Category Archives: existentialism

How about watching some Avenger-Trek then?…

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s lost plectrum is the one eventually found inside a Victorian beer bottle in the mud on the bank of the River Thames. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well, I see that some nicely restored episodes of the original Kirk … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, archeology, arts, brain, celebrities, conversation, cool, creation, drama, existentialism, expletives, history, humour, information, puzzle, serendipity, smiling, Star Trek, style, surrealism, TV, words | Tagged 1960s, 1960s Star Trek, 1960s The Avengers, arts, avenger trek, banks of the Thames, bestial?, Captain Kirk, celebrities, conversation, flicking channels, history, John Steed, lost plectrum, madness, misheard, Mr Spock, Mrs Emma Peel, poetry, Scotty, serendipity, style, surrealism, TV, Uhura, warp time calculations, will you have a drink?, words | 1 Comment

Doom outside Boots…

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s quotation is from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1933 novel Laughter in the dark: ‘I want to live with you quite openly,’ she blubbered. ‘In your own home. And to see people…’ ‘Very well,’ he said, rising to … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, academia, art, arts, books, brain, composition, conversation, creation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, expletives, Hull.UK., humour, information, people, poetry, reading, serendipity, style, surrealism, words, writing | Tagged 1933, art, arts, Boots Pharmacy, celebrities, conversation, dictionary word, Doom, existential angst, expletives, Laughter in the Dark, lockdown, madness, Margo, ne'er-do-well, poetry, posting a letter, queueing, quotation, serendipity, Simon Doom, slobbering, spoem, style, surrealism, The Hull Surrealist League, two metres apart, vladimir nabokov, words, writing | Leave a comment

So, what is it that those TV ads want us to do?…

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s carefully selected adjectives are: crackly, Barmecidal, sposhy, xiphoid, schizopodal, facinorous, and spongy. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Don’t miss out! – bold bright blooms! – multiply your winnings 500 times! – go behind the scenes – lowest ever fibre … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, adjectives, advertising, arts, brain, cool, dreaming, existentialism, finance, food, humour, information, instruction, irony, money, observations, poetry, puzzle, seeing, serendipity, style, surrealism, thinking, TV, words | Tagged advertising, and facinorous, art, arts, Barmecidal, behind the scenes, blooms, call this number, chasing and pouncing, consoles, crackly, dictionary word, discovery, Dyson B7, existential angst, expletives, fever relief, happiness guaranteed!, hydration hit, instruction, madness, observations, schizopodal, serendipity, sex, spongy., sposhy, style, superior hold, surrealism, TV, TV ads, What's On TV, words, writing, xiphoid | Leave a comment

Some snatches of overheard pre-lockdown cafe conversation…

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s carefully selected colours are: mortar mauve, timber turquoise, concrete cream, plaster puce, rendering red, acrow azure, beam burgundy, and skip scarlet. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ‘I have a cupsee sometimes Don…’ ‘Really poorly, really poorly…’ ‘Bob Wheezeness?’ ‘This … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, academia, adjectives, arts, brain, cafe, colours, composition, conversation, cool, creation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, misheard, overheard, people, poetry, puzzle, serendipity, sex, surrealism, words | Tagged acrow azure, American in Paris, arts, beam burgundy, Cardiff, colour, Colours, concrete cream, conversation, cupsee, dictionary word, discovery, dopey-date, Jesuits, Lady Brown, madness, major outlay, misheard, mortar mauve, observations, overheard, plaster puce, poetry, rendering red, serendipity, sex, skip scarlet., style, surrealism, timber turquoise, Vaseline, words, Zenobia | Leave a comment

The undersea marauder began to whirl…

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s existential angst is centred around the sound of the word, word. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> So, what do you fancy today dear reader? Spacemen and spaceships floating about in the blue void? Gladiator antics? High jinks in a … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, archeology, art, arts, books, composition, cool, creation, design, drama, drawing, existentialism, history, humour, information, puzzle, reading, serendipity, smiling, story, style, surrealism, words, writing | Tagged 1950s Britain, 1950s illustration, 1956, antics, art, arts, bouncy Land Rover, discovery, diving dare-devils, drawing, existential angst, history, illustration, kid's book, killer shark, madness, pirate's loot, plucky British chaps, serendipity, style, surrealism, The Lion Annual 1956, the word word, undersea marauder, words, writing | Leave a comment

