Gladys and Mildred

...and as we wave farewell to another Chrismahanukwanzakah, let's leave it to The Girls to put on their glad-rags (Mmmmm  Nice matching housecoats !) ready to party like it was 1969 !

See you in 2009

Chrimbo Prezzies !

For the thousands of you (Hi Frank!) who wanted to know what was under the Christmas Tree, there's more detail in the shot above.  The cardboard box didn't contain a "marital aid" (sorry Lindy) but just a power saw ( jig-saw, I guess.)

Bonus extra, courtesy of Riot Clit Shave, I thought you might like this  (No, it's NOT one of mine)...

Odd Russian Statues

Back to someone's Trip To Russia, and today, it's odd russian wood-carvings.

All very Outsider Art -ish, but I can't help but be reminded of DRB's Nightmare Playgrounds. No wonder kids grow up weird.

Chrimbo Sunday

...and time for another "Girl wearing tradional stupid outfit which may tip her over the edge in the future" picture.  Can't you imagine her embarrasment when this is trotted out andshown to her latest Goth boyfriend?

Not Another Wintery Post

From the depths of winter (In the Northen Hemisphere at least) a reminder of warmer days.

The Boxing Day Post

Well, I'm just about sick of cute Christmas images, but thought you'd appeciate this before I return to strang holidays, and funny looking kids.

Merry Christmas !

Festive Salutations, and all that guff.

Hope you get what you wanted, and hopefully more interesting than the selection above.

Christmas Presents - Wrapped

Another Christmassy shot.

The night before Christmas, and there's a pile of presets under the tree. Who knows what delight might be in them.

Well, no opening them until tomorrow !

Nice Doggy

I really have no idea what to make of this shot.

Doggy...fine.
Kiddie...slightly strange looking, dressed as for a Victorian Winter, with weird woolly legs.
Sawn Tree...what?   A recently chainsawed tree. acing as a backdrop for a kid/pet photo.

In what sort of world is that an ideal view for a slide? Is someone going to project this to the neighbours and wait for th inevitable call to Child Protection ?

Still, a fine shot for the blog.

Tacky Decoration

People complain that modern decorations are tacky, trashy and hideous.

That may be true, but were decorations from the 1970s much better ?

Before The Company Dance 2

As promised yesterday, a chance to see Jeff and Deb's kids, as they all head off to the dance.

A fine looking family, especially.....

...GOOD LORD !   Is that Frankie Muniz from Malcolm In The Middle ? Heaven...it can't be...can it?

An Aside. Six Months of Blogging and still no million-pound book deal. Where have I gone wrong ?

Before The Company Dance

Jeff from Accounts and Auditing has been invited to the company Senior Staff Ball. (The company being Amalgamated Miscellaneous, based in Denton USA.) He and Deborah are dressed to the nines, and pose for their sons' camera.

My, isn't the White Tuxedo and strangely shaped dress combo an all-time classic?

Don't worry, you'll see teh kids tomorrow.

Sands Time Capsule

Another boring slide...but wait !   A Time Capsule !  That sounds fun. The plaque reads

"SANDS TIME CAPSULE
A Sands Time Capsule was buried
on this site February 6, 1978.
It is to be opened December 15, 2002
on the Sands' Golden Anniversary
celebrating 50 years of good times."

So, what else do I know about this ?

Well, this was actually the second Time Capsule, the first having been discarded on a spoil tip. The Sands Hotel was blown up in 1996, and the Time Capsule....no-one knows !

Some info here and some here and that's your lot.

A Face of Utter Misery

Again, it's the eyes that tell the whole story.

Matthew (or Keg-Meister as his Fraternity chums call him) doesn't want to be there. He wants to be at an all-nighter Frat Party of  Animal House proportions. He want booze, birds, belching and wild wild pranks.

What he's got is a quiet night in with Mom, who's baked him a cake to celebrate his 21st birthday. And to make things worse, she's getting him to pose for posterity. 

The faked smile reveals that Matt's just realised what might happen in the guys at Pi Kappa Alpha see this....

Granny's Swimwear Shot

Showing that Grenville is not the only one who can impress, granny's decides to strut her stuff at the beach. 

Strange that the once-busy beach is suddenly empty. Wonder why...

Grenville, Dec. 1950

I Love This Slide.   No info, other than "Dec 1950, Grenville". 

Grenville, enjoying a lazy Sunday Morning, enjoying The Funnies (actually Mandrake the Magician) but interrupting that for a quick shave.

Christmas decorations are minimal, but the silk PJs and dressing gown clash wonderfully.  Great Stuff.

Bonus Extra :

Babies are Creepy. OK ?

