Keren Dibbens-Wyatt's Blog, page 16

126. Face (Humour 13)

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As we’ve discussed before, good old paredoilia means we are conditioned to see patterns, and especially faces, everywhere. I see here a leaf face with two holes for eyes and a snail for a nose. Since the snail doubtless created the holes, we might even call it snail art. Whatever it is, it makes me chuckle, and seeing things that shed a little happiness is precious sight indeed.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

125. Ladies (Humour 12)

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Here’s our old friend juxtapositon again, on our DVD shelf, this time giving us something to chuckle about. I am now imagining John Malkovich dealing with Dames Judi and Maggie, and not coming off well. I am also wondering if this new hybrid film might feature Clint Eastwood attempting to drink Darjeeling from a tiny china cup.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

124. Gumbies (Humour 11)

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This is a photo of a photo, which in itself invites us on a contemplative journey as we ponder the nature of time, image, and memory. But I hope also that it makes you laugh. Being a fan of Monty Python, this was what I did for my 38th birthday a few years’ back. Funnily enough, my female friends and relatives declined to dress up, but I will never forget being wheeled up to the chip shop with this lot, one of my friends shaking his fists Gumby-like at the traffic, and everyone looking at us like we were quite, quite mad. Humour sometimes involves being misunderstood or thought a fool, so it is good preparation for the mystic life!

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

123. Geoff Capes (Humour 10)

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Only those of you in the UK and of a certain age will have fond memories of Geoff Capes ripping phone directories in half. Think 1970s version of World’s Strongest Man. Geoff is still about I believe, and back in the day was a gentle giant, and hero of Saturday TV as well as a great shotputter (twice Commonwealth Champion).

But what made me laugh today was when this tiny version of the Yellow Pages came through the door, and thinking that he wouldn’t have much trouble dismembering this! To humour me (ha, see what I did there?) my other half had a go and did tear it without too much bother.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

122. Kasbah (Humour 9)

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This product from a CATalogue never fails to make us laugh. As though a cat has the faintest notion of what the Moroccan Kasbah might be, or would want to be reminded of it even if it did! Pure comedy genius and for me, a perfect illustration of how ludicrous marketing to the middle classes can be! If keeping up with the Joneses has expanded to include cat beds, we are definitely in trouble. Class distinctions and things that overstretch the mark are certainly things to look out for when searching to find the humour in life.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

121. Hungry Postie (Humour 8)

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I don’t think our postie remembered to pack sandwiches this morning. This is how one of our pieces of correspondence (read bills) arrived on the doormat. I hope she doesn’t eat anything too important, or get indigestion. Perhaps her doctor told her to eat more lettuce. Letters. Get it? Oh dear. Sometimes my inner punmeister goes into overdrive and this is bad news for everyone around me. Again, both the imagination and the pun are ways of making connections, of mapping words, such as homonyms, to create new or humorous ideas. Contemplation and creativity are closely related. Both rely on innovation and connection, just as comedy does.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

120. Simpsons Sky (Humour 7)

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When my husband and I saw this sky he started singing the theme tune from the Simpsons TV show. It took me a couple of seconds, and then I couldn’t stop laughing. It really does look like the cartoon clouds in the opening titles. Whenever we see a sky like this now we say, “Oh look, a Simpsons sky!” and so a new Wyattism is born. It is satisfying to make comedic connections. In fact, so much of comedy is about connecting unlikely things. If you have the sight to make those leaps, it enriches so much of life, communication, and contemplation.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

119. Ent (Humour 6)

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This surprised Ent, or maybe a tree bear, in the wood stump outside our back door made me smile today.  He or she looks a little shocked. Or maybe about to burst into song? Do not underestimate the spiritual weapon of laughter – for those of us who are sensitive, or prone to bouts of depression, for those of us who are lonely or feeling hopeless – the ability to see something innocent to smile or chuckle at is priceless indeed.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

118. Escaped Giraffe (Humour 5)

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Sitting in my carer’s car in the library car park, waiting for her to get the wheelchair out, I noticed that this tree seemed stripped of bark very high up (I’m not sure if you can see this, right in the middle of my photo?). My first thought was that there must be very tall deer around, and then I laughed at my silly imagination as I decided that it would make more sense if there were an escaped giraffe nearby. Perhaps he or she had stopped for a snack on the way to borrow a few books? The Long Neck to Freedom, maybe? Or something by Giraffery Archer?

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017

117. No More Photos! (Humour 4)

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My cat here looks like she is tired of being bothered by the Pupparazzi. After all, one can’t look glamorous every minute of the day. Some people frown on anthropomorphism, but since I see animals as having souls and personalities, I enjoy it. Some of my British readers might be old enough to remember Animal Magic with presenter (and zookeeper) Johnny Morris. He would do voices for all the animals, and they were well-observed, funny and often, poignant. It helped birth in me a lifelong love and respect for animals and I think that, done with a self-conscious understanding, putting words in others’ mouths this way can often allow the joke to be on us! It can help us too, in our contemplative seeing, to recognise the “human” characteristics or behaviours in other species, so that we find out we are not so very different after all. It aids our inner poets and storytellers too, if we can imagine a ladybird going shopping, or a dandelion feeling the cold. Humour is often built upon empathy.

text and photo © Keren Dibbens-Wyatt 2017