Hoo-Hahs and Ho-Hum

Most of my blogs start with an incident or something I hear or see, and then I go on from there. This time, however, I thought of a title I liked. I'm not quite sure why. I like old-fashioned words - prudence, serendipity, inchoate and so on - and Hoo-Hah and Ho-Hum are words I use occasionally. However, having got a great title, I can't quite work out what to do with it. There are plenty of Hoo-Hahs here - Ebola is currently the greatest threat to world peace and Obama's ratings  - and plenty of Ho-Hum - walking through Times Square for example - but it isn't quite working. So, while I try to come up with something, some more photos and reflections.

On Friday I was given a tiki tour of Staten Island by Barnet Shepherd, a local historian. He's involved not just in researching history but also in heritage and protection.  One of the things he told me about was the Russian Scare of the 1880s - I hear the Devonport ears pricking up - and the gun batteries that were established on the island, including:

Yes, a Disappearing Gun, not unlike the one on North Head in Devonport installed to protect New Zealand from the Russians in the 1880s. I always suspected that the Russians had no idea where Devonport was, and Barnet was equally sure they had never heard of Staten Island.

The following day I was walking around Brooklyn - what an interesting place - when I felt hungry/ thirsty and stopped at this without realising what it was:

Yes, a Kiwi pie-truck, selling (very good) flat whites and, of course, pies.

However, some things remain completely different from home. I find myself constantly transfixed by the Manhattan Skyline and this is another shot, this time from the Brooklyn Heights promenade:

And finally, something that seems quintessentially (another good old word) American:

That's almost Ho-Hum. Meanwhile, I am off in search of some more Hoo-Hahs and Ho-Hums and will get back to you