dummy in hyde park
nearly exactly one year on in the same place as live8 i spotted this dummy (and could you imagine my surprise when i saw a Farringdon Lan sign in the background - not really)
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June 2006 Archives
farringdon lan
i took a picture of this as i thought it was a view of the wireless future where every street or area has its own wifi computer network. Farringdon is fairly high-techy area so that seemed appropriate.
but imagine my surprise when i looked at the photo more closely. click on the picture for a big view and look at the right side of the name plate ! This sign was quite high up the wall and i didn't spot it at the time.
i love it when i discover undiscovered things in my discoveries !
reflection of christ
this photo might sum up the christian life. christians are to be reflection a christ for the world to see (note the surveilance camera top left).
my reflection is pretty rusty - most of the time you wouldn't know me from adam.
london's first fixed working hydrogen fuel cell
this is an oasis in clerkenwell which contains london's first fixed working hydrogen fuel cell which is a cause for celebration. catch it while you can.
bollards are rubbish at hide and seek
as if we needed more evidence of bollards' inabilities to play hide and seek, here's one hiding behind a giant arrow. the arrow is pointing to its feet ! what dreadful hiding.
bergerac
clive sent me this excellent picture of Jim Bergerac (john nettles).
he was filming midsomer murders at hambleden lock
too big for the tube
telecom john sent me this photo of a chap being transported down Euston road. he's got a very funny bottom.
vin's cute 66
vin sent me this numbered mini which he entitled 'cute 66'. which made me chuckle !
restrictions on the inside
this was taken in the inside of the place where most people only get to look at the outside (and listen to the bongs of the big clock)
sky rat landing zone
this tourist is taking her life in hand by letting these pidgies land on her head. they are known to carry horrible diseases as well as being unpleasant to look at.
and the pigeons are just as bad. boom tish.
a proper glove
i haven't seen any proper gloves for a while so i was delighted to see this in the rain.
strandbeesties
there were some great mechanical robot things in trafalgar square last evening. i took a few photos and some video which i was going to post but then i saw Russell's entry on the same thing and his excellent video so i haven't bothered ! have a mooch round his blog whilst you are over there (don't forget to come back again !)
however, i did manage to get a picture of the chap who built them, seen clearly here with his back to us in the british summertime rain.
popular ferret racing
the point of ferret release
luxembourgian dog sign
i think this dog might be a robot
the scream
here is em posing for kezia (aged 4) who was taking her picture
and here's another picture taken by kezia of richard, esther and me playing pick-up-sticks
dog coiffuring
for once i used my smell checker on a post and it accused me of writting in Danish which i thought was telling (double dutch perhaps ?)
very small plane
this plane simulator is near the gates in luxembourg airport so pilots can get any last minute training.
arriving early
it looked like these people were admirers of empty stages. you know the people in to extreme mime where the artists are invisible as well as silent.
but not so, they were the ones laughing a few hours later when the orchestra turned up
experienced barbers needed
chair renting. that's the future.
cow and chips
an identity tag, just in case you weren't sure what your steak was made of.
seeing and hearing the light
i went to a meeting in a commission conferenc hall which had the most amazing lights on the ceiling. After each presentation they would switch them on and effect on the room in terms of light and sound was quite dramatic. i imagine half of luxembourg dimmed when theses lights were switched on !
as a special treat, here's some video footage i attempted (i've no idea what this will look like on the actual blog page):
(bigger version here)
giant thumb
possibly the artist had been watching this
the horse disaster
this is a display in the museum at wellplace zoo. esther and her friend catherine noticed that most of the horses have falled over. click the picture for a nice big view.
sac-o-mat
if you look closely this is an action shot
uri geller's home
uri geller lives here. anonymously of course (which is why it has a big arrow pointing to his gates down the driveway !).
buttercups
i was really pleased with this photo which i took whilst lying down in a field of buttercups. unfortunately i had really bad hayfever later that evening and could hardly breath. serves me right !
