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just a few months ago we had a hedgehog under our bed and then we had beasts in our loft (turned out to be nesting birds whizzing around in our loft).
our latest strange beast is this which we found in our house. to begin with we weren't sure whether it was dead or alive, so we got kezia to poke it gently with a small stick. it didn't move, then we noticed its legs was falling off and it was a bit crusty.
any ideas what it is ?
it's satisfying to know there are still places planning a banner revolution in the centre of our lovely city
a few things to notice about these two vicars in a gunge tank:
1) they are too tall for the delivery box
2) the recoil from the gunge tipping results in some upwards expulsion
3) theresa, the operator, looks to be enjoying it
4) les, who is a trainee vicar (i think) is watching from a safe distance
still, they didn't seem to mind
(and no vicars with drills this year)
jacob was a roadie for our band last week and made this excellent jigsaw (i'm not sure how it relates to the Bible verse at the bottom though).
another photo from back when i saw these
it's two the same !
ian said he went to Camberley and there were all sorts there.
someone pointed out that i don't appear much on the blog, so here i am playing my bass guitar standing at a slightly odd angle. (thanks to peter for the band photos today)
this seen from above
can you guess what this is ?
look at the size of the guy ropes on this little tent.
so, here's the band this week. it's x-factor-7. but joke (if there is one) is that there are only 6 of us.
and here's me with my guitar
and you can hear what we sound like here (30 second clip): Download file
we're now half way through our church kids holiday club and much fun is being had. and it's a good excuse to post this picture which i took ages ago, but have been waiting until a good excuse to post it !
what happened here ? did someone set fire to their glasses ?
as also seen here
jane and i were invited round to some friends for a pudding party last night where we ate puddings and laughed heartily. as it was going dark i noticed this unlit candle, which was never lit. we remained until it got too dark to see and then we left under cover of the night.
kezia took this picture. she settled upon this framing after spending ages zooming in and out. once she'd decided how much zoom she needed she then stepped back a bit to change the composition
meanwhile my picture looks a bit boring
so, how do you build a gunk tank to drop unpleasant substancies on someone's head for the entertainment of the assembled masses ? follow the instructions here of course !
there are plasters all over the place at the moment. i've not managed to take many pictures of them as they have been on crowded pavements and i'd cause an obstruction. and it's all just too hot to stop.
this is the label on Tesco lemonade. the picture shows someone throwing a lemon violently in to an already full glass of lemonade, thus spilling it everywhere. this 'serving suggestion' probably makes sense to tesco as you end up wasting the drink and having to buy more than you otherwise would have.
my colleague robin spotted this as we walked between two meetings. i'm really pleased with the angle and lines of this wooly glove in summer.
commuting in this weather is not fun, especially as my usual morning train has been cancelled more often than it's actually appeared in the last week meaning i've had up to a 3 hours miserable, hot, crushing commute to meetings. which isn't fun.
but here's a lighter on the train track
and here's a comb on the tube track:
just when i thought i had all the main people falling over signs i see this one, which is someone tripping over a small step. great stuff
this hedgehog was as flat a carpet tile. but a very good shape.
this sign is a classic. i especially like the 3d effect and the final 'w'
i'm not a vegatarian. but if i was (and wasn't married) i'd be interested in taking a vegetarian out for just £3.
take your mess bags home or don't use them at all. thank you for your cooperation
we went to little simeon's dedication party yesterday and had a great time.
it was fun watching people attempting to construct a picnic table.
eventually they gave up and andy saved the day
part of the grueling bollard fitness routine
it got a bit rainy at andy's party yesterday afternoon so he hoisted his home made rain roof
meanwhile richard helped shift some of the trapped rain by dropping it on the kids
and here's andy chopping his foot off for the BBQ
our friends have just bought lots of decorations for christmas. it's good to get them early.
this isn't my usual found street glove, but it was worth a photo as it did stop us getting wet by holding up a giant orning. is that how you spell orning ?
