Cuddly Reptile Benches for The Year of the Snake

It's 2025, The Year of the Wood Snake. This is special because the Wood Snake only happens every 60 years. 

Eddie, my inner editor: If you have any readers, you've already lost them. Because reptiles aren't cuddly.

Don't worry, I'm not going to show any scary or creepy reptiles. Just cuddly ones and pretty ones, like this chameleon bench.

Tinley Park bench project, Mike Simpson

Eddie: Can't see it.

What about this cute little green one?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bzedan/2124623404 

Eddie: Too frightening for people with ophidiophobia. About a third of the population hate snakes. 

Much Afraid, The Pilgrim's Progress 1683

Blimey, I've very carefully gathered some quite nice reptile benches and a lot of information about The Year of the Snake. And also other reptiles.

Eddie: Terrible idea. Lots of people are herpetophobic. 

That's fear of reptiles, by the way, not fear of getting herpes. 

The Alligator People, 1959 film

Eddie: She looks like she's got it bad. 

I promise, there is nothing horrible in this story. I've very carefully left out any coiled up or slimy or deeply unpleasant-looking creatures.

Eddie: That makes a change.

Eddie, you know I take great care not to upset readers.

Eddie: Two Words:  Insect. Benches.

Karen Baxter, etsy

OK, sorry, but that was years ago. I didn't know ladybirds would offend you.

Eddie: My advice is to lose the snake year. Wait until 2035 when fluffy bunnies come round again.

www.Georgiagerber.com

Or goats. 2027.

www.Ericacrofut.com

But I've done benches for the whole of the zodiac. Except snakes. For the Year of the Dragon I even did komodo dragon benches.

Photo by Toby McAlister

In fact snakes are sometimes called Little Dragons. Maybe think of reptiles as sweet little dragons?

Eddie:  No.

Seriously, Eddie. I don't like reptiles myself. But look, this bench is quite attractive.

Eli Brown Flickr 

Eddie: If you want attractive you should show a picture of me.

Fringe Pop, etsy

Eddie: I was a big hit in The Year of the Monkey.

Rakuten.co.jp 

You were. But that's over now so please, do not show any pictures of monkeys. Just show nice benches and no real snakes. Maybe some lovely lizard benches?

Eddie: What about iguanas? There are some good iguana benches around.

 

Photo by Chris Jackson

Wow, a reptile with Royal approval!

Eddie: This is Blue Peter. King Charles visited him in Grand Cayman a few years ago. He was still a prince then.

Who, Peter?

Eddie: No, Charles. Now get on with it will you. 

Readers may be surprised that people born in the Year of the Snake are sociable, graceful, eloquent, humorous, wise and perceptive.

Eddie: I was born in the Year of the Snake. 

Then you'll know the other qualities of Snake People: they're jealous, suspicious, sly, and cold-blooded.

Eddie: Not me at all. I get on well with everyone.

Snake people get on with Dragons and Roosters.

www.Bellescape.com

But they're not good with Tigers

or Pigs

Niall Kennedy, Flickr

And they should absolutely avoid contact with Horses.

www.3drivers.com.

That's me, by the way. Born in The Year of the Horse.

Eddie: I'm well aware. There is constant disharmony in our relationship.

Snake people are going to find 2025 a very bad year for love. They need to take care with investments too.

Kim Smith, Flickr

Eddie: I'm very good with money as it happens. I can snap up a bargain.

RW Sinclair, acetonic, Flickr

Oh, very clever, Eddie, a crocodile! Or is it an alligator?

Jim Carson, Flickr

Eddie: I can only tell if their mouth is closed. This is an alligator.

I'm impressed what you know about reptiles. Are they always blue? Because this year's lucky colours are black, red and yellow. 

Eddie: Don't get me started on red benches.

What about a nice yellow one then?

Punk Toad, Flickr

Or pink?

Marco Antonioni, Riccioni, Flickr

No, sorry, pink is very unlucky this year. So is purple. Avoid purple benches until next year.

Sandown, Isle of Wight

Eddie: What's happened to The Year of the Snake? We seem to be slithering away from it.

Good point, Eddie. It's a good thing there are two of us working on this story.

Eddie: 'Good things come in pairs' as the Chinese proverb goes. 

www.AtelierSaigon.com

Yes, two is a lucky number this year. Also eight and nine, or a combination of the lucky numbers like 28 or 29. I'd hate to see 29 snakes though. 

 Eddie: Tough luck. Reptile benches aren't so cute. 

Niort, France

This is horrible, Eddie. Let's agree that we aren't going to show scary snake benches.

Eddie: Even though this is The Year of the Snake.

Even then. How about a horned lizard?

Texas Horned Lizard bench, Dallas Zoo

Or a sweet little turtle bench?

www.dragonwooddesigns.com

Eddie: Well, at least turtles are reptiles.