herbal hill
herbal highs available at the summit ?
luxair
i travelled to Luxembourg with Luxair in a teeny weeny plane, with space enough for just one air hostess (and 50 passengers i think). it was so small we even got to walk to it across the tarmac in Heathrow which i'd never done before.
it was really nice though and they provided beer in real glass bottles and even came round with boiled sweets before we landed. just like the good old days.
a short trip to germany
due to my work travel agents getting things completely wrong i ended up heading for a hotel in Germany, despite having a meeting in Luxembourg tomorrow. i realised we were heading the wrong way when we went over the German border ! We then got stuck in a huge traffic jam (police doing football related checks apparently) before turning round and heading back to Luxembourg (whilst the UK travelagents were trying to find me a room in Luxembourg).
Thankfully i got my room confirmed by phone just as we arrived back in to Luxembourg and i'm now staying in the last room in Luxembourg (or something).
Here is the taxi drive who was very nice about the whole thing. i think he did best out of the whole day actually as he would have got his fare for going to Germany and back (rather than just the fare for taking me there if you see what i mean). he was very helpful though despite us not being able to communicate too well. at one point he phoned his english speaking wife just to make sure we understood what each other was saying !
i gave him the link the blog, so mr taxi-man might be reading this. if you are, hello mr taxi man !
after the sugar cubes went
they've cleared away the giant sugar cubes in the tate modern and have a few exhibits at the moment which are great to look at
mind the handles
born slippy
nancy has gone beyond the call of duty - despite having just given birth here's nancy showing a slippery floor sign ! well done for thinking of funkypancake at such a time !
the suitcase gets some content
this is now this
that's so 20th century
i wonder if these people named themselves 20th century scaffolding in the 20th century when it modern. now it sounds a little last millenium if you know what i mean. the sign is wrong too. it says they are overhead, but in fact they are below. unless you are standing on your head. which i wasn't.
poppies for poppy
these poppies are for poppy (fresh daughter of funkypancake web-landlord matt and work colleague nancy).
me (father's day portrait from kezia)
this father's day picture by kezia is spot on !
time for a revolution ?
it's takes just one hour for a complete revolution.
i think this is an early example of a dual screen analog/digital watch. unfortunately the digital bit seems to have gone a bit wrong as it's showing 88 minutes past 16, which in our modern world would be nearly half past 5 in the afternoon. yet the hands show ten to four.
scholarly update
(last seen here)
wellplace zoo
what other zoo has a hub cap collection ?
and a phone box full of old boxes so you can't get in ?
or guinea pigs running around the feet of fibre glass mammoths ?
the end of wellplace zoo
we've been going to the funny little place called 'wellplace zoo' for over 10 years i think. certainly before we had kids. and so i was saddened (but probaby not that surprised if i think about it) that it's shutting down in September.
it looks like we're too late to reserve any of the animals, but there's some other stuff going if you're interested. Ever fancied the zoo's giant dinosaurs, or wooden bears.
the thing i'm going to miss most is the fantastic zoo museum with it's curiously crusty mannequins and stuffed animals (nothing is ever wasted). i took a few final shots in case we don't go back before it finishes, so watch out for their photos in the next few weeks
hassock of the week
is this a hassock of some underpants ?
stencil writting
i was delighted to see this sign which has been prepared using an old fashioned letter stencil thing.
it doesn't look that great to modern eyes used to computer generated text but it must have taken ages to make. well done to them i say.
bikes are being removed
you can't say i haven't been warning you ! police are actively removing bikes.
and as an example, here's another no bikes sign
exams for woodworms
i would have thought a book worm would be more likely to have an exam than a woodworm. it's political correctness gone mad.
stop the noise
this chap was measuring the noise on Park Lane coming from the sound check on the main stage in Hyde Park.
and here is the entrance fence. Ready for the Foo Fighters tomorrow i think.
new style watering can
i've spotted quite a few of these new shape watering cans recently. perhaps it's something to do with this monsoon drought we're in at the moment.
