View allAll Photos Tagged Congested
03.17.11
Meh, this photo isn't very good... I couldn't figure out a way to edit it the way I wanted. Oh well.
Like my new nail polish?! I ordered 3 colors from this new brand I'm trying out called China Glaze. I really love it so far!
Anyways, I'm sick right now...and it sucks because I NEVER get sick :( I think I got sick from some stranger either at Disneyland, or on the train I took back home. Boo! I sound like a smoker when I talk and I'm super congested. It sucks because the weather is absolutely beautiful right now and I can't really enjoy it when I'm sneezing all over the place. I hope I get better soon!
Also, a big THANK YOU to AMBER for writing me a testimonial! <3 We've just become penpals and it's super awesome :) Thanks so much, girl! :D
Kolcata trams run in different conditons than that we are used to in Europe. Here the tram, running the Howrah to Kaligaht route, is on a street dedicated to its tracks, but it will not be like this for long. Then it has to vie with the buses, the taxis, the rickshaws, cycle rickshaws, hand carts, it will crawl its way through congested streets. It cannot wriggle its way through wedged traffic that all fights to be the first to move forwards, its direction is fixed. So a journey can take a very long time. And this one must cross the Hooghley River on the Howrah bridge, you would be quicker to walk across, even though the footways are congested too. Street traders, porters laden with goods, people hanging out, for good or for bad, life is lived out on that bridge, just like any other street in this city. But it is cheap to ride, and so against the odds it still survives. You can get on and off where you like because the doors are always open. This is a very useful feature when it runs into a gridlocked street, and it almost certainly will. Then the tram will be almost empty. Pity the driver, he cannot do the same!
December the 22nd 1992.
Kodachrome 64 in a Nikon FG.
15.4.2017.
Andrew Barclay Sons & Co Ltd 0-4-0ST No 1964 'Spitfire' stands at North Thoresby after arriving with the 11.45 from Ludborough.
The East Lincolnshire Railway was a mainline railway linking the towns of Boston, Louth and Grimsby. It was opened in 1848 by the Great Northern Railway but in 1923 was absorbed into the LNER. It was soon realised that fish trains from Grimsby could be routed along its lines as it was far less congested than other mainlines and the fish could arrive in a far fresher condition!
The line fell foul of Beeching (as did many other lines in Lincolnshire) and it was closed to passengers in 1961.
The Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Preservation Society took over the line in 1984 and have re-opened 1.5 miles (2.4km) of track. It is the only standard gauge preserved railway in Lincolnshire.
Photographs taken by me at Point Pleasant Beach. Shot with the Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM At F/11 Shutter speed 6 seconds ISO 100.
It was quite a nice 4th of July full of crowds of people that wanted to spend their weekend at the beach to see the big show. It felt very pre-covid as the crowds were overwhelmingly congested on the Boardwalk. I shot simultaneously with two cameras. The first camera was with a crop sensor. The A6300 with a wide angle lens the Sigma 19mm. The second camera I shot with was my A7Riii with my Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM. The show was suppose to start at 9:00 PM and eventually started at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, due to the delay it rained a little bit, and some of my photos will reflect that. However, I found the photos that were affected by the droplets of rain falling on the front lens elements to be characterful. That's is why I have decided to share them rather than delete them.
All rights reserved ©
The last year and a half or so have been quite a challenge as I work to recover from Congestive Heart Failure. So much hospital time and cardiac rehab that life outside the four walls of home were just simpler in "drab" mode. Much of the first year I had to wear a cumbersome portable defibrilator, not the greatest fashion accessory. And for quite some time any excursion was a challenge with a heart functioning at a very low level.
So it was a bit of a personal milestone this week as I finally got to enjoy a shopping outing in the "proper" gender mode. It may sound silly but this almost felt as good as the original "coming out" almost twenty years ago. I'm hopeful I've turned a corner and look forward to living life the way I wish for whatever time I have left!
Lots more pics of this outing to follow.
Die-hard railfanning at it's finest, a 1.5 mile hike in the driving rain to get a pic of this bridge... you guessed it, about 1/4 mile short of catching NS heading north, UGH! During the early 20th century, the PRR constructed what it referred to as its "Low-Grade Lines", branches constructed with a minimal grade to divert freight traffic from its congested and steeper main lines. One of these new lines was the Atglen and Susquehanna Branch, which left the Main Line at Parkesburg to cut cross-county to the Susquehanna River, followed the east bank of the river to Marietta, crossed the river and ran along the west bank to Wago Junction, where it met the Northern Central Railway. The line from Marietta to Wago Junction was chartered as the York Haven and Rowenna Railroad, and much of the construction, including the crossing of the Susquehanna at Shocks Mills, was done by H.S. Kerbaugh, a major PRR contractor. The bridge was first opened on January 1, 1905, as a twenty-eight span brick arch.
Word is this is the highest grossing QT in Tulsa (perhaps in the chain). I can believe it. This is like 10:30 am on a SUNDAY. It's a nightmare when I drive by during a weekday (anytime)... people are congesting both 61st St and Lewis Ave attempting to turn in/out, and there's never an open parking spot for long--cars are always parked along the front grass strip. Seriously, they could buy the former EZ mart across the street, build another QT and it'd not only ease traffic congestion, but succeed in growing their sales. People love their QT!
Salvia farinacea
Salvia farinacea Benth.
Mealy Blue Sage, Mealy Sage, Mealycup Sage
Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
Synonym(s): Salvia earlei, Salvia farinacea var. farinacea, Salvia farinacea var. latifolia
USDA Symbol: SAFA2
USDA Native Status: L48 (N)
This 2-3 ft. upright or sprawling perennial, usually forms a mound as wide as the plant is tall. Mealy sage is named for the mealy-white (sometimes purple) appearance of the sepals, which are covered with felted hairs. The blue flowers are 5-lobed and 2-lipped, 2/3-3/4 inch long, with 2 stamens and 1 pistil. They have the usual sage fragrance. The long, narrow leaves grow in clusters, out of which grow the flower stems. The leaves may or may not have teeth. Dark-blue to white, tubular flowers are densely congested in whorls along the upper stems, creating a 3-9 in. spike. Gray-green, lance-shaped leaves are numerous, especially in the lower portion of the plant.
Source:https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAFA2
Bass Harbor Lighthouse, Acadia National Park, Maine.
the drive to Acadia from DC was a brutal 14 hour trek though some of the most congested cities on the east coast. Mother Nature was truly kind to me and rewarded me for the crazy risks I took to finally capture this Beautiful Icon.
A commuter bus on Pyae Road rolls by during peak traffic at sunset in Yangon, Myanmar. The traffic in Yangon is normally congested and packed busses like these are a normal sight. November 12, 2015.
I never understood why people buy these, use them for a few seasons and let them rot. When visiting friends at campgrounds, they seem more congested than the city, for me it's not so relaxing.
3238 P238 MKN is seen at Herne Bay railway station attending the East Kent 100 and running day event. The bus ran two additional trips around mid-day from William Street car park to Herne Bay railway station and return just to keep out of a very congested rally site. Sunday 7th August 2016. DSCN37769.
Dennis Dart SLF-Plaxton Pointer 10.6m. New in 1997 to Maidstone & District and latterly with Arriva Kent & Surrey and Arriva Kent Thameside.
The Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy is a former royal residence that was built in the 18th century. It is the largest royal residence in the world.
Constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples, the Palace covers an area of about 235,000 m. The architect of this magnificent palace was Luigi Vanvitelli.
The whole architectural complex at Caserta was primarily designed to give the kingdom a new capital.
The King wanted a new royal court and administrative center for the kingdom, in a location protected from sea attack, and distant from the revolt-prone and congested city of Naples.
In 1997, the interior was replicated as Queen Amidala’s Palace of the planet Naboo in Star Wars I- The Phantom Menace. It was used as a location for four days after it had been closed to visitors.
In 2002, the same palace was used as Queen Jamillia’s palace in Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones.
The same palace was also used as Vatican City in the movie Mission: Impossible III.
- www.kevin-palmer.com - Highway 133 through Laguna Canyon often gets congested, especially a few days before Christmas.
