cleaning caddy
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April 2006 Archives
hassock of the week
the dog - surely the holiest of all animals
a day out with daddy
kezia and i had an impromtu day out in london yesterday.
we started off at little venice (now a very short walk from Paddington station) where there was a canalway calavcade (it's on until 1st may, so you should pop along if you live near/in london). more info here.
we then tracked down the canal boat stop and got a canal to Camden (more info here). the canal trip was very nice and stops by London Zoo which might be a neat way or reaching it from paddington.
we then wandered round camden looking at people's hairstyles and enjoying the various smells and sounds, before dropping down the Northern Line to Bank where we got on a DLR driver-less train. unfortunately the one we were on broke down so it was driven a little of the way, but it was still good fun to sit at the front and pretend to be the drivers before it broke down !
then we had a wander round Canary Wharf and West India Quay before heading back on the Jubbly Line.
despite all the loveliness of the canal and the crazyness of Camden, Kezia loved the Docklands and the dark tunnel on the DLR (as it leaves Bank) best
directions
it's appropriate the angel is in the sky. (these signs have sticky outy writting and the black edges are shadows from a rare appearance by the sun)
painted railings
they are trying different sorts of paint out in this graveyard to work out what sort of coloured fences work best. this sign explains it all
i know what you are thinking. what colour is invisible green ? well, it's bronze of course
jacob and esther
here are jacob and esther walking down a sandy beach (great photo by andy !)
how the queen avoids the hose pipe ban
i'm not sure how many visitors will be aware, but in southern england we've already got a hose pipe ban as we've had two very dry winters (apparently). that and the victorian pipes carrying our water supply around are all leaky and no one can find any victorians to get a refund.
anyway ... here's the queen blatantly flouting the rules, or is she ...
well, it seems she might not be as there was this funny bubbly thing in St James' Park (and the hose pipe in the background). so i think she was just draining her lake instead. hopefully no pelicans will have been sucked up
top trumps
after the other top trumps cards, i saw this one which when i flipped it over was of grampa' simpson
british gentlemen
you used to get people dressed like this all over the place in london. i'm going back a bit obviously. england was/is a funny old place.
you miserable thief
i love this sign. it says "why don't you leave our plants alone, you miserable thief".
there's a good use of capital letters (even i agree with their use in this case). And the sentiment is tremendous.
we can only hope the thief reads this little label which was tied to the neck of a large pot plant. they don't call those bits of a plant necks do they ? trunk i meant. sorry.
buses
these buses were all lines up in covent garden and there were various press photographers waiting for something to happen. i didn't wait though as i had real life to get on with. sorry about.
i've no idea why they were there. perhaps they were lost.
the wrong clothes
luckily her fear of horses didn't apply to bicycles
modern-ised
click the picture to see the big version and enjoy the modernisation
steaming pile and a big dog
michelle sent me this sign which she spotted in Fielding Park, Sudbury, Ontario. which is in canada i think.
death - the same the world over
death hey. funny old thing. i assume this cigarette packet says "smoke these and you'll croak" in polish or something. i don't smoke, but i think i'll still die sometime.
2 cigarette related posts in one day. what are the chances of that ? perhaps it's to do with this
inhalers
on the way to lunch with russel i saw these two loud inhalers next to a cigarette. a bit like doc leaves around stingy nettles i thought
when i came back they had been elevated and put on a railing
then i read the sign which nearly says private property left on railings will be removed (but doesn't quite)
funkypancake's third birthday (and i forgot)
we were obviously celebrating other things, but on Easter Sunday, Funkypancake was exactly three years old ! i've only just realised, but none of you mentioned it either did you. that probably shows how old we are in web years.
so, without realising it we celebrated it by being live on national TV. in fact the blog was running on automatic that week so i wasnt even around to notice i hadn't noticed the bloggy birthday, which is also somehow fitting.
anyway, i've updated funkypancake each day for the last 3 years with around 10 new photos for your enjoyment. , and funkypancake has had somewhere around 634,000 unique visitors, causing 35million hits and well over a million visits ! fancy that.
