Ancient Rites

Yep its a bunch of sheep that trip tropped across London Bridge yesterday, much to the amusement of several American tourists that were passing by.

Quirky, but it has it roots in hard won rights back in the 12th century.  The freemen and liverymen were allowed to bring their produce to market without having to pay the onerous taxes of the day.

For the Woolmen  this meant they had the right to drive their sheep to market, crossing London Bridge (the only bridge at the time) without having to pay the hefty wool taxes.  Nowadays it is purely ceremonial.  Every year they dress up in their robes and march a dozen (or so) sheep back and forth across the bridge.  Its a fun day and a chance for the company to remind the public where meat and wool comes from whilst raising money for their charitable activities.

A Small Performance

This Japanese man performed in a quiet corner of the garden. He had a modest pushcart that proved to be full of tricks and delights.Things to juggle and balance, disguises and odd bits of materials. In the second and third pictures he fashions flowers from globs of spun sugar on a stick, finally handing one to a member of the audience.

I'll end the series from the Japanese festival here - it's been going on a long time. There are more pictures to edit, particularly of the taiko drummers on the amphitheater stage, and photos that have not been posted to the blog. I particularly recommend two shots of a blind Iraqi-American judo practitioner who is trying to make the team for the Special Olympics. He took on the sumo giants in photos here and here.       

Diagonal

Das Bülow-Carre von der Ecke Lautenschlager- und Thouretstraße aus fotografiert... 

The "Bülow Carre" is a modern office building in the centre. This corner was shot from Lautenschlager Straße and Thouretstraße.

... und hier von der Stephanstraße aus gesehen. Gleich nebenan befinden sich die Gloriapassage und das "Brauhaus Schönbuch".

The diagonal corner is at Stephanstraße. Next door there are Gloriapassage and the restaurant named "Brauhaus Schönbuch".

A Standout

A brightly hued Labord’s chameleon clings to a branch, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding dry brush. It’s a popular myth that chameleons take on the color of what they touch. Though some color changes do help them blend into their surroundings, the skin’s changing hue is in fact a physiological reaction that’s mostly for communication.

See more pictures from the September 2015 feature story “The Colorful Language of Chameleons.”

Sept 27 The Blood Moon over Observation Mountain