Tuesday 10 June 2014

Signs of the Times

When I take little walks around London,  I like to snap things on walls  - posters, notices, adverts.   Thought you might like to see some of what I've seen lately.  

I happened to get off the train at South Croydon, a small old fashioned station.  In the old fashioned waiting room I saw this old fashioned poster. I suppose it's a reproduction or perhaps it's a new piece of art work. I wonder.  Anyway, I thought it was rather clever. Except when I got far enough away to see the picture, I was too far to see the writing. Oh well. 


 A set of brilliantly coloured, lively murals celebrating the Notting Hill Carnival by Fiona Hawthorne, who is described as "Barack Obama's Portraitist".  Her picture of him apparently hangs in the Library of Congress (I haven't seen it).  But she has lived for many years in Notting Hill, the area of London made famous by "Four Weddings and A Funeral".  And she has created these huge murals on a long stretch of wall. They're almost life sized. and even though I'm an old grouch who doesn't like carnivals, I did love these. 



I liked this poster at the entrance to some beautiful gardens on Hampstead Heath. I'm hoping to write about them soon, as they're very interesting. Nothing like softening an order with a smile, is there?


I saw no dogs in the gardens, so I think the notice must have worked.   This bossy poster, by contrast,  has been comprehensively ignored.  


I loved this shot.  It shows some 1950s posters which have survived in a garage in Soho. I thought the girl suited them very well, somehow. 



And finally, here is a sign from Athens, with an unofficial addition.   A donkey lane.  I like the idea!.



PS and talking of animals I'm waiting another few days to see if anyone else wants to go into the draw for the dog book in my last post. Not that I mind if you don't - it's not my book - but it is actually quite a nice one! :)

56 comments:

  1. You've got some wonderful pictures there.

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  2. Hello Jenny

    I love this post. It depicts ordinary every day life in London. The last picture of the donkey lane made me smile

    Helen x

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  3. Signs, signs, everywhere a sign, but some of them really are great to look at!

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  4. "No dogs (not even yours)" I like it! I love the idea of a donkey lane too.

    Strange to think that at one time travelling on the Southern Railway would have been the height of fashion and good taste. Nowadays it just means a boring daily journey for commuters.

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  5. I always enjoy the photos taken during your random walks through London. It makes me feel as if I was there. At first glance, I thought the girl in the garage was a part of those old 1950's posters.

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  6. Your double rainbow header is lovely, Jenny! And as your post has shown, a smile can take you far further than a frown. :)

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  7. You have such a good eye for the pretty, the unusual, and the quirky things that surround us, but sometimes don't see.. I always enjoy your posts very much.

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  8. You see so much more just walking around than you do driving in a car or bus.

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  9. I always find humor in the signs that are posted around here too. Love what you found there in your neck of the woods.

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  10. I've met folks to whom No dogs, not even yours did not apply. Just ask them how well behaved and circumspect their Fido is and that's why they brought him in. Grrrrrrrr..............

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  11. Enjoyed this post from a great city


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= <3

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  12. Love the old poster Jenny and the vibrant fun paintings of Fiona Hawthorne - I tried to find the painting she did of Barack Obama on Google but had not luck.
    Really like your new header - is it Silbury Hill?

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  13. Donkey lane...between 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster.....

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  14. A donkey lane sounds like a great idea to me, as i love beasts of burden.

    It can be interesting to take special note of posters and signs around town. The "Not Even Yours" addition to the garden sign is funny!

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  15. Wonderful post! The farther south...I kept feeling I had to back away from the monitor to see the poster properly. lol It actually works, even though I lean back to the northeast.

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  16. These photos are wonderful and shows what happens when we open our eyes to the ordinary, although I squinted my eyes in order to see the first poster well!

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  17. Dear Jenny,

    Signs of the times captured so wonderfully with your words and photos.. And when I saw the notation of "Tories Out!", well, I'll leave it that. Thanks for putting up these photos. A certain aspect of London in my posting was balanced with your post.

    Gary

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  18. They're more than signs of the times....great shots...great signs showing signs that the times are okay, after all! :)

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  19. Wonderful posters.
    I like the sign that says says No dogs in the garden and that means even yours !
    hahahahahahahahahaha

    cheers, parsnip

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  20. In my lostness yesterday I came across one of the few sections of the Berlin Wall still standing - with its street art (or graffiti - depending on your point of view).

    Banksi has done so much to elevate daubs on wall from vandalism to street art - and our streets are so much livelier for it!

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  21. There is something about the wall art in London that adds to the character of the place. We spotted some good things when we were there last weekend. Thanks for sharing these.

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  22. It's a while since I can recall laughing at a notice but I loved the No Dogs one and, in particular, the psychology behind it.

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  23. The second carnival mural is cheerfully vibrant. It would definitely brighten a dark day. Interesting selection of posters, Jenny, and what a good idea. Hmm food for thought.....

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  24. What a fascinating collection of signs Jenny. The donkey is adorable, and I find the 1950s garage signs surprisingly well-preserved, and evocative of their era. Best of all I love the carnival scene with the colourful feathery costumes - how full of joy they all look! You are brilliant at spotting interesting things to photograph.

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  25. Hi Jenny, those murals are very nice... bright and cheerful. Love the signs too and yes the lady in from of the vintage signs does seem to fit. Looks like she has an apron on. There's always fun in signs I reckon :D)

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  26. Fun to see the posters and murals. I like finding public art.

    Darla

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  27. I'm a sign and poster addict too. Our favorite one is one we saw in southern England that said, "Beware of sudden gun fire".

