I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.

-- Henry David Thoreau

________________________

Who leaves the pine-tree, leaves his friend,

Unnerves his strength, invites his end.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Best in lightbox or larger]

Young, friendly Red squirrel photographed at British Wildlife Centre

Photographed at British Wildlife Centre

New Year’s Day, 2021.

European Goldfinch m. [Carduelis carduelis] &

Eurasian Siskin f. [Spinus spinus].

Sitting in a beech tree in the garden...All fluffed-up in the cold winter air, -3°C.

Lots and lots of wee birdies in the garden, at the moment. These two were sitting up high on a beech tree above some of the new feeders, almost like sun-bathing in their winter coats!

I thought they looked very sweet with the bright blue sky behind them.

A very positive start to 2021!

💙Wishing you all the very best in this new year.💙

In my garden,

South Carrick Hills

SW Scotland

“...Everything's gonna turn out alright

It'll be okay, in every way makin' it better;

It's New Year's Day.”

Carole King

My first acquaintance with Steven King. I love this book "The Shining" and also the movie with Jack Nicholson, a great actor!

If you never have read it or saw the movie and you like horror stories, it is a must to read and see ;-))

I like his style of writing, it is always plausible how the story line grows, but at some point there is that creepy feeling that you know it can't be.

For the Macro Mondays Theme: My Favourite Novel (Fiction).

Happy Macro Monday everyone!!!!

..very pretty cat....

I've known this lady for three years now. Raccoons can live up to 20 years in captivity but in the wild it's usually 1.5 to 3.5 years. I am hoping to get a bit more time with her. She has already lost two of her four babies this summer. It's a tough life being wild.

The artwork "BOL" by Stuart Frost, was created in 2011 and now after almost 11 years in the forest, it has started the process of recycling itself.

© Sigmund Løland. All Rights Reserved.

Press Z for Big.

........ With every acquaintance I make, the population of phantoms resembling me increases. Somewhere they live, somewhere they multiply. I alone do not exist.”

― Vladimir Nabokov

Have a fantastic hogmanay and New year from me to you .

Lots of love

Bunny (Edinburgh, Scotland )xx

Burns’ original Scots verse written in 1788,

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne,

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

for auld lang syne,

we’lltak‘ a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!

and surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak' a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,

and pou’d the gowans fine;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

sin' auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,

frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

sin' auld lang syne.

Thank you to everyone for your kind support and encouragement . love you xxxx

www.youtube.com/watch?v=to1xT93IlUI&t=62s&gt=

💥AULD LANG SYNE 💥 Royal Scots Dragoon Guards💥

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ppqjbd_wHw&list=RD-Ppqjbd_wH...

Eddi Reader - Auld Lang Syne

Wearing:

.Entwined. Nina

GENUS Project - Genus Head

Insol: Lori applier, tone 'Milk' (Genus)

VUK. Coat V2 (HOODIE WHITE) /// MAITREYA

Scene

MINIMAL - Joker Stairs Backdrop

DRD - Grimy Cobblestone Streets - Lamp

Thank you for the group invite....,totally shocked xx

I am very blessed to have made the acquaintance of several members of the Second Life-Flickr community, who I have come to think of as friends. They are scattered all over the world so direct interaction is sometimes a bit difficult to schedule, but slowly I am beginning to make progress towards my goal of taking pictures with each of them in turn. Today's Friend in Focus (in no particular order) is Simply.Jana. Jana was one of the first who I met in SL and has been a true constant. She is one of the few that I feel I can trust completely.

She is always introducing me to interesting new ♥Music♥. Jana is one of those wonderful photographers who just seems to know exactly how to get what she wants in a shot quickly and without a lot of effort. The opposite may be true, but that is how it seems to me. It is a challenge to keep up with her photostream. She inspires me to work even harder to get better at what I enjoy doing here.

Jana and I have a lot more in common than you might expect for two people raised on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who don't even have a first language in common. I was very excited that we were both able to meet up at Lemon Bay for the photoshoot that produced this picture of the two of us.

I can hardly wait to see what my beautiful and talented friend has created. Here's to a lifetime friendship, cheers! ♥

Hugs, Jana ♥

Check out the even more beautiful Jana's version here

Long time no see (How do you do)

(in explore)

Thank you all for visits, favs and comments, it's greatly appreciated!

No, this shot has absolutely nothing to do with Tennessee Whiskey. It’s our old acquaintance the Gyr Falconette. Got lucky today with some sporadic nice lighting and some equally as sporadic gymnastic moves by her during her occasional pigeon forays. I got luckier today with my shooting than she was with her efforts to snag herself a tasty morsel.

I actually used a different approach today, which consisted of dusting off my crop camera to compensate for the tremendous distances involved. It actually did not work out too badly but I may soon be looking for a different model in the crop world.

