iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

My legs are *almost* back to normal after I forgot I'm super attractive to insects and spent last Friday morning being eaten alive (but otherwise enjoying myself) in the old botanic garden in Florence. Days 1 and 2 below.

A pair of pale chunky legs from knee to ankle, with oodles of pink insect bites all over them.

The same legs the following day:each bite is surrounded by angry pink skin, with some patches spreading quite far. On the lower right leg, several bite reactions join up to form a red welt going most of the way around the leg, while the left leg looks like a dalmatian in the wrong colours

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I appear to be heading home in an only slightly bigger sister of Gerty.

The interior of a narrow-bodied aircraft, with just four seats across the width and a slim aisle. There are multiple rows ahead but it feels neater in size than the usual 737-type used for UK-Europe jaunts.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

And it's given me another chance to count the "uncountable" bees.

A bronze statue base with a series of concentric circles of bees in place of the usual name and details of the subject / artist / donors

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Yes, you're right. Best have the negroni I promised myself for climbing the bell tower and the hill to the Bardini Garden instead.

A low-ball tumbler filled with sunset-coloured alcohol, ice, and a slice of orange

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Le Creuset Star Trek collection seen in the flesh (so to speak). Vulcan salute for scale.

A hand doing the Vulcan salute, next to a ceramic casserole shaped and decorated to look like the Galileo shuttlecraft, NCC-1701/7, from Star Trek TOS. The casserole is easily the size of a 2lb loaf tin.

A hand holding an Original Series Star Trek communicator. The bottom half is the size of a modern smartphone and black plastic with a few buttons and a grey grill for the speaker, the flip part is silver and a little smaller. But as this is from Le Creuset, the flip part is actually a micro-grater, released for Trek's 60th anniversary.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It seems only right that while my language centre is thoroughly muddled, my lunch should be too (not seen: the last of the Dutch kasebroodje).

A side plate with two small pieces of baklava in the middle, and to the side a small cup and saucer with my (new) holiday staple, a doppio espresso macchiato.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For @drcarpineti.bsky.social, over an illustration of the hydrogen line: "Invisible light gives us a new perspective on the universe."

A door into a brick tower. Above it is a blue painted sine wave, with some Dutch written above it ("Onzichtbaar licht geeft ons een nieuwe kijk op het heelal" which translates as "Invisible light gives us a new view of the universe")

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Not doing anything to combat the Small Sam birthday party vibe.

Trays of iced fairy cakes on the space themed table covers

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I'm early for the @greshamcollege.bsky.social Festival of Astronomy, and the courtyard looks like it's been set up for a Small Sam's birthday.

A gazebo with colourful bunting and balloons. Beneath are tables covered in space-themed table covers, colourful paper cups, jugs of squash, and a hot water urn.

A close-up of the table covering, which is white with cartoon renderings of planets on one side, and Black and rocket- and star-filled on the other

Greenery in a redbrick courtyard, ith balloons tied to the branch of a tree. The nearest balloon has an upside down astronaut and moon printed on it

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Also, oh! I got to talk to her once because of the job, and this was her reaction to being called Madam President.

Image on a small TV monitor of Shoreh Aghdashloo, a stunning 60-someyhing woman with jet black hair, with her head tipped back and crinkly eyes as she laughs

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ah, no, it's not checking Einstein, it's just trying to observe one scientifically. This is the one: "Total Eclipse of the Sun, 1912 October 10. Report on an Expedition to Passa Quatro, Minas Geraes, Brazil" academic.oup.com/mnras/articl...

The party were much indebted to the Brazilian Government for their hospitality and liberal assistance. The observers were entertained as the guests of the country during their stay; and free conveyance on the railways was provided for them and their instruments. They were also much indebted to Dr Morize, Director of the Rio Observatory, for the arrangements made for their comfort, and for much general assistance.
Valuable assistance was rendered by Mr J.J. Atkinson, who...

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Small things that make me happy, part ???: rainbow zigzag socks.

A pair of feet wearing hand-knitted socks. The toes are very dark grey, while the feet are striped bright rainbow colours and grey with zigzags in the bright yarn running down them.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I didn't think, as I was sitting in a deckchair gazing at Helios, that my choice of footwear was somewhat in keeping with the Film. Mace rocks some much worse sandals right up to the end; if they're as comfy as mine I forgive him.