And so much better to look at than snakes.

They're not all creepy and crawly.

Eddie: Babies are creepy and crawly.

Ryan Hayes, Flickr

Eddie: I'm actually terrified of babies. I've been pedophobic ever since I was a baby.

I'm sorry for you, Eddie. Have you seen a psychologist?

Eddie: No, I have a phobia about doctors and therapists. 

That's too bad. People born in The Year of the Snake make very good psychologists.

Eddie: Because they're eloquent, perceptive, wise, etcetera? Or because they're suspicious, sly, and cold-blooded?

That's not fair,  Eddie. Snake people also make good artists, designers, and politicians.

Presidentlincoln.illinois.gov

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809, a Year of the Snake.

And also Mahatma Gandhi.

poster available on Amazon

Eddie: I think my politicophobia is kicking in. Nests of vipers come to mind.

Are you ok with artists? Paintbrushes, canvas, stained glass?

Eddie: I love art. I am well known in art galleries.

Here is a pretty turtle in faux stained glass. 

Ethereal Token, Etsy

Eddie: Lovely. It's not a bench though.

Here is Pablo Picasso on a bench in Malaga, his home town. 

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Eddie: Some of his pictures trigger my other phobias.

I guess we should stop now then. Though I should also say that February 1st this year is National Serpent Day.

Eddie: It's a good day to coil up with a good book about reptiles.

Happy Year of the Snake then! And crocodile, alligator, gecko, iguana and turtle!

Eddie: OK, see you later alligator.

After while, crocodile.

CREDITS

The Year of the Snake begins on January 29, 2025 and lasts until February 16, 2026. Chinese New Year is an annual event here on Benchsite. 2023 was The Year of the Dragon and there are some very scary benches there, including some serpent benches which are possibly snakes rather than dragons. 2021 was The Year of the Ox and it's a bit of an oxymoron to admit that writing that story was a sweet struggle. Remember 2020? That was the Year of the Rat. 2019 was The Year of the Pig and I'm not telling porkie pies when I say that the pig benches are better than a bacon sandwich. In 2018 we got in a bit of a muddle about unicorns and/or dogs. In 2017 it was the Year of the Rooster and there's quite a bit about Chinese beer in that story as well. The Year of the Monkey Bench went on for far too long in 2016 and contained a lot of monkey business. Back in 2015 it was Goats and/or possibly Sheep Benches. 2014? That was Horse Benches. 

Eddie is my Inner Editor, who just happens to be a primate. If you've seen much of Benchsite you will know what a problem Eddie is for me. He has ruined helped me edit the post about my swimming bench and the Blue Monday benches.  He interfered with stepped in to help with the Orange bench mystery. However, he has a habit of setting his own agenda with the benches. Look what a mess he made great job he did on St. George's Day . And as for my Red benches in February? No wonder I was very grateful seeing red. I had a bit of a break from him last year but now he's back and his primate pictures are in danger of overwhelming my stories. 

The excellent portrait of Eddie looking studious is from Fringepop, an etsy shop in Atlanta, Georgia. https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/fringepop It's full of 8x10 art prints including hipster, pin ups, zombies, steampunk, mermaids, witches, Edgar Allan Poe, Abraham Lincoln, cabinet cards, owls, taxidermy, flappers, octopus, fine art, lowbrow art, and surreal art. Fringepop also has a large selection of roller derby, horror goth, retro kitsch, and circus sideshow. They also love art deco, flapper, and art nouveau pinups and gorgeous deco mermaid art. They specialize in Victorian, medical, sideshow, and other oddity art along with many whimsical animals including squirrels, owls, deer, and ravens. As if this weren't enough, Fringepop loves macabre gothic themes such as skulls and anatomical art. Favorites also include funny designs with retro sayings and a kitsch quality.

Much Afraid is a character from The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, 1683. The daughter of Mr. Despondency, Much Afraid and her father were imprisoned in Doubting Castle by the tyrant Giant Despair.  Released from the castle, Much Afraid danced in the road and apparently she answered the music handsomely.

Some of the insect benches have appeared on Benchsite before, including the pretty ladybird bench by Karen Baxter at her Etsy shop KWB & Co. 

Old Noah dates from biblical times and has a history of saving animal benches. Here in Fribble he saved all our animal benches for World Animals Day. There are all the favourite animals, of course - tigers, camels, pandas, giraffe - but Noah also managed to get some lesser loved creatures - wombats, even a preying mantis - onto the ark. 

