Adur Valley and the surrounding Downs, including Shoreham-by-Sea
View allAll Photos Tagged Including
Wouldn't we all like to find a magic bridge?
Created for the Artistic Manipulation Group's Mixmaster Challenge #58.
CHEF xandram wants to see where a bridge will lead us!
➤ Your image must feature a bridge.
➤ Include one or two people.
➤ Also something pointed or with points (not including the bridge).
➤ Feature dark red somewhere in the composition.
➤ NO BIRDS.
(NO FAVES WITHOUT LEAVING A COMMENT)
(NO PREFERITI SENZA LASCIARE UN COMMENTO)
(NO FAVORITA SIN COMENTARIO)
(PAS DE FAVORI SANS COMMENTAIRE)
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It is forbidden any use, total or partial, of the contents in this portal, including the storage, reproduction, processing, dissemination or distribution of content themselves by any technology platform, support, or data communications network, without the prior written permission from my part.
See also.........
The Grand Canal
Venice is an enchanting city that casts visitors under an intoxicating spell. It's dreamy and romantic, with an undercurrent of mystery and drama.
Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.
The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.
2004 Photo (Canon PowerShot SD880, 1/125 @ f/2.8, ISO 80)
The Pitstone Windmill as dusk falls with the mysterious and ancient Ivinghoe Beacon. This is where the historic Ridgeway Path, starts its journey.
The windmill has stood here since 1627 and it closed in 1894 after it was badly damaged in a storm. It was restored by a group of enthusiast`s and is now full operational and open to the public.
The Ridgeway path follows the high ground across the Chilterns for 87miles and ends at Avebury [ famous for its standing stones ] in Wiltshire. The path has been in use since the Neolithic period by early man as it was safer to travel across the hills than down in the valleys because of the impenetrable forests and danger of attack by wild animals. It has been used from medieval times right up to the 50s by travelling tradesmen [ journeymen ] and travelling sales men [peddlers] carrying their goods to the various markets in the many villages that it passes through. Its a haven for wildlife including butterflies as well as the flowers that grow on the rich chalk grassland and it was originally part of a deep lagoon off the coast of west Africa before the tutonic plates shifted millions of years ago.
There are many megalithic features on the Ridgeway including Bronze age Long Barrows { Graves } Iron age Hill Forts and Standing Stones.
An amazing place, I have walked sections of it. I hope to walk it in its entirety next year as long as my legs, and me can hold out that long!!!
Do hope you will like my pic and give us a quick Fave if you do! Its what your index fingers for....... mostly!!!!
Have a good week ahead!
Pat.
Info on Ridgeway and Windmill below;
www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/pitstone-windmill
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivinghoe_Beacon
My photos are also in Flickr river. See link;
Bartolomé Island is named after Sir Bartholomew James Sulivan, an English naval lieutenant who participated in Darwin's voyage on the Beagle. The island is located to the east of Santiago Island. The eastern part of the island consists of volcanic cones, while the western part is a peninsula with several rock formations, including Pinnacle Rock, a steep volcanic rock.
This long exposure night photograph was taken from the Westminster Bridge looking towards the South Bank of River Thames, including London Eye and County Hall.
It was a windy night during my visit to London in October last year. The London Eye was temporarily stationary, with clouds seen drifting above. The light reflections of the structures in River Thames provided added interests to the nightscape.
Best wishes for a great weekend!
Hymenopus coronatus, also called H. bicornis, is a mantis from the rain forests of Southeast Asia. It is known by various common names including walking flower mantis and orchid mantis. This tiny creature is only about the size of my thumbnail!
Outfit including top and skirt, ferris wheel halo, mask and hat : Curemore - Freak Circus. At Salem.
Hair : {Limerence} Ellie hair - Special for FaMESHed
Clown Make-up : Shiny Stuffs - Creepy Dollface. At The Dark Style Fair.
Decor :
RO - Circus Rot - Two Top Tent.
Vintage Halloween Clown Gate - FIN *RELIVE THE FIFTIES*. At Hallow Manor.
Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. The genus name comes from the Provençal French Aigrette, egret a diminutive of Aigron, heron. The species epithet garzetta is from the Italian name for this bird, garzetta or sgarzetta.
