A hug is a form of physical intimacy, not necessarily sexual, that usually involves closing or holding the arms around another person or group of persons. The hug is one of the most common human signs of love and affection, along with kissing. Unlike some other forms of physical intimacy, it is practiced publicly and privately without stigma in many countries, religions and cultures, within families, and also across age and gender lines.

Sometimes, hugs are a romantic exchange. Hugs may also be exchanged as a sign of support and comfort. A hug can be a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth, sometimes arising out of joy or happiness at meeting someone.

Hugs are mostly short and used to show many levels of affection. It is not particular to human beings alone, as there are many species of animals that engage in similar exchanges of warmth.

Hugging has been proven to have health benefits. One study has shown that hugs increase levels of oxytocin, and reduce blood pressure.

There are different variations of hugs. Prolonged hugging in a cozy, comfortable position is called cuddling. Spooning is a cuddling position, a kind of hugging when both the hugger and the hugged persons face the same direction, i.e., the front of one person is in contact with the back of the second one. The person whose front is in contact with the other's back is referred to as the "Big Spoon" and the person whose back is in contact with the other's front in referred to as the "Little Spoon". "Big Spoon" is a position held predominantly by males, whilst "Little Spoon" is typically the female, or smaller partner. There is also the term snuggling, also known as "kanoodling", coined by the modern psychologist Alexander Althoff, that refers a more intimate form of cuddling, with the two bodies almost intertwined, i.e. one's leg in between the other's.

In May 2009, the New York Times reported that "the hug has become the favorite social greeting when teenagers meet or part these days" in the United States. A number of schools in the United States have issued bans on hugs, which in some cases have resulted in student-led protests against these bans.

Despite hugging being widespread across human culture, several cultures - such as the Himba in Namibia - do not embrace as a sign of affection or love.

The Other End of the Leash notes that dogs tend to enjoy being hugged less than humans and other primates do, since canines interpret putting a limb over another animal as a dominance signal.

Ceiling in a church

Images on the box may be slightly misleading. Read my review here: Clay for the Kiddos: Fun Forms Piggy Bank Review

Got this plant also from Thailand trader with tag name S. aethiopica, wide leaf form. Clear cross bands and withered tips.

www.dabasformumebeles.lv - mirror frames from wood

Nature form furniture - Unique furniture and design elements:

Harijs Stradiņš - a craftsman working with natural shape wood processing, has been designing furniture and other interior design elements since 1997 selecting the best parts of the tree from top to root. In his works Harijs uses such materials as stone, glass, hammered works, fabric, clay and other natural materials to be able to make common design for a particular room.

Мебель природных форм - Уникальная мебель и элементы дизайна:

С 1997 года мастер по обработке природных форм дерева Харий Cтрадиньш, работая с деревом, изпользует его с корня до верхушки, отбирая самые интерессные части для создания своей мебели и елементов дизайна. Думая об общем дизайне помещения, в своих работах Xaрий изпользует также камень, ковку, лён, стекло, глину и другие природные елементы.

Dabas formu mēbeles - Unikālas mēbeles un dizaina elementi:

Kopš 1997. gada dabiska koka formu apstrādes meistars Harijs Stradiņš sadarbojas ar koku, kā dabas elementu, mēbeļu un dizaina elementu radīšanā, izmantojot to pēc iespējas pilnīgi (no saknes līdz gaotnei). Domājot par telpas kopējā dizaina risinājumu, savos darbos Harijs Stradiņš izmanto arī akmeni, stiklu, metālkalumus, audumu, mālu un citus dabas elementus.

COPYRIGHT - Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works:

- This image is licensed under Creative Commons, this means you can use it on your site (blog) if you credit the author (or authors website).

Sixth Form Spring Ball, March 2017.

Basilique romane de Sant’ Angelo in Formis ; commune de Capoue, province de Caserte, région de Campanie, Italie

C’est un édifice basilical sans transept, subdivisé en trois nefs, suivies de trois absides, par deux rangées de colonnes libres (sept de chaque côté) sur lesquelles retombent huit arcs en plein cintre.

La construction est précédée d’un porche à cinq arcs brisés soutenus par de grosses colonnes de remploi; l’arc central est sensiblement plus haut et plus large que les arcs latéraux. Les fenêtres des absides, trois dans l’abside centrale et une dans les latérales, ont été obturées afin de disposer de toute la surface pour la décoration picturale à l’intérieur. Il s’agit évidemment d’une modification du projet originel exécutée à une époque immédiatement postérieure à l’achèvement de construction, comme le montre (au moins pour l’abside centrale et celle de gauche) la parfaite identité du matériau employé. …

… Avant d’en venir à l’analyse de la décoration du porche et de l’intérieur, jetons un bref regard sur le clocher. Construit sur plan carré en retrait par rapport à la façade du porche, ce campanile semble contemporain de la basilique. C’est en effet à un moment assez voisin de la renaissance classiciste de l’art figuratif, survenue en Campanie vers la fin du XIe siècle, que renvoient les motifs décoratifs sculptés le long de la corniche qui sépare le premier registre du second. La présence de certains éléments de nature nettement dassicisante (denticules, cordelière et oves), parfaitement combinés avec des motifs végétaux de divers genres, offre des points de comparaison précis avec des solutions analogues (par exemple sur les portails de la cathédrale d’Aversa) datables avec certitude des vingt dernières années du XIe siècle. Une telle combinaison, légèrement simplifiée toutefois, se retrouvera dans les corniches extérieures de la nef et du transept de la cathédrale de Calvi, de trente ou quarante ans plus tardive. …

Ne subsistant qu’aux deux tiers de sa hauteur, le campanile avait un troisième étage légèrement en retrait (d’après certaines aquarelles de G. Carelli) et se terminait par une « petite coupole ou chapeau d’une très grande beauté à son sommet et par une croix ».

Les fresques qui ornent l’église à l’intérieur constituent la manifestation la plus importante, en quantité et en qualité, des tendances formelles apportées au Mont-Cassin par les mosaïstes byzantins. Homogènes entre elles, c’est-à-dire certainement de la même époque, on en peut fixer la date avec certitude entre 1072 et 1087. En effet, sur l’abside, l’abbé Desiderius est figuré avec un nimbe rectangulaire qui, dans la coutume médiévale, voulait dire explicitement que le personnage en question était vivant …. Le riche programme de la campagne décorative, qui recouvre encore aujourd’hui la presque totalité des parois disponibles, s’articule de la façon suivante : dans l’abside centrale, entouré des symboles des évangélistes, trône le Christ en majesté donnant la bénédiction (sur son livre le verset à nette référence eschatologique montre une des « incompréhensions » … dues à des peintres locaux, de celle sorte que l’oméga qui, en même temps que l’alpha, est le symbole du commencement et de la fin des temps, est figuré à tort comme un omicron. Au registre inférieur sont figurés en vraie grandeur les trois archanges, l’abbé Desiderius offrant le modèle architectural réduit de l’église, et (entièrement repeint) saint Benoît. Sur les écoinçons de l’arc d’entrée de l’abside, deux séraphins. Les trois registres de chacune des parois de la nef centrale se subdivisent en cadres où sont (ou étaient) représentées des scènes au contenu christologique, disposées dans leur ensemble comme dans les basiliques paléochrétiennes (par exemple à Saint-Paul-hors-les-Murs), Ces scènes commençaient au registre supérieur du mur de droite près de l’abside. De là, se développant dans le sens de l’écriture, elles arrivaient au mur d’entrée et de là, passant sur le mur opposé, elles retournaient vers l’abside. De nouveau sur le mur de droite elles se 

