View allAll Photos Tagged Commitment
A trio of ex-United Counties Leyland Olympians are seen in a cannibalised state at Red Kite's Tilsworth yard on 24th August 2018 along with an ex-London Country North West / Luton and District example. G642 EVV is an Alexander bodied example with L672 HNV and L675 HNV both carrying Northern Counties bodies. G284 UMJ was new to London Country North West shortly before it's takeover by Luton and District but was an early sale by Arriva having now worked for Red Kite for longer than it did with LCNW / L&D / Arriva.
All four appear to now be withdrawn and will most likely be heading north to Barnsley in the coming months, if they have not done so already. At the end of August 2018 Red Kite ceased all of it's bus service work commitments and scaled back it's schools operation meaning a much reduced fleet.
For the second year in a row, in what is now becoming a tradition, I tacked a two day railfan trip on to the end of my Florida vacation. Since my gf had family commitments she left Richmond for home by train and air on Fri, and I rendezvoused with a good friend who came down from Northern VA and we headed out in pursuit of something photograph. We had discussed ideas in the weeks leading up to this weekend and bandied about a few things. Last year checked off my wish list of doing the RF&P in Ashland and then the old ACL North End Sub. I'd initially suggested heading toward Sand Patch as that has long been on my wish list but Adam suggested headed southwest toward Roanoke with an eye toward the last of the classic CPL signals and then just enjoying the heavy duty show on the Christianburg District.
With the CPLs having rapidly disappeared in the last few years and with only a few remaining on the south end of the Roanoke District I realized it was now or never if I wanted a few shots of them so the decision was made. We headed out Friday and thanks to another old friend in Atlanta with NS we had inside intel on what was out there on the wildly scenic but lightly trafficked H Line.
A brief history for those who perhaps aren't familiar. Norfolk Southern's modern day Roanoke District mainline is a historic former Norfolk and Western Railway route that was the original pre merger N&W's outlet to northern markets via connections with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Western Maryland. Formed in 1870 as the Shenandoah Valley Railroad with financial backing from the PRR the portion of the line from Shephardston to the Shenandoah River opened in 1879 followed by the extension north to Hagerstown in 1880 and south to Roanoke in 1882 marking completion of the 240 mile long route up the valley. Within a few years the company was bankrupt and after several years or legal and financial wrangling it became a part of the growing N&W system and has remained integral to it and its successor to this day.
Per Jeff Hawkins' wonderful site on all things Virginia railroading:
Due to the Pennsylvania Railroad's ownership stake in the N&W, the company began utilizing position light signals in the 1920's. The first position light signals were installed on the Shenandoah Division between Hagerstown and Shenandoah in February 1924. In December 1926 the remaining segment of the line to Roanoke was activated. In the early 1960's the N&W removed the center light and changed the lights around the outer perimeter to color bulbs, hence the term color position light signal.
Our first train of the day was NS 11T (loaded double stacked trash containers from Greencastle, PA to Uniontown, AL) behind a pair of rebuilt GE AC446Ms. They are seen passing the timetable location known as Pkin at MP H165.6 as they leave single track and diverge onto Main 1 for a stretch of double track extending 3.1 miles south to Vesuvius. While most of the CPLs south of here appeared to remain in service I'm not sure how many remain north to Shenandoah and beyond up the Hagerstown District...if any.
Rising beyond is the flank of 3640 ft. Cellar Mountain in the Northern Blue Ridge Mountains in the Saint Mary's Wilderness area of George Washington & Jefferson National Forest.
For a nice concise map of the Roanoke District I again reference Jeff Hawkins' resources:
www.railfanvirginia.com/NS Roanoke.htm
Near unincorporated Steeles Tavern
Augusta County, Virginia
Friday March 29, 2024
Context is everything. Clearly some people were confused by "the stripe" and also clearly, if you think I have the patience to carefully paint a neat stripe, you don't realise my commitment doesn't go that far.
So here is the slightly wider view.
Yes, Alaska Airlines has an anti-racism livery now. Here's the tail of which that I was able to catch from the SeaTac terminal.
PHOTO CREDIT: AvgeekJoe Productions, growlernoise-AT-gmail-DOT-com
Beautiful flowers at Reford Gardens.
CYCLOPS, 2016
Craig Chapple
Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
From the plaque:
Formerly trained as an architect at Yale University but with a deep commitment to creating art, Craig Chapple has pursued both architecture and the visual arts simultaneously throughout his career. Craig’s work is born from the synergy of these two disciplines, producing work that focuses on the overlap of the line, pattern, texture and process. He works in analog and digital practices in drawing, painting and sculpture.
Cyclops is a singular object on the landscape as well as a singular frame of the landscape. Made up of 25508-meter long tapering planks held in the shape of an inverted cone around a central opening for the user to occupy . These planks are fastened to each other at the innermost diameter and held upright by a 150 mm steal ring beam at the outer diameter.
At first approach, Cyclops is an object on the landscape, seen as a clear , platonic form. Through its transparency and porosity, however, it is an object one that is also dynamic and changing, blending with the environment.
By entering the central 1.5 m opening at the bottom of the cone, the user enters into a different relationship with the object and the landscape. By experiencing it from the inside-out, the object acts to frame the surrounding landscape and sky for the viewer in this same dynamic , temporal way by blending the man-made, platonic clarity of the frame with the organic and natural.
The viewer plays the central role of the work in rediscovering the relationship between the object, the frame and the natural landscape.
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From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
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Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
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LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
© Copyright
This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.
Imagine leaving home in daylight and using public transport to attend your specialist festival on the seafront. Much Respect given.
The Gillard Government made a commitment in 2010 to release all children from immigration detention by June 2011, but still 350 children languish in the harsh environment of immigration camps around Australia. The Refugee Action Collective organised a protest on July 9, 2011 outside the Melbourne Immigration Transit accommodation which is used for the detention of unaccompanied minors.
“Bowen said he would have all children out of detention by June but there are still over 350 kids locked up including just under 100 in Broadmeadows,” said Refugee Action Collective spokesperson Benjamin Solah in a July 8 media release. “It’s now July and there are still children locked up, being driven to attempt suicide and self harm whilst the government congratulates themselves on meeting a promise they didn’t actually meet.”
The Panavia Tornado emerged as the product of a consortium of European companies from the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy during the latter half of the Cold War years. The company was established as "Panavia Aircraft GmbH" and founded on March 29th, 1969, headquartered in Hallbergmoos, Bavaria, Germany (the group was originally to include The Netherlands). The aircraft was one of several famous ""swing wing" developments to appear during the period that included the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23/-27 "Flogger". The engines would come from the Turbo-Union consortium made up of Rolls-Royce, MTU and FiatAvio.
The Tornado was designed as a strike-oriented fighter that could operate from short and/or battle damaged runways at a time when World War 3 was a very real possibility across Europe. Indeed, the Tornado proved a very important part of the European deterrent during this time, intended to serve as a first-strike system should the Cold War ever have gone "hot". The Panavia Tornado has since seen operational service with Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
The initial prototype went airborne for the first time on August 14th, 1974 and production-quality forms were being delivered beginning in July of 1980. The radar was a Texas Instruments terrain following system with ground-mapping capabilities. Flight control was aided through a full fly-by-wire suite with center stick. Both crew positions held ejection seats. Navigation was by way of a digital Inertial Navigation System.
The Tornado line evolved through three major production variants during its service life, these becoming the strike-oriented Tornado IDS ("InterDictor / Strike"), the Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat / Reconnaissance) for countering enemy air defenses, and the Tornado ADV - the dedicated interceptor of the group. The IDS and ECR airframes were the two most closely related marks, sharing some 80% commonality in parts but it was the IDS mark that could be called on to deliver all manner of ordnance including guided missiles and bombs while providing its own defense through twin internal cannons and onboard countermeasures. All Tornado forms were two-seat offerings. The variable wing nature of the design allowed the aircraft to adjust its wing angle in-flight. This design decision allowed the airframe to main all of the qualities of low-speed handling as well as high-speed performance when needed. The wing assemblies could be manually (or automatically in some models) adjusted to reach angles of 25- to 67-degrees.
The Tornado IDS was given a thick fuselage with slab sides and a flat floor. The twin engine configuration (side-by-side) was aspirated through two large intake openings found at the sides of the aircraft. The crewmembers were seated in tandem with the pilot at front and systems officer at rear. The wings were swept along their leading and trailing edges - each sporting several hardpoints which also adjusted based on wing sweep (always facing forward). Additional hardpoints were found under the fuselage to broaden the aircraft's ordnance-carrying qualities considerably. The empennage consisted of a single vertical tail fin and swept horizontal tailplanes. The tricycle undercarriage was wholly retractable in the design.
