Harry’s Place Arts

Cool pics. Though there are some horrid estates (mostly stranded miles from the centre of town, hanging on only by tram-lines and an industrial belt) much of Odesa, Ukraine, is far far far from grim…

The ladybird one possibly has a druggy connection the details of which currently escape me. (Need to check my dictionary of Russian slang if I can find it…)

I’m trying to work out what that slang might be.

“Fancy a ‘ladybird’”

“I was absolutely ladybirded last night!”

Well, the Russian word (words, actually) for “ladybird” literally translate as “God’s little cow” (although as the “lady” in the “ladybird” is “Our Lady”, that maybe isn’t so surprising - compare French and German names for them too. They kill aphids, they save the crops, you see) .

I have a vague feeling the druggy use may have referred obliquely to the spots on the ladybird’s back. (Further details? I’ve no idea. Never touched -or even seen- anything like that)

There’s also a (vaguely rather than definitively) second rate Russian rock group called “Bozhya korovka” (=ladybird) whose use of the term certainly was linked to the drug chic thing. (They are better than the Russian rock group “Sektor Gaza” (Gaza Strip) should anyone be forced to choose between the two in a Junkbox Jury type situation)

Grass or marijuana, apparently. (according to this dictionary of Prison slang

I thought it was something stronger

Great stuff.

The one on the towel is rather beautiful.

Neat!

this reminds me of the great street art that I photographed in Ljubljana, in the area of Metelkova (and not only there).

then something happened with the memory card and 70% of the photos vanished, including those showing my favorite walls.

probably someone pained over them a few days latter, so they were lost forever.

a terrible frustration!