View allAll Photos Tagged Appears
1661 was causing havoc in the bus station as it was already on the stand over an hour before leaving, so Dave came to the rescue and moved 1661 to the lay-over bays
Some may appear wet as they actually surf into the water.
This link shows the sand and water; www.flickr.com/photos/31155442@N03/32528400030/in/album-7...
Comet NEOWISE C/2020 F3 appears to be headed for an old railroad water tank at Dos Cabezas siding in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the night of July 18, 2020 at 9:20 PM PDT. Canon EOS R and Canon 50mm lens.
C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) or Comet NEOWISE is a retrograde comet with a near-parabolic orbit discovered on March 27, 2020, by astronomers during the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope. At that time, it was a 18th-magnitude comet, located 2 AU (300 million km; 190 million mi) away from the Sun and 1.7 AU (250 million km; 160 million mi) away from Earth.
By July 2020, it was bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. It is one of the brightest comets in the northern hemisphere since Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997 and was widely observed as being clearly visible with the naked eye.
This water tank dates back to the age of steam locomotives and is part of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern (SD&AE) railroad. It was the creation of John D. Spreckels (the same Spreckels who provided San Diego with the Spreckels Theater Building downtown and the organ pavilion in Balboa Park. This railroad also contains the famous Goat Canyon Trestle - the largest wooden curved trestle in the world.
A green meteor appears above and to the right of the swing in the water at Bombay Beach.
This is a pleasant surprise. I shot 2 hours worth of 30 second exposures with the intent of creating star trails. While reviewing the frames, I noticed this meteor. I'll still be posting the star trail later, but couldn't pass up sharing this discovery.
Shot with a Canon EOS R and Canon RF 15-35mm lens at 30 sec f/3.2 ISO 250 on March 9, 2024.
This swingset was installed in the water by Ssippi and Damon James Duke a few years ago. The intent was to encourage people to go into the water. Beginning in late 2023, the lake continued to dry up and the swing was out of the water until some recent storms.
CASERA LE PRESE CIRCONDATA DALLA NATURA
L’altipiano dell’Alpago, nelle Prealpi Bellunesi, è un luogo magico caratterizzato da una natura mozzafiato eppure fuori dai tradizionali circuiti turistici. Un luogo ancora abitato dai Cimbri che ospita la foresta del Cansiglio, da cui Venezia traeva risorse per la sua flotta.
La presenza dell’uomo qui è limitata. Le casette che formano i piccoli borghi non stonano con l’ambiente circostante. Tutto appare in un equilibrio perfetto dove la natura è l’unica protagonista.
Note tratte dal sito:
www.latitudeslife.com/2022/11/lalpago-e-la-foresta-delle-...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
CASERA LE PRESE SURROUNDED BY NATURE
The Alpago plateau, in the Belluno Prealps, is a magical place characterized by breathtaking nature and yet outside the traditional tourist circuits. A place still inhabited by the Cimbri that hosts the Cansiglio forest, from which Venice drew resources for its fleet.
The presence of man here is limited. The small houses that form the small villages do not clash with the surrounding environment. Everything appears in perfect balance where nature is the only protagonist.
CANON EOS 6D Mark II con ob.
SIGMA 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM
Initially, this handsome Canada Goose appeared to be deep in "Snoozy Land", but although we kept a respectful distance, I noticed that every now and again, one eye would open - the bird was obviously quietly making sure that we didn't get too close!
We didn't, and the bird slumbered happily on...!
At first glance, this might seem to be a bit of a "ho hum" photo, but I'm including it because I like the lovely layer upon layer of cream-edged brown feathers that this portrait reveals...
The natural world might seem cruel at times, but it's also beautiful...!
Continue to keep well everyone, and thanks for taking the time and the trouble to leave a Comment...! It's always nice to hear from you, and your comments are always greatly appreciated...!
Gooseberries frequently appear in classic dutch still life paintings.
They don't ever appear in Fruit shops in Sydney - it's too hot to grow them.
I shot these when I was on holiday in New Zealand at Christmas. I love the way they glow.
Here is my website Kevin Best Still Life Photographer
coming soon in MESH AVENUE EVENT "RAIN or SHINE" August Round. Opens on August 10, 2015 at 12am SLT.
Slurl: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lions%20Hill/40/135/64
Product Info:
• Rigged Mesh in standard sizes: XS - S - M - L - XL.
• Fitted Mesh Size.
• 40 Textures options:
- rain drop effect
- leather
- cotton
- t-shirt
• Materials Enabled
• Interactive Hud.
• Turn on/off materials control.
• No glitch hair effect.
It appears to be the morning routine of these grizzlies... eat, followed by a good tussle in the snow
Maryland Department Of Transportation F9PH 7182 appears to be fresh from it's rebuild at Ivy City in Washington DC sometime in either April or May 1981. The unit was built as a phase ll F7 for the B&O numbered 939 in January 1952. It was renumbered in 1957 to 4582. Ten years later in 1967, the 4582 along with a few other B&O F7s were leased to the CNJ. 4582 became CNJ 14. It was returned as B&O 4582, Class F-7A, in 1973. It was sold to Morrison Knudsen on April 4, 1975, and rebuilt as F9PH on January 29, 1981, as MARC 7182. It was sold to Morrison Knudsen in 1994. It was sold as Washington Central RR 82 in November 1996 and wrecked in May 2002. It was rebuilt. It was sold as Santa Cruz & Monterrey Bay Ry 82 in November 2012.
Original Kodachrome slide by Lon Coone.
The city Leptis Magna appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC, who gave it the Lybico-Berber name Lpqy. The town did not achieve prominence until Carthage became a major power in the Mediterranean Sea in the 4th century BC. It nominally remained part of Carthage's dominions until the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BC and then became part of the Roman Republic, although from about 200 BC onward, it was for all intents and purposes an independent city. Leptis Magna remained as such until the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, when the city and the surrounding area were formally incorporated into the empire as part of the province of Africa. It soon became one of the leading cities of Roman Africa and a major trading post. Leptis achieved its greatest prominence beginning in 193, when a native son, Lucius Septimius Severus, became emperor. He favored his hometown above all other provincial cities, and the buildings and wealth he lavished on it made Leptis Magna the third-most important city in Africa, rivaling Carthage and Alexandria. In 205, he and the imperial family visited the city and received great honors. Among the changes that Severus introduced were to create a magnificent new forum and to rebuild the docks. The natural harbour had a tendency to silt up, but the Severan changes made this worse, and the eastern wharves are extremely well preserved, since they were hardly used.
Leptis over-extended itself at this period. During the Crisis of the Third Century, when trade declined precipitously, Leptis Magna's importance also fell into a decline, and by the middle of the fourth century, large parts of the city had been abandoned. Ammianus Marcellinus recounts that the crisis was worsened by a corrupt Roman governor named Romanus during a major tribal raid who demanded bribes to protect the city. The ruined city could not pay these and complained to the emperor Valentianian. Romanus then bribed people at court and arranged for the Leptan envoys to be punished "for bringing false accusations". It enjoyed a minor renaissance beginning in the reign of the emperor Theodosius I. In 439, Leptis Magna and the rest of the cities of Tripolitania fell under the control of the Vandals when their king, Gaiseric, captured Carthage from the Romans and made it his capital. Unfortunately for the future of Leptis Magna, Gaiseric ordered the city's walls demolished so as to dissuade its people from rebelling against Vandal rule. The people of Leptis and the Vandals both paid a heavy price for this in 523 when a group of Berber raiders sacked the city.
Belisarius recaptured Leptis Magna in the name of Rome ten years later, and in 534, he destroyed the kingdom of the Vandals. Leptis became a provincial capital of the Eastern Roman Empire but never recovered from the destruction wreaked upon it by the Berbers. It was the site of a massacre of Berber chiefs of the Leuathae tribal confederation by the Roman authorities in 543. By the time of the Arab conquest of Tripolitania in the 650s, the city was abandoned except for a Byzantine garrison force.
This colourful artwork appears it might be partially inspired by a 1918 Soviet Red Army recruitment poster - itself possibly influenced by the still celebrated 1914 British propaganda poster of Kitchener with a pointed finger reminding potential cannon fodder that "Your country needs you!" - a poster which encouraged tens of thousands of young British men to volunteer for the killing fields of Flanders. The Putin-like face and the rats are just some of several notable differences from the original Red Army poster.
I suspect that many academics, while possibly readily agreeing that Putin could easily be classified as a "terrorist" (like many equally brutal authoritarian leaders the West eagerly support), might find it difficult to accept defining him as in any way "Red," especially given Russia's powerful oligarchic system and Putin's own declared belief that communism is "a blind alley, far away from the mainstream of civilization." Whether Putin's ideas of civilisation are somewhat warped is a different question.
I don't know whether there is also any inspiration from Oxford academic Timothy Garton Ash who described Putin as "rat faced," though I'm not sure whether the addition of rat analogies to the debate is helpful.
I post this series of photos of anti-war protests in central London as a neutral observer (more photos will be following soon). I'm no fan of either Russian or Western imperialism and military aggression and I have every sympathy with the Ukrainians who are facing a war of aggression from their more powerful northern neighbour, part of the motive for which seems to be to rebuild the prestige and power of Russia, as a sort of new Russian empire reflecting the former hegemonic influence over Eastern Europe of the Soviet Union. All at an immense cost in lives, and also a clear and grave violation of international law. Putin's decision to escalate the nuclear standoff with the West by publicly placing his nuclear forces on high alert should be another reminder of just how dangerous he is.
However, the West should also share a significant portion of the blame for this war. The Russian invasion is far from "unprovoked" as many media commentators claim. First, we have to remember recent history and how Russia has good reason to fear NATO which was originally set up to combat the threat of the 'Russian hordes.' It is remarkable how in 1990 Mikhail Gorbachev, despite his familiarity with Germany's responsibility for having invaded Russia twice during the twentieth century (in 1914 and 1941), agreed to allow East Germany to join West Germany inside a hostile military alliance. There was however a quid pro quo, as promised by President George H. W. Bush (senior) and Secretary of State James Baker that NATO wouldn't move "another inch to the east" but that promise was soon broken as during the Clinton presidency, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary joined, and then under President George W. Bush, the NATO alliance was further extended to include Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Baltic States, and further still under Obama to Croatia and Albania.
This means that NATO forces are now frequently deployed right around Russia's western borders (except for Ukraine and Belarus). One can imagine, Washington's paranoia, if say in the 1960s or 1970s, Mexico and Canada had declared their intention to join the Warsaw Pact and many people may be familiar with how Cuba's desire to station Soviet missiles on its territory to deter a feared US invasion (and frequent terror attacks), almost led to a nuclear war, though fortunately Khrushchev saw wisdom and backed down in the face of JFK's terrifying brinkmanship and secretly the United States did agree to withdraw some of its older strategic nuclear missiles from Turkey.
At the same time the United States sees Ukraine as occupying a key space on the strategic chessboard, and has ensured that Ukraine has become increasingly dependent on foreign debt and Washington's goodwill, and has continued to plan for Ukraine's eventual incorporation into NATO. That would mean Ukraine, which occupies a vital strategic position on Russia's southern flank and with its border just 350 miles from Moscow, would also become a potential platform for an assault on Russia and even if no assault ever occurred, the mere fact of NATO's enhanced power, would inevitably greatly diminish any remaining influence Russia had to counterbalance US hegemony in Europe. That's why Ukraine's membership of NATO is something which no Russian leader was ever likely to accept. It is of course easy to see a possible compromise - that Ukraine should remain neutral but that in return all countries should respect its territorial integrity, although allowing some autonomy for the Russian speaking areas in Crimea and the Donbass.
Western media has downplayed the suffering of the Russian population in the Donbass region, which for years has been subjected to constant shelling from government forces, and although Ukrainian civilians have also been killed by Russian backed separatists, the UN figures clearly show that year after year, it was the Russian population which suffered a far higher level of fatalities and serious injuries, including the deaths of many children.
ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/Conflict-relat...
Western media also holds up Ukraine as a beacon of freedom and democracy, but while there have been some important gains for civil society in recent years, Russians have good reason to be unhappy. The Ukraine government has harassed and detained several opposition and pro-Russian journalists and in February 2017 it banned the commercial importation of books from Russia and a new education law made Ukrainian the sole language of instruction in secondary schools, which obviously discriminated against its Russian population. Fascist militias are also growing in number and corruption is endemic while the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture suspects the Ukrainian government of operating secret prisons.
However, it should be noted that the human rights record of the separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk have also received intense criticism from the UN OHCHR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) and various NGOs for suspected human rights abuses, while Russia's appalling human rights record and its increasing authoritarianism is well known.
To avoid the enormous risk of a nuclear confrontation the West has to start thinking of a way to allow Putin to climb down, without jeopardising European security or sacrificing the freedoms of the Ukrainian people and the obvious way would be to agree to recognise Ukraine as a neutral sovereign state which would remain outside NATO and with a real democratic autonomy for the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
If the West continues to funnel enormous quantities of high tech military equipment into Ukraine, without any attempt to reach a political compromise (by recognising Russia's legitimate security concerns and autonomy for the Donbass region while still guaranteeing Ukraine's sovereignty) there's a very real risk that an increasingly frustrated Putin will issue an ultimatum for the tactical use of nuclear weapons in order to regain the upper hand on the battlefield, and this will be an incredibly dangerous moment for humankind.
Autumn appears to have arrived overnight! Incredibly it was 22 decrees C just yesterday and the weekend was amazing. The seasons are definitely a-changing...
A long time ago in a toy box far, far away....
p-мinus • Ten Nine Eight Seven Six Five Four Three Two ∞ One
For this rendition of the p-мinus countdown, we were lucky enough to catch up with local bay area native Eazzy Money pimp to “lay down” the introduction.
Yo back da fuck up and step right aside, it’s me Eazzy Money who’s gonna take yo fo a ride. My homeboy pimp gots dis here picture, so I’s da one who’s layin down da scripture. I don’t give a fuck bout which day number you at, I just know pimps pics are phat. So bust open a 40, smoke a Philly, sit back, and relax. Cause you know dis here shit is dope and dats da facts.
So I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I purchased this hat (see pic in comments). I saw this dude wearing one in some photo and I decided I should get one like it. So I picked this monstrosity up at a local used clothing store.
I actually wore this hat like everyday for an entire 2 weeks? See – this picture was taken 6 months ago. So I can reflect on my obsessive 5-dollar hat purchase.
Do you do that? I mean see something, get it, use it or wear it for a couple weeks or a few days and then forget about it?
I really wanted to like this hat. But those asinine rope things hanging from the side made me feel too much like a cocker spaniel. The best part is that I was wearing it with t-shirts and jeans. It looks like it is supposed to be worn with heavy winter clothing like coats and scarves and shit.
Live and learn.
The shot at hand? I was in a park with my kids and just decided to take a picture of my face. Since that idea is about as boring as any, I spent a couple of days editing the picture (see original in comments). Do you like what I did with the glasses? I took what was almost black part of the lens and made my eyes re-appear, and changed their color while I was at it.
Location: Franklin Park; Alameda, California
Taken: November 28th, 2009
Posted: May 22nd, 2010
*=lapse
**=continued from pimpexposure
This appears to be a Spiderwort flower. I took it at work of all places. I love the wildflowers, they amaze me with their detail and how they have evolved to attract insects. I don't know if time is speeding up or what but I have been struggling to find time to get on Flickr to comment and post. I will see if I can put a dent into this week. Happy clicking this week!
IMG_2257aa
SN/NC: Cocos nucifera, Arecaceae Family
Misterious palms appearing from nothing! Due to the positioning of the camera of course. This is a Pacific Gray sand beach, a volcanic area in El Salvador, Jiquilisco Bay. Corral de Mulas Beach is a hidden gem nestled within the stunning Jiquilisco Bay, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known for its rich biodiversity and pristine natural beauty. This tranquil beach offers a serene escape with its soft golden sands, calm turquoise waters, and lush mangrove forests. It's a paradise for nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking peace away from crowded tourist spots. The bay is also a critical habitat for endangered sea turtles, making it a unique destination for eco-tourism. Whether you're kayaking through the mangroves, relaxing under the shade of coconut palms, or exploring the vibrant marine life, Corral de Mulas Beach promises an unforgettable connection with nature.
A Praia Corral de Mulas é uma joia escondida aninhada na deslumbrante Baía de Jiquilisco, uma Reserva da Biosfera da UNESCO conhecida por sua rica biodiversidade e beleza natural imaculada. Esta praia tranquila oferece um refúgio sereno com suas areias douradas e macias, águas calmas azul-turquesa e florestas de mangue exuberantes. É um paraíso para os amantes da natureza, observadores de pássaros e aqueles que buscam paz longe de pontos turísticos lotados. A baía também é um habitat crítico para tartarugas marinhas ameaçadas de extinção, tornando-a um destino único para o ecoturismo. Quer você esteja andando de caiaque pelos manguezais, relaxando sob a sombra de coqueiros ou explorando a vibrante vida marinha, a Praia Corral de Mulas promete uma conexão inesquecível com a natureza.
La playa Corral de Mulas es una joya escondida enclavada en la impresionante bahía de Jiquilisco, una reserva de la biosfera de la UNESCO conocida por su rica biodiversidad y su belleza natural prístina. Esta tranquila playa ofrece un escape sereno con sus suaves arenas doradas, tranquilas aguas turquesas y frondosos bosques de manglares. Es un paraíso para los amantes de la naturaleza, los observadores de aves y aquellos que buscan la paz lejos de los lugares turísticos abarrotados. La bahía también es un hábitat crítico para las tortugas marinas en peligro de extinción, lo que la convierte en un destino único para el ecoturismo. Ya sea que esté navegando en kayak por los manglares, relajándose bajo la sombra de las palmeras de coco o explorando la vibrante vida marina, la playa Corral de Mulas promete una conexión inolvidable con la naturaleza.
La plage de Corral de Mulas est un joyau caché niché dans la magnifique baie de Jiquilisco, une réserve de biosphère de l'UNESCO connue pour sa riche biodiversité et sa beauté naturelle immaculée. Cette plage tranquille offre une évasion sereine avec son sable doré et doux, ses eaux turquoise calmes et ses forêts de mangroves luxuriantes. C'est un paradis pour les amoureux de la nature, les ornithologues amateurs et ceux qui recherchent la paix loin des lieux touristiques bondés. La baie est également un habitat essentiel pour les tortues marines en voie de disparition, ce qui en fait une destination unique pour l'écotourisme. Que vous fassiez du kayak dans les mangroves, que vous vous détendiez à l'ombre des cocotiers ou que vous exploriez la vie marine animée, la plage de Corral de Mulas promet une connexion inoubliable avec la nature.
Corral de Mulas Beach is een verborgen pareltje in de prachtige Jiquilisco Bay, een UNESCO biosfeerreservaat dat bekend staat om zijn rijke biodiversiteit en ongerepte natuurlijke schoonheid. Dit rustige strand biedt een serene ontsnapping met zijn zachte gouden zand, kalme turquoise wateren en weelderige mangrovebossen. Het is een paradijs voor natuurliefhebbers, vogelaars en mensen die rust zoeken, weg van drukke toeristische plekken. De baai is ook een belangrijk leefgebied voor bedreigde zeeschildpadden, waardoor het een unieke bestemming is voor ecotoerisme. Of u nu kajakt door de mangroves, ontspant in de schaduw van kokospalmen of het levendige zeeleven verkent, Corral de Mulas Beach belooft een onvergetelijke verbinding met de natuur.
La spiaggia di Corral de Mulas è una gemma nascosta incastonata nella splendida baia di Jiquilisco, una riserva della biosfera dell'UNESCO nota per la sua ricca biodiversità e la sua incontaminata bellezza naturale. Questa spiaggia tranquilla offre una fuga serena con le sue morbide sabbie dorate, le calme acque turchesi e le rigogliose foreste di mangrovie. È un paradiso per gli amanti della natura, gli osservatori di uccelli e coloro che cercano pace lontano dai luoghi turistici affollati. La baia è anche un habitat fondamentale per le tartarughe marine in via di estinzione, il che la rende una destinazione unica per l'ecoturismo. Che tu stia facendo kayak tra le mangrovie, rilassandoti all'ombra delle palme da cocco o esplorando la vivace vita marina, la spiaggia di Corral de Mulas promette un indimenticabile legame con la natura.
Der Strand Corral de Mulas ist ein verstecktes Juwel in der atemberaubenden Bucht von Jiquilisco, einem UNESCO-Biosphärenreservat, das für seine reiche Artenvielfalt und unberührte Naturschönheit bekannt ist. Dieser ruhige Strand bietet mit seinem weichen goldenen Sand, dem ruhigen türkisfarbenen Wasser und den üppigen Mangrovenwäldern einen ruhigen Rückzugsort. Es ist ein Paradies für Naturliebhaber, Vogelbeobachter und alle, die Ruhe abseits überfüllter Touristenattraktionen suchen. Die Bucht ist auch ein wichtiger Lebensraum für gefährdete Meeresschildkröten, was sie zu einem einzigartigen Ziel für Ökotourismus macht. Ob Sie mit dem Kajak durch die Mangroven fahren, im Schatten der Kokospalmen entspannen oder das lebendige Meeresleben erkunden, der Strand Corral de Mulas verspricht eine unvergessliche Verbindung mit der Natur.
شاطئ كورال دي مولاس هو جوهرة مخفية تقع داخل خليج جيكيليسكو المذهل، وهو محمية المحيط الحيوي لليونسكو والمعروفة بتنوعها البيولوجي الغني وجمالها الطبيعي البكر. يوفر هذا الشاطئ الهادئ ملاذًا هادئًا برماله الذهبية الناعمة ومياهه الفيروزية الهادئة وغابات المانغروف الخصبة. إنه جنة لمحبي الطبيعة ومراقبي الطيور وأولئك الذين يبحثون عن السلام بعيدًا عن الأماكن السياحية المزدحمة. يعد الخليج أيضًا موطنًا مهمًا للسلاحف البحرية المهددة بالانقراض، مما يجعله وجهة فريدة للسياحة البيئية. سواء كنت تمارس رياضة التجديف بالكاياك عبر غابات المانغروف أو تسترخي تحت ظلال أشجار جوز الهند أو تستكشف الحياة البحرية النابضة بالحياة، فإن شاطئ كورال دي مولاس يعدك باتصال لا يُنسى بالطبيعة.
コラル デ ムラス ビーチは、豊かな生物多様性と手つかずの自然美で知られるユネスコ生物圏保護区の美しいヒキリスコ湾にひっそりと佇む隠れた宝石です。この静かなビーチは、柔らかい金色の砂、穏やかなターコイズブルーの海、緑豊かなマングローブ林があり、静かな隠れ家です。自然愛好家、バードウォッチャー、混雑した観光地から離れて静けさを求める人にとっては楽園です。この湾は絶滅危惧種のウミガメの重要な生息地でもあり、エコツーリズムのユニークな目的地となっています。マングローブ林でカヤックを漕いだり、ココヤシの木陰でリラックスしたり、活気に満ちた海洋生物を探索したり、コラル デ ムラス ビーチでは、忘れられない自然とのつながりを体験できます。
It appeared that the bird that had the dragonfly made an offering of some of the remains to the other bird. It wasn't impressed with the measly amount left and just flew off without accepting it.
(Clare)
'Flying Dolphins' first appeared in Greece under the historic Ceres Flying Dolphins name (which was the first company to operate hydrofoils in Greece) controlled by the Greek shipowner Georgos Livanos. Livanos brought a new revolution to Greek sea travel by deploying two newly-built hydrofoils ahead of the Summer of 1976. These 'Flying Dolphins' originally linked Zea-Aegina-Agistri-Poros-Hydra-Ermioni-Spetses-PortoHeli-Nafplio-Tolo-Tyros-Leonidio-Kyparissia-Gerakas, serving the Saronic Gulf, the Argolic Gulf and the Eastern Peloponnese. The Ceres Flying Dolphins acquired a major part of the market share and remained unmatched for their fast and frequent service until the late 1980's.
