May 2024 Archives

At the beginning of this month, you may have noticed that my website was down. I have attempted to contact the hosting company on many occassions and have also connected with the ownr of the account, which isn't the owner of my blog, and they have been locked out too. After many attempts by both of us and a lack of response in the domain register company, I decided that I needed to change my domain name. This is the first time that I have changed my domain name since I purchased the domain back in early 2000 or 2001. Unfortunately, they were not responsive at all despite me owning the domain, and all I wanted to do was to pay the renewal fees. I had been thinking for some time about getting another domain name, but it did not happen quite the way I wanted it to. 

Welcome to Almost Afternoon. I know for some time that I wanted to rebrand my website and wanted to do more, but work has taken over most of my time, and I have not wanted to do too much on the laptop when I am not at work. For now, I have simply moved the domain name and migrated any links to the new domain. If I can regain the original domain, I will set up a redirect. There's so much to do but so little time.

AlmostAfternoon is a lifestyle website, and I will continue to update the blog as I see fit with photography, street art, travel, days out, and more. I took a few weeks to decide on the domain name as there were other names I considered, but they were already taken. AlmostAfternoon is a symbol of the work day coming to an end or people getting ready to enjoy some time to relax and unwind after a busy morning. As I said, there were many other options, but they were also taken, so I settled on this. Welcome to the new brand. 

On Sunday, one of my friends who was visiting me and I went to The Montague on the Gardens hotel near the British Museum to indulge in bottomless champagne afternoon tea. The theme of the tea was the Chelsea Flower Show, which brings colour to London each May. I have not seen my friend for many years, so this was a perfect way to celebrate his visit to London to see me.

The hotel is located a street away from the British Museum, and I thought about visiting the museum after the tea, but the weather was so nice that we decided to head to my house and have some drinks in the garden.

We were sat in a small room and were the only guests. There was another room that was a conservatory, but it did not feel very nice and felt more like picnic tables, and we could not see outside in that room as there were screens up. The rooms are meant to overlook the gardens. 

I had the chocolate spice tea, which was Assam black tea and winter spices and did taste good with a very slight hint of chocolate. I had the bottomless champagne. 

We were served a selection of sandwiches, and I had vgetarian options. My friend had the standard, and this included roast ham and cheese, smoked salmon, chicken with mayonnaise, and cucumber and cream cheese.

I had egg, cheese, and cucumber sandwiches.

Next up were the scones, and they were served with strawberry jam and clotted cream. 

We were served a selection of pastries, which were themed around the Chelsea Flower Show. The fruit tart one was my favourite.

After tea, we peeked into a couple of the other rooms. 

Overall, we enjoyed the afternoon tea and liked that we could upgrade to bottomless champagne. In terms of food, we both enjoyed the sandwiches, but the pastries were not as tasty and missing the polished and perfect look. The venue was alright, but we were in a small room and there wasn't a view of the garden. It was a sunny day, so it would have been good to have a nice view.

Chelsea in Bloom decorated the streets of Chelsea during the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The theme for this year's Chelsea in Bloom festival is "Floral Feasts". The theme celebrates food and flowers, for which Chelsea is known for, and many of the displays feature characters and scenes with food. Chelsea in Bloom is a free trail of floral displays that visitors can walk to explore across Chelsea. It is largely concentrated from Sloane Square down a mile of King's Road and then from Sloane Square up Sloane Street to Knightsbridge tube station. Chelsea in Bloom is only held across five days, so it is a busy, and many shops, restaurants, and cafes taking part in the show as well.

One of the central displays, held in Sloane Square, featured "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" from the book surrounding by an array of food including fruits, sweets, and pie.

Another central display down King's Road showcased the loveable characters from "Winnie the Pooh" and a honey picnic as the bear loves his honey.

A colourful picnic was on display with beautiful flowers and fruits.

Another wonderful display featured different food items. Cheeses, a full Sunday roast with turkey, afternoon tea, and cakes all features.

Two of the most loveable and well-known characters, "Lady and the Tramp", appeared with their scene at the Italian restaurant.

A bowl of cherries was a nice touch.

Ralph Lauren had several bags filled with white flowers. 

A slice of pizza sat outside the restaurant area at Sloane Square.

