Dubbo's Post Office was designed by colonial architect James Barnet and completed in 1887. Designed in Italianate style, the post office included a mail sorting room, counter and lobby, dining room, kitchen, scullery, wash house, fuel shed, upstairs sitting room, bedrooms, and servant's room. The clock, housed in a tower, was originally a feature of the Dubbo Courthouse. It was relocated when a new courthouse was built. The building was occupied on the 5th of May 1887. The finished post office was described as very fine with beautiful polished cedar features, tessellated pavement, burnished vane and massive doors. The final cost was £8110, including furnishings. It was allocated to Telecom Australia in 1975.

 

Colonial Architect James Barnet:

 

James Johnstone Barnet (1827 - 1904), architect, was born at Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland, son of Thomas Barnet, builder, and his wife Mary, née McKay. After education at the local high school he went to London in 1843 and was apprenticed to a builder. He then studied drawing and design under W. Dyce, R.A. and architecture with C. J. Richardson, F.R.I.B.A., and became clerk of works to the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. On the 22nd of July 1854 he married Amy, daughter of John and Elizabeth Gosling; they sailed for Sydney and arrived in December. He engaged in building operations before he became clerk of works at the University of Sydney. In 1860 he joined the Colonial Architect's Office; two years later he became its acting head and in 1865 colonial architect; he held the position until 1890 when the office was reorganised.

 

Barnet was responsible for the building of defence works at Port Jackson, Botany Bay, and Newcastle, courthouses, lock-ups, police stations, and post offices throughout New South Wales (NSW) and several lighthouses including the Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, which replaced an earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. In Sydney, he designed and supervised the construction of several important public buildings: a new wing to the Australian Museum, the General Post Office, Colonial Secretary's Office, Public Works and Lands Buildings, Customs House, Public Library, the Medical School at the University of Sydney and the Callan Park Lunatic Asylum. He was also responsible for additions to the Tarban Creek Asylum and the maintenance of other public buildings. The total cost of public works carried out or in progress under his direction to 1881 was £3,598,568 for 1490 projects.

 

When the Duke of Edinburgh visited Sydney in 1868 Barnet was given charge of arrangements for the royal reception and in 1879 was responsible for the design and erection of the Sydney International Exhibition building on five acres of the Botanical Gardens. The design was prepared and the work completed in nine months with the aid of night shifts using the first electric light in Sydney. Preparation of 412 drawings and of all accounts and payment of moneys as well as oversight of the work were part of Barnet's responsibility. Whilst the work was in progress he was continually attacked in parliament and in the press. As an indication of its censure parliament disallowed his forage allowance in 1879. A sum of £50,000 had been voted for the project but the final cost was £184,570. Barnet explained the increased cost as the result of hurried planning and the use of more durable material than originally intended. The building 'took the public taste' and when the exhibition ended he was paid a gratuity of £500, an amount he considered totally inadequate.

 

The new wing for the Australian Museum was intended for a museum of natural history and a sculpture gallery. In 1873 the management of Gerard Krefft as curator was considered by the trustees to be highly unsatisfactory and on 24 February 1874 a select committee of the Legislative Assembly was appointed to investigate. Despite Barnet's denials it reported that the old building was satisfactory although in poor repair, but the new wing was 'extremely defective' with 'abundant evidence of the architect's desire to subordinate utility to ornament'; in no circumstances should the colonial architect be permitted to continue his mistakes in the uncompleted work. In spite of the committee's findings Barnet was soon acclaimed as an architect of skill and imagination. On 1 September at the official opening of the General Post Office the postmaster-general, (Sir) Saul Samuel, paid a glowing tribute to his work. The first contracts for the foundation and basement had been let in February 1866 but were delayed by negotiations for extending the site and the needs of urgent defence work. To make the most of the narrow site an extra storey was added, mezzanine galleries were built above the ground floor and the main building extended over an arcade built above the footpath. Pyrmont sandstone, in blocks 'of a magnitude never before attempted in these colonies', was used and fireproof concrete 'of original composition' formed the vaulted dome ceilings.

 

For decoration of the Pitt Street frontage Barnet planned carvings which would portray selected arts, sciences, and customs of the day. In 1883 these came under criticism from the postmaster-general, William Trickett. The inevitable board of inquiry commended Barnet's intention but complained that the carvings were not a faithful record, approaching 'far more to the unnatural and burlesque than … to the real', an opinion which made Barnet doubt the artistic taste of his judges. The subject was dropped although occasional notices in the press referred to the entertainment of visitors by the 'grotesque' carvings.

 

In addition to other official duties, Barnet sat on the commission set up in 1870 to plan the colony's defence. More defence works were recommended for Port Jackson and Barnet was directed to build new batteries and barracks. His work, without 'any technical professional aid', was highly praised by Sir William Jervois and (Sir) Peter Scratchley in 1877. On 16 July 1889 the defence work was removed from Barnet's control and a military works branch of the Public Works Department was created with Lieutenant-Colonel F. R. de Wolski as director. The earlier close relationship between the military and Barnet deteriorated rapidly, partly because of de Wolski's outspoken condemnation of Barnet's ability and partly because of his persistence on tactical delay in handing over plans and documents for defence work. For some time work at Bare Island battery, Botany Bay, had been criticized and rumours of incompetence and dishonest workmanship persisted. On 1 July 1890 a royal commission was appointed to investigate the letting of contracts and to report on the work already completed. The commissioners found that much of the construction was below standard: the colonial architect's supervision had not been adequate, specifications were altered without approval and expenditure insufficiently controlled. Barnet's evidence contradicted that of his subordinates which the commission accepted more readily than his own. Whatever deficiencies had occurred, and there were plenty, were Barnet's sole responsibility; he was found guilty of gross indifference towards his duties and of insubordination to the minister for public works.

 

Although the minister saved Barnet from further punishment, the commission's censure was a regrettable end to a distinguished career. For his part Barnet thought that the commissioners' report was an 'unseemly, cruel, and spiteful exhibition of silly persecution and injustice' and believed that he could have made a satisfactory explanation if given the opportunity; he was also convinced that the commission had been influenced by de Wolski who by invitation had attended many of its meetings and been permitted to comment on the evidence.

 

In his architectural work Barnet had been strongly influenced by the Italian Renaissance, but some of his buildings were on poor sites. He had no sympathy for new styles of architecture which were becoming fashionable in Sydney at the end of the century and tended to ape American trends. He was equally critical of domestic architecture cluttered with useless ornamentation and 'surmounted with blazing red tiles from France'. As colonial architect for twenty-five years he had an important influence on colonial architecture; his public buildings were well built and well designed and stood as a memorial to his ability. References to his work are sprinkled throughout the Sydney Morning Herald in 1863-1904. In 1899 he published Architectural Work in Sydney, New South Wales, 1788-1899.

 

Barnet died on 16 December 1904 and was buried in the Presbyterian section at Rookwood cemetery where his wife had been interred about 1890. He was survived by four daughters and three sons, two of whom practised their father's profession.

 

Source: New South Wales Heritage Register & Australian Dictionary Of Biography.

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Jallikattu also known as eru thazhuvuthal and manju virattu, is a traditional spectacle in which a Bos indicus bull, such as the Pulikulam breed,Kangayam breed is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape. Participants hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop. In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull's horns.

 

Jallikattu is typically practised in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.

Taken at the start of my 4th Street Photography Workshop last weekend, this time at the historic, city centre Souk. I was teaching the people in the group about motion blur and, as usual, I got the most graceful of the group to walk up-and-down passed the group as they practised (this was taken with my iPhone4S).

 

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Apologies to all my wonderful contacts for lack of comments and visits on my part, but real life is constantly intruding and posting and running is all I'm able to manage these past few months. I do try to visit your photostreams regularly, but I'm afraid that a "fave" is all I'm managing of late - so sorry!

Iceland has many lakes and most of them have fish. Fishing has always been an important way to get food here and fishing through ice has been practised for a long time. Now it has become a sport and it's getting more popular every year. It's a great way to spend a day out in the cold, all that's needed is a hook, some line, bait and something to make a hole through the ice, preferably an ice drill. and not forget a beer.

 

A trip with good friend one a fine sunday in february turned out to be both fun and also provided food for dinner that night. Umm, pan-fried trout with almonds and potatoes happens to be one of my favourite dishes

 

This photo is from Mývatn Lake, a big lake just outside of Reynihlíd in the north of Iceland, and there are mostly trout.

Piero del Pollaiolo

Temperanza or virtue of Temperance [1470]

Florence, Uffici

 

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Temperance, considered as the capacity for moderation and the right measure, is shown here as a young woman in the process of mixing hot and cold water, pouring it from a ewer to a basin According to Christian doctrine, she is one of the four cardinal Virtues, together with Fortitude, Justice and Prudence. The panel is part of a cycle of paintings dedicated to the Virtues and commissioned from Piero del Pollaiolo in 1469. The cycle was for the Tribunale di Mercanzia in Piazza della Signoria, Florence and is now in the Uffizi Galleries. This panel, together with Faith, was painted before summer of 1470, partly fulfilling the contract that obliged the painter to provide two panels with the Virtues every three months, starting from 1 January 1470, for a payment of 20 florins for each one.

 

The careful depiction of the jug and metal basin, decorated with precious stones, reflects Piero’s familiarity with goldsmithing, practised by his older brother, Antonio, at extremely high levels.

 

The support of the painting, as for the other five Virtues painted by Pollaiolo – Fortitude was painted by Sandro Botticelli - consists of planks in cypress, a wood able to resist the attack of wood-eating insects and damp.

 

The Tribunale di Mercanzia was the body that decided on the business disputes between Florentine merchants and administered justice among the guilds, known as the Arts. In the 18th century, the wealth and heritage of this judiciary went to the Chamber of Commerce, including the seven paintings of the Virtues, taken to the Uffizi Galleries in 1777.

 

The fishing village of Bolungarvík lies in the bay of the same name and is framed by the prominent mountains Óshyrna, located here above Ósvör, and Tra∂rhyrna, above the village itself.

Because of Bolungarvík's proximity to rich fishing grounds, fishing has been practised from here since the beginning of Iceland's settlement. Fishing huts were built along the coast, but for a long time there was no permanent settlement here. In 1890 a shop was opened in Bolungarvík and gradually people settled here. In 1903 Bolungarvík was officially designated as a trading centre and in 1911 the construction of the harbour began. Fishing is still the most important industry in the village today.