A large sculpture of the Sun glowing gently and filling a room with warm orange light. In the foreground a pair of crossed stretched out legs, one sandalled foot visible.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

There's also a group of sculptures (? models?) that are very Alan Bean. Were I ever to come into stupid amounts of money, one of his paintings (and mebbe one of these pieces) would be on the list, alongside properly patronising lots of you lot, arranging to spend my life in academia, etc etc

An astronaut in a n Apollo-style spacesuit sprayed in the creases and the places you'd expect to pick up moondust or general muck with burnt orange and deep petrol blue, and a blue chromed effect visor on their helmet. They're breakdancing, all their weight on one hand, the rest of them up in the air, legs and other arm high above their body in a kick upwards

Two astronauts in Apollo-style space suits, one hoisting the other up in a Dirty Dancing-style lift. The lifted Astro has outstretched arms and is curved back as much as they can with a wall oping great life support unit strapped to their back. The lifter looks the more comfortable, legs wide, looking up only a little

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

"Then a spark will pop into existance, and it will hang for an instant, hovering in space and then, it will split into two, and those will split again and again and again... the big bang on a small scale, a new star born out of a dying one... I think it will be beautiful."

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

"The only dream I ever have, is the surface of the Sun."

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Despite Ted's terrible dad jokes I'm thrilled to report that @brandtandstein.com's Worst Man is HERE! It actually arrived from @proud-geek.co.uk yesterday, but I was busy in normal people hours and you'd all have been asleep by the time I got to open it and crow excitedly.

A fresh and shiny copy of Brandt & Stein's Worst Man book, lying on an accidentally colour coordinated duvet cover. The book cover shows a man being cradled in the arms of another, wearing a natty pinkish red suit that matches his hair, grinning rakishly at the viewer. He has David Tennant in Casanova vibes. The man holding him in his arms is a sturdy unit, wearing black trousers and a dark plum jacket with white shirt and tie in a slightly less vibrant shade of that pinky red. He looks deeply annoyed by his load. A bookmark in shades of teal blue pokes out of the top of the book.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

remind me in five years, when I reach Capaldi for the third ever time, that this is the score I'm aiming to beat.

A full 16-panel board overlaid with GAME OVER! Try again. I made the mistake of getting a couple of solid horizontal lines and had to move everything up, hence Hartnell on the bottom line between Capaldi and Baker, T. I finished with a score of 108,620

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Is anyone else still playing Thirteen? It's only the second time I've reached Capaldi. I am way more stressed than I should be for a Sunday in work.

A screengrab showing a panel of 16 squares, some of which are filled with various Doctors from the TV show. In the lower left corner, Peter Capaldi as 12 glows, surrounded by a selection of Troughtons and Hartnells.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

My Crunchie Blast ice cresm appears to have exploded.

A somewhat deconstructed looking choc ice on a stick. Golden orange honeycomb ice cream has melted and refrozen around irregularly shaped bits of broken chocolate shell

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Also not great that the first sightings of young people of colour on the BBC News website are in the pictures for clearing and apprenticeships.

Three BBC News items on exam results. The first features a picture of four white girls talking to each other, with the headline "Results, appeals, and resits - what to do if things don'tgo to plan". The second features a teenaged boy, and two light-skinned black girls with the headline "How to get the most out of clearing". The third features an Asian-looking girl working as a mechanic, with the headline "How do I apply for an apprenticeship and what will I get paid?"

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Rejigged with adjusted foil and a couple of even smaller holes courtesy an earring back, and switching phone camera to manual mode. #SolarEclipse26

Three tiny, slightly blurry, crescents of white light in blackness

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The pinhole in my pinhole camera may be too small. #SolarEclipse26

View down a homemade cardboard eclipse viewer, of a slightly squidged solar disc

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

When everyone in two postcode towns has the same idea. #SolarEclipse26

The top terrace of Crystal Palace Park, with people sitting on the ground facing the sun as far as the eye can see. In the background are mature trees and the base of the Crystal Palace transmitter

Gazing down the terraces towards the south, with people clustered in the sunny spaces and on the steps from terrace to terrace

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Bobbins of all the transition bits I didn't need. Loads of yellowy green and quite a bit of pinky yellow. Obviously have to make coordinating accessories.

A pile of "bobbin-ised" yarn on the floor. Various shades of teal, purple, yellow, green, and deep pink are wound neatly around roughly inch-wide strips of cardboard. There're a lot of yellow-green transition shades, and quite a bit of pink-in-transition too.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

And the jumper I posted about last week is coming on well; it now has a whole complete sleeve!

