View allAll Photos Tagged PULSATED
The Blue Hour with the Lumenfacade at BC Place Stadium displaying blue . This night the lights of the BC Place were changing Red, Green, Blue and a Rainbow mixture of those colors. The 2015 FIFA Woman's World Cup is hosted in Vancouver and the colors represent countries participating, It's very eye catching as the lights pulsate with the different colors.
"Children will always be afraid of the dark, and men with minds sensitive to hereditary impulse will always tremble at the thought of the hidden and fathomless worlds of strange life which may pulsate in the gulfs beyond the stars, or press hideously upon our own globe in unholy dimensions which only the dead and the moonstruck can glimpse."
[H. P. Lovecraft]
as early night descends on the streets of barcelona, the glow of a sushi sign cuts through the dimming light, a beacon for the culinary curious. inside, framed by the window, a sushi chef is an artist in his element, his movements a quiet sonnet against the backdrop of the city's twilight hum. his world is a cocoon of warm light and sharper focus as day gives way to night, where every roll is a meticulous masterpiece, every slice a deliberate delicacy. the neon "sushi" sign, a crimson arch above, watches over his dance of dedication—a harmonious blend of tradition and the pulsating heartbeat of barcelona after dusk.
We left our house around midnight and found the trailhead at 3:30 am to begin our hike to Elk Meadows. We wanted to make it there for sunrise and we barely did. Mt. Hood was like a living, pulsating heart as the rising sun awakened her to a new day ~ this was a most magical morning!
My heart has been broken so many times
but never again, finally I've turned the page
Once free to fall in love whenever it wanted
now for my own sanity it is locked in a cage
Once as free as a bird my pulsating heart was
I gave every heartbeat to my conniving lover
Only hope for me now is to keep it locked up
in my ribcage, hopefully in time, it will recover
Had planned to be married in the near future
partied for hours, night when we got engaged
But, one night I found you in arms of another
so terribly disappointed, surprised and outraged
Most of my life I wore my heart on my sleeve
learnt a bit though from life experiences and age
No more will I allow my heart to be free to wander
intend keeping it close and safe in this old rib cage
So many dishonest people in the world today
cheats and liars, I never cease to be amazed
Heart's beating slowly, but beating just the same
one day it will be free again, just not at this stage
Please don't worry about my poor old broken heart
I have promised myself it shall not be neglected
Seems pretty sad I know to lock a heart in a cage
only way I know though, to keep it well protected
~Poeta de Cabra
June 22 2015 - With news that Mother Nature was going to put on a Northern Lights display we headed to one of our favorite spots to view and capture them – Moosehead Lake, Maine - located just above the 45 degree latitude point. The show started just before 10PM. It ebbed and flowed through the night until almost 3AM - this was easily the longest and most impressive aurora display we have witnessed.
The Visual: a huge green arc with dancing spikes, pulsating waves of light that stretched overhead and over 180 degrees across the sky. At a few different points it was a variable rainbow of colors. All of this was being perfectly reflected in the smooth-as-glass water right in front of us.
The Audio: a nearby crackling campfire, the call of the loons, some crickets & frogs and the occasional sound of a chipmunk scurrying past.
All footage shot with Nikon D600 & 14-24mm and D7000 & Tokina 11-16mm.
© Mike Taylor - Taylor Photography
miketaylorphoto.com
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I've flipped a photo of one of the Digital Origami Tigers by LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture) to create a matching pair. It seemed quite appropriate as the installation does consist of two of them, albeit about 20m apart.
This is one of six installations at the Battersea Power Station Light Festival that I photographed last weekend during a 'dress rehearsal' for next Sundays London Flickr Group photowalk round Battersea and Nine Elms. The plan is to finish up at the former Power Station to photograph the Festival before it comes to an end on the 27th February.
If you're free on Sunday 20th February and this sounds like it might be something that you're interested in taking part in then you can find more details here : www.flickr.com/groups/londonflickrgroup/discuss/721577219...
Click here for more photos from the area : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72177720296294897
From the batterseapowerstation.co.uk/whats-on/detail/light-festiva... website, "LAVA’s Digital Origami Tigers started their journey around the world in 2010 to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Sydney, Australia (also occuring 1 February in 2022) and is on display at London’s iconic Battersea Power Station when the next Year of the Tiger begins on 1st February 2022. The digital tigers combine ancient methods of lantern making with cutting-edge design and technology, bringing together east and west. The enormous tigers are made of recycled materials including aluminium and barrisol, whilst pulsating low energy LED lighting brings the sculptures to life. The artwork was adopted by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) to generate attention for their international campaign to save tigers."
© D.Godliman
Classical view of the Grand Canal of Venice at the blue hour. From the Academy Bridge, which pulsates under the footsteps of the passers-by who cross it relentlessly (it is made of wood), you can see the dome of the Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute at the end of the Grand Canal.
Vue classique sur le grand canal de Venise à l'heure bleue. Depuis le Pont de l'Académie, qui vibre sous les pas des passants qui le traversent sans relâche (il est en bois), on aperçoit le dôme de la Basilique Santa Maria Della Salute au bout du Grand Canal.
A panorama of a colouful Kp4 level aurora on August 28, 2022, from home in southern Alberta (latitude 51° N). It shows the classic oxygen yellow-greens topped by oxygen reds, but with magentas and blues at left to the northwest where sunlight might still be interacting with the auroral curtains. In this panorama, the upper curtains also take on an orange hue. Above the main curtains are some blobs of pulsating green patches.
The Big Dipper and Arcturus are at left. Cassiopeia, Perseus, Andromeda and Pegasus are at centre and at right. Jupiter is the bright object rising at right. Saturn is the dimmer object at far right.
This is a panorama of 8 segments, each 10 seconds at f/2.8 with the RF15-35mm lens at 15mm and Canon R5 at ISO 1600. Stitched with PTGui as Camera Raw and Photoshop refused to either stitch all segments (ACR) or provided a distorted projection (PS Photomerge).
Adorned with creeping vines, remnants of a forgotten civilization, peek through the verdant foliage, their weathered stones bearing silent witness to the passage of millennia. Wildflowers burst forth in a riot of color, butterflies dance in playful circles, while the wind chimes fills the place with melodies as old as time itself. Delicate blossoms, vibrant petals, whisper tales of forgotten realms and creatures. Amongst the ruins, stands the statue of the shapeshifting alien goddess. Her form, fluid and ever-changing, reflects the myriad facets of her divine nature. Carved from the finest stone, her likeness exudes an aura of enigmatic grace. Hovering above the goddess's head are her three orbs, ancient artifacts of unfathomable power. Black as the deepest void of space, these orbs levitate with an otherworldly grace, pulsating with an energy that defies explanation, each pulsating with a radiant energy that seems to defy comprehension.
a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth; an incarnate divine teacher.
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I AM (#1)
I am that I am.
An avatar of compassion.
The distant traveler inside human form.
Who am I...
A sage on mission of dream.
A warrior of light.
A spark of The Divine.
The sacred one who pulsates with song.
I am that I am.
An Avatar for peace and joy.
The grand vessel wrapped in sacred light.
Who am I...
much more than human.
A navigator of stars.
A creative being who sings with grace.
The one inside eternal quest to free soul.
I am that I am.
An avatar of love and light.
A seeker with gifts to share with world.
A mirror of everything.
The one who bows toward all.
And star-seed here to aid humanity
Who be you? Who be you?
Written by
Star BG 66/F/New York
Photographed on our tomato plants, just before it was "disappeared". 😂
Please click twice on the image to view at the largest size
Until I decided to post this photo, I called these guys Tomato Hornworms...turns out I've been wrong about that for *years*. They're *Tobacco* Hornworms. Who knew? Well, not me.
======================
From Wikipedia:
Manduca sexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the American continent. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum.
Commonly known as the Carolina sphinx moth and the tobacco hawk moth (as adults) and the tobacco hornworm and the goliath worm (as larvae), it is closely related to and often confused with the very similar tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata); the larvae of both feed on the foliage of various plants of the family Solanaceae. The tobacco hornworm is sometimes kept as a pet by children throughout its range. The larvae of these species can be distinguished by their lateral markings: Tomato hornworms have eight V-shaped white markings with no borders; tobacco hornworms have seven white diagonal lines with a black border. Additionally, tobacco hornworms have red horns, while tomato hornworms have dark blue or black horns. A mnemonic to remember the markings is tobacco hornworms have straight white lines like cigarettes, while tomato hornworms have V-shaped markings (as in "vine-ripened" tomatoes).
