View allAll Photos Tagged Grounding
December 2025 has seen unique weather conditions around my little part of California. We currently have a bit of a La Niña in the Pacific off the west coast of the USA. Therefore, here at 4000–5000 feet, we’ve been riding a streak of dry, unseasonably pleasant weather. There has also been a run of beautiful sunsets that I’ve done a terrible job of getting next to with a camera. So, on December 5, I headed up to Miner’s Point on the eastern shore of Eagle Lake to see if I could catch one for myself. Lots of high clouds in the sky upon my arrival showed promise, and I ultimately got some shots I like, even if they weren’t all in the direction I expected, as those clouds moved around a fair bit while I was there.
This image was looking to the north up the shoreline as some pretty clouds were overhead and reflected in the calm, shallow water along the rocky shore.
This peaceful lakeshore scene will appeal to anyone who enjoys the quiet beauty of wide-open mountain landscapes, soothing pastel skies, and tranquil water reflections. Its gentle color palette and expansive view make it an excellent choice for living rooms, bedrooms, or offices in need of a calm, grounding presence. Those who have a personal connection to Eagle Lake, Miner’s Point, or the northeastern region of California may especially appreciate the sense of place captured in this moment.
The Bennachie ridge Aberdeenshire, silhouetted against a vibrant morning sky.
Artist Statement
"Bennachie Sunrise Silhouette"
This painting captures the timeless silhouette of Bennachie, a mountain steeped in history and mythology, set against the raw and untamed beauty of a dramatic sunrise. The scene is a celebration of nature’s power and poetry, where the ancient granite tors—Mither Tap, Craigshannoch, and Oxencraig—stand as enduring sentinels over the surrounding shire.
Using heavy oils and bold, rough brushstrokes, I sought to echo the texture and strength of Bennachie's rugged terrain while blending the sky into a kaleidoscope of vibrant yellows, oranges, pinks, and purples. These hues dissolve into deeper blues and blacks, symbolizing the transition from night to day, a metaphor for resilience and renewal.
This work is not only a tribute to the physical landscape but also an attempt to evoke the emotional connection many feel to Bennachie—a landmark both grounding and inspiring. The interplay of light and shadow reflects the contrasts we experience in life: permanence and change, darkness and light, solitude and community.
Through this painting, I hope viewers can feel the immensity of nature’s grandeur and its ability to awaken something ancient and profound within us all.
2nd return visit to YYZ since the grounding was lifted.
Airliners.net link: www.airliners.net/photo/Ethiopian-Airlines/Boeing-787-8-D...
5-4-2025 - SkyAlps, de Havilland DHC-8-402Q Dash-8.
Seen here parked at Gatwick on the remote stands, after the airline had a temporary grounding of its fleet by the Italian regulator on maintenance concerns.
Info:
The aircraft was built in 2009 and carried the test reg. C-FUOH. It was delivered as G-ECOO to FlyBe on 30-1-2009.
Next to operate the aircraft were Luxwing as 9H-EVA, who took delivery on 28-5-2021. Luxwing placed the aircraft into service with SkyAlps on 8-7-2021.
C/n - 4237
It's all or nothing, you may agree?
or beg to differ, your choice
the guest of light upon our hospitality
wordless as the day is young
for the resting place of light becomes our reality
what guise will it take in passing hours
unto water it waves to land and caves
harbouring no fear nor comfort
it's evincive while we are totally dismissive
in our social malaise lacking truthful effort
of Nature's evident grounding
exalting the equilibrium of extremes
hostile to some, home to host
many mood swings tipping temptations
to resist even one's own ghost
no time to pause or ponder, nor cry
aloud for the victory always within sight
but ever so slightly out of reach
this apparitional commove so seldom seen
yet an instruction of a lifetime to teach
don't set your sights within social limits
never be side-tracked from being true to heart
allow the vision a chance to speak
give hope to the misunderstood, if you can
for every opportunity is taken as unique.
by anglia24
09h55: 06/03/2008
©2008anglia24
C-FMXA - Boeing B-737MAX-8 - Sunwing Airlines
(leased from ALC - Air Lease Corporation)
at Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport (YYZ)
c/n 43.297 - built in 2018
leaving YHM after storage due to the worldwide MAX-grounding - ferried to YMX
Canadian leisure airline Sunwing Airlines said on Aug. 13th., 2019 it removed the 4 Boeing 737 MAX jet from its network’s winter schedule through May 2020, the longest of any carrier yet, as the plane’s grounding drags on longer than the industry previously expected. Sunwing said in a statement that its winter schedule, which goes into effect on Nov. 5 and runs until mid-May, is being planned without the MAX to give passengers “much-needed reassurance” while planning their winter vacations.