Cartier always put on a nice display.

Smythson did a garden display with several pots.

Sloane Place had an outdoor area set up for dinner amongst the flowers.

The museum had a vintage display with ration food made of floral on display.

Sticks N Sushi always do a good display, and this one appropriately featured sushi.

On King's Road, one of the displays was a hog roast.

Lemons seemed to feature a lot, and this is appropriate for an Italian ice cream shop.

I was not able to get a great photograph this year due to the number of people, but The Ivy was decorated with dancers. The display was scaled back this year.

Ice cream also featured a lot.

Some of the displays just showed beautiful flower arrangements.

I loved this floral pizza on King's Road.

Bees featured often.

Cinquecento had another nice display this year, and this one featured floral pizzas.

The above unique floral display featured an olive and a mouth.

We also had strawberris.

Another display featured a woman's hat covered with floral displays.

Cake was also a popular subject.

I loved the fruit stand set up in florals, and it was one of the favourites.

I loved the approach of this work.

I had not seen a banana yet, so this one showcased.

Lloyds also had their standard black pony made of flowers, and this year it pulled a wagon of vegetables.

Partridges was decorated nicely with a large Chelsea bun made out of flowers.

The bar outside Partridges had a floral cocktail.

This was another group dispaly.

Located in Duke of York Square, this was a nice artwork.

Located in Duke of York Square, the restaurant added a cocktail stick.

A lot of displays used lemons, and a few uses the bee as well.

This pastel afternoon tea looked very pretty.

The above deconstructed scones were placed at Penhaligon's.

I love the colours of pink and white and yellow.

I liked this cake with fried or drying flowers.

The entrance to the Duke of York square is always filled with floral displays.

This display featured a picnic.

Cake was overly-done.

The fox made out of flowers was very good.

Another concession decorated with flowers was on display.

I thought these Fab bars were amazing.

This restaurant off of Sloane Square was decorated with Mexican food.

Ice cream sundaes were used a lot.

The below display was being updated or freshened up when I walked past.

To see previous visits of Chelsea in Bloom on this blog:

• Chelsea in Bloom 2016
• Chelsea in Bloom 2022: British Icons
• Chelsea in Bloom 2023: Flowers in Film

Having previously visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2016 for the first time, I decided to visit the show again this year as I had some days to use and the weather was nice. I visited on the Thursday and also paid to have lunch at the Ranelagh Restaurant on site, which I had to book in advance and received a four course meal and half of a bottle of wine. I'll cover my lunch and the gardens and also some of the vendor displays in this post.

The first garden (pictured below) was the National Garden Scheme, and the garden appears to be at the edge of a woods. The theme is woodland gardens, which are good for wellbeing and celebrates the charity. There is a wooden hut at the end of the garden with woodland plants.

The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with National Trust is a silver winner and winner of the People's Choice, possibly due to the bright colours. The garden promotes wellbeing and is designd to be put into a housing estate. It features several seating areas.

The Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 garden is based upon a quarry landscape with stone bridges and ledges over water features. It is inspired by the slate landscapes of northern Wales. The garden won silver gilt.

The Stoke Association's Garden for Recovery was built to be included in a hospital area as a relaxing and calm place to visit. Water sounds and flowers with fragrance help the senses, and the designer of the garden used stories from survivors. The garden won bronze.

The Muscular Dystrophy Garden (Forest Bathing Garden) is an immersive but accessible garden inspired by Japanese tree-bathing in the atmosphere to awaken our senses to nature. This garden won gold and also "best in show".

The below garden is RHS Britain in Bloom 60th Anniversary and is known as the Friendship Garden. It celebrates all of the friendships that have come together and bonded over gardening. It also raises awareness to use products that are good for the environment.

The garden below is the Killik & Co "Money Doesn't Grow on Trees" Garden. It features an area for people to sit and relax, and the flowers are fragranced. It should be a communal gathering place. This garden won the silver gilt award.

RHS Chelsea Repurposed garden is built as a sustainable garden, and everything in the garden has been repurposed from some material that has been used at least once. The pathways and bricks are made of repurposed demolished buildings.