Some opening lines for stories never to be written…

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s architectural term is Parvis. In France, the term for the open space around a church or cathedral. In England, a term wrongly applied to a room over a church porch. Damn! I’ve been using the … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, academia, architecture, arts, books, brain, cool, creation, drama, existentialism, food, history, humour, poetry, puzzle, radio, reading, serendipity, surrealism, words, writing | Tagged 20th c. poetry, Agatha Christie, architecture, arts, beer bottle, celebrities, Di, dictionary word, discovery, Donny, doubloon, entry for 'cat', ham sandwich, helicopter, history, in the sunshine, jeans watch pocket, madness, Nancy, nemesis, never to be written, opening lines, over a porch, Parvis., poetry, serendipity, silver coin, story on the radio, style, surrealism, the little engine, words, writing | 2 Comments

Some cobbled together short, but pithy items…

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s carefully selected adjectives are: boxy, Bajocian, varsal, quotidian, lageniform, pterygoid, and woolly. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As you might know dear reader, I used to do these ‘short but pithy’ compilations quite regularly, but with the great lockdown … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, adjectives, arts, brain, cafe, conversation, cool, creation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, expletives, Grumpiness, history, Hull.UK., humour, information, music, observations, overheard, people, poetry, politics, puzzle, religion, seeing, serendipity, smiling, spam, style, surrealism, swearing, words | Tagged anodyne, arts, Bajocian, BBC Radio 3, boxy., conversation, Da Da Da Trio, dictionary word, discovery, effing and blinding, existential angst, expletives, guitar necks, in the street, Jazz, lageniform, late, madness, misheard, monacle, music, music charts, observations, overheard, overheard remarks, poetry, pterygoid, quotidian, religion, rough area, serendipity, spam, squirming, style, surrealism, TV, varsal, woolly, words, writing | 4 Comments

Lockdown with the apparitions…

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s dictionary words are: chechia, parvise, seton, wanty, introit, faldstool, and comburgess. Please have these words looked up and placed in suitable sentences ready for Professor Mouldie’s lockdown-interactive-podcast-on-screen-lecture first thing after breakfast tomorrow morning. The professor … Continue reading →

Posted in brain, celebrities, cool, drama, dreaming, existentialism, expletives, food, humour, observations, people, puzzle, religion, science, seeing, serendipity, surrealism, swearing, thinking, TV, words | Tagged arts, celebrities, channelling my energy, chechia, comburgess, conversation, dictionary word, dusty musty, expletives, faldstool, ghosts, hairs on my arm, half man half dog, hot spot, introit, madness, Moose antlers, moose avatar, observations, Paranormal Lockdown, parvise, Professor Mouldie, religion, revenants, serendipity, seton, spectres, spooks, style, surrealism, TV, TV spooks, wanty, words, wraiths | Leave a comment

Some song lyrics misheard over the cafe hubbub – pre-lockdown…

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s weather will feature: armpit moistness, a bright burning thing in the sky, birds being annoying, eggs frying on car roofs, dogs snoozing under dank bushes, and vertical still bedsheets steaming on clotheslines… >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ‘I’m all … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, art, arts, brain, cafe, composition, cool, creation, dreaming, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, misheard, music, poetry, puzzle, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, sweating, weather, words | Tagged art, arts, cold shoes, dess-tinny, dollop, flop, horse-mouse, in my tree, madness, melon, melting cool, misheard, misheard song lyrics, music, New York, poetry, pre-lockdown cafe, reelin', serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, today's weather, washing, weather, words | Leave a comment

Just a few short but pithy items…

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s aspidistra is the one that does plenty of deep thinking. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> These ‘short items’ pieces have thinned out quite a lot over the last few months of self-isolation, but I have managed to collect just … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, blues, brain, cafe, composition, conversation, cool, creation, drama, dreaming, Dulltown, existentialism, fashion, food, history, Hull.UK., humour, information, instruction, music, observations, overheard, people, puzzle, reading, serendipity, spam, style, surrealism, writing | Tagged 'ordinary music', arts, bacon blob, brexit, chord changes, classical music, colour, conversation, fashion, history, instruction, journalism, late, lips, madness, music, name change, observations, overheard, overheard remark, past tense, printers, self-isolation, serendipity, shimmer, simple riff, singeing, sorry I'm late, spam, style, surrealism, writing | Leave a comment