If you love animals see which animal benches Noah saved on the Ark. If you like pig benches, then you're looking in the right place and there are more small, large and faraway dog benches at  http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/big-bench-small-bench-cute-and-tiny.html  On the other hand, if you prefer cats, let Meredith show you some fabulous feline benches. Maybe you like rabbits: bunny benches are not just for Easter you know. Sheep? We've got some Baaaaaad ones here on Benchsite. And monkeys? We've got those too. And finally, for the Cream of Bovine Benches, let Lord Brassica show you his cows.

B Zedan does some very creative work, which is shown on Flickr. The splendid little green snake bench was made for a story about Griffen.

The Alligator People is an American science fiction film from 1959. A woman named Barbara goes looking for her husband, who has been turned into an alligator. The film is described as eerie, frightening, and atmospheric. 

The pretty chameleon bench is from a wonderful community bench project in Tinley Park, Illinois. Local residents create themed benches on Oak Park Avenue. In 2022 Animal Adventures was the theme. The photo is by Mike Simpson.

The pretty rabbit bench was made by Georgia Gerber and features in several Benchsite stories about rabbits, Easter, and fluffy bunnies. 

Goats were a thing back in 2015. It was the Year of the Goat http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/2015-year-of-goat-bench.html Erika Crofut from Connecticut made the beautiful goat bench on the porch. It was one of the animal benches Noah saved on his ark back in 2013. Erica has other bright, fun animal benches and sofas on her website at http://www.erikacrofut.com/  

The komodo dragon was photographed by Toby McAlister when he visited Komodo Island back in 2011.

Elliot Brown photographed the brightly coloured metal snake bench in Highgate plaground. Ell Brown lives in Birmingham, and has a HUGE Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/    

The cute wooden monkey couple are from Rakuten in Japan. They area favourite of Eddie's and they are featured in The Year of the Monkey, as you might expect. But they also turn up elsewhere, whatever the bench story is about. 

In March 2019 the then-Prince Charles visited Grand Cayman island where he met and stroked a beautiful blue iguana named Blue Peter. Our now king is so seldom seen smiling that it is a pleasure to see him so delighted. This scene is much photographed; this photo is by Chris Jackson. 

2017 was The Year of the Rooster at  http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/china-in-year-of-rooster-bench.html The charming rustic rooster and chicken bench is from www.bellesscape.com in Los Gatos, California. http://belleescape.com/painted-country-rooster-hen-bench.html The bench features a special hand-painted rooster and chicken design on the back rest. The papaya finish has been lightly distressed to add an antique feel. Belleescapes has just about every kind of chic furniture you can imagine: farmhouse, industrial, cottage, bohemian, cosmo, Provence, vineyard and even shabby chic. Cottage style? They've got coastal, earthy . . . I'll stop there. You can have a look for yourself.

The pig bench was outside the Healdsburg Charcuterie in Healdsburg, California in 2010. It was photographed by Niall Kennedy, a software engineer who likes hiking, dogs, food, travel and scenes around his home and work in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/niallkennedy/4886919707/

The handsome black and gold horse is by 3D Rivers, whose mission is to help the internet community meet the growing need for a wide range of well-designed, high quality 3D models and consumer goods products in a constantly changing environment. They offer a huge range of 3D products including things like buildings, transport, everyday objects, characters, model packs, animals, and yes, of course, benches. This Indian-style horse is one of the many different kinds of benches available via their online site at  http://www.3drivers.com/ He has already appeared on Benchsite as one of the animals on Noah's Ark. 

Kim Smith owns a dramatic web design company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She photographed the money bench in 2007. Her photo sets contains lots of friends and family and her landscapes make Michigan look like a beautiful place. In fact, Mackinac Island doesn't look so different from my own Paradise Island . . . http://www.flickr.com/photos/k

The lifelike crocodile bench was photographed by RW Sinclair, aka acetonic on Flickr. 

The saw-tooth crocodile bench is a little scary. It's in the Crossroads Mall in Bellevue, Washington. I don't know if I'd want to sit down on it even if I had shoppers' feet.  Jim Carson from Seattle photographed it in 2009. It's part of his photostream at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/carson/   Jim's cycling photos of rural Washington, Oregon and Idaho bring back the happy travelling days of my childhood. According to Jim, Wallace, Idaho is the centre of the universe. 

The other little wooden bench is, I think, an alligator bench from Disney World in Florida.

The twisty yellow bench was photographed by Punk Toad on flickr. It is one of many bright, cheery yellow benches told in the Benchsite story about yellow benches for Spring.

The pink bench against a pink wall is by Marco Antonioni, aka Riccione on Flickr. This particular bench featured in a Benchsite story all about pink and gray benches during the time when that gray book was very, very popular. 

The purple bench was one of several outside a hotel in Sandown, Isle of wight. I was so inspired by them that I went home and painted two of my benches purple. 

The pair of papier mache crocodile benches were for sale at Saigon Atelier in Vietnam in 2010.