The RHS "No Adults Allowed" garden was designed by children for children. The garden encourages exploration and different landscape types (woodland, meadows, and wetland). The middle of the garden has a small lodge with water pool for children to enjoy and learn about nature.

The Burma Skincare Spirit of Partnership Garden is focused on people with skin conditions, and this garden was built to be sustainable. It features a Burmese house made with recycled products. The garden won the gold award and best sanctuary garden.

The St. James Piccadilly "Imagine the World to be Different" garden inspires to influence urban green spaces. An archway steps into the garden as a paradise of plants, landscape, and water. This garden won the gold award.

The National Autistic Society Garden was one of the most interesting gardens this year due to the structures and planting. The blocks are made of cork. The garden symbolises the 'masking' strategy by autistic people. The garden won silver.

Water Aid Garden focuses on climate change and sustainable water management. This garden can deal with changing waterfall levels. All materials used were reclaimed. Every drop of the rainfall water collected by the structure in the garden can be used. The garden won the gold award.

The Bridgerton Garden was inspired by the period drama "Bridgerton", and it is a secluded garden and inspired by Penelope Featherington's character. The garden is designed to be secretive and mysterious but also colourful and sophisticated. The garden represents her journey in the latest installment of the series. This was probably my favourite garden, but it won the silver award.

The Freedom from Torture Garden is A Sanctuary for Survivors. It's an immersive space that can be explored and bring others together. The garden won the silver award.

MOROTO no IE is a garden with acers and waterfalls. It is designed to be a family garden. It won the silver award.

The Flood Resilient Garden is designed to be a pleasant place and enables water to drain away after heavy rainfall. Water is also stored for later use. The garden won the silver award.

World Child Cancer's Nurturing Garden is designed for sensory purposes to be used by children who are undergoing cancer treatment. The garden won the gold award.

The Boodles Garden celebrates its 200th year, and it is inspired by paintings. Art is the subject with molded frames and hedges. This garden won silver.

The next garden was not an official one but one inspired by Roman villas. This was one of my favourite gardens. 

After looking around the gardens, I went to see the flower displays and the vendors. I was impressed at the creativity in here and the wonderful flowers being showcased as the best.

xx

I also walked around the different vendors. I wish I could have a place to put the below garden furniture. I loved it. 

I also did a little bit of shopping.

I also saw the BBC filming. Since the Tuesday and Wednesday were wash-outs, a lot of filming was taking place.

I then went on my way to lunch at the Ranelagh Restaurant on site. The area was decorated with dried flowers. Service was incredibly slow, and I was kept waiting a very long time for all of my food. The ingredients of the food all come from the UK.

I had the Parmesan rind cracker, cauliflower, summer truffle small bite to start. The dish came from Battersea in London. (The other option was a crab taco.) I found this to be tasty and enjoyed the cracker.

For the starter, I had the chopped burrata with pine nuts, broad beans, and sourdough. This dish came from Uxbridge, London. Other options included trout, trombettas, and pansanella. 

For the main, I had chicken breast with asparagus, potatoes, smoked cream and morels. The dish came from Leicestershire. Other options included lamb, sea bream, or cabbage.

For the dessert, I had the lemon and elderflower tart ith raspberry sorbet. This dish is from the Cotswolds. I could have had rhubard and custard cheesecake, chocolate delice, rum and pineapple and whipped cream meringue (maybe similar to an Eton Mess), or a cheese plate.

The food was good but the service was just slow. I had the white wine with it as well. 

Overall, i was less impressed this year with the flower show as I thought all of the gardens seemed to blend in together except for a couple of them. 

To read about the 2016 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, see my post.

This post covers the work of two street artists who use tiles: Invader and Mifmosa. Both artists come from France, and I discovered their work across Brussels on my visits earlier in the year. Invader is a very popular artist with his work appearing across the globe, pasted up on the sides of buildings and normally high up. He creates an app where people can scan the invader artwork. Below is a selection of the work that I saw in Paris. Most of these look like new pieces, but there are some created with larger tiles that I think are older ones. 

Most of the tile art in Brussels is of "The Smurfs" because this comic is one of the most popular and widely-known exports of Belgium.

In addition to "Th Smurfs", Invader created the trademark Invader characters from the 8-bit video game.

