Monday, December 22, 2008

Made in Sweden

Warning, if you're a sensitive soul or have a squeamish disposition, I suggest you don't read or look at this post. This is going to be very down to earth, involve bodily functions as well as lack of manners.

A couple of years back I noticed a new phenomena in Stockholm, concerning the disgusting habit of some, too many, less than well behaved lacking in respect for others dog owners had find it fit to leave the dog poop behind on the pavement for fellow wo/men to walk in. Suddenly some of these stinky piles had a tiny Swedish flag stuck in them.

Being a woman with a highly sophisticated humour I found this to be top notch hilarious. For whatever reason someone one day decided this would be a befitting way to signal dog dropping alert the flag really signals proud determination in the middle of all crap. Brilliant.

Since I am such a sophisticate keen to capture details with camera I have of course been eager to catch one of these flags in dropping for ages. Alas I hadn't found quite the right smelly pile - despite, I admit, having armoured myself with my own tiny Swedish flags in my handbag emergency kit - to get down and dirty, semi-close and far from personal with. Until now.

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Even if it was neither smelly - small blessings -, due to frost, nor turd in the city, it was indeed an impressive pile, one of quite a few, carelessly left here and there on a castle lawn. For any visitor not quite looking, or expecting, to step in.

Being this woman of the world I immediately realised I had to, quite methaphorically, kill two birds with one stone, catch a flag on top of a pile at the same time as I did what any sensible person would do, alert others to imminent poop danger.

Flag in frosty pile, me on knees - dressed in skirt, nylons and a pretty coat, see I thrive from danger and I do, almost, anything for the art of photography - on frosty gravel path trying to capture what can quite possibly - in some weird and twisted parallell world - be THE photo of the year.

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I do think the frost-nipped lawn made for a rather pleasing flag in crap backdrop. Though however content I am with having shown such bravery capturing that particular frosty moment I would be more than, beyond words, content if many more dog owners would show enough consideration, clean up after your dog, bag it and bin it. Please.
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10 comments:

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Yuk,it is disgusting! It is such a nuisance when dog owners do not clean up after... but I have to look at the funny side too which means your guts to post this!

Terry said...

Dear Pia K,
This is so funny!
And I thought that Bernie and I were the only strange people in the world!
Join the club,eh?
Your post brings me back thirty years.
Now in our younger days, Bernie and I would go for long walks and needless to say that is one time that I never carried a purse and I was cameraless.
No nifty little digital cameras in those days!!
One day, while we were walking through the main street of down town Welland, we spotted a most curious thing, a discreet pile of what I am guessing by the size of it,...French poodle droppings!
And on top of that pile was a little sign complete with a little blue ribbon tied around it..
"Congratulations", it said!
We had to look more than once.
We just couldn't believe our eyes!!
It was so hilarious Pia K!!!
No doubt someone was in hiding watching the different reactions that people were having.
Alas!! For not having a camera!
It is late at night and I just got up for a moment and came to your blog.
When Bernie awakes later, I will let you know his reaction!!
In some ways the man[it HAD to be a man!] and the doggie that did this knew that there would
be nobody that would squash this work of art, eh Pia K?
I mean really, How COULD they, eh? Yuk!!!!
Love Terry

Pia K said...

Ha, ha, yup, disgusting indeed, Titania, I've been meaning to write something like this for ages and when the opportunity suddenly rised itself...;)

LOL, Terry, that congratulation ribbon is hilarious! Oh, digital cameras have definitely proven to make so much things easier. And who wants to be "normal", "weird" as in "quirky" and "slightly eccentric" is fine by me, that shows true personality:)

Terry said...

Good [Canadian] Morning Pia K.
I just read Bernie your post and even just a few sentences in, he shouted, "Congratulations!"
I guess that man with his kitty standing at his side remembered that French Poodle! Ha!
The cat wondered why in tarnation his father was laughing so hard!
You have truly made Bernie's' day!
I mean like the guy NEVER wakes up in a bad mood but laughing so hard this time of the day!!
I can just imagine you in that nice outfit taking that picture, down on your knees even!
There must have been somebody that saw. You are a brave soul Pia K!
And people think that I am crazy when I wear a long dress when ever I am on the back of the motor-cycle as Bernie thunders down the roads!!!Ha!

Thanks for making these two old people happy....Love Terry

Wendy said...

Just laughed so hard my sides ache!

Anonymous said...

this is such a hilarious post! i had to show it to my husband.:D stockholmers have a creative sense of humour. hahaha...

Pia K said...

Oh I'm glad I made his morning, Terry! Well, now and then I do weird and slightly unexpected things I guess, just to challenge my wellbehaved looks - that's good for the soul and perhaps gives a few people a good laugh:) I'd love to see you in your long dress and Bernie on the bike, that sounds great!

Glad to be of laughing service, Wendy:)

Gosh, creative is my middle name, glad you appreciated it, LSL:)

Anonymous said...

I had thought to leave vibrant orange flags on dog droppings, so it was encouraging to see flags on these rather unpleasant deposits. Being a dog owner myself, I am very sensitive to this issue. Community mindedness seems to be lost on these people that leave dog droppings. Truly I don't understand it...

utenzi said...

Ewwwwwwwwwww!

Pia K said...

Oh, can't we start a movement, Anonymous, the orange flag movement for dog poop awareness or something? I totally agree with you, it's a nasty habit and being a dog owner oneself this issue is really something that makes all dogowners look bad...:/

utenzi - indeed. Seems like I have proven the point:)

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