Some (pre-lockdown) overheard and misheard snatches of cafe conversation…

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s carefully selected adjectives are: gritty, Wormian, geosynclinal, chlamydate, papular, splenic, and boggy. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ‘Na warra mean?…’ ‘You know where I going with that then?’ ‘Michello, you know she brought it out in him!…’ ‘I coined … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, academia, adjectives, brain, cafe, conversation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, misheard, overheard, people, poetry, puzzle, serendipity, style, surrealism, swearing, words | Tagged arts, boggy., bouncy seat, Brad, Cafe Conversation, chlamydate, conversation, cop cake, dictionary word, discovery, geosynclinal, gritty, madness, misheard, Misheard Snatches, overheard, papular, poetry, pre-lockdown cafe, radical covers, rushlettes, serendipity, sex, snicker-bonker, splenic, style, sugar-dip, surrealism, swatted, words, Wormian | Leave a comment

Those difficult to hang pictures…

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s rather nice fish names are: the Yellow and Black Triplefin, the Surf Sardine, the Roughy, the Spinefoot, and the Tubeshoulder. If you had a dog named after one of these fish, which name would you … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, art, arts, brain, conversation, drama, drawing, Dulltown, existentialism, food, history, humour, information, learning, observations, painting, people, surrealism, thinking, words | Tagged 1804, a dip in the wall, art, arts, bulging paintings, conversation, dictionary word, discovery, dog name, drawing, drawn in, fifty-tonne jacks, gallery visitors, history, interesting fish names, Leonardo da Vinci, madness, meat pie, Mona Lisa, painting, serendipity, style, surrealism, the Roughy, the Spinefoot, the Surf Sardine, the Tubeshoulder, the Yellow and Black Triplefin, words | Leave a comment

Some chevrons and some squelchy grass…

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s confused film star is Mette Bidler. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Do you like the catchy, but intriguing title of today’s post? Have you been drawn in by it, dear reader? Back in January I was walking over the … Continue reading →

Posted in art, arts, books, brain, colours, composition, cool, creation, design, Dulltown, existentialism, green, heraldry, Hull.UK., humour, information, observations, photography, seeing, serendipity, style, surrealism, words | Tagged art, arts, Bette Midler, bright colours, celebrities, chevrons, click, colour, composition, dictionary word, discovery, downpour, dustcart, earthy, eye-catching, fecund, flyover, heraldry, looking down, moistness, observations, photography, red and yellow, refuse wagon, serendipity, style, vibrant, words | 3 Comments

Some song lyrics misheard over the cafe hubbub…

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s quotation is from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1933 novel Laughter in the Dark, which I finished re-reading a month or two ago: She (Margot) shrugged her shoulders, picked up the book, and turned her back to him. … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, academia, arts, books, brain, cafe, cool, creation, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, misheard, music, overheard, poetry, puzzle, reading, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, words, writing | Tagged 1933, arts, BB, black crow, cafe-ing, chubby knee, cups of tea, dictionary word, discovery, goosey, Greta Garbo, history, Laughter in the Dark, like a lizard, love in pieces, madness, misheard, music, novel, poetry, pre-lockdown cafe, pretzel, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, thether, tight cake, train of seams, unwater, vladimir nabokov, weather beaten, words, worm-hole, writing | 2 Comments

What’s in the Surrealist Van this time?…

Posted on June 6, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s lost plectrum is the one eventually found inside an egg, one of a pack of six bought from a local supermarket. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The phone rang very early yesterday morning. ‘Hello?’ I said, as I leaned … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, art, arts, brain, celebrities, conversation, cool, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, food, Grumpiness, history, Hull.UK., humour, information, puzzle, serendipity, style, surrealism, words | Tagged A priest's smile, art, arts, best butter, bone china, Boris Johnson, celebrities, champagne cork, cigarette butt, conversation, David Hockney, dictionary word, discovery, gammadion, history, jackson pollock paintings, Jacob Rees-Mogg, madness, parcel from Amazon, parcels, poetry, sausages, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, The Da Vinci Code, The Hull Surrealist League, The surrealist van, Tony Mayonnaise, transportation, words | 3 Comments

