Time for another deep and essential investigation, readers.On this roller-coaster ride of riddles that I like to euphemistically refer to as 'Walking the dog to the shops', we've also discovered that:
1) Mr P is a beloved local legend with a generous owner who has just taught me how to make Brigadeiro truffles;
2) The Big M on the commission flats is an architecturally designed lift shaft based on the famous chapel in South America built by modernist Brazillian architect Oscar Niemeyer and;
3) The Liberace-inspired Fairy Tree was saved by the council's plans to cut the tree down by public outcry and violent demonstrations.
Fine. It was just a public outcry - am I never allowed to embellish for entertainment? No, wait - don't answer that.
Back to Mystery Number Four. This car has 'Intrigue' written all over it.
OK, so that's not entirely true: it actually has 'Swifty Color' (American spelling here in Australia, tsk tsk) on one side, 'The Operatives' on the other and just 'Swifty' on the far end.
The car's owner/s live a couple of streets away from me in what is loftily (and somewhat optimistically) referred to by overly-ambitious real estate agents as 'Flemington Hill.' Said 'hill' mostly features beautifully-restored 1890s weatherboards and, most commonly, late model VW golfs, Volvo S40 station wagons or Peugot hatchbacks parked out the front.
As such, this car stands out a mile which, considering the camouflage paintwork, might not be what the driver/s intended. Even colour-blind Milly gave the wheels a sniff and ignored the tabby sunning itself on top of the wheelie bin nearby. I guess having arthritic back knees and collapsible hips means that she's smart enough to choose which objects or animals to be interested in and checking out the hubcaps is easier than sproinging up to get her nose scratched by an irate moggie and have her legs fold up underneath her like an ancient card table on a camping trip.....
As Milly continued to sniff and then - ahem - drop a couple of Andrew Bolts' off in the gutter (yes, I cleaned them up), I pondered deeply.
Questions arose, such as Who is 'Swifty' and should I notify the police of his/her whereabouts? Is 'Swifty Color' a mobile hair styling service or provider of cheap photocopied flyers? Are 'The Operatives' a group of urban freedom fighters, a clutch of second-hand car dealers or a hard workin' garage band?
Any thoughts?
20 comments:
Oooh I can help with this one, sort of.
The white double star logo is from a Japanese company called Tamiya. Tamiya are makers of plastic model kits, RC cars and acrylic and enamel model paint. Having done a few models in my time, I can tell you the instructions show the parts with numbers on them. The numbers represent a specific colour that Tamiya recommend for painting, like, painting by numbers essentially, 1 = Gloss Black, 14 = Deep olive green, etc.
I'm not sure "why", other than that I suspect is it probably an artist who has painted the car for the sake of art. Should be more of it I reckon. And "Swifty Color", is the car a Suzuki Swift?
Oh no. I'm never going to get to sleep tonight! How can I deal with both this AND sudoku!
ps- kath! i happened to see the 'famous' blobby M atop the building the other day when being speedily driven to Melbourne airport! i must say, thanks to you, it made me smile. :)
Yes, Man, it is indeed a Suzuki Swift. I like the idea of the Tamiya kit painting too - I should have picked up that detail from my older brother's love of those hellish little boxes with their weeny tins of paint and foul smelling (and undoubtedly toxic) glue.
See Eleanor, solving mysteries like these means that your trip to Melbourne was a more informed one!
Fine: just public outcry: am I never allowed to embellish for entertainment?Not with bloody double colons!
(I'm betting The Operatives are a band, but Googling has turned up a band promotion group).
No googling Franzy! Semi-colon duly amended....
....and I *could* point out that you've misspelled the words 'imminent' and 'deprecation' on your latest blog article.....
I can't believe people let me get away with that stuff. I think it's only because Dad's behind The Great Firewall that I've been allowed such shenanigans ...
I'll Google all I want!
I was thinking it might be a speedy photocopying company, but then I read "The Man's" comment and remembeeed the double star logo on the many boxes of model plane kits that my first husband assembled and suspended from the ceiling in our baby boy's bedroom when we lived in Brisbane.
Still don't know what Swifty Color is though. Maybe it's a touch-up service for little dings and scrapes on cars?
Swifty - as in pulling a swifty?
They are painters and decorators (The Operatives) who do a lousy job, and can't spell (Swifty Color). The car with its poor (camouflage) paint job illustrates this.
It's layer upon layer of hint and metaphor.
Madam . .there is no doubt that you are the sleuth to solve this ponderance. If anyone can do it you can. Oooh the Man at the Pub knows his stuff! I'm in Melbourne for a few days from tomorrow and will be seeking out oddities in competition to yours! If I find a competing Fairy Tree, I will be well pleased. (Batman doesn't really have wings does he?)
Oh I forgot. Read your email cos it's Happy Hour at the Windsor on Monday night for 'invited' guests! Well Guest, you and maybe LC and Saph . .whatever. Please come! My shout!
Oooooh Kath you're a harsh tantaliser so you are, I always read these and expect the reveal at the end!
TMATP clearly has half the answer in the bag though!
Oh Ashleigh...lighten up honey.... a little swifty from time to time never hurt anyone ;) seems maybe its been too long between your swifty's eh??
And you should know that to "assume" is to make an "ass" out of "u" & "me". The Operatives are about as painter/decorator as the camouflage camouflages...
hehe...
Good guesses all... the answer will be revealed as soon as my sleuthing is concluded.
Do you hear me, Jerry/Gerry?
"3) The Liberace-inspired Fairy Tree was saved by the council's plans to cut the tree down by public outcry and violent demonstrations."
Violent demonstrations and I missed it? Warn me next time ;)
And I'm pretty sure I've seen that car drive around when I used to live your way.
I hear you Kath, interesting comments and how a little paint job can bring out the lovers and the haters in people.... :)
Painter I'm not,
I leave you with this thought,
it was I who bought the can of spray,
and handed to a man whose art is his pay,
and soon you shall have the answer which you have sought.....
check your mail kath... :)
Hey anonymous - I'm light!
And don't call me honey!
And where did the assume thing come from? I didn't write anything about assuming???
Geez, aren't I allowed to take a guess (ala-Franzy and his GTH's at the hidden meaning in things.) Crikey. Better go take 3 mogodon and have a good lie down I spose.
the car is obviously owned by a bunch of Americans.
they spelled 'color'
and not 'colour'.
Hey Hey Hey! I go away from this blog for a few days and already there's arguing!
Stop it or somebody'll end up in tears :)
WELL, Answer the mystery then.
Otherwise we'll keep bickering until you do.
Don't make her stop the blog and come back there!
Word ver., snessub: The act of stifling a sneeze.
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