a major advantage of jane having the same birthday as our friend andy is that andy's wife gill prepared a fantastic birthday cake for andy which jane could also pretend was for her birthday ! hoorah for andy and gill and jane
jane and her mum playing a drawing game at jane's birthday tea
i hadn't been to a dentist for about 15 years, but i finally went last week. as expected there was much poking about and i had to have some x-rays done so the next plan of action could be agreed.
yesterday i went for a spit and polish which was not particularly pleasant, but not as bad as i'd feared.
the dentist man let me take a photo of the x-ray which was kind. you can even see my missing front tooth (or not)
usually by reading someone's blog you can build a mental picture of them. in my case you can build a physical picture too with these teeth and my spine bottom
he also sent this picture of a doggy bar
telco john was in germany last week and caught this man carrying many beers.
and here's another from him showing a bike chained to a still point stone thing
the first sign that christmas is on its way
238 on Queen Anne Street - one of the most prolific photo opportunity streets in london (for me at least)
and last week i saw these people in a tent
is this the best dog sign ever ? i think it might be. the 'merry christmas' silvery tape is a nice touch
in context
what is aka poo ? on second thoughts, don't answer that
there's no hedging on this one. the road to riches is for walking down, not for back peddling. or something
it's been stupid hot in london the last few days. i have physically melted a number of times.
here is the serpentine lido with swimmers in the twenty+ degrees warmth yesterday before 9am.
and here are people enjoying Diana's memory around her fountain thing
and in it
i was confused by why there were so may houses numbered '7'. then i realised. did you ?
(by the way, are you having trouble commenting on the blog ? i know i am ! if you are, drop me an email and i'll spend some time trying to sort it if it's problem for a few people - blog@funkypancake.com
a low mass is a bit like a high mass, only you have to kneel really low.
BCP means 'best come prepared', meaning you'll have to provide your own hassock.
how does an ambulance bike work ? if you are well enough to ride on the back of this bike (or perhaps as a 'croggy') then you probably don't really need a bike
does anyone else use the word croggy ?
i had to send an email just after 9am yesterday morning (and not before) and since i was on the way to a meeting i set up an impromptu office on this wall by a little garden.
i wasn't quite sure where i was heading so i checked out Google maps whilst online to find the street i was standing on. technology is so cool and i was thinking it was all very james bond when i looked across at the buildingi was standing next to
the blue plaque reveals it's used to be ian fleming's gaff !
here is preacher dave and preacher steve.
here is a gum buster. which reminds me, i'm going to the dentist on friday. yuk.
i feel that finding £5 on Oxford Street was a very important find and i should make the most of it ? but how ?
if this blog is not about photographic evidence, then what is it about ? well, yesterday i saw 2, possibly 3 celebrities, all close up and i got NO photos !
the first one was possibly Alan Davies sitting outside Starbuck. He was deliberately obscuring his face by looking down with his hair dangling. i'd give it a 70% chance of being him.
about 5pm i walked past James Dean Bradfield who was standing talking on his phone, with his guitar in a case and a bottle of beer on a windowsill. it was only when i was round the corner that i realised who he was (and then checked his website for a photo). no photo there either.
Finally, i was on a work call whilst walking up Marylebone High Street and i walked past Rich Hall (who has a very small head) dragging a wheely suitcase. Again, it was definately him as i heard him talk to a shop keeper, but because i was on a call, i couldn't stop to ask him if i could take his photo (even if i'd managed to do a one hand photo take).
So, instead, here's a picture of my lovely wife jane, who has been generally feeling very down in the dumps the last few days. so perhaps this will cheer her up. she's better than any celebrity picture in my onion anyway.
click for very big
here's a new category - 'guidebook photos'. my plan is to recreate some of the photos in the guidebook/leaflets of the places we visit.
here's a starter at Cliveden. I should have thought of this when we visited a few weeks back as the purple flower things were nicely in flower back then. oh well.
it was our church (goers) barbeque yesterday and a good, warm, time was had by all.
here are some people
and here is our church 'in action'
i gave brother edd this fantastic birthday present, but he left it behind when he went home. looking back at the pictures i can see that perhaps he wasn't as pleased with it as i'd imagined.
