Today we have a text-and-photo essay by Athayde Tonhasca Júnior, which is really a tour of the signs of Britain. Athayde’s captions are indented, and you can enlarge his photos by clicking on them.
This here Britain
Not all is well in King Charles’ British realm. Thousands of people, children included, have been found guilty of ‘non-crime hate incidents‘ (it is as dystopian as it sounds), you can go to jail for posting the wrong opinion on X, the government is considering making ‘Islamophobia’ illegal, our health system is crumbling, J.K. Rowling and Dr Hilary Cass can’t walk freely in the streets, our children are taught that British history is shameful, our rivers are choked with poo, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer (chief financial minister) is counting on China, that paragon of democracy, to resuscitate our economy. Yet, you still can rely on someone from these islands to bring a smile to your face.
An ugly bin morphed into a rubbish-eating pixie:
This Glaswegian white van man is dreaming big:
A reminder about realistic life expectations:
All the News That’s Fit to Print in Folkestone, a coastal town in the English Channel:
Nobody’s better than Greta to help you express sanctimonious indignation towards fellow drivers:
Never miss an opportunity to impress, even when under duress:
Only a few touches were needed to produce a happy splatter:
How do you save a dying pirate? With C-P-arr; what instrument does an old pirate play? A git-arr:
An unexpected yet insightful card found inside a discarded library book:
A warning to body snatchers Burke and Hare wannabes:
A joke or an oversight?:
Police Constable Rob wasn’t happy about the anatomical exposure:
Kill markings on a Land Rover:
Theological epiphanies come from unexpected places:
Hot and juicy cheese toasties on the coast at Broughty Ferry, Scotland. Unfortunately this van is no longer there:
How can you not do business with them?:
Bishops Finger ale takes its name from the finger-shaped wayside signposts in Kent (where it’s brewed) that guided pilgrims to the tomb of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Archbishop Becket, a figurative and literal hairshirt wearer, wouldn’t be too pleased with this ad:
An anti-litter appeal in Arbroath harbour, Scotland. If you let you guard down there, seagulls will pilfer your food:
Stepping onto sacred ground:
😄
I love British humor.
The “This is a Book Shop” is a slight variation on a broadside poster from 1932 called “This is a Printing Office.” It was written by Beatrice Warde to display Eric Gill’s new typeface Perpetua which had just been issued by the Monotype Corporation in England. A bronze plaque of Warde’s original is displayed in the lobby of the Government Printing Office in Washington, DC.
https://printinghistory.org/beatrice-warde-gpo/
I love clever signs and these are great!
That wonderful bookshop sign in particular reminded me of something I’ve been thinking about – namely, the fact that almost every book I have read in recent years has been an e-book. What got me thinking is the fact that I recently found a copy of Buddenbrooks in a nearby Little Free library. I took it home and stayed up reading it until 4 in the morning – something I haven’t done in years.
Is it just a coincidence that the best book I’ve read in years is also one of the very few hardcover books I’ve read in years? Yes, of course, Buddenbrooks is a classic. But, still, I can’t help wondering if the fact I didn’t read it in digital form had anything to do with it…
Very nice examples of human activity in the wild.
Oh, that is a goody!
Some fabulous signs – thanks!
Hilarious! Thanks.
Great stuff, thanks!