End of Cow Parade special

A post for Spencer. It won't take away your back pain but hopefully might just distract you for a couple of minutes! xx

The 2006 Cow Parade being now at an end - if my understanding is correct, they've been removed for safekeeping (and, in some cases, touching up) until they're auctioned for charity in early September - I thought it was high time to post my various pictures of them.

A great many were to be found (grazing?) in groups of three: this Caledonian-African hybrid and the two below were outside the International Conference Centre.

The designs of some cows are clearly defined (in many cases, by local culture) but most others are happy to remain pretty abstract ...





These two - and a third, less interesting one - were round on the other side of the Sheraton hotel and typify two contrasting influences, the stereotypically touristy and modern art-based.











Not all were to be found out of doors - besides one under the impression it was Tarzan (not as good as it sounds) and a tweed-clad one in Jenners, there was this one, part of an exhibition on gay culture. Who'd've guessed?

Inevitably, the Festival side of Edinburgh got in on the act. I expect Kris and her cousin Rob weren't the only ones to pose underneath this one ...













Another trio, this one on my way to work. Being in (very) central Edinburgh, these were among the most popular with the tourists ...




... many of whom failed to look up and thus missed this lot, held up between the pillars of the National Gallery immediately behind.




St John's, being in a prime location - on the corner of two of the city's main thoroughfares - got to welcome three, including this rainforesty one.


Click on the photo if this bovine version of a very famous painting means nothing to you ...







A spiral of quotations from works by Scottish authors on this one, including Stevenson, Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, Rabbie Burns and (among the more modern writers) Irvine Welsh and, perhaps inevitably, J.K. Rowling.


One of my favourites, if nothing else because everyone took a second look at the hide. Infinitely better than the Braveheart cow up the road!



A rare use of materials beyond paint marked this one out from the crowd.










Poorly placed, the other side of this cow was not immediately visible - again, click on the photo to see it.







Bovine law enforcement of the future, perhaps?











Another schizophrenic cow, this time placed on a street corner where it could be seen from all angles. It rarely seemed to be facing the same way twice, in fact.



A fun, if utterly impractical, version of a favourite boardgame. Perhaps one best left to drunken students?





My personal favourite to finish with. Never mind the artistic allusion, that title is a delicious pun.