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Excerpt from Wikipedia:
After the Republic of Dubrovnik acquired the Pelješac in 1334, it required the protection of Ston. First, in thirty years, one of the longest defense walls in Europe was erected on one side of the peninsula, and according to a unique project, two new towns were planned: southern Ston and northern Little Ston with the aim of encompassing people to preserve the boundaries and work in solanas the state had acquired. Between 1461 and 1464, the Florentine architect Michelozzo commissioned the building of the wall by the order of the Dubrovnik Republic. The Great Wall is 1200 m long, and was built to ensure protection from neighbours. The chronicles state that the construction of the wall lasted for 18 months and cost 12,000 ducats.
The fortress of Ston was one of the largest construction projects of the time, with an original length of 7000 m, consisting of the walls of Ston and Little Ston. The Great Wall consists of three fortresses, and the walls and fortresses are flanked by 10 rounds of 31 squares and 6 semi-circular bastions. The complex defense corps has been shaped over the course of four centuries, due to the development of weapons.
The walls were of great importance because they were defending the saltworks that gave 15,900 ducats every year to the Dubrovnik Republic, the shellfish farm and the city itself.
In 1667, about 0.5 km of walls was destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake, and the walls were significantly damaged in the earthquakes in 1979 and 1996.
In 2004, work on the restoration of obsolete walls was started, with the aim of facilitating visits to the area between Ston and Little Ston. It was assumed that the works would be completed by May 2008, but only the original part of the Ston Bridge was rebuilt. The reconstruction of the Great Wall in Ston, worth about five million kuna (€673,000), was completed, and it was announced that the stone walls with public entrance fee will be opened in May 2009.
Here you can see Ousado has lost a toe on his hind foot!
In Porto Jofre, the jaguars are closely monitored and studied by the Jaguar Identification Project, which is dedicated to the long-term study and conservation of jaguars in Brazil's Pantanal. Each year they create a guide reporting on the most commonly seen animals in the Porto Jofre region. Each jaguar can be identified by their spot pattern. Their entire coat is like a fingerprint and is completely unique to that individual. Since 2013, over 412 individuals have been identified, including this aging warrior, Ousado.
Ousado (meaning 'bold' or 'daring'), was first observed in 2020. He was a rescued victim from the massive fires that swept through the Pantanal in 2020. At least 17 million vertebrate animals were directly killed by fire, and 27% of the vegetation cover of the Brazilian Pantanal was destroyed. The estimate was made by a group of 30 scientists from different institutions, in an unprecedented study that took place over many months.
The Story of Ousado and His Collar (in some photos, I have edited it out)
The Ordeal: In September 2020, during some of the worst fires to ever hit the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil, Ousado was found severely injured. He had suffered third-degree burns on all four of his paws, which prevented him from walking or hunting and left him emaciated.
Rescue and Rehabilitation: A team of veterinarians and conservation organizations, including Ampara Animal and Panthera, rescued Ousado. He was airlifted for medical treatment, which included innovative stem cell therapy for his burns. He made a quick and full recovery within 36 days.
The Collar and Release: Upon his release back into the wild in October 2020, Ousado was fitted with a GPS satellite collar. The purpose of the collar was for scientists to monitor his progress, track his movements, and ensure his successful readaptation to his natural habitat.
A Symbol of Resilience: The collar serves as a visual reminder of his incredible survival story. Despite initial concerns about his ability to survive or hunt again, Ousado thrived. He is now a dominant male in his territory, known for his formidable hunting skills, including a unique technique of diving underwater to ambush caimans.
The Collar's Status: The collar was intended to detach automatically after about a year, but this did not happen. Recapturing him to remove it is considered too risky for both the animal and the team. Ousado still wears the collar and is frequently sighted by tourists and researchers, known as the "jaguar ambassador" of the Northern Pantanal.
Der 102,5 ha große Neue Garten liegt im Norden Potsdams am Jungfernsee. Über das Wasser hinweg bestehen gestalterische Verbindungen zu den Gärten von Sacrow, Pfaueninsel, Glienicke und Babelsberg, wodurch er eine zentrale Rolle in der Gartenlandschaft erhält. Trotz Überformung durch Lenné hat er noch sentimentale Einzelpartien aus der Entstehungsphase vor 1800 bewahrt. Seine Geschichte fängt mit dem Ankauf eines zentralen Grundstückes durch den Kronprinzen Friedrich Wilhelm (II.) an. Im Jahre 1787, ein Jahr nach dem Regierungsantritt, begann die Anlage des Neuen Gartens, der seinen Namen programmatisch in der Abkehr vom alten Barockpark Sanssouci erhielt. Als Gestalter wurde der Wörlitzer Gärtner Johann August Eyserbeck verpflichtet, was die Umsetzung der an englischen Gärten orientierten Idealvorstellung Friedrich Wilhelms garantierte. Ungünstig für den einheitlichen Charakter des Gartens war der sich über mehrere Jahre hinziehende Grundstücksankauf. Neben einbezogenen ehemaligen Wohnhäusern entstanden zwischen 1787 und 1792 wichtige neue Bauten im Garten, von denen heute noch viele bestehen: Marmorpalais, Küche in Form einer römischen Tempelruine, Gotische Bibliothek, Schindelhaus, Orangerie, Grotte, Meierei, Pyramide (Eiskeller) und das holländische Etablissement. Vor letzterem verläuft, begleitet von Pyramidenpappeln (seit 1864 Pyramideneichen), ein Musterstück für den preußischen Chausseebau. In der Gartenanlage entstand eine Fülle von Partien unterschiedlicher sentimentaler Prägung, die von den jeweiligen Bauten oder Pflanzungen in ihrem Charakter bestimmt werden. 1816 überarbeitete Peter Joseph Lenné im Auftrag des Thronfolgers den zugewachsenen und unmodern gewordenen Garten. Unter Erhalt vieler Bereiche und Entfernung zu dichter Gehölze bekam der Neue Garten große Sichten und Wiesenräume, gefälligere Wegeführung und vor allem die Blickverbindungen zu den Nachbargärten (Sacrow, Pfaueninsel, Glienicke, Babelsberg, Potsdam, Pfingstberg). Trotz kleinerer Veränderungen zur Kaiserzeit und durch Rücknahme von Einbauten aus der Zeit der russischen Nutzung (1945–1954) hat sich noch immer die von Lenné geplante Grundstruktur bewahrt. Das Schloss Cecilienhof, 1913–1917 für den Kronprinzen erbaut, fügt sich sehr harmonisch ein. Eine 13 ha große Fläche, die 1960-1990 als Grenzgebiet zerstört war, ist inzwischen wieder hergestellt worden.
www.spsg.de/schloesser-gaerten/objekt/neuer-garten
The New Garden, which covers 102.5 hectares, lies at Jungfernsee Lake in the northern part of Potsdam. Creative viewing connections extend across the water to the gardens of Sacrow, Peacock Island, Glienicke and Babelsberg, evidencing the park’s central role in this overall garden landscape. Despite its having been reshaped by Lenné, the garden has nevertheless preserved individual, emotive areas that date from the phase of its creation before 1800. The garden’s history begins with the purchase of a central piece of land by Crown Prince Frederick William (II). In 1787, a year after his ascension to the throne, the laying out of the grounds commenced at the New Garden, the name being programmatic for the abandonment of the old baroque park at Sanssouci. Wörlitz gardener Johann August Eyserbeck was charged with its creation, a decision that ensured a transformation in alignment with Frederick William’s ideals oriented towards English gardens.
What undermined the uniform character of the garden was the fact that it had taken several years to purchase the land. In addition to the former private houses that were included, important new buildings were constructed in the garden between 1787 and 1792, many of which still exist today: the Marble House, the kitchen in the shape of a Roman temple ruins, the Gothic Library, Shingle House, orangery, grotto, dairy, pyramid (ice house) and the Dutch houses. In front of the latter, we find a prime example of Prussian country road construction lined with pyramid-shaped cottonwood poplars (now, since 1864, pyramid-shaped oaks). On the garden grounds, a number of areas were created, whose characters were emotively shaped by the respective buildings or plantings to varying degrees.
In 1816, Peter Joseph Lenné was commissioned by the successor to the throne to rework the overgrown garden, which no longer conformed with the contemporary taste. By preserving many areas while removing copses that had become too dense, the New Garden was provided with new perspectives and meadow spaces, more pleasing pathways and above all, with viewing connections to the neighboring gardens (Sacrow, Peacock Island, Glienicke, Babelsberg, Potsdam, Pfingstberg Hill). Despite the smaller changes made during Imperial times and owing to the removal of installations dating from the time the garden was used by the Russians (1945 –1954), Lenné’s basic structural design has been retained up to this day. Cecilienhof Country House, built for the Crown Prince from 1913 to 1917, harmonizes in this setting. In the meantime, an area of 13 hectares has been restored, which had been destroyed during its use as part of the border zone from 1960 to 1990.
Here's another photo that I captured recently of some spotlit redwood trees.
I've been actively taking landscape photos for over 2-dozen years now, and I can say (without a shadow of doubt) that forest photography is one of the most challenging sub-genres of landscape photography that I've ever attempted. After walking the trails of the Knysna forest with my camera for the past five years, I feel that I'm only now starting to get to grips with the subject matter.
So how do we go about capturing interesting photos in a forest? Here are my top-10 tips for taking better photos in any natural forest...
1) Take Your Time
There's no rush to go anywhere. There is so much to see in a forest that if you walk the trails at a regular walking pace, you're likely to miss at least 90% of the interesting stuff. But you don't want to be looking around you while walking. Keep your eyes on the path when you're moving, stopping every few metres to look for interesting stuff.