caution - work in progress
this sign works on so many levels !
high dog poo sign
now this is an interesting dog poo sign as it shows someone about to step in one. which is a nice graphic reminder of why cleaning up poo is a good plan.
this sign was stuck high up a wall which meant you couldn't look at it and see where you are putting your feet, which is a shame as you are more likely to stand in some canine plop that way i would have thought. oh well.
barriers
they are setting up for gigs in hyde park by constructing giant walls across where i'd normally walk, which is a shame
25
this dry cleaners is excited because it's 25 years old and is having lots of 25 related bargains.
however, i'm a bit confused, as it proclaims 25% off, but also £25. And it seems to be suggesting they've got a selection of services including 25 hours, 25 days, 25 weeks, 25 months, 25 years. I can see the 25 hours service being popular (although plenty of other places do cleaning in fewer hours), but a 25 week service ? why ?
regent park roses
i had a meeting near Regents Park yesterday morning so walked there through the drizzle and passed a huge load of roses
they were everywhere and smelt quite pleasant
worship god live cd review
i was kindly sent a copy of Worship God Live by Bob Kauflin to review. here's me holding the CD in the car (jane was driving):
jane leads worship at our church and agreed to do the review, so here it is !
the strange toilet seat coincidence
i don't often see toilet seats, so i was delighted to see this one at the top of a no parking sign.
however, imagine my surprise when i came across another toilet seat way across london about 30 minutes later
do you ever have days like that ?
british taxis
i had to stand in the middle of the road to get this photo with cars whizzing by on each side.
not great for the hot weather
it's been very hot in london the last few days and yesterday was the hottest so far (in the low 30s i think). too hot for ttube travel anyway. but even hotter if your job involves you wearing coats and big hats. (although we all know they keep hot potatoes under there in winter and ice-packs in summer)
possibly the Israeli prime minister (out of shot)
the Israeli prime minister is in town at the moment and a cavalcade of unmarked police cars and 4x4s with strangely dressed policemen whizzed by, so i assume it was him. i was a bit slow on the draw to get the photo, mainly because i was eating a very melted kitkat.
how bollards climb up on to chairs
the rare sight of a bollard backing itself up on to a chair.
out of focus building
this is a rubbish picture of a building. but quite nice as an abstract.
thank you for not wearing sharp heels or stilettos
it was a pleasure not to wear sharp heels nor stillettos.
mattress
there have been loads of abandoned mattresses about recently. i suspect its the warm weather which has lead to odour problems.
caution electric fence
isn't this a great sign ? it's metal in the way all good signs used to be. And ideal for connecting to electric fences as people can't remove the sign without getting a shock. terrific thinking.
london viewed from windsor park
click for a big version and you can see BT Tower, the Gherkin and Canary Wharf on the horizon.
beer in a vineyard
esther went to a party yesterday afternoon so i had 2 hours free for wandering. so i went to a local vineyard (yes we have them in the England!) and had a beer. i had the place to myself as everyone else in the universe was watching football. fantastic stuff.
football - who cares ?
i don't really care for football, but i can tell plenty of others do.
and i was delighted to see this poster on Tottenham Court Road tube station a couple of weeks back advertising a book about the 'greatest footballer of all time'
the thing i like about it is the impromtu, anonymous, friendly debate it's sparked via graffiti, containing such fantastic comment as "i can't be dealing with george best" and "my dad"
open garden weekend
if you are up in london this weekend you should go and look at some gardens. there's plenty open as it's the open garden weekend
i walk past this place on the work in the morning and i was delighted to see that they've completely filled the square with a giant marquee. so, even though you'll be allowed in the square, you won't see much except a giant tent.
some of the places look interesting, but we've got a busy weekend so won't be able to go unfortunately. maybe next year.
mechanical thing
(first appearance by my new shoes)
spot the strange thing
can you spot what's wrong with this picture of a lock ?