There’s a weight to these places. Not heavy — grounding. The kind of weight that reminds you what you’re made of.
I sat with these rocks as the sun dropped low, watching the light move across the peaks like something alive. No rush. No shot list. Just stone beneath me, mountains ahead, and the slow gold of evening doing what it’s done for millennia — long before anyone was here to capture it.
The boulders in the foreground have been here longer than I can comprehend. Weathered by rain, cracked by frost, warmed by ten thousand sunsets. And the mountains beyond them — ancient spines of the earth, holding up the sky.
Sometimes I forget why I left everything behind to live out here. Then an evening like this arrives and I remember: I didn’t come here to escape life. I came here to finally feel it.
Stone. Light. Silence. The mountain’s soul, and maybe a piece of my own.
I place clouds on my head because I do not recognize myself in the world as it is organized. This is not escapism; it is a conscious distance. My gaze does not fully belong here.
Yet I am terrestrial. I have a body, a history, a matter that must be respected. Nourishing myself is not a trivial act, but a deliberate choice: to remain, without confusing myself. Freshly squeezed orange juice is a simple, affirmative gesture, a way of saying that life, despite everything, can still be sustained.
This image arises from a fracture: between not feeling of this planet and having to live within it. The nourishment is terrestrial; the identity is not. The clouds do not deny the body; they accompany it as it endures.
Artificial intelligence is used as a contemporary tool, deliberately bent to my will and my way of feeling, to achieve what I intend to express. It does not replace in any way the traditional and fundamental forms of art, nor photography, which for me remain central and untouchable.
Primarily composed of silicon. This stone is translucent with colors varying from teal to pink. Backlighting the stone enhances the abstract pattern of the mineral deposits in the vanes A healing gem that is associated with grounding, spiritual awareness and self esteem.
Photo taken on February 29, 2024
fineartamerica.com/featured/dragon-vein-agate-larry-braun...
A Peacock butterfly nectaring from Sallow catkins at a nature reserve in Leicestershire. Eight individuals were seen in total, with most grounding to bask, on a warm, late March day, with very little breeze.
We had to wait for hours for another boat to continue our journey on the Rajang river. After a collision with a floating log, the driver gave full throttle to keep the prow up so the water would not flow in through the hole in the hull. He then steered the powerful motorboat to a sandy beach for safe grounding.
Original: Konica Autoreflex T4 (SLR - 1978)
Scanned slide edited with PSE 24 and DxO Nik filters.
A local friend, Mick Warrick, photographed this mudbound vessel on 26 September 2026 at Stonar Cut, Richborough, Kent, England, and I spotted it on a Facebook shipping page.
(For the last 23 years, it has been the home of Paul Little, who has kindly invited me to visit the vessel)
I recognized her instantly as the Spithead, now 113 years old, despite not having seen her since 1972.
This is a long read, so make a cuppa before you commence!
My initial response to the photo on Facebook was:
"I worked on this in the summer of 1972 when it was owned by the slightly eccentric Rudy, a Dutchman who lived in Ipswich, England.
He carried out major renovations and renamed it Musketier, however, I am not sure it was ever actually registered as such. He flew by the seat of his pants most of the time, and many aspects were, err, under the radar!
Some years ago, I wrote a tale about my time on her and was asked to share my memories, so here they are:
I first saw her berthed in the northeast corner of Neptune Quay in the Wet Dock, Ipswich, in early 1972. Even by then, her appearance was archaic. Her above-the-waterline hull was battered, and it was apparent she required a good deal of TLC.
She was leaky, rusty, and ancient, and was in the process of being renamed Musketier—the Dutch form of "Musketeer."
I seem to recall there was a fancy painted rendition of a musketeer on the accommodation block, though I never did ask Rudy why it was so named.
Whenever I walked past, which was most Saturdays, there was always an air of work-in-progress. Mechanical parts, tools, frameworks, and welding equipment were haphazardly laid out on the quay.
The sole worker was always Roedie Klein-Sprokkelhorst (1938–2019) RIP—aka "Rudy"—who was always busy with some aspect of the ship's repair. I believe he also renewed the wooden bulkhead separating the engine room from the hold. In truth, it wasn't a complete bulkhead—though for structural integrity and safety, it certainly should have been. As best as I can recall, it was simply made of squared timber baulks laid horizontally, with a gap left open at the top. Built in 1913 as an Admiralty dumb lighter and engined many years later, she had passed into the hands of a well-known East Coast entrepreneur, F.W. Horlock of Mistley. After a grounding at Shingle Street, Suffolk, she was subsequently sold to Rudy.