It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, often with other species of water birds, making a platform nest of sticks in a tree, bush or reed bed. A clutch of bluish-green eggs is laid and incubated by both parents. The young fledge at about six weeks of age.
Its breeding distribution is in wetlands in warm temperate to tropical parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. A successful colonist, its range has gradually expanded north, with stable and self-sustaining populations now present in the United Kingdom.
It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996
In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia to over-winter there. The birds may also wander north in late summer after the breeding season, and their tendency to disperse may have assisted in the recent expansion of the bird's range. At one time common in Western Europe, it was hunted extensively in the 19th century to provide plumes for the decoration of hats and became locally extinct in northwestern Europe and scarce in the south. Around 1950, conservation laws were introduced in southern Europe to protect the species and their numbers began to increase. By the beginning of the 21st century the bird was breeding again in France, the Netherlands, Ireland and Britain. It has also begun to colonise the New World; it was first seen in Barbados in 1954 and first bred there in 1994. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the bird's global conservation status as being of least concern..
Taking a temporary break from images of Germany to bring some local ones taken yesterday.
Mt. St. Helens, which last erupted 36 years ago and is rebuilding itself with a lava dome inside the crater, ( which eventually will form her new top ) and lot of new growth, including an abundance of wildflowers this year.
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Thank you all so much for your views, faves and comments.
I appreciate each one!
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Toledo is a city in central Spain, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.
Toledo is known as the "Imperial City" because it was the headquarters of the court of Charles V, and as the "City of Three Cultures" because of the cultural influence of Christians, Muslims and Jews in its history. It is known for its long history in the production of edged weapons.
The city sits on top of a mountain, bordered on three sides by the Tagus River, containing many monuments, including the Alcazar and the Gothic Primate Cathedral of Spain.
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Toledo to miasto w środkowej Hiszpanii, wpisane na listę światowego dziedzictwa UNESCO w 1986 roku.
Toledo jest znane jako „Cesarskie Miasto”, ponieważ było główną siedzibą dworu Karola V, oraz jako „Miasto Trzech Kultur” ze względu na wpływy kulturowe chrześcijan, muzułmanów i żydów w jego historii. Znane jest z długiej historii w produkcji broni białej.
Miasto znajduje się na szczycie góry, otoczone z trzech stron rzeką Tag zawiera wiele zabytków, w tym Alkazar i gotycką katedrę prymasowską Hiszpanii.
Harbour Authority vessels, fishing boats, sailboats, yachts and various other water craft, including Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards share the waterway that runs along the banks of the Fraser River in Ladner, BC.
This small section of the River is lined with colourful float homes.
Ladner is a part of the City of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, and a suburb of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was created as a fishing village on the banks of the Fraser River.
Named for Thomas and William Ladner, who came to the area in 1868 and began large farming and fishing operations, it developed as a centre for these operations. A series of ferries, culminating in the Ladner Ferry, allowed for access across the river to Richmond. The George Massey Tunnel provided a permanent connection in 1959.History
Like many areas around the Fraser River on what is now Greater Vancouver the area on the south side of the south arm of the Fraser was named for the original Europeans to settle there. First called Ladner's Landing, the area was settled by Thomas Ellis Ladner (1837–1922) and William Henry Ladner (1826–1907).[1] They had travelled from their home in Cornwall, UK to pursue the gold rush in California and later on the Fraser River. Settling on the area of the Fraser River Delta either side of the Chilukthan Slough in 1868, both turned to farming and fishing.
Wikipedia
Thank-you for all the overwhelming support and many friendships.
Stay Healthy
Happy Clicks,
~Christie (happiest) by the River
*Best experienced in full screen
Bank Voles are almost entirely herbivorous, their diet including dead leaves in winter. However this one seems to be holding a black sunflower seed in its delightfully tiny hands giving a great sense of scale.
Thank you all for your kind responses.
COVID numbers are continuing to rise around the world. So many people are in lockdown and not able to get out, many have been sick and have had loved ones die, and so many, including me, who haven't been able to hug their families since the beginning of this pandemic. And we have no idea when the end is in sight, or if things will ever get back to "normal."
When I saw this little vine wrapped around a post in a nearby garden, I thought of how much all of us need a hug right about now. So I'm sending out a virtual hug to all of you.
