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A: Salty, 2: It's the pollock roe you see, the Mentaiko - you don't need any other salt. Fishy, with...with cheese. Yuck! MMM! Horrible! GENIUS! Weird spongy crust - like bread, crispy seaweed, ghost of sushi, powers of land an sea unite!

Day 1 - We were quite lucky with the weather until about 2.30pm when the heavens opened and most people (including me) headed back to their car.

 

Day 2 - It was a shame the show was cancelled on the second day due to strong gale-force winds and heavy rain.

Day 101, Year 2

 

It was so cold in the office today I had to put a warm vest on and take a break outside to soak up some sun. The air conditioning in our building is so uneven.

 

I did some more marking today, thanks to my mum looking after Celyn at home for the day.

 

Late in the afternoon we had a bit of a staff Show & Tell. People brought in examples of things they've done over the years, career work or personal projects, and it was very interesting to learn a little more about each other.

 

I confined myself to a simple slide show of my 365 Days photos, running on my laptop.

Geranium maculatum, the Spotted Geranium, Wood Geranium, or Wild Geranium is a woodland perennial plant native to eastern North America, from southern Manitoba and southwestern Quebec south to Alabama and west to Oklahoma and South Dakota[1][2]. It is known as Spotted Cranesbill or Wild Cranesbill in Europe, but the Wood Cranesbill is another plant, the related G. sylvatium (a European native called "Woodland Geranium" in North America). Colloquial names are Alum Root, Alum Bloom and Old Maid's Nightcap

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts, was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or "rural cemetery". With classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain,[2] it marked a distinct break with Colonial-era burying grounds and church-affiliated graveyards. The appearance of this type of landscape coincides with the rising popularity of the term "cemetery", derived from the Greek for "a sleeping place." This language and outlook eclipsed the previous harsh view of death and the afterlife embodied by old graveyards and church burial plots.[3] The 174-acre (70 ha) cemetery is important both for its historical aspects and for its role as an arboretum. It is Watertown’s largest contiguous open space and extends into Cambridge to the east, adjacent to the Cambridge City and Sand Banks Cemeteries.

 

Wikipedia

Day 352, Year 2

 

It was Mum's operation today so everyone's concerned. Apparently everything went well though.

 

Shay was at work so I took Celyn to see Avatar at the Hawthorne Cinema. The visuals were terrific and the 3D very impressive. At one point Celyn stood up and tried to grab things apparently floating in the air in front of us.

A visit to the Fleet Air Arm Museum/

  

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is located at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset.

 

The museum opened in the mid 1960s. It is devoted to the history of British aviation. There is four halls. Including a recreation of an aircraft carrier and Concorde.

 

At the time of our visit, builders were making changes to the entrance to Hall 3 from Hall 2, so was a visitor diversion, on your way to Hall 4.

  

Hall 4 was where you can find Concorde 002.

  

Fairey Delta 2, it was tested in the 1950s.

Day 1 - We were quite lucky with the weather until about 2.30pm when the heavens opened and most people (including me) headed back to their car.

 

Day 2 - It was a shame the show was cancelled on the second day due to strong gale-force winds and heavy rain.

Copperfield Gardens, Copperfield Street, Lambeth.

 

All Hallows church was bombed in World War 2. It 's one of the last surviving bomb sites in central London.

 

www.saveallhallows.com/

The seventh day of my trip to Peru and Easter Island.

 

Spending the day exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu.

 

Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Pikchu) – "Old Mountain", pronounced [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu]) is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.[1][2] It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.

 

The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

 

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.[2] Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.

 

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century.

 

To see my full travelblog from my trip to Peru and Easter Island visit: www.travelshorts.com/travel-blogs/peru-and-easter-island-...

Abingdon airshow 2009 Batch 2.

 

It was a busy and exausting weekend for me, with the Blades open day on friday (Which my daughter hasnt stopped grinning from, with her getting to sit in one of their Extra 300's!) and then from the Abington airshow. It was a really good show, with the weather eventualy clearing up and giving us with blue skies for the C-17 departure at the end of the day :)

 

(Somehow i took 42gig of pics while sitting at Abingdon, so i have a feeling its going to take a while to edit/post them all lol)

Many Bothens died...to bring us this Death Star.

 

Things to note;

1.) This is the only survivng full model used from A New Hope of the Death Star

2.) It is blurry because someone bumped me while taking it

3.) The glass also semi prevents pictures, not that you know...they want Bothen spies taking pictures of it.

4.) The large globe was a completely hand painted and detailed surface over a plaster orb with the back missing as to allow light strands inside to illuminate the Death Star for filming.

 

Oh my reaction to seeing the end result? I raged FUUUUUUUUU

Lawn mow #2. It didn't take as long as the first time, but man, it takes a while. I do like the look of it after it s cut. Just need to get rid of the weeds. I am beat.

 

BTW, laying down in the grass after its cut, makes me itch.

Looks like an easy job, but it wasn't. A man had crushed into our bycicle carrier in Bleibach resulting - beside a crooked wheel of Reijkje's bicycle - in a damaged licence plate light. The resulting short circuit had also disabled the right rear light because both are connected to fuse #2. It took some time to solve the riddle. Old-fashioned puzzling, which you can't do with modern cars. It gives a feel of satisfaction when the operation is succesful.

 

This is one of my commision devastator Ver.2 .It is build according to Pitvite original lay out and FR improvement . It has been air brush with the best quality lacqer paint to create the best result possible .Dusty effect is added to create a construction site feel which add on a realistic features to the custom itself.

The Bab Abi al-Jounoud or Bab Bou Jeloud is an ornate city gate and the main western entrance to Fes el Bali, the old city of Fez, Morocco.

 

The name Bou Jeloud dates from well before the existence of the current gate. By one account, the name is a vernacular corruption of the expression "Bou Jnoud", meaning a parade ground or military square, referring to the large square known as Place Bou Jeloud (also called Place el-Baghdadi) just outside and to the west. It is also located near the site of what used to be one of the main citadels of Fes el-Bali, the Kasbah Bou Jeloud, as well as near the Kasbah en-Nouar.

 

The old Bab Bou Jeloud gate was a simple, modest gate that may have dated essentially from the 12th century.[2] It gave access directly to the start of Tala'a Kebira, the main souq street that crosses the medina and leads to the Qarawiyyin mosque and university at the heart of the city. The gate's passage was set at an angle perpendicular to Tala'a Kebira and parallel to the city wall, meaning that one entered sideways onto Tala'a Kebira. This type of configuration was fairly common in old Moroccan city gates, as it made it easier to defend and to control access. This original gate is still visible to the left of the current monumental gate (when facing it from the outside), but it is closed off today

This is their self described "extreme ale converging San Diego-style imperial pale ale and Belgian style trippel." At 9.2% it's packing some heat.