I'm not just saying that to be controversial, it's just a fact.

No matter how much parents and grandparents coo and fuss over them, the basic facts is that all babies are ugly, horrible, slimy, gurgling flesh tubes.

Constantly crying or blowing snot-bubbles unless they're permanently attached to a boob, filling up with warm milk.And inevitably, that leads to their other obvious vice. Very large quantities of crap.

(No, I don't have any kids. Why do you ask?)

Even worse. Kids who appear to be eyeless. Creppy as heck.

Gym Babe

In response to the anonymous poster yesterday...no. No naked women (well, not many) but there are some semi-professional (?) swimsuit and gym outfit shots, so this might satisfy. Happy Now ??

No Christmassy stuff tomorrow.

Rural Titillation

Rural Titillation indeed. There may be a romatic view of France as a rural idyll. Farming the old way...chateaus...vinyards...cheese shops...Pah!

Our wallpaper of the day shows France as it is / was.

Bonus - RIP Bettie Page.   I'll miss you.

Not Long Now

Less than two weeks to go, and the kids are getting excited. The Christmas Tree's been bought, decorated and erected in the living room.

And a might fine tree, is what Daphne is thinking.

Pity there's no money for presents.

A Basket for Granny

Grandmother Jenkins is unwell, and Little Lisa aims to cheer her up with a basket of goodies. 

Not sure when this pic was taken, but from the fashionable outfit, I suspect it's not 2005. (Unless it's some region in Omaha which is forever stuck in 1957.)

'tis a pity that parents don't dress kids like this any more. I can't imagine stories in The Daily Mail of feral, knife-weilding kids terrorizing the middle classes, if their teenage daughters were dressed like this.

More creatively, if courts could sentence male offenders to 12 months community service dressed like this, the murder rate rate would plummet.

The Rainbow's End

The good news is that we've located the end of the rainbow.

The bad news is that the pixies' pot of gold is 4 fathoms under the sea.

(Not the best slide ever. Tomorrow I'll return to People Pics.)

The Pink Barnacle

No, "The Pink Barnacle" is not a club catering for gay sea-farers.

No, I'm not going to make lewd jokes about "going under", "seamen", "Bottom-Feeders" or "Aaarrrs!".

It's merely a bunch of barnacles, coloured pink. Plain and simple.

Anyway, did you know that the wild Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis), whose eggs and young were rarely seen by humans because it breeds in the remote Arctic, got its popular name because it was imagined to grow from gooseneck barnacles ?

The Maine Grave

How better to follow Santa than with a grave.

It's a grave...right ?   But it seems a little macabre to me. Mabel's already being prepared for the grave, to join her beloved husband. Except...she's not quite dead. Still, might as well get some carving done, while the stone-mason's got a two-for-the-price-of-one offer. 

So what if the memorial stone is off-centre, that's not the oddest bit. Google is my friend, and I've found them !

Santa's Car

I've resisted for as long as possible, but I guess I'm gonna have to post some Seasonal Slides.

But first...today's top story. Santa has traded in his old sled for a brand new Splurgemobile. With a boot / trunk big enough for everyone's presents, and an unbelievable MPG, it's the transport of the future.  

And the reindeer haven't been forgotten. Seven of them have been shot, gutted, stuffed and mounted, ready to amuse the kids.  (Not sure about Rudolf's pink nose, tho...)

The Talent Show 3

"Next on the show is little Jenny Szabbo, with her rendition of Sheena Is A Punk Rocker on the oboe."

( Well, I think it's an oboe.)

Apple-Scrumping Time

Before she grew up and joined the police, Lucy was a member of the notorious Harbour Street Apple-Scrumping Gang.

Years later, she learned the error of her ways, emigrated to New Zealand, and became Chief of Police for East Northam.

Hello Barbara

There's a touch of Barbara Woodhouse about this woman.

How unfortunate. Life can be cruel.

Grandma Grimm

Soaking up the rays today is Grandma Grimm, the pin-up of the Third Battalion of the Light Brigade at Sevastapol, and her pooch Gnasher.  

As with many slides, it's the odd details that add a piquancy to the shot. Here, it's the silver foil-wrapped plant pot that catches my eye. Oh, and the lesbian shoes.

Fou-Fou the Wonder Dog

A simple question for you.

Why would anyone photograph their poodle?

I mean, it's a slide, so it's made for projecting on teh wall for several people to see. Are the neighbours really going to be impressed by a picture of Fou-Fou begging for scraps? I suspect not. 

In my (illogocal) brain by only real thought is taht it was a deliberately dull shot to indicate the end of the show, and to encourage the invited viewers to bugger off.

