Turkey benches for Thanksgiving

I've covered a lot of other countries on Benchsite so this time I thought we'd talk Turkey.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/docksidepress/2982841359

I don't mean that kind of turkey. 

I mean this kind: the one on the Bosphorus, where Europe meets Asia.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lorix/7962364616

I'm thinking mosques . . . 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8714491@N05/14405449628

and carpets . . .

www.etsy.com/shop/JayBazaar

and grand bazaars.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8712554@N02/873341385

Trouble is, I invited Troy to help me with this post and he got here first.

Hi, Troy. I see you're wearing your pilgrim gear. 

Yes, Ma'm. It'll soon be Thanksgiving in the good old US of A. We're plumping up the turkeys . . . 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8113246@N02/8203258965

. . . and sharpening the shears. 

Do you normally use shears to carve a turkey?

No, Ma'm. Where I come from we use a sabre.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/5631501667

That's just weird. And anyway, I don't eat turkey. 

To me, Thanksgiving is all about pumpkin pie benches.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/78208664@N00/253065157

Or as they'd say in Turkey, kabak pasta banklar.

But before we go any further, I'd like to clarify a misunderstanding about Turkey. 

Yes, I agree. The little fellow in the picture above is not a turkey; it's a dog dressed as a turkey.

Thanks, but that isn't what I mean.

No, thank you! I'm honoured to be here, Ma'm. I come from Dry Heaves, Minnesota, which is a modest little place and I am grateful every day for the opportunities I've had.

Thanks, Troy, but . . . 

Thanksgiving is all about gratitude and I've got a heart full of gratitude.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/aga_mum/4706711759

I'm sure you have but . . . 

I'd like to thank a few people. First, I'd like to thank my mom for having me.

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/

And thanks, Mom, for teaching me to please say please. And thank you.

My mom is of German ancestry. All through my life she's been a brick.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/frnetz/14517152083/

That's all very well, Troy, but . . . 

My Mexican friends Drida and Friego have also been brilliant. 

Thanks, guys. Or as we'd say in DF . . . 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ellohir/2074602394 

I'd also like to thank the good ladies of Ballyfrumpy in County Offhand in Ireland. They crocheted this excellent sweater for me.

And this sweater as well. And the hat to go with it. And the gloves. And the scarf.

I am truly blessed.

www.etsy.com/shop/PattisFunnyFarm

And a special thank you to Lady Jess.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8458761@N08/5292809230

Ever since I've been on Paradise Island she has made me feel at home.

We really enjoyed Lying Together.

Yes, well, the less said about that the better I think. 

Lady Jess and I met through Young Male Readers dot com. Her husband Lord Brassica sent me this bench with a very special message, though I'm not entirely sure what it means. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/52807531@N00/4183863804

Troy, if you've finished thanking people . . . 

And I'd also like to say thank you to people who put up benches in parks saying thank you. Because parks bring me great joy.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/encee/5015846088

I am going to stop you right there, Troy. I want to show some benches in Turkey and you are gobbling up this whole blog. I want to talk turkey.

I thought we were talking turkey. As in Indian Bird. As in Peruvian Bird or French Bird. Or even Dutch chicken. 

No, I mean the other Turkey. As in Constantinople, the Queen of Cities, where east meets west. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanaward/6124826130

That's a very poetic turn of phrase you've got there, Ma'm, if you don't mind me saying.

Thank you, Troy. I'd forgotten you're a poet. Istanbul is full of poetry benches, like this one at Heybeliada on the Sea of Marmara.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/williamaveryhudson/2823734944

In fact, there is a whole park of open books.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kakadu/14524464399

I'd like to sit in the sun on one of those benches and read some poetry. 

That's what this cat is doing. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/15361037117

In Istanbul there are lots of intelligent cats on benches having chats about poetry.

Tombili, the Istanbul Station cat

And then you can visit the Blue Mosque, which isn't quite this blue.

Ma'm, Istanbul is awesome.

Yes. The words Turkish and Delight come to mind.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinwarren/11865470526

Couldn't you just sink into a pretty bench like this and sip your Turkish coffee?

www.etsy.com/shop/JayBazaar

No, it's too strong for me. I normally have an Americano.

Boooooorrrrrrrring! 

Anyway, in Istanbul there are plenty of places to sit.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/soledadbrother/6316314435

Throughout Turkey they have banklar çok - lots of benches.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqueline_poggi/12907820884

We have quite a few turkey benches here in the US of A as well.

www.etsy.com/shop/outbackinthebarn

And I'd love to have a seat but now I need to get rolling.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/8206417339

You're off to Dry Heaves then.

Yes, and I'm already thinking about Thanksgiving. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/leff/8208546895

Me too. That reminds me, I've got a pumpkin ready to make my pies.

Wineglass, moustache, manbag . . . I think you've made a mistake here, Ma'm. I met this fellow in Potirons in France. He's a famous chef. 

Oui. Il s'appelle Jench de Bench.

I'd like to say thanks to him.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dreamsjung/12241111044

Of course I couldn't make a pie out of Jench. Not after all the help he gave me on the Edible Benches blog. 