2) Finding The Most Interesting Stuff
Based on my walks and experiences in the Knysna forest, I can confirm that everything here always looks amazing. You could point your camera in any direction at any time of the day or night, and still capture a photo that captures the essence of the forest. But I feel that every photo needs at least one primary subject, usually the most interesting thing, and always the reason why you stopped to take the photo. If we can't figure out why you took your photo, then it will most likely be a boring photo to most people.
3) Shooting Small Stuff Is Easier Than Capturing Grand Scenes
I seldom (if ever) use my ultra-wide angle lens in the forest. It simply captures too much. Zooming in on the small stuff (or using a macro lens) helps us to exclude everything except the most interesting stuff (why you took the photo), with as few distractions as possible.
4) Composition Is (Still) King
All the compositional rules apply with forest photography, namely... simplicity, balance, rule of thirds, leading lines, etc., etc. The most important consideration is that everyone should always immediately understand why you took your photo. Although I feel that it's acceptable for me to remove some dead twigs and branches to remove the most obvious distractions, I will never damage any living plant, tree, mushroom, etc.
5) Light Is Everything
No photo would be possible without light. You'll never get pink light in a forest, so the dawn and dusk hours so appreciated by most landscape photographers will generally not produce better photos here. Early morning dappled light is the most magical, but it is also the most difficult to accurately capture. Misty conditions are the easiest to capture, followed by overcast conditions. If you're doing macro or close-up photography, it's often better to block the sunlight and use artificial light instead (torch) to illuminate your primary subject.
6) Try To Exclude The Sky
The sky will always be the brightest part of any forest photo. Correctly exposing for the shadow areas of the forest floor, the sky will always be much too bright for most cameras to accurately capture. The sky also adds zero visual interest on misty or overcast days, so I recommend to try and exclude it from your compositions whenever possible.
7) Getting Perfect Exposures
Most of us would agree that pure black shadows with perfectly exposed highlights are more visually pleasing than the other way round. With forest photography, it is critical to expose for the highlights, making sure that nothing is overexposed. Bracketing (taking multiple differently exposed photos) and blending might be an option on perfectly windless days, but with the billions of leaves fluttering with just the tiniest of a breeze, this is usually not an option. Always shoot in RAW, and ALWAYS use your camera's histogram to ensure that you don't blow out any highlights.
8) Always Use A Tripod
Although I might be able to capture acceptably sharp photos in a forest when hand-holding my camera, that would always require a compromise to my ideal aperture and ISO. While tripods will always tend to slow us down when we're composing our photos, they do allow us to use slower shutter speeds, and also to carefully tweak our compositions until they're as strong as possible.
9) Post-processing Skills Required
Unless you're taking your photos in misty or overcast conditions, it's unlikely that your camera will be able to accurately capture the full dynamic range of your scenes. This is where your post-processing skills can make the difference between a nice photo and an amazing photo. YouTube is still free, and there are thousands of video tutorials out there that you could watch to hone your editing skills. Understanding "luminosity masking" should be a top priority if you want to improve your forest photography.
10) Continue To Challenge Yourself
If forest photography was easy, I probably wouldn't be doing it. What's the point of only doing the things that you're already good at? The more difficult something is, the fewer other people will be doing it well. I would rather be the only photographer capturing mediocre images of the most challenging subjects, than to always try and capture the best-ever images of all the most photographed subjects.
That's it. My top-10 tips. If you can think of anything that I've missed which might help someone to take better photos in a forest, then please feel free to comment below.
Der 102,5 ha große Neue Garten liegt im Norden Potsdams am Jungfernsee. Über das Wasser hinweg bestehen gestalterische Verbindungen zu den Gärten von Sacrow, Pfaueninsel, Glienicke und Babelsberg, wodurch er eine zentrale Rolle in der Gartenlandschaft erhält. Trotz Überformung durch Lenné hat er noch sentimentale Einzelpartien aus der Entstehungsphase vor 1800 bewahrt.
Seine Geschichte fängt mit dem Ankauf eines zentralen Grundstückes durch den Kronprinzen Friedrich Wilhelm (II.) an. Im Jahre 1787, ein Jahr nach dem Regierungsantritt, begann die Anlage des Neuen Gartens, der seinen Namen programmatisch in der Abkehr vom alten Barockpark Sanssouci erhielt. Als Gestalter wurde der Wörlitzer Gärtner Johann August Eyserbeck verpflichtet, was die Umsetzung der an englischen Gärten orientierten Idealvorstellung Friedrich Wilhelms garantierte.
Ungünstig für den einheitlichen Charakter des Gartens war der sich über mehrere Jahre hinziehende Grundstücksankauf. Neben einbezogenen ehemaligen Wohnhäusern entstanden zwischen 1787 und 1792 wichtige neue Bauten im Garten, von denen heute noch viele bestehen: Marmorpalais, Küche in Form einer römischen Tempelruine, Gotische Bibliothek, Schindelhaus, Orangerie, Grotte, Meierei, Pyramide (Eiskeller) und das holländische Etablissement. Vor letzterem verläuft, begleitet von Pyramidenpappeln (seit 1864 Pyramideneichen), ein Musterstück für den preußischen Chausseebau. In der Gartenanlage entstand eine Fülle von Partien unterschiedlicher sentimentaler Prägung, die von den jeweiligen Bauten oder Pflanzungen in ihrem Charakter bestimmt werden. 1816 überarbeitete Peter Joseph Lenné im Auftrag des Thronfolgers den zugewachsenen und unmodern gewordenen Garten. Unter Erhalt vieler Bereiche und Entfernung zu dichter Gehölze bekam der Neue Garten große Sichten und Wiesenräume, gefälligere Wegeführung und vor allem die Blickverbindungen zu den Nachbargärten (Sacrow, Pfaueninsel, Glienicke, Babelsberg, Potsdam, Pfingstberg). Trotz kleinerer Veränderungen zur Kaiserzeit und durch Rücknahme von Einbauten aus der Zeit der russischen Nutzung (1945–1954) hat sich noch immer die von Lenné geplante Grundstruktur bewahrt.
Das Schloss Cecilienhof, 1913–1917 für den Kronprinzen erbaut, fügt sich sehr harmonisch ein. Eine 13 ha große Fläche, die 1960-1990 als Grenzgebiet zerstört war, ist inzwischen wieder hergestellt worden.
www.spsg.de/schloesser-gaerten/objekt/neuer-garten
The New Garden, which covers 102.5 hectares, lies at Jungfernsee Lake in the northern part of Potsdam. Creative viewing connections extend across the water to the gardens of Sacrow, Peacock Island, Glienicke and Babelsberg, evidencing the park’s central role in this overall garden landscape. Despite its having been reshaped by Lenné, the garden has nevertheless preserved individual, emotive areas that date from the phase of its creation before 1800. The garden’s history begins with the purchase of a central piece of land by Crown Prince Frederick William (II). In 1787, a year after his ascension to the throne, the laying out of the grounds commenced at the New Garden, the name being programmatic for the abandonment of the old baroque park at Sanssouci. Wörlitz gardener Johann August Eyserbeck was charged with its creation, a decision that ensured a transformation in alignment with Frederick William’s ideals oriented towards English gardens.
What undermined the uniform character of the garden was the fact that it had taken several years to purchase the land. In addition to the former private houses that were included, important new buildings were constructed in the garden between 1787 and 1792, many of which still exist today: the Marble House, the kitchen in the shape of a Roman temple ruins, the Gothic Library, Shingle House, orangery, grotto, dairy, pyramid (ice house) and the Dutch houses. In front of the latter, we find a prime example of Prussian country road construction lined with pyramid-shaped cottonwood poplars (now, since 1864, pyramid-shaped oaks). On the garden grounds, a number of areas were created, whose characters were emotively shaped by the respective buildings or plantings to varying degrees.
In 1816, Peter Joseph Lenné was commissioned by the successor to the throne to rework the overgrown garden, which no longer conformed with the contemporary taste. By preserving many areas while removing copses that had become too dense, the New Garden was provided with new perspectives and meadow spaces, more pleasing pathways and above all, with viewing connections to the neighboring gardens (Sacrow, Peacock Island, Glienicke, Babelsberg, Potsdam, Pfingstberg Hill). Despite the smaller changes made during Imperial times and owing to the removal of installations dating from the time the garden was used by the Russians (1945 –1954), Lenné’s basic structural design has been retained up to this day. Cecilienhof Country House, built for the Crown Prince from 1913 to 1917, harmonizes in this setting. In the meantime, an area of 13 hectares has been restored, which had been destroyed during its use as part of the border zone from 1960 to 1990.
Photo taken a few kilometers away from Reford Gardens | Les Jardins de Metis located at Grand Metis.
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
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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.
The Arkbri River has been a major trade route through the heart of Historica since ancient times. Where the great river meets the sea, the port city of Barqa is ideally positioned to connect the inland river shipping with the sea traders, making Barqa a major hub for trade between all corners of Historica.
To ensure a safe haven for the valuable shipping, fortifications guard the harbor and over time a strong harbor citadel has been built. A lighthouse has subsequently been built on top of the fortress - guiding seafarers safely into the port with its bright whitewashed walls by day, and with its fire at night.
Built for the Guilds of Historica 10 year anniversary challenge, in the category “Old but Gold” - revisiting an older build to demonstrate the progress as a builder over the years in GoH. Here is my original lighthouse build from 2014.
This is also my first module for the Swebrick GoH maritime collab project.