Here's a song from one of my favourite bands, Walk of the Earth, that I think might give you a smile:
Outfit including dress, furbelt, crown, halo, wings, earrings, boots, face jewelry, skin : P The Plastik - Fraia Ice Queen Gacha. At The Epiphany
Head : Lelutka - Simone 3.3
Lipstick : Glam Affair for Lelutka.
Hair : Mina - Leslie. In main store.
Decor :
.:Tm:.Creation : "The Polar Refuge" Winter Nature Scene. At Swank Home & Garden.
DRD Death Row Designs - Building Remains. At Eclipse
Credits
Kitty (left) :
Outfit including hair, boots, dress, jewelry, eye patch, gloves, shoulder piece : Irrisistible - Blind Love Gacha.New!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
Shiny Stuff Hd make up ( lipstick and shadows ) New!! ❥ The Liaison Collaborative 🐾
#09 [ SpotCat ] Delicate motives - Postcard New!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
. ERSCH - Dragon Earring
Kynne :
Outfit including hair, boots, dress, jewelry, eye patch, gloves : Irrisistible - Blind Love GachaNew!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
Lipstick : Persephone [p] - just bitten
Eyeshadow : Persephone -
[p] reckless eyeshadows - lelutka. At Planet 29.
Decor :
Backdrop :Irrisistible - Romantic Valentine Backdrop (3 background textures)Irrisistible - Love Circle Floating Chair. New!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
09 [ SpotCat ] Delicate motives - Postcard New!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
15 [ SpotCat ] Delicate motives - Bear grey New!! ❥ @ Gacha Garden 🐾
-Garden- by anc "baby's breash"{natural}
-Garden- by anc "poppy"{red}
This large museum of natural history combines three museums into one, including a four-story taxonomy wing, a building of skeletons and fossils and a separate structure devoted entirely to geology.
he Circle complex includes retail – including a new Dufry duty-paid concept – restaurants, a Convention Centre with capacity for up to 2,500 guests, with accommodation offered by two Hyatt hotels and a new University Hospital Airport. Other services such as coworking spaces, a gym and a crèche will round out the wide range
Outfits : !gO! - Clementine Gacha, including bikini top, shorts, bag, vest, boots. At Shiny Shabby.
Kynne :
Hair : Tableau Vivant - Dreadndy hair gacha, and hairbase for Genus.
Head : Genus Project - Baby
Skin : Glam Affair - Kayla - 06. At Kustom9.
Bracelets : Kunglers - Gigi Bracelets.
Earrings : Kunglers - Vera Earrings.
Tattoo : Carol G - Tabby Cat TaTToo. Cosmopolitan Event.
Decor :
Boho Van : DRD Death Row Designs - The Joint Delivery Van. At Anthem.
Sunflowers : JIAN Sunflowers
Garden fence and gate : JIAN Oak Spring Heart Gateway
Grasses and flowers : Compulsion.
Trees : Titans - Timeworn Tree
Puppies : JIAN - Splashy Spaniels and Lively Labs
Outfits : Sorumin - Cookies Mood Gacha. Rare (left), including sweaters, socks and shoes, cookies. At The Gacha Garden.
Hair left : Doe - Maple. At Gacha Garden.
Hair right : Doe - Gabriella. At C88.
Head : Catwa - Catya
Skin : Belleza - Bianca - Suntanned. At TLC The Liaison Collaborative.
Poses : GingerFish - Cold Little Heart. At TLC The Liaison Collaborative.
Decor :
Bus Stop : Serenity Style - Urban Bus Stop. At Uber.
Buldogs : Jian - Boxer Bedlam Gacha. At The Epiphany.
Leaf Bags, Buckets : Lagom - Frosty Fall set. At TLC The Liaison Collaborative.
Leaves : [ keke ] fall oak leaves . whirling and groundcover.
Trees : ~ASW~ The Crisanta Trees - Red and Yellow.
Duchess (left)
Outfit : Una - Osiris. Including Dress, collar, belt and Mask. Soon at Days of Yore
Hair : Boon - Lab 022 Hair. In main store.
Hair accessory : ChicChica - Dora Headband. At Salon 52
Head : Genus Project - Strong Face W001. New at Skin Fair.
