Gangster Times

Here's another tabletop figurine that I came across yesterday whilst out shopping.

A strange hybrid of a labrador's head on a man's body. It's entitled 'Gangster'. Maybe the sculptor has seen too many science fiction or horror movies.

Not something that I'd like on display in our home. I don't think it would look any better if it was of a man's head on a dog's body either.

And yes, I have used the price tag to hide his modesty. If you were wondering about the cost. It's £59.

The Funky Gibbon

Some of you may be old enough to remember an amusing song by The Goodies, called 'Do, Do, Do the Funky Gibbon'. It made the pop charts in the mid 1970s.

Well Gail & I were in a furniture shop this afternoon, when I spotted this rather large gold ape statue sitting on a table and staring at me.

Of course I had my camera with me. If you're into photography, you always do. Just in case you come across something unusual or newsworthy. So I took a photo or two. I wondered if an assistant would tell me off, as the store wasn't particularly busy. But no, I was left alone to snap away.

Shooting The Shooter

Another view of the wicker Robin Hood, to the one that I published on July 12th, which is situated in the gardens at the castle.

I've also used a square format and one of the art filters that my Olympus camera comes with.

Bee Bookaloola

The Beeman is feeling intellectual today, despite it constantly raining.

Sadly he hasn't been given an umbrella, so he has to read his book in the wet.

Hopefully the rain won't wash away the words of his novel, and he can still read. I just hope it isn't a library book!

I wonder what the title is?  With all the bad weather that we are currently experiencing, then it may be 'Ring of Bright Water', 'The Little Mermaid' or 'Moby Dick'.

Sunday Fun

Hope you don't mind a bit of nudity for a Sunday?

Don't worry, no need to complain, as this particular nude is made of stone.

I bumped into her at Bardill's Garden Centre, where she was on sale for £345. Hasten to add, I didn't buy her, just took her portrait instead.

The Night Stalker

Beeston's famous Beeman statue. He's usually has his photo taken in the daytime, especially when people pose with him. Children particularly enjoy this.

Well my version was taken at night, with only the Christmas decorations, street lights and shop windows to provide any light.

He was wearing a Santa hat for a short while, before it sadly got stolen. A case of no ho ho then.

Candles In The Wind

There was a vigil in the city centre tonight for the people that lost their lives in Paris last week.

When I arrived at around 6pm, around 200 people had gathered around the Brian Clough statue. I think that they would have used the Old Market Square, but it is out of use at the moment, as workmen are putting together the kiosks, stands and decorations for the Christmas festivities, which begins later this week.

There were many tea lights and candles lit in their memory. Two girls, possibly art students had designed a candle holder in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, which I thought was rather clever and very effective.

Wrapping Up Well For Winter

Yarn bombing is a fairly new phenomenon. It was Beeston's turn yesterday evening, as a group of three ladies were decorating the Beeman statue, ready for Beeston's Arts Trail, which starts tomorrow.

Besides giving the statue a crocheted hat and poncho, he also received a fake beard, even though he has one of his own. The accompanying beehive was also bombed by a number of wooly bees.

Beeston sadly woke up to some bad news this morning, as all the knitting had disappeared. An early idea was they had been stolen by people passing by, but the truth came out later in the day; some silly council cleaners had taken them away and put them in the bin. Somehow they didn't realise that they had been placed there for a reason.

 A plea had gone out on Social Media for people to quickly knit some more to replace the ones that had been lost. Hopefully lots of knotting has taken place today, and there will be plenty to see tomorrow.

Alright Young Man

Someone had carefully wrapped a scarf around the neck of the Brian Clough statue in town, to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

For those that don't know, Brian Clough was the manager of Nottingham Forest football team during the 70s and was quite successful on the field.  I'm not a football fan, so I couldn't tell you what and when, but if you're interested, then I'm sure that you can find out through Google.

Hope

This is the statue called Hope, and is a memorial to all those that died in the Boer War.

It used to be sited at the other end of Beeston, before being relocated to Broadgate Park. It was resited in the park a few years ago when it was redesigned and the council wanted to open up the main entrance from the High Road.

There Is Nothing Like A Dame

A moderately sized demonstration was on offer today just off the Old Market Square.

This one was against the privatisation of the Probation and Family Court Service. I agree with the demonstrators that it's not something that should be there to make a profit, as they are dealing with people's lives and not some product.

The Government are slowly and quietly selling off the NHS as well, bit by bit. One MP has even suggested that everyone should pay a monthly £10 fee to see a doctor or visit a hospital. The MP has obviously forgotten that most people already pay every month in the form of the National Insurance tax.

The Royal Mail was sold off last year and there has been some criticism that the share price was set too low & that it has doubled in value since then, much to the detriment of the taxpayer.