The RAF took on initial stocks of IDS models as the Tornado GR.1 and these appeared in 1979 with laser-rangefinders fitted under the nose. They were also given down-rated engines and fixed intake openings. A reconnaissance-minded version then became the GR.1A outfitted with BAe Side-Looking InfraRed (SLIR) and the Vinten IR linescan system (sans internal cannons) while the GR.1B mark formed into a specialized anti-ship strike model (armed with 4 x "Sea Eagle" anti-ship missiles), these based on the preceding GR.1. Some 26 examples were modified as such and early versions lacked onboard tracking facilities (added later). An upgrade program spanning from 1996 to 2003 yielded the GR.4 (strike) and GR.4A (reconnaissance) of which 142 eventually existed. The GR.4 was born of a GR.1 modernization endeavor (mid-life upgrade) and this series arrived in 1994 while still in use today (February 2014). Introduced was an all-new HUD (Head-Up Display), improved Electronic CounterMeasures (ECMs) and improved avionics.
The GR.4 is powered by 2 x Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk 103 afterburning turbofan engines delivering 9,850lbs thrust dry and 17,270lbs thrust with reheat. Maximum speed is 1,500 miles per hour (approximately Mach 2.2) with a range out to 2,415 miles (ferry), a service ceiling of 50,000 feet and a rate-of-climb reaching 15,100 feet per minute. Standard armament includes 2 x 27mm Mauser BK-27 internal cannons along the fuselage sides and up to eleven hardpoints for missiles, bombs, fuel tanks and mission pods.
To date, the Tornado platform has been used during the Gulf War (1991), the Bosnian War (1992-1995), the Kosovo War (1998-1999), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001-present), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-present), the Libyan Civil War (2011) and in limited action over Yemen. Even today, the Tornado GR.4 mark remains an important portion of European strike firepower though its useful service life is approaching with stocks expected to be retired in full by the end of the decade.
In early 2015, it was announced that the service lives of RAF Tornado's would be extended due to the British commitment in Iraq against ISIS. Three squadrons will be retained until March of 2017 and the aircraft maintain many of the strike qualities and munitions support still lacking in the Typhoon aircraft. However the RAF are still committed to a 2019 retirement of its GR.4 stock. These will be succeeded by Eurofighter Typhoons fully-equipped with the Tornado's existing Air-to-Ground (AG) capabilities.
Olympus OM10/ 50mm f1.8
Fujifilm Superia 200
Evening hangout at Nasi Kandar Haji Ali. The taste of the rice with friend chicken poured with varieties of spicy kuah(soup) just made my evening. Nyum!
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
Beautiful flowers at Reford Gardens.
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
FROM THE PLAQUE:
CYCLOPS, 2016
Craig Chapple
Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Formerly trained as an architect at Yale University but with a deep commitment to creating art, Craig Chapple has pursued both architecture and the visual arts simultaneously throughout his career. Craig’s work is born from the synergy of these two disciplines, producing work that focuses on the overlap of the line, pattern, texture and process. He works in analog and digital practices in drawing, painting and sculpture.
Cyclops is a singular object on the landscape as well as a singular frame of the landscape. Made up of 255 8-meter long tapering planks held in the shape of an inverted cone around a central opening for the user to occupy . These planks are fastened to each other at the innermost diameter and held upright by a 150 mm steal ring beam at the outer diameter.
At first approach, Cyclops is an object on the landscape, seen as a clear , platonic form. Through its transparency and porosity, however, it is an object one that is also dynamic and changing, blending with the environment.
By entering the central 1.5 m opening at the bottom of the cone, the user enters into a different relationship with the object and the landscape. By experiencing it from the inside-out, the object acts to frame the surrounding landscape and sky for the viewer in this same dynamic , temporal way by blending the man-made, platonic clarity of the frame with the organic and natural.
The viewer plays the central role of the work in rediscovering the relationship between the object, the frame and the natural landscape.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit : www.refordgardens.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Wikipedia:
Elsie Stephen Meighen - born January 22, 1872, Perth, Ontario - and Robert Wilson Reford - born in 1867, Montreal - got married on June 12, 1894.
Elsie Reford was a pioneer of Canadian horticulture, creating one of the largest private gardens in Canada on her estate, Estevan Lodge in eastern Québec. Located in Grand-Métis on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, her gardens have been open to the public since 1962 and operate under the name Les Jardins de Métis and Reford Gardens.
Born January 22, 1872 at Perth, Ontario, Elsie Reford was the eldest of three children born to Robert Meighen and Elsie Stephen. Coming from modest backgrounds themselves, Elsie’s parents ensured that their children received a good education. After being educated in Montreal, she was sent to finishing school in Dresden and Paris, returning to Montreal fluent in both German and French, and ready to take her place in society.
She married Robert Wilson Reford on June 12, 1894. She gave birth to two sons, Bruce in 1895 and Eric in 1900. Robert and Elsie Reford were, by many accounts, an ideal couple. In 1902, they built a house on Drummond Street in Montreal. They both loved the outdoors and they spend several weeks a year in a log cabin they built at Lac Caribou, south of Rimouski. In the autumn they hunted for caribou, deer, and ducks. They returned in winter to ski and snowshoe. Elsie Reford also liked to ride. She had learned as a girl and spent many hours riding on the slopes of Mount Royal. And of course, there was salmon-fishing – a sport at which she excelled.
In her day, she was known for her civic, social, and political activism. She was engaged in philanthropic activities, particularly for the Montreal Maternity Hospital and she was also the moving force behind the creation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, the first women club in Canada. She believed it important that the women become involved in debates over the great issues of the day, « something beyond the local gossip of the hour ». Her acquaintance with Lord Grey, the Governor-General of Canada from 1904 to 1911, led to her involvement in organizing, in 1908, Québec City’s tercentennial celebrations. The event was one of many to which she devoted herself in building bridges with French-Canadian community.
During the First World War, she joined her two sons in England and did volunteer work at the War Office, translating documents from German into English. After the war, she was active in the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Montreal Council of Social Agencies, and the National Association of Conservative Women.
In 1925 at the age of 53 years, Elsie Reford was operated for appendicitis and during her convalescence, her doctor counselled against fishing, fearing that she did not have the strength to return to the river.”Why not take up gardening?” he said, thinking this a more suitable pastime for a convalescent woman of a certain age. That is why she began laying out the gardens and supervising their construction. The gardens would take ten years to build, and would extend over more than twenty acres.
Elsie Reford had to overcome many difficulties in bringing her garden to life. First among them were the allergies that sometimes left her bedridden for days on end. The second obstacle was the property itself. Estevan was first and foremost a fishing lodge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to a salmon river and its dramatic views – not for the quality of the soil.
To counter-act nature’s deficiencies, she created soil for each of the plants she had selected, bringing peat and sand from nearby farms. This exchange was fortuitous to the local farmers, suffering through the Great Depression. Then, as now, the gardens provided much-needed work to an area with high unemployment. Elsie Reford’s genius as a gardener was born of the knowledge she developed of the needs of plants. Over the course of her long life, she became an expert plantsman. By the end of her life, Elsie Reford was able to counsel other gardeners, writing in the journals of the Royal Horticultural Society and the North American Lily Society. Elsie Reford was not a landscape architect and had no training of any kind as a garden designer. While she collected and appreciated art, she claimed no talents as an artist.
Elsie Stephen Reford died at her Drummond Street home on November 8, 1967 in her ninety-sixth year.
In 1995, the Reford Gardens ("Jardins de Métis") in Grand-Métis were designated a National Historic Site of Canada, as being an excellent Canadian example of the English-inspired garden.(Wikipedia)
Visit : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Reford
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LES JARDINS DE MÉTIS
Créés par Elsie Reford de 1926 à 1958, ces jardins témoignent de façon remarquable de l’art paysager à l’anglaise. Disposés dans un cadre naturel, un ensemble de jardins exhibent fleurs vivaces, arbres et arbustes. Le jardin des pommetiers, les rocailles et l’Allée royale évoquent l’œuvre de cette dame passionnée d’horticulture. Agrémenté d’un ruisseau et de sentiers sinueux, ce site jouit d’un microclimat favorable à la croissance d’espèces uniques au Canada. Les pavots bleus et les lis, privilégiés par Mme Reford, y fleurissent toujours et contribuent , avec d’autres plantes exotiques et indigènes, à l’harmonie de ces lieux.
Created by Elsie Reford between 1926 and 1958, these gardens are an inspired example of the English art of the garden. Woven into a natural setting, a series of gardens display perennials, trees and shrubs. A crab-apple orchard, a rock garden, and the Long Walk are also the legacy of this dedicated horticulturist. A microclimate favours the growth of species found nowhere else in Canada, while the stream and winding paths add to the charm. Elsie Reford’s beloved blue poppies and lilies still bloom and contribute, with other exotic and indigenous plants, to the harmony of the site.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Gouvernement du Canada – Government of Canada
© Copyright
This photo and all those in my Photostream are protected by copyright. No one may reproduce, copy, transmit or manipulate them without my written permission.
GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool North Pathway, NW, Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
This is inside a very old church in Fremont , Mission San Jose Church. I really love the flow of bokeh on the left ( the alter)
***HBW***
White poppies for Remembrance Day? Why? Remembering the Causes and Costs of War - Back in 1933, the Women's co-operative Guild in England chose to wear white poppies to symbolize their commitment to work for peace and to end their complicity with militarism. The tradition is being adopted in many other communities now too. Many people are choosing to wear red poppies to remember veterans and white poppies to renew their commitment to work for peace and to remember the true costs and causes of war:
Digital image taken with a Lumix GX7 fronted with an Olympus M. Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 lens
Editing done via Photoshop Elements 12 with Topaz Labs plug ins
Found and admired during the All Corvette Car Show at Calvary Church in St. Peters, Missouri, USA
Stephen O'Brien, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, addresses the ‘Inside Syria' pledging session at the Supporting Syria conference.
The conference has raised $11 billion in aid for the humanitarian crisis, as well as commitments to support 1.7 million children in education and deliver 1.1 million jobs across the region.
BACKGROUND
The Supporting Syria and the Region conference is taking place in London, today on 4 February 2016.
It brings together world leaders in a bid to raise the money needed to help the millions of people whose lives have been torn apart by the devastating civil war in Syria.
Syria is the world's biggest humanitarian crisis. Billions of dollars in international aid are needed to support people caught up in the conflict.
The UK, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Nations are co-hosting the conference to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected.
The conference is also setting ambitious goals on education and economic opportunities to transform the lives of refugees caught up in the Syrian crisis - and to support the countries hosting them.
This event alone cannot solve all these problems. Ultimately a political solution is necessary to bring the Syrian conflict to an end.
Find out more: www.supportingsyria2016.com
FREE-TO-USE PHOTO
This image is in the public domain and free-to-use, as long as you credit the source as: Rob Thom/Crown Copyright
These are my summer commitments. 9 Sketchbooks to fill end to end.
The top four moleskines are already started and just need finishing.
The botttom five, thinner Moleskines on the left and Japanese accordions to the right are still blank.
www.arqueologiadelperu.com/in-rare-interview-colombian-re...
Bogotá, Colombia (AP) – In a landmark television interview, the rarely-seen leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reaffirmed the commitment of Latin America's oldest insurgency to abandon the battlefield even while shying from a six-month deadline to sign a final peace accord.
Rodrigo Londoño said he has always considered himself an "enemy" of putting artificial dates on negotiations, fearing it could backfire against the rebels if a target is missed. But he said he eventually was persuaded to put aside those objections and join Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in making a pledge to reach a final deal by March because he trusts the president, whom he called an "ally of peace."
"If there's political will, we can do it earlier, but six months may also be too short," Londoño said in his first interview since peace talks began in Cuba three years ago.
The interview aired Tuesday night was as significant for its very existence as for any revelations made by the normally secretive Londoño, who is better known by the alias Timochenko.
Until last week, when he shook hands with President Santos in Havana to announce a breakthrough agreement on the thorny issue of punishment for war crimes during a half-century of fighting, the veteran guerrilla commander had been something of a sphinx to Colombians. When he was seen at all, it was only in videotaped messages from the jungle battlefield dressed in military fatigues and railing against Colombia's U.S.-backed "oligarchy."
But in a speech alongside Santos and again in the interview aired Tuesday with Venezuelan-based network Telesur, Londoño tired to cast a softer image, wearing a white guayabera shirt and sporting his trademark salt-and-pepper beard neatly groomed.
In a heavily edited conversation with a leftist former Colombian senator, Piedad Cordoba, Londoño reminisced about his decision to run off with the rebels while still a teenager 40 years ago. And he spoke of a desire to one day return to the coffee-growing town where he was raised by a peasant communist father and devout Catholic mother.
Asked if he would ask the FARC's many victims for forgiveness, Londoño said tactical "errors" in the heat of battle were made on all sides, but that he had nothing to apologize for.
"Whoever asks for forgiveness it's because they regret something, and I don't regret anything," he said.
Without presenting any proof or details, he said the FARC early in the peace process had had the opportunity to assassinate Santos but desisted from carrying out an attack because the group's then-leader, alias Alfonso Cano, was against provoking more bloodshed while dialogue was underway. Cano was later killed in a military air attack.
Londoño said he is no longer dedicating energy to warfare and in the spirit of reconciliation would even meet with former President Alvaro Uribe, a harsh critic of the talks whose U.S.-backed military offensive last decade decimated the FARC's ranks.
The rebel leader also played down speculation that some of the FARC's estimated 6,500 troops would not adhere to a peace accord. Critics say many former fighters will dedicate themselves to drug trafficking and extortion, lucrative activities the group uses to fund its insurgency, instead of handing over their weapons for an uncertain future in which they'll be required to confess their abuses to special tribunals.
"I give you my full assurances, that there's not a single guerrilla, neither commander or combatant, that's in disagreement," said Londoño.
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I made a COMMITMENT to this man and I love him to the moon and back. We made a PROMISE to each other 30 years ago and I can GUARANTEE it hasn't been easy but our GOAL was to live our lives loving God and loving one another and we have had a blast doing just that. Thank you God!! Here's to 30 more! from 1 Corinthians 13
In Dominican Republic hundreds of people in white gathered to raise their
voices and commitment to the climate crisis. The message conveyed was the
threat of sea level rise to an island nation as Dominican Republic and was
part of one of the 350 EARTH events happening worldwide, a week before the
climate negotiations. This day, November 21st, will always be remembered as
the day that Dominicans came together for Planet Earth, our only home.
Photo Credit & Copywright: Marvin del Cid
mdelcid@gmail.com
--
Lic. Vanessa A. T. Dalmau
Santo Domingo
Rep. Dom.
350dominicana.org | skype: x0xangelinax0x | cell: +1 809 610 4346 |
twitter: xangelinax
Paper= - Trees + Waste. Please consider the environment before printing this
email.
Papel= - Arboles + Basura. Porfavor considera al medio ambiente antes de
imprimir este correo.
No school due to snow...check
Boys down for a nap...check
Ginger at school working out...check
OK, turn on the soundtrack to The Commitments, it's time to dance!
(I'm not allowed to dance in front of Ginger...she finds it embarrassing...)
To me commitment is being with someone and trusting that no matter what happens they will be there for you. You must trust them unconditionally, and believe that no matter what path they take you on, you'll always be safe and have each other.
Publication history
Marvel Comics' first Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, first appeared in the medieval-adventure series Black Knight #1–5 (cover-dated May 1955–April 1956) from Atlas Comics, the 1950s precursor to Marvel Comics.
Sir Percy's descendant, Professor Nathan Garrett, debuted as the modern-day supervillain Black Knight in Tales to Astonish #52 (Feb. 1964). This villainous Black Knight appeared in The Avengers #6, #14–15 (July 1964, March–April 1965), and in the feature "Iron Man" in Tales of Suspense #73 (Jan. 1966), in which he was mortally wounded.
Dane Whitman, Garrett's nephew, made his first appearance in The Avengers #47 (Dec. 1967) and became a heroic version of the Black Knight in the subsequent issue. Whitman sporadically appeared with the Avengers until becoming a core member, regularly appearing in #252–300 (1985–1989) and #329–375 (1991–1994).
Dane Whitman
Dane Whitman, known as the Black Knight, embodies a legacy steeped in honor, chivalry, and a complex relationship with a cursed legacy.
Stemming from a long line of knights, Dane grapples with the burden of a dark family history intertwined with the mystical Ebony Blade, a weapon passed down through generations.
He is a descendant of Sir Percy of Scandia, Dane took on the mantle of the Black Knight to redeem his family's name tainted by his villainous uncle, Nathan Garrett.
As the Black Knight Dane relied on his intellect, combat skills, and the mystical powers of the Ebony Blade to battle evil and safeguard the world.
His journey as the Black Knight sees him navigating a world filled with both medieval lore and contemporary challenges.
Dane has often found himself entangled in epic conflicts, confronting magical threats, and forming alliances with various superheroes across the world.
Throughout his tenure, Dane has experienced personal turmoil, struggling with the temptations and consequences of wielding the Ebony Blade, which at times has led him down a darker path. He constantly seeks to balance the noble intentions behind his heroism with the potential corruption posed by the cursed weapon.
Dane's connections within the superhero community have expanded, fostering alliances with groups like the Avengers and relationships with individuals such as Sersi and Captain Britain.
Despite grappling with personal demons and the weight of his legacy, Dane Whitman's commitment to honor, bravery, and heroism remains a defining aspect of his character as the Black Knight.
History
Early Life
As a young man, Dane Whitman fell in love with Ashima Chopra, who developed terminal cancer. Dane planned to visit her in the hospital and propose, but lost his nerve and fell out of touch. Refusing treatment, Ashima died within a year, after secretly giving birth to a baby girl, Jackie.
Becoming the Black Knight
As an adult, Dane inherited his uncle Nathan Garrett's castle. He was unaware that his uncle had been the villainous Black Knight until finding notes and inventions. Eventually he came upon the Ebony Blade. Passing its test, Sir Percival explained the history of the blade and its curse.
Taking the weapon Dane decided to be a hero, joining the Masters of Evil just as his uncle did, but with the intent of infiltrating them from within. This he did to aid the Avengers, but they did not trust him until he later assisted them against Kang the Conqueror.