So, where the Tennessee Whiskey comes in, is as a medicinal tool (internal application - not a fan of smearing stuff all over myself – ludicrous, actually) to soothe my sore back after further gyrations to catch her in some decent poses.

Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton

Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton for German consumption

courtesy of [https://www.flickr.com/photos/uli-joe]

And a huge thank you to Jerome, the original Bayou Canoe Boy. You guys make sure you take a look at this. This is phenomenal.

Raptor Moves - Goshawk

for Macro Mondays:smell

In this season, the broad dark green leaves of elaeagnus are interspersed with small clusters of the most fragrant little flowers.

We first made the acquaintance of elaeagnus as a hedge bordering a French car park where we left the car to visit Maison Prévert.

Home again, we bought one for ourselves which, in contrast to the small size of the flowers, now grows 6 to 8 feet high near the stream in our garden.

End of the small photo series with my chance acquaintances with dogs in an urban environment.

Maybe I'll pick up the topic again later.

My friend, Connor Mitchell , posted recently on the topic the fate of the homeless. He started me thinking about the state of humanity. In these turbulent times, we see and hear much being said. Mostly it is just opinion or at best educated guesses. Mostly it can be summed up as fear of the uncertain. It occurred to me to ask, when has anything ever been certain? Certainly the people of Ubay Island never expected the ocean that provides their livelihood to flood their home every month. I thank my friend,Simply.Jana , for her beautiful Ubay Island posts and the videos of both the people living there still in the real world and the touching tune by Peter Gabriel. My friend, Charly Keating , posted earlier today a very positive message about the power of faith, trust, and prayer. It is as if were were all connected somehow. This song reminds me of the joyous attitude of the children of Ubay Island and the quiet determination of their elders to survive and thrive. Finally, AD♫ is always so supportive, encouraging, and full of wisdom. He is another one of those people for me who has become vital to the stability of my world. Muchas gracias, amor. ♥

I started writing this, then as I thought I was nearing the end, I realized that I hadn't really had a clear idea of where to begin at first. The beginning is the same as the end. Friends, family, loved ones, neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers, and fellow believers. This is our personal network and safety net. We can be there for one another. We should be there for one another. Reach out in your community, do not shrink back in fear. ♥

Be "God's hands."

Together, as the song says, "we are never broken".

Please Listen

Catamaran To Ubay Island

Thank you all for visits, favs and comments, it's greatly appreciated!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Roses I'd collected days earlier had started to fall apart with several petals scattering the kitchen counter. As I started to scoop up the debris, I noticed a small critter staring back at me. What else was I to do but record this special moment before transporting the little dude or dudette back outside. It's always nice to make new friends.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of A.-L. Breguet's most faithful clients. His interest in the latter's art of measuring time also influenced several close acquaintances and many members of his family.

Are these mere acquaintances ? Or friends that have stood the test time ? You decide ....you. What exactly is this body language telling us ? Is this an overly protective family member ?

Or are they not related and involved in a relationship and has this been posted to Facebook?

Wishing a Happy New Year to all my Flickr friends ♥

Une vieille connaissance

A2, S-N, April 2012.

[taken with iPhone 3G]

instagram

The child of an acquaintance,she and her mother went with us on our wilderness day. Her mom knows the best places to go in the wilderness,like waterfalls,little rivers and streams. It really is a place like out of a fairytale,one could imagine the Big Bad Wolf or the Seven Dwarfs to appear:-) But also very wild and primal. Wish i could live there!!

The heron we see in our local park from time to time.

HMBT!

Acquaintances we meet, enjoy, and can easily leave behind; but friendship grows deep roots.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Seal pup, just a few days old, still very golden, showing an interest in what we are doing on the sandhills of Horsey beach.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

And days of auld lang syne, my dear,

And days of auld lang syne.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

Le Transporteur in Krasnodar😁 Перевозчик в Краснодаре😁.

It was great to meet up with old acquaintance again at the weekend.

While walking one morning I spotted a bright orange feather tipped in black. There was no way that I'd leave that treasure on the ground. ;) It took diving into my Pacific Northwest bird books to locate the possible owner of said feather. Eventually I determined it to be from a Varied Thrush. What a glorious bird! I'm so glad I was paying attention to my surroundings. Here's a link for more information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varied_thrush

My best Acquaintances are those

With Whom I spoke no Word

Urlaubsbekanntschaft

www.flickr.com/photos/197884487@N05/52878249829/in/datepo...

Renewing my acquaintance with this stalwart denizen @ the Como Zoological Garden.. Falcon Heights, Minnesota.

We met at the park. He or she didn't say a lot, but was very pleasant to commune with.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet

For days of auld lang syne

Kellemes Ünnepeket és Boldog Új Évet kívánok ...

To all my acquaintances...

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ich wünsche Ihnen ein frohes neues Jahr.