So, it has been about a month and a half... it has been tiring for her and me too. She had never really coughed or sneezed before. She is 12 and a half now. So, when she started having coughing fits, I was at the 24 hr pet emergency at 5 AM, but when we got there she was ok. They said her lungs were clear. No temp. And she had good energy. So, they didn't even consider it emergency, so sent us back home. I ended up at the emergency twice more, after making the soonest appointment w her vet. A different emergency I went to, took a chest x-ray. Her lungs were clear. She has good appetite, good energy. No temp. But she is coughing and sneezing and has congestion in her nose and throat time to time. So, they gave a cough tablet that supposed to loosen mucus and calm the urge to cough. She sneezed a lot and that helped clear some mucus... but the troubles continued. I have been to her vets 3 times, they prescribed doxycycline, a 14 day course and today is the last day for it. Sometimes she is nearly ok for 24 hours then she starts again, like she did last night.
Her Vet has said maybe allergies, maybe she got something into her nose, can be many things. I feel exhausted w worry and trying to find ways to help her.
I will update here as I learn more.
I uploaded 3 short videos to my YouTube channel dealing w this, but they are not very nice to watch as they show Izzy congested, and at the vet.
Lengthy explanation for anyone who wants any details.
Europe, Portugal, Lisboa, Alfama and Baixa, Carris, Eléctrico, Passengers, (cut from all sides and compiled)
The Eléctricos of Lisbon are one of the defining factors that make Lisbon the city that it is. Yes, icons they are! Propelling themselves through the congested inner city with its narrow and winding streets full of anarchist drivers and daredevil pedestrians....it's really a site to behold. The old trams are often loaded to their full capacity and beyond that - some passengers never get it in, just attach themselves to some protruding elements of the Eléctrico’s bodywork. Drivers must me tough yet suave dealing with all that.
These are the makings of the delightful and lively Eléctrico gestalt with its high density of little instant stories along the route.
We walked from the Largo das Portas do Sol to the Praça do Comércio – one of the main arteries of the Eléctrico network - trying to capture these stories and sometimes just suggesting them..
Photographing on the street is a game of looking, shooting and being looked or even being shot at ;-) In the shooting of the Elécricos this is particularily the case . The passengers of these moving icons are sometimes very aware of the fact they attract a lot of fire and keep a subtle but keen eye on (potential) shooters. And these very people are part of the second generation of iconic Eléctrico shots: pictures of passengers that are very aware of the fact that they’re riding an icon . They’ve become icon themselves. Their iconic status is explored in this post ;-)
New Year’s Eve-2024
Ninety-nine percent of good railroad photography is just getting out the door with your camera. Once that’s accomplished, you still have one percent to work with. That was my thought when a FB private message from DC Hammon popped up on my phone. DC allowed that a westbound CSX empty hopper train was enroute from Kingsport to Loyall, with the Clinchfield heritage unit on the point. It was gloomy and misting rain, but after about ten seconds of pondering, I elected to engage the ninety nine percent part of the mission.
I haven’t been on FB much lately. Even though I had a flu vaccine a few weeks ago, on Saturday I was in the Ballad urgent care facility in Norton. I was coughing, congested, chilling, and with all the characteristics of something nasty. It wasn’t COVID, but a strain of flue that must have been a variant not included into blend of vaccines I had received earlier. That’s not unusual, of course, but it doesn’t often happen to me.
Wilma has also been sick, and Walnut has really been having a tough go of it (although in her case I think it’s just her declining age). We haven’t been much, if at all (except for a few runs to pick up essentials). At last, I was feeling more like myself, so this would be a good way to change the afternoon routine. I thought the experience of doing some train photography would be worth the effort, even if I wouldn’t come back home with some masterpiece of imagery worthy of a CRPA award (like that’s ever gonna happen!).
I encountered CSX 1902 West sooner than I had anticipated, at Duffield. I had left the house half thinking of going to Natural Tunnel, but I gave up on that when I realized I had left my wide angle lens at home. I wheeled through a crossover on US 23 and backtracked (no pun intended) until I could crank off a couple of “poke and hope” pacing shots in a short stretch where the highway paralleled the track without major obstructions. I mostly was trying to avoid veering into another lane in front of a semi---but traffic was very light.
Pushing ahead, the unexpected growth of lineside vegetation had erased some earlier “honey hole” spots, but I pulled up to a small clearing and got the train as it passed my spot at the passing track at Jasper. What next?
Photo locations on lines where you’ve photographed trains for decades are like a mental Rolodex, prioritized by train direction, lighting, foreground clutter, backgrounds, and on and on. I decided to drive in to “furnace dip” to get him dropping downgrade from East Stone Gap and across the short South Fork of Powell River Bridge. The weather was going from crummy to extra crummy.
After getting that shot, I drove out and headed home. As I was crossing the East 19th Street crossing, I reflexively looked right to see if the EOT was clear of the distant junction. Instead, I saw the head and ditch lights of an eastbound NS run. Instead of going over the hill toward the house, I drove to the old depot site to get a shot of my buddy Brian Richardson handling an eastbound coal train with three big NS units.
Happy New Year, Brian, and thanks for the tip, DC!
In fact, Happy New Year to everyone!
Osaka, Japan
04-16-24
I am always delighted with the attention to detail in some anime films (like those of Miyazaka and Gibli Studios) where the street scenes are amazingly detailed, and show some scenes which are only attributable to Japan.
While wandering about, I took some photos in out of the way places, which don't show shrines or tall buildings, or tourist attractions, but just normal scenes like this one.
I love the horizontal stoplight, the ubiquitous drink vending machine, the rusted metal walls and the electrical wires, which in some areas are even more spiderweblike than in this photo.
The building might be a repair shop for tiny Japanese cars. But it's really just part of a paid parking area. Those spaces on the right are paid parking and the "P In" sign is for a parking area.
(In some congested city areas the parking stalls are stacked on top of one another in buildings.)
This isn't a photo of an amazing scene, but a rather mundane yet still fascinating one, and that's what the best of photography can do for the viewer.
ECCO DI COSA SI TRATTA / THIS IS WHAT IT'S A MATTER OF
"SI TRATTA DI TORNARE DA LUOGHI
DOVE MAI SIAMO ARRIVATI. DI PENSARE
PENSIERI COSI' A LUNGO SOPITI
DA ESSERSI ORMAI INABISSATI.
SI TRATTA DI COGLIERE CON GRATA
SORPRESA MINUSCOLI FIORI DI CAMPO,
DI ESTRARRE ESSENZE INFINITE
DA SPECIE ORDINARIE LASCIATE
STUPIDAMENTE A LANGUIRE DAVANTI
ALLA PORTA. DI COMINCIARE A VIVERE,
ECCO DI COSA SI TRATTA."
"IT'S A MATTER OF COMING BACK FROM PLACES
WE'VE NEVER ARRIVED AT. OF THINKING
THOUGHTS HUSHED FOR SO LONG
THAT THEY HAVE SUNK BY NOW.
IT'S A MATTER OF PICKING WITH GRATEFUL
SURPRISE TINY WILD FLOWERS,
OF EXTRACTING ENDLESS ESSENCE
OF ORDINARY SPECIES STUPIDLY
LEFT LANGUISHING BEFORE
OUR DOOR. OF BEGINNING TO LIVE,
THIS IS WHAT IT'S A MATTER OF."
"Di cosa si tratta / What It's A Matter Of", in IL TEMPO ORMAI BREVE, di/by Franco Marcoaldi, Torino, Einaudi, 2008, p.75
(ns. trad. verso l'inglese)
L'essenza della vita.
Da trovare e apprezzare anche in minuscoli dettagli come un sorriso reciproco, come l'incrociarsi di uno sguardo. Nei gesti, anche piccoli. O nelle parole.
Tutto ciò che emerge nell'anima, e arriva all'anima.
Ed è tutto in noi, solo in noi.
Cominciare a vivere: voglio tornare da luoghi dove mai sono arrivata.
("More than this is coming through...", canta Peter Gabriel in More Than This)
The essence of life.
To be found and appreciated even in tiny details such as a mutual smile or crossing looks. In gestures, even small ones. Or in words.
Anything emerging from the soul, and arriving at the soul.
And everythig is within ourselves, only in ourselves.
Beginning to live: I want to come back from places I've never arrived at.
("More than this is coming through...", as Peter Gabriel sings in More Than This)
India, Uttarakhand, da qualche parte tra Rishikesh e Haridwar, cittadine famose per i loro ghat sulle rive del Gange (le gradinate da cui si discende al fiume).
