Month: March 2021

Take a seat – With words

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“Tell a man that there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he will believe you, but tell him that a park bench has wet paint upon it and he will have to touch it just to make sure”

Here are the words of some bench plaques actually found around the UK, mainly affixed by pranksters, but then again they could be genuine…

‘In memory of Roger Ucklesby who hated this park and everyone in it.’

‘In memory of Rene Lauener (1916 -1993) who liked to sit down.’

‘This bench is dedicated to the men who lost the will to live whilst following their partners around the shoe shops of Chester.’

‘They Could Do With A Bench Here.’

Take a seat – In spring, summer, autumn or winter

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Truly, the bench is a boon to idlers. Whoever first came up with the idea is a genius: free public resting places where you can take time out from the bustle and brouhaha of the city, and simply sit and watch and reflect. – Tom Hodgkinson

“There is only one way to understand a lonely bench in a park: Sit on it; watch whatever it is watching; listen whatever it is listening to! Sit in spring, sit in winter, sit in summer! To understand something deeply, you need to live its life!” – Mehmet Miriam Ildan

“No king has a throne more beautiful than a bench covered with the autumn leaves!” – Mehmet Murat Ildan

No takers!

Take a seat – With remembrance

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Memorial benches at our local peace park.

At the nearby National Memorial Arboretum this Polish Armed Forces Memorial may also be used as a bench. It pays tribute to the Polish Forces personnel who gave their lives in the 2nd World War 1939-1945. Breaking the Enigma Code – A plaque on the memorial describes how Polish mathematicians broke the enigma code used by the Germans.

Take a seat – With love

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“They sat on a park bench, held hands, and told each other their stories hour after hour. They were not lonely anymore. They had found and been found by their 100% perfect other. What a wonderful thing it is to find and be found by your 100% perfect other. It’s a miracle, a cosmic miracle”. – Haruki Murakami

“You know how you can be romantic? You can be romantic by going to a beautiful setting, sitting on a park bench, and getting good ole-fashioned golden arches, a.k.a. McDonald’s. That’s probably the best I can do romantically.” – Omari Hardwick

Love is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench when there is plenty of room at both ends – Anon