8079
REFORD GARDENS | LES JARDINS DE METIS
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
Visit : www.refordgardens.com
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
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Dyrhólaey is a promontory reaching out into the ocean on the south coast of Iceland. It is the southernmost part of the country and is around 120 m high. Off Dyrhólaey, there are rock pillars, that are unique natural formations. The roaring Atlantic and its foamy waves wash the black sands at the foot of Dyrhólaey. From there you can enjoy the sight of the varied and fantastic scenery of the Mýrdalur valley, fresh green fields and pastures. Above them, moors and tuff mountains of different shapes, and the mountains of the highland pastures, high and awesome, cut by deep ravines and gorges. Behind them, the white glacier reaches a height of almost 1450 m. To the west the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago is clearly visible, when visibility is good, and also the mountains Eyjafjöll and the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. It is thought that Dyrhólaey have been created during a submarine volcanic eruption approximately 80 thousand years ago. The eruption, which formed Dyrhólaey and the pillars around it (originally parts of it), presumably took place in the same way as other submarine and subglacial eruptions. In the beginning, a major tephra eruption took place and later, when the crater reached the surface of the sea, the lava started to flow and thus ensured its existence.
The very first lighthouse was built on Dyrhólaey in 1910. The present lighthouse was built in 1927, and the building materials were transported by boat to the port Dyrhólahöfn and pulled up onto the promontory along a cable from the shore. The lighthouse is quite a large construction, three-storeys high. During the first decades after the lighthouse was built, the lighthouse keeper had a sheepcote and a barn not far from the lighthouse, and around the houses he grew grass and made hay.
This shot was taken one hour after my previous post, at 2.49 AM. You can see the darkest moment had pasted and the day started to awaken. For those of you who wonder how much sleep landscape photographer gets during such a photomarathon, the answer is – not much. I didn’t sleep 27-28 hours in row the first day of shooting in Iceland, then only few hours and late morning back on our feet and into field again till 3-4AM again.. few hours of sleep and the same again. I sometimes wish to be a regular tourist that sleeps till 8AM, have a nice long breakfast, see all places during day (generally in worse possible light), enjoy nice dinner over glass of wine and has nice long sleep. You never have this as a landscape photographer, not always as extreme as trip to Iceland, but early 3-4AM wake up and late time for sunset and twilight is quite usual, but at the end, once you witness and capture those amazing moments, you forget about the harshness of lack of sleep and decide to do it again.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM, Photo Focal length: 26.00 mm, Aperture: 18, Exposure time: 32.0 s, ISO: 50
All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova www.luciedebelkova.com
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
From a weathered wooden post, an iron cage, gnawed by rust and time, dangles ominously. Crafted to hold a sole prisoner, it offers no escape from the elements or prying eyes. Its skeletal form casts long shadows, a stark and public warning to all who pass by, ensuring the captive's plight is a constant, visible spectacle in the bleak landscape.
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A couple more turnstone photos, it was a challenge ensuring there was enough distance between me and them to ensure I could focus!
‘Chopper’ 20189 attempts to ensure the whole of Birmingham can hear its engines but to little avail. Dwarfed here by the skyline, it is seen working the first ‘Polar Express’ of the day, 1Z07 12:02 Birmingham Moor Street - Dorridge past Small Heath. Note the abandoned cartics in Caledonia Yard to the left. Also in Caledonia Yard, 66606 can also be seen as its train is unloaded following arrival on 6G67 05:33 Tunstead Sidings - Small Heath Lafarge.
This is Thomason foss, near the village of Goathland in the North Yorkshire Moors. The afternoon was very wet and miserable with no colour in the sky. So i decided to go waterfall hunting and capture some long exposures. The wet weather ensured that the falls were in full flow
Went to the reserve to see the White Crowed Sparrow today but it did not show. Nice to see this reserve which is not open to the public, only permit holders!
REVISED RESERVE CLOSING TIME STARTING 1st May 2016
Please note the following change in the closing time for the Reserve - From 1st May 2016 the Reserve will close at 20:00 hours, 8:00pm, promptly. The opening time remains at 08:00 hours, 08:00am. Keys obtained with your permits will not operate the locks put in place at closing on the footbridge entrance or the first barrier at the end of Thelwall Lane. Reserve opening and closing times are displayed here on our homepage and on the No3 Bed entrance footbridge gate, please reference this notice on your way in so you are always aware of the Reserve closing time. The gate and barriers will be locked promptly at the stated time please ensure you are off the site before the closing time to prevent being locked in.
Volunteer to help the Reserve
If you wish to assist the Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve with voluntary work please contact our warden John Langley via email john.langley@rspb.org.uk or Mobile 07980 827537
Welcome to Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve
An S.S.S.I. Managed by Woolston Eyes Conservation Group
www.woolstoneyes.com/woolston-eyes/who-are-we/
1. Who are the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group?
The WECG
Woolston Eyes Conservation Group, a voluntary organisation formed in 1979, manages the rich and varied wildlife of the deposit grounds with the agreement of the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Its aim is to promote the study and conservation of the wildlife and habitat of the area with particular regard to the ornithology.
The group undertakes management work to preserve or maximise the ornithological value of the Reserve, provides and maintains hides for the use of the public and permit holders, keeps the paths open and discourages disturbance. The group produces an Annual Report which summarises the work carried out and the results obtained including the scientific study of the flora and fauna of the Reserve.
To carry out this work the group raises funds by the sale of Permits, Annual Reports and by applying for grants from various organisations. The Reserve is open from dawn to dusk throughout the year. No.3 bed access requires a permit and key for the vehicle barriers and gated footbridge entrance - see homepage for permit application details.
The group is a registered charity and our charity registration number is 700362.
Officers and Trustees of the W.E.C.G.
ChairmanBrian Ankers
Vice ChairmanDavid Bowman
Treasurer/SecretaryDouglas Buchanan
RecorderBrian Martin
Committee
John Blundell
Kieran Foster
Dave Hackett
John Haddock
Sue Haddock
Alexander Mansfield
Alan Patterson
Dave Riley
David Spencer
Frank Linley, who died in October 2002, was a long-standing member of our committee who made highly significant contributions to the Conservation Group. He played a prominent role in the presentation of Annual Reports and Newsletters, established a database of members and initiated our first website. The new Tower Hide has been dedicated to his memory.
WECG has had the privilege of the support of two nationally respected figures as our patrons. The eminent ornithologist, Chris Mead, who died in January 2003 was for many years Patron of WECG and had visited the site from time to time.
More recently the well known Naturalist and Wildlife Broadcaster Chris Packham has become our patron. Chris is best known as the presenter of the BBC programmes Springwatch and Autumnwatch. He first visited the reserve in 2006 as presenter of the BBC wildlife series Natures Calendar, filming a section for the Spring Wetlands feature.
Chris very kindly gave up his time on a chilly February evening in 2010 to entertain a packed house at Warrington’s Parr Hall with a talk and slideshow of his experiences as a naturalist and photographer in support of the group.
We must also recognise and thank Colin Woolf a leading UK wildlife artist who has generously contributed his wonderful artwork for the covers of our annual reports for a number of years. If you appreciate wildlife and stunning drawings and paintings visit Colin’s website www.wildart.co.uk admire his talent and perhaps invest in an original piece of art yourself?
Access and Permits for Woolston Eyes
A public footpath runs from the end of Weir Lane, along the west side of No.2 bed and the north side of the canal to Thelwall Lane. Access to other parts of the Reserve is strictly limited to permit holders between the hours noted on the entrance gate throughout the year. A permit entitles the holder to visit the Eyes on any number of occasions during the year and to make use of the several hides. Please use the form below when making an application. Maps of the Reserve and the principle site No.3 bed can be viewed or downloaded from the FAQ section on the top menu bar.
Permit Pricing 2016
After managing to keep our permit prices down for the past 8 years, we have reluctantly concluded that, for this coming year, we will need to raise the prices to £15-00 for a single permit and £25-00 for a family permit
The additional funds will enable us to retain the full-time services of our Estate Worker, John Langley. Buying in John’s services from the RSPB has enabled us to tackle many of our outstanding habitat management tasks, to the benefit of both wildlife and visitors. I hope you will feel able to continue supporting us in the future.
Brian Ankers WECG Chairman
The WECG wish to stress to Permit Holders that current winter access hours are 08:00 hours to 16:00 hours with gates to the Reserve and entrance track secured between these times with locks which permit holders do not have keys. The opening and closing times will vary through the year as daylight hours change so please check out the times listed on our homepage and on the entrance gate to No3 bed which will be updated accordingly. We also wish to stress the importance of locking all appropriate gates when entering or leaving the Reserve. The “disappearance” of locks from various sites could lead to insurmountable problems.
Group Visits
Woolston Eyes has become a very popular venue for visits by bird watching groups, and in order to cope efficiently with the demand a ‘Group Visit’ procedure has been established. This should enable us to avoid the situation, which has arisen in the past, where several parties arrive on the same day, causing disturbance to the Reserve and congestion and irritation in the hides.
If you wish to book an outing for your group, or bring a party of your bird watching friends to Woolston please check out the latest group visit schedule listed in the scrolling news section of the hompage then write for a booking form to:
Mrs Rosalind Martin, 45 Albert Road, Grappenhall, Warrington, Cheshire,WA4 2 PF, enclosing an SAE. It is important that at least six weeks notice is given of an intended visit.
A booking fee of £20 is normally charged for groups of up to 10 people. For groups of larger than 10 visitors, there is an additional charge of £2 for each visitor above and beyond the “10”. A warden would be available to lead the visitors if so wished (if not, a key must be obtained beforehand in order to gain access to No 3 bed).
History of the Woolston Eyes Area
Not much is known about the area known as the Eyes before the Middle Ages, but we know people were in the area during the Bronze Age, and that the Anglo-Saxons reached the region around 700 AD. In fact the word ‘Ees’ is Saxon for land near a looping watercourse, so the Germanic settlers must have arrived on the banks of the Mersey about this time. Records begin around 500 years later.
Land ownership in the township of Thelwall was fairly stable between 1300 and 1536. During medieval times a third was owned by the Clayton family and the rest by the priory of Norton. The priors owned the valuable fishing rights for the south side of the River Mersey, which if the catches of 1749 were anything to go by, (19 and 23 pound salmon landed in May of that year) were fairly substantial.
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 all monastic land passed to the crown and all Norton Priory’s former possessions were subsequently sold to the Claytons who thus acquired the whole of Thelwall as a private estate. They sold out to the Brookes, who interestingly had purchased Norton priory itself in the 1530s, and may have been seeking to unite its former possessions. However, they in turn sold Thelwall to the Moores, and it changed hands again to the Pickering family, who probably had control of the land by the 1770s when a bridge over the newly built Bridgewater canal was named after them. Thelwall remained in private hands until the late l9th century, when the township was incorporated into Runcorn District Council.
During the winter months the Mersey flooded across the meadows of Thelwall ( the village itself situated on slightly higher ground ). In the summer it is likely that sheep were grazed on the fertile fields which were probably too wet for arable cultivation in a pre-land drain era. Regular references to the Claytons as being ‘of Shepecrofte’ may point to this.
At the time of the famous salmon hauls of the mid 18th century, certain transformations to the Ees meadows were underway, as the effects of the Industrial Revolution began to be felt. Powder mills with workers cottages were constructed where the north bank of No.2 bed currently stands. Woolston Old Cut was the first navigational improvement undertaken across the north bank of No.3 bed ( just north of where the new weir was recently dug), and had occurred by 1777, as testified to by a map of that date. The short canal, or New Cut, further shortened the journey down the river by cutting out the loop of what is now Nos 3 and 4 beds, and wharves were constructed at the southern end of Weir Lane, for boats and goods to transfer onto the canal. On the South bank of the Mersey stood Statham Chemical works. The powder mills were built in 1755, and lasted exactly a century before, ironically, being destroyed by an explosion.
The major change to the area was the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1896, which radically altered the landscape, beyond simply the imposing presence of the new waterway itself. The long meanders of the Mersey through Statham were cut off and became redundant, as did the old canals to the north and the wharves. The old water meadows largely disappeared under the deposit grounds which were constructed from the 1920’s onwards. The various farmsteads which had managed a living on these lowlands ceased to exist with the arrival of the first dredgings, except for the Wilgreaves’ which continued as a working farm until No.3 bed was constructed upon the site in the late 1950’s .The old farming lifestyle which had existed up to then was swept away.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tony Usher for his help in getting us started and thanks also to David Bowman, Scott Kennedy and Brian Martin who wrote most of the text.
Habitat
The four beds at Woolston Deposit Grounds SSSI, are managed as a nature reserve by the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group in agreement with the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Parts of the site are still in use to accommodate dredging from the Manchester Ship Canal.
No.1 bed which is to the east of the motorway (the Thelwall Viaduct) consists primarily of rough grassland and willow scrub. Sand extraction has created a number of reedy pools which attract small numbers of Snipe and wild fowl. They are also a regular site for wintering Water Pipits.
No.2 bed is currently being used for pumping dredgings from the canal and is consequently attractive to large numbers of wildfowl. During late summer and early autumn, when water levels are at their lowest, muddy margins can appear which provide loafing areas for wildfowl, gulls and a few waders. Water Rails and the odd Spotted Crake are most easily visible at this time. Most of the water lies on the west side but during pumping the centre and east of the bed, which are predominantly willow scrub and Reed Canary Grass, can also become flooded.
No.3 bed lies to the north of a meander of the river. It has recently been made into an island by the diversion of the river along its north bank. This east side of the bed is shallowly flooded and contains extensive beds of typha and some phragmites. The western half of the bed is covered in dense vegetation, mainly grasses, nettles, thistle and willow scrub. An attempt is being made to introduce flower meadows into this area, to increase the habitat diversity, though it will be a year or two before the benefits are seen.
No.4 bed, to the west of the reserve, also lies between the river and the canal. The dredgings which were pumped onto the bed have now dried out and the silt is being excavated and sold as top dressing. The undisturbed areas of the bed are developing a dense cover of willow scrub, nettle and other rank vegetation.
All the beds are enclosed within steep embankments with rough grassland and scrub. In places taller poplars and willow grow alongside the river whose banks are covered in parts by hawthorn, elder, bramble. These banks are bird-rich at most times of year with late summer warbler flocks and early winter thrush flocks being particularly notable. The river and canal both seem to be benefiting from the slow improvement in water quality. In winter substantial flocks of diving duck, including Tufted Ducks, Pochards, Goldeneyes, Goosanders and the odd Scaup or Smew can reliably be found on the river where it encircles No.3 bed. The rubbish tips at both ends of the reserve have now closed and been capped, with both being attractive to winter feeding finches and pipits.
Bird Species
In all, two hundred and thirty two species have been recorded on the Reserve, including thirteen species of raptor, more than thirty species of wader, all five grebes, the three woodpeckers, and five species of owl. Click here for a full species list
Lying next to the Mersey, the flooded beds inevitably attract large numbers of dabbling ducks moving inland from the estuary. The Mersey Valley Pochard flock also spends time here, making this an excellent place to see winter wildfowl. Typically a thousand or more Teal are present, sometimes several times this figure, with several hundred Mallard and Pochard, a hundred or so Shoveller, Gadwall and Tufted Duck, and from a few dozen to several hundred Pintail. Ruddy Duck were also a regular feature. Other species of wildfowl occur less frequently or in smaller numbers, and scarce or rare species such as Ring-necked Duck, Feruginous and Long-tailed Duck, Green Winged Teal, Common Scoter and Smew have been noted. In late autumn and winter skeins of Pink-footed Geese can often be observed making hard weather movements to the east coast.
The water margins of No.3 bed are an excellent nesting habitat for Black-necked, Great Crested and Little Grebes plus Teal, Shoveller, Mallard, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted and historically Ruddy Ducks. Pintail and Garganey are also suspected of breeding in some years. A similar range of species can also be found breeding on No.2 bed, dependant on water levels. A substantial Black-headed Gull colony dominates the water margins in No.3 bed and can spill over onto No.2 bed when conditions are right.
The Eyes is particularly important, in a county context, for its breeding populations of common warblers. Counts of singing males have totalled more than 200 singing Sedge Warblers, 150 Whitethroats, 100 Willow Warblers, 30 Blackcaps and a similar number of Reed Warblers, plus a dozen Grasshopper Warblers and small numbers of Chiffchaffs, Lesser Whitethroats and Garden Warblers.In the damper areas upto 100 Reed Bunting are present in summer.
Large aggregations of aerial feeders may be present from May to September, with many hundreds of Swifts joining the swirling flocks of hirundines feeding over the insect rich lagoons. In most years there is a sizeable Swallow roost, regularly up to 3,000 birds but sometimes reaching 10,000. Inevitably, a Hobby is often in attendance and provides some spectacular aerial performances. From October to early winter thousands of Redwing and other thrushes arrive to feed on the berry-rich hawthorns around the banks of the beds.
In winter roosts dwindle as food supplies diminish, although Magpies seldom seen to go hungry and over 200 continue to roost in the scrub. Finches, notably Linnets, Goldfinches and Chaffinches flock to feed on weed seeds on the drier parts of the muddy beds, with odd Siskins and Bramblings regularly located amongst them . A sprinkling of Chiffchaff remains in willow scrub during most winters and Firecrests have occasionally wintered alongside the more numerous Goldcrests.
Wader passage is much smaller than formerly due to changes in the pumping regime into the beds. Spring passage is typically light, although Common Sandpiper are seen regularly in late April and early May, and on one occasion stayed to breed. Little Ringed Plover appear annually and usually attempt to breed. The inland spread of Ringed Plover has resulted in this species also breeding. Autumn passage is much more reliable and although not as prolific as in the past, Snipe, Jack Snipe and Lapwing are reliably present, with the occasional Green Sandpiper, Dunlins, Greenshanks etc. for company.
As far as rare or scarce birds are concerned, Woolston remains a much under-watched site, offering much opportunity for the discovery of that ever-elusive rarity. Nevertheless, almost two decades of observation by a small number of enthusiasts, spread over Woolstons huge acreage, has produced some good birds, including: Storm and Leachs Petrels, Spoonbill, Bittern, Night and Purple Herons, Ring-necked and Ferruginous Ducks, Quail, Honey and Rough-legged Buzzards, Red Kite, Montagues Harrier, Temmincks Stint, White-rumped, Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Red-necked and Wilson`s Phalaropes, Avocet, Great and Arctic Skuas, Laughing, Mediterranean and Ring-billed Gulls, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns, Bee-eater, Nightjar, Golden Oriole, Bluethroat, Great Grey Shrike, Marsh Warbler, Firecrest and Nutcracker.
Ringing
Over 110,000 birds have been ringed at Woolston since ringing first started here in 1980. A small team now operates on all four beds, usually from April to October each year, ringing around 4,000 birds per year. During more recent years, Woolston has taken part in an international ringing programme, aimed at studying those migratory species which winter in Africa. During the summer and early autumn large numbers of common warblers are ringed, with full biometrics taken, as part of that research programme. In the latter part of the year the focus is on tape-luring overflying finches and buntings. At any time there is the constant chance of the odd surprise, with Marsh Warbler, Bluethroat and Firecrest among the scarcer species ringed.