 

Nice light golden hue with a huge creamy head that lingers for a long while in the glass.

 

Smells like weeds, lemongrass - a strange blend of belgian and dipa notes, as advertised.

 

Tastes really hoppy and typically DIPA sharp up front giving way to a crisp, tangy banana middle and almost mineral finish.

 

I like this beer.

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts, was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or "rural cemetery". With classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain,[2] it marked a distinct break with Colonial-era burying grounds and church-affiliated graveyards. The appearance of this type of landscape coincides with the rising popularity of the term "cemetery", derived from the Greek for "a sleeping place." This language and outlook eclipsed the previous harsh view of death and the afterlife embodied by old graveyards and church burial plots.[3] The 174-acre (70 ha) cemetery is important both for its historical aspects and for its role as an arboretum. It is Watertown’s largest contiguous open space and extends into Cambridge to the east, adjacent to the Cambridge City and Sand Banks Cemeteries.

 

Wikipedia

Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles which is located around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, south west England. Unique amongst megalithic monuments, Avebury contains the largest stone circle in Europe, and is one of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain. It is currently used as both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary Pagans.

Constructed around 2600 BCE,[1] during the Neolithic, or 'New Stone Age', the monument comprises a large henge, surrounded by a bank and a ditch. Inside this henge is a large outer stone circle, with two separate smaller stone circles situated inside the centre of the monument. Its original purpose is not known, although archaeologists believe that it was most likely used for some form of ritual or ceremonial usage. The Avebury monument was a part of a larger prehistoric landscape containing several older monuments nearby, including West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill.

By the Iron Age, the site had been effectively abandoned, with some evidence of human activity on the site during the Roman occupation. During the Early Mediaeval, a village first began to be built around the monument, which eventually extended into it. In the Late Mediaeval and Early Modern periods, locals destroyed many of the standing stones around the henge, both for religious and practical reasons. The antiquarians John Aubrey and William Stukeley however took an interest in Avebury during the 17th century, and recorded much of the site before its destruction. Archaeological investigation followed in the 20th century, led primarily by Alexander Keiller, who oversaw a project of reconstructing much of the monument.

Avebury is owned and run by the National Trust, a charitable organisation who keep it open to the public.[2] It has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument,[3] as well as a World Heritage Site, in the latter capacity being seen as a part of the wider prehistoric landscape of Wiltshire known as Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites.[4]

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury

Romalea microptera (syn. Romalea guttata), known commonly as the eastern lubber grasshopper or just lubber grasshopper, is a grasshopper native to the southeastern and south central portion of the United States. It is the most distinctive grasshopper species within the southeastern United States, and is well known both for its size and its unique coloration.[2] It can reach nearly 3 inches (8 cm) in size.

A day out in London of a Saturday morning requires planning. Jools arranged for shopping to be dropped on Thursday afternoon, meaning we did not have to go on Saturday morning.

 

Then setting alarms so that we got to Priory station at half seven ready for the quarter to eight train.

 

Jools went to get tickets, and I went to the corner greasy spoon to get sausage and bacon sticks and brews. So that when the train rolled at twenty to, we climbed on board, sitting at a table and starting on our breakfast.

 

Leaving at that time meant it was already light, so we could see the countryside rolling by until we got to Ashford, then flash by once we got on the high speed line, zooming up to Ebbsfleet and then under the Thames into Essex and on to Stratford.

 

We got out at Stratford, caught the DLR to the regional station, then changing DLR lines for the trains heading for Lewisham.

 

At Pudding Mill Lane, where we used to watch steam tours on the Great Eastern Main Line, a new station has been built to allow for the entrances to the Elizabeth Line tunnels, and next door is the Abba theatre.

 

We have been talking about going, so Jools checks prices for the show, and amazed that some are nearly £200! Prices next June are £99, but still for seeing a video recreation rather than the band themselves.

 

The train rattled on, turning south where the old Bryant and May match factory used to be. The building is still there but seems to be business units or flats now.

 

Passing the old factory used to be the cue for my Granddad to get us standing up and gathering our coats and bags as we were five minutes from Liverpool Street.

 

Instead, we took the line south through Bow and towards the crystal towers of Docklands and Canary and other Wharves.

 

I texted Graham to say we were on our way, and he replied to say he was 5 minutes from Canary Wharf. I said we would be there in a few minutes, maybe we would meet there?

 

Through Poplar and into the 21st century hellscape that is Docklands, we get off on platform 1, and our next train is waiting on platform 2. Jools walks over, I lag behind, scouring the platform for Graham.

 

Then as I reach the doors, and the electronic bleeps announcing departure, Graham reaches us and comes on board.

 

Doors close and the train departs, taking tight turns around the skyscrapers before heading to the river, and after Mudschute, dives under the river for Greenwich.

 

We get off at Cutty Sark, so named after a tea clipper, and find the way out signed to a flight of 125 steps to street level.

 

I sigh and follow Jools and Graham up, regretting my life choices.

 

But I made it to the top, and a short walk we called in at a coffee shop for a refill and wait for the Cutty Sark itself to open.

 

Although the story of the Cutty Sark and the other tea clippers is very interesting, I wanted to come for purely photographic reasons, to snap the prow and the glazed roof that protects the old dry dock.

 

We pay to go on, and enter the ship, going up two flights of steps onto the deck, where the masts and rigging tower high above. Remember, sailors used to have to climb up these and gather in sails, and all weathers and on all seas, no matter their state.

 

Hardy buggers.

 

Cabins were small and on deck, as all space down below was for cases of tea only, to keep them dry and in perfect condition.

 

Then down through the visitor centre to the bottom of the dry dock, and the copper bottom of the ship, suspended so that shots looking along and up the prow could be taken.

 

Which I took plenty of.

 

Above the roofs of the shops and pubs,the tower of the parish church, St Alphage, Greenwich, which is an usual dedication, but turns out this was the site where the titular Saint was martyred in the 11th century.

 

Graham had never found it open, but I had checked online and it was due to open at eleven, ten minutes ago. So we walked towards the church, dodging through the traffic and arrived at the church gate.

 

The south doors were closed, as were the north, so I began to doubt myself. But a nearby sight indicated that the main entrance was on the south side, so we went back round.