I'm not sure who the artist responsible for the below artwork is, but it is similar to tile artwork and looks like plastic beads making the Atomium.

And the below looks to be made of something else and appears to be the Mona Lisa painting.

MifaMosa is the other street artist featured, and the artwork is known by the three round tiles arranged in a pyramid. The artist often uses street names in the subject of the pieces and puts the tiles up next to them. Below is Pelican Street with a Pelican, and I also saw one of beers. There were meant to be a couple more, but they had been taken.

I enjoyed finding these hidden treasures of street art.

When I was in Brussels in February and also in April, I looked up as many of the comic strip street art that I could locate. Some were damaged or painted over, but I managed to locate most of them except for a couple of them that I did not wander to. Belgium is noted for its popular comic book characters with "The Smurfs" and "Tintin" being a couple of popular comic books founded in the country. The street art is located in the centre of Brussels but also further afield at Atomium and other parts of the city. Below are the comic book street art murals that I found.

 
"Billy the Cat" - this series is about a boy who gets turnd into a cat by a wizard who saw him mistreating a cat. 

"Tintin" - This series is about a Belgian reporter boy abd his dog Snowy and is an adventure series and one of the most popular comics that takes place in the mid-1900s.

This work isn't part of the comic book trail, but it is work by artists Frederic Penelle and Yannick Jacquet.

Lucy McKenzie - In My Area. This street art isn't about a particular comic but was made to celebrate the comic book trail and to tribute people from different backgrounds.

Olivier Rameau is a comic that was created in 1968 about a utopian world.

Monsieur Jean - This comic is about a middle-aged man who is going through a mid-life crisis and deals with the daily life.

Kinky and Cosy - These twin girls are quirky trouble-makers and have an innocence and deal with all sorts of scenarios. 

Froud & Stouf - This series was created for television first and it features two blue dogs who look at daily Belgian life.

Thorgal - This is a fantasy and science fiction series that made its debut in 1977. It is focused on Norse mythology and Atlantis.

Le jeune Albert - The comic is based around the post-war Brussels and boyish pranks, but it was published in 1980. The writer died in a traffic accident, so his work is collectible. 

Passe-moi le ciel (Oh Sweet Heaven) - This is a parody comic of the Christian idea of life after death. The dead must answer three questions to enter Heaven, or they go into Hell. 

Spirou - Created in 1938, this comic features a bell boy or lift operator and then reporter who finds himself helping others. He has a pet squirrel who appears in the adventures.

Benoît Brisefer - This comic made debut in 1960 from the creator of "The Smurfs", and it is about a boy with superhuman strength.

Blake & Mortimer - This series is about a British scientist and detective of MI5. The themes centre around time travel, science fiction, and historical events. The comic was first published in 1946.

Quick & Flupke - The comic was created between 1930 and 1940 about two misbhaving boys in Brussels. 

Léonard - Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, this comic first appeared in 1974 about an inventor set in the times of the Renaissance.

Blondin & Cirage - The comic is about a blond-haired boy and his black friend, and it was published in 1939. The black boy is the comic humour but also the real hero as he solves the problems. A lot of the stories are set around the second World War, and they also adventure abroad. 

Odilon Verjus - The comic is about a missionary and his sidekick, and it is set across various parts of the developing world.

Pieter Bruegel (Jeal Paul Remy) - This one is not really a part of the comic trail, but it features the popular Belgian painter.

"Boule and Bill" - Known in English as "Billy and Buddy", this features a boy and his Cocker Spaniel Bill and their normal lives in a village. 

Celeste Gangolphe, Florianne Mandin, and Mathieu Mary - This isn't a comic wall, but the work was created during the pandemic to show people united. 

La Patrouille des Castors - This is an adventure series about boy scouts, and it was first published in 1955.

Jojo - This comic appeared in the early 1980s about a young boy. The mural features a house with the upstairs two boys jumping on the bed, causing the downstairs to rattle. The grandmother downstairs thinks someone is at the door.

Le Chat - This comic was first published in 1983 in the newspaper. It featured daily "what if" scenarios and observations from everyday.

Tanneurs Tunnel - the murals in this tunnel are not part of the comic trail, but I discovered them. The artists are 2SHY and MILES and tribute to the communities near the tunnel.

