For your safety and comfort

I loved these upholstered cushions for kneeling in the church. So much more comfortable than the barely cushioned wooden kneelers I spent many uncomfortable hours of my childhood on.

Urban poetry

Bryant Park becomes a Christmas market during the holidays, and picking my way through the crowds on on the adjacent sidewalk on my way home tonight was annoying. It was so cold and these people are so slow!

But this line of pedicabs waiting for fares cheered me up, though my admittedly Scroogey self would have probably gone for the one not dressed as Santa Claus. Just because.

I did actually take a pedicab once, many years ago. I'd been to a corporate Christmas party, and it had started to snow. I wasn't dressed for the weather, and there wasn't a cab to be found (pre-Uber days) and so when the guy on the bicycle offered to take me home for what a cab would have cost, I climbed aboard. And it was strange, but fun, and I will probably never do it again.

Another day in this endlessly fascinating and amusing city

I saw this sign on West 24th Street on my way back from the dermatologist yesterday.

I was tempted to take a peek but I did not disturb the birds.

Saturday reflections

This appears to be a defunct handicrafts shop on the main street in Faringdon, seen this past summer. The reflections are mostly in the shop name, though I do like how the window reflections and that rusty grate below them make a face.

But the sign on the door says that G & L Evans is in attendance during business hours, and available by phone 24 hours a day. Google tells me that this is a funeral provider, which explains their availability, but not why they are operating out of this rundown storefront.

Sunday bird blogging

Finally, here's another one of the cygnets I saw on the grounds. Those little fuzzy wings just slay me.

Urban poetry

I loved the warning signs on this building in Windsor—not Keep Out, or Caution, but If you really must proceed, you clueless pillock, go DEAD SLOW.

I also liked that the company name on the window at the top is Junk Design. I think they've succeeded admirably.

I did see an Amazon truck pull up while I was taking pictures. The driver parked well away and made the delivery on foot.

Guarding the guards

There were several police officers with big guns patrolling the crowds before the parade began—although most of the guardsmen were also armed, I suppose they needed to focus on marching rather than identifying threats.

But I loved that there were also several “ceremonial wardens,” standing by. I'm not sure what they do, but I love the job title.

Penguin Feet

I offer this closeup of gentoo feet in Cierva Cove for no other reason than it makes me smile.

Elephant seal yoga

In Fortuna Bay. The onlookers were clearly amazed by this display.

Have a seal break

 

Between class prep, physical therapy, and a dead battery in my car, I haven't had any free time this week. But here are some seals in South Georgia to make you smile. Anyway, they worked for me.

Random things I saw on Copacabana Beach

I didn't really understand the art installation or why it features Elton John, but it made me smile. And I love the platinum hair on those boys—this is apparently a favela style inspired by footballers.

Flashback: Macchu Pichu

Processing and tweaking photos is one of the few tasks I can put my mind to these days, so here are two pictures of a llama at Macchu Pichu that my critical eye for some reason (okay, I see the reasons--imperfect focus, less than ideal composition) deemed not worthy of inclusion on this august blog.

But today they make me smile.

Because we can probably all use a smile today

Fifth Avenue, during my walk home from school yesterday afternoon.

A somewhat smaller church

This Seventh Day Adventist church near Bath Abbey made me smile. I am guessing they have a rather small congregation.

Urban poetry

The crosswalk light on the corner has received some creative editing.

I still have more pictures from the Cotswolds, plus Bath, but I'm too busy with class prep to look at them.

Repurposing

I love this—the traditional red phone boxes are mostly gone now, just like pay phones in the U.S., but many of them have been repurposed into mini-libraries, or, like this one, a defibrillator in case of emergency.

Not a hallucination

I saw these horses as we were driving into Oxford yesterday, and when we turned into the hotel driveway, I was surprised and charmed to see that they were right next door to the hotel.

But by the time I'd checked in, washed up, and grabbed my camera, they were gone. There were a few crows pecking at the grasses in the field, but no horses. And when I came back from my long walk around central Oxford, the field was still empty and I was starting to wonder if I'd imagined them. Horses? In the city?

But they were back this morning. It was overcast and I only had my phone camera, but those are most definitely horses.

The Minotaur cafe

Which is next door to Labyrinth Souvenirs.

Oxymoron of the week

Near Mary's house in Ephesus.

I saw similar signs at other tourist markets in Kuşadasi, maybe the result of some truth-in-advertising crackdown, but it did make me smile every time.

Astronomy Tuesday

I don't usually include images taken from down here on Earth in this series, but I couldn't resist this one: a composite image of the Geminid meteor shower on December 14 of last year.

The meteors appear to be coming from the constellation Gemini (those two stars in the center of the meteor burst); you can also see Orion in the top left corner. But mostly it's the meteors, and this picture makes me smile.

Image Credit and Copyright: Wang Jin