Awork-in-progress loosely knitted top, fading from teal at the shoulders through purple to pink to yellow to apple green at the bottom hem. The finished right sleeve is laid out to show the same fade through the colours, and the left sleeve is half-done, with a circular needle through live purple stitches

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Look, modern architecture can be amazing and all that, but I often wonder how much of it will survive for future generations /civilisations to stand [in] and gaze at in awe. Similarly, as expressed by @monisharajesh.bsky.social :

...I craned my neck up, taking in the glorious blue and gold interiors, which depicted various saints, haloes like bronze discs behind their heads. Every time I came upon expressions of human creativity that defied belief, I wondered what we were building that would cause ripples of emotion in a hundred years' time. The Shard? Tracey Emin's My Bed? No doubt Al would have taken over by that point, reducing all our wonders of the world to nothing more exciting than a trip to Sainsbury's.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I saw this in the shop at Hamburg's Miniatur Wunderland and was slightly bothered they knew me so well.

A miniature model room full of bookshelves, with framed pictures on the few unshelved bits of wall, a freestanding shelf unit in the middle of the floor, and a stepladder with each of the steps full of books. The label beneath the model says "Sam's study room"

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

..."extra"...? No. That's how much tea you're supposed to drink in one sitting. Isn't it? ...ISN'T IT? (pictured: my standard ~450ml mug, with hand for scale)

A woman's hand holding a large Whittards mug. The mug is wider than her fist and significantly longer. It is white with large stylised five-petalled flowers in bright colours. The outside of the handle, and the inside, which you can just see above the rim, are bright orange.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Was worried about how the gradient was going to work with this top before realising I could transpose that concern into snipping off chunks (enough? too much?) of each stage in each transition to keep for the sleeves. IRL colours a bit less golden hour than appear here. Quite pleased with it so far.

Half a loosely knitted top, fading from teal at the shoulders through purple to pink with a hint of pinky orange coming in at the bottom, and a large cake of yarn next to it showing the next fade colours - orangey yellow to yellow to green.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

...picking up my knitting for a bit I realise I kind of sort of am.

A length of loosely knit material, fading from very pinky purple at the top through a more purple shade into purple and teal, then into deep vibrant teal.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Went to the Quentin Blake Centre for the Queer as Comics exhibition (which is great, btw, and gave me a bunch of artists to look up) but was also (bonus!) delighted by the Murugiah exhibition on the first floor, all colour and exuberance despite the world.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The T-shirt! Good memories of wearing that.

A crop of an ID badge. At the top is the name of the school, "St Aidan's County High School", across the middle is the year, 1995/96, and at the bottom in type added later, my surname, Smith. The photo is an actual photo, a miniature of my school picture for that year, glued onto the card. It's just possible to see that the laminate has been topped up with sticky tape neatly striped across the whole card. The photo shows a young, auburn-bob-haired Sam sitting at an angle and grinning. I'm wearing a cream-coloured loose fit T-shirt with pinky stripes at broad intervals

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Happy Sunday Womble! You'd think reading about working in a steamy kitchen wouldn't be enjoyable in this weather, but it's an @annaleen.bsky.social, so you can put yourself in the body of a non-heat-addled robot and focus on trying not to be made hungry by their efforts.

A beautifully bright and colourful hardback copy of Automatic Noodle, with yellow robot characters sprinkled about the image and orange-red-to-pink-to-purple gradient noodles being expertly lifted on a pair of chopsticks handled by robot fingers.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Wow. New moon and Venus looking all fantastic in the northwest.

Silhouetted trees in front of low cloud, in the lower quarter of the frame. Above the upper most branches hangs a bright crescent moon; the rest of the disc is faintly visible. Just above and to the right of the moon a bright spot is the planet Venus. The sky is a lush purpley mid-blue, darkening towards the top of the frame

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

The other one I have, fresh from the laundry (also sometimes worn for work, and which people rather sweetly think is "Sam being funny" rather than "Sam did not sleep well and is warning us"):

Cropped view of the design on a mid-grey T-shirt. It's a mostly round spiky purple mini-monster with lots of pointed teeth and cross eyebrows, and it's shaped to give the impression of sphericality. Beneath it are the words "Evil fluffy bitey thing"

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

It's possible someone's managed to get past my password and Google Authenticator 2FA; otherwise X has suspended me for the inauthentic behaviour of... *checks notes* ...not existing there beyond guarding my name.

Hello Sam Smith is no longer here. @scsmith4.bsky.social,

Your account, scsmith4, was reported and has been suspended for violating the X Rules.

Specifically, for:

Violating our rules against inauthentic behaviors.

You may not use our services to engage in inauthentic activity that undermines the integrity of X.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Haemoglobin was 135mg. That's bloke level! That makes up for only donating my unit in 5'02. #GiftBlood

A hand holding a large beaker of apple and blackcurrant squash, behind a mint club and a KitKat resting on a leg

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

A lovely maintenance bloke has left his toolkit on my desk while he goes off to find something "specialist". I'd like to point out that I did warn him that might be a dangerous thing to do.