Ringing is a physically demanding and time consuming occupation but one which brings many rewards in terms of our knowledge of national and local bird populations. If you are interested in observing, or taking a more active part in the ringing programme, then please contact Dave Riley or Prof. David Norman through the website email facility via the ‘Contact’ tab.
Lion Encounter is an active conservation program that is passionate about ensuring a secure future for the African lion. The species has seen an 80 – 90% decline in the past 20 – 30 years and it is Africa’s first genuine program to ethically re-introduce the offspring of captive-bred African lions back into the wild. Lion Encounter offers people the chance to walk with this magnificent specie!I definitetly recomend it, and is a must see is victoria falls!
I've received numerous requests to create new male skins and spent much time practicing to ensure that the quality meets our standards. I am pleased to announce that we are releasing our latest male skin, Zion. Whether you're looking to update your avatar or surprise your significant other with a new look, Zion is a perfect choice!
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très beau.
An alien swarm tactic fighter, these are often encountered in great numbers around the outskirts of the Venum Nebula the Venumusian pilots call home. Although easily picked off by capital ships defense turrets, their large numbers ensure a few make it in to land on the ships hull and then the acid injecting hull shredders are put to use, sealing the fate of all but the hardiest of vessels. Because they are seldom seen outside this area, the Intergalactic Counsel has simply advised travelers to avoid entering this system.
Eh, it's pretty much finished anyway - playing around with a couple additional add on's - but they all seem to take away a bit from the core shape. Weekends done anyway - so I'll post it now.
SN/NC: Eucalyptus Grandis, Myrtaceae Family
Batistella Family's Farm Entrance Hallway planted with Eucalyptus. Very decorative. In the interior of São Paulo state, city of Guararapes.
Entrada de la Hacienda de la Familia Batistella en Guararapes, São Paulo, Brasil -- totalmente plantada con eucaliptus.
Entrada da Fazenda Córrego Seco, familia Batistella em Guararapes, São Paulo. Uma linda plantação de eucalipto. Na Rodovia Mal Rondon, SP-300.
Brazil is the world’s largest beef exporterby volume, leading a market that is expected to grow by 35% over the next two decades. With its vast territory, favorable climate, and strong cattle ranching culture, Brazil is poised to serve a growing share of the global market.
To face these challenges and spur a cycle of economic growth, Brazil’s beef industry must increase transparency across the supply chain, offering better visibility into the origins of its cattle and,most important, ensuring that production is not linked to deforestation.Brazil’s agribusiness industry has been a major driver of the country's economy. While Brazil’s GDP rose a mere 1.1% in 2019, agriculture grew3.81%—accounting for around 21% of the country’s total output. The beef industry, including retail and other associated sectors, is one of the main pillars of Brazil’s agribusiness sector, making up 8.5% of the country’s GDP in 2019.
O Brasil é o maior exportador mundial de carne bovina em volume, liderando um mercado que deverá crescer 35% nas próximas duas décadas. Com seu vasto território, clima favorável e forte cultura pecuária, o Brasil está preparado para atender uma parcela crescente do mercado global. Para enfrentar estes desafios e estimular um ciclo de crescimento económico, a indústria da carne bovina do Brasil deve aumentar a transparência em toda a cadeia de abastecimento, oferecendo melhor visibilidade sobre as origens do seu gado e, o mais importante, garantindo que a produção não está ligada ao desmatamento. A indústria do agronegócio brasileiro tem sido um importante impulsionador da economia do país. Embora o PIB do Brasil tenha aumentado apenas 1,1% em 2019, a agricultura cresceu 3,81% – representando cerca de 21% da produção total do país. A indústria da carne bovina, incluindo o varejo e outros setores associados, é um dos principais pilares do setor do agronegócio brasileiro, respondendo por 8,5% do PIB do país em 2019.
Brasil es el mayor exportador de carne vacuna del mundo por volumen y lidera un mercado que se espera que crezca un 35% en las próximas dos décadas. Con su vasto territorio, clima favorable y una fuerte cultura ganadera, Brasil está preparado para atender una porción cada vez mayor del mercado global. Para enfrentar estos desafíos y estimular un ciclo de crecimiento económico, la industria cárnica de Brasil debe aumentar la transparencia en toda la cadena de suministro, ofreciendo una mejor visibilidad de los orígenes de su ganado y, lo más importante, garantizando que la producción no esté vinculada a la deforestación. La industria agroindustrial de Brasil ha sido un importante impulsor de la economía del país. Si bien el PIB de Brasil aumentó apenas un 1,1% en 2019, la agricultura creció un 3,81%, lo que representa alrededor del 21% de la producción total del país. La industria de la carne vacuna, incluido el comercio minorista y otros sectores asociados, es uno de los principales pilares del sector agroindustrial de Brasil y representó el 8,5% del PIB del país en 2019.
Il Brasileè il più grande esportatore mondiale di carne bovina in termini di volume,guidando un mercato che si prevede crescerà del 35% nei prossimi due decenni.Grazie al suo vasto territorio, al clima favorevole e alla forte culturadell’allevamento del bestiame, il Brasile è pronto a servire una quotacrescente del mercato globale.
Peraffrontare queste sfide e stimolare un ciclo di crescita economica, l’industriabrasiliana della carne bovina deve aumentare la trasparenza lungo tutta lacatena di approvvigionamento, offrendo una migliore visibilità sulle originidel suo bestiame e, cosa più importante, garantendo che la produzione non sialegata alla deforestazione. L’industria agroalimentare brasiliana è stata unodei principali motori dell’economia del paese. Mentre il PIL del Brasile ècresciuto solo dell’1,1% nel 2019, l’agricoltura è cresciuta del 3,81%,rappresentando circa il 21% della produzione totale del paese. L’industriadella carne bovina, compresa la vendita al dettaglio e altri settori associati,è uno dei pilastri principali del settore agroalimentare brasiliano, rappresentandol’8,5% del PIL del paese nel 2019.
Brazilië is qua volume de grootsterundvleesexporteur ter wereld en leidt een markt die naar verwachting dekomende twintig jaar met 35% zal groeien. Met zijn uitgestrekte grondgebied,gunstig klimaat en sterke veehouderijcultuur is Brazilië klaar om eengroeiend deel van de wereldmarkt te bedienen.
Om deze uitdagingen het hoofd te bieden en eencyclus van economische groei te stimuleren, moet de Braziliaanserundvleesindustrie de transparantie in de hele toeleveringsketen vergroten, eenbeter inzicht bieden in de oorsprong van het vee en, het allerbelangrijkste,ervoor zorgen dat de productie niet gekoppeld is aan ontbossing. DeBraziliaanse landbouwindustrie is een belangrijke motor van de economie van hetland geweest. Terwijl het bbp van Brazilië in 2019 met slechts 1,1% steeg,groeide de landbouw met 3,81% – goed voor ongeveer 21% van de totale productievan het land. De rundvleesindustrie, inclusief de detailhandel en andereaanverwante sectoren, is een van de belangrijkste pijlers van de Braziliaanselandbouwsector en vertegenwoordigt in 2019 8,5% van het bbp van het land.
Le Brésilest le plus grand exportateur mondial de viande bovine en volume, leader sur unmarché qui devrait croître de 35 % au cours des deux prochaines décennies. Avecson vaste territoire, son climat favorable et sa forte culture d’élevage debétail, le Brésil est sur le point de servir une part croissante du marchémondial.
Pourrelever ces défis et stimuler un cycle de croissance économique, l’industriebovine brésilienne doit accroître la transparence tout au long de la chaîned’approvisionnement, en offrant une meilleure visibilité sur l’origine de sonbétail et, plus important encore, en garantissant que la production n’est pasliée à la déforestation. L’industrie agroalimentaire brésilienne est un moteurmajeur de l’économie du pays. Alors que le PIB du Brésil n’a augmenté que de1,1 % en 2019, l’agriculture a augmenté de 3,81 %, ce qui représente environ 21% de la production totale du pays. L’industrie bovine, y compris la vente audétail et d’autres secteurs associés, est l’un des principaux piliers dusecteur agroalimentaire brésilien, représentant 8,5 % du PIB du pays en 2019.
Brasilien ist der mengenmäßig größte Rindfleischexporteur der Welt und führt einen Markt an, der in den nächsten zwei Jahrzehnten voraussichtlich um 35 % wachsen wird. Mit seinem riesigen Territorium, dem günstigen Klima und der ausgeprägten Viehzuchtkultur ist Brasilien bereit, einen wachsenden Anteil des Weltmarktes zu bedienen.Um diesen Herausforderungen zu begegnen und einen Kreislauf des Wirtschaftswachstums anzukurbeln, muss die brasilianische Rindfleischindustrie die Transparenz in der gesamten Lieferkette erhöhen, einen besseren Einblick in die Herkunft ihres Viehs bieten und vor allem sicherstellen, dass die Produktion nicht mit der Abholzung der Wälder zusammenhängt. Die brasilianische Agrarindustrie war ein wichtiger Motor der Wirtschaft des Landes. Während Brasiliens BIP im Jahr 2019 lediglich um 1,1 % stieg, wuchs die Landwirtschaft um 3,81 % – was rund 21 % der Gesamtproduktion des Landes ausmachte. Die Rindfleischindustrie, einschließlich des Einzelhandels und anderer damit verbundener Sektoren, ist eine der Hauptsäulen des brasilianischen Agrarsektors und machte im Jahr 2019 8,5 % des BIP des Landes aus.