Skin : Genus Project - May. At Skin Fair.
Tattoo : Carol G - Together - black. At Skin Fair.
Pose : PosESioN - Venice 3.
Kynne (right)
Outfit : Una - Osiris. Including Dress, collar, belt and Mask. Soon at Days of Yore
Hair : Boon - Way.002 hair streak gold. In main store.
Head : Lelutka - Korina Head. New at Skin Fair.
Skin : Glam Affair - Sapphire applier for Lelutka - 04. At K9
Bracelets and armlets : Kibitz - Rhea's. Soon at Days of Yore
Tattoo : Letis Tattoo - Ganesha. In main store.
Pose : Ma Vie - Jewel 09
Decor :
TLG The Looking Glass - Greek Temple Ruins.
Palms : The Little Branch.
Sarah has departed and embarked on her 23 hour (including stop-overs) adventure to New Zealand. Monique and Charlotte are well settled in and getting back to their routines after spending a week at home.
I am alone now and I too will settle back into my routine. Collectively the four of us travelled 800 Km in the car and Sarah and I an additional 709 Km this past week.
It was an adventure like no other I have ever experienced and most certainly one that I will cherish all my life and reflect back upon and live over and over again in my mind. Yes our time together has come to an end however the bond and friendship we all formed will never end…
This is dedicated to the three of you for making my life richer and stronger. TWMA.
MSP
Ponta de São Lourenço.
Ponta de São Lourenço is the easternmost point of the island of Madeira. It is inside the town of Caniçal and forms a part of the municipality of Machico. Its terrain are made up of rocks and herbaceous vegetation. Since 1982, the headland is a nature reserve, where it has the conservation of its endemic plants including Matthiola maderensis, Echium nervosum, and Andryala glandulosa, and it has fauna, including birds, insects, and molluscs. One of them is Monachus monachus, a seal.
Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, criss-crossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest. (Wikipedia)
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One of the trails through the forests of Kaziranga. You never know what youll find around the bend - birds, wetlands or even rhinos and elephants. A most amazing place.
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. March 2016.
Asian Adventures.
This 18th-century church boasts the highest tower in colonial Quito and a wealth of fascinating art, including paintings that show volcanoes erupting over the church roofs of the city and the capital covered with ashes.
Legend says that the tower, the only unblessed part of the church, is possessed by the devil. Supposedly the only person strong enough to resist the devil was a bell-ringer named Ceferino, and no one has dared enter the tower since he died in 1810.
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The Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Merced is located in the Ecuadorian capital Quito. The white building has five domes and a square tower. The building is decorated with Incan and Moorish inscriptions. Construction started in 1701. The tower was completed in 1736 and the basilica was consecrated in 1747.
I took a trip with my cousin to the east coast of Scotland, this is the pier at St Monans, Fife. Along the way we took in some sights including Inverkeithing Bay, Weymss Coves and the Standing Stones of Lundin. We arrived at St Monans just in time for sunset. The sun set and we were blessed with a good half an hour of pinky atmosphere. I hope you have a good Sunday.
Outfit including bikini, shorts, kimono, leg wraps, sandals, Tigh chains, sunglasses : Miss Chelsea - Boho Baby Gacha. At The Epiphany.
Skin : Glam Affair - Polly applier - 05. At The Epiphany.
Head : Genus - Baby
Tattoo : Letis - Cliantha
Hair and flowercrown : Doe - Maddie. At The Epiphany.
Decor :
Well : Foxwood - Wishing Well @Kustom 9
Cushions, signs : Miss Chelsea - Boho Baby Gacha. At The Epiphany.
Piglets : Foxwood. At Lootbox.
Flowers : DD Dream Designs - From the DD Wild Romantic Garden Scene. At Twe12ve Event
Some little known facts about jelly fish:
1. The largest recorded jellyfish had tentacles over 120ft long!
The largest jellyfish known to man is the Lions Mane jellyfish. It has an average bell diameter of around 50cm but the largest specimens can be as big as 6ft in diameter with tentacles 100ft or more in length! The largest Lions Mane jellyfish recorded was found in Massachusetts. It had a bell diameter of 2.3m and its tentacles were 37m (121.4ft) long!
2. Jellyfish have no brain!
They also have no heart, bones or blood and are around 95% water! So how do they function without a brain or central nervous system? They have a basic set of nerves at the base of their tentacles which can detect touch, temperature, salinity etc. Since they don’t have a brain, they depend on automatic reflexes in response to these stimuli! Catching prey is also a matter of chance. They don’t actively hunt down their food; they just wait for prey to come in contact with their tentacles.
3. There are around 2000 known species of jellyfish!
There are more than 2000 different types of jellyfish, with many more still waiting to be discovered. Only approximately 70 of these species have stings strong enough to harm humans. Jellyfish are found in every ocean of the world, including around the UK!
4. Jellyfish have been around for approximately 650 million years!
Jellyfish have no bones so fossils are hard to come by, but scientists have evidence that these creatures have been bobbing along in the world’s oceans for around 650 million years or even longer. That means they pre-date the dinosaurs by hundreds of millions of years!
5. Jellyfish are a popular snack for the Leatherback Turtle!
Leatherback Turtles are known to follow groups of jellyfish in order to get a tasty meal, often bringing them close to coastlines like the UK. These turtles aren’t the only species to find jellyfish appetizing; in some parts of the world humans also view jellyfish as a delicacy! The most common jellyfish chosen for this delicacy is the Cannonball jellyfish.
6. Jellyfish are not actually fish!
Jellyfish live mainly in the ocean but aren’t actually fish. They are plankton, and float in the water as they are carried by currents. They are members of the Cnidarian family, along with coral and anemones!
7. Jellyfish are taking over the oceans!
In recent years certain parts of the world have seen a problematic increase in jellyfish populations, called blooms. Scientists believe this is to do with additional nutrients in the water, climate change or fishing along the coastlines. Some researchers are concerned that the increased numbers of jellyfish could compete for food resources with fish and other marine animals, and eventually out-compete native local species. Jellyfish are one of the very few creatures that have been known to adapt to ocean dead zones, where there is little oxygen and lots of pollution.
Kynne (left) :
Outfit including sweaterdress and pom-poms : Giz Seorn - Fa La La La Gacha. At The Epiphany.
Head : Catwa - Catya
Skin : Glam Affair - Anais applier. At The Arcade Gacha.
Hair : Tableau Vivant - Sweetmas Gacha - Canies. At The Arcade Gacha.
Duchess (right) :
Outfit including sweaterdress and pom-poms : Giz Seorn - Fa La La La Gacha. At The Epiphany.
Head : Catwa - Kimberly
Skin : Glam Affair - Anais applier. At The Arcade Gacha.
Hair : Tableau Vivant - Sweetmas Gacha - Ice Cream. At The Arcade Gacha.
Pose : Friends Pose Unbeatable!
Decor :
Pine trees and snowy trees : Keke Pine Trees. At Uber.
Frozen Kingdom Ice Sculptures by HEXtraordinary ~ Available at The Epiphany.
The last remaining spores of the Dandelion soaked along with the grass around it. There is even a small insect on it which I did not see when I was taking the shot. It is turning out to be a wet May with a lot of heavy showers including thunderstorms.
Riverside Modern Cottage
Footage: 24,5x16,3
Land Impact: 39 (including plants)
copy/modify yes (scripts are not mod)
no transfer
Riverside Cottage Is 100% original mesh and is a modern cottage openspace.
It is characterized by simple lines and large windows to admire the panorama.
The entrance is enriched by two planters with a selection of bushes.
Riverside Cottage includes a bonus path to enlarge and customize the exterior:
* square single path
* square four paths
* lines 4 paths
DaD DESIGN "Riverside Cottage" c/m V.1.0
DaD DESIGN "lines path" c/m V.1.0
DaD DESIGN "Bush single Hydrangea " mesh - C/M - group gift
@ ULTRA Event - 15th May
DAD store map
PUBLISHED:
bdaily.co.uk/articles/2021/04/27/post-pandemic-in-store-e...
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Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
Canterbury is a popular tourist destination: consistently one of the most-visited cities in the United Kingdom, the city's economy is heavily reliant upon tourism. The city has been occupied since Paleolithic times and served as the capital of the Celtic Cantiaci and Jute Kingdom of Kent. Many historical structures fill the area, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and a Norman castle, and the oldest extant school in the world, the King's School. Modern additions include the Marlowe Theatre and the St Lawrence Ground, home of the Kent County Cricket Club. There is also a substantial student population, brought about by the presence of the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University for the Creative Arts, and the Girne American University Canterbury campus. Canterbury remains, however, a small city in terms of geographical size and population, when compared with other British cities.