Larva:
M. sexta larvae are green and grow up to 70 millimeters in length. Under laboratory conditions, when fed a wheat-germ-based diet, larvae are turquoise due to a lack of pigments in their diet. M. sexta hemolymph (blood) contains the blue-colored protein insecticyanin. When the larva feeds on plants, it ingests pigmentacious carotenoids. Carotenoids are primarily yellow in hue. The resulting combination is green.
During the larval stage, M. sexta caterpillars feed on plants of the family Solanaceae, principally tobacco, tomatoes and members of the genus Datura. M. sexta has five larval instars, which are separated by ecdysis (molting), but may add larval instars when nutrient conditions are poor. Near the end of this stage, the caterpillar seeks a location for pupation, burrows underground, and pupates. The searching behaviour is known as "wandering". The imminence of pupation suggested behaviorally by the wandering can be anatomically confirmed by spotting the heart (aorta), which is a long, pulsating vessel running along the length of the caterpillar's dorsal side. The heart becomes visible through the skin just as the caterpillar is reaching the end of the final instar.
A common biological control for hornworms is the parasitic braconid wasp Cotesia congregata, which lays its eggs in the bodies of the hornworms. The wasp larvae feed internally and emerge from the body to spin their cocoons. Parasitized hornworms are often seen covered with multiple white, cottony wasp cocoons, which are often mistaken for large eggs. A wasp species, Polistes erythrocephalus, feeds on hornworm larvae.
IMG_0229fFlkr
I write music, it’s another passion of mine. Of all my songs, this was written especially for my daughter. I dedicate this picture to her. To all of our memories traveling together, the beautiful drives in the fall, scary rides in the winter, beautiful summer expeditions, and of course the 1st day of spring, that reassured both of us the gift of life... her birthday. She is my rock, my world and my love for her is deeper than anyone could ever imagine.
In northeastern Washington State lies The Palouse - an area of sculpted rolling farmland planted mostly with various grasses and wheat. In the Spring and Summer the hills are painted in many shades of green; in the late fall, once the crops have been harvested, the sun paints these wonderfully carved hillsides in numerous shades of gold and amber as it casts its warm light across the land just after sunrise of before sunset.
View on black or gray / B l a c k M a g i c
View my photo stream on Flickr Hive Mind</a
ALL COMMENTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED; HOWEVER, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM POSTING DISTRACTING LOGOS THAT FLASH, BLINK, PULSATE OR IN OTHER WAYS DRAW ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES. THANKS.
🌟Orange the World Kickoff - Live DJ & Music Performances!🌟
Date & Time: November 25, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM SLT
Location: ARTSVILLE SL 🔶 maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Caribbean%20Ocean/87/63/1801
🌟 Join us for the Orange the World kick-off event as we stand together to raise awareness for gender-based violence and show our support for the global campaign to end violence against women and girls. 🌟
🎶 Music Lineup 🎶
DJ Frank Atisso will start the party with his electrifying beats and pulsating rhythms to get everyone in the mood for a great time.
Then, get ready for the legendary Max Kleene, who will take the stage for an unforgettable live music performance! Max's amazing tunes will fill the air and have you dancing and singing along.
🔥 It's going to be a day full of music, unity, and awareness, so don’t miss out on this incredible event! 🔥
Come for the music, stay for the cause – let's Orange the World together!
🔶 Dress Code: Wear your best orange outfit to show your support!
🔶Raffle Prizes in our events from our wonderful sponsors!
We can’t wait to see you there at 12:00 PM SLT! ✨
Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand.
A second night of Aurora Australis, and this time I could compose it together with milky way without using fish eye lens or resorting to panorama. And the colour was stronger too, with deep pulsating red on top of green and dancing pillars; albeit for shorter duration (the previous night's aurora at Tekapo lasted long enough for me to do a 400++ images timelapse).
A good compensation for a disappointing sunset earlier. :)
Have a good weekend, my fellow flikcrians!
Single Exposure
Nikon D600 + Samyang 14mm
Fancy hanging this image on your wall? You can get high quality large print here.
-----------------------------
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A sky-filling Kp7-level aurora on the morning of November 4, 2021, from home in southern Alberta. The aurora was pulsing and flaming upwards over most of the sky, while more normal curtains slowly moved across the north. For a few minutes, very prominent red-topped curtains formed and filled the northern sky and moved from west to east. This was just past their peak. Note the blue curtains to the east as they catch the sunlight at their high altitude pre-dawn. A little pink nitrogen fringe appears along the bottom of the bright curtains low in the north.
This is a single 6s shot with the 7.5mm TTArtisan fish-eye lens at f/2 and the Canon R6 at ISO 3200. Taken at 5:06 am MDT.
I am so glad I got to witness this. The bands of light pulsating across the sky were absolutely mesmerizing. A night I won't soon forget.
The air crackles with an electric fervor, my friends, as I bear witness to an awe-inspiring spectacle in Lisa's garden. It is a psychedelic ambush of the senses, a riotous rebellion of vibrant hues that assaults the eye like a mescaline-laced fever dream. The Oriental Lilies, those brazen vixens of the botanical world, have staged a coup d'état, claiming the entire floral dominion for their own. With an audacity that borders on lunacy, these blossoms of insurrection snatch the limelight with an unruly display of grandeur, leaving no room for subtlety or humility.
In their ferocious bloom, they defy all conventional notions of decorum and restraint. Petals unfurl like flamenco dancers in a savage frenzy, flaunting their crimson, gold, and ivory splendor with a brazen audacity that dares you to look away. The garden trembles under their kaleidoscopic onslaught, a pulsating mélange of color that drowns out the whispers of the meek and delicate. It is a spectacle so bewitching, so explosively alive, that one cannot help but surrender to its intoxicating allure, losing oneself in this hedonistic carousel of botanical rebellion. Oh, what a world, my friends, where even the flowers dare to challenge the very fabric of nature's order!
🔥🔥A journey into the depths of debauchery : Naughty Nuns and Horny Devils Unite! 🔥🔥
Dear Sinfully Sensational Souls,
DecadencE cordially invites you to our wickedly alluring event, where we delve into the tantalizing realms of the incubus and succubus. Prepare yourselves for an evening of unbridled passion, seduction, and the celebration of unapologetic desires!
🌟 Allow us to introduce the twisted brilliance of two captivating artists: Ｄｒａｇｏｎ ＆ Ｇｉｎａ. They have dedicated their craft to exploring the mystical world of incubi and succubi, arousing the deepest recesses of your imagination. Brace yourselves for an exquisite exhibition of their provocative artistry, a visual feast that will ignite your senses.
🎵 But that's not all! We have summoned two musical maestros, Michi Renoir and Matou Diesel, who will orchestrate a three-hour symphony of ᗪᗩᖇK ᗩᑎᗪ ᗪᙓᐯIᒪISᕼ ᙖᙓᗩTS.. Their sonic mastery will perfectly complement the electric atmosphere, ensuring your bodies sway and undulate to the rhythm of wickedness.
✨ Enter our latest entrenchment, where shamelessness is not only embraced but revered. Dress up in your most scandalous attire as either a Naughty Nun or a Horny Devil, for this is a night where the forbidden becomes a glorious reality. Let your inhibitions fade as you become one with the enchanting energy that pulsates through the air.
📅 Date: 07/11
⏰ Time: 1 - 4pm SLT
📍 Venue: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Secret%20Sanctuary/126/136...
Dress Code: Naughty Nuns and Horny Devils
Join us, daring souls, the forbidden fruit is too tempting to resist!
"São Luiz do Paraitinga - SP; a História pulsando", 03 fotos. Usei a Canon 6D, objetiva EF 28x135 mm.
"São Luiz do Paraitinga - SP; History pulsating", 03 photos. I used the Canon 6D, EF 28x135mm lens.
Todos os direitos reservados para Vivaldo Armelin Júnior.
Auroral streamers or rays rather than classic curtains as part of the pulsating phase of the great equinox display of Northern Lights on March 23, 2023. The rays have a strong vertical structure from precipitating electrons but were pulsing off and on rather than rippling. While the predominent colour is green, there is a lot of red and magenta mixed in. The rays are converging upward to the magnetic zenith. This is looking northwest over my house. A short exposure froze the motion and pulsations to better record the structure. Cassiopeia is at centre. The Pleiades are at left.