While one of these is still there, and in much better shape today than it was then, the other is gone. For a few years, lease units were everywhere on CN before PTC eradicated them from the property. Making a set out in Durand, CN L502 shoves in with a worn and weathered former Santa Fe SD75M with an unsightly black PRLX patch gracing its flanks that used to be graced in beautiful silver and red.
This couple appears to be relaxing, chatting and enjoying the view of Hong Kong. Many locals and tourists alike enjoy strolling the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade in Kowloon. Using the couple at the foreground you see Hong Kong at the background.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with the curved rooflines is at the left side of this image.
*Four stranger bears appear from behind the presents.*
ROSIE: "Look! Stranger bears!" *Points paw at bears.*
PETER: "They must be bad bears! Look, they are stealing our gifts because they don't have their own!"
SCOUT: "Hey! Stop bad bears! Go and get your own presents!"
PETER: "That's right! It's not our fault that you don't have presents! You can't just take ours!"
SCOUT: "Tenacious bears! Let's get them!"
JAGO: "Wait! Stop! Don't chase these bears away!"
SCOUT: "But why Jago? They are stealing our presents!"
JAGO: "Oh no they aren't, little Scout! And they aren't stranger bears or bad bears, either!"
PETER: "They aren't Jago?"
JAGO: "No! It's my little sister Daisy-Maud!" *Runs and hugs pretty girl bear in a fetching floral hat.*
DAISY-MAUD: "Surprise Jago! We made it! We met the Christmas Bear whilst our ship was docked at Christmas Island and he gave us a lift here!"
JAGO: "But you aren't alone, Daisy-Maud! You brought friends with you!"
DAISY-MAUD; "Well, Orson, Danny Boy and Algie all decided that I was too little to travel all the way to Australia unaccompanied, so they came along too!"
DANNY BOY: "Top o' the mornin' to you, everybear!" *Waves*
ORSON: "Hullo everybear." *Waves shyly.*
ALGIE: "Hullo everybear and fox. It's nice to meet you!"
PADDY: "Oh hoorah! Welcome Daisy-Maud, Orson, Daddy Boy and Algie!"
PADDY, OLEG, JAGO, FREDDY, COUSIN PADDINGTON, PETER, OLEG, ROSIE and SCOUT: *Jump for joy and cheer.*
Paddy, Scout, Cousin Paddington, Bogart, Jago, Daisy-Maud, Rosie, Freddy, Danny Boy, Orson, Algie and I and I would like to wish all my flickr friends and viewers the very best for the festive season. Thank you for all the interest you have shown in my photographs this year, and all the support and encouragement you have shown. We really do appreciate it.
May you have a wonderful Christmas; safe, and filled with happiness and love whomever you spend it with and whatever you may do.
My Paddington Bear came to live with me in London when I was two years old (many, many years ago). He was hand made by my Great Aunt and he has a chocolate coloured felt hat, the brim of which had to be pinned up by a safety pin to stop it getting in his eyes. The collar of his mackintosh is made of the same felt. He wears wellington boots made from the same red leather used to make the toggles on his mackintosh.
He has travelled with me across the world and he and I have had many adventures together over the years. He is a very precious member of my small family.
Scout was a gift to Paddy from my friend. He is a Fair Trade Bear hand knitted in Africa. His name comes from the shop my friend found him in: Scout House. He tells me that life was very different where he came from, and Paddy is helping introduce him to many new experiences. Scout catches on quickly, and has proven to be a cheeky, but very lovable member of our closely knit family.
Rosie is Scout's cousin, because like Scout, she is a free trade knitted bear from Africa. She was made in Kenya by one of the Kenana Knitters, Martha Wanjira. She is made from home spun and dyed wool. She was a gift to me from two very dear friends, includng the one who gave Scout to Paddy.
Bogart has travelled all the way from Georgia, via Alabama as a gift to me from a friend. He has lovely Southern manners and seems to be a fun and gentle soul with an inquisitive nature.
Jago was a gift from a dear friend in England. He is made of English mohair with suede paw pads and glass eyes. He is a gentle bear, kind and patient who carries an air of calm about him. He is already fitting in with everyone else very nicely.
Travelling all the way from London, Cousin Paddington was caught in transit thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, so it looks like he is stopping with us for a long while. That makes me happy, as the more I look into his happy, smiling face, the more attached I am becoming to him.
Freddy Fox is made by Merrythought in England. I bought him, of all places, from a men’s accessory shop in Melbourne’s Block Arcade, called Mr. Wares. Freddy Fox is made of English Mohair with felt paws and glass bead eyes. He has so much charm and charisma that already he is winning hearts with anyone whom he meets, and he is kind and sweet, which makes him an ideal member of our family.
Daisy Maud is Jago's little sister and was made by the same friend in England who made him. She is made of German mohair with floral fabric cotton paw pads that match her pretty sunhat, and glass eyes. A sweet and loving little girl bear, she is happy to be reunited with her big brother, Jago, and enjoys being spoiled by her new Daddy.
Orson, named after the little bear constellation was made by the same friend who made Jago and Daisy-Maud. He comes ready dressed in 'trousers' made of German mohair accessorised with embroidered braces. His paws are ultra suede and his eyes are glass. He is described as being a little bit serious minded but very friendly. He's fine once he gets to know you.
Danny Boy, made by the same friend who made Jago, Daisy-Maud and Orson, has a touch of the 'Oirish' in him with his emerald green scarf. He has an open mouth as he likes to sing and comes with his own songbook, "Irish Airs for Teddy Bears". He has a wobbly head to give him animation when he's talking to you, is made of English mohair, has paws of ultra suede and eyes of glass. Quite a happy-go-lucky little character....
Algie is made by the same friend who made Jago, Daisy-Maud, Orson and Danny Boy. He is is made of sparse English mohair, has paws of ultra suede and eyes of glass. A very adventurous little boy, he loves to climb and sit on top of gates, edges of tables and chairs. He adore climbing trees, and will cheekily sit there with crossed legs. He's very friendly and he loves adventures of any kind.
My bears Paddy and Scout have made very good friends with two bears in Holland called Peter and Oleg (www.flickr.com/photos/40262251@N03/galleries/721577154558...) and their Mummy (www.flickr.com/photos/66094586@N06/) . Peter and Scout are very similar and have become best friends. Peter loves Rosie and Rosie loves Peter, so they have become prince and princess to one another. Paddy and Oleg are very similar too and have become best friends as well. Peter and Oleg are visiting us for Christmas before going back to Mummy Marian's after Christmas Day.
Thank you Marian Kloon (on and off) for the use of Peter's and Oleg's photo in my collage of images.
"FALL BEFORE ME! OBLIVION TAKE YOU!"
(see on the blog)
makeup . "Feralis" (BOM) / by VENGE
hair . Leilani / by EscalateD
outfit . IOWA in brown / by JANGKA
boots . Eilidh boots in dark brown / by Lassitude & Ennui
sword . Legendary Sword (scripted RP weapon) / by LR Weapons
by Lumae:
skin . LeLutka Eden, T2 (BOM) @ mainshop!
by Nefekalum:
chest tattoo . Enchanted (Spririt) (BOM + mats) @ mainshop!
by NANTRA:
poses & shield . Brynhildr set @ mainshop!
also used:
eyes . Android Collection - L.Blue Robotic / by Gloom (from ACCESS' Cyber Fair)
head . EvoX AVALON / by LeLutka
teeth . The Sharps / by ContraptioN
body . Lara / by Maitreya
sparks . Fae Embers / by STATIC (@SLB18 shop and hop)
face pose . bento Facial expression HUD / by Happy Dispatch
backdrop . "Devote" from Behold the Day gacha / by The Bearded Guy
✭
CIRCA ✭
Dimma ✭
eXxEsS ✭
✭
{Frick} ✭
Lumae ✭
NANTRA ✭
✭
Soul ✭
TSM ✭
TwoSided ✭
VENGE ✭
Zibska ✭
Image taken in the virtual platform of Second Life (tm)
Appearing near the center of the frame is the open star cluster M35 which in this shot is somewhat lost and overwhelmed within the background stars of the Milky Way. However, on the upper right you can see the more compact and much more distant star cluster NGC 2158. Both of these star clusters reside in the constellation Gemini.
This wasn’t the framing that I had planned, but I didn’t want to change the rotation after I had finished the setup and thus this will have to do until I have time to go back and turn the camera by 90 degrees (placing both clusters along the horizontal axis, left and right).
Photographed on the morning of December 7, 2015 using a 5 inch aperture, f/4.2 refractor and a ZWO ASI174MM camera with a set of Baader RGB filters. Approximately 15 minutes of exposure in each color (resulting in a total exposure integration time of 45 minutes).
All rights reserved.
Webb took its first near-infrared look at Saturn on June 25. The planet appears extremely dark at this wavelength, as methane gas in its atmosphere absorbs sunlight, but its rings stay bright!
This image was taken as part of a Webb science program designed to test the telescope’s capacity to detect faint moons around the planet and study its bright rings. Take a closer look here to find details within the planet's ring system, as well as the moons Dione, Enceladus, and Tethys. Saturn’s rings are made up of an array of rocky and icy fragments – the particles range in size from smaller than a grain of sand to a few as large as mountains on Earth.
Note that data shown is from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/44kbTVW
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Matt Tiscareno (SETI Institute), Matt Hedman (University of Idaho), Maryame El Moutamid (Cornell University), Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Heidi Hammel (AURA). Image processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)
Image description: The background is mostly dark. At the center is a dark orange-brownish circle, surrounded by several blazing bright, thick, horizontal whiteish rings. This is Saturn and its rings. There are three tiny dots in the image—one to the upper left of the planet, one to the direct left of the planet, and the lower left of the planet. They are labeled Dione, Enceladus, and Tethy, respectively. There is a slightly darker tint at the northern and southern poles of the planet. The rings surrounding Saturn are mostly broad, with a few singular narrow gaps between the broader rings. At the right side of the planet, labels are applied to the rings. The innermost, thicker ring is labeled “C ring.” Next to that, a brighter, wider ring is labeled “B ring.” Traveling farther outward, a small dark gap is labeled “Cassini division” before another thicker ring labeled “A ring.” Within the “A ring,” a narrow faint band is labeled “Encke gap.” The outermost, faintest, thinnest ring is labeled “F ring.”
A Curious Vigilance
Part Two
Tickling Dragons
The story Concludes
Acte 6
Ginny whispered :
"There is a man watching us from outside the gate A car parked behind your brother’s. Could it be a night watchman?”
“Nightwatchman? “I answer, looking at Ginny as her eyes are still staring past me at the newcomer.
“We have never seen one here before. I guess we just need to go and ask him.”
I turned, and Ginny, her long dress making swishing sounds from behind, as we both approached the gate.
He didn’t look anything like a watchman, didn’t even have a flashlight.
And I suppose I should have been warier of a stranger.
But he appeared to be a very affable chap by the way he smiled at us, hands casually place in his pockets as he watched us approach.
Rugged good looks as they say, and he was dashing in a turtleneck and trousers. I did feel he should have been smoking a pipe to complete his look.
“He looks like a spy,” I said over my shoulder to Ginny, who giggled.
“Cheers.”
Ginny said in greeting as we reached the open gate.
He nodded.
It’s amazing how telling a little nod can be. If a person nods a certain way as you greet him, you know thinks your looney. Or if he is suspicious, you can also tell by the way he nods his head. No words were necessary.
But this chaps nod, told me he was obviously intrigued by something, probably by us two and why we were here, all dressed up?
So of course he asked us:
“What in the world are you ladies up to.”
His words come out easy. I was right, he appeared to be indeed affable in an urbane manner.
