STALLED BRRM,BOOM,ZOOM,AND DIRECTING TRAFFIC

A rather smart dark blue Audi sports car appeared round the opposite corner to the one I had just negotiated, and it came to an elegant sliding halt in the middle of the road. There followed a number of inelegant kangaroo jumps which did not get the occupants of the car very far.  

As cars came into view on the same side of the road, the emergency warning lights flashed, only to be turned off till the next car or two appeared.  It struck me that this manner of warning other motorists, was worryingly erratic.  After all, the driver was also supposed to be concentrating on getting the vehicle to start again.  The driver could, at the very least, have misjudged the speed of oncoming cars in the process.

So as not to embarrass the driver, who by now was getting some brrm, brrm, boom, sounds, which were healthier than the previous hiccups, I walked past the car and made as if to cross behind it, except that I did not.  Brrm, brrm, another two cars came into sight and the warning lights flashed again, and just a bit late.  However,  I had already stepped into the road and put the flat of my right palm out and up as a 'stop' sign.  Even if I say it myself, my signal looked very authoritative;  the two cars slowed and stopped.  Shortly after, a very healthy revving sound could be heard. Its engine bursting into life, the super-duper embarrassed Audi sports car zoomed off.   
  

I waved on the waiting traffic, and I went on my way.

                                      

JUST A LIGHT BULB

I switched on the kitchen light tonight, there was an immediate bang. Not a genteel 'pop'. It made me jump. Half the house lights went off as a result. Just what I needed when arriving home with arms full of bags and items of shopping...and the bunch of flowers I treated myself to. 

A poke around for a torch, a visit to the fuse box, which is in an awkward place, with the ends of two full size oars resting on it, revealed two fuse switches were off. That job done, I discovered when I gingerly switched on the lights again, I need to replace one little light bulb! ..... All that for one light bulb.

FESTIVE MIX

Leeds is full of streets of festive lights, nothing seems to follow a theme or holistic design. It's all a bit higgledy piggledy if the décor is taken as a whole. If visually compartmentalised, the decorations are lively and bright.

My eyes were drawn to the Victoria Quarter, a modern construct that has joined genuine Victorian streets with glass roofing,streets, which were not built historically as a shopping arcade. The genuine original solid roofed arcades are not as well presented as the Victoria Quarter, (not 'Victorian', you will note). To be fair, on my recent visit, great efforts have been made to prettily decorate the genuine arcades and their shop windows. Anyway, the Victoria Arcade was a veritable sparkling cracker.

Santa was practising for a variety show:

In the Leeds Art Gallery I was impressed with The Tiled Gallery, operating as a café and offering lots of other social potential.

Homer (or his look-alike) scrutinised the café patrons from his corner position on high.

In the Art gallery's entrance hall, borrowed sculpted figures by Henry Moore (amongst others) were on display. I got into a minor bit of bother for taking this picture from behind the work. I was told picture-taking was not allowed for art works on loan to the gallery. It was okay to photograph anything that was owned by Leeds and was on display there. I apologised for my unwitting infringement of the rules. The kind custodian, allowed me to keep my picture.