instead of fireworks for my mum's birthday celebrations, brother edd did the exploding diet coke mentoes thing. my mum didn't know what to expect and was very impressed.
i have to say i was impressed too
we went on a family picnic yesterday and it was excellent. the location, the weather, family etc. the only thing which nearly went wrong was when jane realised she'd forgotten the teabags. "don't worry", said my mum, "i've got one in my handbag".
how british is that ? that was definately one of those proud-to-be-my-mothers'-son moments.
this is a classic doorbell: "ring bell once. i am old but i am not deaf"
the window garden is a bit old too
although the next doors are very patriotic
for an official sign this is quite aggressive. in a good way.
when you buy a hair cut you assume that it will finish at some point. that's not always the case it appears.
is this some fancy bird flapping around central london ? It seemed to be doing that fancy stationary flying (treading air?) that those kinds of birds do
and is was making quite a bit of noise too, which is why i looked up and sawed it.
there's a new FOPP poised to open near my office and although it's got no CDs in yet, they have put up the Bob Dylan sign.
fopp is prolababbly my favourist shop
inadequate use of space. although sometimes the pauses are more important than the words between them.
i went to a work meeting yesterday where we had really fun biscuits. there should be more really fun biscuits in the world of business.
it was actually a meeting for directors of the organisation (of which i am one). it seems being on a board really does have its priveleges !
before:
after:
what did they say to upset the bird on the left ?
click for hugeness
compare this to last time i went up. slowly it's coming together (and my lens was better this time!)
click for very big
here's the zoo
jane did the windsor race for life yesterday which was jolly good. fanastic weather too.
this is taken from one of my favouritist places in london.
there's plenty of bridges to see here, including tower bridge, london bridge and the wobbly bridge
(most funkypancake pictures are clickable for bigger versions, so click and enjoy !)
thanks dermo !
you probably need to click on this to see it properly !
the postman at the bottom is quite funny too.
fancy stuff and ... crisps
old nelson has been repaired and was unveiled yesterday. i didn't realise this at the time, but i managed to capture the workmen taking off the scaffolding. for a closer view (from the other side) see here.
funkypancake - bringing you pictures of the news from a different viewpoint and a little bit late (and mostly by accident)
celebrity restaurant endorsements is a category i've been meaning to set up for a while.
there's a restaurant near my office which has this picture of mick jagger on. i walked past with a colleague a while ago who said something along the lines of 'mick jagger is a notourious cheap skate, he probably got a discount for posing for that picture'.
he's probably not and probably didn't of course (especially if you are a lawyer). but i do find these celebrity restaurant endorsements quite funny.
here is our friend 'The Cod'. she regularly tells me of good things she's spotted, and this time she's caught it on camera.
She climbed in to this river to rescue a bollard, but unfortunately wasn't able to save the one upsway down further along.
i think this might be the most committed reader action yet !
as you climb this ladder you get smaller and smaller (and vice versa)
keith sent me this picture of a lorry he saw. as if us Brits need more encourage to eat more chips. i know i don't.
i like this sign. one word wide saying 'please keep to the' and a ..... [pause] .... before shouting 'FOOTPATH'.
esther is now 7 ! how amazing is that.
teabags are rubbish (specifically)
but what a great sign this is. the chap is so heavy he's bent the floor
mouse on a toadstool - where in the Bible is that ?
we were lucky with the weather at esther's birdthday party #1 yesterday, although the clouds did look quite fantastic.
the mummy game
the sponge game
the pegs on a washing line game
(with thanks to photoshop)
some people were setting up for the after screening party of the pirates of the caribean earlier this week. yaah.
what's the point in changing your priorities if you don't signal them to people ?
the memories are fading fast
all being well i should be going up here again next week. yeah !
this chap was taking a picture of a litter picker-upper so i took a picture of him taking his pictures to show you. when he had finished photoing i explained that i too took pictures of random objects in the street
"why do you do that ?" he said
"to put on my website, funkypancake.com" i said
"how about you, why do you take pictures like that ?" i said
"because they don't have these kind of litter pickers in India and i've see lots of old people stooping over picking up litter and a device like this would really help them out." he said
"you're reasons are much nobler than mine" i said
and off we both went.