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  28. So interesting to see the "wall art" you have found on your walk. I love the "(not even yours)"!

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  29. An exile from London, one of the things I miss about it most is Hampstead Heath. Many happy memories. I used to fly kites from Parliament Hill and my daughter was born down the road in the Royal Free (I wasn't flying a kite at the time!).

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  30. I always love photos of "I'm-just-walking-around" excursions. The everyday stuff tells so you much about a city. Thanks for sharing these with us.

    And yes, I'm grinning at the "not even yours."

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  31. Hey Jenny!
    My husband Richard is from Croydon! He is very familiar with South Croydon station although it has been many years since he has seen it! Love that poster you have shown us from there.
    We have one like it at our church, it is lots of people but when you back away from it, it looks like Jesus. (What we think Jesus looks like anyway, but who really knows?)

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  32. I love every single one of these but especially those bright and colorful ones! They're too good not to record for posterity! That travel poster was my fave!

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  33. Donkey lane?? These were great. :)

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  34. I love your signs too. I live near Seattle, Washington, and we do have a donkey lane here. It's called Hwy. 405 between 3 PM and 7 PM -- a donkey could go faster than the homebound work traffic...in fact, the other afternoon, I was passed by a cyclist -- twice, and I'm sure the donkey would've been faster.

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  35. How lovely and bright. My dog does not approve of the notice, though, even with the joke!

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  36. Hello Jenny, I love this post. So often it's the bits and pieces I see around me that make my day. Please do write about the Hampstead Heath gardens, I was at uni near there and it would bring back many happy memories! Jane xxx

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  37. Aren’t all those vivid colours cheering? I’m not at all surprised that an order to post no bills has been ignored; it’s well-known that a negative command provokes a positive action.

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  38. Love the shots - especially the one of the 50s posters. And amusing signs are always worth a giggle. Haven't been to South Croydon for years - used to pass it every day! Can't say I miss it though.

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  39. These images are delightful. I had no idea I could look at poster shots from London all day long, but I do believe I could. Each one is a special glimpse into an artist's mind or an institution's agenda. LOVE.

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  40. Exactly the sort of thing that would catch my eye also.
    London does breed a special kind of artists’ mentality. And not just artists either.

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  41. Dear Jenny,

    Thanks for all of the colorful visuals...Have you ever thought of taking some photos and making postcards or notecards from them? They would be beautiful...

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  42. I love that about London, too. It's a city with so many idiosyncracies. Look at the road system, does it make sense? Not to someone raised on the Roman way of straight main throoughfares that lead to.. Rome (or to the seafront in Havana). But I love it! Until I get lost in a one-way system, that is. :-)

    Lovely post, Thanks.

    Greetings from London.

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  43. Life in the donkey lane ... I rather like that idea. :)

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  44. Very much enjoyed seeing the writing on the wall here, along with the pictures!

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  45. Orders are always best when softened with a small bit of humor (with or without an added "u".) Or just a bit of politeness goes a long way. I recall when smoking indoors was still allowed everywhere in the U.S., I would always try to accomodate those who posted "Please, no smoking" signs, but would positively bristle at straight "No Smoking" signs, even going out of my way to light up (being the obstinate and stupid person I am.)

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  46. I'm with Rurousha! My hubs would live in that lane. LOL
    We dont get interesting signs like that around here, we mostly get posters for beer and brat fests. Oh well, we own fat.

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  47. My favourite sign is the Donkey Lane. a symbol of the Slow Traffic movement.

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  48. Did the girl mind you taking the photo of her in front of the posters?

    I know South Croydon Station very well but have never seen that poster. If you think that station is old fashioned you should see our local!! :D

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  49. I too love all the signs in London. It is amazing what you can/cannot do, right? The list is simply endless. And we don't have donkeys lane in the UK, but we do have horses on the street, right?

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  50. Your new header is very picturesque! I love that.
    Huge murals, colorful and swinging atmosphere of the carnival and the cleaning that comes after that, are great. I also think signs are interesting to see; some are witty and some are funny. I'll take a look at signs around here when I walk next time.

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  51. I especially like those 50's posters - really takes you back to another era.

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  52. I love this. I have a thing for photographing signs - especially when I travel.

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  53. I didn't ask her, Joe, but she was staring at me the whole time and didn't seem perturbed, then she started talking to her friend who came up and she had been waiting for.
    Graham posted an item about the dog sign in his blog - always nice to spread around some gentle humour. And I am glad to see that so many people find the idea of a donkey lane somehow appealing. Although not the kind of "donkey lane" you have Chickadee :)
    e, I have never thought of making postcards, although I often like to make hand made cards for people.
    Mike, I am inclined to think that no parts of Croydon are very missable, which is a shame because it has some nice bits. The local council seem truly determined to trash everything that is old and pretty though. The SPAB did a feature about it in their magazine a few years ago.
    OK Jane I will try to write about the Hill gardens, they really are lovely and not that well known.

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  54. Continued... Rosemary, the header is indeed Silbury Hill. I was so pleased to have it in view when I saw that double rainbow. And Helen, I like your definition of a donkey lane very much!
    Yes, Valerie, the carnival pictures are really, really vibrant and bright, very appropriate for the subject matter of course and quite delightful to walk past on a drab day.
    Yes Gary, I had not noticed until you pointed it out that there was an echo of your post.
    Kay, that's a really good idea for a religious poster!

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  55. What a lovely selection of snapshots. Out of all of them, I like the West Croydon one the best.

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