Actually we don’t hear the sounds of the police in this neighbourhood as much as you might think.

This graffiti on the corner of Kells Lane and Langley Street, Darlinghurst, seems like a way to claw that back. Yes, the police visit our neighbourhood. See, look at this permanent bit of police tape, the paint on the kerb seems to say.

On Ryder Street, Darlinghurst, someone’s eating their heart out.

“While you make pretty speeches, I’m being cut to shreds,” says the graffiti.

It’s scrawled, but it doesn’t feel rushed. The writing doesn’t give much away.

“You feed me to the lions. A delicate balance.”

A poem?

UPDATE: Duh. Just got a tweeted reply. It’s a Radiohead song, ‘Like Spinning Plates,’ from Amnesiac. Of course it would be. There goes my stadium art rock cred.

This portrait appeared on Llankelly Place, Kings Cross, during the week. It’s by someone called esile.

Whoever made it, their character looks concerned. But I would be too if I had four eyes.

This painting appeared on the corner of Langley Street and Kells Lane, just behind Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, a while ago. It’s very… old school tattoo.

I couldn’t place the name at first – Mr Perso’s – but then I hit the web and remembered. Mr Perso & Detch was the ‘legal graffiti company’ behind a spate of Green Day pieces on walls around the city last year. Can’t say I’m feeling the concept.

This legal by two of our favourite Sydney street artists, Numskull and Beastman, went up on Foveaux Street, Surry Hills, two weeks ago.

The pair’s sharp couplet: “they keep painting, we keep painting.”

“They keep getting rid of our stuff and we keep doing it again. It’s a pointless process,” said Numskull – the piece was triggered by yet another campaign against street art.

About this time last year, almost to the day, one of our readers spotted would-be Nazi graffiti on the road in Darlinghurst. Then this appeared over the weekend, near the old toilet block at Taylor Square.

But as one of our readers, Tony, noted in the comments at the time:

Well, actually, this is not a nazi cross (Swastika) at all. The real cross is the other way around (mirrored image).

This ‘reversed Swastika’ can be found in numerous places:

1. The Nydam Bog (look at the bottom of the page).
2. A buddhist temple
3. The flag of the city Hirosaki, in Japan

So we could be facing a very angry Danish from the year 200AD, a peaceful buddhist monk, a Japanese backpacker eager to come back to Oz… or an angry (and probably drunk) kid that doesn’t even know what he’s talking about. Place your bets ;-)

So there you have it, and it’s reappeared at the tail end of another summer holiday.

An activist/street artist called the Invisible Man has left small plaques on walls and telegraph poles around inner city Sydney, particularly Surry Hills and Darlinghurst. But recently, the Invisible Man’s branched out.

At this spot on Premier Lane, Darlinghurst, and on a few other walls around town, the Invisible Man’s appeared as a copycat of This Is For That‘s alphabaffiti.

We’ve had people searching the blog for various combinations of ‘Darlinghurst’, ‘Sydney’ and ‘invisible’ or ‘invisible man’ every day for the past month or so. And at least one report, in the comments, of hand delivered material from Invisible Man.

Then one of our readers, Steve, noted this plaque on the corner of Farrell Avenue and Kirketon Road, Darlinghurst.

Hard to see, I only caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye. It’s stuck to the curb that forms the garden bed on the little traffic island at the intersection of Farrell Avenue and Kirketon Road.

This one is for Lisa Marie Smith and references something happening with her in Bangkok in ’96 – and on a side note, asks to ‘FREI BOGAN SCHAPELLE CORBY’.

It’s also got what looks like a giant spliff on it.

And then this…

Walking down to Cafe Hernandez on a recent morning, we noticed this artwork on a shelf, dated 2007 – clearly by the same artist – Damien Jones.

Back to work, and at least on this Liverpool Street downpipe, it’s back to meetings with suits and briefcases.

It’s that time of year, I guess. Darlinghurst isn’t too corporate, but when people are stepping out about now, it’s for meetings not parties.

The girl whistles a song to pass the time. The boy’s peaked hat gives him a bit of a Boys Own vibe as he teaches their pet to heel (is that a squirrel or a dog?).

You can find these inner city kids on Fitzroy Lane, Surry Hills.

Reminds me of this man, who appeared on Clarkson’s Mill Way, Darlinghurst, in March last year.

After noting this Ryder Street terrace’s excellent stoop, it’s hard to miss its street number, hand drawn on the wall in a Roman script – ‘VIII’.

That’s not all. Along with the DIY number, the Surry Hills terrace gets a constant stream of messages, as far as I can see, all addressed to James.

Hey James!
Have a beer with us sometime!
Sam & Ed

Hello James!
This time it was Grace, Balin and Sam!

I’m assuming James lives in the place. Though, if not, it could go back and forward as some sort of ad hoc community announcement board?

Before mobile phones and email (and definitely before social media), connecting with friends called for good timing, a working landline, and a lot of luck. Somehow we managed. In Surry Hills, the tradition continues.