the NORTH
The NORTH is such a great place. you should go. i went for a few years and thoroughly loved it.
a nest of foxton minis
Vin sent me this fantastic picture of a massive stock of numbered minis. he writes:
Thought you might like to see this - a nest of Foxton's Minis, seen looking south from the Piccadilly line passing through Chiswick. How many Minis can you count?
somewhere in the lakedistrict
i've still got a pile of photos to post going back almost a year. it would be poor to post something over a year old (even if i've not posted it before), so i should really clear out some of the backlog.
anyway, here's a picture of the lakedistrict from last august !
household appliances are the new domestic pets - discuss
here is a lady pulling her microwave over behind her. perhaps she's going to a neighbourhood cooking party (the non geeky version of a LAN party)
or perhaps her pet is inside the microwave. maybe for stealth and convenience she's converted her microwave in to a mobile portable reptile tank ?
i changed my street
this is an interesting sign. it's proclaiming the fact that we (who are 'we') now feel safer as there's 115 CCTV cameras around and about.
if this was a cutting edge issues-based blog i'd say something comparing this spin to the big brother is watching you state and the new improved speed cameras which are being introduced that will catch even more speeding drivers.
but i won't as i quite like cameras. and i dislike speeding cars. and funkypancake isn't that kind of blog.
danny baker
it's danny baker in a smart suit on the other side of the road (last seen by me here)
shoe refresh
this is my shoe attached to the pointy end of my leg. these shoes (for it's one of a pair) have taken me about 5,500km in the last year and a half which isn't bad really. i bought some new shoes last week which i'm phasing in.
kezia took this photo. she did a lot of zooming in and out before finally taking it, so i think we can safely assume she meant it to look like this. she even added the extra grass for effect.
abbie's leaving do
here is abbie. she's leaving the world of UK telecommunications regulation to travel the world with her chap and eventually end up in New Zealand (the idea being to get there by surface, mostly by land). how cool would that be ?
she's keeping a blog of her adventures which you can read here
donkey derby
this donk is running a race at our local donkey derby, but after having abonded its rider, it decided to eat some grass. much more fun.
managing expectations
I love this sign stuck up near the entrance to a National Trust place we went to on Saturday:
"If you're expecting a dazzling display of winter pansies and tulips in the Parterre this spring, unfortunately you will be disappointed".
we weren't expecting such things, but i felt compelled to be a little disappointed anyway.
hell-fire caves
we went back to the Hell-Fire caves yesterday where it was very chilly on a very hot day
then we drove to nearby hughenden manor
here is the manor (note the blue sky !)
ShoP
interesting use of upper and lower case letters
hassock of the week
anyone know what this is all about (guesses only from those who don't know!)
non intuitive keyboard
this keyboard would be a complete nightmare to type on.
jam of the day is strawberry
i had a business lunch with someone yesterday in a very posh restaurant, but they were 50 minutes late and i only had an hour for lunch so i didn't eat (the cranberry juice is nice though). During my waiting time i did study the menu quite well and noticed you could get broad beans with jam on. which was a nice idea.
small blue hippo
hippos aren't native to britain. especially not the blue ones.
the mystery moth
lynda sent me this mystery moth which she had in her house and couldn't identify. is it a mothetore - the mythical mothical creature, half moth, half goat ?
sonning scarecrows
on Monday we went to see the scarecrows in Sonning on Thames which is a cool annual thing they do each year.
here are just a few of the 70-odd scarecrows people had made
Pirates of the Caribean
Rolf Harris
Sonning Zoo
Oh dear - i thought this one was a car crash which seemed a bit in appropriate. it was actually making a point about the queues through the village to get across the bridge (but of course!)
Alan Titchmarsh and their local MP (in the background)
Esther's favourite was Winnie the Pooh playing pooh sticks in someone's garden
Dobie (from Harry Potter)
i loved this Mighty Boosh one featured Milky Jo (and Old Greg out of shot)
what ?
it's a fresh Banksy from Tottenham Court Road
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