I guess I never got round to thanking him.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24613099@N05/3103515782

I hope you'll enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, Troy. Who will you be sharing your turkey with?

Oh, it's always the same people round the table.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/clotho98/6389456203

Hospitality to strangers is The American Way.

That's not what I'm hearing.

And it's too late now to show all the lovely Turkish benches I gathered. The benches from Turkey are going to have to wait for another time. 

Sorry, Seashell. I got the wrong end of the drumstick here. 

I went in like a whirling dervish and messed up your Turkish blog.

Well, all I can say to your readers is Sabrınız için teşekkür ederiz - thank you for your patience.

That's really nice of you, Troy.

And I'd like to say thank you to your readers for bearing with me on this side of the pond.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/304120801

Alright, Troy, happy Thanksgiving. And thanks to everyone who has persisted with this story. I don't know where you are in the world so this is the best I can do:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexander_wrege/2998403001

Actually, the Turkish thank you is missing.

Teşekkür ederim.

I forgot you were a linguist, Troy.

It's been great sharing Turkey with you. 

www.etsy.com/shop/euclidstreetshop

Don't forget to sign our guest bench before you go. 

www.etsy.com/shop/SasafrasPrintables

Credits

Matt Stangis is a visual junkie who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He photographed the turkey on a bench with a pumpkin in October 2008. Matt reminded me that Thanksgiving in Canada is different from the States: in Canada Thanksgiving is on the second Monday in October, which this year was October 13th. In the States, Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday in November - the 27th this year.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/docksidepress/2982841359

Lori X is a designer. Turistik yuzer tesis isl der and the couple on a bench in Istanbul was photographed by Lori in 2012. My Turkish isn't very good but I could make out the word Tourist. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lorix/7962364616

Jenny is a recent graduate in landscape architecture. She was in Istanbul this year, where she took some gorgeous photographs of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the benches where you can see the mosque in the background. https://www.flickr.com/photos/8714491@N05/14405449628 For a photo tour of Istanbul it's worth a look at Jenny's photostream.

The two kilim rug benches in the story are by Jay at Jay Bazaar, not in Turkey but in Brooklyn.  www.etsy.com/shop/JayBazaar  Jay's Bazaar is full of lovely kilim rugs, ornaments, and vintage jewelry. 

David Casteel is an elderly curmudgeon from Dallas. He photographed the Grand Bazaar bench on a trip to Istanbul in 2006. He has a whole album full of photos from the trip at  https://www.flickr.com/photos/8712554@N02/873341385

Troy breezed into our town this summer. He's normcore and his occupation is Pilgrim. Apart from that, all we know about him is this: 1) he comes from Dry Heaves, Minnesota, where he learned to read poetry in a particularly alluring voice  2) he never wears shoes  3) he is extremely polite and calls ladies Ma'm  4) he speaks a lot of languages fluently 5) he carries a manbag filled with books, a violin and a ladder in case anyone needs to be rescued.  

Lady Jessica Brassica is a fashionista and former model with Studio Joop from Overbearing in Holland. Now she has her own fashion house at Ballyfrumpy in County Offhand in Ireland. She loves shopping at her replica mall and having poetry read by Young Male Readers dot com. She is happily married to Lord Brassica, Fifth Earl of Drizzly, a gentleman farmer and expert on both cows and picnic benches. Lord Brassica's generosity extends to Thank You benches for the community, as shown here.

But this summer Lord B has been rather busy with his dog Pru, his horse Tonks, and his 1947 Land Rover, so Lady Jess has been spending rather a lot of time at her beach hut with Troy.  The novel Lying Together is by Gaynor Arnold. 

Pinké is a native Texan who makes dog happy art, including Churkey - that's Chuck the dog dressed as a turkey for Thanksgiving 2012. Chuck regrets being addicted to salmon dog treats but apparently there aren't any rehab programs available in Houston.https://www.flickr.com/photos/8113246@N02/8203258965
If you like dogs, there are plenty of great dog benches here on Benchsite.

Pascal lives in Heidelburg and amuses me with his Lego mini-persons. In this story we've got Robert, a Lego person on a bench with a turkey and a sword. The title is Partial Amnesia; that's apparently because Robert only faintly remembered something about Monday, benches, and bonus points for birds. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/5631501667

Christel lives in Trelleborg in Sweden. The bench groaning with pumpkins of all sizes was photographed from the car near Trelleborg in autumn 2006. https://www.flickr.com/photos/78208664@N00/253065157

AGA~mum's photostream has a lot of amazing benches from around the world. She has an eye for a bench, does AGA~mum. I have a heart full of gratitude for her lovely Heart of Gratitude bench, photographed in 2010. It's in a beautiful garden setting and the bench message says it all.   https://www.flickr.com/photos/aga_mum/4706711759

Thanks Mom is from Rakuten in Japan http://www.rakuten.co.jp/  From what I can gather, Rakuten is sort of the Etsy of Japan. Call me fussy, but this particular Mom doesn't look very German; I wonder if Troy is telling porkie pies?


