Wednesday, April 25, 2007

An Englishman's Home....



So. What do you do if you aspire to a mansion, but live in a Victorian terrace? Answer: Stick your gargoyles wherever you can. You really can't confine the human spirit. This house is in Leyton, a typically mixed area of London, in one of the less solubrious parts. As throughout London, this can change from street to street.

posted by Ham at 00:02 -- Comments here: 18

Comments on "An Englishman's Home...."

 

Blogger Olive said ... (02:24) : 

That's crazy! In a very creative way. They even have the dragon (?) statues... Kind of like Notre Dame.
Great find!

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (09:01) : 

How funny. I admire the individualism though. Wonder what the neighbours think?

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (09:59) : 

excuse me :)
but what word "solubrious" means?

 

Blogger Kate said ... (10:47) : 

What a funky house! I'd love to meet the owner of this imaginative place. People who do this always intrigue me.

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (12:05) : 

"solubrious" means "healthy"

I like the person's spirit as it must have been tricky to get up there on the roof.

Abraham Lincoln

 

Anonymous Anonymous said ... (12:49) : 

A pedant writes:
I think Ham means "salubrious". "solubrious" doesn't appear to exist.
Too many late nights Ham!

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (12:58) : 

Just a typo.

 

Blogger Ham said ... (13:40) : 

Hmmmm ..... mea culpa. A "Salubrious" area is one that you would choose to live in. Also it looks to me like a 30's built terrace rather than Victorian.

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (15:02) : 

Well it's strange Ham but i also knew that meaning; a smart, up and coming area, desired. However, it's not in the dictionary as such. How could you and i both dream up such a definition? lol.

 

Blogger Z said ... (17:17) : 

It's something that Hundertwasser might have built when he was being conservative, don't you think?

"You really can't confine the human spirit." Gotta remember that the next time I want to politely say something very negative. :-)

Lynn, my dictionary (OED online US edition) has it as the second entry: (of a place) pleasant, not run down.

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (22:06) : 

Thank God, Z. I knew it! So we have to go to Switzerland to get a proper definition of our language. What's our country coming to Ham.

 

Blogger Olive said ... (23:04) : 

Oh don't worry Lynn, the Swiss just do everything better... It's hard to compete.

 

Blogger Ham said ... (00:15) : 

Lynn - we have the advantage, we don't need dictionaries (except maybe occasionally to check spelling)

z - maybe this was a practice site?

Olive. Not everything. Trains and cukoo clocks.

 

Blogger Z said ... (12:18) : 

Dang Graham Greene and Orson Welles! Cuckoo clocks are from Bavaria! Though the Swiss have no shame in indulging tourists in their error and taking their money in exchange for said clocks.

Lynn: it is the OXFORD English dictionary, so fret not!

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (23:24) : 

he he bit of a spat going on here. Don't forget chocolate of course. Ah but z. it's true to say that clocks and watches are made in Switzerland and displayed as such. Oh and penknives.
When i had a Swiss boyfriend years ago i expected his house to have lots of chocolate, clocks ticking everywhere, ledenhausen in leather, and a table made of cheese. It did. Ah.

 

Blogger Cheltenhamdailyphoto said ... (23:25) : 

Yes and he always had a penknife in his pocket. At least, i think it was a penknife... ?

 

Blogger Ham said ... (00:31) : 

Actually, I have a confession. I'm rather fond of Switzerland and I used to travel there quite often a long while ago - I have very good memories of the place.

 

Blogger Z said ... (10:46) : 

Clocks (mechanisms, including those in music boxes, for example) certainly have a long and superb tradition in CH. It's the "cuckoo" variant I was objecting to in particular. :-)

Funnily, I have a Swiss Army knife (have had it for years), but my Swiss spouse does not.

 

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Name: Ham Location: London, United Kingdom View my complete profile