Viaggiavo lungo una strada incredibilmente trafficata, popolata di esseri umani, veicoli di ogni genere a motore o trainati da animali, animali che vagavano spericolatamente tranquilli tra i veicoli e migliaia di pellegrini in movimento per raggiungere le fonti del Gange e celebrarne la sacralità dell'acqua in occasione del Water Festival.
Un fiume di esseri viventi che si muovevano in direzione di un altro fiume.
Mi sono letteralmente riconciliata con la vita, scambiando un sorriso con questa meravigliosa figura di donna - di madre - in viaggio su un carro trainato da buoi. Quanta bellezza.
Questa fotografia l'ho scattata attraverso il parabrezza della jeep, dopo aver chiesto il permesso a gesti e sorrisi.
India, Uttarakhand, somewhere between Rishikesh and Haridwar, two small towns well known for their ghats on the banks of the River Ganges.
I was travelling along an incredibly traffic-congested road crowded with human beings, vehicles of every conceivable kind, animals daringly, peacefully wandering among vehicles, and thousands of pilgrims walking towards the sources of the River Ganges in order to celebrate the sacredness of its waters during the Water Festival.
A river of living beings moving towards another river.
I literally became reconciled with life, exchanging a smile with this wonderful woman - and mother - travelling on a cart drawn by oxen. Absolute beauty.
I took this picture through the windshield of my jeep, after having asked for permission by gestures and smiles.
Informazioni sull'Uttarakhand/Information about Uttarakhand: it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttarakhand
Piccola recensione dell'opera di Franco Marcoaldi qui citata: www.larecherche.it/testo.asp?Id=105&Tabella=Recensioni
"Supermarkets this large and clean and modern are a revelation to me. I spent my life in small steamy delicatessens with slanted display cabinets full of trays that hold soft wet lumpy matter in pale colours. High enough cabinets so you had to stand on tiptoes to give your order. Shouts, accents. In cities no one notices specific dying. Dying is a quality of the air. It's everywhere and nowhere. Men shout as they die to be noticed, remembered for a second or two. To die in an apartment instead of a house can depress the soul, I would imagine, for several lives to come. In a town there are houses, plants in bay windows. People notice dying better. The dead have faces, automobiles. If you don't know a name you know a street name, a dog's name. 'He drove an orange Mazda.' You know a couple of useless things about a person that become major facts of identification and cosmic placement when he dies suddenly, after a short illness, in his own bed, with a comforter and matching pillows, on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, feverish, a little congested in the sinuses and chest, thinking about his dry cleaning."
— Don DeLillo (White Noise)
Basford Hall Yard is a railway marshalling yard near the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. The yard, which is 0.93 miles (1.5 km) south of Crewe railway station, was opened in 1901 by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Initially used to marshal trains, the site now acts as a hub mainly for Freightliner intermodal trains, but also houses departmental sidings (track engineering works) as used by Freightliner Heavy Haul, and other operators. For a period in the 1930s, Basford Hall was the busiest marshalling yard in Europe, handing between 28,000 and 47,000 wagons every week.
The yard is a nationally important node on the West Coast Main Line (WCML), with most freight trains routed through the yard in order to avoid congesting the nearby Crewe railway station, which is also an important junction on the WCML for passengers. The yard is now one of the busiest in Great Britain for freight traffic.
Since the 1970s, the main use of Basford Hall has been the stabling and swapping of intermodal trains operated by the Freightliner Group. The use of Basford Hall as a node in the Freightliner network has been in use since the 1970s. Before the privatisation of British Rail, Freightliner trains would run from various locations in the north west, and also to and from Leeds and Holyhead, which were then swapped to make whole trains for other locations. In 1992, the destination roster was changed so that all services stopped at Crewe to allow swapping of containers. This meant that any destination or point of origin was possible with only one change. Whilst this process has lessened in the 21st century, Basford Hall is still an important location for the stabling and rearranging of trains for Freightliner's intermodal network. Basford Hall has a large throughput of traffic, partly due to its location on the avoiding lines from Crewe station, and as such, is now one of the busiest rail freight yards in Great Britain.
Freightliner also stable non-intermodal freight trains at Basford Hall, and they have a maintenance location on site for wagons and locomotives, but heavier repairs and maintenance is still undertaken at Leeds Midland Road. A fuelling point was opened at Basford Hall in 1998, when the yard experienced an upsurge in traffic, and in 2000, further remodelling of the down yard (on the west side of the complex) was undertaken. The Basford Hall facility is the home depot of the Class 86 and Class 90 fleet, and has five roads under cover. The traction maintenance depot (TMD) was opened on site in 2016, with the TOPS code of BA.
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal on the outskirts of Sutton Coldfield, in Birmingham, West Midlands.
The story of the Birmingham and Fazeley begins in 1770, when the Birmingham Canal Company was seen as having a monopoly. At the time, the coalfields at Walsall did not have canal access, and a public meeting was held at Lichfield on 18 August, to discuss an independent link from Walsall to Fradley Junction on the Trent and Mersey Canal, passing through Lichfield. Opposition from local landowners resulted in the plan being shelved, but a further plan was proposed at a meeting held in Warwick in August 1781, for a canal to run from Wednesbury through Fazeley to Atherstone, which was the end of the Coventry Canal at the time. The plans were changed somewhat in October, but shareholders in the Birmingham Canal saw it as a serious threat.
Two bills were put before Parliament in 1782, one for the Birmingham and Fazeley, and a rival one from the Birmingham Canal for a branch from Wednesbury to Walsall. Both sides opposed the other's proposal, and both bills were defeated. The promoters then opened negotiations with other canal companies, to ensure that when the canal was built, it would be part of a larger network. In 1782, they obtained an agreement from the Oxford Canal Company that they would complete the route to the River Thames at Oxford, one from the Coventry Canal that they would extend their canal from Atherstone to Fazeley, and agreed that they would complete the Coventry Canal's route from Fazeley as far as Whittington, as the Coventry Canal company could not finance the whole route. The Trent and Mersey would finish that link by building the remainder of the route to Fradley Junction. A second bill was put before Parliament, and at the same time, the Birmingham Canal presented a scheme for a canal from Riders Green to Broadwaters, near Walsall, with eight branches, and a second canal from Newhall to Fazeley. The Birmingham and Fazeley was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1784.
John Smeaton was the engineer employed by the Birmingham and Fazeley, but work did not start immediately, as he was also responsible for the Riders Green to Broadwaters line, which was completed first. The project did not go smoothly, as there were disputes between James Bough, the superintendent of the canal company, and Pinkertons, who were the civil engineering contractors employed to carry out the work. The issue concerned the cement that the Pinkertons were using. Work on the Fazeley line began in April 1786, with Bough still acting as superintenent, and the Pinkertons responsible for the construction of the section between Minworth and Fazeley. In late 1786, George Pinkerton found out that the levels, which had been surveyed by Bough, were wrong. Samuel Bull, the engineer for the canal company, investigated and reported that Pinkerton was right.
The company stopped paying Pinkerton in late 1788, as the costs were exceeding the original estimates, and the contract was taken away from them in February 1789. There was then a financial dispute over money which had been paid to Pinkerton as "extras", but which the company then claimed were overpayments. Some £2,750 was at issue, and the case rumbled on for a decade, until a court case in 1801 gave him only £436 of the claim. Unhappy with the outcome, Pinkerton justified his position, but his remarks about John Houghton, the Company Clerk, were deemed to be libellous, for which he was fined and spent some time in prison.
The canal was completed in August 1789. The benefits of the co-operation with the other canal companies were that when all the links were completed in 1790, it immediately generated a great deal of freight traffic. This created problems, as the flights of locks at Aston and Farmer's Bridge became congested, and this became worse when the Warwick Canal built a junction onto the Digbeth Branch. The problem was not solved until 1844, when the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal to the south east and the Tame Valley Canal to the north west were opened.
We doubled back from Amalfi to Sorrento through less congested back roads than the famous Amalfi Drive by which we approached Amalfi earlier in the day. I caught this iconic view of the Sorrentine Peninsula out the bus window. Of course, the glass affects the camera's eye more than it does the human eye, but still, this view of the Sorrentine Peninsula was unforgettably lovely.
‘Colas Rail freight’ Class 60 No. 60021 is seen again working 6E38, Colnbrook Colas Rail to Lindsey Oil Refinery Colas empty aviation tankers rounding the bend at Wistow near Market Harborough running an annoying 41 minutes late but, in some lovely evening light. Wistow was a location I had been meaning to visit for a long while but I had never got round to it. The evening of the 26/8 however, seemed to be ideal conditions for the shot as we were running out of time! By late August the sun was already very low! After a 45 minute drive through congested traffic we arrived at the location to find as previously mention the train running 41 minutes late and by the time the train had arrived one bush shadow had crept across both tracks and had slightly impeded the locos body side *Please Note* that this shadow has been removed using ‘Adobe Photoshop’, something I rarely do but beings we had some hard luck with the train being late I thought it was acceptable, as if the train was on time this shadow wouldn’t have been such a problem.
Jake is doing better. He was iagnosed with congestive heart failure this month at age 12 yr. 8 mo. He started on Vetmedin and it has really helped. He is back to being my happy boy, but older and wiser. He is still on orders to be a couch potato. I do have to post pictures of him watching more TV as that is his most exciting thing to do these days. He loves shows that feature dog and human bonding. He also still enjoys boat rides, but we have to be careful he does not get over heated.
He is happy here after a photo shoot in the yard that did not yield good images. He still had a good time running around and playing with Jasmine. He gets overheated when running around and in the heat. But he calmed down quickly and re-regulated. He is back to being my happy boy, and we treasure every moment.
He sees the doggie cardiologist in July for an echocardiogram, and la consult to see if any other meds might help also.
Taken and uploaded 5/31/21, 2021 05 15 to 31 a r72 Glow DB Tdnai DogsFlowersSAiling-5310306 (1 of 1) OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Abbey Travel of Erith was one on several companies involved in a rail replacement service for Southern trains between Sutton and West Croydon over this Bank Holiday weekend. Pictured in Wellesley Road, Croydon ex-Metroline Trident LR52 KXM has just completed a run from Sutton. A very nice ride it was too apart from the twenty minutes trying to get through a congested Croydon to the drop off point. As can be seen on the front of the vehicle, it is usually to be found working on behalf of North Kent College providing a free shuttle service between the college campus and Dartford station. Saturday 27th August 2016. DSCN38053.
TransBus Trident-TransBus President 9.9m. Ex-Metroline TP 393.
A ride around part of West Norfolk on Tuesday 27th September 2022 and having made a connection in Old Hunstanton with recently delivered Lynxbus Coastliner branded Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 MMC type number 64 - YX72 OLO, here we see it pulling away from the main bus stop opposite The Green in the village of Burnham Market. Number 64 had performed the third leg of our journey and we decided to drop back a bus for a comfort/refreshment stop. The village, which is often heavily congested, was surprisingly devoid of both people and cars for the time of day and year.
There are now five of these superb ADL Enviro 400 buses in the Lynx fleet, all of which have been owned from new and they certainly afford wonderful panoramic views over and along the North Norfolk Coast.
Thanks to Sam the driver of 64 who paused long enough for us to get a shot here.
I am back from my vacation , if you can call it that
It was hampered by cold , wet weather and the fact that I got a nasty cold
I did not swim, did not go far and did not visit a wonderful flickr contact that I so did want to see
In this case I prefer to see this (in the best optimistic fashion) as the glass half full
well at least that is what I am trying to do
:~)
Oh and HBW !
For the first time in many decades the sky is empty. A single jet is visible over a wide area of sky that in typical times would be full of aircraft from all corners. Every day, at dawn dozens of night flights arrive from the Americas.
Yesterday mid evening UK, flight radar showed only one passenger jet crossing the Atlantic.
Usually jets on the approach to Bristol fly over every few mins. The airport is now closed to all passenger services.
With skies quiet, and the roads empty it is now possible to clearly hear birdsong.
During the days following 9/11 the skies were quiet but not empty.
Taken from an open window! 😀
A sight for sore eyes – and a sound for sore ears – as 4K-8888 roars into RWY 23. Flying direct from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, this “727 bizjet” had brought in a trade delegation to discuss various high-yielding business deals with the locals. Though it looks like it had rolled off the production line yesterday, 4K-8888 had actually been completed in 1981, making it one of the last 727s produced. As with many of its siblings still flying today, it had received an aerodynamic upgrade in the form of winglets – as well as several bits of modern avionics needed for safe operation in today’s congested airspace.
The weather has been lousy , so decided to spend a weekend in Lisbon, there is always something to do indoors
Here a view of the 25 Th of April bridge from Belem
more Portugal here
www.flickr.com/photos/23502939@N02/sets/72157626640111149/
A Bridge across the Tagus
Lisbon is located at the estuary of the Tagus, and the width of the river has always made it difficult to build a bridge across the river near the city center.
Ideas to build a bridge were floated as early as in the 19th century, but they were never realized and the only way to get from one side of the river to the other was by way of a ferry.
Construction
In the mid 20th century the plan to build a bridge across the Tagus was picked up again. A committee decided the ideal location for the bridge was between Alcântara near downtown Lisbon and the suburb of Almada on the other side of the river.
Finally, in 1958 the government decided to go ahead with the plan and construction started in 1962. The bridge was inaugurated on August 6, 1966. It was named Ponte Salazar, after the dictator who at the time ruled over Portugal.
The Bridge
When it opened in 1966, the almost 2278 meter (7473 ft) long bridge with a main span of 1013 meters was one of the longest suspension bridges in Europe. The bridge deck, 70 meters above the water level, is suspended by cables that are supported by tall towers that rise 190.5 meter (625 ft) above the water. Its design was inspired by that of the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and it is even painted in the same color.
The bridge originally had four car lanes, and at the time planners expected this to be more than sufficient for the next 50 years but the dramatic rise of automobile traffic in the city soon caused long traffic jams.
In the 1990s two car lanes were added to the upper deck and train tracks were built on the lower deck. Despite these expansions the bridge is still regularly congested, even after the opening of the new Vasco da Gama Bridge in 1998.
The Name
In 1974 the peaceful Carnation Revolution brought an end to the authoritarian regime. After the revolution, many of the monuments in the city that referred to the regime were given a new name. The Ponte Salazar was renamed Ponte 25 de Abril or 25th of April Bridge to commemorate the start of the revolution on April 25, 1974.
This June and July, I've been driving through the countryside surrounding the highway to the seaside more than ever - the highway was congested quite often, and I'd rather drive slowly through the beautiful scenery than be stuck crawling on the highway.
Taken with an Olympus OM-1 film camera, and Olympus S Zuiko MC Auto-Zoom 35–70mm F4 lens, on a custom-rolled, shortened Agfa APX 400 film. Developed in Adox Adonal 1+50, at 21°C for 19 minutes.
Scanned with my trusty Plustek OpticFilm 8100 dedicated film scanner using VueScan x64 9.5.
The Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy is a former royal residence that was built in the 18th century. It is the largest royal residence in the world.
Constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples, the Palace covers an area of about 235,000 m. The architect of this magnificent palace was Luigi Vanvitelli.
The whole architectural complex at Caserta was primarily designed to give the kingdom a new capital.
The King wanted a new royal court and administrative center for the kingdom, in a location protected from sea attack, and distant from the revolt-prone and congested city of Naples.
In 1997, the interior was replicated as Queen Amidala’s Palace of the planet Naboo in Star Wars I- The Phantom Menace. It was used as a location for four days after it had been closed to visitors.
In 2002, the same palace was used as Queen Jamillia’s palace in Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones.
The same palace was also used as Vatican City in the movie Mission: Impossible III.
As we conclude 2025, I’ve put my favourites, most interesting and some new and withdrawn buses which I saw during this year. I also think this is a perfect moment to say a massive thank you and a brief update with my Flikr account:
Thank you! :
I firstly would like to thank you all for the support, some quite incredible achievements have been made and so many people have acknowledged these photos. I have noted that I have received over a million views overall which is quite an incredible achievement which I didn’t expect to get anywhere near to! I have also received over 600 faves this year which is much appreciated, and the most faved picture received 39 faves which I am grateful for! I am also hugely grateful for 285 followers - it means so much to me knowing that other people are interested in my photographs and want to support my Flikr account.
Difficulties:
I also think this would be an appropriate time to share some insight into something which I’ve enjoyed doing, but it hasn’t been easy! I have been very low on motivation at vast amounts this year, and more so recently. Whilst personally I haven’t got anything to find motivation off, but with photographing buses, it’s a hobby which is something which I won’t stop doing, but at times I really question whether it’s something I genuinely enjoy, a couple of moments this year I definitely have, and others which I have been in a situation where I am desperate to capture a bus, and then job done.