poursuivaient au registre médian pour se terminer enfin, en suivant la même progression, auprès de l’abside au terme du troisième registre. Bien que les scènes initiales soient totalement perdues, on peut faire crédit à l’hypothèse que formule avec justesse M. de Jerphanion, et qui voit dans l’Annonciation la première scène et dans les autres récits de l’enfance du Christ les scènes qui suivent immédiatement; ce qui termine la longue séquence, c’est l’Ascension, développée sur les deux registres inférieur et médian. Au revers de la façade, sur la paroi tout entière est peinte une majestueuse représentation du jugement dernier (la figure du Christ-Juge y est malheureusement repeinte de façon irrémédiable), Sur les écoinçons entre les arcs sont figurés des prophètes, parmi lesquels trouve place même la sibylle Éri- thrée. Chaque prophète tient un cartouche dont les versets permettent des références précises aux scènes qui les surmontent, présentant ainsi cette concordantia Veteris et Novi Testament qui, dans l’art chrétien, nous est connue dès ses réalisations monumentales originelles (à Rome comme à Ravenne) mais qui, dans le milieu oriental et particulièrement dans le célèbre manuscrit syriaque (VIe siècle) aujourd’hui à Rossano Calabro, se présente dans les formes les plus proches de cette concordance campanienne (de Francovich). Sur l’absidiole de droite (celle qui lui correspondait à gauche a disparu) figure le buste de la Vierge à l’Enfant entre deux anges, au-dessus d’un registre inférieur avec des saints martyrs. Sur les murs des collatéraux (en y incluant les parties latérales du revers de la façade) se déploie, fort incomplet, sur deux registres le cycle vétéro-testamentaire. Une scène y est étrangère par son thème : le martyre de saint Pantaléon, sur le registre inférieur au mur occidental du côté gauche (en entrant dans l’église). Sur les écoinçons des deux collatéraux sont peints enfin les figures de saints de l’ordre bénédictin et de saintes. L’état de conservation des fresques, bien que bon en général (les zones altérées ayant été repeintes), a été cependant gâché par les restaurations des années 30, En effet, comme on l’a révélé seulement récemment (Thiery) et comme le prouve la comparaison entre les photos antérieures aux années 30 et l’état actuel, à cette occasion, on a enlevé par un lavage malheureux les glacis à la détrempe qui faisaient partie intégrante de la contexture dernière de l’œuvre. Il s’ensuit que les scènes maltraitées en question (de la partie droite de la Crucifixion jusqu’à l’Ascension, y compris les figures des prophètes) présentent un caractère estompé et une légèreté de couleur nullement voulus par le peintre. Malgré cela subsiste la possibilité de distinguer les « mains » des nombreux peintres qui, tous membres d’une équipe unique d’où émergent quelques « maîtres » plus vigoureux (parmi lesquels ceux qui ont travaillé, par exemple, sur le cul-de-four de l’abside ou dans la scène de la Samaritaine au puits) durent exécuter le travail en un temps relativement court. Leur formation artistique, pour la compréhension de laquelle la perte de la décoration cassinaise est sans remède, est substantiellement d’origine byzantine, teintée cependant de reflets provenant des manières de faire occidentales (tant dans l’iconographie, par exemple dans le thème même de l’abside, que pour les composantes du style, par exemple dans les bandes polychromes servant de fond aux scènes). … A l’extérieur, le décor pictural couvre les deux tympans au fond de l’arcade centrale et les quatre qui correspondent aux arcades latérales du porche. Le tympan supérieur, … porte l’image de la Vierge en majesté à l’intérieur d’une gloire soutenue par deux anges en plein vol (celui de droite est entièrement repeint); le tympan inférieur, encore en place, représente l’archange Michel en buste. Les étroites coïncidences de style entre l’un et l’autre ont toujours porté les historiens de l’art à leur donner une même date. Celle-ci doit se situer en un second temps par rapport à la campagne désidérienne de travaux, du fait que la fresque de la Vierge se superpose à une autre dont des traces fragiles ont été révélées à la suite de la dépose (dans la partie basse du tympan sur la droite). …

(extrait de : Campanie romane ; Mario d’Onofrio, Ed. Zodiaque, Coll. La nuit des Temps, 1981, pp. 169-178)

Coordonnées GPS : N41.118396 ; E14.260211

04/2015, Perth

For the form, we are using a fabric form, which will double as the moisture barrier after wards. Inside is 15m rebar, and cable ties which will be used to tether the upper bond beam to the foundation.

Rocky planets may be able to form in harsher environments than we thought. Webb detected key building blocks of planets, including water and carbon dioxide, in a rocky planet-forming zone being hit by extreme amounts of ultraviolet radiation.

Planets are formed from disks of gas, dust and rock surrounding stars. The specific disk Webb observed, XUE 1, is near several massive stars. These stars emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation, which scientists expected would disperse gas and break apart chemical molecules.

To the team’s surprise, Webb found partially crystalline silicate dust, plus various molecules (water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, acetylene) that can form rocky planets. It’s the first time such molecules have been detected under these extreme conditions.

Learn more: www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/webb-study-reveals-rocky-plane...

This image: This is an artist’s impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk in which planets are forming. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

Image description: This artist concept is dominated by a dusty disk extending from upper left to lower right and tilted toward the viewer. It resembles patchy clouds with small rocky bits scattered throughout. At 4 o’clock and 11 o’clock are two small, embedded planets. The outer edges of the disk are reddish, the middle orange, and the inner region yellow-white. At the center is a gap within which is a bright white star. In the top right corner is a label that reads “artist concept.”

Just off Paternoster Square.

A visit to the National Trust property that is Penrhyn Castle

Penrhyn Castle is a country house in Llandygai, Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales, in the form of a Norman castle. It was originally a medieval fortified manor house, founded by Ednyfed Fychan. In 1438, Ioan ap Gruffudd was granted a licence to crenellate and he founded the stone castle and added a tower house. Samuel Wyatt reconstructed the property in the 1780s.

The present building was created between about 1822 and 1837 to designs by Thomas Hopper, who expanded and transformed the building beyond recognition. However a spiral staircase from the original property can still be seen, and a vaulted basement and other masonry were incorporated into the new structure. Hopper's client was George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, who had inherited the Penrhyn estate on the death of his second cousin, Richard Pennant, who had made his fortune from slavery in Jamaica and local slate quarries. The eldest of George's two daughters, Juliana, married Grenadier Guard, Edward Gordon Douglas, who, on inheriting the estate on George's death in 1845, adopted the hyphenated surname of Douglas-Pennant. The cost of the construction of this vast 'castle' is disputed, and very difficult to work out accurately, as much of the timber came from the family's own forestry, and much of the labour was acquired from within their own workforce at the slate quarry. It cost the Pennant family an estimated £150,000. This is the current equivalent to about £49,500,000.

Penrhyn is one of the most admired of the numerous mock castles built in the United Kingdom in the 19th century; Christopher Hussey called it, "the outstanding instance of Norman revival." The castle is a picturesque composition that stretches over 600 feet from a tall donjon containing family rooms, through the main block built around the earlier house, to the service wing and the stables.

It is built in a sombre style which allows it to possess something of the medieval fortress air despite the ground-level drawing room windows. Hopper designed all the principal interiors in a rich but restrained Norman style, with much fine plasterwork and wood and stone carving. The castle also has some specially designed Norman-style furniture, including a one-ton slate bed made for Queen Victoria when she visited in 1859.

Hugh Napier Douglas-Pennant, 4th Lord Penrhyn, died in 1949, and the castle and estate passed to his niece, Lady Janet Pelham, who, on inheritance, adopted the surname of Douglas-Pennant. In 1951, the castle and 40,000 acres (160 km²) of land were accepted by the treasury in lieu of death duties from Lady Janet. It now belongs to the National Trust and is open to the public. The site received 109,395 visitors in 2017.

Grade I Listed Building

Penrhyn Castle

History

The present house, built in the form of a vast Norman castle, was constructed to the design of Thomas Hopper for George Hay Dawkins-Pennant between 1820 and 1837. It has been very little altered since.

The original house on the site was a medieval manor house of C14 origin, for which a licence to crenellate was given at an unknown date between 1410 and 1431. This house survived until c1782 when it was remodelled in castellated Gothick style, replete with yellow mathematical tiles, by Samuel Wyatt for Richard Pennant. This house, the great hall of which is incorporated in the present drawing room, was remodelled in c1800, but the vast profits from the Penrhyn slate quarries enabled all the rest to be completely swept away by Hopper's vast neo-Norman fantasy, sited and built so that it could be seen not only from the quarries, but most parts of the surrounding estate, thereby emphasizing the local dominance of the Dawkins-Pennant family. The total cost is unknown but it cannot have been less than the £123,000 claimed by Catherine Sinclair in 1839.

Since 1951 the house has belonged to the National Trust, together with over 40,000 acres of the family estates around Ysbyty Ifan and the Ogwen valley.

Exterior

Country house built in the style of a vast Norman castle with other later medieval influences, so huge (its 70 roofs cover an area of over an acre (0.4ha)) that it almost defies meaningful description. The main components of the house, which is built on a north-south axis with the main elevations to east and west, are the 124ft (37.8m) high keep, based on Castle Hedingham (Essex) containing the family quarters on the south, the central range, protected by a 'barbican' terrace on the east, housing the state apartments, and the rectangular-shaped staff/service buildings and stables to the north. The whole is constructed of local rubblestone with internal brick lining, but all elevations are faced in tooled Anglesey limestone ashlar of the finest quality jointing; flat lead roofs concealed by castellated parapets. Close to, the extreme length of the building (it is about 200 yards (182.88m) long) and the fact that the ground slopes away on all sides mean that almost no complete elevation can be seen. That the most frequent views of the exterior are oblique also offered Hopper the opportunity to deploy his towers for picturesque effect, the relationship between the keep and the other towers and turrets frequently obscuring the distances between them. Another significant external feature of the castle is that it actually looks defensible making it secure at least from Pugin's famous slur of 1841 on contemporary "castles" - "Who would hammer against nailed portals, when he could kick his way through the greenhouse?" Certainly, this could never be achieved at Penrhyn and it looks every inch the impregnable fortress both architect and patron intended it to be.