what with him and the chap on monday i'm beginning to wonder if i'm not fullfilling my full potential
here are two eaten fruits - a pear and a banana. it's interesting the banana is eaten inside out, whilst the pear is eaten outside in. mmm.
i often take low down shots and usually i get them in focus. this time i didn't. but it's still a nice effect as the background just behind it is in focus !
jewel also sent me this fantatic wobbly dog being tapped from behind with a spade !
jewel sent me this photo of a rat looking very similar to the Banksy rats i've seen in london. i wonder if it is Banksy ? this one was in Nashville TN.
telco john spotted these wonky street cabinets.
jane's parents
i had a chat with this chap who sat next to me on the tube yesterday afternoon. he'd found the flower you see here on the street and had picked them up and was taking them home.
he asked my opinion of them and we got chatting about street finds and my blog. he gave me a bit of a telling off for not picking up my finds and caring for them ("it would have been better if you had never seen them, than just take a picture and walk away - it's like taking pictures of war victims").
but when i showed him some of the pictures of the stuff i photograph he realised taking some of the things home would be impractical.
anyway, he said he might be in touch via the website and he said hoped he'd be famous by his picture appearing here. which he probably is now.
so, hello mr flower-man if you're reading !
esther spotted this in the undergrowth. can you see it ?
i've already captured the dog sign, so let's concentrate on the bottom one which summarises england's football position.
esther saw that lots of houses still have their England flags up a day later, and she suggested that the owners probably hadn't heard the result yet.
i saw this at the back of a church we recently visited and i was quite intrigued. it's the equipment on the table where a married couple have to 'sign the register'.
although it looks very traditional, it has been updated slightly - the ink wells have been replaced by the Oxfam freebie pen, and the date card thing is now replaced by an ancient casio watch.
that's progress for ya
ok - i'm the only baldy in the picture and it wasn't real bowling, but yesterday we went round to esther and kezia's prayer-parents for a barbyqueue (i know i spelt that wrong). In attendance were jon and andrew from pure reason revolution who challenged me to a game of petanque. which i lost (after a good start)
a great shop name and logo.
every time we walk a part of the thames path we get extreme weather conditions: our first walk was in sub zero windy conditions, and our most recent trip was in a torrential downpour for most of the walk.
yesterday we had extreme heat, with the temperature probably around 30 degrees and much allegies (hayfever and skin rashes) had by all.
the red lion at castle eaton backs on to the Thames and is very lovely. you should go.
this part of the walk felt like a bit of a swizz as we only briefly saw the river thames for a few moments on the whole 6 mile trundle. instead we spent much time walking down field edges and small farm tracks. lovely, but not the thames !
our inspiring end point - if you are interested in seeing where we were, you can have a look on google map here here
we got stuck in a massive queue on the motorway yesterday heading for the Thames Path.
interestingly they had some fancy signs up showing mathematical symbols. i asked jane about it and she said it was probably a formula for the queue length which i thought was inspired.
so what is 'pi' multiplied by ' l' ? pi is obviously this, but what is the symbol 'l' representing in this formula ?
i wondered if the formula was a way of calculating the time (in minutes) it will take to get through the queue: ie it's 3.14 times the length ('l') of the queue in miles.
that would be about right as the queue was about 10 miles long and it took us over half an hour to get through it.
any other ideas ?
this little cherub looks like he's in a right mood, and he's got a right face on
(i just realised that people might not know what a mardy bum is, unless they grew up in the part of england that i did (or listen to the arctic monkeys song). explanation here)
i spotted this umbrella shoved over a wall behind some gold railings. i think it looks really nice but i couldn't decide which of these two pictures i liked best
these tiles are just so good. it's a shame they are on the outside of the building !
there's at least two computers in that trolley.
this is actually a large connect 4 game and isn't a clever perspective trick.
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