This is a single 1-second exposure with the Venus Optics 15mm lens at f/2 and the Canon R6 at ISO 6400. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
The Kp5 aurora of August 7-8, 2022 in its post sub-storm phase after an appearance of STEVE. The aurora was flickering and pulsating to the north and east at this time. A red pillar appeared for a while at right. At left are dim blue pillars.
This is a single 13-second exposure with the Canon R6 and TTArtisan 21mm lens at f/2.8. Taken from home in southern Alberta.
Milczące gałęzie
(Eng. The Silent Branches of Trees)
---
self-portrait
inspiration: poetry by H. Poświatowska (excerpt)
translation by Marek Lugowski
texture by sirius-sdz:
sirius-sdz.deviantart.com/art/texture-112-112010221
Rozgniatam usta o pierze poduszek rozsnuwam włosy
kolor zeschłych liści po gładkim chłodnym prześcieradle.
Zanurzam ręce w ciemność owijam wokół palców milczące
gałęzie. Ptaki śpią. Gwiazdy nie potrafią uskrzydlić
ciężkich chmur. Noc rośnie we mnie - minuty -
czerwone krople tętniącej krwi przebiegają ostrożnie.
---
I mash my mouth against the down of pillows I strand my hair
the color of dried leaves over the smooth cool bed sheet.
I sink my hands into darkness and I wind around my fingers
the silent branches of trees. The birds are asleep. The
stars are unable to put wings on the heavy clouds. The
night is growing within me - by minutes - the red drops
of pulsating blood skitter by cautiously.
---
My artwork may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission.
© All rights reserved
The original "great Geysir" (which gave name for the worldwide used word "geyser" as for the type of pulsating hot springs) is in spitting distance but currently dormant. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa which means "to gush".
Shot for Macro Mondays, theme "Four Elements".
This candle flame is fighting against incoming pulsating water drops coming from a dental device called a Water Pick.
Botanical Garden
Walking through the Inhotim gardens is more than just contemplating its exuberance. Inserted in the remaining forested portion of the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado – two of the richest biomes in biodiversity and, at the same time, threatened on the planet – the Institute is a pulsating field for scientific research and a tool for conservation and environmental education.
In 2010, Inhotim was recognized as a Botanical Garden, a title awarded by the National Commission of Botanical Gardens (CNJB). The gardens, which began to be built in the 1980s, are designed by Pedro Nehring, who is still responsible for the landscaping of Inhotim. Between 2000 and 2004, Luiz Carlos Orsini signed the 25-hectare landscaping project. Today, the Institute is a national and international reference in contemporary tropical landscaping.
In total, there are more than 140 hectares of visitation area, in addition to an extension of 250 hectares of Inhotim Private Natural Heritage Reserve (RPPN). The Inhotim Botanical Garden (JBI) manages the collection and botanical collections, comprising more than 4,300 native Brazilian and exotic species from around the world, in addition to researching and monitoring the Institute's natural heritage.
In 2021, Instituto Inhotim was awarded the Grant Awarded – BGCI’s Global Botanic Garden Fund, an international incentive that recognizes and supports projects that work towards plant conservation.
When I first laid eyes upon Stellagraphics intriguing rendering, to my minds eye, it decidedly spoke out. The play of shadows, aire of mystery, and expectant look upon the muse’s face, all appeared to be waiting for the story to continue.
So boldly I asked for permission to continue it, and ever so sweetly, it was granted….
This is my version of how that story may have all played out….
A most intriguing affair
Once again pursuing quest, outside a fancy dress affair he accordingly peaked,
Prickling elegance beheld, slithering opportunities to quell, ‘is masked eyes piqued.
Hither to and fro, into every nook and cranny, his devils’ gaze cannily sneaked,
Unabashed, unashamed, contrived of whimsy, which he impudently cheek’d!
Intrigued eyes followed leisurely thrills, windows wills then eagerly hopscotched,
Wiley unbeknownst, from covert sills, guests acts were closely being watched.
With blissful self-narration, ghostly figure held adoration, avenues of plots be-hatched,
Dreams of acquiring riches within, tempting sins, laid out just wishing to be grasped!
Whence, startl’d from above, fluttering drifting love, held him wincingly check’d,
Magnificence belle, vision’d onto an upstairs landing above, had most carefully crept.
Tantalizing sparkles of uncanny beauty, goddess soulfully down a stairway swept,
Glittering muse whose winsome charms chilled, as shiny heels so elegantly stepped!
Reaching bottom, she observed around, innocently perennial, making one fey’d,
Begowned , beguiling, Jewels tantalizing in eruption, like a fireworks colourfuly display’d.
Soon was swarmed, series of mock suitors born, nobly led nymph unabashedly astray’d
She was wined and danced, teasingly, swirlingly, seemingly magically fairy tale’d away!
Captivating, bewitching, intriguingly, before her willful suitors she soon would be shed,
Blue blushed eyes, darting thither and fro, with her enticed clad figure, his heart, then fled.
Being pulsating as the wriggling Pygmalion, eluding out into a garden , willfully daintily tread,
whilst melting into hedges fellow shadows , a dark pursuing figure, also began to silently thread!
Tightly sheathed, she stood away, purely in a rose’s fragrance did one joyously partake,
Desires’ progress, treading ever so carefully, to her pall, scoundrel did silently overtake.
Creasingly fitted satin and lace, bending happily, whilst bringing sweetness yon lovely face,
Ever a portrait of endearing grace, thus sweet victim posed, innocently in an unwary place!
Swiftly a black mask’d form, moves out from lurking hedges, found lying off stages’ wing,
Dark figures’ intentions yet unknown, possibly menacing, tis this seemingly regal false king.
Sensing, sprite turns, stares upon face of masked masculine figure, with finger to shushing lips,
Curiously smiling, she copies and mirrors newcomers request, eyes reflecting accord to his scripts!
Twirling, she lures him down off the beaten path, into yon wooded hollow, glows with candles lit,
Her shiny beacon he follows, lures and attractions beckon, caution now deserted , loss of all wit.
Reaching hollows flickering center, she swirls to impishly face her familiar, mephistophelean consort,
Purposefully approaching, eagerly unabashed , with no recourse, he with willing winsome, casts resort.
Husband faces wife, lifts her necklace up in daring strife, whilst eyeing a most suggestive gleam,
Wife foxily faces husband, helplessly brigand I’m your grasp, ‘ur intentions ‘r strip one totally clean?
With feigned acquiescence, charted actions carried out, as the faux King checkmates to his queen,
The action cuts puritanically away, as our couples final curtain sways, deliciously upon their scene!
Poem.
A silhouetted, rapier-like peninsula piercing the radiant splendour of a pewter-grey sea.
Domed islands capped by the heavenly spokes of a setting-sun.
Timeless beauty.
Silence, but for the distant scream of a gull and the gentle, pulsating whistle of an oyster-catcher.
Sky, rock, sand, light and sea uniquely combine
to produce a glimpse inside heaven’s door.
Don’t yearn for heaven.
Look around.
It’s already here!
The light can be so beautiful in the morning! I often run outside with my camera tripod ready and my remote to snap a few shots before I leave for school.
Summer is almost here. I feel my heart start to pulsate every time I think of all the magical moments summer can bring and how close I am to creating more. I have been trapped in the same, boring routine for months now and I'm ready to open up my mind, heart, and soul to new beginnings, new people, and new experiences.
We often say that this is the most "paulista" of avenues; the word "paulista" is used for who born in São Paulo.
There is the scene of all the demonstrations here, and when the traffic to there, São Paulo also practically. Looks like it'll have more in next Thursday ...
Well, it is my preferred avenue, I love walking through its wide sidewalks, enjoy the pulsating city, is the financial center of the city as well.
On Sundays she has a bike lane, it's very fun to see entire families riding there. This photo was taken on the call now Cyclists Square, where people can get borrowed bicycles for touring on Sundays.
Everything happens there!!
Jellyfish are free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile. The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators.
In Dubai they can be spotted in the waters of Persian Gulf, but, in a safest manner, also in The Lost Chamber aquarium, located inside Atlantis The Palm, a luxury hotel resort at the apex of the Palm Jumeirah.