Yoko Tsuno - This is a science fiction comic featuring the star, a Japanese female engineer. There is travel to space and other countries.

XIII - This is another comic that started its run in the early 1980s and features a man with amnesia who tries to remember his past. A video game was also created based on the series.

Broussaille - This was the first comic book strip mural painted in 1991. It features the comic where the two main characters are dreamers and lovers of nature.

Victor Sackville - The comic was first published in 1985 but set in the first World War with an agent or spy and his missions across the world.

Ric Hochet - Dating from 1955, this comic is an adventure one featuring a journalist.

Ducobu - Published in 1992, this comic features a comical boy who is not very smart and spends a lot of his time cheating at school.

Astérix & Obélix - This is a popular series featuring a band of characters during the time of the Roman Empire.

Lucky Luke - Launched in 1946, the comic was inspired by Americana with the old west, cowboys, and robbers. It is set in the 1890s and is one of the most popular European comics.

Tour à Plomb - The comic features a screenwriter and different characters.

Unknown 

Caroline Baldwin - The character is a detective who goes to dangerous places in America.

Cori le Moussaillon - This adventure comic, published in 1951, is about a cabin boy who travels.

Les rêves de Nick - This is a comical series published in the early 1980s that focuses on a dream. It was inspired by "Nemo in Slumberland" comic.

Cubitus - The comic hero is a humanlike white dog who can speak. The comic was published in 1968. The mural features the title character as the Manneken Pis while the statue stares up on top of the fountain at him.

L'Ange de Sambre - This comic features Brussels.

Néron - Published in the mid-1940s, the comic has elements of political and celebrity humor.

Bob & Bobette (Spike and Suzy) - This comic features a group of friends and their adventures. It was first published in 1946, and there have been television and video games based off of the comic. In the mural, the characters are being held up by Manneken Pis.

The Crocodiles - This comic mural is created in black and green, and the crocodiles help to fight sexism.

The Smurfs - This is probably the largest and most popular comic from Belgium, and it features the little blue characters and their world to escape from evil. There have been many spin-offs and cartoons and movies. The mural above shows very Belgian items, such as waffles and fries and paintings of the city.

Le Scorpion - The story takes place in Rome during the 18th century with a holy relics dealer being the hero. 

Le Petit Spirou - This is another mural based on the Spirou comic. This one has weathered badly.

Marsupilami - The comic features and animal specimen and their adventures. The comic was first published in 1952, and there have been many spin-offs.

Le Roi des mouches 

Martine - This comic, which was published in 1954, features the title character and her dog. It is a book for children and a very popular series, and a video game was also published. 

The Cabin

Jommeke - First published in 1955, this comic follows the adventures of an 11-year old boy and his pet parrot. The comic never gained popularity outside Belgium and the Netherlands.

Titeuf - This is a relatively new series from 1992 about a child and his adventures. There's also a cartoon about him.

Parchis

Afternoon at the Place

Gil Jourdan - This is a comic that ran from 1956-1989 that takes place in the 1930s. The title character is a detective.

Natacha - The comic features an attractive flight attendant and the rest of the crew. It is an adventure series and takes place in multiple countries. It was published in 1970.

Solastalgie

Vandergoten

For readers planning to visit Brussels to see the comic book trail, they are located in three main areas but they are also scattered out and do take some time to walk to. I concentrated on the ones in the main centre before venturing out to the other couple of locations.

Laura Todd is a cookie brand that started in Illinois in 1933; that year, her cookies won awards at the Chicago World's Fair. Laura Todd moved to France and opened a cookie shop in Paris in the early 1980s. I discovered a branch in Brussels, and I tried a couple of options. There are different flavours of cookie and also some other non-cookie items.

I had the milk chocoltate classic cookie, and I was impressed at how delicious these cookies are.

The brownie was equally impressive, and it was delicious. Many times I have ordered a brownie and have been left with disappointment. This was an excellent one.

The last flavour I ordered was pistachio.

All of the cookies were delicious.

Meet my second edition of Manneken Pis, the much-loved peeing boy statue in Brussels. I first visited Brussels in February, where I met Manneken Pis for the first time (see my post here). I saw the fountain statue in various outfits during that time and saw the museum dedicated to his outfits and additional information in the city's museum. 

