Miscellanea 2

“Cats sleep anywhere …” – even curled up contentedly amongst graffiti and dire warnings.

… and so apparently do marble babies …

… and sculpted dogs.

Warsaw trams have a TV screen which features a series of monsters behaving badly, in a way that no good traveller on public transport should. The twins love the monsters, and the concept is very handy when they start exercising their lungs at full volume being a cat or a frog: “Hey, that’s monster behavior!” seems to have an effect. This one carries the following message: 

Permanent window-gaper

This individual, noticing a seat, takes it over, and like a groper in an aquarium who sticks to the glass, begins to stare through the window. This however, does not mean that he thirsts for beautiful views. It actually means that he doesn’t have to notice someone who really needs to sit down.

Near one of our playgrounds, there’s a restaurant called the Blue Cactus offering overpriced Mexican food. However it also offers these irresistibles: shadows, plant, reflections and colour scheme.

The early morning mottling of a rough wall offers an almost abstract representation of light and shadow at the golden hour.

On the wall just outside the Barbican near the statue of the little insurgent is this clock, another one of those things idly noted but not looked at closely hitherto. So that’s what the circles are! And the shapes beside the numbers! It even records the time I finally paid attention.

In search of tahini on a rainy day I retreat under an arch to avoid a downpour and discover unexpected courtyard beauties, and the whereabouts of Fotoplastikon.

The entrance gate to the zoo is a clever piece of ironwork. Stand in one place and you see bent bars: move a step away and there’s a zebra.

One day at Jeziorka Czerniakowskie we delay our departure to watch attempts at slack-rope walking across the water. A wind springs up, and no one progresses very far. 

A grand old tree in Łazienki is host to a spectacular collection of fungus.