IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY...

Whilst on my wander at lunchtime today, I chanced across this.

An old tree stump?

Look closer.

I like things like this.

Its just a large piece of tree that came down in high winds, a few years ago (I've since read), on View Island in the Thames (near my office, and near that sad Grebe nest), that has been carved into a Troll.

There's a duck carving on the island also - but thats not nearly as interesting.

All woods should have a troll like this I think!

"SHOEFITI"

Yes.

You read that right.

SHOE + GRAFFITI = SHOEFITI.

Use your eyes and you'll see more and more examples of this er... trend?

The phenomenon of a pair of shoes (almost always trainers) tied together and thrown over a power cable or telephone line.

I photographed this "Shoefiti" near the end of the road.

Daily Mail readers will have you believe that this is the work of drug dealers marking their territory. Paper cups stuck on metal railing posts is meant to be the work of crack cocaine dealers, also.

Uh huh?

I have more than a sneaky suspicion this is just another urban myth.

It is well known that members of the armed forces (especially U.S. armed forces) throw their boots over cables at the end of terms of service.

As do some college graduates.

As do some stag night members.

As do some ker-azeee school kids, often picking on someone that stands out from the crowd, or as an act of macho bravado -

" Witness how I can launch my trainers right over those wires!"

"Oh."

"Oh my. That was not the outcome I was expecting".

You'll be told by many, with a earnest look etched across their features that no, "Shoefiti" really does mean a drug dealer or gang is staking claim to its territory.

Whatever you want to believe I guess.

Me?

I just quite like seeing Shoefiti.

I find it quite amusing, and that is the only reason why the photograph has made it onto BG.

Like I mentioned, I photographed these trainers this morning, at the end of our road, near one of our favourite seedy pubs.

Well. At least I know where to get my crack now.... (sigh).

TEST SHOT OF DRIPPING TAP

Thought I'd just have a play around and see what effect I could get with a basic set-up on the camera...

I'm slowwwly getting to understand a little more about this camera...

GADWALL DRAKE

As always... click to enlarge.

PERMANENT VIDEO ADDITION TO BLUE GREY

Feeling down?
Click on the "Nice weather for ducks" video link (which is now a permanent addition to the front page of "Blue-Grey"), and immediately cheer right up.

This is a video from Lemon Jelly, two artists- Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin, who (quite literally) skipped into the dance music world around 2002 with their album "Lost Horizons".
I have loved two of their songs, "Ramblin' Man" and "Nice weather for ducks" for a few years now - Ramblin Man for the song really, but Nice weather for ducks for the absolutely wonderful video. I hope my nephew still likes the DVD I gave his mother a few years ago.
Fred Deakin is the man behind Lemon Jelly's psychedelic, acid-trip videos; well his AIRSIDE studio is anyway.

You'll see the Black Rabbits make a fine addition to the video after only 30 seconds.

This video really makes me smile, especially when exactly 1min 17 seconds are left of it to play.
If, when I get as old as the beardy-chap in the video, I'm dancing about in amongst all the woodland creatures in my latter days, well then - that'll be just fine and dandy with me.
Yes siree.

COW MURAL

Click to enlarge.
We've always liked this large mural, painted on an (unused now) office side at the corner of our street - I've just never got round to photographing it before this morning, and I've only recently found out who painted it and why.


The mural is situated right opposite Reading Cattle Market (on our road), where Anna and I disappear every other saturday morning for a bit of shin and some breakfast! Well, that explains the subject of the mural then.


It turns out that a friend of a friend of a friend in my office is the artist. He was caught illegally spraying graffiti on walls in the area, so the powers that be thought they'd persuade him to use his skills in a positive manner and paint the cows above.

You might argue that that hardly constitutes a punishment, or community service (which I think is what is was called at the time). You might well be right. I wouldn't care much.

I wish more buildings were adorned with this sort of stuff.
Great!

"EVENT HORIZON"

My sister pointed these marvellous sculptures out to me, on a walk down the South Bank of the Thames yesterday as in the changed date and time of this post.
The Hayward Gallery (on the South Bank) has commissioned Antony Gormley (of The Angel Of The North fame, amongst other work), to produce the largest ever "urban art exhibition" all summer.
He has produced 31 (I know not of that numbers significance) life size casts of his naked body, which he has fixed to roofs of prominent high buildings like the Shell Tower, around the South Bank.
I like them. I like them a lot. As my Sister said, it looks like "They are people committing suicide!"
Gormley has called the exhibition (running alongside his "Blind Light" exhibition at the Haymarket) "Event Horizon". He wants people to understand that over 50% of the planet's population now live within cities, and "I want people to see these sculptures, even out of the corner of their eyes, on the horizon, and feel uneasy about the city, and what's happening around them".
Well..... I'm not convinced by that, but I do think its a wonderful idea.
Myself, though, I would have liked him to go one step further (and leave the reason for the exhibition behind). Rather like the contemporary graffiti of "Banksy", much of which I have a lot of time for, I would have preferred Gormley to also cast two coppers in various poses for each of his 31 upright casts - you know, persuading the statue to reconsider his suicidal aims, or leading one or two of them away! Maybe one or two hanging off a ledge, or one peering down through a cast telescope at the tourists below! I would have liked them much more if they were different and posed. But I do understand that was NOT the point of the exhibition. Shame!
If you are on the South Bank before the middle of August, do keep your eyes on the tops of the surrounding buildings!