still no awards though. not to worry (although you could pop over and nominate me for the photobloggies - you need to enter http://www.funkypancake.com/blog in the relevant places)
thanks for all your comments and visiting - i very much appreciate of it.
i wonder what the next 3 years hold ? probably more photos i expect.
footpath to north hill
i like this picture. i think it's the directness and pointyness of the sign. click for the big version and make it your desktop (or something)
stingers
kezia got stung by stingers/stingas last weekend and i found a doc leaf for her. she thought it brilliant. (because they are brilliant).
human chain
these chaps are facing the wrong way down a one way street. this may have been their final mistake (but it wasn't)
no access to the toilets
this is a great sign generally, but the little handwritten graffiti makes it even better. was this written by the toilets ?
planner's lunch
yesterday i had lunch with fellow blogger, and occasional commenter Russel of eggs bacon chips and beans. What a nice and interesting man.
of course he beat me to blogging about it as he uses real time whilst i blog in advance. so perhaps i was there first after all (i wasn't)
the city as seen from BT Tower
this photo is quite dense so is worth clicking for the big version. it's a shame about the hazy day, but you can make out St Paul's Cathedral, Natwest Tower, the Gherkin and the Docklands in the distance
where to check in (chicken) at the bird hotel
bird box with the word 'reception' writen on it. can birds read ?
emily-rebecca (invisible), kezia and a dog sign
this is a pretty historic photo. kezia spotted the dog sign and said "do you want to take a photo dad", so i said yes.
she ran up to it and posed in front of it. just as i was about to take the photo she said "make sure you get emily-rebecca in", so i did.
emily rebecca (not sure about the hyphen) is kezia's (invisible) friend who came on the walk with us. this is her first appearance in a photo.
deep water
someone should have warned the trees
no cyclists
what if you are a cyclist and happen to be walking that day. can you still use the footpath ? they need an FAQ for signs like this.
castle closed on thurs & fri
the castle is closed on thursdays and fridays, so if you are thinking of invading, best to wait until the weekend or early next week
invasion of the beast
this is a bit of a long post, but hopefully you'll understand why (there's a picture at the end)...
we've been hearing funny sounds downstairs in our house for the last few days which we've assumed were the dishwasher reaching the end of its life.
however, we suspected it wasn't the dishwasher when we started to see green poos in our utility room floor. They were too large for cat poos (we thought) and for a while we thought we'd got a goose in the house. Another popular suggestion was a bat. certainly more popular than a rat. so generally, we thought we were looking at a three lettered animal ending in at. *at if you like.
anyway, we left all our doors and windows open on saturday and hoped whatever the monster was it would leave of its own accord. esther and kezia were slightly excited, but also a bit worried, because we had an unknown monster, but that's all part of the fun of growing up isn't it ?
Sunday night jane and i slept very badly. every bump and squeak was analysed and rationalised as 'the central heatings', or 'kids moving around in their sleep'. it was too creepy to accept that the beast might be moving about the house late at night.
At about 1.30am i was awoken by jane telling me wake up and be quiet ! we lay in silence and listened, and there, in our bedroom, upstairs, in our house, there was a rustling sound coming from near where i was laying
we turned the light on, and there, just a few inches from my face on the floor below me was ...
thames path - part 3 somerford keynes to hailstone hill
back we went to Keynes to continue our walk of the Thames Path.
the first thing we did was have a good game of pooh-sticks
then we walked along a lovely wide, smooth, quite shallow stretch of the river
we continued through Ashton Keynes
then we didn't see the thames much for the rest of our walk as the thames path veers off through some quarries
the walk did rejoin the river just before we ended the day's stretch
all in all, a very successful trip. we didn't get too cold, rained on or tired !
disgruntled customer
here's an upset customer taking action
i like the way the cardboard isn't quite long enough so they've had to make do
psychedelic wedding
andy sent me this photo he took at a wedding. i think it's fantastic. it's even got a bike sign in the background !
barbican viewed from BT Tower
click for an extra special big version
another great zoo sign
here's another zoo sign. this one is great. click it to read the details !
