Phunny Photos

My daughter is spending this semester at a college near London and has been making us jealous with her adventures and photos.

On one of her first forays into London, she met Jonathan, homeless chalk artist. Here’s what she said about him …

He taught me about being 19 spiritually but 55 physically, how to be organized (read OCD), how to decipher a thief who will steal the money people leave for you, how to follow your own heart and that all you need is love. And to floss. When I met him, he was wearing a blue peasant shirt, very thin black pants with Japanese characters on them and boots that have probably seen the Blitz. He has long strawberry blonde hair and a beard that calls Shakespeare to mind. He’s a chain-smoker, and he always has some kind of alcohol on his person. ‘I love life,’ he kept telling me. ‘If I found myself drowning on the banks of a river,’ he said as we watched young Korean men juggling soccer balls with their feet in Trafalgar Square, ‘I would still probably wake up the next morning loving life.’ I spent the afternoon with him, and even helped shade in some of his artwork. He reminded me a little of Captain Jack Sparrow. All he didn’t do was shout, ‘Where’s the rum gone?’ When it was time for me to go, he said, ‘Let me give you my number.’ ‘But Jonathan,’ I said, ‘I don’t have a phone.’ ‘But Jessie,’ he said, ‘neither do I.’ We looked at each other and started to laugh. ‘But seriously,’ he said, getting serious, ‘let me give you my number.’


Jonathan is very polite.

She created a photographic tour of her walk to campus. Here are some things she knew we’d like.

Best. Van. Ever.

Those silly Brits!

Favorite house on her walk to school.

Shop display. “It’s all made of hangers!”

She has this thing about taking pictures of her feet.

Or maybe she met up with the Wicked Witch of the West.

These are her feet with toadstools. Well, not her FEET with …. aw, you know what I mean.

feet-with-toadstools

When she gets home, maybe I should think about having the podiatrist check out that left foot.

One day, she had an unexpected brush with fame! She stumbled on a premier for something starring Simon Pegg, an actor in one of our favorite movies of all time … Shaun of the Dead.


And maybe she had a brush with inanimate fame, too …. Doesn’t this look EXACTLY like the door knocker from the movie musical “Scrooge”?! You know, at the end when he puts the Santa, er, Father Christmas hat and beard on it? And don’t tell me you’ve never seen it because then I’ll feel compelled to give you a dope slap.


Well, so what. I think it looks EXACTLY like the door knocker from “Scrooge.” So pfftt.

Who knows why it’s a ”˜humped zebra crossing’? And if you’re a podiatrist, what do you think about that left foot?

0 thoughts on “Phunny Photos”

  1. It’s a pose, Mama! Just taking a picture of two feet pointed the same direction doesn’t have the same effect. And thank you for including the best van ever!

  2. I love the striped socks! And also the humped zebra crossing. Somewhere I have a whole series of pictures my sis and I took of funny signs in Ireland and Cornwall. They’re awesome.

    Now I want to go back to London…

  3. I want to go back to London too, Mary. But it would be extra awesome to go back as a 20 year-old. And how much does it blow that not only do I NOT get to be in London, but I’m paying for my daughter to be there?!

    But it appears we won’t have to pay for a podiatrist after all so that’s something. I guess.

  4. You win, Judith! They’re humped like a speed bump and zebra because of the stripes on the road.

    While I love the whimsy of the British signs, I still wish that was where all the humped zebras gathered to cross the road safely.

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