 

And one of the doors was indeed ajar.

 

Bingo.

 

Bango.

 

Bongo.

 

We climbed the steps and went in, and were met my quiet the most friendly and informative volunteer I think I have ever met.

 

Interesting details were pointed out, and those hidden were shown, including the location of the font where King Henry XIII was christened, and the last surviving part of the second church's wall.

 

The church, which is after Hawksmoor, is a delight, though gutted during the blitz, so most glass is now lost, though the Victorian is of good quality.

 

We were here for the Mars display in the Painted Hall at the Greenwich Naval College.

 

We have been here before, but some 15 years back at least, so a return was overdue, though the sumptuous painting would be partly hidden by the 7m model of the planet Mars.

 

We have seen the artist's Moon work at the Maritime Museum nearby, but also in Denver back in 2017. But seemed to have missed his "Earth", I'm sure it'll come round again.

 

We walked through the college grounds, into the painted hall, exchanged vouchers for tickets and climbed the two sets of stairs into the hall itself.

 

The view opened out, and the first impression was amazing, Mars at the far end, suspended and slowly turning, with the painted hall as a background. And a helmeted Mar looking down at the planet named after him, a great juxtaposition.

 

We took and hour to take it all in, then talked about going to the Chapel, which we were not sure was open.

 

At the base of the stairs, we found the entrance to a passageway, with sign pointing to the Chapel, could this lead all the way under the formal gardens?

 

Yes. Yes it could. And did.

 

Up spiral staircases to the lobby, then up a formal stairway flanked by statues of Faith, Hope, Charity and Meekness, into the church, a delight, without much in the way of painting to match the hall opposite, but stunning all the same, and few folks had made it over, so we soaked up the building and details, and fittings.

 

Time was getting on, and thoughts turned to food. So, we left and headed out to the narrow path beside the river, where high tide meant water was lapping at our feet, but we powered back towards the High Road, and the cluster of pubs and other eateries.

 

Beside the Cutty Sark was the Gipsy Moth pub, but that was full, so we walked on and found a table beside the fire in the Spanish Galleon, a Shepherd Neame's pub, but they had tables and a great looking menu.

 

We got pints of Whitstable Bay, and ordered burgers each, all in a great end to the trip where we did all we set out to do, and now rounded it off with a pub lunch.

 

We ate the burgers with pints of Bishop's Finger, now a timid 5.2% rather than the 7% in days of yore, but still full of flavour.

 

Time to go home. Back to Cutty Sark DLR station, down in the lift this time, and straight on a train heading north. Change at Canary Wharf, where our train to Stratford was also waiting.

 

We said goodbye to Graham, hopped on, and the doors closed, so we moved off north.

 

Back at Stratford, down the steps to the concourse, and straight onto a train going to the International Station, we got on, and so were on the platforms for Kent a full ten minutes before the train was due.

 

When it came, there were a few seats, so I got to sit and rest by back after the 11,000 steps done, so while darkness fell outside, I kept up to date with the football, Norwich 2-2 with Luton at half time, but scoring twice in the second half to win 4-2, and make it 12 goals scored in three games over seven days.

 

By the time final whistle went, we were back home, and supping fresh brews as we rested, taking our shoes off.

 

A brilliant day out.

 

The West Ham fans we had seen on the DLR were going to their home game against Arsenal, which was on TV at half five. Not the game they were hoping for, as Arsenal were 5-2 by halftime, though no more goals scored in the second half, but worthy of that first half to have watched.

 

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St Alfege Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Greenwich, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–1714 to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor.

 

The church is dedicated to Alfege (also spelt "Alphege"), Archbishop of Canterbury, and reputedly marks the place where he was martyred on 19 April 1012, having been taken prisoner during the sack of Canterbury by Danish raiders the previous year. The Danes took him to their camp at Greenwich and killed him when the large ransom they demanded was not forthcoming.[1]

 

The church was rebuilt in around 1290, and Henry VIII was baptized there in 1491.

 

The patronage of the church was given to the abbey at Ghent during the 13th century. Following the suppression of alien priories under Henry V, it was granted to the priory at Sheen with which it remained until transferred to the Crown by exchange under Henry VIII in 1530.[1]

 

During a storm in 1710 the medieval church collapsed, its foundations having been weakened by burials both inside and outside.

 

Following the collapse of the medieval church, the present building was constructed, funded by a grant from the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches, to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of the commission's two surveyors. The first church to be built by the commissioners, it was begun in 1712 and basic construction was completed in 1714;[2] it was not, however, consecrated until 1718.[3] The church was built by Edward Strong the Younger a friend of Christopher Wren the Younger.

 

The church is rectangular in plan with a flat ceiling and a small apse serving as a chancel. The east front, towards the street, has a portico in the Tuscan order, with a central arch cutting through the entablature and pediment—a motif used in Wren's "Great Model" for St Paul's Cathedral.[3] A giant order of pilasters runs around the rest of the church, a feature Kerry Downes suggests may have been added by Thomas Archer, who, according to the minutes of the commission, "improved" Hawksmoor's plans.[2] On the north and south sides of the churchwide projecting vestibules rise to the full height of the building, with steps leading up to the doors.[3]

 

Hawksmoor planned a west tower, in the position of the existing one, which had survived the collapse. However the commission was reluctant to fund it, and the medieval tower was retained. In 1730 John James refaced it, and added a spire. Hawksmoor's design, published in an engraving in 1714, had an octagonal lantern at the top, a motif he was later to use at St George in the East.

 

The crypt served as an air-raid shelter during World War II. During the Blitz on 19 March 1941, incendiary bombs landed on the roof causing it to collapse, burning into the nave. The walls and the tower remained standing but much of the interior was gutted. The church was restored by Sir Albert Richardson in 1953. As part of the post-war restorations, stencils of Mary the Mother of Jesus and St John the Evangelist were installed either side of the Cross (forming a traditional rood) in the side chapel of St Alfege with St Peter by the tempera artist Augustus Lunn.

 

The present organ was installed in 2001, having been relocated from the Lower Chapel at Eton College, with some minor changes.[6] It is an 1891 Lewis & Co instrument, with modifications in 1927 by A. Hunter & Son and 1970 by Harrison & Harrison.[7]

 

Additionally, there is a small, six-stop moveable organ located in the north aisle, by W & A Boggis of Diss from c 1960, with a later restoration by Mander Organs.