Maik Meid is involved in fundraising, photography, and non-profit social media. He photographed the Danke image in 2014, which is one of many different bricks made for the Spendenstein project.       
https://www.flickr.com/photos/frnetz/14517152083/

Antonio S, aka Ellohir, is an engineering student from Valencia in Spain. The gracias image was photographed in 2007.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/ellohir/2074602394  

Patti Colvin from Oakville, Washington lives on a funny farm. Yes, really. She has a farm full of critters she loves, writes about, and makes things from. Her products are largely organic: the sheep are sheared by her, wool washed by her, and wool spun by her on my drop spindle. Earrings from pop tops, paper mache "Littles", art journals that look like the "Book of Shadows" - Patti loves making something out of nothing. That includes the barn wood sign I am blessed, shown in the story.  www.etsy.com/shop/pattisfunnyfarm

*Lie, pronounced Lee, is from Antwerp. She sent a message - merci with roses and chocolate - to all her Flickerito friends back in 2010. What a nice thing to do. Delightful photo and lots of different languages.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/8458761@N08/5292809230  


Dragon Dream888 seems to keep an eye out for benches. She was walking about a shopping mall in Washington DC in 2009 and photographed the Thank you for not reclining bench. It's one of many in her photostream at  https://www.flickr.com/photos/52807531@N00/4183863804

The Ellen Wachtel commemorative bench is in Central Park in New York City. The photographed was taken in 2010 by Michael Kazarnowicz, who lives in Stockholm.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/encee/5015846088

Troy is a well-travelled pilgrim and a bit of a linguist. He's quite right that in Turkey the country the word for turkey the bird means Indian Bird. The Indian word for turkey means Peruvian bird. And the Greek word for turkey means French bird. However, in Malaysia the word for turkey means Dutch chicken. How does Troy know all this? Probably he looked up 1,411 QI Facts at  www.qi.com/1411  page 216.

Ryan Ward is an attorney from Santa Monica, California. He photographed the peeling orange bench in Istanbul in 2011. Note the crest imprint, which appears on lots of things throughout the city.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanaward/6124826130

William Avery Hudson from New York is a communications consultant and photographer. He photographed the Heybeliada Turkisk poetry bench in 2008. Heybeliada is one of the Prince's Islands in the Sea of Marmara, where there are many poetry benches along the seafront.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/williamaveryhudson/2823734944

Matthias Buehler is a German software developer living in Denmark. He has a nice collection of bench photos and is one of many people who photographed the Istanbul open-book benches. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kakadu/14524464399   

There are many cats in Turkey. Many, many cats. Quite of few of them appear on Flickr pages. I liked this one called Catnap, by Jeremy Brooks in 2014. Jeremy is a software engineer with a passion for photography, especially vintage neon signs. His photos are mainly urban scenes, which is great because this includes lots and lots of benches. Love the closeup of patterns in a metal bench!  https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/15361037117

By the way, if you like cats, let Meredith guide you through the cream of Cat Benches. If you think turkeys are for the birds, there are no spring chickens but a lot of nice hen benches. 

Two things you probably know about Turkey: Turkish coffee and Turkish delight. Both were captured in a beautiful photograph by Colin Warren in 2013. Colin is from Geelong in Austrailia. He's one of those people who gets out there with his camera and photographs all kinds of things - shoes, rocks, plants, dead rabbits - he makes everything look good.    https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinwarren/11865470526

Justin Lehmann, from San Francisco, photographed the benches outside Istanbul's Blue Mosque in 2011. Lots of people photograph these benches as they are very photogenic (the benches, not the people). I think Justin's black and white photograph is very effective.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/soledadbrother/6316314435

There are many ancient ruins in Turkey, including Roman amphitheatres with rows and rows of stone benches for watching gory spectacles. The amphitheatre pictured here is in Side, Turkey, photographed in 2014 by Jacqueline Poggi from Provence. She has amazing photographs of buildings and she loves cathedrals.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/jacqueline_poggi/12907820884

Cindy Oppel is Out Back in the Barn and she sure knows how to celebrate the American holidays. For Thanksgiving alone she's got a handpainted pilgrim boy and girl, a handpainted turkey, and this lovely turkey bench to rest your feathers. Handpainted wood crafts, shop home items, homemade jam - she's got it all for every holiday. We've already had her harvest bench back in the fall and, come St. Patrick's Day in March, I look forward to her Irish bench too. www.etsy.com/shop/outbackinthebarn

Allen is a school district maintenance supervisor and freelance photographer living in Kansas City and Henderson, Nevada. He is an obvious fan of Las Vegas and his photostream is full of roadside Americana - gas stations, cars, motels, neon signs, packaging and suburban life. Oh, this is heavenly nostalgia for me! Allen also collects stuff, like the 1900s postcard of a turkey towing a pumpkin. This was Allen's greeting to his Flickr pals at Thanksgiving 2012. https://www.flickr.com/photos/roadsidepictures/8206417339   

The turkey hotdog is an unusual thing and not something I'd like to eat at Thanksgiving. Well, it certainly caught my eye. It was photographed in 2012 by Jason Brackins, a software developer originally from Bethesda, Maryland. https://www.flickr.com/photos/leff/8208546895

Jench de Bench is a chef from Potirons in France and last year I asked him to help me with my Edible Benches story. Which he duly did, sort of. Well, no, he didn't. He kept disappearing and after a great deal of searching for him throughout France, I gave up and edited the post myself.  I don't mind saying, it's a bit of a mess but still, there are a lot of tasty benches on there.