There have been points where I have not felt like uploading and leaving my photos to come back to them at a later time, hence sometimes a gap in uploads. I have Flikr Pro which hasn’t got very long before it expires, and I have had doubts on whether I would renew for this, however If I stopped over no account I would want to return, so I think they are just doubts.
Whilst I would prefer not to get into the other challenges, both personally and related to venturing out and photographing buses, I definitely will take the positives from this, and the negatives are out of the way now!
Future visits:
As for moving forward, I have got certain visits planned, which includes visiting the Peak District for numerous operators such as: Hulleys By High Peak, Some new High peak Mercedes Citaros for the Transpeak service, the Volvo B8RLE Eclipse 3’s entering service on the Sixes and some of the Notts and Derby fleet. I also plan to Capture the new Kinchbus electric Yutong E9’s/E10’s which are due very soon. More in the long term, I hope to visit the North East of England in the summer, so a variety of buses may be on the cards for me to capture during that time! I also hope to include models on here soon, as models on my other account will be coming to an end soon. I may give more info on this in the future months.
Updates:
I also have thought about jumbling up my photos from various visits, like some people do, which may give me some more motivation to continue uploading daily. I am open to feedback on this, so if you would like to see this let me know in the comments (once you’ve done some scrolling down!)
I have given a reasonable length description of each picture and why it’s a favourite of mine, going from left to right, starting with the top left as 1, then the last at the bottom right as 29. I haven’t put numbers over them as it may look too congested! If I could fit another image in, I would’ve made it 30 to round it up.
All pictures are in chronological order bar the South Staffs Evora (see below) which wouldn’t fit in so was moved in order to fit it at a better position with the other photos. I should say this has taken me ages to sort and a faff to arrange all the pictures so they fit in a perfect arrangement!
Here’s my top selection of pictures from 2025:
1) Arriva Derby’s Scania Omnicity 3554, pictured in January leaving the bus station - 2025 saw the end of Arriva’s Omnicities at Derby, and as a whole. The last made it to the summer months, where the last five or so were withdrawn, and the sole Omnilink survives outside of Arriva, it will feature on the years montage later on!
2) A significant moment in history, pictured is Hulleys of Baslow Scania Solar 34 seen in February, a month before the Hulleys closure. A huge farewell to Hulleys of Baslow which closed down this year, but the Hulleys name still lives on with Hulleys by high peak. A different identity and certainly something which I will look into for 2026! The Scania Solar lives on and has been at several operators since, it was infact preserved for a time, but is back in service use again!
3) Arriva Midlands Mercedes Citaro 3006 seen at Lichfield Bus Station in February with Midland red destination blinds on the front. Not something I expect to see again, so probably the best destination capture of the year!
4) Bus Link Scania Solars 75 and 71 at Lichfield bus station on the same day in February. A photo of a bus link Solar couldn’t be ignored, and I decided to include two in one photo!
5) Another huge farewell in April was the B7TL’s at First Kernow. These were the last B7TL’s within the entirety of First group all being withdrawn in the summer months, bar one at Essex which survived a handful of months longer. It has also turned out to be a farewell to First Kernow who themselves won’t be operating from February next year.
6) Another significant moment and a moment I will remember for years to come, in April photographing my model alongside the actual Truro Park and Ride vehicles. The model was of Western Greyhound’s 204 who operated it prior to their fire. Now First operate it and the sole Citaro which survived the fire was 64050, which was the only O530 Citaro. All are expected to have already been replaced, but it’s a given that 2026 will be their last year with the closure of First bus. Wright GB Kites are their replacements. It was the first time I’d photographed a model with a similar actual bus, and I have done it a couple of times since!
7) In April, my first capture of the First Corporate purple livery on an MMC, and also another to include First Kernow in with it being the last time I saw them in Cornwall.
8) In April, A Transport For Cornwall E200MMC (fleet number 2022) was captured at Polzeath beach, one of the best on the Cornwall north coast in my view, and it served as one of the best backdrops of the year!
9) One of Chaseriders new Volvo MCV Evoras at Stafford, I had found a perfect spot with the sun behind shining onto the buses, and a lovely visit during May, I couldn’t leave the pictures out of this years montage. I am yet to upload these photos onto Flikr, but they are in the queue!
10) One of the most interesting brands of 2025 has to be the peak Sightseer livery, and for 2025, three ALX400’s came up from Torquay where I already knew of their existence, so a visit in May on their first appearance out allowed me to see 18303! Fingers crossed 2026 will be a continuation for Tridents on there, so a return trip is mandatory!
11) The moment I unexpectedly saw South Staffs MCV Evora turn up was definitely a bonus, it was probably the biggest shock of excitement I’ve had this year with bus spotting. It was pictured on its first day in service during May and has been part of an ever-growing fleet for them this year, taking over multiple services in the region!
12) One of TM Travel’s Scania L94UB Solars which transferred from Trentbarton to TM travel this year. 663 was pictured on the day working the 218 service in May.
13) A continuation from the Chatsworth day out, and this time 674 was selected for the years montage - it was the last red scania at TM travel and was withdrawn just weeks later after capturing it during May,
14) Now onto Buxton, on the same day, also in May, the Skyline branded Mercedes Citaro made it into the montage as they are being phased out in place for E200MMC’s and possibly Evoras for the future. 801 was captured, the oldest one left! That capped off probably the most successful trip of the year in terms of seeing all the buses I needed to tick off, I don’t think I missed any, and saw more than I anticipated.
15) Again in May, A visit to the bus link yard, and a photo of their varied buses and liveries all lined up was quite the spectacle!
16) From the Bus Link yard, A photo of my favourite bus of 2025, Bus Link’s 61 was at their depot, and my first encounter of it too! It was saved from Arriva Leicester and was painted into bus link colours. It’s the only Pulsar Gemini left in the entirety of the midlands now, such as shame. It has served as my new profile picture!
17) In June, One of the Diamond East Mids Scania irizar i3’s which are on the brink of being sold off out of Rotala ownership. It was known for some time that they would be leaving, so my best photo of an i3 would no doubt be necessary for the years montage. I have saved up quite a large number of uploads which will consist solely of the Scania irizar i3’s!
18) In June, the day came for my last photo of a midland classic liveried E400, with the last four being repainted into the diamond livery in quick succession. A key moment for me during this year!
19) Off the back of the i3’s, their successor at Diamond is the very unique Custom Denning Element 2’s (in full) and here was my first spot of an example in the blistering June heat! They feature lovely cool aircon as they are imports from Australia. Currently, diamond operates ten of these, none can be found anywhere else in the UK currently!
20) A brief visit to Torquay in June proved to be worthwhile, whilst I was gutted to not see Stagecoach stripes 18308 in service, I was very kindly given a look round the Stagecoach depot, where I captured Stripey parked up. Electrics arriving there will replace it during 2026, so that will be my one and only proper attempt at seeing it.
21) During my Torquay visit in June, A very modern looking backdrop in Torquay with one of Stagecoach’s E400MMC’s in view. Another favourite backdrop from this year!
22) 2025 saw the introduction of the Xpress 38 brand, now bright orange, and this was a no brainer for the montage, however it was difficult to pick a photo that I’d taken such the interest I had with them. In the end, the two Volvos at Burton won the selection, and the shenanigans of the X38 continued into this year, with three buses there at once, plus a villager. Taken during an unusually dull July.
23) 2025 was the year I finally photographed a Cotswold Pulsar 1 example - having not been in my area before, the Commanders were the ones to be in the midlands. However despite Derby having one this year, it wasn’t the example to take the claim - Arriva Wales 2916 was infact, taken at Chester, which was the biggest visit of the year in July (and I haven’t uploaded a single photo yet bar a mini one here!)
24) During August, A very nice Great Yarmouth Heritage livery on First Eastern Counties 37562, a visit I also haven’t uploaded any pictures of, but I had failed to get any decent photos of this vehicle on the two previous visits. Now I ticked it off, I thought it was worthy of including in the years montage with it evading me for too long!
25) An era ending year for Trentbarton now, bidding farewell to the Scania solars, where in September I photographed 669 which was the last Solar in public service with Trent, having operated more than a hundred in their hay day. It was sadly withdrawn in October and although surviving as a trainer vehicle, it cannot be caught by the public. A rather emotional moment during 2025.