 

he previous organ had a long history. It dated from the 16th century (when St Alfege was recorded as having a pair of organs). The National Pipe Organ Register does not record its present whereabouts. However, a three manual drawstop console is on display at the West End of the South aisle. This may incorporate keys from the time of the composer Thomas Tallis,[9] who was buried in the chancel of the medieval church in the 16th century. The organ was restored in 1706 by Thomas Swarbrick, with further restorations and modifications by Dallam (1765), George England (1770) and J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd (1840, 1853 and 1863).[9][10] It was further restored and rebuilt in 1875 by Joseph Robson and Benjamin Flight,[11] modified by Lewis & Co in 1910[12] and rebuilt by R. Spurden Rutt & Co in 1934. By this point it had grown to 47 stops.[13] It survived the bomb damage of 1941 and was rebuilt, again by R Spurden Rutt, in 1953, with 55 stops.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Alfege_Church,_Greenwich

A day out in London of a Saturday morning requires planning. Jools arranged for shopping to be dropped on Thursday afternoon, meaning we did not have to go on Saturday morning.

 

Then setting alarms so that we got to Priory station at half seven ready for the quarter to eight train.

 

Jools went to get tickets, and I went to the corner greasy spoon to get sausage and bacon sticks and brews. So that when the train rolled at twenty to, we climbed on board, sitting at a table and starting on our breakfast.

 

Leaving at that time meant it was already light, so we could see the countryside rolling by until we got to Ashford, then flash by once we got on the high speed line, zooming up to Ebbsfleet and then under the Thames into Essex and on to Stratford.

 

We got out at Stratford, caught the DLR to the regional station, then changing DLR lines for the trains heading for Lewisham.

 

At Pudding Mill Lane, where we used to watch steam tours on the Great Eastern Main Line, a new station has been built to allow for the entrances to the Elizabeth Line tunnels, and next door is the Abba theatre.

 

We have been talking about going, so Jools checks prices for the show, and amazed that some are nearly £200! Prices next June are £99, but still for seeing a video recreation rather than the band themselves.

 

The train rattled on, turning south where the old Bryant and May match factory used to be. The building is still there but seems to be business units or flats now.

 

Passing the old factory used to be the cue for my Granddad to get us standing up and gathering our coats and bags as we were five minutes from Liverpool Street.

 

Instead, we took the line south through Bow and towards the crystal towers of Docklands and Canary and other Wharves.

 

I texted Graham to say we were on our way, and he replied to say he was 5 minutes from Canary Wharf. I said we would be there in a few minutes, maybe we would meet there?

 

Through Poplar and into the 21st century hellscape that is Docklands, we get off on platform 1, and our next train is waiting on platform 2. Jools walks over, I lag behind, scouring the platform for Graham.

 

Then as I reach the doors, and the electronic bleeps announcing departure, Graham reaches us and comes on board.

 

Doors close and the train departs, taking tight turns around the skyscrapers before heading to the river, and after Mudschute, dives under the river for Greenwich.

 

We get off at Cutty Sark, so named after a tea clipper, and find the way out signed to a flight of 125 steps to street level.

 

I sigh and follow Jools and Graham up, regretting my life choices.

 

But I made it to the top, and a short walk we called in at a coffee shop for a refill and wait for the Cutty Sark itself to open.

 

Although the story of the Cutty Sark and the other tea clippers is very interesting, I wanted to come for purely photographic reasons, to snap the prow and the glazed roof that protects the old dry dock.

 

We pay to go on, and enter the ship, going up two flights of steps onto the deck, where the masts and rigging tower high above. Remember, sailors used to have to climb up these and gather in sails, and all weathers and on all seas, no matter their state.

 

Hardy buggers.

 

Cabins were small and on deck, as all space down below was for cases of tea only, to keep them dry and in perfect condition.

 

Then down through the visitor centre to the bottom of the dry dock, and the copper bottom of the ship, suspended so that shots looking along and up the prow could be taken.

 

Which I took plenty of.

 

Above the roofs of the shops and pubs,the tower of the parish church, St Alphage, Greenwich, which is an usual dedication, but turns out this was the site where the titular Saint was martyred in the 11th century.

 

Graham had never found it open, but I had checked online and it was due to open at eleven, ten minutes ago. So we walked towards the church, dodging through the traffic and arrived at the church gate.

 

The south doors were closed, as were the north, so I began to doubt myself. But a nearby sight indicated that the main entrance was on the south side, so we went back round.

 

And one of the doors was indeed ajar.

 

Bingo.

 

Bango.

 

Bongo.

 

We climbed the steps and went in, and were met my quiet the most friendly and informative volunteer I think I have ever met.

 

Interesting details were pointed out, and those hidden were shown, including the location of the font where King Henry XIII was christened, and the last surviving part of the second church's wall.

 

The church, which is after Hawksmoor, is a delight, though gutted during the blitz, so most glass is now lost, though the Victorian is of good quality.

 

We were here for the Mars display in the Painted Hall at the Greenwich Naval College.

 

We have been here before, but some 15 years back at least, so a return was overdue, though the sumptuous painting would be partly hidden by the 7m model of the planet Mars.

 

We have seen the artist's Moon work at the Maritime Museum nearby, but also in Denver back in 2017. But seemed to have missed his "Earth", I'm sure it'll come round again.

 

We walked through the college grounds, into the painted hall, exchanged vouchers for tickets and climbed the two sets of stairs into the hall itself.

 

The view opened out, and the first impression was amazing, Mars at the far end, suspended and slowly turning, with the painted hall as a background. And a helmeted Mar looking down at the planet named after him, a great juxtaposition.

 

We took and hour to take it all in, then talked about going to the Chapel, which we were not sure was open.

 

At the base of the stairs, we found the entrance to a passageway, with sign pointing to the Chapel, could this lead all the way under the formal gardens?

 

Yes. Yes it could. And did.

 

Up spiral staircases to the lobby, then up a formal stairway flanked by statues of Faith, Hope, Charity and Meekness, into the church, a delight, without much in the way of painting to match the hall opposite, but stunning all the same, and few folks had made it over, so we soaked up the building and details, and fittings.

 

Time was getting on, and thoughts turned to food. So, we left and headed out to the narrow path beside the river, where high tide meant water was lapping at our feet, but we powered back towards the High Road, and the cluster of pubs and other eateries.

 

Beside the Cutty Sark was the Gipsy Moth pub, but that was full, so we walked on and found a table beside the fire in the Spanish Galleon, a Shepherd Neame's pub, but they had tables and a great looking menu.

 

We got pints of Whitstable Bay, and ordered burgers each, all in a great end to the trip where we did all we set out to do, and now rounded it off with a pub lunch.