Here in Ósvör you can see how fishing was practised in Bolungarvík and throughout the country in past centuries. Reconstruction of the old fishing huts began in 1988 and today the place looks almost the same as it did in the past.

The Ósvör Museum was built in memory of ways of working that have disappeared in Iceland today. There is a fisherman's hut, a salt house, a fish drying shed, an open rowing boat, a winch and a fish drying area.

  

Der Fischerort Bolungarvík liegt in der gleichnamigen Bucht und wird von den markanten Bergen Óshyrna, hier oberhalb von Ósvör gelegen, und Tra∂rhyrna, oberhalb des Ortes selbst, eingerahmt.

Wegen der Nähe Bolungarvíks zu den reichen Fischgründen wurde von hier aus schon seit Beginn der Besiedlung Islands Fischerei betrieben. Fischerhütten wurden entlang der Küste errichtet, doch lange Zeit gab es hier keine feste Siedlung. Im Jahr 1890 wurde in Bolungarvík ein Geschäft eröffnet und nach und nach siedelten sich Menschen an. 1903 wurde Bolungarvík offiziell als Handelsplatz ausgewiesen und 1911 begann der Bau des Hafens. Fischerei ist bis heute der wichtigste Wirtschaftszweig des Ortes.

Hier in Ósvör kann man sehen, wie Fischerei in Bolungarvík und im ganzen Land in den vergangenen Jahrhunderten praktiziert wurde. 1988 wurde mit dem Wiederaufbau der alten Fischerhütten begonnen und heute sieht der Ort wieder fast genauso aus wie früher.

Das Museum Ósvör wurde in Erinnerung an heute in Island verschwundene Arbeitsweisen errichtet. Hier gibt es eine Fischerhütte, ein Salzhaus, einen Schuppen zum Trocknen von Fisch, ein offenenes Ruderboot, eine Seilwinde und einen Fischtrockenplatz.

You know me: stockings need to be adjusted very regularly no matter what, when or where. For this stocking adjustment I happen to be on the little stairs, which makes things a bit more complicated. No problem for me though; I practised stocking adjustments so often that I can effortlessly do them anywhere, even when wearing heels on eneven surfaces. Executed with a joyful smile, as always 😄

Angkor Wat, the state temple of King Suryavarman II (reigned 1113-1145/50) was situated near the older city of Indian name, Yashodharapura. On his death, Suryavarman II was given a posthumous name, 'Paramavishnuloka' (He who has entered the paradise of supreme Vishnu) There is a theory that the ashes of the king are interned in the Angkor Wat temple. The Cambodian kings, strongly influenced by Indianisation, Sanskrit language, Hindu religion etc. named themselves accordingly. The name Surya or Aditya denote the 'Sun God' in Hindu mythology. The word 'Jaya' means 'Victory'. The word 'Varman' means 'one who is shielded or protected'. Hence Suryavarman means 'one who is protected by Surya', Jayavarman means 'one who is protected by victory' etc. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, one of the Trinity of the Hindu pantheon of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The western orientation of the temple is in consonance with the building treatises of the South Indian Vishnu temples, whose influence in Cambodia of that time was deeply ingrained and practised. The temple including the moat encompasses an area of 200 hectares, a rectangle of 1.5 km by 1.3 km. Angkor was the capital during the reign of Suryavarman II.

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Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world's most recent nation to become a republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolitan city.

 

Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known in English as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 6,096 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level.

 

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Gautam Buddha gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.

 

A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic in May 28, 2008. The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, was sworn in on 23 July 2008.

 

The word "Nepal" is believed by scholars to be derived from the word "Nepa:" which refers to the Newar Kingdom, the present day Kathmandu Valley. With Sanskritization, the Newar word Nepa became Nepal. The Newars of present day Nepal, refer to all the inhabitants of Kathmandu valley and its peripheries (called "Nepa:") before the advent of Shah dynasty.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal

 

The Hagen Open-air Museum (LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen – Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Handwerk und Technik; English: "LWL Open-air Museum Hagen – Westphalian State Museum for Craft and Technics") is a museum at Hagen in the southeastern Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded, together with the Detmold Open-air Museum, in 1960, and was first opened to the public in the early 1970s. The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL, regional authority for Westphalia and Lippe within North Rhine-Westphalia). It lies in the Hagen neighbourhood of Selbecke south of Eilpe in the Mäckingerbach valley.

 

The open-air museum brings a bit of skilled-trade history into the present, and it takes a hands-on approach. On its grounds stretching for about 42 ha, not only are urban and rural trades simply "displayed" along with their workshops and tools, but in more than twenty of the nearly sixty rebuilt workshops, they are still practised, and interested visitors can, sometimes by themselves, take part in the production.

 

As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by a group of engineers and historical preservationists to preserve technological monuments for posterity. The initiator, Wilhelm Claas, even suggested the Mäckingerbach valley as a good place for a museum to that end. The narrow valley was chosen, as wind, water and wood were the three most important location factors for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

In 1960, the Westphalian Open-Air Museum was founded, and thirteen years later, the gates opened to the public. Unlike most open-air museums, which show everyday life on the farm or in the country as it was in days gone by, the Hagen Open-Air Museum puts the history of these activities in Westphalia in the fore. From the late 18th century through the early years of the Industrial Revolution to the highly industrialized society emerging in the early 20th century, the visitor can experience the development of these trades and the industry in the region.

 

Crafts and trades demonstrated at the Westphalian Open-Air Museum include ropemaking, smithing, brewing, baking, tanning, printing, milling, papermaking, and much more. A favourite attraction is the triphammer workshop shown in the image above. Once the hammer is engaged, a craftsman goes to work noisily forging a scythe, passing it between the hammer and the anvil underneath in a process called peening.

 

The Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum is open from March or April until October.

 

16.31: 11 minutes after arriving 480 018-5 is free to run light engine out of the platform after its terminating stock is dragged out.

 

The turnaround times on shunters moving stock are short and slick.

 

A very well oiled and practised system making best use of the platforms😊

The Hagen Open-air Museum (LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen – Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Handwerk und Technik; English: "LWL Open-air Museum Hagen – Westphalian State Museum for Craft and Technics") is a museum at Hagen in the southeastern Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded, together with the Detmold Open-air Museum, in 1960, and was first opened to the public in the early 1970s. The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL, regional authority for Westphalia and Lippe within North Rhine-Westphalia). It lies in the Hagen neighbourhood of Selbecke south of Eilpe in the Mäckingerbach valley.

 

The open-air museum brings a bit of skilled-trade history into the present, and it takes a hands-on approach. On its grounds stretching for about 42 ha, not only are urban and rural trades simply "displayed" along with their workshops and tools, but in more than twenty of the nearly sixty rebuilt workshops, they are still practised, and interested visitors can, sometimes by themselves, take part in the production.

 

As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by a group of engineers and historical preservationists to preserve technological monuments for posterity. The initiator, Wilhelm Claas, even suggested the Mäckingerbach valley as a good place for a museum to that end. The narrow valley was chosen, as wind, water and wood were the three most important location factors for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

In 1960, the Westphalian Open-Air Museum was founded, and thirteen years later, the gates opened to the public. Unlike most open-air museums, which show everyday life on the farm or in the country as it was in days gone by, the Hagen Open-Air Museum puts the history of these activities in Westphalia in the fore. From the late 18th century through the early years of the Industrial Revolution to the highly industrialized society emerging in the early 20th century, the visitor can experience the development of these trades and the industry in the region.

 

Crafts and trades demonstrated at the Westphalian Open-Air Museum include ropemaking, smithing, brewing, baking, tanning, printing, milling, papermaking, and much more. A favourite attraction is the triphammer workshop shown in the image above. Once the hammer is engaged, a craftsman goes to work noisily forging a scythe, passing it between the hammer and the anvil underneath in a process called peening.

 

The Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum is open from March or April until October.

 

The Hagen Open-air Museum (LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen – Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Handwerk und Technik; English: "LWL Open-air Museum Hagen – Westphalian State Museum for Craft and Technics") is a museum at Hagen in the southeastern Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded, together with the Detmold Open-air Museum, in 1960, and was first opened to the public in the early 1970s. The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL, regional authority for Westphalia and Lippe within North Rhine-Westphalia). It lies in the Hagen neighbourhood of Selbecke south of Eilpe in the Mäckingerbach valley.

The open-air museum brings a bit of skilled-trade history into the present, and it takes a hands-on approach. On its grounds stretching for about 42 ha, not only are urban and rural trades simply "displayed" along with their workshops and tools, but in more than twenty of the nearly sixty rebuilt workshops, they are still practised, and interested visitors can, sometimes by themselves, take part in the production.

 

As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by a group of engineers and historical preservationists to preserve technological monuments for posterity. The initiator, Wilhelm Claas, even suggested the Mäckingerbach valley as a good place for a museum to that end. The narrow valley was chosen, as wind, water and wood were the three most important location factors for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

In 1960, the Westphalian Open-Air Museum was founded, and thirteen years later, the gates opened to the public. Unlike most open-air museums, which show everyday life on the farm or in the country as it was in days gone by, the Hagen Open-Air Museum puts the history of these activities in Westphalia in the fore. From the late 18th century through the early years of the Industrial Revolution to the highly industrialized society emerging in the early 20th century, the visitor can experience the development of these trades and the industry in the region.

 

Crafts and trades demonstrated at the Westphalian Open-Air Museum include ropemaking, smithing, brewing, baking, tanning, printing, milling, papermaking, and much more. A favourite attraction is the triphammer workshop shown in the image above. Once the hammer is engaged, a craftsman goes to work noisily forging a scythe, passing it between the hammer and the anvil underneath in a process called peening.

 

The Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum is open from March or April until October.

 

19850201DE Just as a treat because I can't post tomorrow and wishing you all a safe Mayday, I would like to present; Maria Gräfin von M. joined a resistance group against the Nazis already in 1933. During the war the vetinary surgeon helped many jews to escape as well as hiding her husband who was also jewish. There is a story that she suggested to the Nazi officer in charge of the search in her apartment that he should shoot at her sofa if he really believed that there was someone hiding in it, but that he would have to pay for the damage. He desisted and so her husband, who was hiding in there escaped. Later in the war she helped two russian girls out of a children's home, which was handy when the Russians took Berlin as she then got the assignment to tend to the Red Army's horses. Latterly she lived and practised in Kreuzberg, having a chimpansee and a parrot as companions. They don't make them like that anymore. Berlin Germany #blackandwhite #161 #berlinstagram #knownknowns&unknownknowns #art #resistance #vet #realpeople #reallives #truestories #portraits #b&w #photography #instagram #street www.hughes-photography.eu www.hughes-photography.eu www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes www.flickr.com/photos/michael_hughes www.hughes.berlin @michaelcameronhughes

Yesterday we used the time to visit a traditional dojo near Tokyo! It is a fascinating place where martial arts are practised but also spiritual rituals are performed. I'm now really toying with the idea of taking up martial arts myself!