On my end-of-April visit, I was happy to see Manneken Pis dressed in new outfits. The first day, I got a real treat. Manneken Pis was wearing a uniform dedicated to "Order of the Brussels Mustache", and this group elects the person with the best mustache in the city. A little event was taking place in front of the statue with music, and many men were at the statue in very bushy mustaches. 

The following day, Manneken Pis honors Portugal. This event included a similar large party with a parade of people dressed in traditional Portuguese outfits making their way to the statue with music and procession. It was very colourful.

On April 29, "World Wish Day" was the theme and "Make-A-Wish" supports children with illness having their wishes fulfilled.

On the final day of my second visit to Brussels, Manneken Pis was not clothed until early evening for a short time. This time, a large event was taking place to celebrate Suomi-Klubi for Finnish people living in Belgium. Another large group celebrated and had speeches before placing the hat onto the head of Manneken Pis.

Additional posts featuring Manneken Pis on this blog can be seen here and here.

In mid-April, I celebrated my friend's birthday with a group of friends, and she wanted to have bottomless brunch in Ealing at Teatro Hall. This is one of the most unique bottomless brunches in London that I have been to. The bottomless brunch consists of a starter punch, and this is followed by pink or white Prosecco and a selection of liquers and garnishes to create your own cocktails. Continue to read on to see what I had to eat and drink.

Bottomless brunch at Teatro Hall is located in Ealing in an art deco building Filmworks, and the inside is also decorated in art deco style. Visitors get two hours of bottomless drinks and a meal.

We enjoyed the Teatro Hall Rum Punch, which was fruity and delicious. 

We received a bottle of pink fizz and a bottle of white fizz along with the cocktail kit to make the sparkling cocktails. 

The cocktail kit included the ingredients to mak Strawberry Royale, Bellini, Mimosa, Kir Royale, and Empress cocktails. The ingredients in these small glasses were strawberry puree, orange juice, orange wedges, lavender liqueur, peach liqueur, and blackberry liqueur.

For the meal, I had tartufo tagliatelle. It was delicious.

We also had a side of fries to share. 

For dessert, we had the doughnuts served with dipping sauce. We were well and truely merry by then.

Then it was back to one of my friends' houses for some dancing and music and a late evening. 

When I visited Brussels in February, Mini Europe was closed, so I visited it when I returned to Brussels in April. Mini Europe is a huge "model village", but the "village" is Europe. The park contains over 350 monuments of famous buildings at 1/25 scale from all of the European countries. I spent just over two hours taking in the different models, and there are 2.5 hectares to explore. 

In addition to the modern buildings, there are a few areas of early history in the form of Viking houses, medieval scenes, a castle with legends, and Roman battles. There are also miniature scenes to go with the different models, and some of these depict modern events such as a Pride festival, Brexit, climate activists, and much more. Apparently some of the models are designed to look like specific current and historical figures.

Mini Europe is next to the Atomium (covered in my post here), which I visited in February.

I enjoyed my visit to Mini Europe, and I had the best sunny day for it. Unfortunately part of the model was closed off as there was some event going on, so I did not get to see Greece nor part of Italy. The detail on the models is impressive.

I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights, but seeing them is never guaranteed. For them to come as far south as London is rare, but they were thre on Friday night/Saturday morning, and I happened to be up and see them. However, I could not really see them with my eye as the London sky is too bright, but I was able to see them dance across the sky through my iPhone and get several photographs. The highlight time of them was around 12:00 through to (at least 1:30 in the morning with the best show taking place around 1:00 in the morning.

The sky danced with shades of green and purple. I wish I had been somewhere where there was not light pollution in order to see them clearly. The experience was amazing.

Beersel Castle is located southwest of Brussels in Belgium, and it dates from 1300 and is one of the best preserved castles in Belgium. The castle is surrounded by a moat, and it was conquered twice and restored. The castle is unique for being constructed out of brick. The second time the castle was conquered, it was by Louis XI of France. The castle was restored by the city of Brussels and towers were incorporated with cannons, and the castle later became a home.