East elevation: to the left is the loosely attached 4-storey keep on battered plinth with 4 tiers of deeply splayed Norman windows, 2 to each face, with chevron decoration and nook-shafts, topped by 4 square corner turrets. The dining room (distinguished by the intersecting tracery above the windows) and breakfast room to the right of the entrance gallery are protected by the long sweep of the machicolated 'barbican' terrace (carriage forecourt), curved in front of the 2 rooms and then running northwards before returning at right-angles to the west to include the gatehouse, which formed the original main entrance to the castle, and ending in a tall rectangular tower with machicolated parapet. To the right of the gatehouse are the recessed buildings of the kitchen court and to the right again the long, largely unbroken outer wall of the stable court, terminated by the square footmen's tower to the left and the rather more exuberant projecting circular dung tower with its spectacularly cantilevered bartizan on the right. From here the wall runs at right-angles to the west incorporating the impressive gatehouse to the stable court.

West elevation: beginning at the left is the hexagonal smithy tower, followed by the long run of the stable court, well provided with windows on this side as the stables lie directly behind. At the end of this the wall turns at right-angles to the west, incorporating the narrow circular-turreted gatehouse to the outer court and terminating in the machicolated circular ice tower. From here the wall runs again at a lower height enclosing the remainder of the outer court. It is, of course, the state apartments which make up the chief architectural display on the central part of this elevation, beginning with a strongly articulated but essentially rectangular tower to the left, while both the drawing room and the library have Norman windows leading directly onto the lawns, the latter terminating in a slender machicolated circular corner tower. To the right is the keep, considerably set back on this side.

Interior

Only those parts of the castle generally accessible to visitors are recorded in this description. Although not described here much of the furniture and many of the paintings (including family portraits) are also original to the house. Similarly, it should be noted that in the interests of brevity and clarity, not all significant architectural features are itemised in the following description.

Entrance gallery: one of the last parts of the castle to be built, this narrow cloister-like passage was added to the main block to heighten the sensation of entering the vast Grand Hall, which is made only partly visible by the deliberate offsetting of the intervening doorways; bronze lamp standards with wolf-heads on stone bases. Grand Hall: entering the columned aisle of this huge space, the visitor stands at a cross-roads between the 3 principal areas of the castle's plan; to the left the passage leads up to the family's private apartments on the 4 floors of the keep, to the right the door at the end leads to the extensive service quarters while ahead lies the sequence of state rooms used for entertaining guests and displayed to the public ever since the castle was built. The hall itself resembles in form, style and scale the transept of a great Norman cathedral, the great clustered columns extending upwards to a "triforium" formed on 2 sides of extraordinary compound arches; stained glass with signs of the zodiac and months of the year as in a book of hours by Thomas Willement (completed 1835). Library: has very much the atmosphere of a gentlemen’s London club with walls, columned arches and ceilings covered in the most lavish ornamentation; superb architectural bookcases and panelled walls are of oak but the arches are plaster grained to match; ornamental bosses and other devices to the rich plaster ceiling refer to the ancestry of the Dawkins and Pennant families, as do the stained glass lunettes above the windows, possibly by David Evans of Shrewsbury; 4 chimneypieces of polished Anglesey "marble", one with a frieze of fantastical carved mummers in the capitals. Drawing room (great hall of the late C18 house and its medieval predecessor): again in a neo-Norman style but the decoration is lighter and the columns more slender, the spirit of the room reflected in the 2000 delicate Maltese gilt crosses to the vaulted ceiling. Ebony room: so called on account of its furniture and "ebonised" chimneypiece and plasterwork, has at its entrance a spiral staircase from the medieval house. Grand Staircase hall: in many ways the greatest architectural achievement at Penrhyn, taking 10 years to complete, the carving in 2 contrasting stones of the highest quality; repeating abstract decorative motifs contrast with the infinitely inventive figurative carving in the newels and capitals; to the top the intricate plaster panels of the domed lantern are formed in exceptionally high relief and display both Norse and Celtic influences. Next to the grand stair is the secondary stair, itself a magnificent structure in grey sandstone with lantern, built immediately next to the grand stair so that family or guests should not meet staff on the same staircase. Reached from the columned aisle of the grand hall are the 2 remaining principal ground-floor rooms, the dining room and the breakfast room, among the last parts of the castle to be completed and clearly intended to be picture galleries as much as dining areas, the stencilled treatment of the walls in the dining room allowing both the provision of an appropriately elaborate "Norman" scheme and a large flat surface for the hanging of paintings; black marble fireplace carved by Richard Westmacott and extremely ornate ceiling with leaf bosses encircled by bands of figurative mouldings derived from the Romanesque church of Kilpeck, Herefordshire. Breakfast room has cambered beam ceiling with oak-grained finish.

Grand hall gallery: at the top of the grand staircase is vaulted and continues around the grand hall below to link with the passage to the keep, which at this level (as on the other floors) contains a suite of rooms comprising a sitting room, dressing room, bedroom and small ante-chamber, the room containing the famous slate bed also with a red Mona marble chimneypiece, one of the most spectacular in the castle. Returning to the grand hall gallery and continuing straight on rather than returning to the grand staircase the Lower India room is reached to the right: this contains an Anglesey limestone chimneypiece painted to match the ground colour of the room's Chinese wallpaper. Coming out of this room, the chapel corridor leads to the chapel gallery (used by the family) and the chapel proper below (used by staff), the latter with encaustic tiles probably reused from the old medieval chapel; stained and painted glass by David Evans (c1833).

The domestic quarters of the castle are reached along the passage from the breakfast room, which turns at right-angles to the right at the foot of the secondary staircase, the most important areas being the butler's pantry, steward's office, servants' hall, housekeeper's room, still room, housekeeper's store and housemaids' tower, while the kitchen (with its cast-iron range flanked by large and hygienic vertical slabs of Penrhyn slate) is housed on the lower ground floor. From this kitchen court, which also includes a coal store, oil vaults, brushing room, lamp room, pastry room, larder, scullery and laundry are reached the outer court with its soup kitchen, brewhouse and 2-storey ice tower and the much larger stables court which, along with the stables themselves containing their extensive slate-partitioned stalls and loose boxes, incorporates the coach house, covered ride, smithy tower, dung tower with gardeners' messroom above and footmen's tower.

Reasons for Listing

Included at Grade I as one of the most important large country houses in Wales; a superb example of the relatively short-lived Norman Revival of the early C19 and generally regarded as the masterpiece of its architect, Thomas Hopper.

First views of the castle.

Tower

The Pretenders are an English-American rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). The band has experienced drug-related deaths of the members, and numerous subsequent personnel changes have taken place over the years, with Hynde as the sole continual member.[1]

Hynde, originally from Akron, Ohio, attended Kent State University at the time of the Kent State shootings in 1970. She moved to London in 1973, working at the weekly music paper, NME,[1] and at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's SEX store. She was involved with early versions of The Clash and The Damned, and in short-lived bands such as Masters of the Backside and The Moors Murderers.[2] Pretenders formed during 1978 after Dave Hill at Anchor Records heard some demos. He arranged a rehearsal studio in Denmark Street & the 3 piece consisting of Hynde, Mal Hart, on bass, who had played with Hynde & Steve Strange in The Moors Murderers & Phil Taylor[3] from Motorhead filling in on drums played a selection of Hyndes` original songs. Dave Hill was impressed & arranged a day at Studio 51 to record another demo which although rough felt he had seen & heard enough "star potential" to suggest she form a more permanent regular band to record for his new label, Real Records.[1] Hynde formed a band composed of Pete Farndon (who was later associated romantically with Hynde) on bass, James Honeyman-Scott on guitar, and Gerry Mcilduff on drums. This band, without a name at this stage, recorded five tracks at Regents Park Studio in July 1978, including "Stop Your Sobbing". Gerry Mcilduff was replaced on drums by Martin Chambers, and Hynde named the band "Pretenders" after The Platters song "The Great Pretender"."I know that the Pretenders have looked like a tribute band for the last 20 years. ... And we're paying tribute to James Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn't be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that's the way it works in rock 'n' roll."

After their Hall of Fame induction, the Pretenders continued touring as a four-part team (Hynde, Seymour, Hobson and Chambers). During 2005, bassist Hobson left and was replaced by Nick Wilkinson, marking the band's first line-up change in thirteen years. That same year, Rhino Records released the four disc and DVD box set Pirate Radio 1979-2005 which spanned the group's entire career. Two disc remastered versions of the first two albums also came out that year with bonus tracks. During 2007, Rhino remastered both Learning To Crawl and Get Close once again with bonus tracks. Not long after, guitarist Seymour left and was replaced by James Walbourne.

The Pretenders' album Break up the Concrete was released through Shangri-La Music on 7 October 2008. It was the band's first Top 40 album in the US in twenty two years. Tracks include "Boots of Chinese Plastic", "Don't Cut Your Hair", "Love's a Mystery", "The Last Ride" and "Almost Perfect". With Hynde was the guitarist James Walbourne, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, bassist Nick Wilkinson and drummer Jim Keltner (on the album only). Chambers returned to the drums on tour with the band. Several one-off shows were performed during the closing months of 2008, including a couple of Christmas charity shows. The 'Break Up The Concrete Tour' began in mid-January and covered most of the United States, with shows until the end of March. It then continued in Europe, with gigs in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, and the UK during the months of June and July, before returning for a new tour in Canada and the US during August and September 2009. A show from the tour, filmed at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 15 July 2009, was released on CD with bonus DVD / Blu-ray on 9 February 2010, titled Pretenders: Live in London. Another tour was announced in May, a double headlining tour in New Zealand and Australia with Blondie for a few winery shows.

Sixth Form Spring Ball, March 2017.

Jémez Pueblo

Basilique (partiellement) romane Saint-Fidele ; commune de Como, province de Côme, région de Lombardie, Italie

La façade de Saint-Fidèle qui donne sur la place du même nom, au centre de la ville, a été entièrement refaite en 1914 par l'architecte Giussani, ...; celui-ci revêtit alors de formes romanes la façade du XVIe siècle. A l'église se trouve adossée, du côté gauche, une ancienne maison d'habitation et pour cette raison la façade semble mutilée, puisqu'il lui manque la partie correspondant au bas-côté septentrional. Pour le reste elle est fidèle au schéma tripartite carac­téristique de la région comasque, avec deux contreforts encadrant la partie centrale, plus haute et large que celle de droite. Le profil à ram­pants interrompus est parcouru par une série d'arcatures que Giussani fit exécuter sur le modèle de celles peintes à fresques sur la paroi du XVIe siècle. Au centre de la façade trône une grande rosace qui remonte au début du XVIe siècle et, sous celle-ci, s'ouvre le portail, lui aussi reconstruit en style roman avec linteau, tympan et arc, alors que celui qui l'avait précédé ne comportait qu'un linteau. De la place le regard se porte immédiatement sur le clocher qui occupe grosso modo l'emplacement de la première travée du bas-côté septentrional de l'église. Lui aussi a été reconstruit par Giussani selon les critères qui ont présidé à la réfection de la façade; de la tour-clocher originelle qui avait subi un écroulement partiel, probablement lors du tremblement de terre de 1117, et qui avait été reconstruite à la fin du XIIe siècle, il reste encore la partie inférieure jusqu'à 11 m 90 de haut. Sur le côté septentrional du clocher on peut encore voir, à 10 m 50 de haut, deux ouvertures à arcature à double voussure, séparées par un montant en pierre, dont les proportions, relativement peu élancées, et le matériau de construction, pierres taillées irrégulières dans un mortier abondant, en feraient dater l'exécution du XIe siècle. Au-dessus de la partie ancienne, le clocher se trouve divisé aujour­d'hui en quatre étages par une série d'arcatures ; aux deux étages inférieurs une lésène centrale répartit les arcatures en deux groupes de trois, tandis que s'ouvre, au troisième, une fenêtre géminée sur chaque côté et, au quatrième, une ouverture triple. Au-dessus de cette ouverture la série des arcatures est continue. ... Le côté septentrional de la basilique est encore caché par une série d'édifices qui lui sont adossés et dont la construction s'est pour­suivie jusqu'à notre siècle; le côté méridional, à l'inverse, a été réamé­nagé ces dernières années : on a pu dégager une partie correspondant à l'abside méridionale, en appliquant une technique de restauration qui a comporté la reconstruction de certaines parties disparues des lésènes qui parcouraient la surface de cette abside; en les séparant des originales, les zones reconstruites ont été cependant mises en évidence. Le dégagement de cette partie permet un coup d'œil assez intéressant : du jardin de la canoniale, en effet, on peut admirer la succession ascen­dante des voûtes du déambulatoire, des tribunes, jusqu'à l'élévation de la tour-lanterne, ensemble d'une rare beauté. La tour-lanterne est octogonale. Elle est aujourd'hui entièrement crépie, à l'exception de la face Nord-Est qui a été ramenée à son état originel, en pierres apparentes, pour mieux mettre en lumière la surélé­vation réalisée en 1805. La partie originelle apparait exécutée en maçon­nerie régulière et terminée par une bande d'arcatures. Nous ignorons combien de fenêtres et de quel genre y étaient ouvertes ; les trois actuelles sur les plus grands côtés doivent sans doute dater du temps de la surélé­vation. La partie supérieure, du xixe siècle, est construite en une maçon­nerie un peu plus irrégulière que la médiévale et présente une fenêtre en ceil-de-bœuf de chaque côté. La partie extérieure de l'ensemble de Saint-Fidèle qui suscite le plus d'intérêt est sans contredit l'abside qui donne sur la via Vittorio Emmanuele. A l'origine les absides étaient au nombre de trois et les deux latérales se trouvaient prises dans l'épaisseur du mur : elles n'apparaissaient donc pas extérieurement. L'abside méridionale dispa­rut en 1700 pour faire place à la sacristie actuelle, tandis que l'abside septentrionale est une réfection de la fin du XIXe siècle, œuvre de Barelli.La paroi extérieure de l'abside majeure est scandée verticalement par quatre colonnes adossées, qui la divisent en cinq parties (la dernière vers le Sud est englobée dans la sacristie du XVIIIe). Elle est divisée en trois étages auxquels correspondent trois genres d'ouvertures : l'inférieure répond au sanctuaire, il s'y ouvre des fenêtres circulaires, une par panneau; à l'étage intermédiaire il y a trois fenêtres dans le panneau central, refaites à la fin du XIXe siècle; le marbre blanc de Musso employé par erreur révèle la main du restaurateur et, par bonheur, à notre avis, paraît criard au regard du gris de la maçonnerie, faisant apparaître l'esprit de système dont on a usé à cette époque récente. Au sommet du deuxième étage court une bande d'arcatures à forte saillie, seulement interrompue par les chapiteaux cubiques des colonnes. Le troisième étage est parcouru par une galerie couverte en berceau et ouvrant sur l'extérieur par des arcades appuyées sur des colonnettes assez fines. Le rôle de ces dernières est purement esthétique et non statique. Cette fonction est en effet remplie par les architraves sur les­quelles les voûtes en berceau reposent comme sur des corniches sortant de la paroi. Ce troisième étage est couronné par une seconde bande d'arcatures semblables à celles du bas et par une frise en dents d'engre­nage. Elle est certainement plus tardive que les deux inférieures : en effet en observant l'appareil à l'intérieur, on note une différence dans le matériau utilisé au-dessus du niveau du deuxième étage; en outre l'ensemble de cette abside présente une certaine anomalie de construction qu'il est difficile de supposer liée à un projet global des maîtres ouvriers dont l'habileté est évidente - mais qui, à l'inverse, s'explique si l'on admet l'hypothèse d'une surélévation de ce projet. A côté de l'absidiole septentrionale s'ouvre un portail d'accès en mitre au-dessus duquel court une bande d'arcs rampants. On devine à peine aujourd'hui l'effet coloré qu'il devait présenter au temps de son ouverture, étant donné le contraste existant entre le blanc des dalles sculptées sur les piédroits ainsi que sur les modénatures hautes et basses, et le gris obscur de la pierre des parois qui l'entourent, ainsi que le jaune paille du grès, du côté du tympan. ... Le portail en question donne accès à une sorte de corridor qui, à son tour, débouche dans le déambulatoire de la grande abside du côté septentrional. C'est un élément totalement asymétrique et son origine doit être recherchée dans la nécessité de contourner un obstacle que les constructeurs n'avaient pas prévu, c'est-à-dire la présence d'un édifice préexistant à la basilique et dont l'angle pénétrait à l'intérieur du périmètre de celle-ci dès l'instant où l'on voulait l'amplifier, comme nous venons de le dire, ce qui empêchait ainsi l'achèvement, selon le projet envisagé, de l'abside sur le côté Nord. ... [O]n pensa d'abord ériger un mur provisoire clôturant la construction qui allait du second pilier du déambulatoire au départ de l'absidiole Nord; c'est ce mur que l'on peut encore voir, dès que l'on entre, sur la gauche; qu'il ait été prévu à l'origine pour servir de paroi externe, cela ressort des deux meur­trières qui y sont ouvertes. En même temps on installa une porte qui allait de ce même pilier du déambulatoire à l'angle émergeant de la maison voisine, « l'obstacle » que nous avons signalé. Ensuite le portail fut déplacé vers l'Est et cela donna lieu à l'étrange moyen d'accès encore utilisé aujourd'hui. Le fait qu'il ait survécu jusqu'à nous est dû presque certainement à ce que le mur fut vite couvert de fresques votives que l'on ne voulut pas supprimer. Mais même au-delà de cet élément d'asymétrie que nous venons d'examiner, le plan de Saint-Fidèle présente des motifs d'intérêt consi­dérable. ... [La] basilique actuelle avait été précédée par une église du haut Moyen Age remontant au VIIe siècle, sur plan basilical à trois nefs et trois absides. Sur cet organisme longitudinal fut greffé, au Xe siècle, un autre orga­nisme à plan circulaire divisé en deux moitiés symétriques, accolées au flanc de l'église, de manière à créer un corps de bâtiment qui, à la manière d'une tenaille, venait prendre l'édifice antérieur à la hauteur de l'abside majeure originelle. C'est l'explication du plan triconque, sem­blable à un trèfle, de Saint-Fidèle, sur l'origine duquel on a beaucoup écrit, allant chercher des modèles dans des constructions rhénanes, arméniennes, irlandaises; aujourd'hui on reconnaît qu'il dérive directe­ment de l'église carolingienne d'Aix-la-Chapelle, dont le parti semi-circulaire de Saint-Fidèle reprend presque exactement les mesures et les solutions adoptées pour les couvertures. Il résulta de cette greffe une église unique qui présente d'étranges particularités, tel le fait d'avoir des absides latérales plus amples que la centrale ou de présenter des bas-côtés qui, tout à coup, s'infléchissent vers l'extérieur pour retourner vers leur axe propre après une longue courbe. Le seul édifice de la région lombarde à présenter peut-être quelques points de comparaison avec Saint-Fidèle en ce qui concerne le plan est Santa Maria del Tiglio a Gravedona, ...

L'intérieur de la basilique porte aujourd'hui de nombreuses traces d'adjonctions opérées sur la structure originelle au cours des siècles : si elles n'ont pas altéré profondément cette dernière, elles ont cependant presque complètement recouvert les formes romanes anciennes. Durant les ultimes restaurations on n'a pas jugé bon de retirer ces revêtements et l'on s'est limité à sonder les arcs qui séparent les nefs au rez-de-chaussée, en mettant en lumière la structure originelle des murs. Du portail de la façade on accède à la nef, couverte d'une ample voûte en berceau construite au XVIIe siècle et abondamment ornée de stucs. Six piliers cruciformes, également revêtus de stucs, sup­portent les deux séries d'arcades qui divisent les nefs; celles du rez-de-chaussée sont basses et leur maçonnerie se révèle assez peu régulière : certaines, telle la troisième à droite, porte des marques d'affaissement et de reprise. Beaucoup plus élancées et mieux proportionnées sont les arcades au niveau des tribunes, qui sont plus élancées que les infé­rieures en raison du type de couverture ... adopté pour ces tribunes. Enfin les arcades supérieures ne sont pas déformées, à l'inverse des inférieures, et cela témoigne que leur construction fut plus tardive. Si l'on attribue la cause de ces irrégularités au tremblement de terre de 1117, comme cela paraît vraisemblable, les tribunes remonteraient évidemment au début du XIIe siècle. L'adjonction tardive des tribunes et surtout la construction, au XVIIe siècle, de la voûte en berceau d'où résulta l'occlusion des fenêtres - celles-ci, à l'origine, étaient placées au-dessus de ces tribunes - tout cela a entraîné une suite de conséquences assez complexes. L'axe longi­tudinal s'impose au regard de celui qui entre : en effet la hauteur limitée des arcades du rez-de-chaussée détermine deux lignes de fuite basses qui mènent directement l'œil au sanctuaire; leur succession à la place des arcatures plus élevées des tribunes engendre un rythme plus lent, qui entraîne le regard tandis que la voûte en berceau « enferme » l'espace ambiant. Les parties qui ont été les plus sacrifiées dans cette vision d'Ouest en Est, sont les bas-côtés qui apparaissent presque comme de purs "lieux de passage". Ils sont couverts de voûtes à croisées d'ogives d'un type spécial, car elles sont dépourvues d'arc de soutien transversaux : le résultat est assez différent des bas-côtés des églises de Milan ou de Pavie qui sont constituées par une succession de travées bien délimitées spatialement par quatre arcs perpendiculaires et des nervures en diagonales. Ici les nervures ne sont pas mises en évidence et les arcs transversaux font totalement défaut, ce qui engendre une continuité spatiale à peine animée par l'entrecroisement des délicates pseudo-nervures. Plus hardie architecturalement est la solution de couvertures adoptée à l'étage des tribunes qui, à notre avis, vient manifestement d'une préoccupation d'éclairage. En effet les voûtes à croisées d'ogives couvrant les tribunes sont rampantes, c'est-à-dire que leur plus haut point ne correspond pas à l'axe central mais se trouve déplacé vers l'intérieur : ainsi la voûte ne retombe pas en deux parties symétriquement égales, mais s'appuie davantage sur la paroi interne, compensant mieux de la sorte les poussées. L'adoption de voûtes rampantes a permis de donner plus de hauteur aux ouvertures de la nef centrale et par suite de faciliter l'écoulement de la lumière depuis les fenêtres des murs gouttereaux jusqu'à cette nef centrale. Le thème de la lumière est essentiel à Saint-Fidèle : même si aujour­d'hui il se trouve radicalement modifié par la voûte en berceau du XVIIe siècle, il n'est pas difficile d'en comprendre l'ancienne disposition. Sur l'axe Ouest-Est, il y avait trois rangées.de fenêtres, l'une au rez-de-chaussée, l'autre à l'étage des tribunes, une troisième en haut, tout le long des parois de la nef centrale. Au rez-de-chaussée et aux tribunes, les fenêtres n'étaient pas des plus grandes et s'ouvraient dans la partie inférieure des murs gouttereaux, mais la relative étroitesse des bas-côtés, par rapport surtout aux exemples de Milan et Pavie, et le mode de couvertures à voûtes rampantes des tribunes permettaient à la lumière de pénétrer abondamment à l'intérieur. Il s'agissait donc d'une luminosité diffuse, à laquelle, si elle s'affirme nettement différente des conceptions d'éclairement de Milan, il est toutefois difficile de trouver des types similaires précis dans la région de Côme, sinon peut-être le chœur de Sant'Abondio, dans lequel cependant les fenêtres offrent des propor­tions tout à fait différentes. La zone orientale de Saint-Fidèle présente de plus grands motifs d'intérêt, parce que c'est là que se réalise la fusion des deux plans -basilical et centré - caractéristiques tous deux de l'architecture médié­vale. A la hauteur de la quatrième travée s'ouvrent deux déambulatoires semi-circulaires qui enserrent, tels une tenaille, le corps de la basilique et qui se réunissent au départ de l'abside orientale. Ces déambulatoires, au-dessus desquels continue également l'étage des tribunes, sont entière­ment couverts en croisées d'ogives et les voûtes s'appuient sur des pilastres adossés aux parois, à l'extérieur, et sur des piliers composés à section originale, à l'intérieur. L'espace compris entre les deux déam­bulatoires constitue une sorte de rectangle placé transversalement par rapport à l'axe de la basilique et dont les angles seraient émoussés. Cette partie est celle où les adjonctions des XVIe et XVIIe siècles ont apporté le plus de modifications par rapport à l'aspect originel. Les absides latérales ont été transformées en chapelles : celle du Nord est dédiée à la Sainte Vierge, celle du Sud au Crucifix; dans celle-ci se trouvent placés deux autels; leurs culs-de-four sont fresques et les peintures couvrent également les anciennes ouvertures des tribunes, aujourd'hui closes. Ces altérations se sont produites évidemment surtout aux dépens de la luminosité de cette partie de l'église qui s'en est trouvée toute transformée, accentuant encore la sévérité probable de l'origine. L'abside orientale semble avoir davantage conservé ses formes primitives. Elle déploie à l'intérieur un jeu de volumes inverse de celui que l'on peut contempler à l'extérieur. Si on l'observe en effet de la rue qui la longe, elle offre trois étages se succédant ainsi de bas en haut : plein, plein, vide; à l'intérieur l'étagement est inversé : au rez-de-chaussée ont été creusées cinq niches semi-circulaires, une de chaque côté du polygone absidal; dans les angles entre les niches sont adossées des demi-colonnes avec base et chapiteau qui supportent d'élégantes arca­tures à blocs de pierre carrés. A l'étage des tribunes court par contre une galerie supportée par de robustes colonnes, elles aussi à base et chapiteau, et au-dessus, des architraves qui l'isolent des vides, avec une voûte en berceau rétrécie vers l'intérieur. L'arc entre les colonnes présente une élégante voussure en pierre. Le troisième étage, corres­pondant à la galerie extérieure, est lisse et il s'y ouvre trois archères. La maçonnerie change d'aspect un peu au-dessus des arcs de la galerie : les blocs de pierre se font plus petits et les joints plus apparents, ce qui trahit les phases diverses de construction. Le cul-de-four absidal est décoré de fresques datant du siècle dernier.

... [L]a décoration de Saint-Fidèle est, dans sa quasi-totalité, postérieure au XVe siècle. Cependant il s'y trouve des œuvres de sculpture et de peinture qui remontent à la période médiévale et c'est à ces dernières que nous réserverons notre attention, en commençant par l'examen du portail septentrional. Nous avons parlé de sa forme : un linteau nu, rectangulaire, avec tympan triangulaire de saveur classique; les deux piédroits sont composés de panneaux sculptés : en plus grand nombre sur celui de gauche que sur celui de droite, qui se trouve tout de suite en contact avec l'angle de la maison adossée à l'église. Sur le premier panneau de gauche, Habacuc reçoit d'un ange la nourriture qu'il doit porter dans la fosse aux lions à Daniel; celui-ci est représenté en bas, sous un arc; à côté, dans un entrelacs de rinceaux, un visage placé de face, mais renversé de 90 °, de la bouche duquel sortent des rinceaux, et une scène de lutte entre un dragon et une chimère. En haut, au sommet du piédroit de gauche, une figure animale vêtue (un singe ?) soulève les pans infé­rieurs de sa veste ; au sommet des montants opposés, une figure similaire dans la même attitude. Le piédroit de droite, étant donné sa dimension, présente ses figurations dans le sens vertical : tout près de la porte, deux dragons se disputent une proie, à droite un chien poursuit un lièvre dans un entrelacs très compact de rinceaux. Les panneaux du piédroit de droite, plus restaurés, sont mieux conservés que ceux du côté opposé qui portent la marque de l'inclémence des agents atmosphériques : mais cela ne suffit pas à expliquer les diffé­rences que l'on y peut rencontrer. Ils sont certainement l'œuvre de mains différentes, comme le montre le traitement des sujets végétaux qui, du côté gauche, offrent un relief médiocre et se réduisent pratique­ment à l'intersection de motifs linéaires, tandis que sur le piédroit de droite ils sont franchement creusés avec un jeu d'ombres accusé. Au-dessus du sommet du portail court un motif d'arcatures qui mérite d'être signalé parce qu'il diffère des autres séries d'arcatures que l'on trouve en diverses parties de la basilique. Celles de ce portail sont rampantes et à faible saillie : l'arc est creusé dans un seul bloc et sa voussure est marquée par des traits gravés. Le remplissage semble fait d'une dalle lisse continue, sans doute une pierre romaine, ainsi qu'on est amené à le penser du fait de la présence, sous la première arcature de gauche, de quelques lettres gravées. ...

(extrait de : Emilie romane ; Sergio Stocchi, Ed. Zodiaque, Coll. La nuit des Temps, 1984, pp. 143-153)

Coordonnées GPS : N45°48'35" ; E9°05'05"

Sixth Form Spring Ball, March 2017.

Outshopped form Doncaster in 1937 she was numbered 4464 and based at Heaton shed. Moving a few mile to Gateshead in 1943 she was renumbered 19 in 1946. Becoming 60019 under BR moved to St Margaret's in 1963 ending her days working the 3 hour expresses from Edinburgh to Aberdeen. Purchased privately she first went to Dinting Railway Museum before moving on the Stephenson Railway Museum in Newcastle where she was rebuilt as No.2509 Silver Link. After spending a short period of time at the Great Central and Southall Railway Centre she finally ended up at the Mid-Hants. Steaming for the first time in 2007 she has since been rebuilt into her original guise with side valances and numbered 4464.

www.dabasformumebeles.lv - shelves from natural forms of wood

Nature form furniture - Unique furniture and design elements:

Harijs Stradiņš - a craftsman working with natural shape wood processing, has been designing furniture and other interior design elements since 1997 selecting the best parts of the tree from top to root. In his works Harijs uses such materials as stone, glass, hammered works, fabric, clay and other natural materials to be able to make common design for a particular room.

Мебель природных форм - Уникальная мебель и элементы дизайна:

С 1997 года мастер по обработке природных форм дерева Харий Cтрадиньш, работая с деревом, изпользует его с корня до верхушки, отбирая самые интерессные части для создания своей мебели и елементов дизайна. Думая об общем дизайне помещения, в своих работах Xaрий изпользует также камень, ковку, лён, стекло, глину и другие природные елементы.

Dabas formu mēbeles - Unikālas mēbeles un dizaina elementi:

Kopš 1997. gada dabiska koka formu apstrādes meistars Harijs Stradiņš sadarbojas ar koku, kā dabas elementu, mēbeļu un dizaina elementu radīšanā, izmantojot to pēc iespējas pilnīgi (no saknes līdz gaotnei). Domājot par telpas kopējā dizaina risinājumu, savos darbos Harijs Stradiņš izmanto arī akmeni, stiklu, metālkalumus, audumu, mālu un citus dabas elementus.

COPYRIGHT - Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works:

- This image is licensed under Creative Commons, this means you can use it on your site (blog) if you credit the author (or authors website).

Composition and forms - Highly commended

lnx.asferico.com/concorso/en/2018-results/

Rarely are these done in Hot Rod form but it looked the goods, this is a 1959 Commer Karrier Van that was on display at the show.

Taken at Cavendish Show and Shine, Victoria in 2014.

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Allah’s peace be upon Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), the glorious Prophet of Islam, and on his Companions and his followers.

TASAWWUF

"There is no doubt that Tasawwuf is an important branch of Islam. The word itself may have been derived form the Arabic word "Soof" (Wool) or from "Safa" (cleanliness), but its foundation lies in one’s personal sincerity in seeking Allah’s nearness and trying to live a life pleasing to Him. Study of the Quran, the Hadith, and the practical life of the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) and his faithful Companions provide unmistakable support to this reality." (Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A)

SUFISM, AN ESSENTIAL PART OF ISLAM

Doubts exist not only in the minds of the Muslim faithful but also among the Ulema, notably the exoteric about Tasawwuf and its votaries. Often they lead to misunderstanding, as if Shariah and Tariqah were two separate entries, or that Tasawwuf was some obscure discipline foreign to Islam, or that it was altogether above the established laws and injunctions of our Religion. To help remove these misgivings and to reassure seekers, as well as scholars, our Sheikh Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A), Sheikh Silsila Naqshbandia Awaisia, wrote Al-Jamal Wal Kamal, Aqaid-O-Kamalaat Ulmai-e-Deoband, Binat-e-Rasool (S.A.W), Daamad-e-Ali (R.A), Dalael-us-Salook, Ejaad-e-Mazhab Shia, Hayat-un-Nabi (S.A.W), Hayat Barzakhia, Ilm-o-Irfan, Niffaz-e-Shariat Aur Fiqah-e-Jaferia, Saif-e-Owaisi, Shikast-e-Ahdai Hussain and Tahkeek Halal Haram books.

BIOGRAPHY

Sheikh Allah Yar Khan was born in Chakrala, a remote village of Mianwali District of Pakistan, in 1904. He completed his religious education in 1934. The very year, he met Shaykh Abdul Rahim, who took him to the shrine of Shaykh Allah Deen Madni. By Divine Will his spiritual connection was right away established with the saint of the 10th century Hijra (sixteenth century) and he started receiving spiritual beneficence. His sublime education in Sufism, signifying progressive spiritual growth and advancement, continued for about twenty-five years. In 1962 he was directed to carry out the propagation of Prophetic blessings - a noble mission that he accomplished with singular enthusiasm and devotion for a period spanning half a century. Anybody who visited him was duly rewarded with a share of spiritual bliss as per his/her sincerity and capacity. Shaykh Allah Yar Khan's mission produced men and women of deep spiritual vision and distinction.

Although Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A) have lived a major portion of his life as a scholar, with the avowed mission of illuminating the truth of Islam and the negation of fallacious sects, and this would appear quite removed from Tasawwuf, yet the only practical difference between the two, namely the use of the former as a media to expound the truth, and the latter to imbue people with positive faith. Nevertheless, people are amazed that a man, who until the other day, was known as a dialectician and a preacher of Islam, is not only talking of Mystic Path, but is also claiming spiritual bonds with the veteran Sufi Masters of the Past. This amazement is obviously out of place in the view of Quranic injunction: This is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills. (62:4)

THE PURIFICATION OF THE SOUL

The purification of the soul always formed part of the main mission of the Prophets; that is, the dissemination and propagation of the Devine Message. This responsibility later fell directly on the shoulders of the true Ulema in the Ummah of the last Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), who, as his genuine successors, have continued to shed brave light in every Dark Age of materialism and sacrilege. In the present age of ruinous confusion, the importance of this responsibility has increased manifold; of the utter neglect of Islam by Muslims has not only driven them to misery, but also grievously weakened their bonds of faith in Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). The decay in their belief and consequent perversion in their conduct has reached a stage that any attempt to pull them out of the depth of ignominy and the heedless chaos of faithlessness, attracts grave uncertainties and apprehensions rather than a encouraging will to follow the Shariah, to purify the soul and to reform within. The Quranic Verse: Layers upon layers of darkness… (24:40) provides the nearest expression of their present state.

SHARIAH & SUFISM

Any action against the Sunnah (Prophet’s way of life) cannot be called Sufism. Singing and dancing, and the prostration on tombs are not part of Sufism. Nor is predicting the future and predicting the outcome of cases in the courts of law, a part of Sufism. Sufis are not required to abandon their worldly possessions or live in the wilderness far from the practical world. In fact these absurdities are just its opposites. It is an established fact that Tazkiyah (soul purification) stands for that inner purity which inspires a person’s spirit to obey the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). If a false claimant of Sufism teaches tricks and jugglery, ignoring religious obligations, he is an impostor. A true Sheikh will lead a believer to the august spiritual audience of the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). If you are fortunate enough to be blessed with the company of an accomplished spiritual guide and Sheikh of Sufism, and if you follow his instructions, you will observe a positive change in yourself, transferring you from vice to virtue.