 

Head - Lelutka EvoX Fleur

Boy - Maitreya LaraX Petite

Skin - Moccino Louise

Rings & Bracelets - AvaWay Adele

Necklace - Sigma Rail

Earrings - Sigma Tassel

Shirt - Seeker Sara

Pants - Exxess Leather Pants No.1

Shoes - Gos Charlene

Bag - DDL Hero

Pose - Lyrium Catia

 

Yanagi no Ogawa

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is located about 3 miles north of Wick on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland. It is considered to be one of the earliest seats of Clan Sinclair. It comprises the ruins of two castles: the 15th-century Castle Girnigoe; and the early 17th-century Castle Sinclair. They are designated as a scheduled monument.

 

The earlier Castle Girnigoe was built by William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness, probably sometime between 1476 and 1496, but certainly before his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. There is some evidence to suggest that the castle was built on the foundations of an earlier fortalice.

 

In 1577, George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, imprisoned his own son John Sinclair, Master of Caithness, in Castle Girnigoe, on suspicion of rebelling against his rule. He was held there for seven years, after which his father fed him a diet of salted beef, with nothing to drink, so that he eventually died insane from thirst. The rebel Earl of Bothwell was at Girnigoe in December 1594.

 

Expansion occurred in 1606 when Castle Sinclair was built, comprising a gatehouse and other buildings, along with a curtain wall. These were connected to the earlier castle by a drawbridge over a ravine. The same year George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, requested the Scottish Parliament to change the name to Castle Sinclair, but because the names Castle Sinclair and Castle Girnigoe were both written down in 1700, both names have been in use since.

 

Robert Sinclair describes Girnigoe as "an adapted 5-storey L-plan crow-stepped gabled tower house, which sat upon a rocky promontory jutting out into Sinclair Bay. Of interest is the secret chamber in the vaulted ceiling of the kitchen."

 

In 1672, George Sinclair, 6th Earl of Caithness, was in heavy debt to his fourth cousin, John Campbell of Glenorchy, and transferred the castle to Campbell as payment. When Sinclair died four years later with no heir, Campbell claimed the title Earl of Caithness and married Sinclair's widow. However, Sinclair's first cousin, George Sinclair of Keiss, challenged Campbell's title. This resulted in the Battle of Altimarlach in which Campbell defeated Sinclair in 1680. Glenorchy and some of his troops remained in Caithness for some time and levied rents and taxes on the people, subjecting them to the most grievous oppression. He sent the remainder home immediately after the battle. However, George Sinclair of Keiss continued his opposition and laid siege, with firearms and artillery, to Castle Sinclair Girnigoe which he took after feeble resistance from the garrison. As a result, he and his three friends who had assisted him, Sinclair of Broynach, Sinclair of Thura and Mackay of Strathnaver were declared rebels. The political current having turned in favor of Sinclair of Keiss however, this was quashed. Having failed to regain his inheritance by force, Sinclair of Keiss then turned to the law.[9] Through the influence of the Duke of York and afterwards James II, he took his place as 7th Earl of Caithness on 15 July 1681, and his lands were restored on 23 September. Campbell of Glenorchy was made Earl of Breadalbane by way of compensation.

 

The Highlands is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The Scottish Gaelic name of A' Ghàidhealtachd literally means "the place of the Gaels" and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands.

 

The area is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the population of the Highlands rose to around 300,000, but from c. 1841 and for the next 160 years, the natural increase in population was exceeded by emigration (mostly to Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and migration to the industrial cities of Scotland and England.) and passim  The area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe. At 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) in 2012, the population density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.

 

The Highland Council is the administrative body for much of the Highlands, with its administrative centre at Inverness. However, the Highlands also includes parts of the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Moray, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

 

The Scottish Highlands is the only area in the British Isles to have the taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest: see Caledonian Forest. It is the most mountainous part of the United Kingdom.

 

Between the 15th century and the mid-20th century, the area differed from most of the Lowlands in terms of language. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland, although the language is now largely confined to The Hebrides. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective languages. Scottish English (in its Highland form) is the predominant language of the area today, though Highland English has been influenced by Gaelic speech to a significant extent. Historically, the "Highland line" distinguished the two Scottish cultures. While the Highland line broadly followed the geography of the Grampians in the south, it continued in the north, cutting off the north-eastern areas, that is Eastern Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, from the more Gaelic Highlands and Hebrides.

 

Historically, the major social unit of the Highlands was the clan. Scottish kings, particularly James VI, saw clans as a challenge to their authority; the Highlands was seen by many as a lawless region. The Scots of the Lowlands viewed the Highlanders as backward and more "Irish". The Highlands were seen as the overspill of Gaelic Ireland. They made this distinction by separating Germanic "Scots" English and the Gaelic by renaming it "Erse" a play on Eire. Following the Union of the Crowns, James VI had the military strength to back up any attempts to impose some control. The result was, in 1609, the Statutes of Iona which started the process of integrating clan leaders into Scottish society. The gradual changes continued into the 19th century, as clan chiefs thought of themselves less as patriarchal leaders of their people and more as commercial landlords. The first effect on the clansmen who were their tenants was the change to rents being payable in money rather than in kind. Later, rents were increased as Highland landowners sought to increase their income. This was followed, mostly in the period 1760–1850, by agricultural improvement that often (particularly in the Western Highlands) involved clearance of the population to make way for large scale sheep farms. Displaced tenants were set up in crofting communities in the process. The crofts were intended not to provide all the needs of their occupiers; they were expected to work in other industries such as kelping and fishing. Crofters came to rely substantially on seasonal migrant work, particularly in the Lowlands. This gave impetus to the learning of English, which was seen by many rural Gaelic speakers to be the essential "language of work".

 

Older historiography attributes the collapse of the clan system to the aftermath of the Jacobite risings. This is now thought less influential by historians. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745 the British government enacted a series of laws to try to suppress the clan system, including bans on the bearing of arms and the wearing of tartan, and limitations on the activities of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Most of this legislation was repealed by the end of the 18th century as the Jacobite threat subsided. There was soon a rehabilitation of Highland culture. Tartan was adopted for Highland regiments in the British Army, which poor Highlanders joined in large numbers in the era of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1790–1815). Tartan had largely been abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, but in the 1820s, tartan and the kilt were adopted by members of the social elite, not just in Scotland, but across Europe. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle, and further popularised by the works of Walter Scott. His "staging" of the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the king's wearing of tartan resulted in a massive upsurge in demand for kilts and tartans that could not be met by the Scottish woollen industry. Individual clan tartans were largely designated in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. This "Highlandism", by which all of Scotland was identified with the culture of the Highlands, was cemented by Queen Victoria's interest in the country, her adoption of Balmoral as a major royal retreat, and her interest in "tartenry".

 

Recurrent famine affected the Highlands for much of its history, with significant instances as late as 1817 in the Eastern Highlands and the early 1850s in the West.  Over the 18th century, the region had developed a trade of black cattle into Lowland markets, and this was balanced by imports of meal into the area. There was a critical reliance on this trade to provide sufficient food, and it is seen as an essential prerequisite for the population growth that started in the 18th century. Most of the Highlands, particularly in the North and West was short of the arable land that was essential for the mixed, run rig based, communal farming that existed before agricultural improvement was introduced into the region.[a] Between the 1760s and the 1830s there was a substantial trade in unlicensed whisky that had been distilled in the Highlands. Lowland distillers (who were not able to avoid the heavy taxation of this product) complained that Highland whisky made up more than half the market. The development of the cattle trade is taken as evidence that the pre-improvement Highlands was not an immutable system, but did exploit the economic opportunities that came its way.  The illicit whisky trade demonstrates the entrepreneurial ability of the peasant classes. 

 

Agricultural improvement reached the Highlands mostly over the period 1760 to 1850. Agricultural advisors, factors, land surveyors and others educated in the thinking of Adam Smith were keen to put into practice the new ideas taught in Scottish universities.  Highland landowners, many of whom were burdened with chronic debts, were generally receptive to the advice they offered and keen to increase the income from their land.  In the East and South the resulting change was similar to that in the Lowlands, with the creation of larger farms with single tenants, enclosure of the old run rig fields, introduction of new crops (such as turnips), land drainage and, as a consequence of all this, eviction, as part of the Highland clearances, of many tenants and cottars. Some of those cleared found employment on the new, larger farms, others moved to the accessible towns of the Lowlands.

 

In the West and North, evicted tenants were usually given tenancies in newly created crofting communities, while their former holdings were converted into large sheep farms. Sheep farmers could pay substantially higher rents than the run rig farmers and were much less prone to falling into arrears. Each croft was limited in size so that the tenants would have to find work elsewhere. The major alternatives were fishing and the kelp industry. Landlords took control of the kelp shores, deducting the wages earned by their tenants from the rent due and retaining the large profits that could be earned at the high prices paid for the processed product during the Napoleonic wars.

 

When the Napoleonic wars finished in 1815, the Highland industries were affected by the return to a peacetime economy. The price of black cattle fell, nearly halving between 1810 and the 1830s. Kelp prices had peaked in 1810, but reduced from £9 a ton in 1823 to £3 13s 4d a ton in 1828. Wool prices were also badly affected.  This worsened the financial problems of debt-encumbered landlords. Then, in 1846, potato blight arrived in the Highlands, wiping out the essential subsistence crop for the overcrowded crofting communities. As the famine struck, the government made clear to landlords that it was their responsibility to provide famine relief for their tenants. The result of the economic downturn had been that a large proportion of Highland estates were sold in the first half of the 19th century. T M Devine points out that in the region most affected by the potato famine, by 1846, 70 per cent of the landowners were new purchasers who had not owned Highland property before 1800. More landlords were obliged to sell due to the cost of famine relief. Those who were protected from the worst of the crisis were those with extensive rental income from sheep farms.  Government loans were made available for drainage works, road building and other improvements and many crofters became temporary migrants – taking work in the Lowlands. When the potato famine ceased in 1856, this established a pattern of more extensive working away from the Highlands.