26) Now onto the Preservation scene for 2025. At first I was going to include a former NX Trident or two, having done well for numbers being saved this year. However, one which surprised me was former Arriva Derby and originally Arriva Tamworth Scania Omnilink 3505. It now resides at Wythall Transport museum and was pictured on its first ever preservation outing in September.
27) A nice one later on in the year in November was actually used for the Christmas photo of the year, which features an Andrews of Tideswell Plaxton Elite coach at the front of Chatsworth house with Christmas lights. I thought this was something different being a coach and also some festivity to go with it.
28) A lucky capture again of a South Staffs vehicle, but at the other end of the spectrum, this was former Metroline London TE1742, a contrast to their plain white new E400MMC’s. It was captured on a cold frosty November morning which was well worth the effort!
29) A capture of a West Midlands Volvo B7TL Wright Gemini before the West Midlands looses them all, this being 4523, the last BU53 left from the batch and also the last red and white Gemini at West Bromwich. I featured Tridents a lot last year, but 2025 I only saw them in public service in December and just the one occasion. This could be the last I see of the Tridents and Geminis in public use in the West Mids, so to conclude the years montage, I say farewell to the old beasts which for the oldest Geminis are nearly 23 years old, quite astonishing!
However, for the very beginning of 2026, the Trident and Geminis still live on…
Thank you very much if you have read to this point, feel free to comment whether you would like to see photos randomised, or whether you like it how it is with there being a structure to each visit at a time. Once again, a massive thanks and let’s hope 2026 is a year to remember!
The Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy is a former royal residence that was built in the 18th century. It is the largest royal residence in the world.
Constructed for the Bourbon kings of Naples, the Palace covers an area of about 235,000 m. The architect of this magnificent palace was Luigi Vanvitelli.
The whole architectural complex at Caserta was primarily designed to give the kingdom a new capital.
The King wanted a new royal court and administrative center for the kingdom, in a location protected from sea attack, and distant from the revolt-prone and congested city of Naples.
In 1997, the interior was replicated as Queen Amidala’s Palace of the planet Naboo in Star Wars I- The Phantom Menace. It was used as a location for four days after it had been closed to visitors.
In 2002, the same palace was used as Queen Jamillia’s palace in Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones.
The same palace was also used as Vatican City in the movie Mission: Impossible III.
Fr
Dans cette photo nous voyons deux statues dans la nuit elles
sont allumés...dans la place Ils sont un total de sept les sculptures titrés:..."Conversation à Nice" (par Jaume Plensa)"
============
ES
Fin de la tarde en invierno , a Niza
La extension de Una fabulosa e inmensa zona peatona ,
ha sido posible tras la implementacion del tranvia . Asi como el hecho de haber implementado un precio modico al trayecto .El resultado ha sido una neta reducion de la congestion del trafico en el centro de la ciudad ,un aire mas respirable ,menos agresion de ruido y toda la ciudadania sin distincion ha ganado en calidad de vida .
texto condensado sin editar
Diario lateral de artista.
...............
fr
..."La place Masséna est une place du centre-ville de Nice, désignée ainsi en hommage au maréchal d’Empire André Masséna, niçois de naissance. Depuis sa construction progressive à partir des années 1820-1830, la place Masséna s’est profondément inscrite dans le patrimoine niçois. Elle est un « joyau » de la ville (Édouard Scoffier dans son œuvre, réalisée avec Felix Blanchi, sur le Consiglio d'Ornato1) et un espace central de la ville de Nice..."
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..."Les sept statues illuminées actuellement présentes sur la place Masséna représentant les sept continents "Conversation à Nice" (par Jaume Plensa)".. dans cette photo nous voyons deux....
From:
Trifolium incarnatum, known as crimson clover or Italian clover, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to most of Europe. It has been introduced to other areas, including the United States and Japan.
This upright annual herb grows to 20–50 cm (8-20") tall, unbranched or branched only at the base. The leaves are trifoliate with a long petiole, each leaflet hairy, 8–16 mm across, with a truncated or bilobed apex. The flowers are produced throughout the spring and summer, rich red or crimson, congested on an elongated spike inflorescence 3–5 cm tall and 1.5 cm broad; the individual flowers are up to 10–13 mm long and have five petals. The banner of each flower does not sit upright, but folds forward.
Crimson clover is commonly used in agriculture as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop. The plant uses associations with Rhizobia bacteria to fix nitrogen. The plant is widely grown as a protein-rich forage crop for cattle and other livestock, and is suitable to be made into hay. It is commonly grazed by domestic and wild ruminants. It is often used for roadside erosion control, as well as beautification, however it tends to eliminate all other desirable spring and early-summer species of native vegetation in the area where it is planted.
Crimson clover's flowers and the sprouts, which are visually and gustatorily similar to alfalfa sprouts are edible. They can be added as an ingredient in salads, sandwiches, and other dishes, made into tisanes, and can be dried and ground into flour. 100 grams of crimson clover sprouts contains 23 calories, 4g of protein, 2g of fiber, and provides 38 percent of the RDI of vitamin K, as well as 14 percent of the RDI of vitamin C. It has extremely small amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, selenium and magnesium. Like all raw eaten sprouts, they possess the risk of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Bacillus cereus contamination. However, many reputable facilities in the United States attempt to regulate and test these crops for such bacteria.
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 have headed slightly north of Cavendish Mews to London’s busy shopping precinct along Oxford Street, where ladies flock to window shop, browse department stores and shops and to take tea with their friends. With the Christmas rush of 1921 behind them, the large plate glass windows have been stripped of their tinsel garlands and metallic cardboard stars, and displays are turning to the new fashions and must have possessions of 1922. Oxford Street is still busy with shoppers as Lettice walks up it dressed in a smart navy blue coat of velvet with a lustrous mink fur trim and matching hat, and the road congested with London’s signature red buses, taxis and private traffic. Yet neither the road nor the footpath are as crowded as they were when she found Edith, her maid’s, Christmas gift in Boots the Chemist, and for that she is grateful. Her louis heels click along the concrete footpath as she takes purposeful and measured footsteps towards her destination, the salon of her milliner Madame Gwendolyn which is situated above all the hubbub of shoppers and London office workers on the first floor of a tall and ornate Victorian building.
Lettice breathes a sigh of relief as she walks through the wood and plate glass door of the salon, simply marked with the name Gwendolyn in elegant gilt copperplate lettering, leaving behind the chug of belching double deckers, the toot of horns, the rumble of motorcar engines and the droning buzz of female chatter. The faint fragrance of a mixture of expensive scents from Madame Gewndolyn’s other clientele envelops her, dismissing the soot and fumes of the world outside as the quiet sinks in. Lettice always feels calmer in Madame’s salon, tastefully decked out in an Edwardian version of Regency with finely striped papers and upholstery.
“Good afternoon Miss Chetwynd,” the female receptionist greets Lettice politely in well enunciated tones, rising from her desk, showing off her smart outfit of a crisp white shirtwaister* with goffered lace detailing and a navy skirt. “Your timing, as ever, is perfect.” She smiles as she walks over and without asking, takes the coat from Lettice’s shirking shoulders.
“Thank you Roslyn,” Lettice acknowledges her assistance. As she goes to take Lettice’s white lace parasol, Lettice stops the young receptionist. “No thank you. I need this for my consultation.”
If taken aback by Lettice’s unusual refusal to relinquish her parasol, Roslyn doesn’t show it as she simply smiles politely and says, “Madame is expecting you. Please do come through.”
The two women walk across the polished floor of the foyer covered in expensive rugs that their feet sink into, until they stop before an inner set of double doors. Roslyn’s polite rap is greeted by a commanding “come” from the other side.
“Miss Chetwynd, Madame,” Roslyn announces as she opens the door inwards, leading Lettice into a salon, similarly furbished as the foyer which is filled with an array of beautiful hats elegantly on display.
“Ah, Miss Chetwynd,” Madame Gwendolyn says in the same clearly enunciated syllables as her receptionist, with a broad smile on her lips. “How do you do.”
“How do you do, Madame.” she replies as Roslyn retreats the way she came, closing the doors silently behind her.