three numbered cars
463
194
539
bananas
i saw these two bananas with two of their banana friends dancing by in the street near my office. here they are considering a massage back rub. a dangerous option for a banana i imagine
do not feed the animals
andrew sent me this fine zoo signs from South Africa.
penguins crossing
paul sent me this photo of penguins crossing in new zealand. isn't it great ! who's paul you ask ? well, he's my old house mate. here are him and i one new year here [cringe]
the queen closes something
i think i've mentioned before that they often get dignitaries in to open buildings, but i've not heard of them coming along to close anything.
today the queen went to the BBC to open their new building. And as a result they closed the bike parking, so the queen does close things after all !
i like how they've over-dubbed the original sign on this too.
pop trumps
i saw this top trump card on the floor near our chalet at Spring Harvest last week. i flipped it over and took a photo, but didn't look at who was on it until i got back home a few days later
imagine my surprise then when i discovered it was Daniel Beddingfield. He'd been the surprise guest at that same evening's big top event. what are the chances of that ?
(by the way, just in case you are wondering, he's definately not my taste in music !)
andy videoing
(photo by jane)
walk through the glass doors
you'll probably have to click the picture to read this one
london viewed from BT Tower
i was fortunate enough to have another trip up BT Tower yesterday. i took my 'big camera'.
i was really pleased with the detail on some of the photos, but they are too big to post i'm afraid - so you can have the usual shrinky dink versions.
plenty more photos to come over the next ages.
exact timings
i like this sign. closing one hour after sunset is a nice idea and somehow slightly romantic.
i like to think the warden is there with his stopwatch, waiting for the sun to set.
good art
you can almost taste the breakfast on that plate.
what happened next ?
so, the scene is set. did the old lady really push her dog in a trolley in to the path of the cycle ?
butlins with my mother in law
if you've noticed funkypancake has been a little less interactive this week, it's because i've been at Butlins. with jane's mum (hello if she's reading!). and it was jolly good. although the chalet left quite a bit to be desired. cleaning mainly.
going to butlins with your mother in law is a traditional british thing. it wasn't just me and her. it was jane and the girls and some other families too.
spring harvest, songs of praise and steve chalke
i was part of a live Songs of Praise on Easter Morning. did you see us ?
it was part of Spring Harvest which we were at last week. and so were the BBC
and here is Steve Chalke who said hello to me.
fantastic shopping list
this list is fantastic. they belong to my school of sleplling which is nice. there's so much of good stuff on this list so i'll leave it to you to comment instead !
special fences to protect the levitating bollards
this bollard is levitating, and so is the one in the background. they are protected by metal railings to prevent them floating off. incredible.
empty machine
it's an empty fairground slot machine. which is a bit like an empty tomb on easter sunday ! see, i plan these things. it's not just all randon you know.
mobile office
the greyness of the modern office. nearly symmetrical. nearly open (but at the wrong place)
powerful
just look at the packaging on this can. half litre. Skol super. 9% alcohol. i can imagine some continental beer manufacturer saying "ideal for the british market".
fizzy apple
i haven't got a fizzy apple drinks on railing category, so i'll use the fizzy orange one as a non-cola category. just so you know.
a great british night out (on wednesdays)
in this extended sign is the whole of britain summed up (click for the big version you can read)
Good Friday
today's good friday, the day when we 'celebrate' the fact that Jesus died to act as a link between people and God. So that all the bad stuff we do can be forgotten and we can approach a perfect God. what an amazing thing.
how far apart from the helpless baby jesus we celebrate at christmas, and seen here on this statue.
prehistoric
in the days before dyson ...
doggy do's and don'ts
i'm not too clear on the apostrophe etiquette here. any thoughts ?
esther and a load of ladders
(photo by jane)
cat wishing he was among the pigeons
vin sent me this picture of a cat stalking pigeons (unsuccessfully). i like the construction sign in the foreground !
ladies we have to shampoo your hair for you to get a great haircut
another great Mr Toppers sign
chair in a bush
if you look carefully you can see a glove in the chair
players of the day
how do you know if you are going to be awarded 'player of the day' until you've played your game and turned out better than everyone else ?