Ginny starts to tell him right off, explaining how we had left a wedding reception to come to one of our haunts to drink and indulge in a little role-play, then how we thought he was some type of watchman.
He seemed quite interested, and when Ginny had finished, asked:
“I would very much like to learn more. Perhaps even join in if you two lovely ladies would be game?”
Acte 6
We invited him over to the pagoda stairs and talk it over with him
Ginny handed him the whiskey. He took a sniff, then a small sip swished it in his mouth before swallowing.
“That’s lovely .” He said handing the bottle back.
Ginny took a small swig and handed it to me, I did the same and handed it to the newcomer.
He held onto the bottle, as he started to explain himself.
“I was passing by, slowed down as a fox, coming from the cemetery, crossed the road in front. I looked over and saw two rather well-dressed ladies dancing up on a platform, in a cemetery?”
“The sight rather piqued my curiosity. You both looked too alive to be ghosts. The reception explains how you two are dressed.”
His eyes were on Ginny, Admiring her sleek satin high shoulder sleeve sheath dress, the glittery silver rhinestone Dragon decoration very shimmery, but not quite so as her dazzling pendant, now in my pocket, had been. I was sorry he wasn’t able to see it.
Then he turned his eyes onto me.
I myself knew how my purple silk dress and black satin jacket presented themselves, for I cannot lie, I practiced walking up to mum’s full-length mirror, admiring the flowing, swirling effect of the purple silk skirt pouring down from my covering black satin jacket.
Clearing his throat, almost sounding like he was gulping, the newcomer went on as his eyes went back to Ginny:
“Not sure if I should disturb, I then saw this one(pointing to me) lifting your necklace.”
Ginny’s hand shot to her throat, looking at me with a giggling smile:
“You devil.”
I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it back to her to put in. He might as well see the scintillating show it puts on.
He noticed… I saw his eyes open very wide as he simply said:
“Pretty.”
Before continuing, his eyes now glued to Ginny:
“Then as you two finished dancing, I was deciding if I should just leave or give you a warning.”
Ginny cut in:
“ I lifted her bracelet, you must have missed that bit?”
He nodded.
“I see, there was more going on than I had first realized. Because then I saw your friend holding you up to nick your bracelet and hair barrette.”
Looking at us both curiously, he asked:
“So is this something you do for fun, or are the two of you rehearsing for a play, a movie, or …something else? Could you tell me cause it’s killing me not knowing?”
Ginny answered him:
“No lad, this is something our friends and us do for fun. Have been doing it since we were little ones.”
He looked at us thoughtfully, lifting the bottle he finally took a mouthful, then handed it off to Ginny.
Swishing it thoughtfully around in his mouth he swallowed, then said:
“I might then ask if either of you have actually done anything before like this, for real I mean?”
I answered, cutting Ginny off:
“No, always just for play, never for keeps.”
He sighed, but the reason for him doing so was not clear to me.
“So then, I have seen the pair of you in action, and I sure was impressed with your deft light-fingered skill… I'd like to ask you if you'd be willing to show me a thing or two?”
I looked over at Ginny. She nodded that we accept him in.
For my part, I was down deep thinking. he would do for the male parts like my brother would have been playing if he had been here with us instead of throwing pointy things at a board.
Ginny turned her deliciously made-up eyes from me to the newcomer:
“Sorry luv, We never introduced ourselves…
My name is Ginny, this is Cadence, Cade for short. What’s your name?
Just call me ‘Watchman’ he said with a sly smirk.
Acte 7
I stand up. Proud that I wasn’t wobbling too very much from all the straight whisky we had been drinking.
Going over to my cell, I select a few slow dance songs and start them off.
Coming back I see that Ginny was already up on the platform, swaying to the music.
The ‘Watchman’ was at the bottom of the steps. waiting for me.
Okay, lad. This is me being your first victim
“Lesson 1 .”
I hold up my wrist, exposing my remaining bracelet.
“Wow, that’s sparkly!”
Lesson one, in lesson one..." I giggled
“ luv, make sure you never remark upon the jewels your potential mark is wearing
He cleverly pulled an invisible zipper over his lips
“Examine my bracelets’ clasp. This is a common slip-in clasp. Simply push down here and it releases. Ginny’s is the same way. Feel it and try undoing it with one hand.”
He does so, smiling
“I feel like a real thief, though this is not real, right, just play?”
I just smiled mysteriously, then said encouragingly.
“You can see it as play, or pretend in your mind it is real. Now you did great, practice refasten it and undo its clasp a couple more times.“
He did as instructed.
I then tell him…
“ I’m going to walk past you. “
“As soon as my back is to you. Come up and tap the opposite shoulder of the arm where I’m wearing the bracelet you want to nick from me. As you do take your other arm and reach down and undo the bracelet. Then hold it behind your back as you apologize for mistaking me for someone else.”
I went up aways, turned around, and walked past.
He was standing in the shadows.
I pulled up my cuffed sleeve, making sure he saw my bracelet as it now dangled freely.
He pulled it off without a hitch.
Coming up behind me, tapping me on the shoulder.
Even though I knew it was coming, I did automatically turn in that direction.
I felt him go for my wrist, doing a passable job of lifting off my rhinestone bracelet.
I turned and saw him dangling it in front of me.
I held up my wrist and as he replaced it, I called up to Ginny.
“Your turn girl, as this gentleman approaches, walk down the stairs and smell the flowers.“
I turn to the ‘Watchman’, eagerly eyeing Ginny.
“As your victim walks down, walk up behind her bumping her as she is bending over. Nick her bracelet as you do so.
Ginny made it easy as she held the hand with the bracelet up over her back as she bent down ( necklace dangling) and lifted up a flower to smell with her other hand
He walked up and with one hand lifted another flower to her nose, while his right hand's fingers easily undid the emerald bracelet and slipped it from her wrist.
I walked up as he helped Ginny back on with her bracelet:
“Ready for lesson two?”
He nodded to both of us.
Acte 8
“Ok then. Onto Lesson two…Necklaces.”
I could ‘feel’ his eyes studying ours, smiling wistfully he said:
“This should prove interesting, I’ve seen some very pretty necklaces being worn in my time.”
I smiled, lifting mine as a glimmering teaser…
“You may be surprised at how easy it can be, sir.”
He gave me his boyishly handsome grin:
“You are on, surprise me.”
I tell the ‘watchman’ that Ginny and I will start dancing. You observe us, then come up and cut in, take me first.
Ginny and I walked up to the platform. There we began dancing around the platform of the pagoda, twirling and swirling about in the fast falling dusk.
He watched us from down below for maybe a minute before coming up.
He taps Ginny on the shoulder.
“May I?”
Ginny breaks off and dances to herself as she watched over us
He took me up in his arms, dancing like he was no stranger to it, it was rather lovely I had to admit.
I began the second lesson.
The one that would have him target the diamonds and sapphires that hung down glittery from around my neck.
“Now lad, take your hand from my waist and gently caress your way up to the back of my jacket to my throat.”
He did so, my figure prickling under his touch, and over what I was having him do.
“Now with a bit of a caress, lift my necklace and pull it down, gently now, that’s it. Once you have it laying on the back of my jacket, you're free to snap open the clasp…very good, I did not feel that!”
He grinned at my praise, I could happily tell he was enjoying this. His eyes had the same look that my twin brother gets when doing this.
“Nod when you are ready.”
He did so with enchanting enthusiasm.
“So lift up one end of the necklace, then twirl me around, using the motion to pull off my necklace and hide it in your fist.”
He then executed a twirling of me with such perfect precision that I never felt a thing. “
“Good show!“ I complimented him
He had enjoyed it so much, that he shyly asked if we could do it again.
I replaced my necklace and went back into his arms.
This time he needed no prodding, and before I was aware of anything amiss, I felt his fingers depositing my necklace into my satin jacket’s side pocket.
Ginny was giggling, then beckoned him over.
“Try it on me next.”
She said, holding up her necklace.
He took her into his arms.
I couldn’t really hear over the music, but he was saying things to Ginny that were making her blush. Though I’d imagine the whiskey had a lot to do with it.
His hand whisked easily up the rich satin backside of her gown. I saw it disappear underneath her let-down silky soft hair.
I saw her pendant begin to unnaturally move up in between her breasts. Then suddenly, effortlessly, effectively, being pulled up by one end slipping up her sleekly covered front till it disappears over her shoulder.”
The dance ended, and our ‘Watchman’ kissed Ginny on the backside of her hand, the other hand clutching her jeweled pendant.
He came over and deposited Ginny’s necklace in my pocket, as I took him into my arms.
Seeing his eyes were curiously closed, I whispered, surprisingly, a bit hoarsely .”
“I think you are ready for the third lesson, earrings.”
His eyes opened wide…
“You are joking, aren’t you?”
I shook my head, feeling my earrings bouncing out, giggling.
“Follow along my suave thief, I know you have been desiring to nick them from us.”
Acte 9
We took the second dance a bit slower this time and I talked him through it:
I then began to teach him how to lift a lady’s dangling earrings.
“Really it can be done,” I tell him as he still looks unconvinced.
“You dance with your chosen victim. Tell her how pretty she is. Keep your eyes on the mark's eyes, make sure they are concentrating on anything but your hands until you are ready to make your start.
If her hair is down take your hands and lift her hair. Like that now as you do place your pinkie finger behind my ears and lift up on the back of the prongs, not all the way.”
He did so, clumsily at first, but I generously give him a few tries, until He managed to do it with little effort.
“Perfect…
Now tell her how gorgeous she looks as you drop her hair back down. As you reach my ear lobes, both hands at the same time, take your fingers and press up against each ear, then caress my earlobes lifting my earrings.
Then palm them and put your fists to my waist. Then drop them into a pocket .”
He appeared genuinely to be surprised by just how easy it was. And the way he caressed was very nice also, one might add.
I nod towards an eagerly waiting Ginny...
“You can have a go at hers next. If you would like?”
I could see it in his eyes, he very much would.
He moves over to Ginny and takes her in his arms. Swirls her around a few times till I can see she is dizzy.
“What a smashing idea.”
I whispered to myself, sending a compliment to his backside.
He lifts Ginny’s recently let-down hair, holding it there as he says something that made her blush a brite red.
Then he moves his hands back down, and the next time Ginny comes into my view, gone are her emerald earrings.
I go up behind her, like an accomplice, and he hands them to me. I pocket them and move off downstairs to have a bit of a cool down, and a drink from the bottle.
Soon Ginny and ‘Watchman’ join me.
Acte 10
As We passed the bottle back and forth again. The slow dance music continues, keeping the mood mellow and a bit, I’ll admit, swooning.
I then started really feeling flush, like Ginny had been looking on the dance floor.
Ginny giggles, teasing.
“Cade, You look hot, and I don’t mean in a sexy way. “
“Thank you, Ginny”
I said failing to have it come out as being sarcastic.
Our ‘Watchman’ murmured:
“No girl, your flush. Here let’s take that pretty jacket off you for a bit and get you cooled down.”
He went behind me as I stood up.
“Here allow me. “
I wriggle out of it. He takes it down and lays it by our purses and then taking off his suit coat, lays, it across the back of the marble bench.
“Such a gentleman…”
Ginny sighs.
He comes back. Lifting Ginny’s hand, then kissing it on the backside, her fingers down, he says.
“I heard that, thank you for that lovely compliment and, for such a jolly fun time.”
He then kissed my hand.
“I thank you also, for taking me under your wing, my pretty one.”
Now it was my turn to close my eyes as my face turned an even deeper shade of red.
Taking up the bottle, he stepped down to the ground
“Thank you both, I had great teachers.”
He then saluted us and took a drink from the bottle. Handing it back to us.
He looked us both over.
“Forgive me, but You know I really do find it hard to believe that you’ve never been tempted to do this in real life.”
Both Ginny and I answered together.
“But of course we have !”
I added:
“How can one not feel tempted?”