Match of the hard hitting smashers. Taiwan's No. 1 seed Chou Tien Chen over China's Qiao Bin 21-12, 18-21, 21-16 in a pulsating match to reach the finals of the Singapore Badminton Open 2018,
The faint sizzle of the rushing water whispers the secrets of time, as sparkling drops slide down ancient mossy stones, like crystalline tears cascading down the face of a silent rock that has witnessed centuries of stories. Young greenery clings to the sides of the winding waterfall, a bold life pulsating amidst the harshness of the stone and the coldness of the water.Here, where the stillness of the rock meets the abundance of life, the soul feels liberated, as if it were part of this silent dramatic painting, contemplating the majesty of nature and its eternal capacity for creativity and beauty.
I used to think that big cities were a collection of people, all of whom, existed in their own little parallel universes. Photography has taught me to see things a little differently. Now when I look at a large urban scene, full of people hustling and bustling with frenzied activity, I see the sum of the parts as being part of a much larger organism--a living creature that embodies all the buildings, streets, signs, cars, and people in a huge pulsating mass of energy. How about that?
Best viewed large.
San Francisco CA
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Lettice has not long returned from a trip to Paris which she took with her fiancée, Sir John Nettleford-Huges and his widowed sister, Lettice’s future sister-in-law, Clemance Pontefract. Lettice went to Paris to attend the ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes’* which is highlighting and showcasing the new modern style of architecture and interior design known as Art Deco of which Lettice is an exponent, however Sir John was going for very different reasons of his own. His involved him attending the exhibition with Lettice in the mornings, before slipping away discreetly and meeting up with his old flame, Madeline Flanton in the afternoon. Old enough to be Lettice’s father, wealthy Sir John was until recently still a bachelor, and according to London society gossip intended to remain so, so that he might continue to enjoy his dalliances with a string of pretty chorus girls of Lettice’s age and younger. After an abrupt ending to her understanding with Selwyn Spencely, son and heir to the title Duke of Walmsford, Lettice in a moment of both weakness and resolve, agreed to the proposal of marriage proffered to her by Sir John. More like a business arrangement than a marriage proposal, Sir John offered Lettice the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of his large fortune, be chatelain of all his estates and continue to have her interior design business, under the conditions that she agree to provide him with an heir, and that he be allowed to discreetly carry on his affairs in spite of their marriage vows. He even suggested that Lettice might be afforded the opportunity to have her own extra marital liaisons if she were discreet about them.
Busy in the Cavendish Mews kitchen, Edith, Lettice’s maid, is arranging a small selection of dainty canapés onto a white gilt edged plate in the kitchen to serve to Lettice and her soon to arrive guest, when she hears the mechanical buzz of the Cavendish Mews servant’s call bell. Glancing up she notices the circle for the front door has changed from black to red, indicating that it is the front door bell that has rung.
“Oh he must be here!” she murmurs. “And not before time too, thank goodness!”
Quickly whipping off the starched white apron she is wearing to protect her black moiré* evening uniform with her hand stitched lace collar and matching cap, she hurries from the kitchen into the public area of the flat via a door in the scullery adjoining the kitchen, snatching up her elegant starched frilled cap from hook by the door as she goes. She hurriedly affixes the cap over her blonde waves, pinned in a chignon** at the nape of her neck as she walks into the entrance hall.
The front door buzzer goes again, sounding noisily, filling the atmosphere with a jarring echo. Edith glances towards the etched glass drawing room doors which stand slightly ajar, but there is no usual call from her mistress, and her face crumples as she considers this lack of interest in who is ringing the front doorbell. Her black low heels sink into the thick and luxurious Chinese silk carpet laid out before the front door. “I’m coming. I’m coming.” mutters Edith under her breath. She pats her cap and the hairpins holding her blonde waves self-consciously as she goes, hoping that she looks presentable as she opens the front door.
“It’s only little me, dear Edith.” Gerald simpers as he stands on the doorstep outside.
“Oh Mr. Bruton, Sir!” Edith gasps as she ushers Lettice’s oldest childhood chum and best friend through the door with a sweeping gesture. “Thank goodness you’re here!”
Gerald is a member of the aristocracy like Lettice, and the two grew up on adjoining estates in Wiltshire. However, although also being a member of the landed gentry Gerald’s fate is very different to Lettice’s. He has been forced to gain some independence from his rather impecunious family in order to make a living. Luckily his artistic abilities have led him to designing gowns from a shop in Grosvenor Street, a business which, after promotion from Lettice and several commissions from high profile and influential society ladies, is finally beginning to turn a profit. As Lettice’s oldest friend, Gerald is usually the person she turns to in a crisis, and she telephoned him earlier in the day at his Grosvenor Street atelier, imploring him to come around for cocktails and canapés that night before supper.
As he shrugs off his luxurious Astrakhan coat*** into the maid’s waiting arms, he glances at Edith. “That bad, is it, Edith?”
“Well, Mr. Bruton,” Edith says, folding the silky fur coat over her arms and reaching out to accept Gerald’s smart beaver fur top hat****. “I wouldn’t say it’s that dire, Sir.”
“But?” Gerald asks, persisting with Edith, encouraging her complete her unspoken thoughts as he hands her his grey dyed kid leather gloves.
“Well Miss Lettice just hasn’t been herself since she came back from Paris. I am a bit worried, Sir. She isn’t behaving like she usually does.”
“Such as?”
“She seems distracted by something, Sir, and whatever it is, it’s eating away at her. She hasn’t touched her paints to start the designs for Mrs. Hatchett’s commission, even though Mrs. Hatchett sent across her portrait to Cavendish Mews whilst Miss Lettice was away, so that it would be here upon her return.”
“That does sound serious.” Gerald opines with an eyebrow cocked in concern.
“She’s quite off her food. I can’t even tempt her with one of my home-made sponges. She hasn’t taken any calls since her return, and told me to tell any visitors that she is indisposed currently.” Edith goes on. “You’re her first friend that she has contacted, Sir.”
“Well thank goodness for that!” Gerald replies, as he tugs on the collar of his dinner jacket. “I’d best see what your mistress is all about then!”
“Oh thank you, Sir!” Edith exclaims. “I hope you’ll help her in her troubles, whatever they are. I’ll be in with the canapés shortly.”
“Hullo Lettice darling! It’s just me!” Gerald calls as he walks into the drawing room where Lettice sits in her usual black japanned, rounded back, while upholstered tub armchair next to the telephone. “I came here as soon as I could get away, after your surprise telephone call, my darling.”
Gerald observes his best friend with a concerned look. Although arrayed in a beautiful rich pink salmon satin evening frock of his own design, with a plunging V-neck and an asymmetrical draping hem, Lettice’s face looks wan and pale, and there are dark circles under eyes, which usually sparkle like Kashmir sapphires*****, but tonight appear dull and almost a blueish grey.
“Unfortunately, Lady Bessom simply would not leave today until she had picked my designs for her daughter’s wedding frock completely apart!” Gerald leans down and embraces his best friend, who returns his hug, but as he holds her, she feels fragile in his arms. “Goodness knows why she wants to engage a couturier, if she already knows what she wants. Better she employs a court dressmaker who will make what she wants without question,” he prattles on awkwardly as he glimpses the large green bottle of Gordon’s Dry Gin****** on the low black japanned coffee table, with her glass already half empty. “Rather than me, who only wants the best for poor Edwina. I don’t want to send the mousy little creature down the aisle in a frock that not only looks out of fashion, but draws attention to every physical flaw in the poor girl’s figure.” He releases Lettice, who does not respond to his remarks, so he finishes up, “It would look bad for the House of Bruton too.”
Without waiting to be asked, Gerald assumes his usual seat opposite Lettice, sinking into the comfortable, thick white floral embossed upholstery of Lettice’s companion tub armchair.
“Well,” Gerald goes on with a deep sigh. “You obviously haven’t called me over to talk about the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes******* and how you found it. Although I hope you found some inspiration my darling.”
“Oh yes, plenty.” Lettice replies, breaking her unusual silence with her rather laconic and uninspired reply.
Gerald looks dubiously across at his friend.
“I’ve had Moaning Minnie on the telephone to me the last few days,” Gerald says dourly, referring to their mutual friend, London banker’s wife, Minnie Palmerston by her nickname. “She thinks she’s put her foot in it again, since you won’t see her or return her telephone calls.”