 

The unequal concentration of land ownership remained an emotional and controversial subject, of enormous importance to the Highland economy, and eventually became a cornerstone of liberal radicalism. The poor crofters were politically powerless, and many of them turned to religion. They embraced the popularly oriented, fervently evangelical Presbyterian revival after 1800. Most joined the breakaway "Free Church" after 1843. This evangelical movement was led by lay preachers who themselves came from the lower strata, and whose preaching was implicitly critical of the established order. The religious change energised the crofters and separated them from the landlords; it helped prepare them for their successful and violent challenge to the landlords in the 1880s through the Highland Land League. Violence erupted, starting on the Isle of Skye, when Highland landlords cleared their lands for sheep and deer parks. It was quietened when the government stepped in, passing the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886 to reduce rents, guarantee fixity of tenure, and break up large estates to provide crofts for the homeless. This contrasted with the Irish Land War underway at the same time, where the Irish were intensely politicised through roots in Irish nationalism, while political dimensions were limited. In 1885 three Independent Crofter candidates were elected to Parliament, which listened to their pleas. The results included explicit security for the Scottish smallholders in the "crofting counties"; the legal right to bequeath tenancies to descendants; and the creation of a Crofting Commission. The Crofters as a political movement faded away by 1892, and the Liberal Party gained their votes.

 

Today, the Highlands are the largest of Scotland's whisky producing regions; the relevant area runs from Orkney to the Isle of Arran in the south and includes the northern isles and much of Inner and Outer Hebrides, Argyll, Stirlingshire, Arran, as well as sections of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. (Other sources treat The Islands, except Islay, as a separate whisky producing region.) This massive area has over 30 distilleries, or 47 when the Islands sub-region is included in the count. According to one source, the top five are The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Glenfarclas and Balvenie. While Speyside is geographically within the Highlands, that region is specified as distinct in terms of whisky productions. Speyside single malt whiskies are produced by about 50 distilleries.

 

According to Visit Scotland, Highlands whisky is "fruity, sweet, spicy, malty". Another review states that Northern Highlands single malt is "sweet and full-bodied", the Eastern Highlands and Southern Highlands whiskies tend to be "lighter in texture" while the distilleries in the Western Highlands produce single malts with a "much peatier influence".

 

The Scottish Reformation achieved partial success in the Highlands. Roman Catholicism remained strong in some areas, owing to remote locations and the efforts of Franciscan missionaries from Ireland, who regularly came to celebrate Mass. There remain significant Catholic strongholds within the Highlands and Islands such as Moidart and Morar on the mainland and South Uist and Barra in the southern Outer Hebrides. The remoteness of the region and the lack of a Gaelic-speaking clergy undermined the missionary efforts of the established church. The later 18th century saw somewhat greater success, owing to the efforts of the SSPCK missionaries and to the disruption of traditional society after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the 19th century, the evangelical Free Churches, which were more accepting of Gaelic language and culture, grew rapidly, appealing much more strongly than did the established church.

 

For the most part, however, the Highlands are considered predominantly Protestant, belonging to the Church of Scotland. In contrast to the Catholic southern islands, the northern Outer Hebrides islands (Lewis, Harris and North Uist) have an exceptionally high proportion of their population belonging to the Protestant Free Church of Scotland or the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Outer Hebrides have been described as the last bastion of Calvinism in Britain and the Sabbath remains widely observed. Inverness and the surrounding area has a majority Protestant population, with most locals belonging to either The Kirk or the Free Church of Scotland. The church maintains a noticeable presence within the area, with church attendance notably higher than in other parts of Scotland. Religion continues to play an important role in Highland culture, with Sabbath observance still widely practised, particularly in the Hebrides.

 

In traditional Scottish geography, the Highlands refers to that part of Scotland north-west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which crosses mainland Scotland in a near-straight line from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. However the flat coastal lands that occupy parts of the counties of Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire are often excluded as they do not share the distinctive geographical and cultural features of the rest of the Highlands. The north-east of Caithness, as well as Orkney and Shetland, are also often excluded from the Highlands, although the Hebrides are usually included. The Highland area, as so defined, differed from the Lowlands in language and tradition, having preserved Gaelic speech and customs centuries after the anglicisation of the latter; this led to a growing perception of a divide, with the cultural distinction between Highlander and Lowlander first noted towards the end of the 14th century. In Aberdeenshire, the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands is not well defined. There is a stone beside the A93 road near the village of Dinnet on Royal Deeside which states 'You are now in the Highlands', although there are areas of Highland character to the east of this point.

 

A much wider definition of the Highlands is that used by the Scotch whisky industry. Highland single malts are produced at distilleries north of an imaginary line between Dundee and Greenock, thus including all of Aberdeenshire and Angus.

 

Inverness is regarded as the Capital of the Highlands, although less so in the Highland parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire which look more to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and Stirling as their commercial centres.

 

The Highland Council area, created as one of the local government regions of Scotland, has been a unitary council area since 1996. The council area excludes a large area of the southern and eastern Highlands, and the Western Isles, but includes Caithness. Highlands is sometimes used, however, as a name for the council area, as in the former Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern is also used to refer to the area, as in the former Northern Constabulary. These former bodies both covered the Highland council area and the island council areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

 

Much of the Highlands area overlaps the Highlands and Islands area. An electoral region called Highlands and Islands is used in elections to the Scottish Parliament: this area includes Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Highland Council local government area, the Western Isles and most of the Argyll and Bute and Moray local government areas. Highlands and Islands has, however, different meanings in different contexts. It means Highland (the local government area), Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles in Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern, as in Northern Constabulary, refers to the same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.

 

There have been trackways from the Lowlands to the Highlands since prehistoric times. Many traverse the Mounth, a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven. The most well-known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth, Elsick Mounth, Cryne Corse Mounth and Cairnamounth.

 

Although most of the Highlands is geographically on the British mainland, it is somewhat less accessible than the rest of Britain; thus most UK couriers categorise it separately, alongside Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other offshore islands. They thus charge additional fees for delivery to the Highlands, or exclude the area entirely. While the physical remoteness from the largest population centres inevitably leads to higher transit cost, there is confusion and consternation over the scale of the fees charged and the effectiveness of their communication, and the use of the word Mainland in their justification. Since the charges are often based on postcode areas, many far less remote areas, including some which are traditionally considered part of the lowlands, are also subject to these charges. Royal Mail is the only delivery network bound by a Universal Service Obligation to charge a uniform tariff across the UK. This, however, applies only to mail items and not larger packages which are dealt with by its Parcelforce division.

 

The Highlands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland is largely composed of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. Smaller formations of Lewisian gneiss in the northwest are up to 3 billion years old. The overlying rocks of the Torridon Sandstone form mountains in the Torridon Hills such as Liathach and Beinn Eighe in Wester Ross.

 

These foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and the Cuillin of Skye. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstone found principally along the Moray Firth coast and partially down the Highland Boundary Fault. The Jurassic beds found in isolated locations on Skye and Applecross reflect the complex underlying geology. They are the original source of much North Sea oil. The Great Glen is formed along a transform fault which divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands.

 

The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have similar heights above sea-level, but whose bases depend upon the amount of denudation to which the plateau has been subjected in various places.

Climate

 

The region is much warmer than other areas at similar latitudes (such as Kamchatka in Russia, or Labrador in Canada) because of the Gulf Stream making it cool, damp and temperate. The Köppen climate classification is "Cfb" at low altitudes, then becoming "Cfc", "Dfc" and "ET" at higher altitudes.

 

Places of interest

An Teallach

Aonach Mòr (Nevis Range ski centre)

Arrochar Alps

Balmoral Castle

Balquhidder

Battlefield of Culloden

Beinn Alligin

Beinn Eighe

Ben Cruachan hydro-electric power station

Ben Lomond

Ben Macdui (second highest mountain in Scotland and UK)

Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Scotland and UK)

Cairngorms National Park

Cairngorm Ski centre near Aviemore

Cairngorm Mountains

Caledonian Canal

Cape Wrath

Carrick Castle

Castle Stalker

Castle Tioram

Chanonry Point

Conic Hill

Culloden Moor

Dunadd

Duart Castle

Durness

Eilean Donan

Fingal's Cave (Staffa)

Fort George

Glen Coe

Glen Etive

Glen Kinglas

Glen Lyon

Glen Orchy

Glenshee Ski Centre

Glen Shiel

Glen Spean

Glenfinnan (and its railway station and viaduct)

Grampian Mountains

Hebrides

Highland Folk Museum – The first open-air museum in the UK.

Highland Wildlife Park

Inveraray Castle

Inveraray Jail

Inverness Castle

Inverewe Garden

Iona Abbey

Isle of Staffa

Kilchurn Castle

Kilmartin Glen

Liathach

Lecht Ski Centre

Loch Alsh

Loch Ard

Loch Awe

Loch Assynt

Loch Earn

Loch Etive

Loch Fyne

Loch Goil

Loch Katrine

Loch Leven

Loch Linnhe

Loch Lochy

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park

Loch Lubnaig

Loch Maree

Loch Morar

Loch Morlich

Loch Ness

Loch Nevis

Loch Rannoch

Loch Tay

Lochranza

Luss

Meall a' Bhuiridh (Glencoe Ski Centre)

Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Loch Creran

Rannoch Moor

Red Cuillin

Rest and Be Thankful stretch of A83

River Carron, Wester Ross

River Spey

River Tay

Ross and Cromarty

Smoo Cave

Stob Coire a' Chàirn

Stac Polly

Strathspey Railway

Sutherland

Tor Castle

Torridon Hills

Urquhart Castle

West Highland Line (scenic railway)

West Highland Way (Long-distance footpath)

Wester Ross

Barney looking cute with a bunch of daffodils :) It's been a really busy, tiring week & I've barely taken the camera out to be honest. However, yesterday afternoon it was nice & sunny, so I took Barney out in the garden for a while & we practised some of his tricks while I took photos, which was fun. Barney was performing nicely because we had an audience - my dad & our lodger were outside too, enjoying the sunshine.... & laughing over the sight of the dog hugging flowers. Barney is a real little show off & was clearly enjoying the extra attention!

 

Sorry for the lack of visits/comments etc recently. Dealing with new pup Flynn is taking a lot of my time & energy atm, plus of course, I'm having to make sure Barney & Elsie-cat aren't feeling left out ;-) Flynn's been with us a fortnight now & is starting to calm down & settle into new routines but it has been rather hard work the past couple of weeks & I suspect will keep being quite intense for a while! I'm suddenly feeling very appreciative of Barney-dog's mostly gentle & quiet outlook on life :) Hopefully his influence will rub off on Flynn!! The dogs are still getting on wonderfully well, which is fantastic & makes life much easier!

This is the best my scanner could do with the bright yellow and the different reds. It's more beautiful in the real world, please use your imagination.

 

Collage challenge on a slow, cosy Friday night. Here's what I wrote before I started (translated to English):

 

1. My Moleskine journal

2. Yellow

3. A randomly picked quote from my collection

4. Ella Fitzgerald

5. Cleaning my desk (preferably by creating something with all the little bits of paper lying around)

 

(Afterwards I continued cleaning my desk by making this, which is made entirely by the rest of the stuff lying around my desk.)

Was very lucky to get this panning shot fairly in focus as it's not a technique I've ever practised.

Calcutta tends to take your breath away, second time round was still as eye-opening.

The Holy Trinity Rectory at 141 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley is a two-storeyed brick building constructed in 1889 to a design prepared by former Queensland Colonial Architect Francis Drummond Greville Stanley.

 

The Church of England was the first institutional religion established in Queensland, with the parish of Saint John's in Brisbane created in 1849 as part of the Diocese of Newcastle. Land bounded by George, William, and Elizabeth streets was granted to the church and Saint John's Church was consecrated on this site in 1854. This parish encompassed a wide district which extended well beyond the Brisbane town boundary and included Milton, Enoggera, and Sandgate.

 

By the mid-1850s a village of 100 to 150 houses had been established at Fortitude Valley just north of the Brisbane town boundary and there were more homes scattered through the semi-bush to the north and east. For Valley residents, access to Saint John's Church at the southern end of North Brisbane was difficult. Principal access was via the steep, unformed track of Ann Street over Duncan's Hill, which was not cut down until the 1860s and 1870s. Wickham Street did not exist at this period; in its place was a series of ponds and brickyards.

 

In recognition of the increasing settlement of the district north of Brisbane, part of Saint John's parish separated in 1856 to form Holy Trinity parish. The new parish encompassed the areas of Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills, and New Farm and extended west to Enoggera and north to Sandgate. At first, a cottage was rented at the corner of Ann and Ballow Streets for use as a Church of England school on weekdays and as a place of worship on Sundays. In 1857 the New South Wales government granted to the parish two acres of land bounded by Ann, Brookes, Church, and Wickham streets for church purposes (the present site of the Holy Trinity Church, Rectory and Parish Hall). In the same year a long, stone building was erected on this site for use as a school room and temporary church.

 

The Diocese of Brisbane was formed in 1859, with Bishop Tufnell taking office as the first Bishop of Brisbane in 1860. At this time Saint John's Church was designated as the pro-Cathedral, and Holy Trinity parish was incorporated into the Diocese of Brisbane.

 

The first Holy Trinity rectory was built for Reverend John Mosely who was appointed in 1861. It was a stone building situated in Leichhardt Street between Quarry and Love streets, on a crown land grant to the Church which extended through to Water Street.

 

During the 1860s and 1870s Fortitude Valley developed as a commercial and residential centre and population density in the Valley and surrounding areas increased substantially. The 1857 stone building was enlarged in 1862 to accommodate an expanding congregation and by the mid-1870s Holy Trinity parish was committed to the construction of a new, larger church on the Brookes Street site. Designed in 1875 by the then Queensland Colonial Architect, FDG Stanley, the second Holy Trinity church was erected in 1876 - 1877 by contractor James Robinson. The 1857 stone church/school building remained in use as a schoolroom.

 

As the parish grew, the disadvantages of having the rectory separated from the church eventually led to the construction in 1889 of a new rectory in Brookes Street, adjacent to Holy Trinity Church, at a cost of £1,935. Like the 1876 - 1877 church, the second rectory was designed by FDG Stanley and constructed by builder James Robinson.

 

Stanley was born in Edinburgh in 1839 and trained in Scotland as an architect. He emigrated to Brisbane in 1862 and practised privately before gaining employment with the Queensland government in the office of the Colonial Architect, Charles Tiffin, in 1863. Following Tiffin's retirement, Stanley was appointed Colonial Architect from the 1st of January 1872, a position he held until 1881. Throughout this period of government employment he accepted a number of private commissions and continued in private practice in Brisbane, Maryborough, and Toowoomba after he left the public service. Stanley was a prolific architect and his work is found throughout Queensland.

 

Stanley's design for Holy Trinity Rectory was for a substantial brick house of two storeys with broad verandahs on both levels, projecting gables and a corrugated iron roof. Some of the stone from the former rectory in Leichhardt Street was recycled in a retaining wall along the Brookes Street boundary.

 

The 1889 residence continues to function as Holy Trinity Rectory.

 

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

Garden faff 15-06-2018ps (1 of 2)

Wanting to do some thing a bit different with the ol trusty spun orb, I practised this rotated orb in the garden in the sunmmer. Not wanting to post it up as the junk from my house building project didn't make for a good composition. But as I have tried to do the orb a few more times in great locations but never nailing it so with a bit of encouragement from Mart Barras and Marc Bowyer-Briggs I'll put this up and try-try again.

The Hagen Open-air Museum (LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen – Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Handwerk und Technik; English: "LWL Open-air Museum Hagen – Westphalian State Museum for Craft and Technics") is a museum at Hagen in the southeastern Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded, together with the Detmold Open-air Museum, in 1960, and was first opened to the public in the early 1970s. The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL, regional authority for Westphalia and Lippe within North Rhine-Westphalia). It lies in the Hagen neighbourhood of Selbecke south of Eilpe in the Mäckingerbach valley.

 

The open-air museum brings a bit of skilled-trade history into the present, and it takes a hands-on approach. On its grounds stretching for about 42 ha, not only are urban and rural trades simply "displayed" along with their workshops and tools, but in more than twenty of the nearly sixty rebuilt workshops, they are still practised, and interested visitors can, sometimes by themselves, take part in the production.

 

As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by a group of engineers and historical preservationists to preserve technological monuments for posterity. The initiator, Wilhelm Claas, even suggested the Mäckingerbach valley as a good place for a museum to that end. The narrow valley was chosen, as wind, water and wood were the three most important location factors for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

In 1960, the Westphalian Open-Air Museum was founded, and thirteen years later, the gates opened to the public. Unlike most open-air museums, which show everyday life on the farm or in the country as it was in days gone by, the Hagen Open-Air Museum puts the history of these activities in Westphalia in the fore. From the late 18th century through the early years of the Industrial Revolution to the highly industrialized society emerging in the early 20th century, the visitor can experience the development of these trades and the industry in the region.

 

Crafts and trades demonstrated at the Westphalian Open-Air Museum include ropemaking, smithing, brewing, baking, tanning, printing, milling, papermaking, and much more. A favourite attraction is the triphammer workshop shown in the image above. Once the hammer is engaged, a craftsman goes to work noisily forging a scythe, passing it between the hammer and the anvil underneath in a process called peening.

 

The Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum is open from March or April until October.

A 'magazine' with photo ideas and tips that I curate with Flipboard. I started collecting them for myself, but thought they'd be interesting to share. Many are things we all know, but it's good to be reminded (if I only practised 1% of all I know... :) And I'm sure there will be ideas for the more experienced, as well as lessons for the newbies. Follow the link and enjoy! (If you are a Flipboard user on a tablet or phone, you can subscribe - as I keep adding).

 

N.B. Flipboard puts my name on every item but I am not the author (the original sources are duly credited), I'm just the curating 'magazine editor'...

Frankreich / Provence - Gorges du Verdon

 

Route des Crêtes

 

The Verdon Gorge (French: Gorges du Verdon Occitan: Gòrja de Verdon) is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15.5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0.4 mi) deep. It was formed by the Verdon River, which is named for its turquoise-green colour, one of the location's distinguishing characteristics. In between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, the river has cut a ravine to a depth of 700 meters through the limestone mass. At the end of the canyon, the Verdon flows into the artificial Lake of Sainte-Croix.

 

The gorge is very popular with tourists, who can drive around its rim, rent kayaks to travel on the river, or hike. The limestone walls, which are several hundreds of metres high, attract many rock climbers. It is considered an outstanding destination for multi-pitch climbing, with 1,500 routes available ranging from 20 metres (65 feet) to over 400 metres (1,300 feet).

 

History

 

During the Triassic period, the Provence subsided and was covered by the sea, leaving thick layers of various limestone deposits. Several million years later, with the arrival of the Jurassic period, the area was covered by a warm shallow sea, which allowed the growth of various corals. The Cretaceous period saw what is now Basse Provence being raised and the sea reaching the current location of the Alps, which were themselves erected during the tertiary era. As a result of the large-scale geological activity, many of the Jurassic limestone deposits fractured, forming relief with valleys and other such features. The origins of the Verdon Gorge can be traced to this era.

 

The dawn of the Quaternary period had large-scale glaciation, transforming water pockets and lakes into rivers of ice, which remodeled the topography, scouring and striating the landscape. At the end of this activity, erosion by rivers continued, forming the Gorge as it is today. The Verdon's riverbed was scoured for a second time of the accumulated coral and limestone sediments, by a water delivery rate nearing 2000 to 3000 cubic metres per second.

 

Discovery

 

The gorge was described in printed form from 1782 and 1804. By the second half of the 19th century, it was featured in French tourist guides. According to Graham Robb's book The Discovery of France, the gorge did not become known outside France until 1906.

 

Recent developments

 

On 10 July 2006, the Council of State annulled the declaration of public use of a project by EDF relating to a proposed high-voltage line which would have had to pass through the Verdon Gorge. This decision ended 23 years of struggle by public groups and associations of environmental defence to preserve a site of exceptional natural interest, of which a part contains protected animal and plant species.

 

During the 2022 European drought, the water levels in the river were very low and dried up completely in some parts.

 

Geography

 

The source of the Verdon is close to the col d'Allos hill in the Trois Eveches mountain range, whence it continues, flowing into the Durance river near Vinon-sur-Verdon after traveling 175 kilometres. Between Castellane and the Galetas bridge, the river passes through the lake of Sainte-Croix, created by the construction of a dam of the same name. Before the dam was constructed, the village of Les Salles-sur-Verdon occupied the river plain. To create the reservoir, the village was destroyed in 1973. Les Salles-sur-Verdon was reconstructed as a more modern settlement higher up the valley. Today, it is the youngest village in France.

 

For some distance the Verdon Gorge forms the border between the départements of Var to the south and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the north in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région.

