Lipstick on the Lion

Clipped entry tonight as we are hot-footing it to Beaumaris to catch the Germany vs Greece QF, and I am stood in the Fish n Chip shop queue in Menai Bridge waiting my turn. Down to Anglesey with MrsB, J, niece Dhahau and fishing pal Kempy (he's coming later and we plan to Bass fish until late).

This is a sad shot of one of the Four stone lions that stand in pairs either side of the 1826 Robert Stephenson's Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits. Following the fire in 1970 that destroyed the railway tubular box-girder construction, and led to the subsequent addition of a new stacked rail and road deck, the lions became rather covered-over and neglected. That and they being a very English symbol I imagine. There is a pair sat either side, and you can see the Wales mainland pair in my Blipfolio here.They were sculpted it seems by the victorian artist John Thomas.

The term 'Lipstick on the Gorilla' is a oft-used public realm term meaning the use of art in public places or on buildings to tart-up bad design. In this case somebody has applied a little rouge to the Lion lips. Subtle but I like that, in that to get to it somebody had to scale a barbed wire fence, cross a major rail route, and clamber up the monument. All this in an out of the way place only visible to passing train passengers.

The guerilla artist Banksy ( no relation) once said "People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access". Same applies here.

Postscript: Results are in: Germany 4 Greece 2 and Atolluk / Kempy 0. We fished at Penmon point till 00:30 and missed last orders but polished off half a bottle of Glenlivet at home until 02:30. So all was not lost!