Jason Taellious from Olympia, Washington likes reflections, long exposures, words, flyer art, architecture and art. His photostream is full of all these things. There's a lot of great stuff and I liked the photo lexicons, especially the word Merci, photographed in Paris in 2013. 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dreamsjung/12241111044

I love the idea of a cranky messiah. There is one on Flickr and he says he didn't do it. I think he might be from Baltimore but that's really none of my business. The photograph from 2008, Thanks for nothing, is just what I was looking for https://www.flickr.com/photos/24613099@N05/3103515782

Clotho98 from Richmond, Virginia is a no good floozie (her words, not mine). She photographs a lot of vintage advertising and magazine covers, including the the Thanksgiving one from a Boy's Life magazine in November 1927. https://www.flickr.com/photos/clotho98/6389456203

Gisela Giardino lives in Buenos Aires but comes from somewhere far from there. She gets on well with herself and is with herself all the time. She is pretty clear who she is, as shown by the long list on her Flickr profile. Thank you was written in the sand by someone in Nov 2006 and Gisela photographed it before it got washed away.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/gi/304120801

Alexander Wrege says he's alive. Well, that's a good start. Alexander is a teacher from Germany, now living in Toledo in the United States. It looks like he gets out and about all over the place, doing lots of stuff like hiking and kayaking and having fun. Alive, in other words. His photo shows a lot of thank yous in different languages. Very handy for this particular story, though I don't see one in Turkish.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexander_wrege/2998403001


Michelle in LA has lots of greeting cards in her Euclid Street Shop. I love the card that says Thanks a B-nch with some lovely balloons where the letter E should be. That would be Thanks a Bench, which is just what I need for this blog. It does occur to me that the balloons are standing in for the letter U, which would be Thanks a Bunch - an entirely different message.  www.etsy.com/shop/euclidstreetshop  

Jessica from SasifrasPrintables in Ohio tells me that a guest bench is an alternative to your run-of-the-mill guestbook- guests sign a blank bench with their name and a message for the bride and groom, and after the wedding the bench is finished and used either in the home or in the new couple's garden/yard. SasifrasPrintables does DIY downloadable and printable holiday and wedding designs such as the Sign our guest bench print. You choose the size of sign you want, download it, and print it out on your own printer. Easy peasy!  www.etsy.com/shop/SasafrasPrintables 


If at the end of this story you have a lust for further travel, you can go lots of places here on Benchsite. See a fiesta of Mexican benches, for example, or an alphabet of Dutch benches. The 2017 Year of the Rooster Bench will take you to China. Get high on alpine benches, or tasty Italian ones. Every summer Miggy and Mungo and I go on our bench-finding missions; see our impossible Greek mission, or what happened when we cycled down the Danube. And for some truly amazing Japanese benches, see http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/spring-comes-to-fribble-via-japan.html

We Remember - Remembrance Day Benches

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart-lee/

We remember that November 11 is Veteran's Day in some countries, also known as Remembrance Day in others. 

We remember the blood spilled on battlefields all over the world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swilliams2001/

We remember those battlefields.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boristheboy/364384329/

We remember those who died in the battlefields.

Glen Adams, The Bench Appreciation Collective, Facebook

We remember that freedom often has to be fought for. 

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

We remember that a lot of us have forgotten this.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25792994@N04/5667529239/

We remember the passage of time and make a bench for the new millenium. 

We remember glory days, however long ago they were. 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_glory_days_-_geograph.org.uk

We remember some things and not others. I can't for the life of me remember the day the gas mains were installed. Just as well the bench is there to remind me.  

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bench_at_Mortimer_Common_-_geograph.org.uk

We remember lots of things, but maybe not the world's first internet bench. 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Internet_Bench_-_geograph.org.uk

We remember romantic encounters on benches. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7359056@N02/8569523972/

And some where love has gone wrong.

The Misfortune Teller, 2020

We remember achievements, like this bench for the Wright Brothers in Dayton, Ohio.

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

We remember people by giving them a bench with a plaque.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart-lee/

We remember people we love in all sorts of ways.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_rees/4701713665/

We remember all that they have done in their lives.

We remember places that were important to them.

http://sandycoveswimmers.com/2012/11/29/celebrating-with-paraic-in-dover-and-france/

We remember them when we sit by the sea.

photo by Jenny Warner

We remember so many people that sometimes the benches look like they are trying to crowd each other out.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Crowd_of_Benches_-_geograph.org.uk

We remember people we don't know, whose bench we are sitting on. Who could sit here and not think about Steve?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dippy_duck/3987866615/

Or Simon.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bethmoon527/9376383276/



We remember that those we love don't go away; we sit beside them every day.