The scary serpent bench is at Niort in France. I love Noirt and I love France but unfortunately, the city was apparently terrorized in 1692 by a giant snake with wings which devoured its population. Eventually a brave soldier slew the thing and now what's left are four bronze dragons on the main shopping street. 

There are lots of garden benches made of sturdy concrete. One such bench is the Texas Horned Lizard bench at Dallas Zoo. It appears on Pinterest, Flickr and elsewhere, having been photographed by many, many people. 

Dragonwood Designs in Pennsylvania make a lot of things out of wood, including the little green turtle bench.  www.etsy.com/shop/dragonwooddesigns

Dragonwood's owner is a professional cabinetmaker/woodworker who designs and makes unique and beautiful furniture and objets d'art from woods such as honduras mahogany, walnut, bubinga, hard maple and German beech. 

It is well established here on Benchsite that Eddie is scared of babies. That's understandable perhaps, given the very large crawling baby, which features in many Benchsite Halloween posts. Ryan Hayes, from Texas, saw The Giant Scary Baby on the Mala Strana in Prague back in 2009. Ryan's photostream is oneflameinthefire at Flickr. 

The lovely turtle suncatcher is faux stain glass, made from acrylic and sold by the Ethereal Token Etsy shop.

There are quite a few statues of Abraham Lincoln around the United States. This one is in Illinois.

This is a well known picture of Mahatma Gandhi. It is available as a poster on Amazon. 

The artist Pablo Picasso is sitting on a bench in Malaga, Spain, the city where he was born.

Black Bench Friday 2021

 It's Black Bench Friday and the sharks are out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqueline_poggi/5804465095

I ring Eddie, my Inner Editor, who just happens to be a primate.

It's Black Friday, Eddie! I'm up bright and early to get down to Da Shop.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gazeronly/6366770931

Eddie: More fool you. I'm at home writing my Christmas cards.

Are you coming shopping with me? I'm going down to the mall to bag a bargain on a black bench.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/theenmoy/14959666088

Last year I left just 19 shopping benches before Christmas. This year I want everything wrapped up in plenty of time.

I hate shopping. What a waste of time.

Just come with me and I'll park you on a husband bench.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/osnicko/4016373402  

I'm not your husband. 

OK then. A guy's bench.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smichael/3863185306  

There's a problem with this bench.

Yes, I know. The apostrophe.

This is Guy's Bench. It's not mine. It's no one else's. It's Guy's.

That's true, Eddie. The placement of the apostrophe suggests the bench belongs to one person named Guy.

If it's a bench belonging to all men then it should be Guys' Bench. Or even Guys Bench, with no punctuation.

The thing is Eddie, I can't argue about punctuation; I'm bench-pressed for time. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bearpark/4852943923  

I need to find a black bench really quickly or they're going to sell out. A lot of benches are half price right now. 

Dora and Cora have already been down to the Bench shop buying everything they can carry. 

Lady Brassica has already worn herself out in the basement of her replica mall.

And Innocent has sunk into her purchases with a sense of satisfaction that borders on smugness.

Better make a beeline for the mall then.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankaronline/14524456384  

You need to promise me one thing though. 

Of course, Eddie. What's that?

No trying on shoes.

Or knickers.

Or spectacles.

About the shoes . . . Maybe you could just sit on a bench for a couple of minutes while I try on a couple of pairs of Jimmy Choos?

https://www.jwz.org/blog/2015/10/some-people-may-find-them-offensive/

Can't do that. I'm not a partner and I'm not a man. I'm a primate, remember?

You're right, Eddie. I mustn't get distracted. We're on a mission for a black bench.

You don't even need a close-up view of a black bench.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/7986498620

And you don't want to get tangled up in a lot of choices.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huge_Sudeley_Bench

Yes, we just want to grab a brilliant black bench, pay, and get out of there in one piece.

 http://www.peterdonders.com

I suppose you're prepared to queue for ages to get a knock-down price?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eriktorner/13255081885   

I am, but I like an orderly queue. I don't like a lot of pushing and shoving.

I hate it when someone gets elbowed and the police have to be called.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/arekolek/1568250549

It's best to get down there early when the benches at the mall are empty. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rowanhill/12055488003/ 

Canny shoppers grab a nice warm trolley and get on with the job.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/7621121862/

Of course a comfortable shoe bench is needed for a long day of shopping.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/14201966344/

And a good handbag bench too.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/14015398769  

You need a quiet place to sit when your feet start hurting.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mybigtrip/79377836 

There's no denying it - Black Friday is hard work.

It can take ages just to find a trolley.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/orbz/458798053/    

The car park is full.

There's nowhere to park your car bonnet bench.

http://studioroex.com

Also there are no general bench stores any more.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/4602156841  

The shops are very specialised and it's hard to find what you want.

