Of all the animals of prey, man is the only sociable one.
Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera: John Gay

Saturday 31 May 2014

Quote of the week - small town life

In the great tradition of local newspapers reporting non-events, this story hit the headlines last week:
Naked woman photo call shocks onlookers at Banbury’s Fine Lady statue
At around noon a woman was spotted sitting next to a man with a camera by Banbury’s iconic statue when she suddenly removed her summer dress and stood naked as the photographer took a series of snaps.
The statue is something of a red herring here; a quick glance at the handy, if blurred, accompanying photo - her companion was evidently not the only one taking pictures - shows the photographer sitting with his back to the equestrian artwork to capture his subject against the scenic backdrop of a main road.

There is something endearingly 'let's-put-the-show-on-right-here-in-the-barn' about the whole thing, from her utilitarian footwear to the choice of location - though that didn't stop a concerned citizen reporting them to Thames Valley Police (who must have been delighted at this addition to their workload).

According to an eye-witness who saw it from his office window, it "lasted probably about three minutes" - during which he clearly wasn't getting any work done - before, as he put it,
"She put her dress back on then went up near the dentists and did it again. Just another day in Banbury!"

(Fans of Giles cartoons may appreciate this one from 1970 on a similar subject (the zoom feature might be helpful))

7 comments:

  1. Probably done for a bet.

    Giles cartoons remind me of waiting for a hair cut. Years ago my barber had lots of Giles cartoon books and now I can't see one without a a phantom whiff of Brylcreem.

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  2. In every sense of the word, Demetrius; better not tell Lembit Opik.

    AKH, you may well be right - there's certainly an impromptu air to the whole thing.

    It would be a fine thing if all barbers/hairdressers/dentists etc could be persuaded to do the same.
    I've long felt that today's young could do a lot worse than Giles annuals as a way to understand the social and political climate of the 60s and 70s.

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  3. "...to the police, who have been unable to trace the pair."

    Pair..fnarr, fnarr!

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  4. Yes but the critical question is - did she have the body for it?

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  5. Macheath, are you aware of this?

    http://earthsky.org/space/watch-online-as-asteroid-2014-kh39-passes-at-about-moons-distance

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  6. Rightwinggit, have you been watching too many 1970s sitcoms?

    Oddly enough, the 1970s phenomenon of streaking seems to have fallen by the wayside; either the exhibitionists are getting their kicks from the internet these days or British summers are now less conducive to such activities than the scorcher of' 76.

    JH a) You'd have to ask the gentleman whose office gave him a ringside seat - though in the interests of equality I'd argue that all bodies should have the same right to be displayed in the High Street
    and
    b) don't worry; the post and drinks are already lined up for tomorrow.

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