Madame Gwendolyn smile broadens as she notices Lettice’s blue velvet toque with the mink trim which she made to match the coat now hanging in the wardrobe behind Roslyn’s desk in the foyer. Then it fades as her eye falls upon Lettice’s parasol in her client’s left hand. “Oh Miss Chetwynd, I’m so sorry Roslyn didn’t,” and she reaches out to take it from her hand.
“Oh no! No Madame,” Lettice assures the middle-aged milliner. “Roslyn went to take it from me, but I said no. We will need it for our appointment you see.”
“Oh,” Madame Gwendolyn’s expertly plucked and shaped brow arches ever so slightly. “Very well. Won’t you please take a seat, Miss Chetwynd.” She indicates to two Edwardian Arts and Crafts chairs carefully reupholstered in cream Regency stripe fabric to match the wallpaper hanging in the salon.
Lettice selects the one to her right and hangs the parasol over its arm before gracefully lowering herself into the seat and placing her snakeskin handbag at her side. As she does so, Roslyn slips back into the room bearing a tray on which sits tea making implements for one, which she carefully places on the small table next to a few recent fashion magazines, easily in Lettice’s range.
Once Roslyn obsequiously retreats again, Madame Gwendolyn says, “Now, I believe you may have come about a new hat for The Princess Royal’s wedding*. Is that so, Miss Chetwynd?”
“You are well informed, Madame.” Lettice replies, glancing down at her knee as she speaks.
Madame Gwendolyn smiles again, taking up a leatherbound notebook. “How delightful for you to be in attendance.”
“Well, we are well acquainted, Madame,” Lettice answers dismissively.
“Of course! Of course.” the older woman replies, her back stiffening as she raises her pale and elegant hands in defence. “Now, might I enquire as to who will be making your frock for the occasion?”
“Yes. Mr. Gerald Bruton of Grosvenor Street.”
“Ah. Excellent! Excellent.” Madame replies like a toady as she jots Gerald’s name in her book. “And the fabrics, Miss Chetwynd?”
“Oyster satin with pearl buttons and a guipure lace** Peter Pan collar***.”
“Excellent! Excellent!” Madame Gwendolyn repeats again, noting the details down. “White gloves, or grey?”
“Grey.”
The woman closes her notebook firmly, leaving it in her lap. “Well, I’m quite sure we can make something most suitable for the royal occasion to match your ensemble.”
The milliner rises and puts her notebook aside. Whilst she looks about her salon for possibilities, Lettice pours herself tea from the delicate hydrangea patterned pot on the table.
“Now, I could easily create something similar to this, in a soft grey, Miss Chetwynd.” Madame Gwendolyn returns with a beautiful picture hat of pale pink covered in a carefully crafted whorl of ostrich feathers.
“Hhhmmm…” Lettice considers.
“Or, this could easily be adapted to match your outfit, Miss Chetwynd,” she indicates to a more cloche shaped hat of white and black dyed straw with black ribboning. “By replacing the ribbon with a grey one. I also have some delightful pearl appliques that would add a beautiful touch of royal elegance to it.”
“Perhaps,” Lettice replies noncommittally with her head slightly cocked.
As she watches Madame Gwendolyn scurry across the salon and fetch a peach coloured wide brimmed hat with a band of silk flowers about the brim with an aigrette of cream lace, her thoughts drift back to the day the previous June when she and her dear Embassy Club coterie friend Margot were walking down Oxford Street, not too far from where she sits now. They had been discussing the Islington Studios**** moving picture starlet Wanetta Ward, whom Lettice had agreed to take on as a new customer, as well as Margot’s wedding plans. Ascot Week***** was fast approaching and Selfridges had a window display featuring four rather stylish hats, every bit as comparable in quality to those being shown to her by the toadying milliner before her at a fraction of the cost. Margot had laughed at Lettice when she had suggested that perhaps she should have worn a Selfridges hat to Royal Ascot, rather than the creation Madame Gwendolyn made her. Yet her hat from Madame Gwendolyn at twelve guineas was far from a roaring success in the fashion stakes. In fact, she had heard a fashion correspondent from the Tattler whispering a little too loudly that it might even have been a little old fashioned: a touch pre-war.
“Miss Chetwynd? Miss Chetwynd?” Madame Gwendolyn’s somewhat urgent calls press into her consciousness, breaking Lettice’s train of thought.
Lettice looks up into the face of the milliner with her upswept hairdo a mixture of pre-war Edwardian style mixed with modern Marcelling******. The woman is holding up a cream straw cloche decorated with pink silk flowers and an aigrette of ostrich plumes curled in on themselves.
“I think this one is most becoming. Don’t you think so, Miss Chetwynd? It would frame your face and hair so well. And, for you, because it is only the reworking of the decoration,” the older woman adds with a sly smile. “A bargain if I may say so, at only nine guineas.” She smiles in an oily way as she presses the hat closer to Lettice. “What do you think, Miss Chetwynd?”
Lettice looks blankly at Madame Gwendolyn for a moment before replying. “What I think, Madame, is I should like to give your suggestions some consideration.”
The milliner’s face drops, as do her arms as she lowers the hat until it hangs loosely in front of her knees in her defeated hands. “I… I don’t understand, Miss Chetwynd.” she manages to say in startled disbelief.
“Oh,” Lettice replies. “Haven’t I made myself clear, Madame? I’m not entirely convinced about any of the hats you have shown me. I don’t know if any of them will match my costume and parasol. I think they all look a little…”
“A little?” the older woman prompts.
“A little old fashioned. A little pre-war was how your hat for me for Royal Ascot last year was described. I want to look my very best. After all, this is a royal wedding.” She takes a final sip of her tea and then stands, picking up her purse and parasol. “So, I should like to consider my choices before deciding whether to accept one or not.”
As Lettice starts to walk across the salon floor, Madame Gwendolyn stutters, “Per… perhaps Miss Chetwynd… Perhaps you’d care to suggest your own ideas. I’m very open to a client’s ide…”
Lettice stops and turns abruptly to the milliner, cutting her sentence off. “Madame,” she says, a definite haughtiness growing in her gait, causing her shoulders to edge back almost imperceptibly and for her neck to arch. “If I had wanted to design my own hat, I would have made it myself, rather than come to you and pay you handsomely for it.”
“Oh, of course not Miss Chetwynd. How very careless of me to even suggest…. Such… such a gaffe! Please forgive me.”
“Really Madame, there is no need to apologise like some spineless, obsequious servant. I’d simply like time to consider what you’ve shown me, versus say, what Harry Selfridge has to offer.”
“Mr. Selfridge?” Madame Gwendolyn ponders, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes. He has a wonderful array of hats, many Paris models in the latest styles, in his millinery department, perhaps more suited to the more modern woman of today than the,” Lettice glances back at the hats on display in the salon. “The society matron. You really should take a look, Madame. You might see where the future of hats sits.”
Lettice pulls open the doors of the salon and walks purposefully out into the foyer, where Roslyn is busily scanning a copy of Elite Styles, cutting out images of hats with a pair of scissors behind her desk. She quickly gets up when she sees Lettice and her employer come out.
“Leaving so soon, Miss Chetwynd?” she asks, and without having to wait for an answer, turns to the white painted built in wardrobe behind her, opens it and withdraws Lettice’s coat.
As Lettice steps back into Oxford Street and is enveloped by its discordant cacophony of noise and potpourri of smells, she sighs and walks back the way she came with the measured steps of a viscount’s daughter. As she reaches the full length plate glass windows of Selfridge’s department store, she pauses when she sees two young women around her age, both obviously typists, secretaries or some other kind of office workers, scuttle up to the windows. Dressed in smart black coats and matching small brimmed straw hats with Marcelled hair in fashionable bobs, they look the epitome of the new and independent woman. They laugh lightly and point excitedly at things they see displayed in the department store window. Then, they agree and both scurry away and through the revolving doors of Selfridges.
“Why should I have my hats made at Madame Gwendolyn’s, just because Mamma does?” she asks no-one in particular, her quiet utterance smothered and swept away into the noisy hubbub around her.
She walks to the window, only to discover that it is full of hats, advertised as newly in from Paris.
“Oh, why not, then?” Lettice says, straightening her shoulders with conviction.
She follows the two office girls and steps through the revolving doors of Selfridges department store.
