It’s been windy and cold hasn’t it. As Frankie Howerd once said, “Ooh it’s bitter out”.
I’ve never seen so many felled trees without a lumberjack in sight. Absolutely shocking the way nature targets trees that are just minding their own business. I guess it should be no surprise, then, that boats have started going “a-wandering”.
Like this one I stumbled across on my travels that was parked up at a 45 degree angle:
It looks like some mischevious street urchins untied it at one end and let nature take care of the rest with a following wind.
On the same stretch I got molested by some ducks who said they wanted bread.
The above scenario is more likely, unless of course the boat owner got carried away on the old Jack Daniels, forgot to moor one end of his boat and was away with the fairies at the time this photo was taken.
Living on a boat at this time of year seems like a hard life to me. Don’t get me wrong, in the Summer I can see the appeal. People are out by their boat, socialising and drinking, watching the sunset before moving on again to idyllic surroundings after a brief mooring. A bit like the Littlest Hobo.
Side Note: If you don’t remember the Littlest Hobo this is what i’m talkin’ about Willis:
Side Note Continued: I once played this programme intro song/theme tune to someone thinking it would spark warm and fuzzy nostalgia, as it did with me, but what actually happened was this person started crying and called me a “complete b*st*rd” for showing it to them in the first place. How was I suppose to know it would conjure up such painful emotions (lol).
Moving on…
In the winter though it’s a different story. That’s when it’s all about survival and I don’t think most people could cope very well with it. Mind you, I could say the same thing about the inhabitants of Stornoway.
So I take my hat off to people that live on boats all year round, they are made of stern stuff.
Speaking of mischievious urchins, I personally don’t mind seeing a bit of graffiti as long as it’s properly artistic, otherwise what’s the point? If you want to spray paint a rat sitting in a deckchair sipping on a pina colada, knock yourself out I say (don’t break any laws though you crazy horse). I mean, that sort of thing works for people that brand themselves with one name if they went to art college or watched a lot of Tony Hart.
Personally I preferred Morph, that guy was a rock star.
There’s a wannabe graffiti artist (I use the term loosely) on that stretch called “Hue”. I know that because he uses black spray paint to write “Hue” with and it has no artistic merit at all. He’s daubed several trees with his “Hue-ness” in a similar way to how a dog marks its territory by cocking up its leg against it.
All very unsavoury (Hue that is, not the dogs) but I think there may be hope because Hue also appears to have a sense of humour. On one wooden marker at the side of the canal he’s also sprayed “Walk it off :-)” as a humourous aside for future sightseers. At least I assume it’s Hue because it was the same colour paint in close proximity. I like to think Hue had a bit of empathy for people who decided they needed a walk after eating a large Sunday roast.
Maybe Hue should just quit graffiti (he really isn’t very good) and go into stand-up comedy or motivational speaking instead.
Hue, if you’re reading this, give people weight loss tips like “Get all your carbs from vegetables” if you are going to continue being a loose cannon in life. Street art with an education vibe may be a niche.
Thanks for reading, see you in the next one.
Boring Disclaimer: I should just say here I don’t condone or encourage any kind of illegal street art or vandalism but I do think some Street Art looks cool and talent is talent at the end of the day (Hue was talent free). All of this is purely for entertainment purposes.