Niki Babington, Newbury, Berkshire UK

We remember to stop and stare because Kathleen Root's bench in Southwold gives us a nudge to do so. 

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

We remember days of sorrow, like the day in June 1903 when the town of Hepper, Oregon was consumed by a flood. It was a small town and nearly every family lost someone.

photo by Miggy's Mum

We remember the force of Hurricane Katrina, strong enough to blow a bench onto the roof of a house.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StBernard18NovRoofCenchHouse.jpg

We remember the power of the sea and the lives it has claimed.

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

We remember natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.

http://www.ipernity.com/home/peterdenton

We remember catastrophic events like the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

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

We remember September 11, 2001 through the stark beauty of these modern benches at the Pentagon.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Defense.gov_photo_essay_110911-F-RG147-268

We remember casualties of wars all over the world. These benches are at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28633816@N08/

We remember civil wars where families turn against each other. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogers_world/sets/

We remember the many who were lost in the Korean War (1950-1953). 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23165290@N00/8565771115/

We remember that in Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses row on row. 

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

We remember the animals who are victims of war. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdpettitt/14596233841/

We remember that they had no choice.

We remember people deported to concentration camps from an ordinary train station like this one in Amsterdam.

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

We remember acts of heroism and tenacity of spirit in the face of adversity.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17033839@N00/

We remember monumental battles, like the Battle of the Bulge from World War II. 

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

We remember the love of them who came not home from the wars.

my photo, Sandown, Isle of Wight

We remember the 55,000 Royal Air Force pilots and crew whose names are listed on these panels in Lincolnshire. 

my photo, Bomber Command Museum, Lincoln

We remember to stop and reflect on a simple remembrance bench like this one at Sanquhar in Scotland. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Sanquhar_War_Memorial

We remember those we have shared experiences with in times of war and peace. 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Contemptibles_Association_Plaque.jpg

We remember servicemen and women and their sacrifices.

www.thecarvedtree.co.uk

We remember the contribution of volunteers when it was most needed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/4699067611/

We remember those who kept the home fires burning.

We remember the survivors, like this Chelsea Pensioner in London.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chelsea_Pensioner_-_geograph.org.uk

We remember to pay tribute with flowers.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/13833367594/

We remember to pay tribute with memorial benches like this Marine Commando seat in Martin Place in Sydney.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commando_Memorial_Seat.JPG

We remember to remember, on November 11th each year. 

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

Lest we forget, we remember. 

Credits


The photograph of graves is from a visit Mungo and I made to Flanders in 2008. We visited the Menin Gate in Ypres, where the names of 54,896 soldiers who died without graves are inscribed. Another 30,000 who died without graves are listed on the Tyne Cot memorial outside town. We also visited a few of the 150 cemeteries in the area. The photo is from Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery near Poperinge, where there are 10,000 graves, mainly British but also French, Germans, and Canadians. One Canadian German is buried with the Germans and has a maple leaf flag. Americans, New Zealanders and Australians all have their own cemeteries.


Stuart Williams is Smudgerstu, who is a writer, photographer and historian working in The Black Country of England. He took the gorgeous photo of poppies on the green bench at the Bloxwich War Memorial in 2009. His photostream is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/swilliams2001/ He has the best photos I've seen of the new, amazing Birmingham public library.


The glorious field of poppies is from the Somme and Flanders Fields collection of Flickr member TT24813055http://www.flickr.com/photos/boristheboy/364384329/. World War I claimed 37 million lives, including 8.8 million civilians. In addition there were 19.7 million wounded.

In 2024 Glen Adams designed a memorial poppy bench for the village of Llanbradach in Wales. 

The Freedom is never free veterans' memorial bench is in Hutchinson County Texas. The photograph was taken in 2008 by Billy Hathorn, made available on WikiCommons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Freedom_Is_Never_Free_IMG_0628.JPG?uselang=en-gb

The Sorry badge is from National Apology Day in Australia in 2011. National Apology Day is a day on which Australians remember the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australians through wearing a native hibiscus flower to show solidarity for remembrance and healing. It was photographed by Mark Binns at butupa, who has full sets of photographs from National Apology Days and and National Sorry Days in his photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25792994@N04/5667529239/ The next National Apology day will be February 13, 2014.


The 2000 Millenium bench is in Newtown, Isle of Wight. Miggy and Mungo were riding their bikes there one day when it suddenly appeared outside the church. A more beautiful or peaceful place than Newtown cannot be imagined.


The Glory Days as Rockfield Best Kept Village 1971 is a photograph taken by Pauline Eccles in 2009 for Geograph. According to Wikipedia, a best kept village is a village that has won one of the annual county competitions in the UK for its tidiness, appropriateness and typicality. The competitions have been nationally organized by the Campaign to Protect Rural England for nearly 40 years. Rockfield is in Monmouthshire in southeast Wales and its Welsh name is Llanoronwy. Its glory days photograph is at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_glory_days_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1243180.jpg Nowadays it is better known as the site of a country western music festival. 