 

This region between Castellane and the Lac de Sainte-Croix is called the Gorges du Verdon, or Verdon Gorge. It is split into three distinct parts:

 

"Prégorges" ('pre-gorge'), from Castellane to Pont de Soleils,

the deepest part of the Gorge, from Pont de Soleils to l'Imbut, and

the Canyon from l’Imbut to the Pont du Galetas.

 

The Verdon Gorge is narrow and deep, with depths of 250 to 700 metres and widths of 6 to 100 metres at the level of the Verdon river. It is 200 to 1500 metres wide from one side of the Gorge to the other at the summits. The Gorge has been compared to the Grand Canyon in the United States.

 

Hydro-electric dams

 

Between 1929 and 1975, five dams were erected on the course of the Verdon, between Castellane and Gréoux-les-Bains. These dams hold back water in the following reservoirs:

 

Lac de Castillon, which was created by flooding the village of the same name

Lac de Sainte-Croix, flooded the village of des Salles-sur-Verdon.

Lac d'Esparron-Gréoux, known locally as "lac d’Esparron".

Reservoir at Chaudanne

Reservoir at Quinson, sometimes improperly called the "lac de Montpezat", the name of the village over which it dominates.

 

Notable features

 

The Styx du Verdon, associated with the river Styx of Greek mythology, is an area of sub-canyon within the gorge.

 

The Imbut, also known as Embut or Embucq, is an area where the Verdon disappears underground, beneath enormous rock structures, before re-emerging above ground.

 

Tourism

 

The Verdon Gorge attracts numerous tourists, especially during the summer period. The river's turquoise colour is associated with glacial sources and the minerals of rock flour suspended in the water.

 

It is easily accessible on its right bank from the north (via route D952 from Castellane to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie), and on its left bank from the south (via routes D71, D90 and D955 from Aiguines to Castellane).

 

Sport

 

The Verdon Gorge attracts many rock climbers for its more than 1,500 climbing routes on good limestone rock.

The Verdon and its Gorge are also a favoured destination for fishermen, particularly for fly fishing.

Hiking, canoeing, paragliding, rafting, climbing and canyoning are some of the sports practised in the region.

 

Hiking and scenic walks

 

The most common hikes in the gorge include:

 

Le sentier (pathway) de Martel

Le sentier de l'Imbut

Le sentier du Bastidon

Le belvédère de Rancoumas par le pont de Tusset (the Rancoumas panoramic viewpoint near the Tusset Bridge)

 

The Sentier Martel, was laid out in 1928 by the Touring Club de France.[citation needed] It was named in 1930 to honor the explorer Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938). Martel had visited the Verdon in 1905 as an employee of the Southeast Electricity Company, carrying out precise geological surveys of the river. On 11 August, he and his team (explorer Armand Janet, schoolmaster Isidore Blanc, geographer Cuvelier, plaus Baptistin Flory, Fernand Honorat, Prosper Marcel, and Tessier Zurcher) began an expedition of the region. Their successful arrival at the Pas de Galetas marked the completion of the first expedition of the Verdon Canyon.

 

Other expeditions to the Verdon included Martel's team the following year; followed by Robert de Joly, who in 1928 was the first to completely cross the Verdon Gorge.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Die Verdonschlucht, französisch Gorges du Verdon, umgangssprachlich auch Grand Canyon du Verdon, ist eine Schlucht in der französischen Provence, Département Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Sie beginnt flussabwärts nach der Stadt Castellane und endet nahe Moustiers-Sainte-Marie im Stausee Lac de Sainte-Croix. Durch den etwa 21 km langen und bis zu 700 Meter tiefen Canyon fließt der türkisfarbene Fluss Verdon. Die Gorges du Verdon sind neben der Tara-Schlucht einer der größten Canyons Europas und Hauptbestandteil des nach ihm benannten Regionalen Naturparks Verdon.

 

Geographische Lage

 

Der Verdon entspringt in der Nähe des Col d’Allos im Bergland Trois Évêchés und mündet nach etwa 175 km in der Nähe von Vinon-sur-Verdon in die Durance. Das interessanteste Stück seines Laufes befindet sich zwischen Castellane und der Galetas-Brücke kurz vor dem Lac de Sainte-Croix. Die Schlucht von Verdon definiert über weite Strecken die Grenze zwischen den Départements Var im Süden und Alpes-de-Haute-Provence im Norden. Das Gebiet ist in drei Teilabschnitte gegliedert:

 

Die „Prégorges“ zwischen Castellane und der Brücke bei Soleils

Die Schlucht zwischen der Brücke und l’Imbut

Der Canyon zwischen l’Imbut und der Brücke von Galetas

 

Die Schlucht ist am Grund zwischen 6 und 100 m breit, die gegenüberliegenden Flanken sind zwischen 200 und 1500 m voneinander entfernt und die Tiefe variiert zwischen 250 und 700 m.

 

Entstehung

 

In der Trias-Zeit senkte sich die Provence ab und wurde vom Meer bedeckt. In der Folge lagerten sich am Grund verschiedene Schichten von Kalk (abgestorbene Muscheln u. ä.) ab. Im Jura wurde die Provence erneut von einem warmen, wenig tiefen Meer überflutet, was die Entstehung mächtiger Korallenbänke begünstigte.

 

In der Kreidezeit hob sich die Provence, und das Meer zog sich in den Bereich der heutigen Alpen zurück. Erst im Tertiär wurden die Alpen aufgefaltet. Die in der Folge zerbrechenden Kalkmassive aus der Jurazeit bestimmten das Relief und die Täler. In dieser Zeit suchte sich auch der Verdon sein Bett.

 

Im Quartär überformten die eiszeitlichen Gletscher die Landschaft. Am Ende der Vereisung nehmen die Flüsse ihre Erosionstätigkeit wieder auf. Bedingt durch die Eisschmelze waren die Wassermengen gewaltig: bis zu 3000 m³/s. Diese Mengen ermöglichten die tiefen Einschnitte im weichen Gestein.

 

Jüngere Geschichte

 

Auf dem Gebiet des heutigen Stausees, der durch den Bau des Sainte-Croix-Staudamms entstand, befand sich vor 1973 die Ortschaft Les Salles-sur-Verdon, die kurz vor der Flutung des Tals vollständig zerstört und an anderer Stelle neu aufgebaut wurde. Heute ist sie eine der jüngsten Gemeinden Frankreichs.

 

Seit dem 7. Mai 1990 ist die Schlucht offizielles Naturschutzgebiet.

 

Am 10. Juli 2006 beschloss der Conseil d’État, dass die geplante 400.000-Volt-Hochspannungsleitung der Électricité de France durch den Canyon nicht gebaut werden dürfe. Damit endete ein über 23 Jahre andauernder Kampf verschiedener Umwelt- und Naturschutzorganisation, die sich für den Erhalt der ursprünglichen Schlucht einsetzen.

 

1905: Erste vollständige Durchquerung der Schlucht durch den Speläologen Martel

1929: Grundsteinlegung des Castillon-Staudamms

1932: Unterbrechung der Bauarbeiten

1936: Ein Brand beschädigt den Staudamm

1948: Fertigstellung des Castillon-Staudamms

1951: Fertigstellung des Chaudanne-Staudamms

1960: Fertigstellung des Esparron-Gréoux-Staudamms

1973: Flutung des Sainte-Croix-Stausees

1973: Wiederaufbau der gefluteten Ortschaft Les Salles-sur-Verdon etwa 400 m entfernt

1974: Beginn der Stromproduktion des Wasserkraftwerks in Sainte-Croix

1975: Flutung des Quinson-Stausees

 

Aktivitäten

 

Auf dem Wasser

 

Teilweise lässt sich die Verdonschlucht mit Wildwasser-Kajaks befahren, im Unterlauf am Lac de Sainte-Croix auch mit größeren Booten. Der Wasserabfluss der oberen Stauseen ist zumindest während der Hauptreisezeit Juli und August einheitlich festgelegt. Um den Wassersport wie Wildwasserschwimmen, Rafting etc. zu unterstützen, wird an zwei Tagen der Woche (meist dienstags und freitags) mehr Wasser abgelassen. Der Abfluss beträgt dann 10–16 Kubikmeter Wasser pro Sekunde, an den anderen Tagen ca. 0,5 Kubikmeter Wasser pro Sekunde. Es existiert eine Hotline zur Information über aktuelle Wasserstände. In der Vor- und Nachsaison hingegen wird deutlich unregelmäßiger Wasser abgelassen, in manchen Jahren wochenlang bis zu 40 Kubikmeter pro Sekunde, in anderen wochenlang nur 0,5 Kubikmeter pro Sekunde. Bei Wassermengen über 2 bis 3 Kubikmeter wird im Wildwasserschwimmen Ungeübten vom Baden in der Strömung abgeraten. Durch unberechenbare Hindernisse wie Siphone, Unterspülungen und Holzverblockungen besteht dann Lebensgefahr.

 

Wandern

 

Das Wandern in den unzugänglicheren Regionen der Schlucht ist beliebt und gilt als ungefährlich. Die bekannteste Wander-Route durch den Verdon-Canyon beginnt und endet in der Mitte des Canyons an einem Aussichtspunkt, von dem es relativ steil über Serpentinen bergab geht. Sie führt entlang des Sentier Martel (benannt nach dem Erstdurchquerer Martel). Der Abstieg beginnt von der Route de Crête, am Vereinshaus La Maline. Unten am Fluss angelangt sollte man sich an der dortigen Weggabelung nach Norden halten und dort zügig dem Wegverlauf stromaufwärts folgen. Im Verlauf der fast sechsstündigen Wanderung – ohne Möglichkeit eines Zwischenausstieges – führt der Wanderweg beständig bergauf-bergab und über einige künstlich angelegte Leitern und Treppen abwärts. Eine davon (Brèche Imbert) ist recht steil und führt über 252 Stufen von einem Aussichtspunkt hinunter. Kurz vor Ende der Route führt der Weg durch zwei hintereinander liegende Tunnel, die als einzige Möglichkeit weiterführen. Hier sollte ursprünglich der Fluss komplett umgeleitet werden, doch das Projekt wurde nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg aufgegeben. Die Länge des ersten Tunnels beträgt 110 m, die des zweiten 657 m.

 

Insgesamt ist für diese Bergwanderung mit etwa fünf bis sechs Stunden reiner Gehzeit zu rechnen. Am End- bzw. Ausgangspunkt Point Sublime im Norden befindet sich ein weiterer Parkplatz. Für die Rückfahrt zum Ausgangspunkt besteht die Möglichkeit, ein Schluchtentaxi oder einen allerdings selten verkehrenden Linienbus zu benutzen.