I continued, explaining:
“There is always a desire, almost a yearning, to nick the jewels we see others wearing out. But our moral compass would never allow it, and I can vouch for all of us, right Ginny?”
Ginny nodded, taking a sip of the whiskey.
“We simply just play those thoughts out amongst ourselves.. or I write them in a story.”
The Watchman’ nodded his head in apparent agreement.
Then looking at me…
“You write stories?”
I nodded…
“Not very good ones I’m afraid. My brother does also. Mainly just for our group, but we have posted some up on various internet avenues.”
The ‘Watchman’s’ eyes were still fixed on me, as he thoughtfully stroked his chin.
“That’s very interesting. Sounds like you all make the most of this. I would never have imagined any of this would be actually going on. And here it is going on, in this corner of Wales.”
As we both take pulls at the fast emptying bottle of whiskey, he looks around, then back at Ginny and I…
“You know what I think would top off this evening for me? That would be me being escorted by a pair of lovely ladies around this cemetery and having you both recount the many stories I’m sure you have at different places here.”
Ginny looked at me nodding.
We take the bottle and lead him off.
Acte 11
We continued taking sips from the bottle telling about our adventures here, as we strolled about the cemetery. Relating to him numerous stories. He listened very attentively. Asking a lot of questions.
I will mention a few stories that appeared to really grab his interest:
Passing a grove of trees inside the cemetery, I told him that it was here we played cops and robbers.
He said he could remember playing that game also.
“Not like our version.” Ginny chimed in with a giggle…
“One of us girls would be standing blindfolded at the pagoda dressed up and wearing jewels. The thief would be given a head start to hide in the trees before the cops gave chase. The thief had to elude the police and sneak up on the blindfolded girl without being caught by her. Then tag her. If successful, he can rob her, taking all her jewelry. He then tried to make it back to base without the cops capturing him, or her.”
He bowed in mock jest.
“No, nothing as fun and inventive as that.”
We stopped up on a higher area overlooking the pagoda down below.
As the ‘Watchman’ looked downhill he said:
“So, there are more of you that do this? But they didn’t come with you this evening?”
Ginny giggles:
“No the lads are playing at darts tonight. But we were all here a fortnight ago .”
He turned and winked at Ginny
“But not tonight. So did you all practice lifting off each other?”
I answered with a self-satisfied smile:
“We did, then we did a little bit of play-acting. Didn’t we Ginny?”
Ginny laughed cheerily:
“You can say that!”
She turned to our companion.
The ‘Watchman’ nodded eagerly.
“I would love to have you tell me about it.”
“So Cade and I were both wearing old satin bridesmaid's dresses and rhinestones. Brian and Craig were in suits. We had been practicing Picking pockets and lifting jewels when I said we should play a game. And Brian came up with a brilliant one to end the night off.”
I nudged Ginny:
“You were the prey, and I was the thief for that one.”
I took over the storytelling:
“Actually there were two for the first game, thieves I mean. A couple, Man and Lady. I took off some of my jewellry and added it to what Ginny was already wearing. Then Brian played her husband dancing on the pagoda. Craig and I were the thieves watching and plotting from below. Brian came down for drinks and I lured him off.”
Ginny giggled taking the bottle from me and handing it to our companion.
“Cade even handcuffed him to a tree, searched him, taking his watch, ring, tie clasp, and wallet.”
I nodded:
“Meanwhile Craig went up and started dancing with Ginny. Then, when the worried wife missed her husband, her dance partner went with her to look.
He lured her off to the grove of trees we just were at. I laid in wait and well, her wealthy husband had a front row seat as his gullible wife unwittingly fell into some unforgiving thievery.
I took a sip from the bottle;
“Then we reset up, played a few more games along similar lines.”
Ginny said, to us both:
“When we get back we can put on our jewels and maybe end with a little role play? Wouldn’t that be delicious?”
The ‘Watchman’ looked thoughtfully away from us down to the pagoda:
He then turned back to us, taking the bottle, tipping it to his mouth before saying.:
“Food for thought ladies, food for thought. If I could be the thief, and you two my prey, I may have gone for it at that. No handcuffs though. Speaking of which I bet your lads are going to wish they had been here tonight. Shall we continue on first, I’m enjoying this?”
Ginny giggled:
“I’d forgotten about the handcuffs. I have…”
I nudged her in the back, silencing her.
Acte 12
Going on aways, walking the grown-over paved path amongst rows of gravestones. I stopped before a circle of gravestones.
“We call this the witches circle. We like to sit in this circle and tell ghost stories. In between playing. As we got older we came down and told stories in the dark.
“That would creep me!” The ‘Watchman’ said.
Circling around to head back, Ginny stopped him by a tall, narrow crypt
“Craig used to tell us, girls, a real-life cat burglar was entombed here. And sometimes ladies passing by this spot would have their jewels vanish
Of course, he had already taken something off one or both of us, so when he told the story..,
The ‘watchman apologizes for cutting Ginny off, hold that thought luv. But all this whiskey, I really need to, sorry ladies, have a pee... Any chance of a loo nearby?”
We both nod no, giggling at the thought.
“Then I suppose the grove of trees it is. Be back in a sec., wait here, I want to hear the whole story on the spot where it happened.”
With that, he walked off with some haste to his step.
Acte 13
“Bloody men.”Ginny giggles.
“Can do their business anywhere.”
We both took a couple of swigs.
Ginny romantically sighed:
I think he is charming, and his touch is heaven. What did you think of him, Cade…Cade?”
I had been watching Ginny holding the bottle. The coolness of the night along my bare back had lifted a bit of the fog my brain had been experiencing as we had been walking.
I suddenly look down upon my fingers
Then up at Ginny, waving them in front of her.
“That bloody slick devil. I think he is far more deftly fingered than he wanted us to believe. He slipped our rings off as he was kissing our hands. Yours too luv.”
Ginny looked down at her fingers, her eyes lighting up as she finally was able to register in her mind that her’s had been nicked also.
Then she grabbed her wrist, then mine!
“Our bracelets are gone also?”
Shocked I hadn’t noticed, I exclaimed looking at her bare wrist, then my own now bare of the glittering bracelet I had had him practice lifting from me.
“That was ball’sy of him. I have no idea when he pulled that lift off! Do you Ginny?”
Ginny shook her head after thinking a minute:
“Haven’t a clue. I don’t remember him coming close enough to me that he could have done it.”
I was stunned as I said:
“Nor do I. Apparently, we are that good as instructors.”
Ginny giggled
“We taught him well. We’ll have to let him know it was Well played. When he returns.“
Suddenly I am aware that the music that had been playing in the distance was stopped.
“Ginny …”
I started to say…
But then we hear tyres screeching off from the parking lot.
Looking with horror into each other’s eyes, we turn towards the sound.
We both then desperately fly back to the pagoda, our dresses fluttering along our now prickling figures, starting to sweat.
Acte 14
We reach the pagoda.
As we stand by the pagoda steps, we make the unsettling discovery that the marble bench was empty. Our purses, my black satin jacket, its pockets loaded down with the rest of our jewels, and my cell, all were gone! Along with our rings and beautiful bracelets that he had lifted off from us. The scoundrel!
And the car that had been parked behind my brother’s roadster, gone!
We were absolutely cut off from seeking any quick help.
I hear Ginny behind me.
“He was entirely too subtle and charming.”
I murmured…
“He played us all right. We fell right into his hands.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since the keys to the roadster had been in my purse, along with Ginny’s cell in hers, we had no choice but to walk home.
We still had the last vestiges of the bottle of whisky and we finished it off before we began walking the over 2 kilometers home.
At least we were not pissed enough to start walking in the right direction, otherwise, a bunch of celibate seminarians would have had a treat in store for them!”
“The bloody wanker!”
I said in silent condemnation to the sneaky ‘Watchman’ and his far too gifted touch.
I began to have some unsettling thoughts.
Had we inadvertently given him the idea of robbing us by telling him our role-playing stories?
What would have happened if he had agreed to Ginny’s suggestion of Putting back on all our jewelry and him playing a jewel thief?
Had he found that distasteful, but planted a seed of nicking the jewels he had lifted from us, which was not as distasteful to him? His trophies?
Would he have just gone back with us otherwise, and if we hadn’t noticed he had taken our rings and fancy bracelets, took his leave of us with just those in his pocket?
Or
“Here Cadence, you look cold” then help me out on my jacket as he picked my pockets while doing so.
Then would he have given everything back?
And speaking of lifting, when had he managed to lift my bracelet? Like Ginny could just not remember him even touching my wrist.
I shook my head to clear those now jumbling thoughts, well aware of my missing earrings. Hell, my missing everything!
What was done, is done.
That’s what happens sometimes when one dares to “Tickle a Dragon”.
And if the ‘Hobbit’ taught us anything, it’s that dragons love jewels…
Fini
Epilogue
Thirty minutes later, as we were still a ways off from the village, we saw a car on the parked hill, facing us from the opposite side.
I had an odd inkling that someone was inside, waiting for us
Sure enough, the headlights came blindingly on, a door opened and a black figure leaned on the door, watching us approach
Ginny turned to me…
“Should we be worried?”
Me
“We have already tickled one dragon tonight, I suppose we can do it again. Just hopefully not with the same results.
Ginny nodded
“Tally ho then…”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
By the way, to all you ‘Watchman
(or Woman)’ who has read this? I hope you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave your comments.
This will be the oldest railway photograph to appear on my stream.
This was the date of our first 'proper' railway trip. Good old dad gave us the money for tickets from Portsmouth to Eastleigh. "That used to be the place to go when we were kids"
That day really opened our eyes to this railway malarkey we followed so closely for so many years. We opened so many new pages in our spotting books that day. Class 07, 08, 33, 47, 73, 74 and even a Western put in appearances. New classes of multiple units were observed and all in all a Saturday to remember unfolded.
I'm fairly certain this shot was taken by Pete on a Agfa Isolette 120 camera that our dad had suggested we took with us! Amazingly, the negative survives (albeit a little time-worn and faded) and I was able to take this image of a long-gone 08 (and a rather fantastic rake of 4-wheel wagons) into Photoshop and produce this final effort.
08028 lasted in traffic until 5th May 1981. She was taken to BREL Swindon where she (amongst many others) met her fate. Her final cutting date is listed as April 1982. RIP.
Original image by Pete Callaway
This truck has appeared almost every weekend, for the past several weeks, on the southwest corner of Broadway and 96th Street.
As you can see, a "tin" full of popcorn is not so inexpensive. But the tins hold between 1 and 3.5 gallons(!) of popcorn, and you can also order it by the bag.
Indeed, you can order it online -- just visit brooklynpopcorn.com to choose one of 16 "delicious and lip-smacking flavors."
Note: I chose this as my "photo of the day" for May 14, 2015.
*********************************
This is the continuation of a photo-project that I began in the summer of 2008 (which you can see in this Flickr set), and continued throughout 2009-2014 (as shown in this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set, this Flickr set)
), this Flickr set)
), and this Flickr set)
): a random collection of "interesting" people in a broad stretch of the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- between 72nd Street and 104th Street, especially along Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. These are the people in my neighborhood, aka "peeps in the 'hood."
As I indicated when I first started this project six years ago, I don't like to intrude on people's privacy, so I normally use a zoom telephoto lens in order to photograph them while they're still 50-100 feet away from me; but that means I have to continue focusing my attention on the people and activities half a block away, rather than on what's right in front of me. Sometimes I find an empty bench on a busy street corner, and just sit quietly for an hour, watching people hustling past on the other side of the street; they're almost always so busy listening to their iPod, or talking on their cellphone, or daydreaming about something, that they never look up and see me aiming my camera in their direction.
I've also learned that, in many cases, the opportunities for an interesting picture are very fleeting -- literally a matter of a couple of seconds, before the person(s) in question move on, turn away, or stop doing whatever was interesting. So I've learned to keep my camera switched on, and not worry so much about zooming in for a perfectly-framed picture ... after all, once the digital image is uploaded to my computer, it's pretty trivial to crop out the parts unrelated to the main subject. Indeed, some of my most interesting photos have been so-called "hip shots," where I don't even bother to raise the camera up to my eye; I just keep the zoom lens set to the maximum wide-angle aperture, point in the general direction of the subject, and take several shots. As long as I can keep the shutter speed fairly high (which sometimes requires a fairly high ISO setting), I can usually get some fairly crisp shots -- even if the subject is walking in one direction, and I'm walking in the other direction, while I'm snapping the photos.
With only a few exceptions, I've generally avoided photographing bums, drunks, crazies, and homeless people. There are plenty of them around, and they would certainly create some dramatic pictures; but they generally don't want to be photographed, and I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of them. There have been a few opportunities to take some "sympathetic" pictures of such people, which might inspire others to reach out and help them. This is one example, and here is another example.
The other thing I've noticed, while carrying on this project for the past six years, is that while there are lots of interesting people to photograph, there are far, far, far more people who are not so interesting. They're probably fine people, and they might even be more interesting than the ones I've photographed ... unfortunately, there was just nothing memorable about them. They're all part of this big, crowded city; but for better or worse, there are an awful lot that you won't see in these Flickr sets of mine...
Appeared in Y Sin Embargo magazine #29
See also: Series We are right/APPS - Picasa
BUY
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2501609
DOWNLOAD PDF
www.lulu.com/product/file-download/y-sin-embargo-magazine...
READ ONLINE
37070 appears to be being stripped (or reassembled) ready for some major work at Doncaster works on 21st August 1982. Looking at www.class37.co.uk/fleet.aspx?strnumber=37070 the Stratford machine was a regular on passenger trains out of Liverpool Street at the time but no mention of this visit to the works is made. Although dark it appears to be on accommodation bogies.
Another badly exposed slide from the dud box that's been pushed to the limit in Photoshop to try & get a reasonable image.
35 mm Slide Scan
© Neil Higson
It would appear that Littles don't have set 'regulars' for the Unite shuttle and instead run whatever they have to hand, given that last time I saw one of these it was an ex-Lothian Gemini. While that does make it all the more interesting for spotting, the branding has certainly taken a nosedive since the days of Skills with their dedicated ALXs. Those were a striking red colour in their ex-London liveries and, after a short while, gained prominent Unite Students branding on the front blind area and in the advert frames down both sides. Now, the only reference to it being the Unite shuttle is a card which has been badly placed in the bottom of the windscreen, so if you didn't have prior knowledge of its existence it would fall back into being one of those 'secret' bus services.
D11 appears to be a relatively recent addition to the Littles fleet, as in May of this year it was at Go North East. As the short wheelbase and dual doors suggest, this Volvo B7TL/Plaxton President was a London vehicle from new. Delivered to Go Ahead London General in early 2005, it carried fleet number PVL416 and lasted in the capital until 2018, before being transferred up north to a different part of the Go Ahead group at GNE, where it ran in London red with new LED blinds and the number 6931. Some time in mid/late 2021 it has been sold to Littles and repainted white. The banner in the upper deck windscreen is left over from its days at Go North East.
East Drive, University of Nottingham, 22.10.21
+5 in comments
And it appears as though that what you’re asking of me is the equivalent to trying to black out my lungs while wearing a gas mask.
*Going into the gas station*
Me: Hi, Can I please have the cheapest pack of cigarettes you have and a lighter?”
Gas dude: *asks some kind of question about cigarettes*
Me: Oh, uhm, I don’t plan on smoking these. It’s just for a picture.
Gas dude: Well, in that case let me find something that’s the most picturesque. *hands me bright orange box of cigarettes*
That awesome moment when the gas guy tries to help with your photoshoot.
I’ve missed conceptual photography more than you will ever know. I am more than happy with this picture. A super big thank you to my boyfriend for letting me borrow his gas mask, helping to light the cigarettes and for staying up with me till 2 a.m. to get his opinion on different edits. And my best friend for coming with me to buy said cigarettes and helping me with the photo.
I’m thinking more and more about having a mini 365 project for the month of July. I miss taking pictures as frequently as I did. I want to push myself with my photography this summer. Push myself as far as I can go. Your thoughts?
Instagram: justttmakayla / Facebook / Ask me stuff! / Tumblr / Youtube
Get my Facebook page to 1,000 likes and I'll hold a print giveaway! :)
There appeared to be disagreement over the ownership of garbage left by several picnickers between two magpies and a squirrel. I had just put my camera down to begin picking up the mess at one table when I heard a commotion. I quickly grabbed the camera and caught some of the action. I wish I could have done a better job capturing the tussle but didn't have a chance to set up (single point focus was not what I would have picked for this series). It took all of 15 to 20 seconds for the birds to chase the squirrel away although the squirrel did turn around to face the attackers twice.
River Alyn appears in places to have dried up but in fact goes underground following fissures in the Limestone rock to re appear on the surface further downstream, it's following periods of heavy or prolonged rain that the river in these "dried up" areas are in full flow
Cassandra Cain is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandra Cain first appeared in Batman #567 (July 1999). The character is one of several who have assumed the role of Batgirl. Over the years, she has also assumed the names of Black Bat and Orphan.
Cassandra's origin story presents her as the daughter of assassins David Cain and Lady Shiva. She was deprived of speech and human contact during her childhood as conditioning to become the world's greatest assassin.
Consequently, Cassandra grew up to become an expert martial artist and developed an incredible ability to interpret body language to the point of reading complex thoughts, while simultaneously developing limited social skills and remaining mute and illiterate.
Cassandra was the first Batgirl to star in her own ongoing Batgirl comic book series. She was replaced as Batgirl by Stephanie Brown in a 2009 storyline. She returned in late 2010, where she was shown working as an anonymous agent of Batman in Hong Kong before adopting the new moniker of Black Bat.
The character was brought back to mainstream continuity after the company-wide reboot in Batman & Robin Eternal, using the code name Orphan, previously used by her father, David Cain. The character's full history was restored in DC's 2021 Infinite Frontier relaunch.
Fictional character biography
Early history
Cassandra's birth and childhood are revealed in the Batgirl series. While seeking a perfect bodyguard for Ra's al Ghul, David Cain finds a potential mother when he sees Sandra Wu-San fighting her sister Carolyn in a martial arts tournament.
Believing that Sandra is holding back for Carolyn, Cain lures Sandra into a trap, sparing her life. David and Sandra have a child, and Sandra leaves the child for David to raise, setting out to become Lady Shiva.
Cain trains Cassandra from birth to be an assassin. She is not taught to read or write; instead, reading body language is her only language. She is able to read people's movements and predict what they are going to do.
When she is eight, Cain takes her to kill a businessman. As the man dies, Cassandra reads what he is feeling, realizes what she did, and runs away from her father.
After that, her activities are a mystery, until she first appears during the "No Man's Land" story arc.
No Man's Land
During the "No Man's Land" storyline, after Gotham is leveled by an earthquake and isolated, Cassandra Cain saves Commissioner Gordon's life and gains Bruce Wayne's approval, and, eventually, becomes the new Batgirl.
Her father, David Cain, sends a video of Cassandra's first murder to Bruce Wayne (Batman) attempting to disrupt her status. However, Wayne continues to accept Cassandra after she takes several bullets to save the life of a hired assassin, proving her devotion to protecting human life.
Batgirl
Bruce Wayne sends Cassandra to Barbara Gordon, currently functioning as Oracle. Barbara says she prefers to live alone but since Cassandra is never home and doesn't talk, it is just like living alone.
A telepath "rewires" Cassandra's brain so that she can think with words and use language, but these abilities come at some cost to her ability to read people's body language.
As she had relied completely on this ability to fight, she is unable to effectively fight crime. Worried, Bruce Wayne takes away her costume and begins training her in defensive skills.
Cassandra soon discovers that the assassin Lady Shiva can read people like she used to be able to and asks Shiva to reteach her.
Lady Shiva accepts on the condition that they would have a duel to the death a year later. As Cassandra would rather be "perfect for a year" instead of "mediocre for a lifetime", she accepts the offer.
When the women fight in a year's time, Cassandra dies within minutes. Realizing Cassandra had a death wish, Shiva then restarts her heart, so that they can have a real fight. In the subsequent fight, Cassandra beats Shiva but does not kill her.
Though not known for her private life, Cassandra does have a one-time romance with Conner Kent after meeting him on a cruise ship. He shares her first kiss, and she even visits him at his home in Smallville, though the relationship never becomes serious.
Cassandra then helps Batman control the violence of a gang war in Gotham City.
Later, Batgirl moves to Blüdhaven with Tim Drake (the third Robin) at Batman's suggestion and with his financial support.
There, Deathstroke takes on a contract from the Penguin to kill Batgirl and decides to let his daughter, Rose (the current Ravager), do the job instead. Cassandra beats Rose by playing on her emotions to leave her open for a critical strike, giving Deathstroke no choice but to get her medical attention.
During this time, Cassandra starts developing a friendship with Brenda, the woman who owns the local coffee shop, and even a very short-lived relationship with a boy named Zero. Unfortunately, her friends are all killed in the Blüdhaven disaster.
Cassandra also goes undercover for Batman, as Kasumi, in the Justice League Elite, working under Sister Superior to track and eliminate metahuman threats to the population.
She works with the Batman's old fellow Justice League members Green Arrow and the Flash, and forms a bond with Coldcast, who is the first Leaguer to whom she reveals her identity.
Although he is subsequently accused of murder, she and the rest of the team soon realize that he has been manipulated by renegade Elite member Menagerie, who was himself being manipulated by the spirit of Manchester Black as he tried to drive his sister to destroy London.
As the JLA falls, the Elite, united by the spirit of the deceased Manitou Raven, free Vera and vanquish Black, although the team disbands after this last mission.
Cassandra gathers evidence that indicates that Shiva could be her mother, and seeks her out to confirm this, rejoining the League of Assassins. After she is proclaimed by Nyssa al Ghul as the "One Who Is All", the students of the League are split, half following Shiva, and the others Cassandra.
In the following confrontation, Cassandra is mortally wounded by her "adoptive brother", the Mad Dog, while heroically saving one of the students under her leadership. Shiva revives Cassandra in a Lazarus Pit, then answers Cassandra's questions about her parentage.
When Cassandra asked Shiva whether she was still killing, whether she would ever stop, Shiva says she was, and responds, "It's why I had you", so Cassandra agrees to fight her to the death once more.
After a closely matched battle, Cassandra manages to break Shiva's neck, paralyzing her. She appears ready to place Shiva in the Lazarus Pit, but Shiva pleads with her not to do so. Instead, Cassandra impales Shiva on a hook hanging over the pit, apparently killing her. Cassandra then abandons the identity of Batgirl and returns to her life as a wanderer.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Cassandra Cain
Publisher: DC
First appearance: Batman #567 (July 1999)
Created by: Kelley Puckett (Writer)
Damion Scott (Artist)
Cuesta asomar
ser parte de las horas
y estar creándote
sin desconocer que aquí
todo se juzga sin previas.
Para algunos serás sol
para otros tinieblas
y en la gran mayoría
aquello que convenga.
Lo cierto es
que muchos te verán
sin ropas y solo
una minoría en verdad
ha de conocerte desnudo.
Cuesta asomar
pero mucho mas aun
mantenerte en vos
sin caer
y entrar a girar.
Autor: Rauloscar
*********************
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series created in the 1960s. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed's most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and later Tara King (Linda Thorson). Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity. The Avengers ran from 1961 until 1969, screening as one hour episodes its entire run.
The pilot episode, "Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961.
The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 May 1969.
The Avengers was produced by ABC Television, a contractor within the ITV network. After a merger in July 1968 ABC Television became Thames Television, which continued production of the series although it was still broadcast under the ABC name. By 1969 The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. ITV produced a sequel series The New Avengers (1976–1977) with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners.
In 2007 The Avengers was ranked #20 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever
1961: With Dr David Keel (Ian Hendry)
The Avengers began in the episode Hot Snow, with medical doctor, Dr David Keel (Ian Hendry), investigating the murder of his fiancée and office receptionist Peggy by a drug ring. A stranger named John Steed, who was investigating the ring, appeared and together they set out to avenge her death in the first two episodes. Afterwards, Steed asked Keel to partner him as needed to solve crimes.
The Avengers followed Hendry's Police Surgeon, in which he played police surgeon Geoffrey Brent.[3] While Police Surgeon did not last long, viewers praised Hendry. Hendry was considered the star of the new series, receiving top billing over Macnee, and Steed did not appear in two episodes.
As the series progressed, Steed's importance increased, and he carried the final episode solo. While Steed and Keel used wit while discussing crimes and dangers, the series also depicted the interplay—and often tension—between Keel's idealism and Steed's professionalism. As seen in one of the two surviving episodes from the first series, "The Frighteners", Steed also had helpers among the population who provided information, similar to the "Baker Street Irregulars" of Sherlock Holmes.
The other regular in the first series was Carol Wilson (Ingrid Hafner), the nurse and receptionist who replaced the slain Peggy. Carol assisted Keel and Steed in cases, without being part of Steed's inner circle. Hafner had played opposite Hendry as a nurse in Police Surgeon.[3]
The series was shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup. There was little provision for editing and virtually no location footage (although the very first shot of the first episode consisted of location footage). As was standard practice at the time, videotapes of early episodes of The Avengers were reused. Of the first series, two complete episodes still exist, as 16 mm film telerecordings. One of the episodes remaining does not feature Steed. The first 15 minutes of the first episode also exists as a telerecording; the extant footage ends at the conclusion of the first act, prior to the introduction of John Steed.
The missing television episodes are currently being re-created for audio by Big Finish Productions under the title of The Avengers - The Lost Episodes[4] and star Julian Wadham as Steed, Anthony Howell as Dr. Keel and Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson.
1962–64: With Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) and Dr Martin King (Jon Rollason)
Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale
Production of the first series was cut short by a strike. By the time production could begin on the second series, Hendry had quit to pursue a film career. Macnee was promoted to star and Steed became the focus of the series, initially working with a rotation of three different partners. Dr Martin King (Jon Rollason), a thinly disguised rewriting of Keel, saw action in only three episodes produced from scripts written for the first series. King was intended to be a transitional character between Keel and Steed's two new female partners, but while the Dr. King episodes were shot first, they were shown out of production order in the middle of the season. The character was thereafter quickly and quietly dropped.
Nightclub singer Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) appeared in six episodes. She was a complete "amateur", meaning that she did not have any professional crime-fighting skills as did the two doctors. She was excited to be participating in a "spy" adventure alongside secret agent Steed (although at least one episode—"The Removal Men"—indicates she is not always enthusiastic). Nonetheless, she appears to be attracted to him and their relationship appears similar to that later displayed between Steed and Tara King. Her episodes featured musical interludes showcasing her singing performances. The character of Venus underwent some revision during her run, adopting more youthful demeanour and dress.
The first episode broadcast in the second series had introduced the partner who would change the show into the format for which it is most remembered. Honor Blackman played Dr Cathy Gale, a self-assured, quick-witted anthropologist who was skilled in judo and had a passion for wearing leather clothes.[5] Widowed during the Mau Mau years in Kenya, she was the "talented amateur" who saw her aid to Steed's cases as a service to her nation. Gale was said to have been born 5 October 1930 at midnight, and was raised in Africa. Gale was early-to-mid 30s during her tenure, in contrast to female characters in similar series who tended to be younger.
Gale was unlike any female character seen before on British TV and became a household name. Reportedly, part of her charm came from the fact that her earliest appearances were episodes in which dialogue written for Keel was simply transferred to her. Said series script writer Dennis Spooner "there's the famous story of how Honor Blackman played Ian Hendry's part, which is why they stuck her in leather and such—it was so much cheaper than changing the lines!"[6]
Venus Smith did not return for the third series and Cathy Gale became Steed's only regular partner. The series established a level of sexual tension between Steed and Gale, but the writers were not allowed to go beyond flirting and innuendo. Despite this the relationship between Steed and Gale was progressive for 1962–63. In "The Golden Eggs" it is revealed that Gale lived in Steed's flat; her rent according to Steed was to keep the refrigerator well-stocked and to cook for him (she appears to do neither). However, this was said to be a temporary arrangement while Gale looked for a new home, and Steed was sleeping at a hotel.
During the first series there were hints Steed worked for a branch of British Intelligence, and this was expanded in the second series. Steed initially received orders from different superiors, including someone referred to as "Charles", and "One-Ten" (Douglas Muir). By the third series the delivery of Steed's orders was not depicted on screen or explained. In "The Nutshell" the secret organisation to which Steed belongs is shown, and it is Gale's first visit to their HQ.
Small references to Steed's background were occasionally made. In series three's "Death of a Batman" it was said that Steed was with I Corps in World War II, and in Munich in 1945. In series four episode "The Hour That Never Was" Steed goes to a reunion of his RAF regiment.
A film version of the series was in its initial planning stages by late 1963 after series three was completed. An early story proposal paired Steed and Gale with a male and female duo of American agents, to make the movie appeal to the American market. Before the project could gain momentum Blackman was cast opposite Sean Connery in Goldfinger, requiring her to leave the series.
Series transformation
During the Gale era, Steed was transformed from a rugged trenchcoat-wearing agent into the stereotypical English gentleman (he had first donned bowler and carried his distinctive umbrella part way through the first season as 'The Frighteners' depicts), complete with Savile Row suit, bowler hat and umbrella with clothes later designed by Pierre Cardin. (The bowler and umbrella were soon changed to be full of tricks, including a sword hidden within the umbrella handle and a steel plate concealed in the hat.) These items were referred to in the French, German and Polish titles of the series, Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir ("Bowler hat and leather boots"), Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone ("With Umbrella, Charm and Bowler Hat") and Rewolwer i melonik ("A Revolver and a Bowler Hat"), respectively. With his impeccable manners, old world sophistication, and vintage automobiles, Steed came to represent the traditional Englishman of an earlier era.
By contrast his partners were youthful, forward-looking, and always dressed in the latest mod fashions. Gale's innovative leather outfits suited her many athletic fight scenes. Honor Blackman became a star in Britain with her black leather outfits and boots (nicknamed "kinky boots") and her judo-based fighting style. Macnee and Blackman even released a novelty song called "Kinky Boots". Some of the clothes seen in The Avengers were designed at the studio of John Sutcliffe who published the AtomAge fetish magazine.
Series script writer Dennis Spooner said that the series would frequently feature Steed visiting busy public places such as the main airport in London, without anyone else present in the scene. "'Can't you afford extras?' they'd ask. Well it wasn't like that; it's just that Steed had to be alone to be accepted. Put him in a crowd and he sticks out like a sore thumb! Let's face it, with normal people he's weird. The trick to making him acceptable is never to show him in a normal world, just fighting villains who are odder than he is!"[6]
1965–68: With Emma Peel (Diana Rigg)
In 1965 the show was sold to United States network, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The Avengers became one of the first British series to be aired on prime time U.S. television. The ABC network paid the then-unheard of sum of $2 million for the first 26 episodes. The average budget for each episode was reportedly £56,000, high for the British industry. The fourth series aired in the U.S. from March to December 1966.
Previously The Avengers had been shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup, with very little provision for editing and virtually no location footage. The U.S. deal meant that the producers could afford to start shooting the series on 35mm film. The use of film rather than videotape was essential, as British 405-line video was technically incompatible with the U.S. NTSC videotape format. Filmed productions were standard on U.S. prime time television at that time. The Avengers continued to be produced in black and white.
The transfer to film meant that episodes would be shot using the single camera setup, giving the production greater flexibility. The use of film production and the single camera production style allowed more sophisticated visuals and camera angles and more outdoor location shots, all of which greatly improved the look of the series. As was standard on British television filmed production through the 1960s, all location work on series four was shot mute with the soundtrack created in post production. Dialogue scenes were filmed in the studio, leading to some jumps between location and studio footage.
Diana Rigg as Mrs Emma Peel
New female partner Mrs Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) debuted in this series, in October 1965. The name of the character derived from a comment by writers, during development, that they wanted a character with "man appeal". In an early attempt to incorporate this concept into the character's name, she was called "Samantha Peel", shortened to the awkward "Mantha Peel".[7] Eventually the writers began referring to the idea by the verbal shorthand, "M. Appeal",[8] which gave rise to the character's ultimate name. Emma Peel, whose husband went missing while flying over the Amazon, retained the self-assuredness of Gale, combined with superior fighting skills, intelligence, and a contemporary fashion sense.
After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, the first choice to play the role was Elizabeth Shepherd. However, after filming one and a half episodes (the pilot; 'The Town of No Return' and part of 'The Murder Market'), Shepherd was released. Her on-screen personality was deemed less interesting than that of Blackman's Gale and it was decided she was not right for the role. Another 20 actresses were auditioned before the show's casting director suggested that producers Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell check out a televised drama featuring the relatively unknown Rigg (she had earlier guested in an episode of the TV show; 'The Sentimental Agent' that Clemens had written). Her screen test with Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together, and a new era in Avengers history began.
A prologue was added to the beginning of all the fourth series episodes for the American transmissions. This was to clarify some initial confusion audiences had regarding the characters and their mission. In the opener, a waiter holding a champagne bottle falls dead onto a human-sized chessboard; a dagger protruding from a target on his back. Steed and Mrs. Peel (dressed in her trademark leather catsuit) walk up to the body as the voice over explains: "Extraordinary crimes against the people, and the state, have to be avenged by agents extraordinary. Two such people are John Steed, top professional, and his partner Emma Peel, talented amateur. Otherwise known as The Avengers." During this voice over, Steed pours two drinks from the wine bottle and Mrs Peel replaces her gun in her boot. They clink glasses and depart together. Fade to black and then the opening titles proper begin.
Film location plate presented by ABC TV to the Stapleford Miniature Railway, which is still in use today
In contrast to the Gale episodes, there was a lighter, comic touch in Steed and Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier series had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Peel visibly enjoyed topping each other's witticisms. The layer of conflict with Gale – who on occasion openly resented being used by Steed, often without her permission – was absent from Steed's interaction with Peel. Also the sexual tension between Steed and Gale was not present with Peel. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners was left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they pleased and it was not uncommon for scenes to suggest Steed had spent the night at Gale's or Peel's home, or vice-versa. Although nothing "improper" was displayed, the obviously much closer chemistry between Steed and Peel constantly suggests intimacy between the two.
Science fiction fantasy elements (a style later known as Spy-fi) emerged in stories. The duo encountered killer robots ("The Cybernauts") and giant alien carnivorous plants ("The Man-Eater of Surrey Green").
In her fourth episode, "Death at Bargain Prices", Mrs Peel takes an undercover job at a department store. Her uniform for promoting space-age toys is an elaborate leather catsuit plus silver boots, sash, and welder's gloves. The suit minus the silver accessories became her signature outfit, which she wore primarily for fight scenes, in early episodes, and in the titles. There was a fetishistic undercurrent in some episodes. In "A Touch of Brimstone" Mrs Peel dressed in a dominatrix outfit of corset, laced boots and spiked collar to become the "Queen of Sin".
Peel's avant-garde fashions, featuring bold accents and high-contrast geometric patterns, emphasized her youthful, contemporary personality. She represented the modern England of the Sixties – just as Steed, with his vintage style and mannerisms, personified Edwardian era nostalgia. According to Macnee in his book The Avengers and Me, Rigg disliked wearing leather and insisted on a new line of fabric athletic wear for the fifth series. Alun Hughes, who had designed clothing for Diana Rigg's personal wardrobe, was suggested by the actress to design Emma Peel's "softer" new wardrobe. Pierre Cardin was brought in to design a new wardrobe for Macnee. In America, TV Guide ran a four-page photospread on Rigg's new "Emmapeeler" outfits (10–16 June 1967). Eight tight-fitting jumpsuits in a variety of bright colors were created using the stretch fabric crimplene.
Another memorable feature of the show from this point onwards was its automobiles. Steed's signature cars were vintage 1926–1928 Bentley racing or town cars, including Blower Bentleys and Bentley Speed Sixes (although, uniquely, in "The Thirteenth Hole" he drives a Vauxhall 30/98), while Peel drove a sporty Lotus Elan convertible which, like her clothes, emphasized her independence and vitality. During the first Peel series, each episode ended with a short, comedic scene of the duo leaving the scene of their most recent adventure in some unusual vehicle.
For this series Diana Rigg's stunt double was stuntman Billy Westley, Patrick Macnee's stunt double was Peter Clay.
Fifth series
After one filmed series (of 26 episodes) in black and white, The Avengers began filming in colour for the fifth series in 1966. It was three years before Britain's ITV network began full colour broadcasting.
This series was broadcast in the U.S. from January to May 1967. The American prologue of the previous series was rejigged for the colour episodes. It opened with the caption The Avengers In Color (required by ABC for colour series at that time). This was followed by Steed unwrapping the foil from a champagne bottle and Peel shooting the cork away. (Unlike the "chessboard" opening of the previous series, this new prologue was also included in UK broadcasts of the series.)
The first 16 episodes of the fifth series begin with Peel receiving a call-to-duty message from Steed: "Mrs Peel, we're needed." Peel was conducting her normal activities when she unexpectedly received a message on a calling card or within a delivered gift, at which point Steed suddenly appeared (usually in her apartment). The messages were delivered by Steed in increasingly bizarre ways as the series progressed: in a newspaper Peel had just bought, or on traffic lights while she was out driving. On one occasion Steed appeared on her television set, interrupting an old science-fiction movie (actually clips from their Year Four episode "The Cybernauts") to call her to work. Another way Steed contacted her was in the beginning of episode 13, "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station" when she enters her flat and sees a Meccano Percy the Small Engine going around a circular track with a note on one of the train cars that says "Mrs. Peel" in bold letters, she then walks over to Steed who says "you're needed". At the start of "The Hidden Tiger" Peel is redecorating her apartment (wearing a jumpsuit and drinking champagne); she peels off a strip of wallpaper, revealing the words "Mrs Peel" painted on the wall beneath. She turns to see Steed in the apartment removing another strip of wallpaper, revealing "We're needed" painted underneath on another wall. In another instance Emma enters Steed's flat to find he has just fallen down the stairs, and he painfully gasps, "Mrs Peel, you're needed." Often the episode's tag scene returned to the situation of the "Mrs Peel, we're needed" scene. "The Hidden Tiger" returns to the partially redecorated apartment where Steed begins painting a love heart and arrow and the initials of two people on the wall, but paints over the initials when Peel sees his graffito. In "The Superlative Seven" the call to duty and the tag both involve a duck shooting situation where unexpected items fall from the sky after shots are fired.
The series also introduced a comic tag line caption to the episode title, using the format of "Steed [does this], Emma [does that]." For example "The Joker" had the opening caption: "Steed trumps an ace, Emma plays a lone hand".('The Joker' was to a large extent a re-write colour episode of the earlier Cathy Gale b/w era story; 'Don't Look Behind You' as were a few other later episodes re-writes in colour of b/w era tales.)
The "Mrs Peel, we're needed" scenes and the alternate tag lines were dropped after the first 16 episodes, after a break in production, for financial reasons. They were deemed by the U.K. networks as disposable if The Avengers was to return to ITV screens. (Dave Rogers' book The Avengers Anew lists a set for every Steed/Peel episode except "The Forget-Me-Knot".)
Stories were increasingly characterised by a futuristic, science fiction bent, with mad scientists and their creations wreaking havoc. The duo dealt with being shrunk to doll size ("Mission... Highly Improbable"), pet cats being electrically altered into ferocious and lethal "miniature tigers" ("The Hidden Tiger"), killer automata ("Return of The Cybernauts"), mind-transferring machines ("Who's Who???"), and invisible foes ("The See-Through Man").
The series parodied its American contemporaries with episodes such as "The Girl From AUNTIE", "Mission... Highly Improbable" and "The Winged Avenger" (spoofing The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission: Impossible and Batman, respectively). The show still carried the basic format – Steed and his associate were charged with solving the problem in the space of a 50-minute episode, thus preserving the safety of 1960s Britain.
Comedy was evident in the names and acronyms of the organizations. For example, in "The Living Dead", two rival groups examine reported ghost sightings: FOG (Friends Of Ghosts) and SMOG (Scientific Measurement Of Ghosts). "The Hidden Tiger" features the Philanthropic Union for Rescue, Relief and Recuperation of Cats—PURRR—led by characters named Cheshire, Manx, and Angora.
The series also occasionally adopted a metafictional tone, coming close to breaking the fourth wall. In the series 5 episode "Something Nasty in the Nursery" Peel directly references the series' storytelling convention of having potentially helpful sources of information killed off just before she or Steed arrive. This then occurs a few minutes later. In the tag scene for the same episode, Steed and Peel tell viewers – indirectly – to tune in next week.
For this series Diana Rigg's stunt double was stuntwoman Cyd Child, though stuntman Peter Elliot doubled for Rigg in a stunt dive in "The Bird Who Knew Too Much".
Rigg's departure
Rigg was initially unhappy with the way she was treated by the show's producers. During her first series she learned she was being paid less than the camera man. She demanded a raise, to put her more on a par with her co-star, or she would leave the show. The producers gave in, thanks to the show's great popularity in the US.
At the end of the fifth series in 1967, Rigg left to pursue other projects. This included following Honor Blackman to play a leading role in a James Bond film, in this case On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Rigg and Macnee have remained lifelong friends.
1968–69: With Tara King (Linda Thorson)
Thorson and Macnee
When Diana Rigg left the series in October 1967, the British network executives decided that the current series formula, despite resulting in popular success, could not be pursued further. Thus they decided that a "return to realism" was appropriate for the sixth series (1968–69). Brian Clemens and Albert Fennel were replaced by John Bryce, producer of most of the Cathy Gale-era episodes.
Bryce had a difficult situation in hand. He had to find a replacement for Diana Rigg and shoot the first seven episodes of the new series, which were supposed to be shipped to America together with the last eight Emma Peel colour episodes.
Bryce signed his then-girlfriend, 20-year-old newcomer Linda Thorson, as the new female costar and chose the name "Tara King" for her character. Thorson played the role with more innocence in mind and at heart; and unlike the previous partnerships with Cathy and Emma, the writers allowed subtle hints of romance to blossom between Steed and King. King also differed from Steed's previous partners in that she was a fully fledged (albeit initially inexperienced) agent working for Steed's organisation; his previous partners had all been (in the words of the prologue used for American broadcasts of the first Rigg series) talented amateurs. Bryce wanted Tara to be blonde, so Thorson's brown hair was bleached. However the process badly damaged Thorson's hair, so she had to wear wigs for the first third of her episodes, until her own hair grew back. Her natural brown hair was not seen until the episode "All Done with Mirrors".
Production of the first seven episodes of the sixth series began. However financial problems and internal difficulties undermined Bryce's effort. He only managed to complete three episodes: "Invitation to a Killing" (a 90-minute episode introducing Tara King), "The Great, Great Britain Crime" (some of its original footage was reused in the 1969 episode "Homicide and Old Lace") and "Invasion of the Earthmen" (which survived relatively intact except for the scenes in which Tara wears a brown wig.)
After a rough cut screening of these episodes to studio executives, Bryce was fired and Clemens and Fennel were summoned back. At their return, a fourth episode called "The Murderous Connection" was in its second day of production. After revising the script, it was renamed as "The Curious Case of the Countless Clues" and production was resumed. Production of the episode "Split!", a leftover script from the Emma Peel colour series, proceeded. Two completely new episodes were also shot: "Get-A-Way", and "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers".
Dennis Spooner said of the event that "Brian left The Avengers for about three episodes, someone took over, and when Brian came back, it was in a terrible state. He was faced with doing a rewrite on a film they'd already shot." The episode had a story error where Steed leaves for a destination. The villains then realise this and pursue him – yet arrive there before Steed does. It was fixed by having a character ask Steed 'What took you so long?', to which he replies 'I came the pretty way'. "You can only do that on The Avengers you see. It was just my favourite show to work on."[10]
Clemens and Fennel decided to film a new episode to introduce Tara King. This, the third episode filmed for the sixth series, was titled "The Forget-Me-Knot" and bade farewell to Emma Peel and introduced her successor, a trained but inexperienced agent named Tara King. It would be broadcast as the first episode of the sixth series. Tara debuts in dynamic style: when Steed is called to Headquarters, he is attacked and knocked down by trainee agent King who mistakes him for her training partner.
No farewell scenes for Emma Peel had been shot when Diana Rigg left the series. Rigg was recalled for "The Forget-Me-Knot", through which Emma acts as Steed's partner as usual. Rigg also filmed a farewell scene for Emma which appeared as the tag scene of the episode. It was explained that Emma's husband, Peter Peel, was found alive and rescued, and she left the British secret service to be with him. Emma visits Steed to say goodbye, and while leaving she passes Tara on the stairway giving the advice that "He likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise." Steed looks out the window as a departing Emma enters the Bentley driven by Peter – who from a distance seems to resemble Steed (and was played by Patrick Macnee, wearing a bowler hat and umbrella).
Bryce's original episode introducing Tara, "Invitation to a Killing", was revised as a regular 60-minute episode named "Have Guns Will Haggle". These episodes, together with "Invasion of the Earthmen" and the last eight Peel colour episodes, were shipped to America in February 1968.
For this series the government official who gave Steed his orders was depicted on screen. Mother, introduced in "The Forget-Me-Knot", is a man in a wheelchair. The role was taken by Patrick Newell who had played different roles in two earlier episodes, most recently in series five. Mother's headquarters would shift from place to place, including one episode where his complete office was on the top level of a double-decker bus. (Several James Bond films of the 1970s would make use of a similar gimmick for Bond's briefings.)
Added later as a regular was Mother's mute Amazonian assistant, Rhonda (Rhonda Parker). There was one appearance by an agency official code-named "Father", a blind older woman played by Iris Russell. (Russell had appeared in the series several times previously in other roles.) In one episode, "Killer", Steed is paired with Lady Diana Forbes Blakeney (Jennifer Croxton) while King is on holiday.
Scriptwriter Dennis Spooner later reflected on this series. "When I wrote "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two Fellers", that was definitely the last series. They were going to make no more, so in that series we went right over the top; we went really weird, because they knew there weren't going to be any more."[11]
Spooner said the series "worked because it became a parody on itself, almost. You can only do that so long." Overall he attributes the success of the show to its light approach. "We spoofed everything, we took Mission: Impossible, Bad Day at Black Rock, High Noon, The Dirty Dozen, The Birds... we took them all. The film buffs used to love it. There were always lines in it that people knew what we were talking about."[11]
Vehicle wise, Steed continued to drive vintage green Bentleys in the first seven episodes in production. His regular transport for the remainder of the series were two yellow Rolls-Royce cars. Mother also occasionally appeared in silver Rolls-Royces. Tara King drove an AC 428 and a Lotus Europa. Lady Diana Forbes Blakeney drove an MGC Roadster.
The revised series continued to be broadcast in America. The episodes with Linda Thorson as King proved to be highly rated in Europe and the UK. In the United States however, the ABC network that carried the series chose to air it opposite the number one show in the country at the time, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Steed and King could not compete, and the show was cancelled in the US. Without this vital commercial backing, production could not continue in Britain either, and the series ended in May 1969. The final scene of the final episode ("Bizarre") has Steed and King, champagne glasses in hand, accidentally launching themselves into orbit aboard a rocket, as Mother breaks the fourth wall and says to the audience, "They'll be back!" before adding in shock, "They're unchaperoned up there!"
************************************************************************************
Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives, 1960