Yesterday morning was bright and clear, and Bailey was out with her dog-walker, so I decided to hit the town and go for a walk of my own. I grabbed my camera bag and took the tube down to Canada Water, in southeast London. I walked from there up through Bermondsey to the Tate Modern, a distance of a little more than three miles.
I finally got to use the new camera while out on the town, and though there are still some things that confuse me about the settings, I feel pretty good about its capabilities.
I stopped for a coffee in Southwark Park, where I came across this very colorful poodle.
And later I walked past this tiny dachshund, barking enthusiastically from the roofop of a pizza restaurant. (Clearly he comes out that window, onto his "balcony.")
Finally, I got to the Tate, where I had lunch in the members' bar. I even scored an outdoor table on the terrace overlooking the Thames, so this was my view:
Not too shabby, right?
I took that picture by kneeling at the safety rail around the terrace and pointing the camera through the bars. When I stood again and turned around, the downside of the outdoor table became apparent -- there were two pigeons IN my lunch! I shooed them off my coronation chickpea wrap, which had been somewhat pecked. Wild birds are filthy and pigeons especially so, but I ate the wrap. C'est la vie.
Then I went to the Frida Kahlo show at the Tate. Several of Kahlo's paintings were on display, including "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" (above), but there were fewer than I expected. The show was mostly works by other artists paying tribute to Kahlo, or artists -- including her husband Diego Rivera -- who had inspired her or who she had inspired.
Kahlo didn't produce a huge volume of art during her short lifetime (she died at 47), so I assume that's why there's not more of her work in the show. Still, it was packed with visitors, and it did feature some of Kahlo's remarkable Mexican dresses and jewelry, as well as some of the torturous corsets and medical devices she was forced to wear following a near-fatal bus accident as a young woman.
Anyway, it was an interesting show and a good day out, and I haven't died from bird flu yet. (But stay tuned!)
Pigeons are rats with wings!
ReplyDeleteBut you took a good photo while they were eating your lunch
I don't mind them when they're on the ground or flying around but I sure don't want them in my food!
DeleteFrida Kahlo 's life was changed forever by the accident. It is reflected in her paintings and her life after the accident was never the same again. Her injuries were extremely severe and she was lucky to ever walk again.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the show includes several artworks she did focusing on the accident.
DeleteSomething about that poodle makes me think it might be gay. As for your delicious chickpea wrap (Mmmmm!), have you ever wondered how people acquire the infection that leads to them becoming pigeon-toed*?
ReplyDelete* medically known as intoeing, it is a condition where a person's toes point inward toward each other instead of pointing straight ahead when standing or walking.
Can a poodle be gay? I think not. I have heard the expression "pigeon-toed," but I always wondered where it came from. Do pigeon's toes point toward each other? I've never noticed that. (At least no more than on any other bird.)
DeleteSounds like another great day on the town. I would have enjoyed that exhibit. Your photos are wonderful. And I can’t believe you ate that wrap!!!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm not spending £10 on a wrap and then throwing it out!
DeleteFrida is a big thing in this household (I don't like her) but she glares at me from the walls. The new camera is clear and bright, the photo from the terrace overlooking the Thames shows a London which still hasn't given way to skyscrapers.
ReplyDeleteI do like her bold and colorful art. I wish there was more of it in the show.
DeleteYou are certainly a brave and uncompromising man, I hope you defeated the pigeons and not the other way around.
ReplyDeleteWell, so far there's been no backlash, so that's a good sign!
DeleteGreat view from the terrace and I like the colourful poodle. I'm not a fan of Frida Kahlo, not pigeons either.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'd want to own a Frida Kahlo painting, but I love her boldness and imagination.
DeleteBlogger seems to have its problems sorted this morning! Yay! My whole sidebar is updated.
ReplyDeleteYou ate the wrap? You're a braver soul than me! Haha. I'm sure it's fine, though.
Yes, FINALLY, they seem to have things working again. Let's hope the fix lasts!