I gained employment aboard by simply asking the owner if he had any work going. He replied, ”Yes, start Monday at £10 a week,” and that was literally that.
I was just 15 years old, had received no training, and had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
First, I had to tell my parents. It didn't go down too well, but I persisted and started work as agreed.
This was the summer of 1972, probably July or August, after the school holidays had begun. I had no intention of returning to my local school, as I was registered and waiting to commence nautical training in Gravesend, Kent, with some months to kill beforehand.
My father gave me a lift from our home in Felixstowe to Ipswich that Monday morning. After climbing aboard, having a quick cuppa, and receiving cursory instructions from Rudy, we were off—through the lock gates, out into the Orwell, and chugging along at 4 or 5 knots towards the River Stour.
My working hours were to be "start until finish," five and a half days a week. I quickly learned that our trade involved hauling dredged ballast from a mobile crawler crane on an anchored pontoon midstream, just west of Holbrook, to Gashouse Creek in Harwich.
This creek is adjacent to the British Rail train ferry pier; that pier still stands today, though it is in poor condition now. The ballast was discharged and used to construct Dovercourt's new sea defences.
The, err, charmingly named Gashouse Creek reminds me, for daft reasons, of somewhere Steptoe and Son might have frequented from their home at 26a Oil Drum Lane!
That summer, the River Stour was filled with countless numbers of jellyfish. They were so numerous that they overlapped underwater until there seemed to be no gaps at all. I don't know the reason for the abundance, but it certainly ensured we did not go swimming.
Another memory was our daily passings of the big, laid-up dredger "Transmundum II", which Cammell Laird & Co. built at Birkenhead, England, in 1969. She lay at anchor quite a way upstream from Parkeston.
We loaded and discharged our heavy, water-saturated cargo, in conjunction with two other small vessels, the Reminder and the Adieu. We took turns loading, motoring down to Harwich, discharging, and returning to the pontoon to repeat the process. In our cargo hold, water from the ballast drained into the bilge, and a small pump located at the forward end of the engine room space—behind the wooden bulkhead—pumped it overboard.
Soon after commencing our first week of work, the pump failed and we became dangerously overloaded. I don't remember how Rudy resolved this during that first week. But when I returned to work after my weekend off, a huge, blue, twin-chambered reciprocating pump stood in the small space ahead of the engine and abaft the bulkhead!
Even after all these year, I can remember this massive pump looking completely oversized for the ship. Since there were no cargo hatches, the pump could be partially seen from behind the engine room bulkhead. The type of pump looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. From then on, we had no problems discharging the water from the ballast cargo. Rudy later admitted to me that on the prior Saturday night, he had 'relieved' the pump from its duties of draining a large roadworks trench somewhere up the A140 road. Then, on the Sunday, he manhandled it onto the Musketier and into its engine room position! I've no idea how he managed it, as he must have had assistance.
But that explained where I had seen similar pumps: at road construction sites, where those reciprocating pumps were widely used back then.
Life settled into a loose rhythm, and I was assigned regular maintenance tasks. The worst of these was chipping out the cemented floor of the enclosed steering apparatus shack—an odd-shaped steel structure situated right aft, above the rudder. It was hot, incredibly dusty, and tiring work, for which I was ill-equipped; only a basic dust mask was provided.I recall that the steering was entirely manual.
From the wheelhouse, the wheel connected by gears to a chain that formed a closed loop. Port and starboard, the chain ran from the wheelhouse along purpose-built guide troughs to the shack right aft, where it passed around a steel quadrant fitted to (I assume) the upper rudder pintle. As the chain was heaved left or right, the quadrant turned the rudder accordingly.
I often steered the ship on passage; since there was no autopilot, Rudy and I had to take turns.
Later in life, I became much more acquainted with autopilot systems and massive steering gear components when I worked on supertankers with both BP and Shell.
I was delighted to be out of school and aboard a ship, not minding at all that it was a rusty relic, and I learned the job day by day.
I also learned that Rudy's wife, Sylvie, shared her maiden surname with me, and that she was actually from Felixstowe, although we were unrelated. She had a brother, who I cannot now recall (Stefan?), but when told back then, I realized I vaguely knew him from Felixstowe. Small world!
From time to time, it was necessary to replenish our victuals, so I was sent ashore in Harwich to buy food, milk, and supplies. I got to know Harwich a little, and sometimes we would pop into The Alma pub for a beer or two.
We mainly lay alongside at Gashouse Creek overnight, or sometimes alongside the British Rail dredger "Landguard".