“Minnie always thinks she has put her foot in it.” Lettice replies without enthusiasm.
“That’s because she usually has,” Gerald quips. “Although not with you and I Lettice darling.”
“Mmmm…” Lettice murmurs, picking up her dainty glass with its long stem and draining the contents of gin and tonic – likely more of the former and less of the latter judging by the quality of the sheen of the clear liquid as it disappears down her throat.
Just at that moment, Edith slips into the dining room of Cavendish Mews by way of the green baize door that leads from the service part of the flat, carrying her completed plate of dainty savoury canapés. She walks across the room and into the drawing room where she stands before the fire, between Lettice and Gerald. “I thought you could do with these, Miss.” She slides the ruffle edged plate onto the table. “it might help line your stomach, Miss.” she adds in concern, turning her head slight towards Gerald with a meaningful look, who nods surreptitiously back at her.
“Thank you Edith, but I’m really not that hungry.” Lettice replies.
“Well, you’ve nothing whatever in your stomach, so I suggest you at least try a few to help sop up some of your gin cocktails, Miss.”
“Err, yes. Thank you, Edith.” Gerald pipes up quickly as the maid wades into murky waters with her mistress, in an effort to avoid her being barked at by an out-of-sorts Lettice, or worse. “We’ll take it from here. Thank you.”
“Very good, Sir.” Edith bobs a quick curtsey and retreats.
As soon as he knows Edith has retreated to the kitchen through the green baize door, Gerald says, “Alright Lettuce Leaf! Out with it!” He hopes that he can break her funk, at least a little bit, by using his childhood nickname for her, which he knows she hates.
“Don’t call me that Gerald! You know how I hate it!” she replies, admittedly not with her usual vigour, but at least with a little bit of energy.
“That’s better.” Gerald smiles. “So, what is it that was so ghastly about your trip to Paris that it has you looking so bloody******** and in such a god awful funk?”
“I’m not in a funk!” Lettice responds in a churlish fashion.
Gerald simply gives her a withering look as he pours them both a small amount of gin into their glasses and adds more carbonated tonic water from the clear glass syphon than Lettice has been adding to her own drinks.
“Those are rather over the top, aren’t they?” Gerald nods in the direction of a vase of red roses, white asters, pink oriental lilies and purple irises towering over the telephone on the small table beside Lettice’s armchair.
“They’re from John.” Lettice replies in a languorous fashion.
“Was it Sir John?” Gerald asks directly, returning the syphon to the tabletop, before setting back in his seat languidly with his glass in one hand, and one of Edith’s canapés in the other. As he bites into the dainty puff pastry decorated with tiny herb sprigs and a tiny cherry tomato he adds, “Edith is right you know, Lettice darling. You should have one of these, they are delicious, and have a rather delectable creamy cheese filling.”
Encouraged, Lettice snatches one off the plate and grabs the stem of her glass. When she pulls a face after tasting the gin and tonic in her glass, she puts both down again, and reaches for the bottle of Gordon’s to add more gin to her glass.
“Ahh-ahh!” Gerald replies, snatching the bottle away quickly before she can reach it. “Not until you tell me what is going on.” He persists. “So, it was Sir John then!”
Lettice sighs. “No, it wasn’t.” She sighs more deeply. “Well yes it was, but not entirely. There are a number of things that have come to light,” She huffs. “Or rather haven’t come to light, that have put me out-of-sorts.”
Keeping the bottle out of harm’s, and Lettice’s way, by slipping it onto the seat beside him, Gerald goes on, “I’m listening then.”
Lettice takes a bite out of the canapé in her left hand and chews her mouthful rather indolently before explaining.
“Well, in one respect it was John who upset me.”
“What did he do?”
“Well, when I agreed to marry him, he promised me that he would never do anything to shame me.”
“And he did?” Gerald asks. When Lettice nods shallowly, he presses, “What did he do?”
“Well, Clemance organised the most marvellous picnic in the Tuileries Gardens********* for us. She wanted me to meet some of her Parisian friends, the Duponts, who were lovely.”
“However?”
“However, John also invited that woman, Mademoiselle Flanton, the actress from Cinégraphic********** to join us, along with some of her ghastly and gauche theatrical friends.”
“But you knew that Sir John was going to meet this Mademoiselle Flanton, whilst you were in Paris. He told you that he would, right from when you first mentioned going to the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes at the Savoy*********** months ago.” Gerald says before finishing off the rest of his canapé.
“I know he did.”
“For all his faults,” Gerald defends Sir John. “And god knows he has many of them, he’s never tried to hide them from you. In fact, from all you’ve intimated to me, he’s been very up front about them right from the very beginning.”
“Knowing about them, and having them flung in your face are two quite different things.” Lettice retorts.
“Ahh yes.” Gerald opines, reaching for another canapé. “I did notice how piqued you were at Sylvia’s house party at ‘The Nest’ when he arrived with Paula Young, even after he’s told you that she was going to be there.”
“They played handies************ right there in front of me!”
“Who? Sir John and Paula? I thought they did much more than that, that weekend, Lettice darling.”
“Don’t be so obtuse, Gerald!” Lettice snaps. “I meant John and that awful, vulgar Mademoiselle Flanton! They entwined fingers like lovers right in front of me on the picnic rug! Goodness knows if Clemance or the Duponts saw it. I doubt Clemance did, but if the Duponts did, they were at least too polite to pass comment.”
Gerald raises his half drunk cocktail, “God bless the Entente Cordiale*************.”
“This is no time to be glib, Gerald darling!” Lettice scolds. “It was most embarrassing and distracting.”
“I’m sorry Lettice darling.” Gerald apologises. “I didn’t mean for it to come across like that. I’m as horrified about the business with Mademoiselle Flanton as I am about that of Miss Young. At least Miss Young and Sir John conducted their affair behind closed doors as it were, at Sylvia’s, with probably a very understanding and accepting select group of people. Behaving that way in public is atrocious! That must have been quite awful for you, poor darling!”
“It was Gerald darling! Quite awful!”
Lettice drains her glass and holds it out to Gerald to replenish.
“No, Lettuce Leaf!” Gerald replies, moving protectively between Lettice and the bottle of gin nestled on the seat beside him. “I told you, not until you tell me everything that is upsetting you! If you have any more, you’ll get tight**************, and when you get tight, you get nonsensical, and I can’t make out anything you say properly. If you want me to help you, or my advice,” He wags a finger admonishingly at her. “You’ll not be like your errant fiancée and hold to your promise and tell me all!”
“Oh Gerald!” Lettice mewls as she sinks back into her seat deflatedly. “You really are beastly sometimes!”
“Don’t be a spoiled young flapper and tell me what else happened.” Gerald persists.
“Well, besides the hands incident at Clemance’s picnic, and the fact that John did what he told me he was going to whilst we were in Paris, and left Clemance and I at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts together, bold-faced lying to his sister about where he was going, whilst he pursued a secret tryst with Mademoiselle Flanton, he also subjected me to an evening of cocktails at her Parisian apartment.”
“But I thought Sir John had been clear about both of those things at the Savoy too, Lettice darling. You told me that was what he was going to do.” Gerald shakes his head with a lack of comprehension. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, it wasn’t just the evening that was tiresome and humiliating for me.” Lettice goes on, taking up a small canapé of sauteed and honey glazed carrot cut into a heart shape. “I’m sure everyone there knew about John and Mademoiselle Flanton’s history together, and the rekindling of their acquaintance,” She shudders as she utters the last word with vehemence. “And I was seen as just the poor little unsuspecting wife-to-be, an innocent jeune fille à marier*************** plucked from the British aristocracy, with no idea about who was who, or what was what.”
“Well, if it wasn’t that alone, what was it, Lettice darling?”
“It was Mademoiselle Flanton herself.” Seeing Gerald’s look, imagining the French actress throwing herself flagrantly in front of Sir John in Lettice’s presence, Lettice quickly elucidates, “Oh nothing like that Gerald darling! No, it was what she told me!”
“What she told you?”
“Yes,” Lettice replies laconically. “During the evening, Mademoiselle Flanton appraised me of some things that now have me wondering.”
“Wondering about what?”
