barberscat

Sunday, January 28, 2007

MORE SIGNS OF THE TIMES



Sometimes I have to laugh at how much trouble authorities go to save us from danger, and how badly we read (or obey) those signs.




Many times there are signs put up by our fellow man, concerned at what they consider may be our bad habits or maybe just a general lacking in common sense. The sign below tells us that the "Bull is not politically correct" and the one at the right tells us not only how to flush a toilet, but also not to drink the water!! Oh well - water recycling is a hot topic in my town :o). However, these were in Tasmania - maybe the rumours about Taswegians is correct???


















Now here's a good warning - walk here and you'll be knocked by a car .. protect them from themselves!!!!!


There are people with great senses of humour who will always keep up laughing. I particularly like a sign near Elephant Pass in Tasmania where one can buy Elephant Pancakes, and some of the chairs in the cafe are elephants ....... and if you're not careful, an elephant will sit on your car ... or something!!

And of course, we always have a giggle at the way English is used in non-English speaking countries:"



Then (at left) there are the times that we give an English meaning to a foreign word, just to cause a few sniggers:

The Irish must be amongst the funniest people on earth. They love a laugh, and like Australians, tend to laugh at themselves. We saw so many funny signs, such as the ones on a road, leading up to roadworks. Firstly, painted on the bitumen in large letters was "SLOW". About 100 metres further on, "SLOWER", and another 100 metres, "EVEN SLOWER". That indicated to us that maybe they don't obey the road warning signs :o). This wasn't the only indication, by the way :o(



But on a pub wall, there was one sign that I couldn't photograph clearly, so you'll have to put up with a blurred photo (at right).



I can go on for ages enjoying the intended and unintended humour in signs, but I must leave space for a splurge on clever mail boxes!

Have a larf :o)))




Friday, January 12, 2007

SIGNS OF THE TIMES
I sometimes wonder why Driver puts up with me when we are on holidays ... I'm always saying "Turn around" or "back up - I want to take a photo of that sign". Signs are only one of my fetishes - I also photograph mailboxes, sunrises, sunsets, flowers and ....... well, you know how it is. Thank goodness for digital cameras. On a recent visit to Western Australia, the desire for a photo of a particular flowering tree saw us drybogged in sand which was right beside the bitumen. Within 2 minutes, two 4WDs had pulled up and in 10 mins we were out of the bog! My faith in the human desire to assist each other is confirmed. But back to the topic .......
I always appreciate the Australian sense of humour, and during our last trip I snapped some great signs.

This one, for instance, leaves no doubt in one's mind as to what the poor unfortunate farmer was saying - and also what he had been suffering. No police message could be as blunt as this, nor would it bring as many smiles.
A huge problem in W.A. when we were there were the clouds of locusts. Driving was a health hazard - after a few minutes it was impossible to see through the windscreen. We found it necessary to buy some fly screen and tie it to the bull bar to protect our grill and radiator. But, it is something the locals have learnt to live with, and there were numerous radio talk backs where people suggested recipes for eating the locusts - grilled, barbecued, crackly and crunchy, desserts ....... all recipes suggested in all seriousness! Why not take advantage of this new food resource that had flown in? Even the cafes were in on the humour, as is shown in this board in York.



And then there was the roadhouse in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain where it had become a problem for them when every dog-lover traveller let the poor animals out for a run (and the associated poo) in their spacious driveway. I wonder how many people saw the sign before the offending poo was carefully placed at their front door.



I loved the gentle way a caravan park owner told tenants not to put their smelly fish scraps in the bin.



Even the road signs had some humour about them. We were told to beware of camels, wombats, emus, kangaroos, swamp hens, scrub turkeys, plains turkeys, bilbies, long-necked turtles, ordinary turtles, ducks with ducklings, and it is surprising how often an individual touch is added to the sign - they are not all the same.





I especially love the signs that endeavour to protect us from our own stupidity. Government departments are good at this, but also there are some people who must think their fellow man has kangaroos loose in the top paddock!






My blogsite is complaining about the number of photos I am uploading, so I guess this is yet another unfinished masterpiece :o)))