The statue of Brian Clough looks on, but I'm not sure whether he would agree or disagree.

Waiting For Death

Whilst visiting Cobden Chambers, I came across another one of the sculptures that have been made by apprentices.

I'm not sure if I like this one or not.  It looks a bit morbid to me, and the hole in his chest reminds me of the scene in Alien, when the monster bursts out of John Hurt.

I once saw a fantastic spoof of that scene on TV, where instead of it being a baby alien, it was Sooty!

Never In The Field Of Human Conflict

The imposing statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square and overlooking the UK's seat of power. Made from bronze by Ivor Roberts-Jones in 1973.

I wonder what he would think of the politicians that work there now, as they have now earned a reputation for being greedy, corrupt and generally dishonest individuals. Not that I am saying that the politicians of the 1940s & 50s were completely innocent of any wrong doing. Maybe they were just a bit more discreet, a little less greedy or the newspapers towed the line more and din't report any of their misdemeanours.

I wonder if old Winston ever fiddled his expenses?

The Full Nelson

I was requested by work the other day to go down to London today to photograph an awards ceremony that was taking place at their offices in Westminster.

I had to get a very early train to St Pancras Station, and then a couple of tube journeys to central London. I immediately headed towards the Houses of Parliament to take a phone pic for Gail, as I always send her a message when I go away, so she knows that I got there safely. I then went to Parliament Street for the briefing of what photographs were required for the day.

By the time the event was over it had gone 4pm and it was beginning to get dark. Whilst walking around Parliament Square, I came across the statue of the late departed Nelson Mandela; President of South Africa. And all around the base were flowers, piled high, almost up to the statue's knees. There was a policeman standing guard, to make sure that there was no trouble, or the flowers got stolen. There were loads of tourists taking pictures and reading the cards. So of course I did the same.

The Iron Giant

I've been going to London a few times this year, and every time I have tried to take a decent photograph of this statue which stands (or sits) outside the British Library.

It is of Sir Isaac Newton and was designed by Eduardo Paolozzi in 1995.

The statue is actually made of bronze and is based on a print by William Blake.

Ooh Heck!

No, this isn't one of the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who, but a Jacob Epstein statue called Lucifer, and was cast in bronze in 1945.

Lucifer was an angel and after questioning the power of God, was banished to Hell.

This fine piece of art is on show at Birmingham's main museum.

Frozen Stiff

Another cold day, but no snow. Which I guess is a bonus, compared to other parts of the country.

I've thought about taking the Robin Hood statue with my fisheye lens for a little while now, and so I thought today would be a good opportunity. Especially if there was still some snow lying around.

It was a bit of a struggle getting up to the statue, as it was still quite icy in places. I tried taking photos of Robin in various positions. I have put an odd angled one on Twitter, but here's a more traditional one for your delectation

Lion's Made

I'll try and make this my last 'fisheye' photo for a while, but it's just a great lens to use. And what fun too. So much so, that I can't stop taking it out with me!

This one is of the 'right lion' which stands in the Old Market Square. Unfortunately he isn't as popular as the 'left lion'; who is traditionally used as the place where people meet.

Apparently he does have a name.though.  Oscar Agamemnon, and he is on Twitter, if you fancy following him. Although he has been a little quiet recently. So go and wake him up.

Bet He Wishes He Had A Scarf

The weather people said that we were in for a snowstorm today. I and a few friends at work sat and waited for it to come. It seemed to be ages and ages before we saw the first flakes.

Darryl, one of my co-workers kept looking on the Internet for weather updates.

Then at around Noon, it began. Not much to start with. Only tiny flakes, which I called dandruff.

The flakes slowly got bigger into what I would call proper flakes and lasted for an hour or so.

It was still lightly snowing on my way home. I took care on my bike, as it was quite thick in places and possibly slippery.

I stopped at a few places and took some photos for Twitter. I also decided to take some for my blog. Above is the bust of Jesse Boot at Highfields, and below is the sandstone rock that the castle was built on.

Dearly Departed

Gail and I had to go to a funeral today. Not a family member as such, but someone close to our hearts; Gail's ex husband's father, Ruben.

He died suddenly from a short illness. So it was quite a shock to hear that he had passed away so soon.

Ruben was very popular in the village where he lived, and the little church in Edwinstowe was packed with family members, friends and locals wishing to say their goodbyes.

The service went as well as could be expected and so did the burial, despite it being very cold and wet.

Although I didn't know him as much as perhaps I was able, we did share the same birthdate, although there was a 40 year difference.

It was the first time that I had been to a funeral with a burial, as others that I have attended have been cremations.  After the coffin was lowered into the ground, I helped his sons to shovel the earth back in. It was the least I could for them.