 

Klettern

 

Die Verdonschlucht war in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren eines der bedeutendsten Klettergebiete. In den 1970er Jahren wurden zahlreiche ausgesetzte technische Linien erstbegangen, in den 1980er Jahren gelang dann Kletterern wie Patrick Berhault und Patrick Edlinger die freie Begehung vieler dieser Routen. Auch heute wird in dem Gebiet noch intensiv geklettert.

 

Weitere Aktivitäten

 

Auf der Ringstraße um den Verdon-Canyon sind immer wieder Aussichtspunkte zur Schlucht hin, aber auch auf die Lavendel-Felder, für die die Region berühmt ist, angelegt. Über der Schlucht kreisen häufig Paraglider, Drachen und Segelflieger, wenn das Wetter dies zulässt. Die Pont de l’Artuby wird sehr stark von Bungee-Jumpern frequentiert. Ebenso ist die Schlucht mit ihren Pässen Ziel vieler Motorradfahrer.

 

(Wikipedia)

One of the four forms of bullfighting praticed in the world but it differs from the other three by two features, first it is practised exclusevely with cows and not bulls, the other feature it shares with the Camargue races, is that there is no killing, or hurting of the animal, either during the race, or after.

www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMD...

 

Site description The site is a National Park covering 36,000 ha of the High Atlas, including the highest mountain in Morocco, Jbel Toubkal (4,167 m). Located only 60 km south of the town of Marrakech, the dramatic mountain scenery attracts thousands of visitors each year, many of whom climb Jbel Toubkal or trek elsewhere in the park. The mountain summits are often only slightly above the level of their surrounding high plateaus, which are separated by deep valleys. The park extends from 1,000 m upwards and therefore encompasses a range of vegetation-types, from forest to alpine meadow. Forest only covers 15% of the park, and consists mainly of the oldest Quercus rotundifolia stands in the High Atlas and Juniperus thurifera. Along the valleys, irrigated agriculture is practised and most of the park is used for extensive livestock-grazing.

 

More than 95 breeding species have been recorded, among them nine species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome. Thirteen raptors are recorded, among them Gypaetus barbatus, which definitely bred in the park until 1980. The Parc National de Toubkal is one of only two areas in Morocco where Apus caffer has been recorded breeding, and also holds several species with quite localized distributions in Africa, such as Rhodopechys sanguinea and Eremophila alpestris.

 

Conservation issues The National Park was created by 'Arrête viziriel' on 19 January 1942. Despite its protected status, the park has been facing growing pressures since the 1960s. Poaching has wiped out some species and overgrazing has destroyed or degraded much of the natural vegetation. Tourism has mushroomed and led to erosion of footpaths—on some days 30-40 tourists may be found together at one time on the summit of Jbel Toubkal, in spite of the long and arduous trek required to reach it. To counter these threats and safeguard wildlife, in the 1950s AEFCS created a reserve for Ammotragus lervia adjacent to the park, and in 1994 enclosed an area of 1,000 ha for the reintroduction of Gazella cuvieri. Both these measures have resulted in the protection of areas of forest habitat which are important for breeding birds. In 1994, a management plan for the park was drawn up under the auspices of AEFCS. Further conservation measures required include the training of local guides; the protection of nest-sites of the rarer bird species, particularly raptors; maintenance of trails to prevent erosion; and the establishment of grazing enclosures to protect endemic plant species.

  

Selby Abbey

 

St. Germain’s Chapel to whom the abbey is dedicated is located at the east end of the south aisle.

  

The Church of Selby Abbey was dedicated to Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Germain. But though the dedication was a triple one, St Germain has always been regarded as our Patron Saint. He was born in the year 378 or 380 at Auxerre, France. In his early days Germain followed a military career and, it appears, at some time he practised as an advocate. As a soldier he was distinguished, becoming a ‘Duke’, or military leader, and sometimes he was referred to as ‘one of the six dukes of Gaul.’ In those pre-ecclesiastic days he married, his wife being described as ‘a lady of great quality in Rome,’ whose name was Eustachia. At that period Germain seems to have been a thorough man of the world. Nothing, indeed, is known of him in his disfavour, except that as a devotee of the chase he appears to have been somewhat callous, if not cruel, in his dealings with the spoils of the hunting-ground.

 

At that time Amator was the Bishop of Auxerre. He saw that in spite of his apparent worldliness, Germain had the makings of a saint in him. He had often remonstrated with him and tried to win him for the Church, but tin vain. One day, however, Germain was decoyed into the church at Auxerre. The doors were barred; Germain was seized and bound; and Bishop Amator forcibly cut off his locks, so giving him the first tonsure and bidding him live ‘as one who was destined to become a bishop.’

 

Instead of resenting the treatment, Germain quietly accepted his position. It was the turning-point in his career. His old life was abandoned, and very soon he was ordained deacon. He became a monk, his life in the cloister distinguished by a marvellous asceticism. For 30 years he is said never to have touched wheaten bread, wine, oil, pulse, or salt, his one daily meal being eaten in the evening; and sometimes he went without food altogether for a whole week at a time. For one ecclesiastical eminence to another he rose, till eventually he was consecrated Bishop of Auxerre. He was a great theologian and, among the chief things that he did, he came over to England to quell the Pelagian heresy. In that connection he preached a wonderful sermon at St Albans, astonishing all by his fervour, eloquence and learning, and he made many converts. Afterwards he visited many parts of England and Wales. He went to Cornwall and even visited the Isle of Man; and on one occasion, aided by his old military experience, he led the British soldiers against the Picts and Scots, winning the bloodless victory known as the ‘Alleluia Victory.’ No wonder that in the centuries that followed many churches in Great Britain were built in his honour, the most important of them all being the great and beautiful Abbey Church on the banks of the Yorkshire Ouse in Selby.

 

After a brilliant life as an ecclesiastic, Germain died in a good old age in the year 448, the place of his death being Ravenna, in Italy. That was on July 31st. But his body was taken by road to his native place of internment. The journey was one of two months’ duration, and his remains were honourably laid to rest in his Cathedral at Auxerre on October 1st, 448. These two dates explain the fact that the Festival of St Germain (for he was afterwards canonized and made a Saint) is kept by the Church on July 31st and October 1st. One is the annual commemoration of his death; the other that of his burial.

 

Information with thanks to the Selby Abbey web site.

 

www.selbyabbey.org.uk

  

Thank you for your visit and your comments, they are greatly appreciated.

 

The Herz-Jesu-Kirche (in English: "Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus") seen from the Schlossberg (in English: "Castle Hill"), Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

 

Some background information:

 

The Herz-Jesu-Kirche is a Roman-Catholic church in the Stuehlinger, a district of the city of Freiburg. It was built between 1892 and 1897 by Max Meckel, the former master builder of the cathedral of Limburg. From 1885 to 1886, Meckel had also constructed the Blue Bridge, in whose alignment the twin towers of the Herz-Jesu-Kirche were erected. The church was planned in the style of historism resp. neo-romanticism to distinguish the building significantly from the Freiburg Minster, which was mainly constructed in the French Gothic style.

 

In 1897, the Herz-Jesu-Kirche was consecrated. It has the status of a basilica and consists of a nave, a transept and the front façade with its twin towers. The name was chosen because the devotion of the "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus" was widely practised by the Catholic Church in the second half of the 19th century. In this devotion the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". Although the devotion is much older, it was consecrated by Pope Pius X only in 1899, and hence, two years after the consecration of the Herz-Jesu-Kirche.

 

Freiburg im Breisgau, commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of about 230,000, it is the fourth largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, and Mannheim. The town is located in the very southwest of Germany, in the tri-state-area near the French and Swiss border. It is also situated on the southwestern edge of the Black Forest and traversed by the Dreisam River.

 

Freiburg is a famous old German university town and archiepiscopal seat. It was founded by Konrad and Duke Berthold III of Zaehringen in 1120 as a free market town. This town was strategically located at a junction of trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea regions, as well as the Rhine and Danube rivers. In 1200, Freiburg's population numbered approximately 6,000 people. At about that time, under the rule of Bertold V, the last duke of Zaehringen, the city began construction of its Freiburg Minster on the site of an older parish church.

 

At the end of the thirteenth century there was a feud between the citizens of Freiburg and their lord, Count Egino II of Freiburg. Egino II raised taxes and sought to limit the citizens' freedom, after which the locals used catapults to destroy the count's castle atop the Schlossberg (in English: "Castle Hill"), a hill that overlooks the city centre. The furious count called on his brother-in-law the Bishop of Strasbourg, Konradius von Lichtenberg, for help, who responded by marching with his army to Freiburg.

 

According to an old Freiburg legend, a butcher named Hauri stabbed the Bishop of Strasbourg to death. But it was a Pyrrhic victory, since henceforth the citizens of Freiburg had to pay an annual expiation of 300 marks in silver to the count of Freiburg until 1368. In that year the citizens were fed up with their lords, and the town purchased its independence from them. Freiburg turned itself over to the protection of the Habsburg dynasty, which allowed the city to retain a large measure of freedom.

 

The silver mines in the neighbourhood of Freiburg provided an important source of capital for the town and the silver even made Freiburg one of the richest cities in Europe. In 1377, the cities of Freiburg, Basel, Colmar, and Breisach entered into a monetary alliance known as the Rappenpfennig Collective. This alliance facilitated commerce among the cities and lasted until the end of the 16th century.

 

In 1457, Albrecht VI, Regent of Further Austria, established the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, one of Germany's oldest universities. In 1520, Freiburg decided not to take part in the Reformation and became an important centre for Catholicism on the Upper Rhine. Erasmus of Rotterdam moved here after Basel had accepted the Reformation. Being in need of finding a scapegoat for calamities such as the Black Plague, the city became a centre of witch-hunt in the 16th century.

 

The 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries were turbulent times for Freiburg: At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, Freiburg had 10,000 to 14,000 residents, but by its end only 2,000 remained. During this war and other conflicts, the city belonged at various times to the Austrians, the French, the Swedes, the Spaniards, and various members of the German Confederation.

 

Between 1648 and 1805, when the city was not under French occupation it was the administrative headquarters of Further Austria, the Habsburg territories in the southwest of Germany. In 1805, the city, together with the Breisgau and Ortenau areas, finally became part of Baden. In 1827, when the Archdiocese of Freiburg was founded, Freiburg became the seat of a Catholic archbishop.