تعد البرازيل أكبر مصدر للحوم الأبقار في العالم من حيث الحجم، وتقود سوقًا من المتوقع أن تنمو بنسبة 35% خلال العقدين المقبلين. بفضل أراضيها الشاسعة، ومناخها الملائم، وثقافة تربية الماشية القوية، تستعد البرازيل لخدمة حصة متزايدة من السوق العالمية.
ولمواجهة هذه التحديات وتحفيز دورة من النمو الاقتصادي، يتعين على صناعة لحوم الأبقار في البرازيل أن تعمل على زيادة الشفافية عبر سلسلة التوريد، وتوفير رؤية أفضل لأصول الماشية، والأهم من ذلك، ضمان عدم ربط الإنتاج بإزالة الغابات. كانت صناعة الأعمال الزراعية في البرازيل محركًا رئيسيًا لاقتصاد البلاد. وفي حين ارتفع الناتج المحلي الإجمالي في البرازيل بنسبة 1.1% فقط في عام 2019، نمت الزراعة بنسبة 3.81%، وهو ما يمثل حوالي 21% من إجمالي إنتاج البلاد. تعد صناعة لحوم البقر، بما في ذلك تجارة التجزئة والقطاعات الأخرى المرتبطة بها، إحدى الركائز الأساسية لقطاع الأعمال الزراعية في البرازيل، حيث تشكل 8.5٪ من الناتج المحلي الإجمالي للبلاد في عام 2019.
ブラジルは世界最大の牛肉輸出国であり、今後 20 年間で 35% の成長が見込まれる市場をリードしています。広大な領土、良好な気候、強力な牧畜文化を備えたブラジルは、世界市場でますます大きなシェアを占める態勢が整っています。これらの課題に直面し、経済成長のサイクルを促進するために、ブラジルの牛肉産業は、サプライチェーン全体の透明性を高め、牛の産地の可視性を高め、最も重要なこととして、生産が森林破壊に結びつかないようにする必要があります。ブラジルのアグリビジネス産業は、ブラジル経済の主要な原動力となっています。 2019年のブラジルのGDPはわずか1.1%増加したが、農業は3.81%増加し、国の総生産量の約21%を占めた。小売およびその他の関連部門を含む牛肉産業は、ブラジルのアグリビジネス部門の主要な柱の 1 つであり、2019 年の同国の GDP の 8.5% を占めています。
A member of the Snowbird crew preps the CT-114 Tutor in advance of the Sunday demonstration at the London Air Show.
The news last night was 20311 and 20314 had moved to York Thrall as 37402, 37407 and 37423 headed to Toton for tyre turning.
The RHTT was re-timed off Woodburn Junction an hour earlier than normal as it was due to run three times through Worksop and Retford. In the end by the time the pair had arrived at Woodburn Junction there was evidence of trouble at the mill as they say. The early departure was missed and a VSTP entered the system Wodburn to Worksop, where the train was finally terminated with 20314 shunted into Harry Needles depot switched off.
Another pair of Harry Needle's 20s induldge in a bit of shunting, moving ex ECML mark 4 stock presumably ensuring wheels / brakes etc don't rust up as the errant 20314 is pushed into Harry Needle's workshop lines.
As well as the 6, or 7 20s on site, the 47 was present, used as a generator for the mark 4 stock, an 01, and the two 08s had been boosted this week by the road arrival of 09002 and 08925 from Whitemoor. It's believed 08925 is just visible from the recently improved by tree felling view from Tesco car park.
Here are some photos of a smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalsi) I found recently. These are one of my favorite snakes. they are very secretive and spend a lot of their time hiding under rocks or in burrows but even when they are on the surface they blend incredibly well into the green grass and shrubs and trees in the habitats they prefer. These snakes are insectivores that feed on a variety of insects including caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets and spiders. These are completely harmless snakes that are very vulnerable to habitat loss in meadows and along streams where people, cows, mountain bikes and ATV's too often destroy habitat. These snakes are found across much of the United states but in the Western US they are limited to fragmented populations in several mountain ranges in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Perhaps historically in the ancient past those populations were more connected when the valleys between those mountain ranges were lusher and greener but it seems they are only left in the major mountain ranges with mountains at least 10,000 feet high in most of their western range. They can range from around 5000 feet to over 9000 feet in elevation and are very cold tolerant. The females in some high elevation populations even carry their eggs for a longer time so they can better provide for their incubation and moisture requirements before laying them. They are seemingly halfway between other egg layers and some of the other mountain snakes they are sympatric with which give birth to live young which assumedly they do so they can ensure the needs of the embryos until birth.
Thanks so much for any and all support. My posting frequency is still very low as I am just incredibly busy.
If you enjoy my photos I would appreciate it if you would check out my youtube channel where I will be sharing videos of the animals me and my son find in the wild.
Hi guys! Vinyl is happy to be at Collabor88 this round and we are sharing a booth with our Prom Date, Just Because!
Annie from Just Because & I have worked really hard on these releases & I wanted to show you Vinyl's part.
Troy Skirt can be found in 16 different colors. Each color comes with a pattern slip underskirt and solid slip underskirt.
Troy Skirt is customizable via the HUD and is compatible with Lara, Venus, Isis, Freya, Physique & Hourglass.
Maya Leg Sleeves can be found in 16 different colors. Each Solid comes with a bonus patterned version and is compatible with Lara, Venus, Isis, Freya, Physique & Hourglass.
Thank you so much & as always, please try a demo to ensure a proper fit!!!
-Suko ♥
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Mkt81avak
Professor Lyra Everbane was born on a crisp February morning in 1999, in the enchanting wizarding village of Mould-on-the-Wold. The Everbane family, though not wealthy, was well-respected for their scholarly pursuits, particularly in magical folklore. Her mother, Moira, was a noted magical historian, while her father, Declan, was a wandmaker who specialized in rare woods. From an early age, Lyra was captivated by the legends her mother would recount by the hearth, tales of ancient heroes, magical beasts, and forgotten civilizations.
When she arrived at Hogwarts in 2010, Lyra was sorted into Hufflepuff, a choice that delighted her family. She embodied the house’s values of dedication, patience, and loyalty, often becoming the peacemaker among her classmates. Her warmth and kindness made her a favorite among her peers, while her determined work ethic ensured her success in her studies.
Lyra excelled particularly in History of Magic, Care of Magical Creatures, and Herbology. She was captivated by how myths connected to magical creatures and the natural world. She spent much of her time in the Hogwarts greenhouses or on the grounds, seeking inspiration from nature and befriending the resident creatures. Her fascination with magical folklore deepened under the mentorship of Professor Sprout and later Professor Firenze, who encouraged her to view mythology as more than mere stories—tools of wisdom and prophecy.
After graduating in 2017, Lyra embarked on a journey across the wizarding world. She spent time with Veela in Eastern Europe, learned from centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, and even gained the trust of the reclusive Merfolk communities in Greece. These experiences expanded her understanding of myth as a bridge between cultures and magical practices.
Her travels earned her respect in academic circles, but Lyra always remained grounded, refusing to let accolades overshadow her desire to teach. She returned to Hogwarts in 2029 to become the Professor of Mythological Studies, determined to pass on her knowledge to future generations.
As a professor, Lyra's Hufflepuff traits shone through. Her classroom became a haven for all students, a place where they felt valued and encouraged. She filled her lessons with interactive experiences, bringing myths to life with illusions, enchanted relics, and the occasional magical creature. Her ability to make every student feel seen and supported made her a beloved member of the Hogwarts staff.
While her sunny demeanor endeared her to many, Lyra carried an air of quiet mystery. Rumors swirled among students about the source of her knowledge of Thestrals, and some speculated that her compassion stemmed from personal loss. Despite this, she remained a constant source of hope and wisdom, always reminding her students that even the darkest myths often held lessons of resilience and light.
Today, Professor Everbane continues to inspire young witches and wizards, weaving together the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future in her teachings. Her loyalty to her students, her love of magical lore, and her steadfast determination ensure that her legacy will endure at Hogwarts for years to come.
K2 Ensuring I Don’t Even Look At The TV Without Giving Him More Attention- IMRAN™
Three things are certain. One, other than Colbert monologue I don’t watch TV. Two, my German Shepherd Dogs Kennedy & K2 get a lot of my time & attention. Three, despite that K2 wants to ensure I don’t even look at the TV screen without him getting extra attention. Even at midnight. Meanwhile, Kennedy just makes sure to lay himself full length across the center channel floor speaker of the surround sound system. 😄📺🐕📢🐕😄
© 2021 IMRAN™
#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #GermanShepherdDogs #LateNightTV #dogs #GSD #IMRAN #humor #gsdofinstagram #gsdpuppy #gsdlove #gsdlover #gsdlife #dogsofinstagram
Harvesting Olives was always a labor that took hours to be done, still it is still a chance of an activity bringing people together, while you are taking a small break. Many times people were joking and sing, collecting the precious piece of labor given as gift from the gods.
Children who were accompany the harvesting were told about the famous myth about it.
About who would be the patron of Athens, a clash between gods leaving the judging upon a mortal to chose from. Poseidon offered a water spring, still you could not drink as the liquid came as salty as the sea. Athena offered a tree, humble but strong with many uses to be explored. So the tree won over the people setting the story as we know it today without changing a bit. Isn't it marvelous how stories could survive to our days waiting fir us to listen?
The olive tree was a particularly important symbol for the ancient Greeks. It was connected to their diet and their religion, and was used as a decorative motif on vases, in gold jewellery and elsewhere. It was considered a symbol of peace, wisdom and victory. That is why the winners of the Olympic Games were crowned with a wreath of wild olive (the cotinus).