Crusades and Otherworld
Dane later fought alongside the Defenders against the Enchantress, but was apparently turned to stone by her. The Valkyrie took possession of the Knight's Ebony Blade and his winged horse, Aragorn, and Dr. Strange took custody of his petrified form.
The Defenders later attempted to restore him using the Evil Eye of Avalon. They discovered, however, that Whitman's spirit had been transported back in time to the 12th Century where it now inhabited the body of his own ancestor, Eobar Garrington.
Whitman declined to return to the present day with the Defenders, and Valkyrie returned his sword to him; Whitman allowed her to keep the horse.
Later, however, he was equipped with a new flying horse named Valinor and transported (still in Garrington's body) to the present day by the mage Merlyn, to carry out a special mission.
Sent to find the amnesiac hero Captain Britain, Whitman then traveled with him to Otherworld to battle the evil Mordred and his master, the demonic Necromon, and save Camelot (at some point during the course of this quest, both heroes were briefly abducted by the Grandmaster to participate in his 'Contest of Champions').
After this mission was concluded, Whitman was returned to the 12th Century, though he did briefly travel forward again to attend Merlyn's funeral.
Back in the past, he protected the mystical island of Avalon from the demonic Fomor, until Garrington's body was eventually destroyed during a battle involving the time-traveling Avengers. Whitman's spirit returned to his original body, which became flesh and blood again.
Avengers
Dane served several tours of duty with the Avengers. While a member, his scientific knowledge came to be useful, especially when such minds as Iron Man and Hank Pym were not on the roster.
He began his first extended membership with the team shortly after Vision stepped down as chairperson.
Dane participated in the siege on Avengers Mansion by the Masters of Evil (during which he was captured and beaten by Mister Hyde). Despite his injuries, Dane remained with the team after the membership shakeup that followed.
The curse of the Ebony Blade reasserted itself after the Avengers' associate member Marrina went insane and became the enormous Leviathan. Her husband Namor used the Ebony Blade to slay Marrina, reactivating the Knight's curse.
Dane began to physically transform into an extension of the blade, his body seizing up until he required an exoskeleton to move it.
After the Avengers disbanded, the Black Knight joined Thor in defense of Asgard from the invasion of the Egyptian Death God known as Seth, but his curse finally took hold and the Knight was trapped as an inanimate statue once again.
Returned to his ancestral castle, Dane's statue was tended to by Victoria Bentley. She attempted a spell to restore him to life, but inadvertently summoned the spirit of the original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia, in his place.
After a series of adventures, Sir Percy abdicated Dane's body, taking the Ebony Blade's curse with him and restoring Whitman to his own body. Sir Percy had taken a squire named Sean Dolan, who Dane kept as his own.
The Black Knight returned to the Avengers after this, first as a reserve substitute, and later as a full member.
The curse of the Ebony Blade became too dangerous, and Dane eventually abandoned it choosing to use a technological weapon instead.
He was involved in Operation Galactic Storm, during which he was part of Captain America's team, sent to the Kree Empire. At the end of that mission, Dane was among the Avengers who followed Iron Man to execute the Kree Supreme Intelligence, and was, in fact, the one who struck the mortal blow.
While Dane would be away with the Avengers, Victoria Bentley retained ownership of the castle so he would not lose it. She could easily watch over the property as it neighbored hers.
However, Dane's former squire became possessed by the Ebony Blade and turned into the Bloodwraith. The Bloodwraith accidentally killed Victoria during a duel between the Bloodwraith, Dane, and Deadpool.
At this time, Dane also found himself in a love triangle with Crystal and Sersi. At first, he pursued a relationship with Sersi, as Crystal and her estranged husband, Pietro, attempted to reconcile, even becoming Sersi's "Gann Josin", establishing a powerful psychic link which was meant to help Sersi maintain control in troubled times.
Still, after Crystal and Pietro relationship seemingly reached the point of no return, he confessed his feelings for Crystal and the two kissed. However, Luna's kidnapping brought Pietro and Crystal closer again, so, after Proctor (an evil alternate version of Dane) was finally defeated, Sersi felt she was too dangerous and had to exile herself, and Dane went along with her, leaving Crystal behind.
Ultraverse
The two eventually ended up in the Ultraverse. Dane became a member of the local heroes known as UltraForce.
During a reality-shredding event known as Black September, the Avengers and UltraForce joined forces against Loki and the combined sentient power of the Infinity Gems. In the aftermath, Dane remained in the Ultraverse as the new leader of UltraForce.
After leading UltraForce for several months, Dane had the opportunity to return to Earth-616 after an alien invasion. He took the chance and passed through a portal leading back home.
At one point, Dane appeared in Crystal's mirror, telling her they needed help, but this was only witnessed by her daughter, Luna.
Exodus
While Dane was in the body of his ancestor Eobar Garrington during the Crusades, he met the knight Bennet du Paris, who became Exodus shortly after.
This explained why Dane felt Exodus was somehow familiar when they 'first' met in Genosha sometime earlier.
Heroes for Hire
Sersi was later able to transport herself and Dane back to the present. Their 'Gann Josin' had apparently been broken and they had gone their separate ways aside from acting as reservist Avengers. Dane joined Luke Cage's Heroes for Hire shortly after his return.
Not long after his return to Earth, the Lady of the Lake appeared to Dane, telling him he was destined to become Avalon's champion. She presented him with a new armor as well as the Shield of Night and the Sword of Light.
While working with Heroes for Hire Dane came across the High Evolutionary's Knights of Wundagore and agreed to train them. It was at this time that Dane acquired one of their "atomic steeds."
Excalibur and Avengers
Dane briefly joined an Excalibur team who helped Captain Britain to become the new monarch of Otherworld. For a time he served sporadically as a member of the Avengers and was present when they disbanded.
Later, Dane had returned to Garrett Castle and converted it into a museum. Dane suddenly switched bodies with the original Black Knight, Sir Percy of Scandia.
The investigating new Excalibur team found an ancient scroll in Percival's tomb showing the team as the saviors of Camelot.
Traveling back to the era of King Arthur, Whitman met Percy and helped his ancestor, King Arthur, and Merlin defeat the dragons plaguing the kingdom (revealing the "dragons" to be Makluans in the process) and returned to the present. After assisting Excalibur in tracking down Juggernaut in Korea and returning him to the team, Whitman left in search of his real Ebony Blade.
Secret Invasion
Recently returned to England, Whitman appeared to be wielding the original Blade again (actually a fake created by Dracula), using it to slaughter invading Skrulls during the Secret Invasion. Dane also was revealed to have a literal stone heart, given to him by Sersi to keep him "above it all" and uninvolved.
During the invasion, Dane made his way through London protecting innocents and in doing so saved the life of civilian doctor Faiza Hussain. Faiza fought alongside Dane against the Skrull army and their champion, Super-Skrull, until Dane was incapacitated and a newly resurrected Captain Britain came to their rescue.
While Captain Britain fought Super-Skrull, Faiza attempted to heal a dying Black Knight with her newfound abilities, and Dane - under the belief that he was on his deathbed - dubbed her his steward. Captain Britain was able to defeat the Super Skrull, Faiza healed Dane once magic returned to England and the Skrull Invasion in England came to an end; but not without revealing the new wielder of Excalibur to be Faiza.
Insanity and Euroforce
He slowly started to become insane because of the power of the Ebony Blade.
After encountering a fake Savage Steel robbing a bank, he brutally beat the criminal, even costing him an eye and leaving him in a coma.
After the Watcher's death and the release of the secrets buried in his eye, his attack on Savage Steel was revealed to Rebecca Stevens, a historian investigating the Blade who he previously met. She told him that the past users of the Blade had all fallen insane and offered help, but he refused. Later, he was recruited to lead the new Euroforce as a "temporal adjustment".
Journey on Weirdworld
Black Knight had fled to Weirdworld after killing Carnivore when losing control over the Ebony Blade as it increased in power.
There, he murdered King Zaltin Tar to establish New Avalon and built an army of Amazons, Demon Dogs, Giants, Ice Swarms, Thunder & Lightning Dragons, Tribbitites, and Underwater Apes with the help of Shield and Spear.
The army was formed in anticipation of the arrival of the Avengers Unity Division seeking to bring him to justice.
When the Avengers Unity Division arrived, they encountered Black Knight and his army, ultimately separating him from the Ebony Blade, so that he could be apprehended.
Later, commander Steve Rogers realized that the people of New Avalon relied upon Dane Whitman, and after defending the kingdom from the Fangs of the Serpent, Rebecca Stevens negotiated a compromise whereby Dane would remain in Weirdworld with her.
Hydra splinter groups started to form all over the world and several superhero teams were gathered to stop Hydra from going any further.
Meanwhile, Dane Whitman returned to Europe to help Euroforce battle Hydra, but he was apprehended alongside several teammates, remaining imprisoned until the Champions of Europe arrived and freed them.
On another occasion, Dane answered the call to join the Avengers battling the threat of the Empyre led Cotati.
Enter the Phoenix
When the cosmic force known as the Phoenix Force returned to Earth, it staged a contest to determine its next host, and Black Knight was one of many individuals summoned to the White Hot Room for it.
The Phoenix empowered the assembled champions and had them fight each other in trials by combat.
Dubbing himself the Phoenix Knight, Dane was pitted against the mysterious Red Widow in Stonehenge. However, Black Knight was quickly overpowered by his opponent and was defeated.
King in Black and Curse of the Ebony Blade
Depressed and resentful that the Avengers viewed him as a madman, Dane doubled down on his conviction that the Ebony Blade was responsible for his fits of rage.
When the dark god Knull assailed the Earth with his horde of symbiotes, Dane was among the Avengers-adjacent heroes contacted. En route to Manhattan he was attacked by a symbiote-dragon sent by Knull to claim the Ebony Blade, crash landing in Shanghai, China.
Losing his grip on the Ebony Blade, Dane encountering Aero and Swordmaster while searching for it, and was angered by their disdain towards him.
When Swordmaster refused to help save the civilians after learning the symbiotes were not minions of his nemesis, the dark god Chiyou, his divine weapon - the Sword of Fu Xi - forsook him for Dane.
Lapsing into a berserk state, Dane hacked a symbiote dragon to shreds, maniacally declaring that the Sword of Fu Xi belonged to him now.
As Swordmaster tried to take the divine sword back, one of the symbiotes latched onto them and connected them psychically to Knull, who revealed to Dane the truth of the Ebony Blade - that the sword's curse was not responsible for his family's history of mental instability and bloodlust, but it fed off their inner darkness and could only be wielded by a person consumed by evil.
Knull declared his intent to claim both the Ebony Blade and the Sword of Fu Xi for himself, manifesting an avatar in the shape of Chiyou to mock Swordmaster.
The Sword of Fu Xi rejected Dane as its wielder and returned to Swordmaster, leaving Dane devastated to learn his whole life had been a lie. Sensing his despair, the Ebony Blade returned to him, and Dane ultimately decided to channel his inner darkness to put a stop to Knull's invasion.
At some point around this time, Dane learned about the existence of his daughter, Jacks.
Deciding to approach the relationship slowly to "soften the blow", Dane reached out to her academically to discuss her thesis in Arthurian mythology.
Mordred, seeking to claim the Ebony items for himself, killed Dane and tried to take the sword before being chased away by the Avengers, and Dane was later resurrected by the Ebony Blade.
While Dane confronted Percy for the truth of the Ebony Blade, Elsa Bloodstone attacked him - having been tracking Mordred to obtain a Bloodstone in his possession.
Dane, Elsa, and Jacks tracked down the missing Ebony Chalice to the mystical realm of Listeneise, repelling Mordred when he attempted to claim the goblet and sword.
Drinking from the Chalice, Dane learned that Merlin had masterminded the downfall of Camelot, manipulating Arthur and Mordred, and had Percy assassinated in hopes of covering up Camelot's dark secret with the sanitized narratives that became Arthurian lore.
Informed of Mordred's plan to forge the Ebony Shield, Ebony Dagger, and Ebony Chalice into an Ebony Crown, Dane cast aside the Ebony Blade and let Mordred fatally wound him.
When Jacks took up the Ebony Blade, her connection to Dane was revealed and she used her rage to kill Mordred.
Resurrected by the Ebony Crown, Dane reforged it into the Ebon Siege - which gave dark portents to those who sat in it. Expecting Jacks to reject him as her father, Dane was shocked when she instead offered to lessen the burden of the Ebony Blade's curse by sharing the moniker of the Black Knight with him.
Abilities
Gifted Scientist: Whitman started out as a scientist, though specializing in physics (having earned a Master's degree in physics), he is proficient in a wide array of advanced sciences and technologies, including genetic and mechanical engineering; and continues to approach things from a scientific perspective more often than not, despite his ties to the world of magic.
Expert Swordsman: Whitman is an excellent swordsman whose skills have allowed him to best the Swordsman in combat.
Skilled Martial Artist: He is an excellent fighter, able to hold his own against such highly skilled fighters as Captain America and Wolverine.
Expert Horseman: He is also an expert horseman.
Magical Knowledge: Whitman has become somewhat familiar with magic.
Skilled Tactician & Strategist: He has also demonstrated good leadership skills as leader of both the Avengers and UltraForce. He has strong strategic and tactical skills.
Equipment
Dane wears protective armor, apparently of elven design. He also possesses a necklace that can contain his armor, sword, and shield and reappear whenever he says Avalon.
Brazier of Truth: Magical flame in Garrett Castle.
Weapons
Originally after taking up the mantle of Black Knight, Dane took to wielding his uncles Power Lance as a personal armament. Using it with the same expertise as its original creator did every now and then.
Dane currently wields the Ebony Blade as it has been gifted back to him by Storm.[60][43] In addition, he also owns a few replicas of the Ebony Blade that are stated to be nearly as powerful and just as dangerous.
He formerly used a Photon Sword and the Sword of Light and the Shield of Night, and for a time (while in the service of Merlyn) carried Excalibur after the temporary destruction of the Ebony Blade.
Transportation
Dane normally rides the white-winged horse, Strider, a gift from the Lady of the Lake. He formerly rode Valinor, whom he acquired while in the 12th century. While training the Knights of Wundagore, Dane used one of their 'atomic steeds.' His first white-winged horse was Aragorn, whom he gifted to Valkyrie.
While he used the Ebony Blade, Dane could be summoned to it regardless of location through the use of a ritual.
Notes
The Black Knight was one of the characters featured in Series A of the Marvel Value Stamps (#97)issued in the 1970s.
On the 50 state variant covers of U.S.Avengers #1, Black Knight was assigned as the Avenger of Ohio.
Trivia
Bloodwraith is his former Squire, Sean Dolan.
Dane Whitman was created by Roy Thomas, who was inspired by the original Black Knight.
Dane's telephone number in England was 01-552-8210.
⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽
_____________________________
A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.
Secret Identity: Dane Whitman
Publisher: Marvel
First appearance: The Avengers #47 (December 1967)
Created by: Roy Thomas (Writer)
John Buscema (Artist)
We have a small suburban back yard, but it still takes somewhat of a commitment to maintain it as a pleasant place to spend time. I have 8 rose bushes, a small lemon tree, vines, succulents, azaleas, camellias, lavender, lilies, hanging flower bowls, asparagus ferns, bower vines, star jasmine, 3 planter boxes with vegetables and herbs, one very tall pittosporum tree, one bird feeder and 2 hummingbird feeders. And thank goodness no lawn !
This is Vegas, and we’re obviously about that EDM life. But instead of tattooing it on our tightly sculpted derrières, we’re commemorating our undying commitment with a 40-foot tribute to the way it makes us feel. Ladies and gentlemen, meet 7,500 pounds of stainless steel, swaying to the beat, Bliss Dance.
Created by artist Marco Cochrane over the course of a year and a half (we can’t even commit to going to the gym for that long), she represented the feminine energy he experienced at the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert. A little place we like to call “the middle of effing nowhere.”
Cochrane’s team of rock star welders worked with hand-cut steel rod before 3,000 LED lights – you read that correctly – 3,000 LED lights were installed to illuminate the statue from the inside. Hopefully, the symbolization of a woman glowing from within didn’t just go over your head.
In a collaborative approach to creativity, Cochrane allowed his female model to choose the pose she liked best and created the mold from it. The result is a statue frozen in an ultra transcendent pose, clearly experiencing that moment when the beat drops and takes you out of your body, making it impossible to think. So you just feel.
The artist, and women’s advocate, wanted to celebrate the appreciation and respect he has for females sans sexual objectification. In a town where scantily clad ladies are plastered on the sides of taxi cabs and party buses, this is saying something. Cochrane created Bliss Dance to be a symbol of women who are completely free from harm, a moment in time when their energy, happiness and power are elevated beyond the physical. Yeah, that’s deep.
Bliss Dance is the centerpiece of The Park between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo. This six-acre outdoor promenade features the T-Mobile Arena, several dining and bar options, outdoor seating and architectural features like water walls and shade structures that were made in the Netherlands.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Today however we are to the west of London, in nearby Buckinghamshire, at Dorrington House, a smart Jacobean manor house of the late 1600s built for a wealthy merchant, situated in High Wycombe, where Lettice’s elder sister, Lalage (known to everyone in the family by the diminutive Lally), resides with her husband Charles Lanchenbury and their three children, Harrold, Annabelle and baby Piers. Situated within walking distance of the market town’s main square, the elegant red brick house with its high-pitched roof and white painted sash windows still feels private considering its close proximity to the centre of the town thanks to an elegant and restrained garden surrounding it, which is enclosed by a high red brick wall.
Lettice is nursing a broken heart. Lettice’s beau, Selwyn Spencely, son of the Duke of Walmsford, had organised a romantic dinner at the Savoy* for he and Lettice to celebrate his birthday. However, when Lettice arrived, she was confronted not with the smiling face of her beau, but the haughty and cruel spectre of his mother, the Duchess of Walmsford, Lady Zinnia. Lady Zinnia, and Selwyn’s Uncle Bertrand had been attempting to marry him off to his cousin, 1923 debutante Pamela Fox-Chavers. Lady Zinnia had, up until that moment been snubbing Lettice, so Selwyn and Lettice arranged for Lettice to attend as many London Season events as possible where Selwyn and Pamela were also in attendance so that Lettice and Selwyn could spend time together, and at the same time make their intentions so well known that Lady Zinnia wouldn’t be able to avoid Lettice any longer. Zinnia is a woman who likes intrigue and revenge, and the revenge she launched upon Lettice that evening at the Savoy was bitterly harsh and painful. With a cold and calculating smile Lady Zinna announced that she had packed Selwyn off to Durban in South Africa for a year. She made a pact with her son: if he went away for a year, a year during which he agreed neither to see, nor correspond with Lettice, if he comes back and doesn’t feel the same way about her as he did when he left, he agreed that he will marry Pamela, just as Bertrand and Lady Zinnia planned. If however, he still feels the same way about Lettice when he returns, Lady Zinnia agreed that she would concede and will allow him to marry her.
Leaving London by train that very evening, Lettice returned home to Glynes, where she stayed for a week, moving numbly about the familiar rooms of the grand Georgian country house, reading books from her father’s library distractedly to pass the time, whilst her father fed her, her favourite Scottish shortbreads in a vain effort to cheer her up. However, rather than assuage her broken heart, her father’s ministrations only served to make matters worse as she grew even more morose. It was from the most unlikely of candidates, her mother Lady Sadie, with whom Lettice has always had a fraught relationship, that Lettice received the best advice, which was to stop feeling sorry for herself and get on with her life: keep designing interiors, keep shopping and most importantly, keep attending social functions where there are plenty of press photographers. “You may not be permitted to write to Selwyn,” Lady Sadie said wisely. ‘But Zinnia said nothing about the newspapers not writing about your plight or your feelings on your behest. Let them tell Selwyn that you still love him and are waiting for him. They get the London papers in Durban just as much as they get them here, and Zinnia won’t be able to stop a lovesick and homesick young man flipping to the society pages as he seeks solace in the faces of familiar names and faces, and thus seeing you and reading your words of commitment to him that you share through the newspaper men. Tell them that you are waiting patiently for Selwyn’s return.”
Since then, Lettice has been trying to follow her mother’s advice and has thrown herself into the merry dance of London’s social round of dinners, dances and balls in the lead up to the festive season. However, even she could only keep this up for so long, and was welcomed home with open and loving arms by her family for Christmas and the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, Lally, sitting next to Lettice, suggested that she spend a few extra weeks resting and recuperating with her in Buckinghamshire before returning to London and trying to get on with her life. Lettice happily agreed, and since arriving at Dorrington House with her sister and brother-in-law, she has enjoyed being quiet, spending quality time with her niece and nephews in the nursery, strolling the gardens with her sister or simply curling up in a window seat and reading.
This morning we find ourselves in one of Dorrington House’s ten guest bedrooms: a pretty and cosy one overlooking the elegant rear garden in which Lettice has been accommodated since her arrival from Glynes. Lettice lies beneath the beautifully embroidered satin comforter, luxuriating in the joy of being allowed to have breakfast in bed at her sister’s house. If she were at home in Glynes, there is no way known that her mother would let her take her breakfast in her boudoir, never mind in bed, since Lettice is unmarried and therefore undeserving of such a privilege**. She sighs contentedly as she listens to the blackbirds and robins chirping in the greenery beyond the sash window of her comfortably appointed room. In the hearth a fire, lit for her by one of Lally’s lower house maids long before Lettice was awake, crackles cheerfully, its heat warming the room enough that Lettice may sit up against a nest of her pillows and have her bare arms exposed without feeling cold. In the distance she can hear the clock on the landing ticking away the minutes and hours of the day, and still further away the muffled sound of a childish squeal indicates that Lettice’s nephew and niece are awake and playing in the day nursery with their nanny. Lettice sighs again and stretches her legs beneath the covers, her left foot connecting with the wooden breakfast tray placed at the foot of the bed by Lally’s cook, Mrs. Sawyer, nudging it slightly, causing the breakfast china and the ornate Indian silver teapot on it to rattle in protest at being pushed out of the way. She picks up a current copy of Vogue that has been sent to her from London and silently peruses the latest frocks from Paris whilst she contemplates reaching down and taking up her breakfast tray to put on her lap to commence her breakfast, but just the thought of doing so seems like too much of an effort. So, she casts a desultory gaze over the newest designs by Jeanne Lanvin*** instead and dreams about dancing with Selwyn arrayed in such a gown.
As she admires a robe de style**** design in black with embroidered red poppies, Lettice’s morning daydreams are interrupted by a gentle tapping at her door.
Quickly tossing the copy of Vogue aside, Lettice snatches up her pale pink bed jacket trimmed in marabou feathers from the other side of the large bed, and drapes it across her bare shoulders and arms as the tapping begins for a second time. “Yes?” she asks as calmly as possible.
The door opens and Lally pokes her head around it. “It’s only me, Tice darling. May I come in?”
“Lally!” Lettice exclaims as she shuffles herself into a more upright position against the nest of pillows behind her. “Yes, of course! Do, do come in, darling.”
“Thank you.” Lally replies quietly, slipping into her sister’s room and closing the door behind her.
Lally looks around what she and Charles call the ‘Chinese Bedroom’ because of all the Eighteenth Century chinoiserie furnishings filling it, still unused to the best guest bedroom in the house being occupied. Traces of her little sister lie about everywhere. Her travelling set of brushes and a mirror sit on the dressing table’s surface, along with bottles of Lettice’s favourite perfumes and a selection of her cosmetics. A blue hatbox sits against the Chinese dressing screen with the hat Lettice wore to the wedding of Mary, Princess Royal***** to Viscount Lascelles in 1922 sitting atop it. Her peacock blue embroidered robe hangs from the end of the screen, whilst a row of dainty shoes sit just behind it, the latter obviously organised into neat order by one of the housemaids, since Lettice is not known for the organisation of her own wardrobe. The room is filled with the comforting fug of sleep intermixed with the scent of woodsmoke and roses brought in especially for Lettice from the Dorrington House greenhouse. And there, on the left side of the bed is Lettice, draped in her delicate bedjacket, her golden tresses spilling freely across the pillows behind her.
“I hope you don’t mind me popping in like this.” Lally says a little defensively. “Oh, you haven’t touched your breakfast.” She observes the undisturbed pot of tea, hard boiled egg, triangle of toast, square of butter from the home farm and orange from the Dorrington House orangery******. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh it’s fine, Lally, and yes,” Lettice lurches towards the breakfast tray, dragging it across the orange and yellow embroidered flowers of the counterpane towards her. “Breakfast is perfect. I was just about to start. I was just so engrossed in my latest copy of Vogue.”
“I see.” Lally purrs with a satisfied smile. “I see you received your post this morning then.”
“Yes, thank you Lally.” Lettice indicates with an open hand to the two copies of Vogue as well as a card sent down from London sitting atop a silver salver next to a silver letter opener near the raised mound of her feet beneath the covers.
“I received some post this morning too.” Lally admits, holding up a postcard featuring an idealised photographic scene of a couple in a donkey cart.
“Not a postcard from Charles, opining about me having breakfast abed, surely? He and Lord Lachenbury only left for India a few days ago.”
“Oh!” Lally says, laughing as she looks at the postcard. “No! No, Charles and Lord Lachenbury will still be en route abord the P&O*******. No, it will be ages before the arrive in Bombay.”
“Then what is it?” Lettice enquires.
“It’s an invitation for the two of us to attend a luncheon party at Mrs. Alsop’s down at Shalstone Cottage.”
“That sounds rather dull. A cottage? Who is Mrs. Alsop, Lally?”
“Head of the local branch of the WI********.” Lally pulls a face. “She’s a dreadful gossip, and rather a bore, I’m afraid. I can say you’re indisposed if you like, but as treasurer of the WI, I had better go.”
“Well,” Lettice says with a sigh, reaching down to the silver salver near the foot of the bed and snatching up the card from atop its envelope. “Even if I didn’t want to come, I’d go to support you, Lally. However, you may have to pass on my excuses anyway.” She holds the card out to her elder sister.
“What is it, Tice?”
“It’s from Aunt Egg.” Lettice wags the card in her sister’s direction. “Read it.”
Approaching the bed, Lally accepts the card from her sister. She smiles and snorts in amusement as she stares at the stylised gilt decorated Art Nouveau card featuring a woman in a long russet coloured tea gown facing away from the viewer, her old fashioned upswept hairstyle with its topknot clearly a feature of the design. “God bless Aunt Egg. Anyone would think she was living in 1904 not 1924.”
“I know.” agrees Lettice with a smile as she starts buttering her toast, the crisp scrape of her knife against the slice cutting through the air.
“She’s going to leave you all her jewellery, you know, Tice.” Lally says with a knowing look.
“Oh!” Lettice scoffs, waving her sister’s remark away dismissively with a wave of her hand. “She teases all of us with her flippant remarks about her jewellery. No, she plays her hand close to her chest.”
“But you’re the most like her, Tice: the most artistic. I’m just like all the other Chetwynd cousins – a rather pedestrian country squire’s wife who attends luncheons at the behest of the head of the WI – unlike you, who has her own successful interior design business and socialises with a smart and select London set.”
“Read the card, Lally.” Lettice hisses as she takes a bite of her toast.
Lally reads aloud, “’Dearest Lettice, I’m sorry to write like this, but I really can’t have you lolling about at Dorrington House, being pandered to, and mollycoddled by Lally.’” Lally drops her arms, the card still clenched tightly in her right hand. She stares wide eyes in astonishment at their aunt’s statement. “Mollycoddling! What a cheek, Aunt Egg!”
“Well,” Lettice indicates down to the breakfast tray across her lap as she gulps down a slice of toast. “Charles would doubtless agree with her. Let’s be honest, Lally, that whilst I have adored staying here with you, being feted, and waited upon hand and foot, you are pandering to me.”
“Well…” mutters Lally, blushing as she speaks.
“Keep reading.” Lettice insists as she takes up the silver teapot and pours hot tea into her dainty blue sprigged china teacup.
Lally takes up the card again. “Let’s see, where was I? Oh yes, ‘being pandered to, and mollycoddled by Lally. It’s time you stopped hiding away in the bucolic bosom of Buckinghamshire’,” Lally pauses again. “Aunt Egg does have a way with words, doesn’t she?” She sniggers and shakes her head.
“Keep reading!” Lettice insists.
“’And come home to London, where I will admit, you are missed by your Embassy Club coterie of friends. Only last week I heard from Cilla Carter Minnie Palmerston, and Margot Channon three times, asking when you were coming home. I simply must insist that you come back post haste. However, like me, I know you are a woman of your own will,’” Lally looks across at her sister as she sips her tea in bed. “She’s right there. The two of you are by far the most stubborn of the women in the Chetwynd family.”
“Keep reading, Lally!”
“’So, well aware of the fact that you won’t return solely upon my request, I have had to make arrangements to compel you out of your broken hearted stupor in the stultifying countryside and thrust you back into the beating heart of London society. I’ve managed to wrangle an invitation for you, and Dicke and Margot Channon, to attend one of Sir John and Lady Caxton’s amusing Friday to Monday long weekend parties at Gossington along with a host other notable Bright Young Things********. It will do you good to be with some people of your own age.’” Lally drops her arms again. “People your own age?” she blusters. “Does Aunt Egg suddenly think me ninety, rather than thirty five?”
“You know how she is, dear Lally.” She’s just trying to create a compelling reason for me to leave you and go back to London as she bids. Don’t take it personally.” Lettice implores as she takes another dainty bite of her toast. “Keep reading.”
“’The Channons will be expecting dinner at Cavendish Mews on Monday evening to discuss arrangements. Apparently, Dickie has enough money for petrol for the motor to be able to drive three of you up to Gossington! Will wonders never cease? Please wire, if indeed you can find a telegraph office in the wilds of Buckinghamshire, what train you will be arriving on at Victoria Station and I will arrange to collect you. With love, Aunt Egg.’”
“So you see, Lally darling, I’ll have to arrange a journey back to London.” Lettice says apologetically. “Perhaps you can drop me at High Wycombe railway station on your way to luncheon this afternoon, and then send Tipden back to fetch me after he drops you off at Mrs. Whatsit’s.”
“Mrs. Alsop.” Lally reiterates.
“Exactly!” Lettice sighs. “Quite right! By the time he’s back I’ll have sent a wire.”
“Well of course, Tipden and my car are at your disposal, Lettice darling,” Lally says in a disappointed voice. “But it really is too beastly of Aunt Egg to charge in and spoil our plans like this. I was arranging for us to visit Lady Verney********* at Claydon House********** in Aylesbury Vale whilst you were stopping with me. Oh well!” She sighs and raises her hands in despair. “I shall simply have to telephone her and cancel.”
“I’m sure you could still visit Lady Verney, even without me, Lally darling.”
“You’d like Lady Varney. She’s been a campaigner for girls’ education for decades now, and is really quite intelligent and independent.”
“Oh that is a pity, but I’m afraid it can’t be helped, Lally. An invitation from the Caxtons cannot be refused.”
“And who are Sir John and Lady Caxton?” Lally queries. “I don’t think I know them.”
“Oh, Sir John and Lady Gladys are very well known amongst the smarter bohemian set of London society for their amusing weekend parties at their Scottish country estate and enjoyable literary evenings in their Belgravia townhouse. Lady Gladys is a successful authoress in her own right and writes under the nom de plume of Madeline St John, so they attract a mixture of witty writers and artists mostly.”
“Oh!” Lally gasps. “So that’s who it is!”
“Who, Lally?”
“Aunt Egg mentioned to me when we were at Glynes over Christmas and New Year, that she was arranging something for you with a lady novelist. It must be this, Lady Gladys.”
“I suppose the artistic connection is how Aunt Egg knows the Caxtons, although, I didn’t actually know that they were acquainted.”
“Well she must be more than acquainted with them if Aunt Egg could,” Lally scans the message on the card in her aunt’s spidery cursive handwriting. “Wrangle you an invitation, Tice darling.” Lally sighs disappointedly before snatching the half eaten slice of toast off her sister’s plate and takes a large bite from it. After swallowing her mouthful she continues, “I don’t see why, if she has organised an invitation for Dickie and Margot Channon, why she couldn’t have arranged one for me. She knows Charles has set sail for India and that I’ll be alone without you.”
“You’re hardly alone, Lally darling. What about Mrs. Alsop?” Lettice says with a cheeky grin as she takes back what is left of her triangle of toast.
“Oh, ha-ha!” replies Lally sarcastically.
“But in all seriousness Lally, you aren’t alone here. There are Nettie Fisher and Alice Newsome, and all those other lovely friends of yours who have been so hospitable to me since I arrived. They are all quite wonderful.”
“I suppose.” Lally replies deflatedly.
“Well, this is all rather thrilling!” Lettice says excitedly, pushing aside her breakfast tray and throwing back the covers with a sudden surge of gusto. “The Caxtons are quite eccentric characters, especially Lady Gladys, and from what I’ve read of them, they are refreshingly different and amusing. Thus, there is never a shortage of guests for their Friday to Monday house parties, and invitations to Gossington are a highly desirable, yet all too rare commodity. Margot will be beside herself!”
“Well then, however sad it is, I shall bid you a fond farewell, dear Tice.”
Lettice climbs out of bed and embraces her sister lovingly, inhaling her familiar scent of Yardley’s English Lavender. “Don’t worry, Lally darling.” She kisses her affectionately on the left cheek. “I’ll come back down again as soon as this weekend with the Caxtons is over.”
“I bet you won’t, Tice!” Lally retorts resignedly. She holds her sister at arm’s length, taking in the sudden vitality that has put a sparkle back into her eyes and roses into her cheeks. “This will be the beginning of a welcome distraction for you.” Then she adds sadly, “And one that is far better than any remedy I can provide you with. Best you follow Aunt Egg’s instructions and go back to London.”
“Oh thank you, Lally Darling!” Lettice cries joyfully, throwing her hands around her elder sister’s neck and clinging tightly to her. “You are a brick!”
“Yes, you’ll get all of Aunt Egg’s jewellery, Tice darling. You are her favourite by far.”
*The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners. The hotel became Carte's most successful venture. Its bands, Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, became famous. Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch at the hotel. The hotel is now managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It has been called "London's most famous hotel". It has two hundred and sixty seven guest rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Thames Embankment. The hotel is a Grade II listed building.
**Before the Second World War, if you were a married Lady, it was customary for you to have your breakfast in bed, because you supposedly don't have to socialise to find a husband. Unmarried women were expected to dine with the men at the breakfast table, especially on the occasion where an unmarried lady was a guest at a house party, as it gave her exposure to the unmarried men in a more relaxed atmosphere and without the need for a chaperone.
***The House of Lanvin was named after its founder Jeanne Lanvin in 1889. Jeanne Lanvin was born in 1867 and opened her first millinery shop in rue du Marche Saint Honore in 1885. Jeanne made clothes for her daughter, Marie-Blanche de Polignac, which began to attract the attention of a number of wealthy people, who requested copies for their own children. Soon, she was making dresses for their mothers, which were included in the clientele of her new boutique on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. In 1909, Jeanne Lanvin joined the Syndicat de la Couture, which marked her formal status as a couturière. The Lanvin logo was inspired by a photograph taken for Jeanne Lanvin as she attended a ball with her daughter wearing matching outfits in 1907. From 1923, the Lanvin empire included a dye factory in Nanterre. In the 1920s, Lanvin opened shops devoted to home decor, menswear, furs and lingerie, but her most significant expansion was the creation of Lanvin Parfums SA in 1924. "My Sin", an animalic-aldehyde based on heliotrope, was introduced in 1925, and is widely considered a unique fragrance. It would be followed by her signature fragrance, Arpège, in 1927, said to have been inspired by the sound of her daughter's practising her scales on the piano.