“After Mademoiselle Flanton learned, or rather read, of John’s and my engagement, and she reconnected with John on this trip to Paris, he told her about all that beastly business with Selwyn and how he had dissolved our understanding after proposing to Kitty Avendale, the diamond mine heiress.”
“Well, I think that is rather beastly of Sir John! Such pillow talk!” Gerald retorts hotly, quite forgetting that not all that long ago, he and his lover, West End oboist Cyril, were involved in pillow talk revolving around Lettice and Sir John’s relationship. “I would be most offended too!”
“No, it wasn’t that, that upset me, Gerald.”
“Then what was it?”
“Well, after he did this, Mademoiselle Flanton told me that out of her own piqued interest, she had her secretary do some minor investigations into the alleged engagement.”
Gerald chokes on his mouthful of gin and tonic, spluttering and coughing violently. Struggling to regain both his breath and composure, he manages to ask, “Alleged engagement?”
“Mademoiselle Flanton made me question what I have been shown by Lady Zinnia. Mademoiselle Flanton’s secretary did some digging around and she noted something I hadn’t even considered. Apparently there has been no announcement in The Times, or any other British newspaper about Selwyn’s engagement. Don’t you find that a little odd?”
Still catching his breath, Gerald takes another slug of his gin and tonic before saying, “I do. The Duchess, Lady Zinnia, is a woman of many pretentions. There is no way that she would let such an advantageous match pass by unnoticed, especially considering her original idea had been to marry Selwyn off to his cousin and join two powerful British dynasties.” He pauses and considers. “But how do you even know that what Mademoiselle Flanton claims is true? It isn’t like either of us have been reading the marriage announcements.”
“I know, Gerald, and I certainly haven’t, but I know someone who reads them religiously.”
“Not Sadie?” Gerald asks, referring to Lettice’s mother, Lady Sadie.
“No,” Lettice elucidates. “Margot’s mother, Lady de Virre. She never fails to find out who has become engaged to whom, so when I came home from Paris, I telephoned her, and she told me that she hasn’t seen a thing about the engagement.”
“Intriguing.” Gerald remarks, taking a deep breath, as much out of shock as to help him regain his composure.
“But wait, there is more yet to tell, Gerald.” Lettice says, her voice rising with excitement, her body pulsating with a sudden energy that has been lacking before now. “What Mademoiselle Flanton’s secretary also told her mistress, was that based upon her investigations, Kitty Avendale only arrived in Durban last year not long after Selwyn did. No-one had ever heard of her o seen her before that time, anywhere. For the heiress to a diamond mine, that seems a more than a little odd too, don’t you think, Gerald?”
“I do.”
“I suggested to her that perhaps Mr. Avendale had only made his money recently, but then Mademoiselle Flanton told me that there is apparently no father with a diamond mine!”
“What?”
“Exactly! Her secretary found the only Australian man with a surname of Avendale was a jockey of some kind who was caught race fixing**************** when he deliberately lost the Durban Handicap*****************. There is something decidedly fishy going on here, and I suspect Lady Zinnia’s hand in it.”
“But you said that Lady Zinnia showed you pictures of Selwyn and Miss Avendale tougher, with an engagement announced beneath it, Lettice.”
“Well, Mademoiselle Flanton made me question what I have actually been shown. She made me wonder whether I have been shown the whole truth, or only a half – something redacted – or worse yet, something fabricated by Lady Zinnia.”
“Well, she was always a vicious viper, that one,” Gerald gasps. “Selwyn always told me that what she wanted, she always got in the end, by hook or by crook.”
“Tell me, do you ever hear from Selwyn any more, Gerald darling?”
“No, Lettice darling, but I just assumed that he stopped writing to me because he knows that you’re my best friend, and it would have been indelicate for him to write to me after breaking your heart.”
“What if it was the other way around, Gerald darling?”
“Whatever do you mean, Lettice?”
“What if he stopped writing to you because I broke his heart when he read about my engagement to Sir John, and he didn’t want to talk to you any more because you are my best friend?”
“Do you suspect Sir John’s involvement too? You could break your engagement with him you know. It’s your prerogative.”
“I know I can, but… well… no.” Lettice admits. “I don’t suspect John’s hand in this anywhere. Mademoiselle Flanton is very protective of John. I think if he had done something nefarious, she wouldn’t have believed it, and she certainly wouldn’t have told me what she did that night. I don’t suppose you could get Selwyn’s current address from your club? You once told me that you two were members of the same club here in London.”
“We were,” Gerald says, blushing as he speaks. “But I’m afraid I’m not a member of the club any more, Lettice darling. You see, I was banned for not paying my membership and letting it fall so far in arrears. At the time I was rather short you know, trying to set up my atelier in Grosvenor Street, which wasn’t cheap, so I rather let it go, as I had to so many of life’s little pleasantries. Then, when I had enough money to pay my debts, I saw no reason to rejoin a club that is only for men, and more sporting men at that. I’d met Hattie and Cyril by that stage and made more friends through her than I ever did at that damn club, that I just simply never paid. I doubt they would let me even try and contact Selwyn through them. I am sure I am persona non grata****************** to them now.”
“Oh Gerald darling! What am I going to do? I don’t want to break my engagement to John, and hurt his pride or the feelings of Clemance, particularly if I have no call to withdraw from our arrangement. Also, it would only enrage Pater and Mater would be fit to be tied.”
“But you said that they were lukewarm about the engagement.”
“Initially yes, but lately they have come around to it, and seem quite happy. If Mater was willing to come up to London to help me shop for a wedding frock.”
“Direct more like.” Gerald quips disgruntledly. “Considering she won’t consider me as the designer of it.”
“Well, you know what I mean, Gerald darling, and I’m still chipping away at her on that. Anyway, if she was willing to come up to London, she can’t be against it.” She wrings her hands after depositing her empty glass on the tabletop. “What am I to do, Gerald darling? You’re my best friend, my oldest chum! You’re the only one of my close friends I’d dare turn to right now who doesn’t have an invested interest in me breaking it off with John. You’ll be honest with me, and give very sound advice.”
“Well, I’m flattered you think that Lettice darling. Let me think.” He then fishes out the bottle of Gordon’s and holds it across the table between he and Lettice for her to take.
She shakes her head in return. “I need a clear head to think, Gerald darling.”
Gerald fixes himself another grin and tonic, this time with more of the former than the latter as he allows all of Lettice’s revelations sink in. He sists in silence, sipping his drink for a while, and the room becomes enveloped in a thick, yet anticipatory and charged silence as Lettice sits opposite him. At length he speaks.
“How willing are you to go, regarding this investigation into the truth, Lettice darling?” he asks seriously.
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Gerald.” Lettice says with resolve.
“Even if it may take a few months or more?”
“I don’t care how long it will take if I can discover the truth. I won’t be able to sleep properly until I do.”
“Well, I hope that isn’t quite true, Lettice darling,” Gerald remarks, giving her a doleful look as he does. “As it may take six months or more, and you’ll have to do some manoeuvring and procrastination of your own that may take a bit of effort.”
“I told you, Gerald darling,” Lettice reiterates. “I’ll do anything.”
“Then, would you get Leslie involved?”
“Leslie? As in my brother, Leslie?”
“Yes.”
“No. He’s against John’s and my engagement, even though he pretends to the contrary. He doesn’t think I know he’s lying when he tells me how happy he is for me, but he is. I’ve known him all my life. Besides, he is Mater’s favourite, and she would wheedle anything I confide in him about all this out of him, and then she’s be off to attack Lady Zinnia, which would only make things worse if it turns out all to be for naught.”
“Hhhmmm…” Gerald muses. “That’s probably quite wise, Lettice darling. A clear heard is good for your thinking.” He taps the edge of his own partially empty glass. “Then are you willing to get your own hands dirty?”
“Dirty? How do you mean, Gerald?”
“Well, I was only mentioning Leslie because before he took a more active role in the estate as the heir to Glynes, he worked for the Foreign Office, and I thought he might have had some sleuthing contacts.”
“I don’t want him involved, Gerald. Only you know, and I intend to keep it that way.”
“Then we two are going to have to hire a Pinkerton*******************.”
“A Pinkerton!” Lettice gasps. “Is that really necessary, Gerald darling?”
“I’m afraid so, Lettice darling.” he replies. “No-one else, outside people in the Foreign Office, will be able to sleuth out the truth for you. It won’t be cheap. Pinkertons are expensive.”