ISLAM, AS A COMPLETE CODE OF LIFE

Islam, as a complete code of life or Deen, was perfected during the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). He was the sole teacher and his mosque was the core institution for the community. Although Islam in its entirety was practiced during that blessed era, the classification and compilation of its knowledge into distinct branches like ‘Tafsir’ (interpretation of the Quran), Hadith (traditions or sayings of the holy Prophet- SAWS), Fiqh (Islamic law), and Sufism (the soul purification) were undertaken subsequently. This Deen of Allah passed from the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) to his illustrious Companions in two ways: the outward and the inward. The former comprised the knowledge defined by speech and conduct, i.e., the Quran and Sunnah. The latter comprised the invisible blessings or the Prophetic lights transmitted by his blessed self. These blessings purified the hearts and instilled in them a passionate desire to follow Islam with utmost love, honesty and loyalty.

WHAT’S SUFISM

Sufism is the attempt to attain these Barakah (Blessings). The Companions handed down Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) teachings as well as blessings to the Taba’een. Their strong hearts were capable of infusing these blessings into the hearts of their followers. Both aspects of Islam were similarly passed on by the Taba’een to the Taba Taba’een. The compilation of knowledge and its interpretation led to the establishment of many schools of religious thought; famous four being the Hanafi, the Hanbali, the Maliki, and the Shafa'i, all named after their founders. Similarly, in order to acquire, safeguard and distribute his blessings, an organized effort was initiated by four schools of Sufism: The Naqshbandia, the Qadria, the Chishtia, and the Suharwardia. These schools were also named after their organizers and came to be known as Sufi Orders. All these Orders intend to purify the hearts of sincere Muslims with Prophetic lights. These Sufi Orders also grew into many branches with the passage of time and are known by other names as well. The holy Quran has linked success in this life and the Hereafter with Tazkiyah (soul purification). He, who purified, is successful. (87: 14) Sufi Orders of Islam are the institutions where the basics of Tazkiyah (soul purification) and its practical application are taught. They have graded programs in which every new seeker is instructed in Zikr-e Lisani (oral Zikr) and is finally taught the Zikr-e Qalbi (Remembrance in heart).

ZIKR-E QALBI

However, in the Naqshbandia Order, Zikr-e Qalbi is practiced from the very beginning. Adherence to the Sunnah (Prophet’s way of life) is greatly emphasized in this Order, because the seeker achieves greater and quicker progress through its blessings. The essence of Zikr is that the Qalb should sincerely accept Islamic beliefs and gain the strength to follow the Sunnah with even greater devotion. ‘If the heart is acquainted with Allah and is engaged in His Zikr; then it is filled with Barakaat-e Nabuwwat (Prophetic blessings) which infuse their purity in the mind and body. This not only helps in controlling sensual drives but also removes traces of abhorrence, voracity, envy and insecurity from human soul. The person therefore becomes an embodiment of love, both for the Divine and the corporeal. This is the meaning of a Hadith, “There is a lump of flesh in the human body; if it goes astray the entire body is misguided, and if it is reformed the entire body is reformed. Know that this lump is the Qalb”.’

PAS ANFAS

Recent History Khawajah Naqshband (d. 1389 CE) organized the Naqshbandia Order at Bukhara (Central Asia). This Order has two main branches – the Mujaddidia and the Owaisiah. The former is identified with Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi, known as Mujaddid Alif Sani (literally: reviver of the second Muslim millennium), a successor to Khawajah Baqi Billah, who introduced the Order to the Indo- Pakistan sub-continent. The Owaisiah Order employs a similar method of Zikr but acquires the Prophetic blessings in the manner of Khawajah Owais Qarni, who received this beneficence from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) without a formal physical meeting. The Zikr employed by the Naqshbandia is ‘Zikr-e Khafi Qalbi’ (remembrance of Allah’s Name within the heart) and the method is termed ‘Pas Anfas’, which (in Persian) means guarding every breath. The Chain of Transmission of these Barakah, of course, emanates from the holy Prophet- SAWS.

SPIRITUAL BAI’AT (OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

It is necessary in all Sufi Orders that the Sheikh and the seekers must be contemporaries and must physically meet each other for the transfer of these blessings. However, the Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order goes beyond this requirement and Sufis of this Order receive these Barakah regardless of physical meeting with their Sheikh or even when the Sheikh is not their contemporary. Yet, it must be underscored that physical meeting with the Sheikh of this Order still holds great importance in dissemination of these Barakah. Sheikh Sirhindi writes about the Owaisiah Order in his book ‘Tazkirah’: ‘It is the most sublime, the most exalted, and the most effective…and the highest station of all others is only its stepping stone.’ By far the greatest singular distinction of the Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order is the honor of Spiritual Bai’at (Oath of Allegiance) directly at the blessed hands of the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W).

SHEIKH HAZRAT MOULANA ALLAH YAR KHAN (R.A)

The Reviver Sheikh Allah Yar Khan was born in Chikrala, a remote village of Mianwali District of Pakistan, in 1904. He completed his religious education in 1934. The same year, he met Sheikh ‘Abdul Rahim, who took him to the shrine of Sheikh Allah Deen Madni. By Divine Will his spiritual connection was immediately established with the saint of the 10th century Hijra (sixteenth century CE) and he started receiving spiritual beneficence. His sublime education in Sufism, signifying progressive spiritual growth and advancement, continued for about twenty-five years, after which he was directed to undertake the propagation of Prophetic blessings - a noble mission that he accomplished with singular zeal and dedication for a period spanning half a century. Anybody who visited him was duly rewarded with a share of spiritual bliss commensurate with his/her sincerity and capacity. Sheikh Allah Yar Khan’s mission produced men and women of deep spiritual vision and eminence. He authored eighteen books, the most distinguished being Dalael us-Sulook (Sufism - An Objective Appraisal), Hayat-e Barzakhiah (Life Beyond Life) and Israr ul- Haramain (Secrets of the two holy Mosques). He was undoubtedly one of the most distinguished Sufi saints of the Muslim Ummah and a reviver of the Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order. He passed away on 18 February 1984 in Islamabad at the age of eighty.

THE CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION OF NAQSHBANDIA OWAISIAH

1. Hazrat Muhammad ur-Rasool Allah (Sall Allah-o Alaihi wa Sallam), 2. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (Radhi Allah-o Unho), 3. Hazrat Imam Hassan Basri (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 4. Hazrat Daud Tai (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 5. Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 6. Hazrat Ubaid Ullah Ahrar (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 7. Hazrat Abdur Rahman Jami (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 8. Hazrat Abu Ayub Muhammad Salih (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 9. Hazrat Allah Deen Madni (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi), 10. Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (Rahmat Ullah Alaihi).

THE SPIRIT OR RUH

The spirit or Ruh of every person is a created reflection of the Divine Attributes and it originates in Alam-e Amar (Realm of Command). Its food is the Light of Allah or the Divine Refulgence, which it acquires from the Realm of Command through the holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s choicest favors and peace be upon him), whose status in the spiritual world is like that of the sun in the solar system. The Quran refers to him as the ‘bright lamp’. Indeed, he is the divinely selected channel of all Barakah. All Exalted Messengers themselves receive these Barakah from him.

LATAIF

The human Ruh also possesses vital organs like the physical body; through which it acquires its knowledge, food and energy. These are called Lataif (singular Latifah: subtlety). Scholars of various Sufi Orders have associated them with specific areas of the human body. The Naqshbandia Owaisiah Order identifies these Lataif as follows. First - Qalb: This spiritual faculty is located within the physical heart. Its function is Zikr. Its strength increases one’s capacity for Allah’s Zikr. Second – Ruh: The site of this Latifah, which is a distinct faculty of the human Ruh, is on the right side of the chest at the level of Qalb. Its primary function is concentration towards Allah. Third – Sirri: This is located above the Qalb and functions to make possible Kashf. Forth – Khaffi: This is located above the Ruh and functions to perceive the omnipresence of Allah. Fifth – Akhfa: This is located in the middle of chest, at the centre of the first four Lataif and makes it possible for the Ruh to perceive the closeness of Allah, Who is closer to us than our own selves. Sixth – Nafs: This Latifah is located at the forehead and functions to purify the human soul. Seventh – Sultan al-Azkar: This Latifah is located at the top centre of the head and serves to absorb the Barakah of Allah into the entire body, so that every cell resonates with Zikr.

FIVE EXALTED MESSENGERS OF GOD

There are Five Exalted Messengers among the many known and unknown Messengers of Allah. They are Hazrat Muhammad, Hazrat Nuh (Noah), Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham), Hazrat Musa (Moses), and Hazrat Esa (Jesus), peace be upon them all. Hazrat Adam is the first Prophet of Allah and the father of mankind. Each Latifah is associated with a particular Prophet. The Barakah and lights from Hazrat Adam (peace be upon him), descend on the first Latifah Qalb; its lights are reflected from the first heaven and are yellowish. The second Latifah is associated with Hazrat Nuh and Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon them). Its lights descend from the second heaven and appear as golden red. The lights descending upon the third Latifah are from Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) and are white. One the fourth Latifah, the lights of Hazrat Esa (peace be upon him) descend from the fourth heaven and are deep blue. The fifth Latifah receives its Barakah directly from the holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s choicest favors and peace be upon him). The lights associated with this Latifah are green, descend from the fifth heaven, and overwhelm all the first four Lataif. The Lights descending upon the sixth and seventh Lataif are the Divine Lights, whose color and condition cannot be determined. These are like flashes of lightening that defy comprehension. If Allah blesses a seeker with Kashf, he can observe all of this. The vision is slightly diffused in the beginning, but gradually the clarity improves.