A small orange heavy duty tool box of the sort that's moulded around the stuff inside (it is, it's a heavy duty socket set), sitting on a desk behind a couple of solid screwdrivers and a set of loooong allen keys ranging up to some that are ~1cm across

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

I've finished another sock and it's beeyootiful, and this morning I've had to let my tea go cold rather than risk snorting it through my nose while finishing Loki's Guide to Chaos. When's the next one out again?

A child's drawing of a goddess in mortal form (Freyja) holding multiple marionette puppets, saying "dance, puppets, dance!" Freyja is an attractive woman with a half-shaved head and fabulous hair, wearing a light vest over a black t-shirt and a cool belt on her pants. There are four marionettes hanging from each set of strings, which look like little versions of Thor, Valerie, Georgina, and Heimdall, and Hyrrokin and three frost giants.

Written in a fancy text box:
Public library: a Midgardian building that houses many books and other methods of accessing information. Mortals may take away books for free, as long as they are in possession of a magical rectangle known as a library card. Mortals called librarians are akin to seers, able to find a book based on limited information such as "the cover is blue" or "it has a dog in it".

Overlapping the text box is a drawing of a round-face woman wearing spectacles saying "I know the exact book you mean."

Beneath these, Loki's diary entry reads: "It sounded like some kind of scam. What trick were these so-called librarians trying to pull by giving away books? Might the books contain poison? Or unexploded bombs? Some other deadly horror?"

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Bang on... although I'd say the rain isn't particularly quiet in its heaviness. HT @unfortunatalie.bsky.social

Text above the Rothko reads "Greater London · 16° and a cloud emoji · 12:00"
Text beneath the painting reads "Untitled Brown and Gray // A heavy quiet outside — the grey field carries the same quiet hour."
The painting is composed of two colour blocks, the upper field being a dark bitter chocolate brown, and the lower a tonal dark muddy grey. The brushstrokea and texture are more visible in the grey field, with lighter and darker patches anda suggestion that some areas were painted in blocks at different times from other areas. Where the two fields meet, the grey has a thin more translucent band allowing the brown beneath to show through

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

I wish moisturiser came in tubs. So much less wasteful than pump tubes. This 60ml tub is filled with most of what was left in the unsqueezable section of three 40/50g tubes of good SPF 50 face cream.

A small clear plastic tub sitting on the outstretched fingers of a woman's hand. It is full of moisturiser, some peachy coloured, some white, swirled together.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

(You could fit the whole of Rotterdam's natural history museum into Hintze Hall and still have room left over, but they have some excellent* taxidermy, and a MASSIVE Asian skelephant)

A taxidermied tiger. Its body looks fine, if a little skinny, but its face is a bit angular and has a slightly peeved expression

A taxidermied polar bear standing on its hind legs. It looks for all the world like it's doing the Charleston. And it has a strange smile on its face, turned to the side, like it's seeking praise from someone offstage

An elephant skeleton seen from a little in front of and below the front right shoulder. Its feet are huge, about a quarter of its leg length, and its front calves take up most of the rest of the leg. Its rear right leg looks slightly more proportional, with longer thighs. It's rib cage is sturdy but surprisingly narrow. Its neck is immensely thick, and its skull looks surprisingly elephant shaped, with a long nose bone where you'd expect the trunk to connect

A pair of adult human sunglasses next to an elephant tooth for scale. The tooth is longer and taller than the sunnies are wide, and about as thick as they are tall. The biting surface of the tooth is heavily ridged, and the deep section that would be in the gum looks for all the world like a steak that's been on a ridged griddle - with the ridges on the chewing surface heading off diagonally into the bulk of the tooth.

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Sam Smith. Not That One. @scsmith4.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I got to visit a tiny natural history museum and the big art museum depot in Rotterdam, then spend some time on the beach, before being fed almost too well at the work conference. And then the joy of my own bed last night! Slept so well despite the heat, because mine!

A huge clear blue sky stretching over a sandy beach. In between the two is a small spit of water (the North Sea!), with a pier just visible stretching out from the right into the water, and seafront hotels and restaurants building up on the right in the distance

A piece of public art in the form of a massive pair of sunglasses (easily about six feet from base of lens to the top of the frames) sitting on a sandy beach. The frames are teal and the lenses are bright pink, with the words "SEA" and "YOU" written across them in the same teal as the frames.

A pair of bare, glaringly white, feet stood in the sand, as water from the waves gurgle around them.

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