Crops including rice, growing near Sembalun Lawang village, Lombok, Indonesia. The rice which is ready to harvest is yellow. The fields are also near traditional Sasak ethnic houses.
f/11 1/400 ISO 200 16mm Pentax DA f/2.8 16-50mm Pentax K-5
On both of us :
Outfits including Tutu, Harness, Body, Boots, Wings : Enfant Terrible - Sky Dancer. At The Epiphany.
Duchess (left) :
Hair : Tableau Vivant - Indoor/outdoor. At C88.
Head : Genus - Baby Face W001.
Sin : Mudskin - Shiori Bare 102. At The Epiphany.
Kynne (right)
Hair : Wasabi Pills - Rainbow Hair. At The Epiphany.
Skin : Mudskin - Shota Bare 102. At The Epiphany.
Head : Genus - Baby Face W001.
Poses : FoxCity - Ballet Minx. At the main store.
Decor :
Swan seats, toy house, mirror, chandelier : Myrrine/BananaN - Oanez Gacha. At Gachaland.
Armoir and clothing rack : Foxwood - Amelia. At Uber.
Skybox : Tromple Loeuil - Rhordyn Towertop Skybox. At C88.
The brown pelican is one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mouth of the Amazon River, and along the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to northern Chile, including the Galapagos Islands.
~ Wikipedia
This is a eclectic B&B converted from a old Funeral Parlor - possibly the first in Iowa.
The inside is filled wall to wall with antique items - weird artifacts including old caskets from 1800's.
Happy Bench Monday!
Catbirds give the impression of being entirely slate gray. With a closer look you’ll see a small black cap, blackish tail, and a rufous-brown patch under the tail
Gray Catbirds are relatives of mockingbirds and thrashers, and they share that group’s vocal abilities, copying the sounds of other species and stringing them together to make their own song. including the catlike mewing responsible for its name.....a succession of musical and mechanical notes and phrases.
Butterflies, including the Orange Lacewing, often hold cultural significance in various societies. In some cultures, they symbolize transformation, beauty, and spiritual growth. They are also celebrated in art, literature, and folklore.
Like many other butterfly species, the Orange Lacewing butterfly exhibits mimicry as a defense mechanism. Its vibrant orange coloration and wing patterns mimic those of toxic or unpalatable species, deterring predators from attacking i
Often overlooked by photographers (including myself) in favour of her flashier male counterpart, female Eurasian Teals are equally beautiful in my humble opinion.
Thank you for your interest, views, faves, comments and awards ! This image was captured in Hong Kong 香港. (Better viewed on a larger screen.)
© This Image is under full copyright Rick C. Graham. © All rights reserved Rick C. Graham. © This image is subject to international copyright laws and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transferred or manipulated without the express written permission of Rick C. Graham.
A wet weather day so editing some previously uploaded images including this one. The moon framed by some ominous looking clouds in the North of Gran Canaria. Taken with a Canon 5D4 and a Sigma 125mm Art lens, early one morning hence the need for the high ISO.
A blog about Framing in Photography
Moon photos on Getty Images
Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus
Taken on local walks (Kenfig area)
It is a bird of open woodlands with trees and ground cover for nesting, including most importantly birch, alder, and willow habitats. The nest is usually built in close contact with the ground, often in low vegetation. Like most Old World warblers (Sylviidae), this small passerine is insectivorous. In northern Europe, it is one of the first warblers to return in the spring though is later than the closely related chiffchaff.
It is a typical leaf warbler in appearance, 11–12.5 cm long and 7–15 g weight. It is greenish brown above and off-white to yellowish below; the wings are plain greenish-brown with no wingbars. Juveniles are yellower below than adults. It is very similar to the chiffchaff, but non-singing birds can be distinguished from that species by their paler pinkish-yellow legs (dark brown to blackish in chiffchaff), longer paler bill, more elegant shape and longer primary projection (wingtip). Its song is a simple repetitive descending whistle, while the contact call is a disyllabic 'hoo-eet', distinct from the more monosyllabic 'hweet' of chiffchaffs.