****The ‘robe de style’ was introduced by French couturier Jeanne Lanvin around 1915. It consisted of a basque bodice with a broad neckline and an oval bouffant skirt supported by built in wire hoops. Reminiscent of the Spanish infanta-style dresses of the Seventeenth Century and the panniered robe à la française of the Eighteenth Century they were made of fabric in a solid colour, particularly a deep shade of robin’s egg blue which became known as Lanvin blue, and were ornamented with concentrated bursts of embroidery, ribbons or ornamental silk flowers.
*****Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (1897 – 1965), was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sister of Kings Edward VIII and George VI, and aunt of Queen Elizabeth II. She married Viscount Lascelles on the 28th of February 1922 in a ceremony held at Westminster Abbey. The bride was only 24 years old, whilst the groom was 39. There is much conjecture that the marriage was an unhappy one, but their children dispute this and say it was a very happy marriage based upon mutual respect. The wedding was filmed by Pathé News and was the first royal wedding to be featured in fashion magazines, including Vogue.
******An orangery or orangerie was a room or a dedicated building on the grounds of fashionable residences of Northern Europe from the Seventeenth to the Nineteenth Centuries where orange and other fruit trees were protected during the winter, as a very large form of greenhouse or conservatory.
*******In 1837, the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company first secured a Government contract for the regular carriage of mail between Falmouth and the Peninsular ports as far as Gibraltar. The company, established in 1835 by the London shipbroking partnership of Brodie McGhie Willcox (1786-1861) and Arthur Anderson (1792-1868) and the Dublin Ship owner, Captain Richard Bourne (1880-1851) had begun a regular steamer service for passengers and cargo between London, Spain and Portugal using the 206 ton paddle steamer William Fawcett. The growing inclination of early Twentieth Century shipping enterprises to merge their interests, and group themselves together, did not go unnoticed at P&O, which made its first major foray in this direction in 1910 with the acquisition of Wilhelm Lund’s Blue Anchor Line. By 1913, with a paid-up capital of some five and half million pounds and over sixty ships in service, several more under construction and numerous harbour craft and tugs to administer to the needs of this great fleet all counted, the P&O Company owned over 500,000 tons of shipping. In addition to the principal mail routes, through Suez to Bombay and Ceylon, where they divided then for Calcutta, Yokohama and Sydney, there was now the ‘P&O Branch Line’ service via the Cape to Australia and various feeder routes. The whole complex organisation was serviced by over 200 agencies stationed at ports throughout the world. At the end of 1918, the Group was further strengthened by its acquisition of a controlling shareholding in the Orient Line and in 1920, the General Steam Navigation Company, the oldest established sea-going steamship undertaking, was taken over. In 1923 the Strick Line was acquired too and P&O became, for a time, the largest shipping company in the world. With the 1920s being the golden age of steamship travel, P&O was the line to cruise with. P&O had grown into a group of separate operating companies whose shipping interests touched almost every part of the globe. By March 2006, P&O had grown to become one of the largest port operators in the world and together with P&O Ferries, P&O Ferrymasters, P&O Maritime Services, P&O Cold Logistics and its British property interests, the company was, itself, acquired by DP World for three point three billion pounds.
*******The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being the first speaker in 1897. It was based on the British concept of Women's Guilds, created by Rev Archibald Charteris in 1887 and originally confined to the Church of Scotland. From Canada the organization spread back to the motherland, throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth, and thence to other countries. Many WIs belong to the Associated Country Women of the World organization. Each individual WI is a separate charitable organisation, run by and for its own members with a constitution agreed at national level but the possibility of local bye-laws. WIs are grouped into Federations, roughly corresponding to counties or islands, which each have a local office and one or more paid staff.
********The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemian young aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London.
*********Lady Margaret Maria Verney, was an English-born Welsh educationist. Verney was the daughter of Lady Sarah Elizabeth Amherst and her husband John Hay-Williams, 2nd Baronet Williams of Bodelwyddan. On the death of her father in 1859, she inherited his house "Rhianfa", on Anglesey, which she retained as a family home. In 1868 she married Sir Edmund Hope Verney, MP, then merely Captain Verney. She became a leading campaigner for girls' education in Britain. In 1894 she became a member of the Statutory Council of the University of Wales, holding the position until 1922.
**********Claydon House is a country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, near the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust. Claydon has been the ancestral home of the Verney family since 1620. The present Verney family, are the descendants of Sir Harry Calvert, 2nd Baronet who inherited the house in 1827. He was very tenuously related to the Verneys only through marriage. However, he adopted the name Verney on inheriting. The house was given to the National Trust in 1956 by Sir Ralph Verney, 5th Baronet. His son, Sir Edmund Verney, 6th Baronet, a former High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, lived in the house until 2019.
This cosy boudoir may look real to you, but it is in fact made up of pieces from my 1:12 miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The mahogany stained breakfast tray came from an English stockist of 1:12 artisan miniatures whom I found on E-Bay. On its surface the crockery, serviettes with their napkin rings came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop in the United Kingdom. The teapot also came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop. It is sterling silver, hallmarked Birmingham 1910 and has a removable lid, so it was probably a commissioned piece of Edwardian whimsy for someone wealthy, be they an adult or child. The cutlery came from an online stockist of miniatures. The orange comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The egg cup come from Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The egg in the egg cup is amongst some of the smallest miniatures I own, and came from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The square of butter in the glass dish has been made in England by hand from clay by former chef turned miniature artisan, Frances Knight. Her work is incredibly detailed and realistic, and she says that she draws her inspiration from her years as a chef and her imagination.
The two copies of Vogue, the Art Nouveau style card and the addressed and postmarked envelope on the silver tray are 1:12 size miniatures made by the British miniature artisan Ken Blythe. Ken Blythe was famous in miniature collectors’ circles mostly for the miniature books that he made: all being authentically replicated 1:12 scale miniatures of real volumes. I have quite a large representation of Ken Blythe’s work in my collection. However, he did not make books exclusively. He also made other small pieces like the card and envelope. To create something so authentic to the original in such detail and so clearly, really does make these miniature artisan pieces. Ken Blythe’s work is highly sought after by miniaturists around the world today and command high prices at auction for such tiny pieces, particularly now that he is no longer alive. I was fortunate enough to acquire pieces from Ken Blythe prior to his death about four years ago and through his estate courtesy of the generosity of his daughter and son-in-law. His legacy will live on with me and in my photography which I hope will please his daughter.
The small silver letter salver is a 1:12 artisan miniature piece of sterling silver. The artist is unknown. Being made of silver, it is very heavy for its size. The sterling silver letter opener is made by the Little Green Workshop in England who specialise in high end, high quality miniatures.
Lettice’s comforter is in fact a piece of beautiful vintage embroidered sari silk from the 1970s, laid over a box to give the appearance of the corner of a bed. I even put my fingers under the covers to give the impression of a body as you can see in the bottom right-hand corner of the image, where the comforter is raised slightly.
Lettice’s elegant straw hat sitting on the French blue hatbox in the background is decorated with an oyster satin ribbon, three feathers and an ornamental flower. The maker for this hat is unknown, but I acquitted it through Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in the United Kingdom. 1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism as this one is are often far more expensive than real hats are. When you think that it would sit comfortably on the tip of your index finger, yet it could cost in excess of $150.00 or £100.00, it is an extravagance. American artists seem to have the monopoly on this skill and some of the hats that I have seen or acquired over the years are remarkable.
The blue hatbox in the background on which the hat sits is a 1:12 artisan miniature and made of blue kid leather which is so soft to the touch, and small metal handles, clasps and ornamentation. It has been purposely worn around their edges to give it age. It also comes from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in England.
The Chinese screen is made of black japanned wood and features hand painted soapstone panels, so it is very heavy. I picked it up at an auction some twenty years ago.
The dressing table featuring fine marquetry banding appears to have been made by the same unknown artisan who made the round table. This piece I acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop. The brush on its surface is part of a set painted by miniature artisan Victoria Fasken, and was also acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop. The vase on the dressing table surface is a 1950s Limoges piece. The vase is stamped with a small green Limoges mark to the bottom. I found this treasure in an overcrowded cabinet at the Mill Markets in Geelong. The pink roses it contains came from beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.
The Chippendale style chair pushed into the dressing table is a very special piece. It came from the Petite Elite Miniature Museum, later rededicated as the Carol and Barry Kaye Museum of Miniatures, which ran between 1992 and 2012 on Los Angeles’ bustling Wiltshire Boulevard. It is part of a dining table setting for six. One of the chairs still has a sticker under its cushion identifying which room of which dollhouse it came. The Petite Elite Miniature Museum specialised in exquisite and high end 1:12 miniatures. The furnishings are taken from a real Chippendale design.