“I can afford it.” Lettice replies with steely resolve.
“And as I said, they may take a few months or longer before they find out what is what, and who was involved, so you are going to have to buy time.”
“Buy time?”
“No matter who pressures you, you are going to have to drag your feet about getting married, and it seems to me that with Sadie and Clemance Pontefract involved now, things are moving a little faster than they were before their involvement.”
“Well, I should be able to convince John. He’s in no hurry to get married, but Mater and Clemance won’t want too long an engagement. Clemance has already scolded both John and I about being glacially slow in making our plans.”
“Then you are going to have to steel yourself against the pressure, Lettice darling. If you really want to know the truth, and make sure that you aren’t making a mistake by marrying Sir John, when Selwyn may yet be waiting for you, you will have to stall for time.”
“Then if that is what I’ll do. But how?”
“Throw yourself into your work. Edith tells me you’ve done nothing about the designs for Dolly Hatchett’s Queen Anne’s Gate******************** townhouse redecoration. That will be a good start. If you are too busy to make important decisions, then even at their most fervent, neither Sadie nor Clemance can progress without you. Put your foot down about Sadie’s decision not to let me make your wedding frock. We all know how stubborn she can be. That will give us time too.”
Lettice smiles at Gerald, a beaming and genuine smile. “Thank you for helping me with this, Gerald. I knew you were the only one to assist me.”
Gerald holds out his hand to Lettice, who grasps it firmly in return. “Of course! You’re my best and oldest chum! I’d do anything to help you and support you!”
*Moiré, is a textile with a wavy (watered) appearance produced mainly from silk, but also wool, cotton, and rayon. The watered appearance is usually created by the finishing technique called calendering. Moiré effects are also achieved by certain weaves, such as varying the tension in the warp and weft of the weave. Silk treated in this way is sometimes called watered silk. Rayon moiré was a popular choice for the black evening uniform for female domestics between the wars, as it gave the elegant appearance of silk, and looked very smart with the white lace cuffs and collars of such uniforms.
**A chignon is a classic, versatile hairstyle characterized by a low bun or knot of hair, typically worn at the nape of the neck, though it can also be a more general term for hair wrapped at the back of the head. The name "chignon" comes from the French phrase "chignon du cou," meaning "nape of the neck," where the hairstyle is traditionally positioned. This elegant and refined style has been around for centuries.
***An Astrakhan coat is a fur coat or jacket made from the tightly curled fleece of the newborn Karakul lamb. This distinctive, looped material, also known as Persian lamb fur, creates a glamorous, warm, and luxurious garment often in black, grey, or golden yellow. Astrakhan coats were worn in London during several periods, most notably as part of Victorian and Edwardian high fashion, in the 1860s and 1870s, again from 1890 to 1908, and into the early Twentieth Century, with renewed popularity in the 1920s and 1930s and again in the 1950s and 1960s. The luxurious fur was used for full coats, as well as collars and trims, fitting with the ornate aesthetic of the late Nineteenth Century and the trends of the early Twentieth Century.
****Old top hats were historically made from animal products, most notably the felted underfur of beavers, which was the preferred material for early top hats. As beaver fur supplies declined and alternatives became available, the high-quality, shiny material known as silk plush replaced beaver fur as the favoured material for the best top hats. Other animal furs used included camel and vicuña, and later, the fur of rabbits was used to create a material called "Melusine" for some modern top hats.
*****Pale blue sapphires from India are known as Kashmir sapphires. They are very rare, and are known for their velvety, cornflower-blue colour, not typically a pale hue. Whilst the term "Kashmir" refers to their origin, the characteristic colour associated with these precious stones is a rich, intense blue, not pale.
******Gordon's London Dry Gin was developed by Alexander Gordon, a Londoner of Scots descent. He opened a distillery in the Southwark area in 1769, later moving in 1786 to Clerkenwell. The Special London Dry Gin he developed proved successful, and its recipe remains unchanged to this day. The top markets for Gordon's are (in descending order) the United Kingdom, the United States and Greece. Gordon's has been the United Kingdom’s number one gin since the late Nineteenth Century. It is the world's best-selling London dry gin.
*******The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts was a specialized exhibition held in Paris, from April the 29th (the day after it was inaugurated in a private ceremony by the President of France) to October the 25th, 1925. It was designed by the French government to highlight the new modern style of architecture, interior decoration, furniture, glass, jewellery and other decorative arts in Europe and throughout the world. Many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were presented for the first time at the exposition. The event took place between the esplanade of Les Invalides and the entrances of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, and on both banks of the Seine. There were fifteen thousand exhibitors from twenty different countries, and it was visited by sixteen million people during its seven-month run. The modern style presented at the exposition later became known as “Art Deco”, after the exposition's name.
********The old fashioned British term “looking bloody” was a way of indicating how dour or serious a person or occasion looks.
*********The Tuileries Garden is a public garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the first arrondissement of Paris. Created by Catherine de' Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution. Since the Nineteenth Century, it has been a place for Parisians to celebrate, meet, stroll and relax.
**********Cinégraphic was a French film production company founded by director Marcel L'Herbier in the 1920s. It was established following a disagreement between L'Herbier and the Gaumont Company, a major film distributor, over the film "Don Juan et Faust". Cinégraphic was involved in the production of several films, including "Don Juan et Faust" itself. Cinégraphic focused on more experimental and artistic films.
***********The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners. The hotel became Carte's most successful venture. Its bands, Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, became famous. Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch at the hotel. The hotel is now managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It has been called "London's most famous hotel". It has two hundred and sixty seven guest rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Thames Embankment. The hotel is a Grade II listed building.
************The phrase "play handies" to mean couples holding hands started around 1910. An earlier related phrase, "playing hand," referring to holding a hand of cards, was documented in the 1890s. In 1936, a different meaning emerged for the term "handies" as a word for a charades-like game played with hand gestures, a usage documented by the Chicago Tribune.
*************The Entente Cordiale was a set of agreements signed by France and the United Kingdom on April the 8th, 1904, to resolve colonial disputes and foster a closer working relationship, marking the end of a long history of imperial rivalry and isolation. While not a formal military alliance, the agreements paved the way for future cooperation and helped form the Triple Entente, which played a significant role in the dynamics leading up to World War I.
**************To get tight is an old fashioned term used to describe getting drunk.
***************A jeune fille à marier was a marriageable young woman, the French term used in fashionable circles and the upper-classes of Edwardian society before the Second World War.
****************We usually think of match or race fixing as a modern day thing, but one of the earliest examples of this sort of match fixing in the modern era occurred in 1898 when Stoke City and Burnley intentionally drew in that year's final "test match" so as to ensure they were both in the First Division the next season. In response, the Football League expanded the divisions to eighteen teams that year, thus permitting the intended victims of the fix (Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers) to remain in the First Division. The "test match" system was abandoned and replaced with automatic relegation. Match fixing quickly spread to other spots that involved high amounts of gambling, including horse racing.
*****************The Durban July Handicap is a South African Thoroughbred horse race held annually on the first Saturday of July since 1897 at Greyville Racecourse in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Raced on turf, the Durban July Handicap is open to horses of all ages. It is South Africa's premier horse racing event. When first held in July 1897, the race was at a distance of one mile. The distance was modified several times until 1970 when it was changed to its current eleven furlongs.
******************“Persona non grata” is a Latin phrase meaning “unwelcome person.” As a legal term, it refers to the practice of a state prohibiting a diplomat from entering the country as a diplomat, or censuring a diplomat already resident in the country for conduct unbecoming of the status of a diplomat.
*******************A “Pinkerton” is a private detective, and refers to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, founded by Allan Pinkerton, known for its historical role in labour disputes and spying. For decades after Allan Pinkerton's death, his name became a slang term for any private investigator, regardless of whether they worked for the Pinkerton Agency or not. Today, the agency (now simply called Pinkerton) focuses on risk management, intelligence, and security services.
********************Queen Anne’s Gate is a street in Westminster, London. Many of the buildings are Grade I listed, known for their Queen Anne architecture. Simon Bradley and Nikolaus Pevsner described the Gate’s early Eighteenth Century houses as “the best of their kind in London.” The street’s proximity to the Palace of Westminster made it a popular residential area for politicians.
This 1920s upper-class drawing room is different to what you may think at first glance, for it is made up entirely of 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
On Lettice's table are two glasses which are hand spun artisan pieces made from real glass which I have had since I was a young teenager. I bought them from a high street shop that specialised in dolls and dollhouse furnishings, including miniatures. They are amongst the first real artisan pieces I ever bought. The bottle of Gordon's Gin is another artisan piece made by Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire, with so much attention and detail paid to the period lable. For this scene, I have taken a piece of Lettice’s tea set, which is a beautiful artisan set featuring a rather avant-garde Art Deco Royal Doulton design from the Edwardian era called “Falling Leaves”, and turned the sugar bowl into an ice cube bowl. The glass comport is made of real glass and was blown by hand is an artisan miniature acquired from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The ice cubes, the soda syphon and the savory hors d'oeuvres on the plate also comes from Beautifully handmade Miniatures.
The very realistic floral arrangement to the right of the photo is made by hand by Falcon Miniatures who specialise in high end miniatures.
Lettice’s drawing room is furnished with beautiful J.B.M. miniatures. The Art Deco tub chairs are of black japanned wood and have removable cushions, just like their life sized examples. To the left of the fireplace is a Hepplewhite drop-drawer bureau and chair of black japanned wood which has been hand painted with chinoiserie designs, even down the legs and inside the bureau. The Hepplewhite chair has a rattan seat, which has also been hand woven. To the right of the fireplace is a Chippendale cabinet which has also been decorated with chinoiserie designs. It also features very ornate metalwork hinges and locks.
On the top of the Hepplewhite bureau stand three real miniature photos in frames including an Edwardian silver frame, a Victorian brass frame and an Art Deco blue Bakelite and glass frame.
The fireplace is a 1:12 miniature resin Art Deco fireplace which is flanked by brass accessories including an ash brush with real bristles.
The carpet beneath the furniture is a copy of a popular 1920s style Chinese silk rug, and the geometric Art Deco wallpaper is beautiful hand impressed paper given to me by a friend, which inspired the whole “Cavendish Mews – Lettice Chetwynd” series.
This 2002 image of Jupiter shows concentrations of auroral X-rays near the north and south magnetic poles. While Chandra observed Jupiter for its entire 10-hour rotation, the northern auroral X-rays were discovered to be due to a single 'hot spot' that pulsates with a period of 45 minutes, similar to high-latitude radio pulsations previously detected by NASA's Galileo and Cassini spacecraft.
Although there had been prior detections of X-rays from Jupiter with other X-ray telescopes, no one expected that the sources of the X-rays would be located so near the poles. The X-rays are thought to be produced by energetic oxygen and sulfur ions that are trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field and crash into its atmosphere. Before Chandra's observations, the favored theory held that the ions were mostly coming from regions close to the orbit of Jupiter's moon, Io.
Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #Marshall #chandraxrayobservatory #ChandraXRay #cxo #chandra #astronomy #space #astrophysics #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #solarsystemandbeyond #jupiter
Murmuration is the flocking behaviour of birds. All the brown and white spots are Sandpipers with a few plovers mixed in. It is memorizing as they sparkle and pulsate while creating shapes over the Bay of Fundy. August 22, 2021
. . . Zeboran . . .
The night sky oozes inky secrets, the moon, a sultry confidante to his solitary waltz. Each step he takes pulsates with the rhythm of a clandestine truth, a seductive equation that could rewrite the infinite stars.. 💕
His allure is the beckoning call of the abyss, the enchanting melody of the unexplored, enticing every daring soul to follow him into the untamed recesses of his mind. To share the journey, to unlock the desires of every soul he entwined with, revealing and brightening their alluring secret passions within.. 💕
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Closeup Version - Zeboran's Love Note
www.flickr.com/photos/161478161@N05/53452672334
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Commentary.
The endless swathes of imperial Scots Pine.
Exquisite , calm waters of Loch Beinn á Mheadhoin and Affric,
convoluted by dips, hollows, bays and enchanting fresh-water islands.
Lofty, imposing peaks of Càrn Eighe, Màm Sodhail and Sgùrr na Lapaich, often snow-capped, well into April, and even May.
A glen of pulsating life.
From Wood-Ants and Dragon-Fly
to Salmon and Trout.
From Red Deer and Golden Eagle
to Wood-Cock and Wildcat.
Iconic, momentous, overwhelming, breath-taking in early morning mists, under winter snow or in colourful Autumn garb.
In Spring when Broom and Gorse smother slopes in dazzling yellow flower to Summer when green dominates and life buzzes with a frenzy.
As here, in Autumn, when the sun falls earlier behind the West Coast peaks, the tranquil, golden reflections of peaks, forest and island create a sumptuous vision of utter peace,
serenity and prodigious beauty.
Beyond doubt, this glen has a mystical magic beyond my powers of description.
If you ever go there, and catch it in a more convivial mood,
you will never forget it, never regret it
and you will surely return.
It really is a little bit of heaven……paradise.
I know nowhere quite like it.
Once smitten, the love affair
is likely to be eternal!
Poem.
A silhouetted, rapier-like peninsula piercing the radiant splendour of a pewter-grey sea.
Domed islands capped by the heavenly spokes of a setting-sun.
Timeless beauty.
Silence, but for the distant scream of a gull and the gentle, pulsating whistle of an oyster-catcher.
Sky, rock, sand, light and sea uniquely combine
to produce a glimpse inside heaven’s door.
Don’t yearn for heaven.
Look around.
It’s already here!
2|..
Picture of my project “The Path to yourself."
..The perfect silence made my heart pulsate like powerful hits on an anvil. The hands as warm as a blazing fire and the neck so rigid like a tribe. It did not feel bad, quite the contrary, it felt like new born.
>> Because as we know, every way has got a beginning and an end <<
When I had this thought I did not care how long it will take or how long the road may be. Someday I'll be at this end. The end of my own perfection.
Optimism was in high swing but something is missing, but what?
On the legs, locate the destination and find hope I make myself continue on the path of my perfection ..
To be continued ..
By the fall
René Silbernagel
In the "Harmony of Abstraction" series, the innovative digital artist Adrian Clarke reinterprets Vasily Kandinsky's groundbreaking approach to abstract art. Clarke views art as a symphony of colors and shapes that resonate with the viewer's inner emotions and thoughts. His work pays homage to Kandinsky's ability to compose images that capture the essence of music and transform it into a visual form. With a modern twist, Clarke introduces AI into the equation, allowing algorithms to harmonize with human intuition to create works pulsating with life and dynamism.
Poem:
Upon the digital stage, a vision casts,
A myriad of colors, contrasts.
Shapes that sing a silent song,
A visual symphony, bold and strong.
AI's hand, guided by past muse,
Kandinsky's echoes, in pixels fuse.
Abstract forms in vibrant play,
Compose the heart's unspoken ballet.
In virtual spaces, art is born,
From binary depths, a new dawn.
Each stroke, a note in a grander scheme,
A canvas that holds the digital dream.
Haiku:
Shapes and hues entwine,
A digital dance divine,
Art's new frontier shines.
These works celebrate the past and probe into the future, exploring and blurring the boundaries between traditional art and new technology.
Commentary.
The endless swathes of imperial Scots Pine.
Exquisite , calm waters of Loch Beinn á Mheadhoin and Affric,
convoluted by dips, hollows, bays and enchanting fresh-water islands.
Lofty, imposing peaks of Càrn Eighe, Màm Sodhail and Sgùrr na Lapaich, often snow-capped, well into April, and even May.
A glen of pulsating life.
From Wood-Ants and Dragon-Fly
to Salmon and Trout.
From Red Deer and Golden Eagle
to Wood-Cock and Wildcat.
Iconic, momentous, overwhelming, breath-taking in early morning mists, under winter snow or in colourful Autumn garb.
In Spring when Broom and Gorse smother slopes in dazzling yellow flower to Summer when green dominates and life buzzes with a frenzy.
As here, in Autumn, when the sun falls earlier behind the West Coast peaks, the tranquil, golden reflections of peaks, forest and island create a sumptuous vision of utter peace,
serenity and prodigious beauty.
Beyond doubt, this glen has a mystical magic beyond my powers of description.
If you ever go there, and catch it in a more convivial mood,
you will never forget it, never regret it
and you will surely return.
It really is a little bit of heaven……paradise.
I know nowhere quite like it.
Once smitten, the love affair
is likely to be eternal!