Olives in antiquity were usually gathered by beating the tree with rods, although ancient authors condemned this practice. Pliny repeatedly recommends: “Do not shake and beat your trees. Gathering by hand each year ensures a good harvest.”
The olive-harvesting knowledge of the ancients, incredibly advanced for its time, was often aided by astronomy, used to predict poor harvests.
Olive oil was also a valuable medicine in the hands of ancient Greek doctors. Hippocrates mentions 60 different conditions which could be treated with it, such as skin conditions, wounds and burns, gynaecological ailments, ear infections and many others.
Another popular use of olive oil in ancient Greece was for oiling athletes’ bodies before exercise in the gymnasium and at games.
Olive oil was also a valuable winner’s prize. The city of Athens needed about 70,000 kilos of oil to reward the winners of the Panathenian Games, held every four years.
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For more useful information click here
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Featuring:
Male Chiton in 10 colors.
Available for mesh bodies as Belleza Jake, Adam, Altamura, Exmachina, Signature, Slink
Women's Chiton available for Maitreya
Very special thanks to the following friends who accompany me to Olives gathering :)
Viktor Savior Owner of Arkona & Hanne ѕтяαωвєяяу Kenin (hanne.kenin) Owner of Pink Moon Poses
The Point Vicente Lighthouse is an important landmark and beacon light relied by thousands of ships and pleasure craft. It provides a means of fixing their position, and ensuring their safe passage up and down the coast.
Was built in 1926 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the Point Vicente light source was dimmed during World War II to avoid aiding the enemy. It was automated in 1971 by the United States Coast Guard. The original third order Fresnel lens still revolves in the lantern room.
The Point Vicente Lighthouse is open for tours on the second Saturday of each month
Rancho Palos Verdes on the western side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, California
The vivid black-and-white markings of the African sacred ibis certainly ensure that this bird stands in stark contrast to the greens, browns, and blues of the South African landscapes. They have the same silhouette as their hadeda relatives but are undoubtedly set apart by their plumage. The African sacred ibis favors marshes and shorelines, where it can wade peacefully in the water and mud in search of a meal. As urbanization and development continue, these birds have also been known to visit rubbish dumps and farming areas.
Info sourced from www.sa-venues.com/wildlife/birds_sacred_ibis.php
Photo capture date & Location: 2017-06 De Kleine Serengeti Game Lodge
Goal 7 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals is: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. There are great parallels to be made with the International Space Station. All our energy is completely carbon free as it comes from these beautiful, large, solar panels. They have been providing all the electricity we need up here for 20 years, but we have a great advantage: no clouds, so they get the full effect of our Sun. However half of our 90-minute orbit around is in the shadow of Earth, so batteries take over for 45 minutes to keep the electricity flowing, and they are recharged when we fly back into sunlight. As energy up here is a limited resource, a list exists where each facility is placed in order of priority. Representatives from the five space agencies that run the International Space Station work together to make the list so if ever power dips the top-priority facilities continue to run. I hear that the discussions around this can be quite lively as nobody wants their facility turned off, but for over 20 years researchers and mission designers have worked it out together and energy is continued to be produced and distributed. Like many things on the Space Station this is a nice example of what needs to be done on Earth, but obviously on a much larger scale and nobody is saying it is easy. Meanwhile after 20 years of service, the solar panels are getting ready for an upgrade with spacewalks planned to install new ones in the Summer. We need to safeguard our future energy to make it sustainable and continuous, just like on Earth.
Le 7e des Objectifs de développement durable de l'ONU : assurer l'accès pour tous à une énergie abordable, fiable, et durable. On peut faire plusieurs parallèles avec la Station spatiale internationale. Notre énergie est décarbonée car solaire: on voit assez nos immenses panneaux J. Ils fournissent toute l'électricité nécessaire ici depuis 20 ans, mais nous avons un gros avantage : l'absence de nuages :sunglass: Ils profitent pleinement du soleil, même si, à cause de sa trajectoire autour de la Terre, la Station spatiale passe constamment de l’ombre (côté non éclairé de la terre) à la lumière (côté éclairé).. d’où harge et décharge de grandes batteries extérieures. L'énergie étant une ressource limitée ici, les 5 agences spatiales qui gèrent la Station travaillent ensemble pour la gérer. En cas de problème électrique, il faut des priorités claires. En tout cas pendant plus de 20 ans, les chercheurs et les ingénieurs ont trouvé des solutions ensemble et l'énergie continue d'être produite et distribuée. Comme souvent sur l’ISS, c’est un bel exemple de ce qui doit être fait sur Terre, à plus grande echelle – c’est évidement beaucoup lpus difficile. Après des années de bons et loyaux services, les panneaux solaires donnent des signes de fatigue et des sorties extravéhiculaires sont prévues pour en installer de nouveaux au mois de juin. Ici aussi, on se creuse la tête pour render notre énergie plus durable.
Credits: ESA/NAS–T. Pesquet
421D0739
PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.
Time to leave and head home for the day (started at 4:35am and ending at 11:40am) . It is about 1 Hour and 15 minutes to get back to my place, I had to cut the grass.
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The red building is the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.
The museum explains the history of the fishing industry, with artifacts, stories of tragic storms, and an aquarium with many Atlantic species of fish. The history of the Bluenose which was built in Lunenburg is explained. It was a fishing and racing schooner reputed to be the fastest sailing ship of the time is explained. (Bluenose is featured on the Canadian dime).
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Lunenburg is a port town on the province's South Shore. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The town was established four years after Halifax. The town was one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia intended to displace Mi'kmaq and Acadian Catholics.
Lunenburg was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. This designation ensures protection for much of Lunenburg's unique architecture and civic design, being the best example of planned British colonial settlement in Canada. The historic core of the town is also a National Historic Site of Canada.
The black rhinoceros, prehensile or hook-lipped rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) is a species of rhinoceros. The upper lip of the black rhino is adapted for feeding from trees and shrubs.
Black rhinos are not black. The species probably derives its name as a distinction from the white rhino and/or from the dark-colored local soil that covers its skin after wallowing in mud.
They have two horns, and occasionally a third, small posterior horn.
Populations of black rhino declined dramatically in the 20th century at the hands of European hunters and settlers. Between 1960 and 1995, black rhino numbers dropped by a sobering 98%, to less than 2,500. Since then, the species has made a tremendous comeback from the brink of extinction. Thanks to persistent conservation efforts across Africa, black rhino numbers have doubled from their historic low 20 years ago to around 5,600 today. However, the black rhino is still considered critically endangered, and a lot of work remains to bring the numbers up to even a fraction of what it once was - and to ensure that it stays there. Wildlife crime - in this case, poaching and black-market trafficking of rhino horn - continues to plague the species and threaten its recovery.
This magnificent black rhinoceros was grazing peacefully but on hearing our approaching vehicle, picked it's tail and ran off quickly, photographed on an early morning game drive in the wild savannah plains of Africa.
This HDR image was generated from three camera raw files, exposed at +2, +0 and -4 F-stops to ensure that I got detail in all of the sky.
The Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi.
Originally called the Palazzo della Signoria, after the Signoria of Florence, the ruling body of the Republic of Florence, it was also given several other names: Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, and Palazzo Ducale, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's residence was moved across the Arno to the Palazzo Pitti.
In 1299, the comune and people of Florence decided to build a palace that would be worthy of the city's importance, and that would be more secure and defensible in times of turbulence for the magistrates of the commune. Arnolfo di Cambio, the architect of the Duomo and the Santa Croce church, began construction upon the ruins of Palazzo dei Fanti and Palazzo dell'Esecutore di Giustizia, once owned by the Uberti family. Giovanni Villani (1276–1348) wrote in his Nuova Cronica that the Uberti were "rebels of Florence and Ghibellines", stating that the palazzo was built to ensure that the Uberti family homes would never be rebuilt on the same location.
Sarek National Park (Swedish: Sareks nationalpark) is a national park in Jokkmokk Municipality, Lapland in the north of Sweden. Established in 1909–1910, the park is one of the oldest national parks in Europe. The shape of the Sarek park is roughly circular with an average diameter of about 50 km (31.07 mi). The park has about 200 peaks over 1,800 m (5,900 ft), 82 of which have names. There are approximately 100 glaciers in the Sarek National Park.
Sarek is a popular area for experienced hikers and mountaineers. There are no marked trails or accommodations and only two bridges aside from those in the vicinity of its borders. The area is among those that receives the heaviest rainfall in Sweden, making hiking dependent on weather conditions. It is also intersected by turbulent streams that are hazardous to cross without proper training. The delta of the Rapa River is considered one of Europe‘s most noted views and the summit of mount Skierfe offers an overlook of that ice-covered, glacial, trough valley.
(Wikipedia)
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In 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2020, we pursued four 10+ days long autumn hikes across the unspoiled wilderness of Sarek national park, Lapland, Sweden - definitely one the most beautiful and remote regions in Europe and a true incarnation of the "deep north" expression.
It's difficult to describe Sarek and what it may mean for anyone who hasn't been there yet. It's a special place. A hidden gem. A delight. It's a place where adventure is not only ensured; it's an unavoidable and essential part of the trip. Remote areas, mighty peaks, glaciers one may see only from hills and not from valleys. Unmarked trails, cold glacial rivers, birch woods, reindeer, moose, and other animals.
Some call it the last European wilderness. I don't give a nickname; it would be incomplete and not fitting. Sarek is unique.
Ladies and gentlemen,
WE are here to address a truly colorful incident affecting our museum, art and freedom of expression.