I had a walk around the castle moat and then had a look inside the castle, climbing the open towers and viewing the rooms. There is a small museum on site as well, and this tells about the restoration of the castle, and one of the parts of the museum has a few items discovered at the castle, including broken pottery and a cannon ball.

There is also a pub restaurant next to the castle with an old apple press. I tried to get a seat in the pub for a light lunch, but they were booked full as the pub seems to be popular.

I enjoyed my visit to this Belgian castle.

I discovered two murals from Belgian street artist Jaune when I visited Brussels earlier this year. I had previously covered the artist when he made a visit to London in 2017, and the link can be found at the bottom of this post. Jaune uses stencil artwork to create small construction or sanitation workers, and these little people are found interacting with their environment and filling the real objects and walls in amusing ways. 

The first artwork is in the middle of Brussels off of one of the streets to the square. It shows several workers riding house cats as if they are horses. These workers are chasing after a bin bag, and some of them are carrying brooms and shovels. 

The second mural is located in the Laeken area of Brussels, and it shows a group of workers with a pile of trasj or bin bags. 

The final mural was discovered a short walk from the centre of Brussels and shows a worker with a flock of pigeons lifting an old green chair from the street.

More of Jaune's artwork can be seen below:

Jaune Worker Street Art in London

Isaac Cordal is an artist from Brussels who creates small figurines of people around city streets in a series of portrayals called "Cement Eclipes". I covered his work previously several years ago when he left some of these in London. The figures are placed in absurb situations to portray city life and interactions. These figurines are found stuck onto the walls on buildings, such as above brickwork for frames of windows or on signage. His works are so small that people walk past them without noticing them, which makes it even more special when one is noticed. Below are the ones I discovered around Brussels.

These have been placed many years ago, so some of them have since been removed. I found a couple had been stolen, and one had been removed due to work on the facade of the building it was placed at. Below has been removed.

See my post about Isaac Cordal's work in London: Street Art: Isaac Cordal

Stencil street artist C215, known as Christian Guémy, is from France and has left his street art all over the world. His work is primarily consists of portraits or people and cats. The portraits include the homeless, orphans, the elderly, and his own family. I always enjoyed seeing work from this artist, but it gets tagged over quickly. I was happy when I discovered some of his work in Brussels in the Ixelles area. I discovered a portrait of character Wednesday Adams and of Catwoman from "Batman".

These two stencils were left in 2017, and additional ones were painted around the area, but I could not locate any.

Previous works from C215 covered in this blog are included below:

Manchester Street Art
C215 Paints New Street Art in London
New Street Art by C215 and Paul 'Don' Smith
Street Art: C215
C215 Uncovered on Blackall Street

Welcome to my winter 2023-2024 and spring 2024 edition of empty products that I have used up. The purpose of this post is that I wanted to post products that I used up to help me remember which ones I would purchase again, and it may help others with deciding which products to purchase too.

H2K of Harrogate Sensual with Vitamin E Hydrating Conditioning shampoo: This shampoo had a citrus scent and conditions and cleans shampoo. Would I buy it again? No, it is a little bit expensive and I need colour-protecting shampoo.

Opatra nourishing day cream: I received a sample of day cream to test the nourishing of skin due to external factors . Would I buy it again? No, I just was not sold on the product.

Marks and Spencers Autograph nail polish: This nail polish is in a bright purple colour . Would I buy it again? No, I found that the nail polish was a little bit too thick.

Argan Smooth conditioner: Argan is rich in oil and good for hair conditioning, so I decided to give this a go. Would I buy it again? No, I did not find it as nourishing as I would have liked and prefer other brands of conditioner.

YSL long wear glow and YSL All hours foundation: Logn Wear Glow is a product that can be applied thinly or thickly and allows skin to breathe as well as protects from the sun. All Hours Foundation is a breathable and full-coverage product. The samples I arrived were not my skin tone, so it was a little difficult to test, but i did think the product was light-wearing and comfortable. Would I buy it again? I would love to try my shade and see how I get on with the product, but I would consider buying them.

Ayres body butter: This body butter is a nourishing cream that absorbs into the skin to make it feel moisturised . Would I buy it again? No, I don't tend to use body butter, but there was nothing wrong with the product.