Contrary to popular belief, fashion at the beginning of the Roaring 20s did not feature the iconic cloche hat as a commonly worn head covering. Although invented by French milliner Caroline Reboux in 1908, the cloche hat did not start to gain popularity until 1922, so in early 1922 when this story is set, picture hats, a hangover from the pre-war years, were still de rigueur in fashionable society. Although nowhere near as wide, heavy, voluminous or as ornate as the hats worn by women between the turn of the Twentieth Century and the Great War, the picture hats of the 1920s were still wide brimmed, although they were generally made of straw or some lightweight fabric and were decorated with a more restrained touch. For somewhere as socially important as Princess Mary’s 1922 wedding, a matching hat, parasol, handbag or reticule and gloves to go with a lady’s chosen frock were essential.
*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.
**Guipure lace is a delicate fabric made by twisting and braiding the threads to craft incredible designs that wows the eye. Guipure lace fabrics distinguish themselves from other types of lace by connecting the designs using bars or subtle plaits instead of setting them on a net.
***A Peter Pan collar is a style of clothing collar, flat in design with rounded corners. It is named after the collar of Maude Adams's costume in her 1905 role as Peter Pan, although similar styles had been worn before this date. Peter Pan collars were particularly fashionable during the 1920s and 1930s.
****Islington Studios, often known as Gainsborough Studios, were a British film studio located on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in Shoreditch, London which began operation in 1919. By 1920 they had a two stage studio. It is here that Alfred Hitchcock made his entrée into films.
*****Royal Ascot Week is the major social calendar event held in June every year at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire. It was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne and is attended every year by the reigning British monarch and members of the Royal Family. The event is grand and showy, with men in grey morning dress and silk toppers and ladies in their best summer frocks and most elaborate hats.
******Marcelling is a hair styling technique in which hot curling tongs are used to induce a curl into the hair. Its appearance was similar to that of a finger wave but it is created using a different method. Marcelled hair was a popular style for women's hair in the 1920s, often in conjunction with a bob cut. For those women who had longer hair, it was common to tie the hair at the nape of the neck and pin it above the ear with a stylish hair pin or flower. One famous wearer was American entertainer, Josephine Baker.
This enclave of luxurious millinary may appear real to you, however it is fashioned entirely of 1:12 miniatures from my collection. Some of the items in this tableau are amongst the very first pieces I ever received as a young child.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The cream straw hat second from the left with pink roses has single stands of ostrich feathers adorning it that have been hand curled. The yellow straw hat on the far right of the photo is decorated with ornamental flowers and organza. The maker for these is unknown, but they are part of a larger collection I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel. The peach coloured hat with the flowers around the brim and the net aigrette second from the right, and the pink feather covered hat on the far left of the picture came from a seller on E-Bay. The black straw hat with the yellow trim and rose reflected in the mirror and the white straw hait with the black trim in the foreground were made by Mrs. Denton of Muffin Lodge in the United Kingdom. 1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism 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 wooden hat blocks on which the hats are displayed also came from American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel.
The dressing table set, consisting of tray, mirror and two brushes were made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, but were hand painted with wonderful detail by British miniature artisan Victoria Fasken, sold through Kathleen Knight’s Dollhouse Shop in England.
Lettice’s snakeskin handbag with its gold clasp and chain comes from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniature Shop in the United Kingdom. Lettice’s umbrella is a 1:12 artisan piece made of white satin and lace with a tiny cream bow. It has a hooked metal handle.
The Elite Styles magazine from 1922 sitting on the table was made by hand by Petite Gite Miniatures in the United States.
The blue hydrangea tea set came from a miniatures stockist on E-Bay.
The two Edwardian fashion plates hanging on the wall come from Melody Jane’s Doll House Suppliers in England.
The vintage mirror with its hand carved wooden frame was acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dollhouse Shop in England.
The two chairs, the tea table and the stands upon which two of the hats are displayed are all made by the high-end miniature furniture manufacturer, Bespaq.
The Regency sideboard I have had since I was around six or seven, having been given it as either a birthday or Christmas gift.
The cream Georgian pattern carpet on the floor comes from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in England. The Regency stripe wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend, with the purpose that it be used in the “Cavendish Mews – Lettice Chetwynd” series.
The front was just too congested to get a good shot, not really happy with this one. Would love to shot it at night when it is lit up
Sixteen lanes of westbound rush hour traffic on Highway 401, Toronto.
Canada's Highway 401 is North America’s busiest expressway. When averaged out, approximately 360,000 vehicles travel the Toronto section of Highway 401 on a typical day, with the busiest section near the intersection of Highway 427 seeing an average of 450,000 vehicles.
As the sign indicates, cannabis is legal in Canada. According to data from a 2023 University of Ottawa report; while documented hospital emergency department visits due to cannabis-related traffic injuries were very rare, the number of ED visits increased from 0.18 visits per 1,000 total motor vehicle collisions in 2010 to 1.01 in 2021.
Moral: Don't toke and drive!
Sony RX100 v1
Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 28-100mm (eq.) f/1.8-4.9
Kodachrome emulation
► All my images are my own real photography, not fake AI fraudography.
► Toutes mes images sont ma propre vraie photographie, pas une fausse fraudographie basée sur l'IA.
■ Please don't use my images for any purpose, including on websites or blogs, without my explicit permission.
■ S.V.P ne pas utiliser cette photo sur un site web, blog ou tout autre média sans ma permission explicite.
© Tom Freda / All rights reserved - Tous droits réservés
5 exposure HDR.
Kincardine Bridge was constructed between 1932 and 1936, to a design by Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, Consulting Engineers, and Architect, Donald Watson. It was the first road crossing of the River Forth downstream of Stirling, completed nearly thirty years before the Forth Road Bridge, which stands fifteen miles (24 km) to the south-east.
The bridge was constructed with a swinging central section which remained in use until 1988, that would allow larger ships to sail upstream to the small port at Alloa.
The bridge is part of the A985 road and carries a single lane in each direction. Until the opening of the Clackmannanshire Bridge in 2008, it was the customary diversion route for traffic north from Edinburgh and eastern Scotland when the Forth Road Bridge was closed or under repair. As a result of the additional traffic using the bridge at these times, joining the high volume of regular commuter traffic, the town of Kincardine was frequently congested.
Photographs taken by me at Point Pleasant Beach. Shot with the Sigma 19mm F/2.8 DG DN Art. At F/11 Shutter speed 4 seconds ISO 100.
It was quite a nice 4th of July full of crowds of people that wanted to spend their weekend at the beach to see the big show. It felt very pre-covid as the crowds were overwhelmingly congested on the Boardwalk. I shot simultaneously with two cameras. The first camera was with a crop sensor. The A6300 with a wide angle lens the Sigma 19mm. Which this series showcases.. The second camera I shot with was my A7Riii with my Sony 50mm F/1.2 GM. The show was suppose to start at 9:00 PM and eventually started at 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, due to the delay it rained a little bit, and some of my photos will reflect that. However, I found the photos that were affected by the droplets of rain falling on the front lens elements to be characterful. That's is why I have decided to share them rather than delete them.
All rights reserved ©
LAST FRIDAY NIGHT || PHOTOGRAPHY
[On My Way Back To BH]
@Cabantan, Archbishop Reyes Avenue, Cebu City
I have climbed several higher mountains without guide or path, and have found, as might be expected, that it takes only more time and patience commonly than to travel the smoothest highway. On the heels of yesterday’s dive into the art of the road trip, I thought it'd fitting to share my photo from a recent commute of Cebu’s iconic highway. There is this road, not a simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of night, and thinking if I go, would someone dare to follow, or this path is for my steps alone? I'm afraid to strode in the mid road or in the midst of the succumb dark night. But ideally, some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost. It's not hard to get your way when it's your way or the highway.
In the picture is a road busily occupied with vehicles varying from different sizes and shapes. Crossing it is fraught with danger. So I waited for some time for it to shortly empty so I could butt in the middle and put the view into the square. We can’t know what’s going to happen. We can just try to figure it out as we go along.
For tens of thousands, it is a vision if not better, a happier and healthier city highway. If on a week day, pedestrians can barely navigate this traffic-congested, hawker-infested, heavily polluted stretch in Cebu’s swank urban of Cebu, for the last three Sunday mornings these few kilometers of Linking Road have become a road of their own. Nobody ever wonders how significant they've been, only few take them in a square for memories.
#photography #pictureperfect #bokeheffect #highway #railroads #ordinaryroads #nighttime #black&white #citypavement #urbanwalkway #thepedestrian #middleroad #roadlights