I doubt if you'd find a black bench in this shop.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/coanri/103942365  

Or this one.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/desmondkavanagh/3259119676  

I couldn't even find one in this shop.

www.bargainmoose.ca 

Strange. I thought they'd have plenty.

Maybe black benches are sold out though. They say black is the new black. 

I'm feeling really weary. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/justard/14190027311 

I need to stop for coffee.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeygottawa/2922048262   

We haven't even got to the mall yet, Eddie.

I know, but I need to find somewhere to sit down on with a cup of coffee.

Plus I'm hungry. Maybe we can find that Apostrophe cafe we saw earlier.

Well, I know where there's a No Food For Lazy Man shop.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/neate_photos/4971652331  

It's not one of those chain store benches is it?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/apochromatic/4371397730

Definitely not. It's a peace and love bongo base.

Good. I fancy some soba noodles. Is there a chopstick bench around here?

http://www.yuyavsdesign.com

Or even a cup of tea?

You're showing off your Eddie The Editor mugs aren't you?

Maybe.

Look, Eddie, we haven't got to the mall yet and it's already dark.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrmllvr/8437017763  

How am I going to find my black bench in the dark? If I can't find one it's going to be the same old Christmas bench story.

http://www.deltastage.com/

What, everyone you know gets a bench for Christmas?

Yes. Or pants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25512069@N00/3070701263/

What choice will I have? The mall is closing in five minutes!

I need to sit down. This black bench shopping will be the death of me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/srzrocio/

I'll see if I can find you a quiet space. How about this?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dd_ra/6736835817   

No.I like the trees but it's too minimalist for me. I need greenery.

How about this then - an oasis of calm in the midst of the mall.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedestrianrex/14547748672

The mall is closing. They're going to throw us out.

Oh look Eddie! it's the perfect black bench - just what I wanted!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/orangegreenblue/9496687828  

We've got to get those people off though.

Well, it's Black Friday. They've been pushed around all day. Just get them a shove, they're used to it. 

Later on Black Friday . . .   

https://www.flickr.com/photos/arekolek/1568250549

I told you it was a bad idea to shop for benches on Black Friday. You should have just stayed home and curled up on the couch.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheepies/2429140338

Sorry, Eddie. 

But at least there's a bench in our cell.

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan 1683

And a mug of tea. 

Credits 


Black Friday and/or shopping are not my favourite subjects. You can see the mess I got into  by leaving just 19 shopping benches before Christmas.  

The shark-like bench is by the well-known Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. In June 2011 it was exhibited at the Mobile Art Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. There it was photographed by Jacqueline Poggi from Marseilles. Jacqueline gets around the world and takes fabulous photographs of art and architecture. She knows how to capture a beautiful bench when she sees one.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqueline_poggi/5804465095

Eddie is my Inner Editor, who just happens to be a primate. If you've seen much of Benchsite you will know what a problem Eddie is for me. He has a habit of setting his own agenda with the benches. Look what a mess he made great job he did on St. George's Day . And as for my Red benches in February? No wonder I was very grateful seeing red. 

DA Shop is a shop in Oakland, California, photographed in November 2011 by torbakhopper HE DEAD. https://www.flickr.com/photos/gazeronly/6366770931  torbakhopper HE DEAD is an imaginary character loosely based on a real person who is not torbakhopper. He shoots (or shot) windows and he thinks you should too. The torbakhopper HE DEAD trust commission wishes you well and knows that if torbakhopper had ever been real, he'd wish you well, too.

The black leather circular sofa was photographed by Theen Moy at the Art Gallery of Adelaide, South Australia in 2014. Theen is from Malaysia but now lives in Adelaide, where she works and enjoys taking pictures of the city during her lunch breaks. She delights in colour, texture, shadows, lines, repetitions, patterns, reflections, rust, and her two Siberian Forest cats Mittens and Jester.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/theenmoy/14959666088  

Remember the thing for adult colouring a few years ago? The car park is from the brilliant Fantastic Cities book by Steve McDonald. It's the best book ever. The knickers, shoes and specs are from Paris Secret by Zoe de Las Cases. 

The husband parking bench was photographed in Victoria, Australia in 2008. The photograph is by Nick Katin from Perth.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/osnicko/4016373402  And speaking of husbands, I have two. You know a lot about a man from his workbench, so here you go if you dare. 

What a fuss about punctuation! Well, I guess that's what an editor is for. The Guy's Bench was photographed in Kauai Hawaii in 2009 by Sarah Browning from Lancaster, California  https://www.flickr.com/photos/smichael/3863185306   Among the albums in Sarah's photostream there is one of her wedding and another one of Kauai.

This Apostrophe cafe (no apostrophe) is in London. For lots of properly punctuated benches see 

http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/perfectly-punctuated-benches-for.html   You'll be amazed what you can learn from a bench. 