DeleteOh, that poodle. What a show off!
ReplyDeleteI definitely would NOT have eaten that wrap. Yuk!
Ha! I probably should have cut off the pecked parts, but oh well.
DeleteLooks like a delightful day out.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed!
DeleteWhat a great exhibit; she is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI might have picked off the bits of the sandwich that had been nibbled ...
Yeah, that would have been a good course of action. I just ate it.
DeleteWhat a nice time out for a retired gentleman.
ReplyDeleteI recently had a similar experience with seagulls, when none were evident as left my food a few metres away to take a photo. Yep, I ate mine too, after discarding the bit that was obviously pecked at.
The view across the crystal clear waters of the Thames is wonderful, the water colour probably matching out crystal clear Yarra River waters.
I'm surprised the seagulls didn't carry off your food entirely. They've been known to do that! I have never known the Thames to be clear enough to see the bottom even right at the shore.
DeleteI don't think I could have eaten the wrap after that. You are braver than me. That poodle sure is interesting. I cannot imagine paying money to have a dog's fur dyed.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's not something I'd do either but it's a cool effect. It only really works with poodles, I think!
DeleteIt does sound like a wonderful show, even if not a lot of Kahlo. And it looks like a good walk. What a fabulous view! Not sure about dining after the pigeon, but you do what you do and when it's lunchtime, c'est la vie. Why do people do that to poodles? Both the foo-foo cut and the pink?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like they must pay a fortune to the dog groomer!
DeleteI wasn't worried about the bird flu. But I'll be on the look out for cooing entering your written prose in future blog posts!
ReplyDeleteHa! Then you'll KNOW I've lost my mind.
DeleteVisiting the Tate and walking through the city makes a very nice day.
ReplyDeleteThe Pidgeon snacking on your wrap, you could have done without. I would not have eaten the sandwich but that is just me. You rolled the dice.
The groomers are using dye on poodles. I recently saw a poodle with a purple hat, and it was all fur shaped into a hat shape.
Oh, that's funny. I've never seen a poodle with that kind of cut!
DeleteAww, that poor Poodle, what if it doesn't like being pink. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't have let a couple of pigeons come between me and my lunch either. Alan picked up, rinsed off and ate the hardboiled egg that flew out of his Scotch Egg and landed on our soil mountain. It's all in the 5 second rule ... it used to be 3 but we've expanded on it.
Yeah, I'd have eaten that egg too. We have to challenge our systems with a few bacteria every now and then. :)
DeleteI love this post! First of all- the poodle! I don't know if it's really an ethical thing to dye a pet's fur as the pet can't really get permission but then again, people get their dogs' fur trimmed and cut all the time and the dogs don't give permission for that, either. So I say go for it!
ReplyDeleteI am a little amazed at how many people here said they wouldn't eat the pigeon-pecked wrap. I have no doubt I would have unless it had actually pooped in it.
And Frida Kahlo! Although I can't imagine living in a city like London, the benefits of being able to go and see exhibits like that one are pretty darn cool. As is that view of the Thames.
Thank you for taking us with you.
Yeah, I doubt the poodle cares about the dye one way or the other. And yes, if I'd seen evidence of pigeon excrement, needless to say I'd have not eaten the food. I think the pigeons were there only momentarily, so it's like the 30-second rule with wings!
DeleteOne of my friends in high school had a standard poodle. They are big dogs. That one looks a little foo foo to me. Looks like a black companion behind her. I've never been a fan of Kahlo, don't really know anything about her life. I know of her but that's about it. You're a brave man to turn your back on you lunch on an outdoor terrace with bold birds about.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the black dog is a poodle too. I got a few photos of them together but this one showed off the pink dog best. I didn't even think about leaving my lunch, which was silly!
DeleteJust how much of the wrap was eaten by the pigeons? Be specific ... eaten or just pecked at? If just pecked ... no problem! Why waste a good wrap?
ReplyDeleteI love poodles ... they have very little shedding!
Frida needed a good brow plucking done!
Oh, it was just pecked at, and only briefly. :)
DeleteFrida's brow is her trademark! It's like Terry Thomas's teeth, or Marty Feldman's eyes -- it's part of what made her famous.
Granville Island in Vancouver, has an amazing marketplace with lots of food. One time I bought myself a lovely big cinnamon but and went outside to eat it. There was a flash of wings and a seagull swooped down and grabbed it right off my plate, while I was walking. I learned my lesson and with the second bun, I put a fork into it and held it down while I walked:)
ReplyDeleteYour photos are amazing, especially the one taken from the outdoor terrace at the Tate.
Wow! A big seagull can fly away with food in a fraction of a second. I've battled them several times myself but I don't think I ever lost anything to one!
DeleteThat's a lot of grooming on that poodle.
ReplyDeleteI would have to closely examine the food before I took another bite!
Nice walk!
I did check it out, believe me. :)
Deleteyou are getting along well with the new camera! Great shots . Love the doggos, of course. The Thames looks mighty muddy, my eyes couldn't make out what it was at first. - solid river. Dave would have scolded you probably, let the pigeions have it , buy another. Aggressive eaters, pigeons!
ReplyDeleteYou showed up on my blog roll - top of list- maybe it is fixed?
Maybe the Thames is muddier than usual -- I'm not sure! To me it always looks like that.
DeleteWow, my kind of day in London. A long walk and then some art. That Kahlo show sounds very much like the one I saw at the Heard Museum a couple of years ago. That show also contained some of her dresses and jewelry.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably somewhat routine to include the clothes and jewelry to flesh out the exhibits, given that she didn't create a great deal of art (compared to some other artists). I don't know who owns her paintings but maybe they're not easily lent for exhibits.
DeleteI'm glad you got out & about with the new camera - even if you still have to walk Bailey twice a day, it's good for you to have some time to do your own thing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I need to do more of that, honestly.
DeleteGreat to see you out and about in London. I remember when I first found your blog that you were taking pictures of certain streets or districts for some collection?
ReplyDeleteI got a pair of socks with a Frida Kahlo print on them last Xmas, haven't had the nerve or lack of respect to wear them as yet.
Yeah, "Bleeding London" -- we were photographing every street in London! That was a really fun project and it taught me so much about the city.
DeleteThat Photo Of The Dachshund Is Priceless - Dig The Poodle And All But The Dachshund's Ears Is A Classic - Good On Ya For Flexing The New Camera - Would Have Been Nice To Shoot A Time Lapse From That Perch Overlooking The City
ReplyDeleteWalk On ,
Cheers
Yeah, that dachshund cracked me up!
DeleteI love the little dachshund!! Don't you know it feels self-important!?
ReplyDelete"This is my domain!"
DeleteWhat a cute dachshund! Although poodles are very smart dogs, I've never been a fan. Pigeon pecked, ack! I can't leave my food around unattended due to my cat. She loves anything dairy.
ReplyDeletePoodles can be mean, can't they? My childhood babysitter had a black poodle named Cinder that we weren't even allowed to touch!
DeleteI've only seen one Frida Kahlo painting. It was wonderful. I sat on a bench and stared at it for about 30 minutes to soak up the details. I'd like to visit La Casa Azul, but I don't want to go to Mexico so that makes it difficult. 😒 Apparently it's a thing now to dye dogs' fur. Princess & Alice will not be turning blue or pink anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Have you ever read "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver? It's a wonderful novel, all about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
DeleteYes, do let us know if you die from bird flu. Interesting phenomenon, psychologically, that I read *crap*, although you clearly wrote wrap. 🤔
ReplyDeleteGreat view, the people look like ants.
Dogs are always fun 🐩 If it rains do not step into a poodle.
Ha! Well it COULD have been "crap" if the pigeons had stuck around a few more minutes! But fortunately I got to it before that happened.
Delete