Willow warblers prefer young, open, scrubby woodland with small trees, including human-altered habitats such as coppice and young plantations up to 10–20 years old. High amounts of birch, alder and willow, with good lichen amounts, and water features (e.g. streams), fields with large amounts of bracken and mosses, and patches of low bramble (for nest cover) are preferred, but it will use a wide range of other species, including young or open coniferous forests. Incorporating woodland ride edge thickets is beneficial, as is 15 metre woodland edges of varying structure and height. They prefer damp woodland areas. Thicket forming shrubs like blackthorn provide pockets of habitat. Deer browsing can degrade the required low cover.
Island of Madagascar
Off The East Coast of Africa
Palmarium Reserve
The Malagasy giant chameleon or Oustalets's chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti ) is a very large species of chameleon which is endemic to Madagascar. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, even among degraded vegetation within villages, but is relatively rare in primary forest.
With a maximum total length (including tail) of 68.5 cm (27 in), F. oustaleti is considered the largest species of chameleon, but that claim is occasionally contested by the Parsons chameleon Calumma parsonii as the Parsons tends to be more heavily built but slightly shorter in length. Their diet includes invertebrates such as large insects. Prey is acquired with a long, muscular tongue. – Wikipedia
An accurate astronomical observatory.
Like other platforms on the island, including the lone moai of the Ahu Huri a Urenga, the Ahu Akivi was built following a precise astronomical orientation. In this way they controlled the change of seasons and the most appropriate times for agricultural tasks.
In Akivi the axis of the platform was oriented from north to south, getting the faces of the moai look exactly at the point where the sun sets during the equinox of the austral spring (September 21st) and their backs face the sun of the dawn during the autumn equinox (March 21st).
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The best time to visit and take pictures is at sunset, which is when the setting sun illuminates the seven statues and highlights their features.
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The legend of the seven explorers:
In the recent literature on Akivi, the seven statues of the platform are related with the seven young people who were sent to explore the island before its first colonization by King Hotu Matu’a.
A legend says that Hau Maka, the priest of Hotu Matu’a had a dream in which his soul flew across the ocean when he sighted the island. Next, he sent seven explorers sailing through the sea to locate the island, study its conditions and the best area to disembark.
Although the idea that the legend was remembered in stone is attractive, it seems that it can not be true. The moai statues belong to a quite late sculptural period, after the year 1440 AD and historians consider the hypothesis that the first settlers arrived on the island towards the fifth century, so they rule out a possible relationship between both facts.
The restoration that boosted Rapa Nui:
Ahu Akivi was the first ahu to be restored after a small group of islanders, at the request of Thor Heyerdahl, erected the statue of the Ahu Ature Huki on the beach of Anakena in 1956. As a member of that Norwegian expedition was the American anthropologist William Mulloy, who from then on would devote a large part of his life to studying the mysteries of Easter Island.
The reconstruction work in Ahu Akivi began in March 1960 and continued until October of that year. William Mulloy and his Chilean colleague Gonzalo Figueroa worked with an archeologic team of 25 Rapanui people in various phases of excavation and reconstruction. This was the first serious archaeological excavation and the first complete restoration of a ceremonial site in Rapa Nui.
The works were done with hardly any material means, they only used wooden poles, stones and a pair of oxen. But with perseverance, ingenuity and effort they achieved their goal. To raise and place the first moai, they used a stone ramp and two large wooden levers. This operation took a month. However, after perfecting the technique and with the experience gained, it took less than a week to raise the seventh statue.
When the work was finished, Father Sebastian Englert himself gave the blessing at a very emotional opening ceremony. After 150 years the islanders could observe again several moai standing on an ahu.
The restoration of Ahu Akivi is considered a turning point in Rapa Nui. From that moment, other works of restoration of more platforms began. The Ahu Akivi was followed by the ahu of Hanga Kio’e, Tahai, Anakena and Tongariki. The ancient platforms regained their former glory and the small and remote Easter Island attracted the attention of other researchers and travelers. And what is more important, it unleashed a true cultural renaissance, an economic development and a renewed sense of pride in being Rapanui.