Once, Rudy told me that we would be taking on some stores that night while alongside the "Landguard". We could only load them aboard after our evening meal because they had yet to be delivered. I took it at face value. Sometime later, I saw Rudy talking to the Landguard's deck watchkeeper, who I think was the only person aboard. It was a warm, windy night and the deck was floodlit.
Before long, I was hauling a long polypropylene rope and several large paint cans onto the Musketier and stowing them in our deck store. Nothing was said or done surreptitiously...However, it was truly many decades later that I began to think back to that night, and the penny finally dropped! Had I been blissfully unaware of a pre-arranged heist? I rather think I was, and a backhander was probably paid! Rudy definitely had previous form for being light-fingered. Fact.
I worked on the ship for about six months before I set sail for pastures new. Rudy was quite a hard taskmaster, and since he worked incredibly hard himself, he expected the same from others. I subsequently adopted the same attitude! Haha!
Taking into account how many years ago this was, these things just seemed kind of normal back then.
Throughout my time aboard, there was a hole in the hull larger than a fist somewhere up forward (possibly on the port side) which I was very conscious of—but it didn't worry Rudy in the slightest.
We survived.
After experiencing a serious grounding in eastern Lake Superior and being laid up for repairs, the Roger Blough is back in service, as seen here easing away from No. 6 with a hold full of Minntac pellets for Conneaut. This is its first cargo after being repaired. That's the Proctor Roadswitch in the lower left using limestone power (three C40-8s soon to be back in T-Bird service) to pick up ore empties from the dock.
Alfred 23 Harth’s artistic trajectory began in early childhood with an imaginative impulse that combined construction, performance, and visual play. As a boy he dreamt of becoming an architect, spending countless hours in his parents’ garden where he built small huts in ever-changing variations, a practice that anticipated both his restlessness for experimentation and his sense of structure as form-in-process. A decisive moment arrived in 1958, when his elder brother Dietrich—later to become a literature professor—took him to a Dada exhibition in Frankfurt am Main. Harth himself has described this encounter as his initiation into art. Among the works he saw, the piece titled The Navel—simply a black dot centered on a white sheet of paper—struck him with lasting force. Its stark minimalism revealed to him the intellectual tension between a textual title and the conceptual reduction of an artwork to pure gesture, a confrontation that laid bare the simultaneity of seriousness and play which would remain central to his understanding of the avant-garde.
Through the following years Harth’s ambitions in the arts deepened. At school he immersed himself in art courses, quickly mastering a variety of techniques and beginning to dramatize small situations in public and private settings, often appearing in phantasy costumes of his own invention. At the age of twelve his father gave him his first photo camera, which became an outlet for experimentation alongside a growing dedication to pencil drawings. These were often portraits of jazz musicians, figures whose biographies he devoured and whose artistic freedom served as inspiration. By the age of fifteen he turned to oil painting, marking a further expansion of his visual vocabulary. His family supported his emerging musical life as well. Having already played the clarinet for several years, he received his first tenor saxophone from his parents, the instrument that would become central to his later career.
The final years of school were formative in a concentrated sense. He moved to the Goethe Gymnasium, where he specialized in art studies within an advanced curriculum. This provided him not only with a technical foundation but also with a robust overview of international avant-garde movements, complemented by the thriving artistic exchange active in Frankfurt during the 1960s. Harth’s creativity spilled beyond the classroom: together with his friend Hubertus Gassner—who would later become director of the Hamburg Kunsthalle—he staged happenings and other art events. Harth founded the centrum freier cunst, an experimental initiative served as a platform for events ranging from concerts of his own free music ensemble Just Music to exhibitions of conceptual art and cross-disciplinary interventions. Simultaneously, he began producing short films and working with conceptual strategies that blurred traditional boundaries between art forms, while maintaining an intense parallel involvement in both music and school life.
After completing the Abitur in 1968, Harth initially enrolled at the Werkkunstschule Offenbach to study design, connecting his experiments in visual and spatial arts with the applied fields of form and communication. Yet the pull of pedagogy and the broader theoretical grounding offered by academia led him to switch to Goethe University, where he began training as an art teacher. Throughout this period, he never ceased his musical explorations, continuing to perform and to extend his personal synthesis of experimental art, music, and theory—a foundational blend that would define his multifaceted trajectory in the decades to come. Alfred Harth's focus on synästhetic creation was indeed a significant aspect of his artistic approach at that time. He was interested in exploring synaesthesia beyond traditional media like TV, film, or theater, aiming to realize multisensory or synästhetic works that integrated sound, visual elements, and space in novel ways. This approach reflected his broader interest in breaking conventional boundaries of artistic disciplines and engaging the audience in immersive, multi-layered experiences that could not be confined to a single medium or format.
Dopey tugboat captain left the bridge to help men with the rope got hit onto the rocks our ship ended up grounding as strong winds and still stuck here with 1000 plus passengers and 450 crew 25th March 2008. Eventually got pulled off the sand bank 29th March and back to normal usage with no damage. This is my most viewed picture because people are looking for information ships website is here www.pullmanturcruises.com
I don’t get many close-up images of the Purple Emperor, as groundings are fairly infrequent in the north-west Leicestershire colonies; however, I was lucky enough to be able to observe a ‘rejection drop’ at one of the hills. A rejection drop is where an already mated female craftily leads a male to the ground in order to escape his amorous intentions. After spiralling down together and crashing, the male quickly got the message and shot back up into the canopy. I wasn’t immediately sure what I was witnessing, but when the penny dropped I knew I had to move fast. I raced forward the 20ft or so to where they had landed, and came across a humongous and beautiful empress just laying there in the Willowherb. I won’t forget those hindwing eyes that she flashed at me as I got close - they were absolutely breathtaking and literally stopped me in my tracks. I can see how that defence mechanism would easily startle a predator. She gave me about a minute to take some photos, before taking to the air and flying over my left shoulder. An incredible experience.
Had a few moments last night to grab a last look at Sue Stonebender's Intemptesta Nox sim. The sim has been sold and will become private. I've spent many hours on Sue's sims, places of grounding, reflection and analysis for me.
It is here that I realized what the full potential of Second Life can be. Through her Giving Tree, World Famine and Anjo da Musica projects, Sue has given those in less fortunate circumstances "a hand up instead of a hand out". Quite a valuable lesson for me in a world where I've spent an incredible amount of time and money virtually shopping. The Giving Tree will still be available for awhile in it's new location on the Nameless Isle. I encourage you to check it out if you're interested.
Best wishes on your new paths, Sue. You've encouraged me to seek unchartered trails of my own.
Home is often a place of gathering and grounding. Yet these very qualities have also made it a target for those wishing to eradicate peoples and their cultures. Artists depict how communities resist destructive legacies of government agendas by embracing cherished memories of home and community. In response to the traumas of colonialism, an alternate world of fantastical depictions becomes a site of habitation and diasporic displacement is eased through shared spaces of community and family gatherings. Non-human community is also shown as a reminder that natural sites are shared, cross-species places; to enter these spaces is to enter another’s home. Ultimately artworks remind us that home is a place of respect, enriched through shared experiences, values and memories.
The ribs of the Peter Iredale are all that remain from its grounding in 1906 while attempting to enter the Columbia River.
I don’t get many close-up images of the Purple Emperor, as groundings are fairly infrequent in the north-west Leicestershire colonies; however, I was lucky enough to be able to observe a ‘rejection drop’ on one of the hills. A rejection drop is where an already mated female craftily leads a male to the ground in order to escape his amorous intentions. After spiralling down together and crashing, the male quickly got the message and shot back up into the canopy. I wasn’t immediately sure what I was witnessing, but when the penny dropped I knew I had to move fast. I raced forward the 20ft or so to where they had landed, and came across a humongous and beautiful empress just laying there in the Willowherb. I won’t forget those hindwing eyes that she flashed at me as I got close - they were absolutely breathtaking and literally stopped me in my tracks. I can see how that defence mechanism would easily startle a predator. She gave me about a minute to take some photos, before taking to the air and flying over my left shoulder. An incredible experience.
mood:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czkHmjrFCnM&list=RDtv4LvV4I1_...
"Gathering magic plants, the Mother's gifts, for her potions and spells, as well as just simple herbs and seasonings, she wandered deep into the forest. Coming upon a clearing, she topped where the light shone down through the trees, making dappled shadows that danced in the soft breeze. The smell of old wood, damp earth and an ever light hint of honeysuckle drifted in the air. Standing in the stillness of the wood, the pure light and aliveness of it made her feel light as air.
Reaching for the earth, she placed both hands on the damp dirt, feeling the Earth's heart beat, the energy between her and the Mother synergizing, centering her, grounding her.
'I ask for resilience so that I may be present, for strength so that I can battle the Dark, and for peace.. I am made of thunder, I am made of lightning.. help me be the Light".
A student practices MIG welding at The Crucible - an industrial arts studio and education space in Oakland, CA. The clamp in the foreground is the grounding clamp that connects to the arc welder.
12th April 2019., Dublin Airport, Ireland
Operating for Norwegian due to the grounding of their Boeing 737max fleet
Rime ice on lightning-grounding cable with Koma Kushan in distance. Note the summit shadow projecting beyond.
On 28 Jan 2021 I spent the day here with a fellow photographer friend taking pictures and just marvelling at the sheer beauty of it all. Down stream there are cascading rock pools and streams that made for some nice relaxing picture taking and a time to chill. The fresh smells of the rainforest combined with the sounds of running water and rainforest fauna were a very grounding experience.
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Avro Vulcan XH558, Scarborough South Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Goodbye XH558! We will miss you!
Something very different for me and I thought I would upload this photo I took last year at Armed Forces Day here in Scarborough of the awesome Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558, which sadly will be flying its very last flight at the end of the month.
The whole story of getting this Vulcan bomber sky worthy again was amazing and I followed it all the way and I have seen her twice here in Scarborough. As I am sure for those who have seen her before would agree with me that the noise of those Rolls-Royce Olympus jet engines is stunning, something I will never forget ever!
It does seem a shame that she has to be grounded but her engines have come to the end of their flying hours and cost of having them serviced is a lot.
Reminds me a bit of the day Concorde was announced to be retired. I am sure she will be missed by all that saw her and served with her and sister aircraft throughout their operational past!
I believe for those who want to see her one more time will be able to on her final flight at end of October but keep an eye on the Vulcan to the Sky website.
Location Information
Avro Vulcan XH558 (military serial XH558, civil aircraft registration G-VLCN) The Spirit Of Great Britain is the only airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan jet powered delta winged strategic nuclear bomber aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force during the Cold War.
Vulcan XH558 first flew in 1960, and was one of the few examples converted for a maritime reconnaissance role in 1973, and then again as an air-to-air refuelling tanker in 1982. After withdrawal in 1984 it continued with the RAF's Vulcan Display Flight, performing until 1992. In 1993 it was sold to the Walton family who used it for ground based displays at their Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome in Leicestershire, until 1999. Through a combination of public donations and lottery funding, it was restored to airworthy condition by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust, who returned it to flight on 18 October 2007. The donations required to reach that point totalled £6.5m.
It recommenced its display career in 2008, funded by continuing donations to assist the £2m a year running costs. In the summers from 2008 to 2010 it was based at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, moving its winter base to RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire at the end of 2009. From 2011 it moved to a new year-round base at the commercial Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield. The prospect of grounding and sale due to lack of funds was regularly averted, and XH558 flew long enough for fundamental engineering life-expectancy issues to become the main threat to continued operation. After being overcome once to gain an extra two years flight, on 15 May 2015 it was confirmed that 2015 would be XH558's last flying season, due to the third party companies responsible for maintaining it withdrawing their support.
•:*´¨`*:•.✿‿✿ •:*´¨`*:•✿‿✿ •:*´¨`*:•✿‿✿ •:*´¨`*:•
stopping the world requires poise
of the presence beyond oneself;
lips that water the bonding experiences.
get to know me better, when
I play and blossom in this landscape
of conversation held in the fleeting moment.
the more i wonder of what this moment brings
- its own small universe of intimacy & honesty,
like petals that form its own unfolding.
the stitches dotted with holes afterdark
little doors into our own interiors.
flutter in the everydayness of life,
of essentials and essences, in my element;
this playful ritual, sea of endless beginnings,
full of healing-heart-opening experiences.
taste the seeds of hope and beauty
that grows inside you; opens our wings.
easing into spaciousness, sacredness.
seamless of time, of associations, of presence.
meeting the afterglow of flowers, evergreen;
blossoms a small smile of humility
☆ :•.✿ i understand and lose my understanding
steadying into small innocences,
gently making time for timelessness.
The days of the Boeing 757 are most certainly numbered as the venerable narrow-body jet continues to be whittled down by many airlines across the world. Icelandair which is best known for their Boeing 757 fleet are now in their twilight years with the last examples expected to be withdrawn by 2026.
For Icelandair who has previously been a stalwart Boeing customer has in recent years placed their bets on the Airbus A321LR, Airbus A321XLR and much earlier the Boeing 737 MAX as their Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 replacement, mainly due to Boeing not offering a direct replacement aircraft for these jets.
Whilst Icelandair has operated various Boeing 757s over the years, the first major withdrawals began from early-2019 with the introduction of their first Boeing 737 MAX 8/9s, and whilst the groundings did delay the withdrawal process, COVID-19 did accelerate their demise with 11 withdrawn from 2020 to 2021. A further 5 Boeing 757s were withdrawn between 2022 and 2024 as Icelandair took delivery of further Boeing 737 MAX aircraft following recertification post-grounding.