 

We ate the burgers with pints of Bishop's Finger, now a timid 5.2% rather than the 7% in days of yore, but still full of flavour.

 

Time to go home. Back to Cutty Sark DLR station, down in the lift this time, and straight on a train heading north. Change at Canary Wharf, where our train to Stratford was also waiting.

 

We said goodbye to Graham, hopped on, and the doors closed, so we moved off north.

 

Back at Stratford, down the steps to the concourse, and straight onto a train going to the International Station, we got on, and so were on the platforms for Kent a full ten minutes before the train was due.

 

When it came, there were a few seats, so I got to sit and rest by back after the 11,000 steps done, so while darkness fell outside, I kept up to date with the football, Norwich 2-2 with Luton at half time, but scoring twice in the second half to win 4-2, and make it 12 goals scored in three games over seven days.

 

By the time final whistle went, we were back home, and supping fresh brews as we rested, taking our shoes off.

 

A brilliant day out.

 

The West Ham fans we had seen on the DLR were going to their home game against Arsenal, which was on TV at half five. Not the game they were hoping for, as Arsenal were 5-2 by halftime, though no more goals scored in the second half, but worthy of that first half to have watched.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

St Alfege Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Greenwich, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–1714 to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor.

 

The church is dedicated to Alfege (also spelt "Alphege"), Archbishop of Canterbury, and reputedly marks the place where he was martyred on 19 April 1012, having been taken prisoner during the sack of Canterbury by Danish raiders the previous year. The Danes took him to their camp at Greenwich and killed him when the large ransom they demanded was not forthcoming.[1]

 

The church was rebuilt in around 1290, and Henry VIII was baptized there in 1491.

 

The patronage of the church was given to the abbey at Ghent during the 13th century. Following the suppression of alien priories under Henry V, it was granted to the priory at Sheen with which it remained until transferred to the Crown by exchange under Henry VIII in 1530.[1]

 

During a storm in 1710 the medieval church collapsed, its foundations having been weakened by burials both inside and outside.

 

Following the collapse of the medieval church, the present building was constructed, funded by a grant from the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches, to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of the commission's two surveyors. The first church to be built by the commissioners, it was begun in 1712 and basic construction was completed in 1714;[2] it was not, however, consecrated until 1718.[3] The church was built by Edward Strong the Younger a friend of Christopher Wren the Younger.

 

The church is rectangular in plan with a flat ceiling and a small apse serving as a chancel. The east front, towards the street, has a portico in the Tuscan order, with a central arch cutting through the entablature and pediment—a motif used in Wren's "Great Model" for St Paul's Cathedral.[3] A giant order of pilasters runs around the rest of the church, a feature Kerry Downes suggests may have been added by Thomas Archer, who, according to the minutes of the commission, "improved" Hawksmoor's plans.[2] On the north and south sides of the churchwide projecting vestibules rise to the full height of the building, with steps leading up to the doors.[3]

 

Hawksmoor planned a west tower, in the position of the existing one, which had survived the collapse. However the commission was reluctant to fund it, and the medieval tower was retained. In 1730 John James refaced it, and added a spire. Hawksmoor's design, published in an engraving in 1714, had an octagonal lantern at the top, a motif he was later to use at St George in the East.

 

The crypt served as an air-raid shelter during World War II. During the Blitz on 19 March 1941, incendiary bombs landed on the roof causing it to collapse, burning into the nave. The walls and the tower remained standing but much of the interior was gutted. The church was restored by Sir Albert Richardson in 1953. As part of the post-war restorations, stencils of Mary the Mother of Jesus and St John the Evangelist were installed either side of the Cross (forming a traditional rood) in the side chapel of St Alfege with St Peter by the tempera artist Augustus Lunn.

 

The present organ was installed in 2001, having been relocated from the Lower Chapel at Eton College, with some minor changes.[6] It is an 1891 Lewis & Co instrument, with modifications in 1927 by A. Hunter & Son and 1970 by Harrison & Harrison.[7]

 

Additionally, there is a small, six-stop moveable organ located in the north aisle, by W & A Boggis of Diss from c 1960, with a later restoration by Mander Organs.

 

he previous organ had a long history. It dated from the 16th century (when St Alfege was recorded as having a pair of organs). The National Pipe Organ Register does not record its present whereabouts. However, a three manual drawstop console is on display at the West End of the South aisle. This may incorporate keys from the time of the composer Thomas Tallis,[9] who was buried in the chancel of the medieval church in the 16th century. The organ was restored in 1706 by Thomas Swarbrick, with further restorations and modifications by Dallam (1765), George England (1770) and J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd (1840, 1853 and 1863).[9][10] It was further restored and rebuilt in 1875 by Joseph Robson and Benjamin Flight,[11] modified by Lewis & Co in 1910[12] and rebuilt by R. Spurden Rutt & Co in 1934. By this point it had grown to 47 stops.[13] It survived the bomb damage of 1941 and was rebuilt, again by R Spurden Rutt, in 1953, with 55 stops.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Alfege_Church,_Greenwich

I love the little flame.

 

I do wish the flame was more in focus.

 

I maybe should have chosen a different background than 2

 

It may be a little Brown, change the white balance.

 

I love the whole set up of this scene though.

 

Mount Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or "rural cemetery". With classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain,[2] it marked a distinct break with Colonial-era burying grounds and church-affiliated graveyards. The appearance of this type of landscape coincides with the rising popularity of the term "cemetery", derived from the Greek for "a sleeping place." This language and outlook eclipsed the previous harsh view of death and the afterlife embodied by old graveyards and church burial plots.[3] The 174-acre (70 ha) cemetery is important both for its historical aspects and for its role as an arboretum. It is Watertown’s largest contiguous open space and extends into Cambridge to the east, adjacent to the Cambridge City and Sand Banks cemeteries. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2003 for its pioneering role in 19th-century cemetery development.

 

Wikipedia

Matt showed us a whole bunch of sundials on campus that some engineering students engineered. This one was definitely the coolest and was pretty artistic.

 

Incidentally the numbers 12 and 2 are visible here, which is the current score of the OSU-Louisville game. OSU is the 2.

 

It wasn't sunny enough for this thing to work, resulting in us being very late for a very important appointment.

A day out in London of a Saturday morning requires planning. Jools arranged for shopping to be dropped on Thursday afternoon, meaning we did not have to go on Saturday morning.

 

Then setting alarms so that we got to Priory station at half seven ready for the quarter to eight train.