The man benchpressing is Simon James from Darlington, UK, aka menage a trois. His photograph is called Got.To.Get.Myself.Fit.For.My.Holiday.That was back in August 2010. He lives alone with his dog Alfie and spent four years doing self portraits. Inevitably, there are quite a few on benches. https://www.flickr.com/photos/bearpark/4852943923 

Cora and Dora are twins and they live here in Fribble-under-Par on Paradise Island. One of them is the Evil Twin. I'm not saying which. Decide for yourself when you read their story at http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/whos-who-in-fribble-under-par.html

Lady Jessica Brassica is the wife of Lord Brassica, Fifth Earl of Drizzly. She does indeed have her very own shopping mall in the basement of Drizzly Manor, from which she has unlimited credit and access to all manner of shoes, dresses, handbags, and Young Male Readers of various kinds. On more than one occasion she has been so exhausted by her shopping experiences that a doctor has had to revive her from her condition of Shopilius Extremis  http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/feelgood-medical-benches-for-world.html

Innocent is Lord and Lady Brassica's daughter-in-law. Innocent has emerged from her convent nursing dress into something of a fashion icon. She has become a world class fashion model for Studio Joop, from Overbearing in Holland. But just how innocent is Innocent?  

Beeline is the local phone service provider in Vientaine, Laos. In April 2014 Shankar, the photographer, found their signs everywhere - on lamp posts, on tuktuks, on shop billboards - everywhere. Just as well he made a beeline for his camera then. https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankaronline/14524456384

For the Flickr 2012 Color Challenge in September Jeremy Brooks chose black. Wise choice. His beautiful photo is the closeup of a black bench in San Francisco https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/7986498620 Jeremy likes to photograph urban scenes and he has a soft spot for neon signs, especially vintage neon.

The Black Spaghetti Bench is at Sudeley in England and dates from 2010. It's one of a series by Pablo Reinoso, a French-Argentine artist and designer.Starting in 2006, Reinoso used public benches, which are anonymously designed and travel across cultures with an out-of-time, old-fashioned quality, as a starting point for his reflections . . . These new creations have multiplied and found homes in very diverse places.The fabulous benches can be seen on his website at http://www.pabloreinoso.com/en/Art-8-spaghetti-bench.html This photo comes from Wikimedia.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Huge_Sudeley_Bench.jpg?uselang=en-gb  If you're in the mood for pasta, have a look at my Tasty Italian benches.

Peter Donders (b 1965) is a Belgian furniture designer and craftsman who creates 3D design, modelling, prototyping, manufacturing and visualisation. He also does jewelry, ceramics, shelves, and lighting. His works in carbon fiber and aluminium include the black carbon fiber Stone bench, made of 462 meters of fiber. Peter explains that what started out as an experiment, playing around with the limits of technology, manufacturing and materials and bouncing up against what might still just be possible, or not, turned into a whole new art form. Fiberture? http://www.peterdonders.com/morphs/index.php?channel=details&section=fiber&page=c-stone&lang=en  For more European bench designs, some good, some bad, some downright ugly - see http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/united-in-diversity-28-benches-for.html

Eric Torner was travelling in Nepal in 2007, where he photographed a group of Nepali men with their Dhaka Topi hats on their favorite bench at the Durbar Square of Patan in the Kathmandu valley. https://www.flickr.com/photos/eriktorner/13255081885 

My Polish isn't brilliant but here's what I think: Arek Olek photographed the two policeman on a bench in Kamienica in 2007. He was walking through the park when the two policemen pulled notebooks out and began to write. What were they writing and why? That we'll never know. https://www.flickr.com/photos/arekolek/1568250549  Here on Paradise Island we have our own police constable, PC Willie Wyme. He's also known as Wyme the Crime, for reasons that will become obvious in his weird story about smiling benches.

Place to sit - another angle is a photograph of four colourful and stylish shopping benches in the Itis mall in Itäkeskus, Helsinki. They were photographed by Rowanhill in January 2014. Rowanhill lives in Helsinki and is new to photography - what a great start! https://www.flickr.com/photos/rowanhill/12055488003/ 

Mike Cogh from Adelaide is one of the most prolific bench photographers I have come across. I keep checking his photostream to see what's new and I'm never disappointed. In 2012 he photographed the trolley and bench, which are snuggly wrapped in crochet. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/7621121862/  As it happens, one of Benchsite's autumn stories is all about woolly warm benches. It's a heart-warming story - you'll fall for the Fall benches. 