No7 Stay Perfect nail polish in 'taffetta': This is a candy-apple coloured nail polish that applies well but did not last as it would easily rub off. Would I buy it again? I have purchased this brand before, but it isn't the longest-lasting as it does rub off quickly.

Ren flash rinse minute facial: This facial product promises to restore radiance and reduce blemishes. Would I buy it again? I like this brand, and this did seem to clear my skin, so I would consider buying it again.

7th Heaven white chocolate fondue facial: This brand produces different facial cleansers, and this one smelled like white chocolate. Would I buy it again? I like this brand, and this one smelled good and seemed to leave my skin feeling soft.

Aveeno daily moisturising lotion: This moisturising lotion is absorbed into the skin and makes it feel soft. Would I buy it again? No, although there was nothing wrong with the product. I just don't need it.

Welda Pomegranate firming day cream: This day cream promises to reduce fine lines and give skin a glow, and it is made from organic products such as pomegranate seeds. Would I buy it again? No, I did not like the feeling of the product and found that it was not absorbed into my skin.

Blistex lip infusions: This is a chapstick that helps to moisturise dry lips. Would I buy it again? Yes, this was perfect for winter and helped my lips.

Clinique anti-blemish: This anti-blemish solution dries out acne when placed on it, but it does dry out the area of skin. Would I buy it again? No, this was harmful to my skin and created more issues when used. In the past several years, I went off this brand.

Burt's Bees deep cleansing cream: This hand cream is absorbed into the skin and helps to keep it moisturised. Would I buy it again? This was a good brand and did help my dry skin in the winter.

Molton Brown lip moisturiser: I received a few travel-sizes of coloured lip moisturisers, and this one was an orange shade. The products help moisturise lips as well as leaving colour, so I used this one in the winter. Would I buy it again? No as there are similar better products, and the small size makes it difficult to remove the product.

Sephora pineapple face mask: This is a sheet face mask with a pineapple scent that promises to hydrate skin. Would I buy it again? No, I did not feel or see any difference.

Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer in 'cococabana': This hand sanitiser came in a travel size, and it smelled like coconut. Would I buy it again? Yes, I like the brand, and these compact sizes are perfect to carry around.

The Body Shop grapefruit shower gel: This shower gel smells like grapefruit, which was uplifting when using. Would I buy it again? Yes, I like the brand, and it smells like grapefruit.

British rose body lotion: I received this body lotion in a gift set, and it does smell like roses. Would I buy it again? No, I do not use body lotion often, and it didn't absorb into my skin.

Benefit highlighter makeup: This sample of the highlighter formula was dried out, so did not get to see it, but it comes in a little tube with a brush. Would I buy it again? No, it dries out too soon and comes with an applicator that is too difficult to use, meaning most product is difficult to get to in the package.

Angel Mugler perfume: I received a sample of this very sophisticated and floral scent. Would I buy it again? Yes, I loved the scent.

Crayon Touch Me Up Gloss in 'Shiny Orange': This is a subtle orange shade of lip gloss that can be worn on its own or on top of another colour to give shine, but the colour faded to a yellow shade very quickly. Would I buy it again? No, this was a waste of money and a poor product.

Bath & Body Works Mahogany Apple hand soap: This hand soap was perfect for the autumn and winter months as it smelled like fresh apple, but this was more of a grown-up scent compared to Farmstand Apple, which was a fruitier and fresher scent. Would I buy it again? Yes, I loved the scent and brand.

Lush Berry Berry Christmas shower gel: This is a fruity and festive scent for the shower, and it smelled of frosted cranberry. Would I buy it again? Yes, I loved the scent and brand.

Elemis hand lotion: This hand lotion is absorbed into the skin and smells just like a spa. Would I buy it again? I like the brand, though I do not need lotion.

BalanceMe Gradual Tanning Drops: These gradual tanning drops promise to add colour to skin gradually over use. Would I buy it again? No, this was awful. The product gave my skin stains or streaks of a yellow colour.

Santuary Spa Signature collection body scrub: This body scrub was an orange-scented scrub that left skin feeling soft and exfoliated. Would I buy it again? Yes, the product was good.

Trene Forte night cream: This night cream helps moisturise and hydrate skin at night while asleep and is lightly-fragranced. Would I buy it again? No, I was not sold on the product.