The installation of gas mains in the village 2005 Mortimer Common was photographed by Graham Horn for Geograph. I often find treasures like this in the Geograph photos. Mortimer Common is a village near Reading in West Berkshire. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bench_at_Mortimer_Common_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1315428.jpg?uselang=en-gb


The bench with flowers overlooking the sea is a memorial bench for Paraic Casey, who died while swimming the English Channel in July 2012. The photograph is from Paraic Casey's swimming club friends at http://sandycoveswimmers.com/2012/11/29/celebrating-with-paraic-in-dover-and-france/ For the full story of swimming benches and a tribute to swimmers, see http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/swimming-benches-tribute.html


The world's first internet bench was photographed by Keith Evans in 2006. The bench is in the Abbey gardens in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk which is, coincidentally, where one of my dearest friends lives. There was no wifi in those days so if you wanted to go online you plugged into one of the two telephone connectors installed on the bench. WK http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Internet_Bench_-_geograph.org.uk


Leonard and Ethel's Pritchard romantic bench is a true celebration of a long marriage. What a nice contrast it makes with all the death and suffering elsewhere.The photo is from Mands at http://www.flickr.com/photos/7359056@N02/8569523972/

The Misfortune Teller is a London artist who creates mischievious and hilarious plaques to put on benches. The Yes, John, I Knew adulterer's bench plaque was unveiled as a concept on Instagram in 2020 and has since been copied. A Roger version copy was photographed at the Royal York Crescent in Britol. 

I found the lovely Wright Brothers bench at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bellanox/ Lisa Rickey is a young archivist professional in the Miami Valley in Dayton, Ohio. She knows a thing or two about Wright Brothers benches in the area and reckons there are nine; I'm sure she's right as she has documented all of them on her blog at http://lisarickey.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/wright-brothers-benches-in-the-dayton-area/ And in case you don't know who they are, Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted the world's first successful airplace flight onDecember 17, 1903 in Kittyhawk, North Carolina.

Jeffrey Lawrence Chandler was clearly a truly loving and irritating man, otherwise why would he have such a wonderful commemorative bench plaque. It was photographed by Stephen Rees in 2010 on the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet, British Columbia. Stephen took the trouble to find Jeffrey Lawrence Chandler's obituary, which says that Jeffrey was a commercial fisherman whose greatest joy was making people laugh. Stephen, a retired transport economist, lives in Vancouver. He has some other great benches in his photostream at  https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephen_rees/4701713665/


The Richard Whibley bench is on the harbour in Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. Richard Whibley was a local lifeboat man who lived a life of travel and adventure. It's fitting that he should have this lovely memorial poem on a bench opposite the Yarmouth lifeboat.


Stuart Lee lives in London and travels widely. He has thousands of pictures of people and places, among them the beautiful curved bench in Bristol. This bench commemorates the merchant seamen who have always been an important part of Bristol's history as a port city. Stuart also took the first photo on this post, which is a bunch of flowers tied to the Bristol bench. His photostream is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart-lee/

Steve's bench is in the churchyard of Christ Church in Colbury in Hampshire,UK. It was photographed by Matt, who photographs lots of graveyards, cemeteries, tombs, and cities of the dead. Oh, and cats. Matt has some beautiful cats. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dippy_duck/3987866615/

Simon's memorial bench was photographed in 2013 in Duncombe Park in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. The photographer is Beth, who lives in Edinburgh. Beth is passionate about travel, art, architecture, nature, and geography; this is reflected in her beautiful travel albums. I love the Scandinavian ones.  https://www.flickr.com/photos/bethmoon527/9376383276/


The Kathleen Root bench is in Seacroft Garden, Southwold in Suffolk, photographed in 2007 by Habitat Girl from Atlanta. The lines are from a much-loved poem called Leisure, by William Harvey Davies: What is this life if, full of care/We have no time to stand and stare. Habitat Girl is well travelled, as shown in her 85 sets of fabulous photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrshall/ She describes her occupation as a chief handwringer. Hmmm. Probably rather than handwringing her leisure time would be better spent stopping and staring at the view from Kathleen's bench.


The bench facing the sea is for a child who died. It's on the seafront at Southsea near Portsmouth and it has been slightly yarnbombed, which makes it colourful, as does the beautiful day and the view looking over to the Isle of Wight. The photo is a gift from Jenny Warner. 

The crowd of benches is facing the harbour at Seahouses, a town in Northumberland which is halfway between Newcastle and Edinburgh. It's sometimes known as the gateway to the Farne Islands. The photographer is David Lally, who took the photograph in 2008 for Geograph. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Crowd_of_Benches_-_geograph.org.uk_-_975292.jpg


The Days of Sorrow monument commemorates victims of the flash flood flash flood which swept through the small town of Heppner, Oregon on June 14, 1903. It killed 247 people, including some of my ancestors, who were pioneers in the Oregon and Washington Territories. As natural disasters go, it's a small one, but I've included it here to illustrate the thousands of devastating events that occur throughout the world and are known and remembered only by those involved. The photograph is by Miggy's Mum, who makes periodic pilgrimages to Heppner and her roots in eastern Oregon.