Choo Yut Shing's photographs have appeared on Benchsite in several different stories, especially shopping ones. Choo has a whole set of photos at the Orchard Gateway shopping mall in Singapore. This time it's the popart shoe bench and handbag bench, both seen at the  Orchard Gateway shopping mall in May 2014.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/14015398769

https://www.flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/14201966344/ 

The Peruvian woman on a bench bench with her shopping basket was photographed in Cusco in 2005 by Nathan Nelson who is the bastard son of a Russian baker and a sailor's daughter. He invented the cat and is fluent in over six million forms of burp. In addition to all this, Nathan takes Big Trips. Peru, Borneo, Cambodia, Italy, Vietnam, New Zealand, Oz, India, - there's nowhere the guy hasn't been. There are fabulous photos in albums from all these places  https://www.flickr.com/photos/mybigtrip/79377836 

One of the first poems I ever wrote was about an abandoned shopping cart.   Chris Orbz has a whole website about shopping carts in ravines, which I love  www.shoppingcartsinravines.com  He photographed the pink bench with the shopping cart in the background in 2007 at Liberty Village which, I think, is in Toronto. https://www.flickr.com/photos/orbz/458798053/

Dutch designer Nic Roex is in my alphabet of Dutch benches. He has transformed spades and car bonnets into benches, like the black one shown in this story, though technically he says it's a Car Bonnet Couch. (That's a car hood, for those of you on some continents). Nic (born 1981) graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2009 and opened Studio Nic Roex in 2010 in Amsterdam. His website is at http://studioroex.com and his page is  https://www.facebook.com/StudioRoex    

It's true, there are very few general stores these days, and certainly few general stores selling black benches. But then I found SG Bench, who was a storekeeper in Saratoga in the 1940s. That's not Saratoga in New York, by the way; it's Saratoga in New South Wales. The photographer is Gostalgia at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gostalgia/4602156841  

The pretty blue brocante bench was outside a shop in Goedereede, Netherlands in 2006. Guess what kind of shop? Yes, brocante. The photographer is Rita, who passed away in 2012. Her photostream is still there, full of beautiful photographs of the Netherlands  https://www.flickr.com/photos/coanri/103942365  And should you be curious about Goedereede, here's the link

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goedereede

 Desmond Kavanagh is an Irish designer working in Germany. He's interested in documentary and travel photos, including the bright yellow Choc Ice house (or shop?) in Sneem, County Kerry in 2009.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/desmondkavanagh/3259119676   This is the kind of site which makes visitors love Ireland. The cat is a nice touch too, though Desmond describes it as a flea-ridden feline. Oh dear, Meredith my feline editor would not like this. http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/cat-benches-for-world-cat-day.html

bargainmoose takes pictures of shops in Canada. This one is from Quebec, where she photographed the Montreal Bench dot store at night in March 2014. bargainmoose's photostream is at https://www.flickr.com/photos/31954284@N07/13405184464  and her website is at www.bargainmoose.ca 

Just Ard is a street photographer with lots of beautiful black and white photographs of unsuspecting subjects. He photographed the No more shopping please bench in Cardiff in May 2014. It's part of a Yesterday in Cardiff series at https://www.flickr.com/photos/justard/14190027311  Justard's blog is at http://www.justard.com/ - well worth a look!

Mikey G Ottawa from, uh, Ottawa, does street photography, including the coffee cups bench from Second Cup coffee shop, photographed in 2008 in Ontario. He makes his apologies to Michaelangelo; perhaps any similarities to Michaelangel's Creation of Adam are purely intentional coincidental.  ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeygottawa/2922048262

The lovely grey coffee stools are in front of a new cafe in Freshwater, Isle of Wight. I think they're perfect if you want to sit down on with a cup of coffee and you can't find a bench. And if you're feeling hungry, I can rustle you up some Edible Benches. 

Greg Neate photographed Another busy day at Techiman's favourite roadside convenience store in Techiman, Ghana. It was July 2010 when Greg popped into the No Food for Lazy Man Peace and Love Bongo Base Spot. He has a story to tell about it at  https://www.flickr.com/photos/neate_photos/4971652331

Chester is a very posh town in the north of England, the sort of place with great shoe shops.  In October 2015 two street artists placed some plaques on benches across the city to raise awareness of the plight of homelessness in their city and also, in the case of shoes, to add some humour to shopping. As reported in The Chester Chronicle, it wasn't long before the plaques were removed because, according to an official spokesperson, ". . . although they may appear humourous, some people may find them offensive". Shoe shopping? Offensive? I saw this story on Jamie Zawinski's blog at 
https://www.jwz.org/blog/2015/10/some-people-may-find-them-offensive/

The close up of the chain bench is called Distorsion #2. It was photographed in   Marseilles by Alexandre Roschewitz in 2007. He lives in Bordeaux and likes doing black and white photos, macro and portraits https://www.flickr.com/photos/apochromatic/4371397730

The black chopstick bench is called SOFA-XXXX, by Japanese designer Yuya Ushida. If you've seen my Japanese benches blog, you've seen it before. Yuya was born in 1975 in Nagoya Japan and studied mechanical engineering. Before graduating realized that he was more interested in making practical things that would contribute to people’s daily lives, rather than just machine parts, and therefore he decided to turn to the world of industrial design. Yuya says, Becoming a designer does not only require the attention to aesthetics, but also an understanding of materials, techniques and usability aspects of the product. The goal is to create products that make people happy.  His chopstick SOFA-XXXX and other designs can be seen at http://www.yuyavsdesign.com  You can even watch the painstaking work involved in making these designs.

Jrm Llvr is an architect in Huy, Belgium. He photographed Le lecteur de journal, which is the light sculpture person sitting on a bench in the dark. The designer of the sculpture is Sylvana Belletti and it was in Huy in 2013. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrmllvr/8437017763   

The Bench was a play performed at the Delta Stage Theatre in Greenville, North Carolina in December 2010. Written by Larry Larson and Eddie Lee, it's a true modern tale of Christmas featuring the story of two men who meet on a bench at the mall while waiting for their wives to finish Christmas shopping. As the weeks progress, they get to know each other, along with all the other wacky characters who inhabit the mall. They enjoy mall-style entertainment on the nearby stage, including a version of A Christmas Carol performed in under 5 minutes. The Bench is apparently full of singing and dancing and is hilariously funny. It sounds like just the thing for getting into the Christmas spirit; I'm sorry I missed it. http://www.deltastage.com/

I wouldn't want you to get the idea that I am in any way sponsored by Bench dot or any other company. Far from it. The stuff in the bags are my very own purchases from the Bench dot outlet store. None of them fit me and they are all the wrong colours but never mind, they bear the Bench message and that's what's important. 

allfr3d lives in Belgium and takes photos of weird and amazing things. The pants models, seen in Side, Turkey in 2008, are in his wonderful Structures and Patterns album https://www.flickr.com/photos/25512069@N00/3070701263/in/set-72157627470211494   For a few benches from Turkey and a few benches of turkey, see Troy's Thanksgiving blog. 

I found a whole fiesta of Mexican benches earlier this year.The black cross bench is called Banca Fúnebre and it's in the Diálogo de Bancas (Dialogue of Benches) in Mexico City. It's an exposition of 71 benches made by visual artists, architects and industrial designers from seven countries. The benches stretch for four miles along the Paseo de la Reforma, a wide tree-lined avenue which is closed to traffic on Sundays. banca fúnebre was photographed by ro_chi at http://www.flickr.com/photos/srzrocio/  ro_chi has no profile so there is very little I can say about him or her except that the photostream is brilliant and all photographs are available on Creative Commons. 

The old man on a bench with pink trees is called Sad jewels. It's from DD Ra's Second Life in Terra Toulouse in 2012. There he's a park custodian and explorator numericus metaversis. Or so he says.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/dd_ra/6736835817 

Ian T. McFarland loves taking geometric shots and his favourite things to photograph are architecture and concerts. He's from Kansas City but currently lives in LA, where he took a great aerial photograph of a bench in South Coast Plaza in 2014. It's the one with the greenery and the bench around it. South Coast Plaza in Orange County California is a place I knew well in the 70s and this photo made me homesick for the mall.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedestrianrex/14547748672

Kat N.L.M. is an Anishinaabe artist and a Northern lights man living in Toronto. His pictures have a strong story-telling focus and are almost always candid, like the aerial photo of a mall bench with people sitting on it. This is the black bench at the end of the story, which is called Circle Circle Square. It was seen at Toronto's Eaton's Center shopping mall in 2013.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/orangegreenblue/9496687828  Kat's website is at www.OrangeGreenBlue.net   

The black curly wurly bench end was artistically photographed by Andrea in a churchyard in 2008. Andrea is a professional photographer from Braintree in Essex. She has some nice bench photos, among many others subjects, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheepies/2429140338

If you're a Benchsite follower you'll know there are several pilgrims making their way around the world. Despondency is a character from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, published in 1673. He appeared previously, waiting despondently at a bus stop bench 

If black isn't your colour, we've got a rainbow of colour choices here on Benchsite. Red benches? No problem. Orange? We got 'em. There are sunny yellow benches for spring and sparkly gold and silver benches for parties. There are 50 shades of grey and pink benches to coincide with the release of That film.What about romantic white benches?  Or  depressing blue ones for Blue Monday. And if yellow benches aren't bright enough for you, we have sunny ones.  Pretty purple benches? No problem.  For more uplifting, upcycled benches see the green ones at http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/recycled-upcycled-repurposed-benches.html  Somewhere there must be a colour you like!