December: waiting in the bus shelter…

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s quotation is from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1933 novel Laughter in the Dark, which I recently enjoyed re-reading, dark though it was: She crossed her feet and rocked gently as she stood there, her eyes roaming. ‘You … Continue reading →

Posted in adjectives, advertising, art, arts, books, brain, colours, composition, creation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, observations, photography, reading, seeing, serendipity, style, thinking, words, writing | Tagged 1933, advertising, afternoon sun, art, arts, balance, cherry on the top of..., colour, composition, dictionary word, discovery, doughnut, drabber, etymology, her eyes roaming, Laughter in the Dark, Margot, muscle, observations, photography, ribs, rich, serendipity, sex, side-board, spell checker, style, sugary, vladimir nabokov, words, writing | 6 Comments

Some snatches of overheard and misheard cafe conversation…

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s confused film star is Pad Britt. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Yes, of course, with self-isolation, I’ve not been out cafe-ing for some time now; I do miss it. But here are some snatches from those days which were … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, arts, brain, cafe, celebrities, composition, conversation, cool, creation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, expletives, fashion, Hull.UK., humour, information, misheard, overheard, people, poetry, puzzle, serendipity, smiling, style, surrealism, swearing, words | Tagged arts, blue top, boys' skirts, Brad Pitt, cafe, casein rumba, celebrities, check shirts, Confused film stars, conversation, Devder, dictionary word, discovery, gattling, history, instruction, lockdown, madness, mecksit go, mish-mash, misheard, Misheard Snatches, my last wig, overheard, poetry, pre-lockdown cafe, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, tastic!, words | 6 Comments

So, what’s happened to our months then?…

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s well-established English expletive is Codswallop! e.g. You, are talking codswallop! There are several ideas on the origin of this word; they involve ‘cod’ meaning scrotum, and ‘wallop’ being a euphemism for Bollocks. But I have … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, brain, conversation, cool, drama, dreaming, existentialism, expletives, fashion, Grumpiness, history, humour, information, irony, learning, observations, overheard, puzzle, radio, surrealism, swearing, thinking, words | Tagged bad english, BBC Radio 3, beer, codswallop, conversation, Dee-cember, discovery, existential angst, expletive, Febry, history, Janry, Joo-lie, look up words, madness, months names, observations, serendipity, style, syllables, The BBC, the BBC plot, the indefinate article 'A', words | Leave a comment

Overheard and misheard snatches of conversation from back in the days of cafés…

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s carefully selected colours are: buttercup pink, buttercup orange, buttercup black, buttercup brown, buttercup grey, and buttercup ultramarine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ‘Christa! I seen him too!’ ‘Fresh, or buttered? Har har har har!’ ‘So, it was tree-wise training … Continue reading →

Posted in abstract, arts, brain, cafe, colours, conversation, cool, drama, dreaming, Dulltown, existentialism, Hull.UK., humour, information, mind, overheard, people, poetry, puzzle, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, words | Tagged arts, bo-valve, buttercup black, buttercup brown, buttercup grey, buttercup mauve, buttercup orange, buttercup pink, buttercup ultramarine., carefully selected colours, colour, contipical, conversation, dictionary word, har har har!, ID, madness, mammals, microspotic, misheard, overheard, poetry, scenario, serendipity, sex, style, surrealism, words | Leave a comment

A few short, but pithy items…

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Dave Whatt

But first… Dulltown, UK: Today’s quotation is from Vladimir Nabokov’s 1933 novel Laughter in the Dark which I have just finished re-reading; bloody hell, those Russian writers love their miserable endings, don’t they? As she (Margot) was leaving for home … Continue reading →

Posted in archeology, arts, blues, books, brain, composition, conversation, drama, Dulltown, existentialism, finance, history, Hull.UK., humour, information, music, observations, photography, puzzle, reading, religion, seeing, serendipity, surrealism, thinking, TV, words, writing | Tagged 1933, 1960s, actor, arts, Black and white films, Champion Jack Dupree, clergymen, cobble together, conversation, dictionary word, ding!, director, discovery, English language, Eric Clapton, film, history, instruction, Laughter in the Dark, music, name change, observations, photography, reception desk, serendipity, spam, surrealism, tripods, TV, vladimir nabokov, words, writing | 3 Comments