Ik wens je prettige kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar.

Toivotan teille hyvää joulua ja hyvää uutta vuotta.

Je vous souhaite un joyeux Noël et une bonne année.

明けましておめでとうございます。

メリークリスマスと新年おめでとうございます。

Я желаю вам счастливого нового года.

Toivotan teille onnellista uutta vuotta.

Σας εύχομαι ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος.

אני מאחל לך שנה טובה.

मैं आपको नए साल की शुभकामनाएं देता हूं।

Is mian liom Bliain Nua Shona duit.

祝你新年快乐。

祝你新年快樂。

새해 복 많이 받으러 왔으면 좋겠어.

ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຕ້ອງການໃຫ້ທ່ານເປັນປີໃຫມ່ທີ່ສະບາຍດີ.

Życzę ci szczęśliwego Nowego Roku.

ഒരു പുതുവത്സരാശംസകൾ ഞാൻ ആശംസിക്കുന്നു.

मी तुला नवीन वर्षाच्या शुभेच्छा देतो.

Аз жаргалтай шинэ жилийг хүсч байна.

म तिमीलाई एक नयाँ वर्षको शुभकामना दिन्छु।

Մաղթում եմ ձեզ Շնորհավոր Ամանոր:

ਮੈਂ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਖੁਸ਼ੀ ਨਿਊ ਸਾਲ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ

غواړم تاسو د نوي کال مبارک یم.

سال نو مبارک امیدوارم.

مان نئون سال مبارڪ ڏيو.

کریسمس مبارک و سال نو را برای شما آرزو می کنم.

මම සුබ නව වසරක් ඔබට ප්රාර්ථනා කරමි.

நான் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துகிறேன்.

నేను మీకు హ్యాపీ న్యూ ఇయర్ అని అనుకుంటాను.

ฉันขอให้คุณมีความสุขปีใหม่

آپ کا نیا سال مبارک ہو.

Chúc các bạn một năm mới hạnh phúc.

Желим вам срећну Нову годину.

Бажаю вам щасливого Різдва та щасливого нового року.

Napenda Mwaka Mpya Furaha.

Ti auguro un felice anno nuovo.

Desejo-lhe um Feliz Ano Novo.

Les deseo un feliz año nuevo.

Vă urez un An Nou Fericit.

Feliz navidad.

Thank you for visits, comments and favs!

Broes goes outside to play with Timon and their Human to make acquaintance with the great outdoors. Karel was meowing from the balcony and I strapped him in and took him downstairs. Broes was a bit afraid of Karel and some hissing was going on, and Karel was a bit apprehensive as he was not in his own territory. But the three gentlemen behaved quite nicely! I think it made a big difference Timon was present and Timon was relaxed as ever.

Song Auld Lang Syne

Details and Links

Head Lelutka Simone 2 Bento

Head Applier Glam Affair Lelurka @ Uber

Hair Letituier Zaira Hair @ TLC

Outfit Gizza Nightspot

Pose DelMay Cute Spectator

Champagne Bottles Kunst @ Shiny Shabby

Amazing pic taken by an acquaintance

Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot

and never brought to mind

Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot

and days of Auld Lang Syne

For Auld Lang Syne my dear

For Auld Lang Syne

We'll take a cup of kindness yet

for days of Auld Lang Syne

We two have run about the braes

and pu'd the gowned fine

but we've wandered a many weary fit

since days of Auld Lang Syne

We two have piddl'd in the burn

frae morning' sun 'til dine

but seas between us brae her roared

since days of Auld Lang Syne

For Auld Lang Syne my dear

For Auld Lang Syne

We'll take a cup of kindness yet

for days of Auld Lang Syne

And surely you'll be yer pint Stowp

And surely I'll be mine

And We'll take a cup of kindness yet

for days of Auld Lang Syne

And there's a hand my trusty fiere

and gives a hand o' thine

And we'll take right gude willie waught

for Auld Lang Syne

For Auld Lang Syne my dear

For Auld Lang Syne

We'll take a cup of kindness yet

for days of Auld Lang Syne

Gandalf is a beach acquaintance. He is a 12-year-old Border Collie whose mission in life is to keep track of balls. He's been suffering from epilepsy for some years and the medication for it messes a little with his balance and coordination - but he just finds ways to compensate and doesn't let anything keep him from his mission.

He completely ignores Blanca, which is okay because the more a dog is eager to meet her, the snappier she tends to get. Gandalf is the only dog we encounter on the beach where I can leave Blanca off leash and don't worry she'll get aggressive.

And, yes, I do believe he is named for the character from Lord of the Rings.

She may enrich you :)

Minna Thomas Antrim (1861–1950), Don'ts for Girls, 1902

HMM! HBM!

silver spotted skipper on dwarf Hinoki falsecypress, 'Kosteri',

j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina