Number One
No. 1, Brookside, Cambridge, is a curious address in itself. Why? Because it's not in the street called Brookside at all. Brookside is nearby but it's over on the other side of Bateman Street. No. 1 stands fair and square in the University Botanic Gardens and used to serve as the main office administering the garden. On the lawn at the back of the building there is a fine-looking apple tree. A sign tells us that it's ....a descendant by vegetative propagation of a tree which grew in the garden of Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham and which is reputed to be the tree from which fell the apple that helped Newton formulate the theory of gravitation. Don't you just love the precision of the language; obviously the work of a
true academic.
As you can see it's a substantial orb and, if it fell on your head, would certainly make you think!
Carved Wood
If you're in Cambridge then you may find this outside the pub....
Holy Pig!
Recently I showed you the splendid "pile of books" bollards that stand outside the Cambridge University Library and which have prompted one or two noted academics to publicly display their lack of humour. Jack (Naples and Hartford in Season) commented that he thought that "Cambridge has enough serious stuff that a bit of whimsy can easily be accommodated". Indeed it can, Jack, indeed it can. And, just to prove it, outside Westacott House, the Anglican Theological College in Jesus Lane Cambridge, is this little piggy, an iron boot-scraper of unusual design.
Address Unknown
These little birds have been turning up in all sorts of odd locations around Cambridge, the work of an anonymous nocturnal artist. Local people refer to them as "the herons" though I'm not really sure exactly which bird is represented.
Angels On Moto Guzzis?
Well, not Hell's Angels, that's for sure, since this rugged-looking machine was parked in a churchyard in Norfolk. It's a 1985 Moto Guzzi 500cc army bike with its original leather panniers as used by the Dutch army and NATO forces. Incidentally I read recently that a hoard of 20 military bikes of this make had been discovered on a military base in Macedonia where they'd been sitting untouched for 30 or 40 years.
Even Odder Addresses
Three signs from my travels. It may not surprise you to learn that I used to live in Nutters Close for many years. In addition to these I've also seen a Cold Hands Lane, Dog Kennel Lane and Major Haddock Close.
Take care.
An interesting collection of oddities. Love the shot of the apple tree. The anonymous bird artist is amusing.
ReplyDeleteGreat fun! Gets me thinking ...
ReplyDeleteI like that Moto Guzzi. I was serious about getting one at one time. Now I don't even ride what I have.
ReplyDeleteYou really are so good John at going around with your camera and rooting out the oddities.
ReplyDeleteYou created such a wonderful theme about oddities. I enjoyed reading it and looking at the photos. What surprised me the most is a beautiful piece of carved wood in the bar.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all of these...love the street/lane names. I am always telling hubby that I need t start taking pics of odd street names....and some not so odd.
ReplyDeleteI used to work at an apple orchard....one year I was picking one kind of apples, that was picked earlier in the season, but there were 3 or 4 Granny Smith apple trees mixed in those trees. I was working my way under/through them trying to not knock any off. I didn't succeed...at least one came off and hit me on the head...it is the one and only time I ever actually saw stars. True story.
A lot of fun (as usual). In high school, my sophomore English teacher drilled an understanding of language into us by making us diagram sentences. With some effort, I think I could diagram that apple sentence.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I want that carved bar. Please ship it over here. (Fun to see my quote worked into your journey, too.)
Lovely story of the appple tree.
ReplyDeleteYou have amassed a nice collection of fun and strange things.
Enjoyed your post very much, from the story of the apple tree to Nutters Lane. The carving in the pub is impressive and I love the artwork of 'Heron'.
ReplyDeleteA nice collection of oddities. Which I quite enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteLovely collection of miscellany. I do like the little piggie.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting and amusing post, I really like the woodwork in Three Swallows and the work of the nocturnal artist. As for the Man Creche.........
ReplyDeleteHa! I love the pig boot scraper! Wonderful eclectic post!
ReplyDelete