 

Jools went to get tickets, and I went to the corner greasy spoon to get sausage and bacon sticks and brews. So that when the train rolled at twenty to, we climbed on board, sitting at a table and starting on our breakfast.

 

Leaving at that time meant it was already light, so we could see the countryside rolling by until we got to Ashford, then flash by once we got on the high speed line, zooming up to Ebbsfleet and then under the Thames into Essex and on to Stratford.

 

We got out at Stratford, caught the DLR to the regional station, then changing DLR lines for the trains heading for Lewisham.

 

At Pudding Mill Lane, where we used to watch steam tours on the Great Eastern Main Line, a new station has been built to allow for the entrances to the Elizabeth Line tunnels, and next door is the Abba theatre.

 

We have been talking about going, so Jools checks prices for the show, and amazed that some are nearly £200! Prices next June are £99, but still for seeing a video recreation rather than the band themselves.

 

The train rattled on, turning south where the old Bryant and May match factory used to be. The building is still there but seems to be business units or flats now.

 

Passing the old factory used to be the cue for my Granddad to get us standing up and gathering our coats and bags as we were five minutes from Liverpool Street.

 

Instead, we took the line south through Bow and towards the crystal towers of Docklands and Canary and other Wharves.

 

I texted Graham to say we were on our way, and he replied to say he was 5 minutes from Canary Wharf. I said we would be there in a few minutes, maybe we would meet there?

 

Through Poplar and into the 21st century hellscape that is Docklands, we get off on platform 1, and our next train is waiting on platform 2. Jools walks over, I lag behind, scouring the platform for Graham.

 

Then as I reach the doors, and the electronic bleeps announcing departure, Graham reaches us and comes on board.

 

Doors close and the train departs, taking tight turns around the skyscrapers before heading to the river, and after Mudschute, dives under the river for Greenwich.

 

We get off at Cutty Sark, so named after a tea clipper, and find the way out signed to a flight of 125 steps to street level.

 

I sigh and follow Jools and Graham up, regretting my life choices.

 

But I made it to the top, and a short walk we called in at a coffee shop for a refill and wait for the Cutty Sark itself to open.

 

Although the story of the Cutty Sark and the other tea clippers is very interesting, I wanted to come for purely photographic reasons, to snap the prow and the glazed roof that protects the old dry dock.

 

We pay to go on, and enter the ship, going up two flights of steps onto the deck, where the masts and rigging tower high above. Remember, sailors used to have to climb up these and gather in sails, and all weathers and on all seas, no matter their state.

 

Hardy buggers.

 

Cabins were small and on deck, as all space down below was for cases of tea only, to keep them dry and in perfect condition.

 

Then down through the visitor centre to the bottom of the dry dock, and the copper bottom of the ship, suspended so that shots looking along and up the prow could be taken.

 

Which I took plenty of.

 

Above the roofs of the shops and pubs,the tower of the parish church, St Alphage, Greenwich, which is an usual dedication, but turns out this was the site where the titular Saint was martyred in the 11th century.

 

Graham had never found it open, but I had checked online and it was due to open at eleven, ten minutes ago. So we walked towards the church, dodging through the traffic and arrived at the church gate.

 

The south doors were closed, as were the north, so I began to doubt myself. But a nearby sight indicated that the main entrance was on the south side, so we went back round.

 

And one of the doors was indeed ajar.

 

Bingo.

 

Bango.

 

Bongo.

 

We climbed the steps and went in, and were met my quiet the most friendly and informative volunteer I think I have ever met.

 

Interesting details were pointed out, and those hidden were shown, including the location of the font where King Henry XIII was christened, and the last surviving part of the second church's wall.

 

The church, which is after Hawksmoor, is a delight, though gutted during the blitz, so most glass is now lost, though the Victorian is of good quality.

 

We were here for the Mars display in the Painted Hall at the Greenwich Naval College.

 

We have been here before, but some 15 years back at least, so a return was overdue, though the sumptuous painting would be partly hidden by the 7m model of the planet Mars.

 

We have seen the artist's Moon work at the Maritime Museum nearby, but also in Denver back in 2017. But seemed to have missed his "Earth", I'm sure it'll come round again.

 

We walked through the college grounds, into the painted hall, exchanged vouchers for tickets and climbed the two sets of stairs into the hall itself.

 

The view opened out, and the first impression was amazing, Mars at the far end, suspended and slowly turning, with the painted hall as a background. And a helmeted Mar looking down at the planet named after him, a great juxtaposition.

 

We took and hour to take it all in, then talked about going to the Chapel, which we were not sure was open.

 

At the base of the stairs, we found the entrance to a passageway, with sign pointing to the Chapel, could this lead all the way under the formal gardens?

 

Yes. Yes it could. And did.

 

Up spiral staircases to the lobby, then up a formal stairway flanked by statues of Faith, Hope, Charity and Meekness, into the church, a delight, without much in the way of painting to match the hall opposite, but stunning all the same, and few folks had made it over, so we soaked up the building and details, and fittings.

 

Time was getting on, and thoughts turned to food. So, we left and headed out to the narrow path beside the river, where high tide meant water was lapping at our feet, but we powered back towards the High Road, and the cluster of pubs and other eateries.

 

Beside the Cutty Sark was the Gipsy Moth pub, but that was full, so we walked on and found a table beside the fire in the Spanish Galleon, a Shepherd Neame's pub, but they had tables and a great looking menu.

 

We got pints of Whitstable Bay, and ordered burgers each, all in a great end to the trip where we did all we set out to do, and now rounded it off with a pub lunch.

 

We ate the burgers with pints of Bishop's Finger, now a timid 5.2% rather than the 7% in days of yore, but still full of flavour.

 

Time to go home. Back to Cutty Sark DLR station, down in the lift this time, and straight on a train heading north. Change at Canary Wharf, where our train to Stratford was also waiting.

 

We said goodbye to Graham, hopped on, and the doors closed, so we moved off north.

 

Back at Stratford, down the steps to the concourse, and straight onto a train going to the International Station, we got on, and so were on the platforms for Kent a full ten minutes before the train was due.

 

When it came, there were a few seats, so I got to sit and rest by back after the 11,000 steps done, so while darkness fell outside, I kept up to date with the football, Norwich 2-2 with Luton at half time, but scoring twice in the second half to win 4-2, and make it 12 goals scored in three games over seven days.

 

By the time final whistle went, we were back home, and supping fresh brews as we rested, taking our shoes off.

 

A brilliant day out.