The photo by Infrogmation in New Orleans is the bench on the roof of a houseafter Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Infromation has documented the devastation of his home town in photos such as this.  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StBernard18NovRoofCenchHouse.jpg Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest and most costly natural disasters in US history. Over 1,800 people died inthe hurricane and subsequent floods which swept New Orleans and the Atlantic coast.


The memorial bench to surfers was photographed by Gregory Melle from British Columbia, otherwise known as Canada Good. Maybe not surprisingly, Canada Good has some good photographs of Canada in his photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadagood/ There are stunning winter scenes but also photographic slices of landscapes and life from his travels all around the world. The memorial bench was in Santa Cruz, California in 2001.


Jane Holland was one of the 290,000 who perished in the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004. Her memorial bench is along the river Thames in Richmond near London. The bench was photographed by Peter Denton in 2008.
http://www.ipernity.com/home/peterdenton


The photo in Hiroshima in Japan was taken across the river from the atomic bomb dome. It was photographed by Marc Heiden in 2003 and uploaded onto WikiCommons in 2007 by Gorilla Jones. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hiroshima_bench.jpg?uselang=en-gbLittle Boy was the codename for the atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Deaths were estimated at 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima, half of them on the first day and others from radiation sickness and other injuries later. The Hiroshima Peace Park and museum commemorates those who died and acts as a reminder of the horrors of nuclear war.


The starkly beautiful modern benches at The Pentagon are government Defense photos from their photo essay 110911-F-RG147-268 at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Defense.gov_photo_essay_110911-F-RG147-268.jpg?uselang=en-gb The photographer was by Tech. Sargeant Jacob N. Bailey, US Air Force, who captured the laying of wreaths on each of the 184 benches representing those killed on September 11, 2001 at the Pentagon. This ceremony was the tenth anniversary of the event.


Jonathan Cooper is Casatigeo, who took the stunning photograph of the benches at the Imperial War Museum North. Jonathan is a big fan of street photography and uses a mix of rangefinder cameras, depending on how much weight he wants to lug around. He's a fan of benches so his photostream has some lovely ones http://www.flickr.com/photos/28633816@N08/

The bench with a book and spade is the Confederate section of the American Civil War cemetery in Marietta, Georgia. The photo is by Roger, who describes himself as an itinerate loafer (in a good way, I'm sure). He has a lot of brilliant photographs of his travels and has a knack of capturing my idealistic view of Dixieland where, sadly, I have never been; it's quite near the top of my To Do list. Roger's photostream is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogers_world/sets/


The Korean War between North and South Korea took place between 1950 and 1953 and was sometimes referred to as The Forgotten War because of the lack of attention it received. It involved international forces and the loss of 1.2 million lives, including many civilians. The Korean War Contemplative Bench is in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It is dedicated to the 54,246 American soldiers who died, the 8,177 missing in action, and the 389 unaccounted for prisoners of war. The inscription says: The beginning of the end of war lies in remembrance. It was photographed by Tim Evanson at http://www.flickr.com/photos/23165290@N00/8565771115/ and made available on WikiCommons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Korean_War_Memorial_Bench_-_Arlington_National_Cemetery_-_2013-03-15.jpg


The Delaware Legion cenotaph bench was photographed by TinhutJohn, otherwise known as John P Sargeant. It is one of thousands of cenotaph photos taken for his photostream at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tinhutjohn/ The bench is inscribed with John McCrae's famous poem In Flanders Fields. The poem is a rondeau, written during the World War I by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician from Guelph, Ontario. He wrote the poem on May 3, 1915, after his friend and fellow soldier died in the Second Battle of Ypres. First published in London in December 1915, it is one of the most popular and most quoted war poems. McCrae survived the WWI battles but died of pnemonia in a military hospital in Flanders in January 1918.

War Horse is the children’s novel, award-winning play, and film by Michael Morpurgo. The story recounts the experiences of Joey, a horse purchased by the Army for service in France during World War I and the attempts of young Albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home. The War Horse book bench is one of 50 book benches scattered around London in the summer of 2014. The artist is Rae Smiht and it was created by Gerard Strong. It was photographed by Martin Pettitt  and appears in his comprehensive book bench album at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdpettitt/14596233841/in/set-72157645563756564


Animals in War is a memorial to all animals in wars with British and Allied forces. Unlike human beings, they had no choice. A sculpture by David Backhouse, the monument is in Hyde Park in London and easily missed amongst the bustle of Park Lane traffic. War Horse has called attention to the plight of horses in war; dogs, donkeys, mules, oxen, pigs, rats, camels, elephants, pigeons, and all sorts of marine animals have also been unwitting victims of war for transport, for bomb detection, or to conceal explosive devices. The memorial inscription reminds us of the misery of war and that animals had no choice.