SULOOK

Stages of the Path After all seven Lataif of a seeker have been illuminated with Divine Lights through Tawajjuh of the Sheikh and his Ruh has acquired the ability to fly, the Sheikh initiates its journey on the sublime Path of Divine nearness. The Path is known as Sulook, and its stages are not hypothetical imaginations but real and actually existing stations on the spiritual Path. These are also referred to as Meditations, because a seeker mentally meditates about a station while his/her Ruh actually ascends towards it. The first three stations that form the base of whole Sulook are described as; Ahadiyyat, a station of Absolute Unity of Divinity. It is above and beyond the seven heavens. It is so vast a station that the seven heavens and all that they encompass are lost within Ahadiyyat as a ring is lost in a vast desert. Its lights are white in color. Maiyyat station denotes Divine Company, ‘He is with you, wherever you might be.’ This station is so vast that Ahadiyyat along with the seven heavens beneath are lost within it as a ring is lost in a desert. Its lights are green in color. Aqrabiyyat station denotes Divine Nearness, ‘He is nearer to you than your life- vein.’ Again, Aqrabiyyat is vast as compared to Maiyyat in the same proportion. Its lights are golden red and are reflected from the Divine Throne. It is indeed the greatest favor of Almighty Allah that He blesses a seeker with an accomplished Sheikh, who takes him to these sublime stations. The final station that a seeker attains to during his/her lifetime becomes his/her Iliyyeen (blessed abode) in Barzakh and his/her Ruh stays at this station after death.

ZIKR

Why is Zikr Necessary for Everyone? Allah ordains every soul in the Quran to Perform Zikr. This not only means reciting the Quran and Tasbeeh but also Zikr-e Qalb. It is only through Zikr-e Qalbi that Prophetic Lights reach the depths of human soul and purify it from all vice and evil. Zikr infuses a realization of constant Divine Presence and a seeker feels great improvement in the level of sincerity and love towards Allah and the holy Prophet- SAWS. Such levels of sincerity, love and feelings of Divine Presence can never be obtained without Zikr. It would be a mistake to believe that Zikr may be a requirement only for the very pious and virtuous people. Zikr provides the Prophetic blessings which are in effect the life line of every human soul. It transforms even the most corrupted humans into virtuous souls by bringing out the best in them. The fact is that Zikr is the only way to achieve true contentment and satisfaction in life. The holy Quran has pointed to this eternal fact that it is only through Zikr Allah that hearts can find satisfaction. Such satisfaction and peace are the ultimate requirements of every person, regardless of religion, race and ethnicity. Practicing Zikr regularly removes all traces of anxiety and restlessness, and guides the human soul to eternal bliss and peace.

KHALIFA MAJAZEEN

Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A), during his life time in 1974, presented a nomination list to Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), during Maraqba, of expected Khalifa Majazeen for Silsila Naqshbandia Awaisia. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) approved some names, deleted some of the names, and added down the name of Major Ghulam Muhammad as also Khalifa Majaaz of Silsila Naqshbandia Awaisia (which was not previously included in the list)

The approved names at that time included:

1. Mr. Muhammad Akram Awan Sahib,

2. Mr. Sayed Bunyad Hussain Shah Sahib,

3. Mr. Major Ahsan Baig Sahib,

4. Mr. Col. Matloob Hussain Sahib,

5. Mr. Major Ghulam Muhammad Sahib of Wan Bhachran Mianwali,

6. Mr. Molvi Abdul Haq Sahib,

7. Mr. Hafiz Abdul Razzaq Sahib,

8. Mr. Hafiz Ghulam Qadri Sahib,

9. Mr. Khan Muhammad Irani Sahib,

10. Mr. Maolana Abdul Ghafoor Sahib,

11. Mr. Syed Muhammad Hassan Sahib of Zohb.

These Majazeen were authorized to; held Majalis of Zikar (Pas Anfas) in their respective areas, arrange Majalis of Zikar in neighboring areas, train them on the way of Sulook, prepare them for Spiritual Bai’at (Oath of Allegiance), and present them to Sheikh Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan for Spiritual Bai’at at the Hand of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), in the life of Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A), and were all equal in status as Khalifa Majaaz of Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A).

Presently we are following Hazrat Major ® Ghulam Muhammad Sahib, Khalifa Majaaz of Hazrat Moulana Allah Yar Khan (R.A).

Sixth Form Spring Ball, March 2017.

Brass discs were fold formed to suggest leaves which were wire wrapped to silver plated chain. Faceted labrodite beads are wrapped with balled sterling wire

Flow Formed V810 Hyper Silver 19" | Audi B7 A4 Quartz Grey

Photography by @nickcarnera

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...against a stack of my vintage Starlite and Lady Baltimore bags.

After working all day assembling forms in rain, brisk north winds and temperatures in the low 40's, these guys prepare to leave this Interstate 69 construction site near Houston, Texas. The next step is to fill the forms with concrete.

Here we call this plant "Chinese Hat". The hummingbirds love these flowers, but they sure don't stay at one blossom very long. Quite a challenge to catch them feeding.

We formed part of ‪#‎crucialcrew‬ over the past two weeks educating the Year 6s of NPT all about ‪#‎HomeFireSafety‬ They were even given the chance to crawl through a (simulated) smoke logged house to experience first hand how difficult is it to get out when there is a fire!

Teaching young people about fire safety in the home is a key part of our prevention approach to reducing the risk of fire in the home.

In the event of a fire get out,stay out and phone the Fire Service!

Patrimoine de Lyon

The base has been demolished, but the concrete is still there.

20210521 黃小豪 300免運 桿尾到葉鞘 16.5cm 轉彎

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Tillandsia latifolia caulescent form 長桿毒藥

Origins: Peru, Ecuador

Bloom: Medium length compound inflorescence with red bracts and small magenta flowers

Ideal for: Indoors/Outdoors

Light: Indirect or filtered sun, will quickly stretch if not getting enough light

Water: Spray or dunk twice a week, allow to dry within 6-8 hours. Add an extra watering to rehydrate during hotter and drier months

This varietal of latifolia grows long like a snake, twisting and turning in it's never ending effort to grow towards the sun. This is a smaller latifolia variety with shorter green leaves but can still grow 4 feet or more, producing many pups each bloom. Hang it any which way to manipulate the shape of it and form a beautiful living sculpture

（Information from Cuffel Farms website cuffelfarms.com/products/tillandsia-latifolia-caulescent-...)

#Tillandsia latifolia caulescent form

#latifolia

#caulescent form

#長桿毒藥

Chiswick Grammar School form 5A (1954)

Back row: 1) Michael Hughes 2) Brian Martin 3) Jimmy Jarvis RIP 4) David (Dibby) Harvey (RIP)

5) Roger Lipman 6) George Helyar 7) Doug Neuff RIP (great sprinter) 8) David Parrott 9) Bob Rickman 10) David Powell 11) Lewis ?? ? 12) Eric Grover 13) Fred Barrett.

Middle row: 1) Vivian Emerson 2) John Lewis 3) Peter Stear 4) Rod Wafer 5) Mr Ernest "Ernie" Finch 6) Terry Phillips RIP 7) Graham ‘Tubby’ Hall 8) David Smith 9) William Catling.

Front row: 1) David Lewisohn RIP 2) Bert Kitchener 3) Paul Tomlinson 4) Fred Curbishley

5) Terry Clements; 6) Keith Rushby 7) Peter ?? Moss 8) Tony Hutton.

School Library reference JL 03

Thanks to Brian Martin ,Graham Hall Rod Wafer and Roger Lipman for the names.

Sandra Bullock:

Sandra Bullock was struggling to see Bryan Randall as her boyfriend at the beginning of their history. But the actress is very loving and very pleased with him according tothe magazine British Grazia.

Sandra Bullock comes out with the former Bryan Randall model since a few ...

celebup.com/sandra-bullock-received-the-blessing-form-jen...

Creek Rd., Huntington, NY

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Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (Marche

The Ashmolean guide states that "The Museum of Eastern Art was formed in 1949 as a subdivision of the Department of Fine Art, housed in the old Indian Institute, which had maintained its own museum of Indian art since 1897. The transfer of these combined collections to the Museum's own building to form the Department of Eastern Art provided large new opportunities. A series of generous benefactions provided roughly nine-tenths of the Department's original holdings. The collections encompass art from the Islamic World, the Indian sub-continent, South-East Asia, China, Japan and Korea, and include ceramics, sculpture, metalwork, paintings, prints and other arts."

The Ashmolean Museum is Britain's oldest public museum has one of the finest collections of paintings and antiquities outside of London. Hand-held photography is permitted in many of its galleries, these photos are what I've come up with. All were taken at a high ISO and are therefore not quite as sharp as I'd do if I had studio light conditions. Anyway I hope this set gives people who do not have access to this wonderful museum a taste of some of its riches.

The museum has now re-opened and has expanded, I hope to cover some of the new aspects of the collection in this set.

The New Ashmolean

Pretty shade tree