Friday 15 February 2008

Post-Valentine's Day

I have a new love!


It's VERY exciting!!


It's unrequited, of course :(








It's a bridge...

It's a thumping, fantastic, ornate Thames landmark of a bridge, the first suspension bridge over the Thames, and possibly the most beautiful bridge on the river.



It's Hammersmith Bridge.

OK, it's far from being amongst the most beautiful bridges in the world, but they don't make them like this anymore. The last time this bridge was rebuilt, they didn't spare attention to detail...





I love Hammersmith Bridge. For sure, it'll never be the most exciting of bedfellows, and I suspect any attempt to share a duvet with it would leave me exposed for the night, but that's not going to stop me from worshipping this bridge from afar, or even from being up close and personal with it. Or underneath it.

Why do I love it?

Well...
It's a stone's throw from the boat club, an unmistakable landmark, and a welcome sight at the end of a long outing. It's dependable. It's (touchwood) not going to go wrong. It's also pretty useful for when you need to get across the river and don't have a boat handy. And it's unashamedly, disgustingly ornate. Why it was felt necessary to paint it in that off-putting green colour, I have no idea...




It does make the gilding look particularly striking:





Mind you, I have heard the bridge described as "looking like a monsterous, overgrown Harrods bag..." That is possibly an unnecessarily unkind description of its charms, though in this case I'm prepared to admit that the observer may have had a point...




So, what do you think? Should I be worried? Or is falling in love with a bridge OK really??

14 comments:

hgg said...

No, you're not crazy, go ahead and love it. I'm a bridge-lover too.

Casdok said...

Yes its ok! At least it dosnt snore!

But Why? said...

Why, Hello, Hypoglycemiagirl. (Typing that is a bit of a challenge - is there a recognised short form I can use??)

Welcome. And you are welcome. Lengthy moniker though you may have, any friend of Laphroaig is a friend of mine. (Well, actually, that's no doubt verifiably untrue, but, regardless, you are welcome.)

Crickey, my concentration span is seriously shot to pieces - I must remember to get a new job asap...

So... have you got a favourite??


Casdok,
Another fantastic advantage of loving bridges. They're not much good at going out for dinner, though. Firstly, they can rarely gain admittance to the restaurant, and secondly, they absolutely never pick up the tab. Mind you, to be fair to them, they don't eat much...

trousers said...

As long as you don't set yourself up with any false expectations: don't put the bridge on a pedestal (not only for structural reasons).

You should also ask yourself the question, will it be your bridge over troubled water?

*gets coat*

Fire Byrd said...

Is this a bridge too far?
Or, one small bridge for mankind?

Personally i think loving a bridge is fine, after all it won't shock you into having pink ear issues.

That we can blame on me, or the dastardly rowing boat!!

But I think you may have to be careful how often you see each other you don't want the other bridges getting jealous now!

TIme for bed I think pix, quit whilst your ahead.
pxx

But Why? said...

Trousers,
Yes. Quite right too. After those comments, it really is the only decent thing to do.

Pixie,
Ah, I also see Putney, Barnes, Chiswick and Kew bridges regularly. But I have a particular soft spot for Hammersmith. Perhaps it was the bridge which sent the flowers on Thursday...?

Reading the Signs said...

Oh - I was just going to nip in with a Bridge Over Troubled Water comment but Trousers got there before me.

But how do you know that your love is not requited? The bridge has perhaps been waiting all these years (how many?) for just such a love in order to find itself fully realised - as a bridge, or a handsome prince(ss) just waiting for such a love to be restored to human form. But if this happened you may no longer love it with the same passion. Life is complicated, But Why.

Wayfarer Scientista said...

of course it's okay! It's beautiful!

DJ Kirkby said...

Well...as a person who has a blog devoted to benches, I couldn't possibly comment...

But Why? said...

Signs,
In all honesty, I never considered that possibility. I wonder whether something similar is the real story behind the kissing of the blarney stone?

Wayfarer,
Yes, it is a stunning example of bridgehood, is it not? Though sadly, it is not the most tactile of potential bedfellows.

DJ,
Very true. Do you have an all-time favourite, special bench?

Rob Clack said...

I love bridges too. Particular favourites right now are the Dartford M25 bridge and the Honfleur road bridge in France.

But Why? said...

Nice bridges, Rob. I love that one in France...

I must say, I am rather taken aback at the high proportion of you who also love bridges (and are prepared to admit it). It's ever so slightly nerdier than loving flora, fauna and/or atmospheric optical phenomena. I had no idea you were all so geeky ;)

Anonymous said...

Falling in love with a bridge I think I can say is not a good thing.

It looks like a very nice bridge but it still is a bridge.

Graffiti

But Why? said...

Graffiti,

Hello. Welcome.

Yes, a bridge it is. Perhaps falling for a bridge is not a good thing, per se , but on the up side, it doesn't take much notice of the competition, or at least, if it has, it doesn't seem jealous. So I rather recommend falling for inanimate objects - they're not at all possessive, are very uncomplicated and leave one free to enjoy all manner of behaviour on the side.

Perhaps you could find yourself a handy wall to fall for??