In mid-2023, Icelandair announced an order for Airbus A321LR and Airbus A321XLR aircraft which would see out the last remaining Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 aircraft; the order encompassed 4 Airbus A321LRs on long-term leases and 13 Airbus A321XLRs. Since that order, 5 more Airbus A321LRs are on-order with the 13 Airbus A321XLRs not due to arrive until 2029 at the earliest.
With the Airbus A321LRs now coming online, this does mean more Boeing 757s are being withdrawn, the Boeing 757-300s are no longer in the fleet whilst the Boeing 757-200s continue to be whittled down. The special-liveried Boeing 757-200s are now being culled, with TF-FIR seeing her last commercial flight on 21st September 2025 prior to being ferried to Kansas City, Missouri the following day where it will likely be parted out for scrap.
Get the Icelandair Boeing 757s while you can as they will be gone from 2026...
Currently, Icelandair operates 10 Boeing 757s, all of which are Boeing 757-200s.
Foxtrot India Romeo was delivered new to Spanish flag-carrier, Iberia on 27th July 1994 as EC-608 and later EC-FYJ carrying the name Venezuela up until July 2002 when Icelandair acquired airframe initially on lease from Itochu before being acquired outright by March 2005 and leased to Aeromar Airlines and Avianca in 2002 and 2003 respectively. Initially named after the Askja volcano, she was renamed and repainted into Vatnajökull colours in May 2017. She was withdrawn from service on 22nd September 2025 being ferried to Kansas City, Missouri for long-term storage and potentially for scrap, and she was powered by 2 Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines.
Boeing 757-256(WL) TF-FIR 'Vatnajökull' on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on FI450 from Reyjkavík-Keflavík (KEF).
Bulk carrier MV BENITA ran aground on southeast coast of Mauritius, Indian ocean, in the morning June 17, while en route from Paradip India to Durban SA. Grounding was caused by a brawl among crew, one of the crew, reportedly engineer, had to be medevaced. What happened exactly, yet unknown, it is said that the engine was turned off by one of brawl participants. Mauritius CG together with police boarded the vessel. Judging from photo, BENITA is hard aground.
Edited in Lightroom and Silver effex pro 2.
A large grounding strap at the base of a large steel structure that supports train power lines. Seen through a gap in the fencing. The rails can be seen in the background.
Lollipop ring hand crafted by me six years ago! I enjoyed the calm that amethyst gave me every day! #grounding #faith 🙌🌟
Palmborg at Great Yarmouth after arriving from Terneuzen, Holland.
Name: Palmborg
Vessel type: Cargo vessel
Design: Bijlsma Trader 3250
Home port: Delfzijl
Flag: Netherlands
IMO: 9356505
MMSI: 245281000
Call sign: PHPD
Crew: 8
Length overall: 88.98 m
Beam: 11.8 m
Draught: 5.05 m
Depth:
Gross tonnage: 2,281 ton
Net tonnage: 684 ton
Max deadweight: 3,592 ton
Number of holds: 1
Hold dimension: 63 x 9.6 x 7.5 m
Hold capacity, grain: 4,503 m3
Engine: 1 x Wärtsilä 8L20C
Engine output: 1 x 1,931 hp (1,440 kW)
Speed: 11 knots
Builder, hull: Nova Melnik Lodenice, Melnik Stredocesky, Czech Republic
Builder, outfitting: Bijlsma Shipyard B V, Lemmer, Netherlands
Yard number: 752
Keel laid: 13th. October 2006
Launched: 29th. September 2007
Sea trials: 14th. May 2008
Delivery: 16th. May 2008
Registered owner: Wagonborg Shipowners B V, Delfzijl
Operator: Wagonborg Shipping, Delfzijl
Previous name:
Hekla until 25th. January 2025
ENGINE FAILURE.
On 9th. July 2018 while enroute from Klaipeda, Lithuania to Cork, Ireland with a crew of eight on board and carrying 3.300 tonnes of fertilizer and 56.5 tonnes of marine grade oil, Hekla suffered an engine failure in position 51 08 15N, 01 34 24.6E. The problem was fixed in 30 minutes and the vessel resumed its voyage to Cork.
GROUNDING NEAR SEHESTEDT.
