeleteThose DO look like diaper pins!! I bet parents who still use cloth diapers now have a better way of closing them. I can remember being taught to keep my hand between the pin and the baby so I didn't accidentally stick it.
ReplyDeleteKelly , my daughter has 13 year old twins..and used Terry cloth nappies/diapers...but they came with velcro fixings and were ready shaped. She also used a nappy washing service for the first couple of months to give herself a chance to recover and adjust!!
ReplyDeleteYour walks to work give you no end of opportunities for photos.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a good eye for spotting unusual things, Steve. I'm so curious about that weird shelf-like piece.
ReplyDeleteI guess I like the discrded tulip best of all.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have noticed the diaper pins had you not pointed them out. And I love the word portmanteau. I hadn't seen it in print in a long time!
ReplyDeleteMcGuinness is a great name for that takeaway place. I was wondering if the King Charles money was out and about yet. At least the stamps are in circulation. The tulips look good. You'll have to let us know what blooms on West End Green.
ReplyDeleteI have the hardest time reading graffiti tags - I thought it said Whatta beast! Ha!
ReplyDeleteSafety pins are a punk emblem of old.
ReplyDeleteI always find the graffiti in your posts unusual and very abundant. There is little to no graffiti in my surroundings. On occasion when graffiti is found it is deemed defacing property so that is probably why there is so little. When the tulips bloom on the West End Green it should be a lovely display.
ReplyDeleteI've not spotted a King Charles anything yet, either.
ReplyDeleteThe discarded tulip image is gorgeous, dare I say artistic!
ReplyDeleteThe young man or woman who "wanna be a artist" would serve himself well by not defacing public property with his wish.
ReplyDeleteDiaper pins--I used them on two babies so they brought back not so pleasant memories. I love the tulips! Mine will bloom soon. (probably when I'm gone on my trip, sadly) That artist would not an English teacher make.
ReplyDeletePerhaps some of those strappy leaves will be daffodils and tulips.
ReplyDeleteGZ: They might be tulips, but I'm not seeing any sign of flowers. I think tulips in the lawn of a public park might be a risky choice. Wouldn't they all get broken?
ReplyDeleteMitchell: Maybe the safety pins are buckets of water for the shower?!
YP: Ha! That's for sure. I notice the graffiti is now cleaned away but not very well. It's mostly just smeared around.
Bob: I know! Even a charity shop wouldn't want it. Plus I think it's missing a leg.
Boud: Me too!
Debby: Ha! Maybe just the top, if it's glass, but yeah, not really my style.
Ed: On the other hand, the stability is nice. And if they changed we wouldn't be able to call $100 bills "benjamins"!
Ms Moon: Ha! There's a lot to be said for nature, that's for sure, but I like the variability of the sights on my urban walks.
Kelly: I haven't seen a diaper pin in decades. (Then again, where would I?)
GZ: Aha! It makes sense they'd be modernized!
Red: Yes, I never run out of interesting sights!
Ellen D: It didn't stay there long, so I never got an opportunity for a second look!
Ellen: Probably the prettiest of all these photos, I agree.
Michael: It's a good word, isn't it? And under-used!
Sharon: I will definitely keep an eye out!
Bug: Ha! Yeah, they are deliberately challenging to read. I think it's a matter of artistic expression as well as foiling the law.
Rachel: True! I didn't think about the punk connection, but '78 would be the right time. Maybe he's a punk rocker and not a weightlifter? Not sure what the bar is, though.
Susan: Graffiti only really works in an urban environment, and even then I like it when it has an artistic element. I'm not a fan of tagging.
Tasker: OK, that makes me feel a little better. Maybe they're just slow rolling everything out!
Wilma: Isn't it nice?! Just something about the position of the petals!
Catalyst: I agree, though I think for a lot of young people, "street art" is how they hone their talents and get noticed. (I think he has a ways to go!)
Margaret: I hope your tulips last until you get back!
River: I think if they were daffodils they'd have bloomed by now. Tulips are a possibility but it seems weird to put tulips in the middle of a lawn. Maybe hyacinths?
I always love your random photos -- I hope you never stop!
ReplyDelete