 

The West Ham fans we had seen on the DLR were going to their home game against Arsenal, which was on TV at half five. Not the game they were hoping for, as Arsenal were 5-2 by halftime, though no more goals scored in the second half, but worthy of that first half to have watched.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

St Alfege Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Greenwich, part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich in London. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–1714 to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor.

 

The church is dedicated to Alfege (also spelt "Alphege"), Archbishop of Canterbury, and reputedly marks the place where he was martyred on 19 April 1012, having been taken prisoner during the sack of Canterbury by Danish raiders the previous year. The Danes took him to their camp at Greenwich and killed him when the large ransom they demanded was not forthcoming.[1]

 

The church was rebuilt in around 1290, and Henry VIII was baptized there in 1491.

 

The patronage of the church was given to the abbey at Ghent during the 13th century. Following the suppression of alien priories under Henry V, it was granted to the priory at Sheen with which it remained until transferred to the Crown by exchange under Henry VIII in 1530.[1]

 

During a storm in 1710 the medieval church collapsed, its foundations having been weakened by burials both inside and outside.

 

Following the collapse of the medieval church, the present building was constructed, funded by a grant from the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches, to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of the commission's two surveyors. The first church to be built by the commissioners, it was begun in 1712 and basic construction was completed in 1714;[2] it was not, however, consecrated until 1718.[3] The church was built by Edward Strong the Younger a friend of Christopher Wren the Younger.

 

The church is rectangular in plan with a flat ceiling and a small apse serving as a chancel. The east front, towards the street, has a portico in the Tuscan order, with a central arch cutting through the entablature and pediment—a motif used in Wren's "Great Model" for St Paul's Cathedral.[3] A giant order of pilasters runs around the rest of the church, a feature Kerry Downes suggests may have been added by Thomas Archer, who, according to the minutes of the commission, "improved" Hawksmoor's plans.[2] On the north and south sides of the churchwide projecting vestibules rise to the full height of the building, with steps leading up to the doors.[3]

 

Hawksmoor planned a west tower, in the position of the existing one, which had survived the collapse. However the commission was reluctant to fund it, and the medieval tower was retained. In 1730 John James refaced it, and added a spire. Hawksmoor's design, published in an engraving in 1714, had an octagonal lantern at the top, a motif he was later to use at St George in the East.

 

The crypt served as an air-raid shelter during World War II. During the Blitz on 19 March 1941, incendiary bombs landed on the roof causing it to collapse, burning into the nave. The walls and the tower remained standing but much of the interior was gutted. The church was restored by Sir Albert Richardson in 1953. As part of the post-war restorations, stencils of Mary the Mother of Jesus and St John the Evangelist were installed either side of the Cross (forming a traditional rood) in the side chapel of St Alfege with St Peter by the tempera artist Augustus Lunn.

 

The present organ was installed in 2001, having been relocated from the Lower Chapel at Eton College, with some minor changes.[6] It is an 1891 Lewis & Co instrument, with modifications in 1927 by A. Hunter & Son and 1970 by Harrison & Harrison.[7]

 

Additionally, there is a small, six-stop moveable organ located in the north aisle, by W & A Boggis of Diss from c 1960, with a later restoration by Mander Organs.

 

he previous organ had a long history. It dated from the 16th century (when St Alfege was recorded as having a pair of organs). The National Pipe Organ Register does not record its present whereabouts. However, a three manual drawstop console is on display at the West End of the South aisle. This may incorporate keys from the time of the composer Thomas Tallis,[9] who was buried in the chancel of the medieval church in the 16th century. The organ was restored in 1706 by Thomas Swarbrick, with further restorations and modifications by Dallam (1765), George England (1770) and J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd (1840, 1853 and 1863).[9][10] It was further restored and rebuilt in 1875 by Joseph Robson and Benjamin Flight,[11] modified by Lewis & Co in 1910[12] and rebuilt by R. Spurden Rutt & Co in 1934. By this point it had grown to 47 stops.[13] It survived the bomb damage of 1941 and was rebuilt, again by R Spurden Rutt, in 1953, with 55 stops.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Alfege_Church,_Greenwich

Day 2:

It's a day which started well and ended very nicely :)

We spent the night before in Kanda. Headed out early to go to a 100yen shop at Akihabara before catching our reserved bullet train, embarking on our "quest for sakura" journey.

We found the 100yen shop alright and saw tonnes of goodies there but decided to do the shopping spree when we returned to Tokyo on Day 7 (where I encountered the middle-aged Cosplay phenomenon

Since 8vee never tried "standing soba", so we grabbed our breakfast at one right in front of akihabara JR station and had an amazing Squid tempura soba *slurp*

And then we bumped into some funky pet and its friendly owner :)

Then went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed north to Kasumigajou Kouen, Nihonmatsu and then to Sendai to check into our hotel before grabbing dinner

A reflection of itself, the entire city sometimes seems to float in heaven. Nobody seems to notice these little things anymore.

 

The Black-fronted Dotterel (Elseyornis melanops) is a small, slender plover, widespread throughout most of Australia, to which it is native and New Zealand, where it self introduced in the 1950s.[2] It is common in freshwater wetlands, around the edges of lakes and billabongs, and in shallow, temporary claypan pools. It is also found occupying saline mudflats and estuaries, but rarely.

 

Unlike many other wading birds, Black-fronted Dotterels retain the same plumage all year round, which makes identification easier.

 

They forage in a series of short running motions, holding the body horizontal, stopping to peck from time to time with a rapid bobbing motion. Diet is mostly insects and other small creatures, supplemented by a few seeds.

 

They are generally sedentary, a single bird, a pair, or a family group occupying a stretch of habitat on a more or less permanent basis, however some individuals appear to travel considerable distances, and flocks will sometimes congregate in food-rich areas.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-fronted_Dotterel

Clandon Park House is an early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey.[2]

 

It stands in the south east corner of Clandon Park, a 220-hectare (540-acre) agricultural parkland estate which has been the seat of the Earls of Onslow for over two centuries. The house and gardens were gifted to the National Trust in 1956,[3] but the rest of the park remains in private ownership.[4] Some of the house's contents have also been acquired by the Trust in lieu of estate duty.[5]

 

Construction of the house, designed by Italian architect Giacomo Leoni, began about 1730, and the interiors were finished by continental sculptors and plasterers in the 1740s. It replaced an Elizabethan house. The park was landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in 1781, and there are two formal gardens on either side of the house. Nearby is a Māori meeting house, one of only three outside New Zealand, that was brought to England in the late 19th century. After being transferred to the National Trust, the house underwent restoration before it was opened to the public, and later became a wedding venue and filming location for period dramas.