Yesterday, the satirical painting featuring world leaders became the target of a paint attack - ironically, adding an unplanned layer of abstract commentary to the piece. While we appreciate artistic reinterpretation, we strongly prefer it to be confined to the canvas and not the courtroom.
To ensure future masterpieces remain untarnished, we will implement enhanced security measures, including personal checks and increased surveillance, because nothing says “welcome to the arts” like a metal detector. Rest assured, the painting will be restored and re-exhibited as a resilient reminder that satire may get splattered, but its message remains bulletproof.
Thank you for your attention!
Japan, Food, Sushi,
Salmon futo-maki, filled with soft shell crab tempura, sushi rice & avocado, rolled in a nori leaf & short deep-fried in wasabi-tempura batter.
Garnished with red & golden Tobiko on top.
light soy dip, wasabi, pickled ginger, daikon sprouts
Futo-Maki, "thick roll" is the large variant of the better known & popular ”Hoso-Maki”, translated "thin roll". The futo-maki are rolled from a whole sheet of nori in a bamboo mat, with the hoso-maki, only half a sheet is used per roll. Traditionally,
the futo-maki roll is filled with fish, vegetables or mushrooms & the Japanese square omelette, there must be at least 3 fillings.
The way to eat sushi differs in Japan from the usual consumption in Western countries. However, consumption is also changing in Japan, as sushi has also developed into a fast food snack.
Traditionally, sushi is not eaten with chopsticks, rather out of hand in Japan & is not bitten off, but placed in one piece in the mouth, in the western hemisphere it has become common practice to eat sushi with chopsticks. This makes it necessary for a sushi chef to roll the individual rolls much firmer.
With the soy sauce, sprinkle the nigiri sushi either individually or dipping the fish side in the sauce, …definitely not the rice side, so the piece will stay together & won't become soaked with the salty soy sauce. Wasabi & soy sauce are generally not mixed together, mixing both is considered as a "Western" habit to do & looked at it as somewhat disrespectful.
📍… sushi rice, whether for Nigiri, Maki, Gunkang, Chirashi, etc., should not be completely cooled, the rice is formed into sushi at body temperature between 35°C - 40°C / 95°F-104°F & served immediately, this is best moment of taste for sushi is to ensure that all the ingredients are in harmony bring to.
📍…, Japanese water horseradish, should not be mixed with the soy sauce as fresh wasabi loses much of its flavour when mixed with soy sauce.
📍…, Gari, pickled ginger, is always served with sushi & is usually eaten between bites to neutralize the taste in the mouth. The ginger, cut into wafer-thin slices & pickled, has a very digestive & stimulating effect.
📌... a short info about sushi & its history;
Even if sushi, also spelled zushi in the USA, is regarded as a typical Japanese dish all over the world, sushi does not originally come from Japan but finds its roots in the 2nd century AD in China.
Salted fish preserved in rice, which was only eaten after a fermentation period, was described as sushi. Even today, this method of preparation, "Funa Sushi" in Japan is the oldest type of sushi, although sushi first made its way to Japan from China in the 7th century AD by Buddhist monks. The current form of sushi originated in Japan during the Edo period from 1603-1867.
In China, due to a food shortage, this way of preserving fish was discontinued & sushi ceased to exist in China. In contrast to Japan, a country that has always been dependent on fully exploiting its own resources, people were looking for the possibility of sushi; in this case sushi means the fish, to combine it with the rice in such a way that the rice was also edible. This was achieved by pressing the fish, which was marinated in salt & rice, with a heavy stone in order to seal the fish airtight & thus facilitate the process of lactic acid fermentation.
Even today, when preparing sushi, the rice is compressed in some form & the rice is always seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar &salt.
👉 One World one Dream,
🙏...Danke, Xièxie 谢谢, Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Grazie, Obrigado, Arigatô, Dhanyavad, Chokrane to you & over
17 million visits in my photostream with countless motivating comments
Great care is taken to ensure that the site for a new telescope will provide the best possible observing conditions. This picture of the week was captured in 2019 by ESO photo ambassador Petr Horálek from the top of Cerro Armazones, Chile, where the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is being constructed. Situated in the heart of the Atacama desert, at an altitude of 3046 metres, this high and dry location will be vital to showcase and utilise the ELT’s incredible observational power. This extraordinary panorama of the Atacama desert frames a sprawling view of our own Milky Way galaxy, seen with stunning clarity as a result of the minimum light pollution in this remote area. Massive interstellar dust clouds obscure the more distant starlight, leading to the distinctive “mottled” band in the night sky.
A final check to ensure that the shunter is clear - 08279 in the distance under the bridge - and 20175 will switch across to the up line and then head back to Thornton yard with the Auchmuty branch empties.
The branch brake sits at the end of the far siding and the front end of Gresley A4 60009 "Union of South Africa" can be glimpsed in the former goods shed.
6th January 1981
Many thanks for your visits, faves and comments. Cheers.
Striped Honeyeater - in the shadows, ensuring all is safe before it goes down to to drink at a waterhole.
Scientific Name: Plectorhyncha lanceolata
Description: The medium-sized Striped Honeyeater is grey-brown above, with a grey-white head and upper neck boldly striped black, and has whitish underparts with faint streaks on the belly and undertail. The feathers of the upper breast and throat are long and pointed, giving the head a shaggy appearance. Females are browner on the back than males, with more greyish underparts, while young birds are duller and less streaked overall. The bill and legs are blue-grey and the eye is dark.
Similar species: The Striped Honeyeater is much smaller than the similarly shaped wattlebirds and has much whiter, less streaked underparts.
Distribution: The Striped Honeyeater is found in eastern Australia, mainly inland, from the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia to the coast of New South Wales, around Toukley, and north to Charters Towers, Queensland.
Habitat: The Striped Honeyeater is found in forests and woodlands, often along rivers, as well as mangroves and in urban gardens.
Seasonal movements: Sedentary; may be nomadic in drier areas.
Feeding: The Striped Honeyeater feeds mainly on insects and spiders, but will also eat nectar and other plant sugars, along with seeds, berries and fruit. It is mainly arboreal, feeding in pairs or small flocks in dense foliage, at the lower levels of the canopy.
Breeding: The Striped Honeyeater defends a breeding territory, becoming quite vigorous and aggressive during the breeding season (it is normally much less conspicuous than many other honeyeaters). Both sexes care for the young and communal breeding has been recorded for this species. The nest is a suspended cup made from grass and fibres, including emu feathers, which is lined with grass and placed at about 1 m - 6 m from the ground.
Minimum Size: 20cm
Maximum Size: 23cm
Average size: 22cm
Average weight: 40g
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2017
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Ensure Leaving Your Sole Solo Soul’s Sole Mark To See On Seashores Sea To Shining Sea - IMRAN™
Even though we are often never alone - whether through work or relationships, family or friends - there is one thing we alone possess and must travel alone... our incredibly unique path across the oceans of times. Think about it.
Out of the literally infinite combinations of possibilities in the known universe, we are absolutely the only ones to have traveled our individual journey across the space time continuum. No matter who comes into or goes out of our lives.
We are the only ones who can, and who must, choose to be shining stars in the heavens of human greatness — from the decisions we make today, the actions we take, right here, right now. Those choices, every minute, every day, starting this very moment, set the course of our walk through life on this planet’s star-walk through the cosmos.
We bear sole responsibility to ensure we walk on the seashore separating the sands that have already passed through our hourglass, and the limitless oceans of possibility alongside us, leaving us a chance to still carve our own path, craving leaving a meaningful mark, on the sandy beach that still lies awaiting ahead.
Our soul, solo traveler temporarily riding the solar system’s journey through a brief eternity, bears sole responsibility to leave a meaningful mark of soles that can be seen along the seashores, from sea to shining sea.
Come along, my precious fellow-traveller through time and I will guide your path when you need me to. But get ready to explore farther than you imagined.
Dare to bare your soul, my dear. Hold my hand and press your sole into the sand. Leave your mark, everywhere, my beloved, forever,.... But step on it.... for time and tide wait for no man, or woman.
© 2020 IMRAN™
#Florida #TampaBay #ApolloBeach #philosophy #inspiration #lifecoach #leadership #mindfulness #spirituality #IMRAN #legacy #greatness #gratitude #NoFilter #NoEdit #SOOC #iPhone
Ultaran Customs Officers use these lightning fast and well armed corvettes to secure the assets of their remote colonies, ensuring taxation and confiscation of illegal items. This oversized corvette, almost the size of a small frigate holds a limited crew of 26, and is capable of incredible accelerations and speed due to a rather oversized Rolls-Royce twin-chamber plasma engine.
Smugglers fear the 32 artilleries as much as the incisive Ram at the front of the beast that Ultaran Customs Officers, hardened by years of service in tense environment, never hesitate to use to breach open the hull of uncooperative scum.
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This is my SHIP for SHIPtember.
It is 110 studs long (20 studs smaller than initially planned). It required severe amount of BL orders (4 total) plus some other online purchases for the Bionicle canister lids. Initially dark blue, one of the two lids had a horrible glittery quality to it. Running out of time I painted both in a DBG-ish color. Which works pretty well. It's easilly swooshable with a single hand ... Not Tromas-style tho ;)
The main body of the large white barn on the McPolin Farmstead was likely completed in 1921. The two grain silos and milking parlor additions were added in 1954. The barn features a gambrel roof, which provided an ample hayloft for a large herd. Two cupolas atop the roof offered fresh air for the cows, while long rows of small windows illuminated the stable area. As housing units were constructed on the nearby mountainside, Park City purchased a portion of the farmland, including the barn, to ensure the farmstead would be preserved and maintained to reflect the agricultural and historical landscape of the valley before the ski resort era. The farmstead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.