The benches at Muiderpoort station in Amsterdam were designed by Steffen Maas to commemorate those who were deported from Holland to concentration camps between 3 October 1942 and 26 May 1944. This included 107,000 Dutch Jews, most of whom did not return. The bench was placed at Oosterspoorpleinin 2002 and the poem is by Dutch poet Victor E. van Vriesland. My Dutch isn't very good but I think it refers to a long stream of long forgotten names/long forgotten eyes/Shall we still know/that we forget/are forgotten?The photograph was taken by Brbbl in 2011 and made available on Wikimedia at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gedenkteken_Muiderpoortstation_Victor_E._van_Vriesland_Amsterdam.jpg?uselang=en-gb

The Dunkirk bench depicts The Spirit of Dunkirk, when thousands of small boats were mustered to rescue more than 300,000 troops from the shores of France in May and June 1940. This photograph is from Greg Duce, who saw the bench at the National Arboretum in Alrewas, England, in 2010. Greg has toured many of the battlefields of Europe and has an extensive collection of military, battle, and memorial photographs on his photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/17033839@N00/


The Bastogne Memorial commemorates the Battle of the Bulge, an important battle in World War II. This war claimed 63 million lives, including 40 million civilians. A third of the deaths were in the Soviet Union. The Battle of The Bulge took place in December and January 1944/45 on the Western Front in Belgium, France and Luxembourg and was the costliest WWII battle in terms of casualties for the United States. There were 89,000 casualties, with over 19,000 killed. The memorial was inaugurated in 1950. This image is now in the public domain at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bastogne_Memorial_Battle_of_the_Bulge_1.jpg

The Sanquhar War Memorial is in a quiet corner of a park in Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland. Just out of sight is the curling pond; Sanquhar has the world's oldest registered curling club (1774). Sanquhar is also known for having the oldest working post office in the world. It was established in 1712, though with recent cuts of village post offices all around the UK, I'm not sure it's still there. The photographer is Colin Smith for Geograph in 2009 at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Sanquhar_War_Memorial_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1472987.jpg?uselang=en-gb

The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse is at work on the Western Front in France in 1918. The photograph is from the marvelous archives of the National Library of Scotland. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlscotland/4699067611/ VADs were volunteers who trained in nursing and 

First Aid to serve in both world wars. 

The Keep the Home Fires Burning photo was seen in an antique shop window in Freshwater, Isle of Wight in November 2014. This shop, in School Green Road, has gorgeous window displays.

The Old Contemptibles Association refers to survivors of the First British Expeditionary Force of August-November 1914 which fought in the series of Flanders battles to protect the Channel Ports. The motto of Old Contempible chums was 'We'll do it!! What is it?' The last 'Old Contemptible' and the sole remaining survivor of the 1914 Christmas truce was Alfred Anderson, who died aged 109 in 2005.The Old Contemptibles Association shown is the Edinburgh branch and the bench is sited at Edinburgh Castle. The photographer is David M. Jensen (Storkk), photographed in 2004. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Contemptibles_Association_Plaque.jpg

The carved wood soldier is one of the newest wood sculptures by Paul Sivell at The Carved Tree. Paul makes intriguing chainsaw sculptures and is inspired by nature, local traditions, and mythology. His distinctive style is well known around the Isle of Wight though he also works throughout the UK and abroad. The soldier is one of his many functional sculptures (benches!) which can be seen at Fort Victoria Country Park near Yarmouth and at http://www.thecarvedtree.co.uk/   Paul will also be carving a sculpture in remembrance of the 40 Royal Marine Commandos who trained on the Isle of Wight.

The model Chelsea Pensioner is seated on a bench outside the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, London, which is a retirement and nursing home established in the 17th century for former members of the British army. 'In-pensioners' surrender their army pension  in return for a small room (berth), board, clothing and full medical care. The photograph is by Colin Smith in 2007 at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chelsea_Pensioner_-_geograph.org.uk_-_465707.jpg?uselang=en-gb

Mary Harrsch, who lives in Oregon, is a politically liberal, independent woman who is passionately interested in technology, history, and education. She photographed a place to rest among the tulips at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn, Oregon. Though tulips are not poppies, the traditional memorial flower, I think this field of red would make a fitting tribute. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/13833367594/in/photolist-n5pCeQ-3g1T

The commando seat in Martin Place, Sydney was photographed by Inversehypercube in 2012. It is in the public domain at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Commando_Memorial_Seat.JPG


The black and white bench with the poppy wreath was taken in Alrewas, England in 2011. The photo is by foxy, who likes benches and has a lot of them in her photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/_foxy_/


We remember Mungo's dad, who died this year age 98. Mungo's dad trained in Scotland and on the Isle of Wight in the early stages of WWII. He was injured in the Dieppe landings in August 1942 and went on to serve in Siciliy, Greece, mainland Italy and Yugoslovia. As one of the few survivors of his 40 Marine Commando unit, he was honoured to lay the wreath for his comrades at the cenotaph in Sandown, Isle of Wight on Remembrance Sunday. 

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

I have already made the Peace message in a previous blog for World Peace Day in September. You can see it at http://benchsite.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/imagine-its-world-peace-day.html This Let There Be Peace bench was photographed in 2010 by David Schwartz. It's on his photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/snurri/ and he also made it available at Creative Commons where I was delighted to find it.