no cycling
this is one of those fancy racing bikes with funny spokes. the rider is dressed for speed (if we ignore his webbed feet)
no refuse dumping
shouldn't that be "don't refuse dumping" ?
is there a fault ?
if there's any fault, it's that they haven't used a better pen.
elastic band shapes
what do you think this looks like ? i can see a penguin.
blank tee
it's sign scrabble. i think the answer's 'i' or 'a'. or possible 'o'
a hazy warning
i took this photo in a hot greenhouse and my camera lens steamed up giving this rather nice soft focus effect
space age
the green houses at kew gardens are amazingly space aged. everything in the 60s was futuristic though wasn't.
here's a bubble one
hassock of the week
what is this one about ?
5000 miles (8000kms) !
as you know, i've been measuring my peds with my pedometer since February 2004. And earlier this week i passed the 5000 mile / 8000 kilometre mark !
if i'd done all that walking in a straight line from London i would have got as far as Beijing ! Instead i've been going round in circles and ended up back where i started.
deconstructionism
i noticed this lady when i saw a disconnected hand on the floor by this safety fence.
a little further down the street was her other leg
do not feed the pigeons (and why)
i like how this sign explains the logic about why you shouldn't feed the pigeons.
taped off
the tape, which went right round the square was attached to a car bumper
fewer wheelbarrows
the number of wheelbarrows wrapped round this tree is decreasing
fancy wheely gate catch
jane and i saw this gate lock at Petworth House.
it was a heavy metal gate and to help the latch move into it's locked position it had a nice little wheel.
giant bollard headstand
by the way, have you seen this advert with mad bollards ? You should. it's work safe. (thanks to Dan for the link)
petworth house
jane and i went to petworth house last tuesday. we keep accidentally going to places landscaped by Capability Brown
negative big ben
i love the little camera on the left of the picture
fat bollard
we're probably not allowed to say 'fat' in these modern days, so here is a girth-icly challenged bollard.
it's so big it's got a little bucket in the top which is holding a diet ribena carton
street flower
we haven't had one of these for a while, so here you go.
pizza with Big Eye
last night was time for a last minutely arranged pizza with mr big eye tony
rabbit
this is the 'rabbit' that the greyhounds were chasing at the dog racing. it's most peculiar (click on the picture to inspect)
giant poopa scoopa
the poop collector at the dog races
anti-freeze time
hoorah. it's antifreeze time. (what a treat)
funkypancake goes to the dogs
jane and i went to dog racing on Saturday night. it was very good.
it was just like the blur album parklife
each race started with some laboratory technicians (in their best lab coats) walking the dogs up and down the track
the dogs seemed to enjoy this bit
then they were set lose and off they ran
and here are some people placing bets
savill gardens
jane and i went to savill gardens yesterday. it was very pretty and you can tell spring is properly here.
there's a nice little stream that runs through the gardens:
they weren't very good at getting the colours all separated though. look at this. it's all purples mixed up with yellows. they'd never be able to run a charity clothing shop like this.
hassock of the week
this one looks like someone's set a stick-of-rock on fire.
home of the turin shroud
here's an old picture i didn't post. this is where the turin shroud lives. you don't get much more 'church paraphernalia' than that !
don't park on piano keys
we had a music practice last night and jane asked lynda the piano player to play a little riff thing that she sung. "just a minute" said lynda, "i need to work out where the notes are". i helpfully pointed out that she had loads of them on that funny long black and white table she was sitting at.
her piano might have more notes than my bass guitar, but i can play the same note on different strings, whereas she only has one of each note at each pitch. so there.
206
i'm slowly collecting photos of all the Foxton's numbered cars. i've still a long way to go though.
number plates we make
does this sign instill confidence ? it was in a car repair shop. i'm not sure if CD repair is in the same league as car repairing. although i couldn't repair either so i should shut up.
footpath closed pedestrians
i like this sign. i like the polite way it says pedestrians at the end so we know who it's talking to.
"why thank you sign" i replied.
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