 

The house was badly damaged by fire in April 2015, probably caused by an electrical fault in the basement, leaving it "essentially a shell". Thousands of historic artefacts, paintings, and items of furniture were lost in what has been described as a national tragedy. In January 2016, the National Trust announced that some of the principal rooms on the ground floor would be fully restored to the original 18th-century designs, and upper floors will be used for exhibitions and events.

 

History[edit]

The estate and Elizabethan house, together with Temple Court Farm at Merrow, was purchased in 1641 from Sir Richard Weston of nearby Sutton Place,[6] by Sir Richard Onslow, MP for Surrey in the Long Parliament and great-grandfather of Thomas Onslow, 2nd Baron Onslow, who rebuilt it. Many members of the Onslow family followed political careers; three of them, including Arthur Onslow, were Speakers of the House of Commons. Their portraits would later hang in the Speaker's Parlour at Clandon House.[7]

  

Engraving of the house, showing the west front and deer park, c. 1824

The house was built, or perhaps thoroughly rebuilt, in about 1730–33 (the latter date is on rainwater heads) by Thomas Onslow, 2nd Baron Onslow to the design of the Venetian architect Giacomo Leoni. It is a rectangular building of red brick and stone dressings. Clandon House interiors, completed in the 1740s, featured a two-storey Marble Hall, containing marble chimney pieces by the Flemish sculptor Michael Rysbrack, and a rococo plasterwork ceiling by Italian-Swiss artists Giuseppe Artari and Bagutti.[8]

 

Clandon Park was landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in 1776–81, replacing a French garden and transforming part of a disused canal into an ornamental lake.[9] A porte-cochère was added to the principal facade in 1876. A sunken Dutch garden was created by Frances, Countess of Onslow at the north front of the house in the late 19th century. In 1895, the house was investigated for paranormal activity by the Marquess of Bute and Ada Goodrich Freer on behalf of the Society for Psychical Research. During World War I, the Onslow family created and managed a hospital in Clandon House for the war injured.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clandon_Park_House

2013.6.2

It is producing the egg.

 

Day 2:

It's a day which started well and ended very nicely :)

We spent the night before in Kanda. Headed out early to go to a 100yen shop at Akihabara before catching our reserved bullet train, embarking on our "quest for sakura" journey.

We found the 100yen shop alright and saw tonnes of goodies there but decided to do the shopping spree when we returned to Tokyo on Day 7 (where I encountered the middle-aged Cosplay phenomenon

Since 8vee never tried "standing soba", so we grabbed our breakfast at one right in front of akihabara JR station and had an amazing Squid tempura soba *slurp*

And then we bumped into some funky pet and its friendly owner :)

Then went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed north to Kasumigajou Kouen, Nihonmatsu and then to Sendai to check into our hotel before grabbing dinner

Then went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags and headed north to Kasumigajou Kouen, Nihonmatsu and then to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21671926@N00/175948379/"Sendai to check into our hotel before grabbing dinner

 

Triphysaria eriantha subsp. gratiosa, color variant 2, flats adjacent to the east side of the Samoa Field Airport, Humboldt County., CA, 9 April 2025.

 

Of the thousands of plants in this population, I found exactly two color variants for the usual white, yellow, white of typical ssp. gratiosa. In variant 1, the pattern was pink-purple, orange, pink purple, while in variant 2, it was deep pink-purple, red, deep pink-purple.

I had to knit right away from the yarn Natalie gave me in the Sew Sew Modern Swap 2. It's just a very simple cowl, but the texture of the yarn is incredible, it don't need advanced knitting of any kind. This will be so warm when winter comes (I hope I won't need it for a few months LOL).

You'll have to excuse my tired face today, I didn't sleep too well.

The seventh day of my trip to Peru and Easter Island.

 

Spending the day exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu.

 

Machu Picchu (Quechua: Machu Pikchu) – "Old Mountain", pronounced [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu]) is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.[1][2] It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.

 

The Incas started building the estate around AD 1400 but it was abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

 

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.[2] Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and is considered a sacred place.

 

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. In September 2007, Peru and Yale University reached an agreement regarding the return of artifacts which Hiram Bingham had removed from Machu Picchu in the early twentieth century.

 

To see my full travelblog from my trip to Peru and Easter Island visit: www.travelshorts.com/travel-blogs/peru-and-easter-island-...

02/19/09: The Stars beat the Edmonton Oilers tonight 4-2. It was an awesome game - lots of fighting and slamming in to the boards. I needed that.

Seguito e conclusione delle vicende della sposa killer e della sua vendetta...

come sempre ottima colonna sonora, fotografia e colore: Grande Tarantino!!

 

voto personale: 10

Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Boston.

With classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain,[2] it marked a distinct break with Colonial-era burying grounds and church-affiliated graveyards. The appearance of this type of landscape coincides with the rising popularity of the term "cemetery", derived from the Greek for "a sleeping place." This language and outlook eclipsed the previous harsh view of death and the afterlife embodied by old graveyards and church burial plots.[3]

The 174-acre (70 ha) cemetery is important both for its historical aspects and for its role as an arboretum. It is Watertown’s largest contiguous open space and extends into Cambridge to the east, adjacent to the Cambridge City Cemetery and Sand Banks Cemetery. It was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2003 for its pioneering role in 19th-century cemetery development.

 

Wikipedia

Final Fantasy X HD is the remake of the first Final Fantasy game on the Playstation 2. It is the first FF game to use voice acting and a massive leap in the cinematic approach to storytelling.

 

More PlayStation screenshots, trailers and trophies and everything for PS3, PS Vita & PS4: PSMania.

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"The Aberthaw Lime Works was opened on 22 December 1888, by the Aberthaw Pebble Limestone Company.[2] It was built to utilise the huge number of Limestone Pebbles that had previously been taken inland or been moved by boat. The Lime Works operated until 1926.[3]

 

The local limestone and brick structure is still largely in tact, although it is missing most of its wooden components. It contains 2 vertical pot draw kilns each holding up to 300 tons each, which could produce up to 40 tons of burnt lime a day.[4] Next to the main structure, there are 2 pot kilns which are also largely intact. These Kilns were built later than the main structure, but also ceased operation in 1926.[5]

 

The lime works were originally served by a tramway, which ran from the direction of Rhoose (east of the lime works). It passed either side of the now demolished winch house. A tramway ramp (again demolished) allowed carts containing pebbles between 3 & 4 inches in diameter to be conveyed to the top of the works and then into the kilns."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberthaw_lime_works

  

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