Is it a bird...Is it a plane...

...No. It's Mattressman! Completely bonkers but I love it. Another Ipswich find from the other weekend. I wish all shop signs were this ridiculous.

Super Hero

High over Colchester high street Batman is keeping watch. In some sort of nasty coincidence I spotted this cut out the same day that the shootings happened in America. I turned on the news are midday and it seemed like a hell had broken loose on a theatre full of film lovers. It seemed pretty creepy to post the photo that day and so I just kept it, and promptly forgot about it. Until now.

Room with a View

This is the music shop opposite where I get the bus to work every morning and it was only last week that I noticed these faint images in the top window. Although they are difficult to make out, I can image it's a montage of great guitarists. Faded but still pretty cool.

Ges Loes?

No idea what this is supposed to say but I see it most days on my way to the supermarket. The clock tower is part of a small Sainsburys in the middle of town and whilst I am impressed that someone has gone to the lengths of putting this graffiti there, I am equally disappointed that it is not better done or more profound. I generally think graffiti is a good thing, but in this instance it is nothing more than an eyesore. Bit of a shame really.

Lobster Spot

High up in a flat above the high street shops an inflatable lobster is pressed against the window. 

Deco Tesco

I hate Tesco, but I love art deco. Which leaves me in two mind about this pairing. This is another 'walk to work' find. When I still lived in Brighton I thought of starting a blog called 'Deco Brighton' as there are loads of art deco style buildings all over the city and I'd actively look out for them above the new shop fronts. I might start looking out for more in London as it seems like there's a lot about. I'm not sure what the 'Bangs' refers to, perhaps a department store or the like? It looks like it could have been something quite grand in its day.

Tin men

Loving these little tin men working below a great clock above a branch of Holland and Barrett. I love the ladder that allows these guys to keep the clock well oiled and in good order.

Lairy Fairy

Another Neal's Yard find: this fantastic display of colour above a hairdressers. Not sure if I find this hippy craziness endearing or somewhat disturbing. 

Nearly that time of the year again...

Just when you think it's finally over- there's some nutter counting down til the next Christmas. What worries me more is that the clock has ticked down a few days since I took this picture.

Street Style

On the corner of Church Street, Brighton is a prime example of why graffiti is often really under-appreciated. Brighton is covered in amazing street art and a lot of it is actually commissioned by the council. This spot on the corner is one of them and changes every couple of months. I always look forward to seeing what will go up next. Loving the colours in this one and its industrial feel.

A Fine Duo

Albert and Pearl sound like a 20s jazz dance duo-but they were in fact 'purveyors of fine foods'. What would just be called a local corner shop or greengrocers nowadays had a much grander name back in the day. You can tell that these two took great pride in their work.

Big Buddha

Not sure whether the notion of a massive Buddha keeping its beady eye on me puts me at ease or not, but either way- nice punning. And nice use of colour!

Steel Snakeskin

I saw this view whilst wandering past the Hayward Galleria today- it appears to be a shopping arcade, with lots of shops selling expensive nick knacks and Cafe Rouges. Oh well. Anyway, myself and a friend, who is actually an architect, stood for a fair few minutes and marvelled at this view. Like a big metal snake curving off into the distance, it combines our typical tough British steel with a touch of elegance to form an intricate yet industrial looking structure overhead.

All along the shopfront

Above a pretty cool vintage clothes store in Brighton is a second hand guitar shop. This image of Hendrix sitting amongst the butterflies, guitar in hand, seems a pretty fitting tribute to the guitars and 70s clothes inside.

Mad Hatters

As I mentioned before-quite a while back now-Brighton seems to have a strange sort of affinity with Alice in Wonderland. Dotted around the Laines and the high street are shops, pubs and bars all with some kind of connection. Wandering through the shops I spotted a new display had appeared since I last was there. This sprawling tribute to Alice in Wonderland is pretty impressive and I love how they are very similar to the original illustrations from the book.

Another Alice reference- this time above Mad Hatters hat shop, a favourite haunt of mine when I still lived nearby.

Cycle Laine

'The Laines' in Brighton offers up loads of high up treats. A winding mass of tiny, independent shops are all decked out  in all their glory, many of which stretch up to the rooftops. This upright bike particularly caught my eye last weekend; a lovely flash of colour on a slightly dismal and cloudy day. 

A poor alternative

Something rather sad about the fact that this old pub- complete with this awesome sign- is now a fancy suit shop. Save our pubs, that's what I say!

Boatiful (please pardon the terrible pun!)

 A sudden heat wave last weekend meant that a visit to the beach was the height of priority for a Sunday afternoon. Above a convenience store in Walton on the Naze, right near the beach front, I found this abundance of boats. A glorious find on a sunny day.

Painted Ladies

The painted window scenes depicted above are only the second of their kind I have seen, but I actively look out for such a thing. The first time I saw these 'fake windows' was in France and I was so delighted by it I took a couple of photos with the disposable camera I had with me. Since then, I noticed this very similar scene in Colchester a couple of weeks ago. Very creative, and also a great way of decorating any bricked in windows.

Ships in the sky

High up above my home town of Farnham these golden ships glide above the rooftops. What are simply gilded weather vanes, these sailed boats add a sense of intrigue and mysticism to the town.