The Great Hall

Yes, it's The Great Hall...but of where?

Europe seems a good guess, but Germany, Austria, Switzerland...who knows.  Any expert opinions gratefully welcomed.

Walking with Wolfhounds

OK. I'll admit it's not the best quality slide (slanted, mal-focussed, stained) but seriously, What The Heck ?

From the signpost, it appears to be at O'Farrell and Hyde, which probably means San Francisco...but other than that, I have no idea what's going on. Anyone else know ?

Cheryl's Lovely Wedding

Again, it might just be me, but this wedding shot reminds me of the wedding in The League Of Gentlemen. Don't know why... Maybe it's the Papa Lazarou character who's watching the events, but is just out of shot.

The Dork Brothers

Oh My Gosh. Just how dork-y are these lads ?    

And what on earth are they wearing?  Plaid collarless sports-jackets?   Good Grief !

The Lincolns celebrate Thanksgiving

Today's the day that 'Merkins celebrate and give thanks for many things. The Lincolns join in, as you would expect. I'm a little worried about that cranberry jelly - it looks suspiciously like blood.

For the kindness of the Native Americans who saved the settlers from starvation, and were thanked with Smallpox and Genocide.

The Lincolns pose for the cameras

And doesn't Edna know her place. Ernest gets the easy chair, and Edna, ever the attentive wife, at his feet. I wonder is 50 years of pent-up anger ever got the better of her.

Jed and Maynard

Jed : "Hey Maynard. We're being photgraphed"

Maynard : "Yup"

Jed : "D'ya think he done asked our permission?"

Maynard : "Nope"

Jed : "I reckon's he's not from around these parts"

Maynard : "Yup"

Jed : "Do y'all think we should make 'im squeal like a pig?"

Maynard : "Yup"

Danger Enfants

An important message, I'm sure you'll agree. "Danger Enfants" is Portugese for "Children are dangerous". Especially true when you see how they can strip a car to its scrap value in 20 minutes.

Lovely autumnal colours, I'm sure you'll agree.

Balloons !

Balloons. Just balloons.   That is all.

The Talent Show 2

Following Jessie in the School Talent show - The Fabulous Tumbling Oklahoma Boys !  

Let's hear it for the guys !

PS  Today's sad image

Greek Restaurant

A bonus wall paper image today.  Not selected because of the image, tho' it's not too bad, but because of the info. 95% of slides have next to no details on them. Usually just the slide type (Kodachrome etc), a slide number and perhaps a processing date. 

Some photographers, however, do us a favour by writing info on the actual mount, and it often helps understanding the context.  For example, the picture shown above...so-so really. But written on the slide itself...

" Athens   Paradeisos Restaurant  Oct 9 1960    Mr Schaeffer, Mrs Warren, Mr Bourdeau."

What's their story ?  Who took the photo ? (Mr Warren, perhaps.)

I love this woman

Tho' not in any physical sense...

However : what's not to love. From the Permed-into-submission hairstyle, to the retro (but not then) sun-glasses, to her cheeky grin, to her long shorts (short longs?) all the way down to her genuine Native-American moccasins ... everything screams that she's a genuine 1960's liberated (but happily married) woman.

'tis a pity she smokes.

IT'S A TRAP !!!!!

Trap (noun) : A trap or horse trap is a light, often sporty, two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage, accommodating usually two to four persons in various seating arrangements, such as face-to-face or back-to-back.

Woo. A Fence !

Hey everybody. Look at Ted's New Fence !

Isn't it just so...wooden !  Yeah, cool....hip...rad and anything else the hep kids would say.

BUT....Something is missing !   More Exclamation Marks ? !

No..... A greenhouse. But if you remember...

Camera Trouble

That's the trouble with these new fangled cameras. Focussing, exposure, film speed, aperture, shutter speed.

Gah !  Oh for the easy life of Point n Press.

The Johnstons (plus Kimi)

Ah. A sunny Autumn day. Perfect for an afternoon walk.

And that's just what the Johnston family are doing, accompanied by Kimi the exchange student. However, as usual, one of the family lets the side down. 

Not strangely flatulent son Chip. No, it's Wendy (second from right.) She's gone commando, and under that boringly sensible coat...she's naked.  What a hussy.

The Talent Show 1

Just had a delivery of new old slides, and there are some damned good uns.

There's a nice selection of Christmas Cocktail parties, and a series which seems to be a talent show at a school. Dating from April 1963, they're magnificent and you're likely to see quite a few of them in the months to come.

Today : Jessie on the electric bass accordion.   Mmmm  Nice !

A Cheeky Chappie

I don't know anything about this wee lad, but he sure looks like a cheey chappie from the farming states.