On 2nd. July 2016 whilst enroute from Gdansk, Poland, to Bremen, Germany, Hekla ran aground on the embankment of the Kiel Canal near Sehestedt, close to the wharf at Steinwehr. The canal was closed to shipping for short time before the traffic control at Brunsbüttel allowed ship traffic in one direction between Rade and Königsförde. The tug Kiel was dispatched from Kiel and pulled the ship back into the channel at 7 a.m. The tug then escorted Hekla to the communal port in Rendsburg where it moored at 7.50 a.m. and the water Police Kiel boarded to begin investigations. A diver was called for a hull survey after which at 2 p.m. the ship was allowed to continue its voyage,
GROUNDING IN KOLDING FJORD.
On 16th. March 2016 while enroute from IJmuiden, Holland to Kolding, Denmark, Hekla ran aground at Drejens Odde in the Kolding Fjord. The cause of the grounding was unknown. The ship seemed to have suffered a leak and remained aground until a salvage plan has been approved. The Danish SAR boat Hercules- MHV 812 was on site in the morning of 16th. March. On 18th. March the ship was refloated by tug Fenja and thereafter moored at the North Quay in Kolding at 10.30 a.m. for inspections and to be unloaded.
With the mass grounding of GWRs fleets of Hitachi 800 and 802 units, C2C have loaned GWR three Electrostars. 57306 heads through Sonning with 5Q74 1206 Wembley to Reading Traincare depot dragging 387301, 302 and 306 for modifications before entering service 12.05.2021
Exploring the Tararua Ranges above Wellington. Quick weekend trip we said, after clouds, rain, wind and later the darkness came it took us 24h. Emotions, feelings, views and thoughts in those hours could fill a book. I am gracious for those trips with my father. The family bond seems often undervalued even though it is so powerful, grounding, truthful and for many people easily accessible. This is for our roots, the once that make us stand tall and blossom.
Get in touch: malchow-in-malta@hotmail.com
since we lost the ground under our feet a short while ago, working with clay was great fun and helped reconnect... glazing will be a new chapter for me, I am curious
It’s ok if all you can do in this moment is listen to the sound of your favorite calming music and try to keep breathing. It’s ok to focus on the peaceful, soothing sounds of the string instruments you find so beautifully captivating and grounding. It’s ok to listen to the sound of survival, the sound of healing, the sound of growth, the sound of wounded parts being seen, cared for and mended, the sound of light in the darkness. Though it certainly doesn’t feel like it, this is what is happening—one note at a time, one moment at a time—as you listen to the sound.
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If you’re interested in checking out this beautiful, peaceful, calming orchestra music here’s the playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nKXQuhTyVW3-AOPDuqCKU8d...
The Dutch Hawker Hunter Foundation's immaculate T.8C N-321 aka G-BWGL departs Kemble during the 2011 60th Anniversary celebrations
The CAA lifted the grounding of all Hunter's in July of 2017 so hopefully these splendid machines will be seen and their Rolls-Royce Avon generated 'Blue-note' heard once again in our skies
DSC06127
Soft Wild
Dubai, April 2026.
Some looks don’t arrive loudly. They unfold.
Light, movement, a little undone in the best way.
The Serafina set feels like that moment just before golden hour fully settles. The crisp structure of the top, the fluid drop of the skirt, and then that long trailing sweep that follows you like a second thought. It is controlled, but never stiff. Elegant, but never distant.
What makes it linger is the contrast. Clean lines above, softness below. A silhouette that feels styled, yet somehow effortless.
The Lode head wreath brings in something quieter. Organic. Almost weightless. It softens everything without taking away from the shape. Like it belongs there without asking.
And then the finish.
The Yasum heels, delicate and wrapped, grounding the look just enough.
And the hair, loose and moving, catching light the way it should when nothing is forced.
This is the kind of styling that does not try to impress.
It simply exists beautifully, and lets you notice.
Model
TwinkieBean
Credits
Outfit
Serafina — Top & Skirt (Dubai Event)
Headpiece
Lode — Head Wreath “Aquilegia” (Dubai Event)
Shoes
Yasum — Tender Heels (Dubai Event)
Hair
DOUX — Cheyenne (Dubai Event)
A classic perspective, interrupted by motion.
The view of the London Eye from Westminster Bridge is perhaps one of the most captured sights in the city, but framing it from this low, street-level vantage point gives it a completely different grounding.
The strong leading lines of the road draw the viewer directly into the frame, while the heavy, aggressive motion blur of the passing vehicle on the left introduces a sense of chaotic speed. This fleeting urban motion contrasts sharply with the static, timeless silhouettes of the pedestrians, the ornate lamppost, and the massive geometry of the wheel against a dramatic, cloud-filled sky. It is a familiar London postcard transformed into a gritty, dynamic piece of high-contrast monochrome street art.