 

During World War II, Freiburg was heavily bombed. In May 1940, aircraft of the German Luftwaffe mistakenly dropped approximately 60 bombs on Freiburg near the railway station, killing 57 people. And on 27th November 1944, a raid by more than 300 bombers of the RAF Bomber Command destroyed a large portion of the city centre, with the notable exception of the minster, which was only lightly damaged. However, after the war, the city was rebuilt judiciously on its medieval plan.

Essaouira), formerly known as Mogador, is a city in the western Morocca on the Atlantic coast. The modern name means "the little rampart", a reference to the fortress walls that still enclose part of the city. Essaouria has been described as " everybody's favourite Moroccan seaside town and it does not disappoint. Essaourira is 750 kilometres down the coast from Tangier Med. The medina is home to many small arts and crafts businesses, notably cabinet making and 'thuya' wood-carving (using roots of the Tetraclinis tree), both of which have been practised in Essaouira for centuries. Some of the wooden cabinets are particularly well crafted and are worth a look at for their craftsmanship. The beach and promenade are really nice with some lovely coffee shops and bars.

The southern end of the beach has camel rides and wind surfing. Nestled in the bay is the Ile de Mogador, a former prison that is now a bird sanctuary, it provided a spectacular backdrop against the setting sun in January.

We stayed in the town's only campsite and that was a real disappointment, there is an aire des services parking very near the beach and that may have been a better bet, both are a pleasant walk or cycle of 2.5 kilometres to the medina.

The medina is a wonderful experience, without the hard hassle of Marrakech and is an outstanding example of a fortified town of the mid-eighteenth century, surrounded by a wall Essaouira has played a major role over the centuries as an international trading seaport, linking Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa with Europe and the rest of the world. The town is also an example of a multicultural centre as proven by the coexistence, since its foundation, of diverse ethnic groups, such as the Amazighs, Arabs, Africans, and Europeans.. Known for a long time as the Port of Timbuktu, Essaouira became one of the major Atlantic commercial centres between Africa and Europe at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century.

Rugby school was the birthplace of rugby union, or simply rugby, a close-contact team sport that dates back to the first part of the 19th century. Running with the ball in hand is all there is to playing rugby. The most popular configuration of a game has two teams of 15 players each playing with an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular area known as a pitch. At each end of the pitch are H-shaped goalposts.

For more info on the project, click here

 

Informacije o nasoj akciji mozete procitati ovde

 

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world's most recent nation to become a republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolitan city.

 

Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known in English as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 6,096 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level.

 

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Gautam Buddha gave birth to the Buddhist tradition.

 

A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. In 2006, however, decade-long People's Revolution by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) along with several weeks of mass protests by all major political parties of Nepal culminated in a peace accord, and the ensuing elections for the constituent assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the abdication of the last Nepali monarch Gyanendra Shah and the establishment of a federal democratic republic in May 28, 2008. The first President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, was sworn in on 23 July 2008.

 

The word "Nepal" is believed by scholars to be derived from the word "Nepa:" which refers to the Newar Kingdom, the present day Kathmandu Valley. With Sanskritization, the Newar word Nepa became Nepal. The Newars of present day Nepal, refer to all the inhabitants of Kathmandu valley and its peripheries (called "Nepa:") before the advent of Shah dynasty.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal

Though not necessarily a common practice that gets practised.

Portrait of a swimmer taken in Dorset. Cold water swimming can improve blood pressure and fat levels in the blood when practised regularly by those in good general health.

 

©Kingsley Davis

Please do not use or reproduce this image on Websites/Blog or any other media without my explicit permission.

 

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Jallikattu also known as eru thazhuvuthal and manju virattu, is a traditional spectacle in which a Bos indicus bull, such as the Pulikulam breed,Kangayam breed is released into a crowd of people, and multiple human participants attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape. Participants hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop. In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull's horns.

 

Jallikattu is typically practised in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.

www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMD...

 

Site description The site is a National Park covering 36,000 ha of the High Atlas, including the highest mountain in Morocco, Jbel Toubkal (4,167 m). Located only 60 km south of the town of Marrakech, the dramatic mountain scenery attracts thousands of visitors each year, many of whom climb Jbel Toubkal or trek elsewhere in the park. The mountain summits are often only slightly above the level of their surrounding high plateaus, which are separated by deep valleys. The park extends from 1,000 m upwards and therefore encompasses a range of vegetation-types, from forest to alpine meadow. Forest only covers 15% of the park, and consists mainly of the oldest Quercus rotundifolia stands in the High Atlas and Juniperus thurifera. Along the valleys, irrigated agriculture is practised and most of the park is used for extensive livestock-grazing.

 

More than 95 breeding species have been recorded, among them nine species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome. Thirteen raptors are recorded, among them Gypaetus barbatus, which definitely bred in the park until 1980. The Parc National de Toubkal is one of only two areas in Morocco where Apus caffer has been recorded breeding, and also holds several species with quite localized distributions in Africa, such as Rhodopechys sanguinea and Eremophila alpestris.

 

Conservation issues The National Park was created by 'Arrête viziriel' on 19 January 1942. Despite its protected status, the park has been facing growing pressures since the 1960s. Poaching has wiped out some species and overgrazing has destroyed or degraded much of the natural vegetation. Tourism has mushroomed and led to erosion of footpaths—on some days 30-40 tourists may be found together at one time on the summit of Jbel Toubkal, in spite of the long and arduous trek required to reach it. To counter these threats and safeguard wildlife, in the 1950s AEFCS created a reserve for Ammotragus lervia adjacent to the park, and in 1994 enclosed an area of 1,000 ha for the reintroduction of Gazella cuvieri. Both these measures have resulted in the protection of areas of forest habitat which are important for breeding birds. In 1994, a management plan for the park was drawn up under the auspices of AEFCS. Further conservation measures required include the training of local guides; the protection of nest-sites of the rarer bird species, particularly raptors; maintenance of trails to prevent erosion; and the establishment of grazing enclosures to protect endemic plant species.

 

In the space above her, a young squirrel explored the branches and practised his balancing skills. Piper watched at close hand with fascination : )

One of the four forms of bullfighting praticed in the world but it differs from the other three by two features, first it is practised exclusevely with cows and not bulls, the other feature it shares with the Camargue races, is that there is no killing, or hurting of the animal, either during the race, or after.

www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMD...

 

Site description The site is a National Park covering 36,000 ha of the High Atlas, including the highest mountain in Morocco, Jbel Toubkal (4,167 m). Located only 60 km south of the town of Marrakech, the dramatic mountain scenery attracts thousands of visitors each year, many of whom climb Jbel Toubkal or trek elsewhere in the park. The mountain summits are often only slightly above the level of their surrounding high plateaus, which are separated by deep valleys. The park extends from 1,000 m upwards and therefore encompasses a range of vegetation-types, from forest to alpine meadow. Forest only covers 15% of the park, and consists mainly of the oldest Quercus rotundifolia stands in the High Atlas and Juniperus thurifera. Along the valleys, irrigated agriculture is practised and most of the park is used for extensive livestock-grazing.

 

More than 95 breeding species have been recorded, among them nine species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome. Thirteen raptors are recorded, among them Gypaetus barbatus, which definitely bred in the park until 1980. The Parc National de Toubkal is one of only two areas in Morocco where Apus caffer has been recorded breeding, and also holds several species with quite localized distributions in Africa, such as Rhodopechys sanguinea and Eremophila alpestris.

 

Conservation issues The National Park was created by 'Arrête viziriel' on 19 January 1942. Despite its protected status, the park has been facing growing pressures since the 1960s. Poaching has wiped out some species and overgrazing has destroyed or degraded much of the natural vegetation. Tourism has mushroomed and led to erosion of footpaths—on some days 30-40 tourists may be found together at one time on the summit of Jbel Toubkal, in spite of the long and arduous trek required to reach it. To counter these threats and safeguard wildlife, in the 1950s AEFCS created a reserve for Ammotragus lervia adjacent to the park, and in 1994 enclosed an area of 1,000 ha for the reintroduction of Gazella cuvieri. Both these measures have resulted in the protection of areas of forest habitat which are important for breeding birds. In 1994, a management plan for the park was drawn up under the auspices of AEFCS. Further conservation measures required include the training of local guides; the protection of nest-sites of the rarer bird species, particularly raptors; maintenance of trails to prevent erosion; and the establishment of grazing enclosures to protect endemic plant species.

 

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”

― William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

 

Its my birthday!!! I want to start a tradition where I create a self portrait that reflects how I feel at this point in my life; creating a character that embodies everything I have learnt in this past year, and who I want to be this next coming year.

 

The past year has been filled with many amazing accomplishments: Leaving education, going onto work full time and taking further steps to building my photography business and my audience (who I love so much!!). I have gotten to meet sooo many passionate and inspiring people that warmed my heart with each encounter! I commited to a weekly project I titled the 'fairytale-a-week' project, learning to create consistently every week, with a final image, done collaboratively with other creatives, as well as a video behind the scenes! I learnt so much from this and it helped me grow in confidence and excitement to create! I have gotten to shoot weddings which has been a blast! And I have been able to live. Its such an underated idea as we are doing it all the time, but how often to we really think "wow....Life!" I love them moments where I just feel infinite and life seems so bright, getting to do what I love, limitlessly! So thank you to everyone that has helped make that so this year- family, friends (both new and the classics!) and anyone that has shown love to me in their own ways, I am truly so grateful.

 

This year has also had some loss be an unwelcomed party guest. Loosing a family friend, who we will always hold heavy in our hearts for. As well as leaving my first relationship. These losses taught me what it means to select what life means to you, owning the hurt and turning it into something beautiful that can inspire and bring hope to those who need it (one of my favourite reasons for creating; seeing someone say thank you for my creating of an image or connecting to my words, is one of the greatest achievements I think I could ever acclaim.) I will continue to create hope in the form of magical imagery to harness the pain. I grew a new style filled with embracing darkness, married with my interpretation of beauty, and a car load of flowers! I have loved homing in on what I truly love to create, and have enjoyed every adventure of running onto blooming roundabouts with lorries honking at us, to driving 2 hours to an abandoned manor, to every sunset shoot where I ran out of the house with a crown, hot air ballon, pillow stuffing, my new wooden step ladder, oversized clothes and my camera- worrying a few people on the way! To everything in between!! Each failed moment of not getting the image right or things not coming into place has been absolutely worth it, as the memories I now can cherish from shooting in strangers gardens, to lighting smoke bombs in public places will always stay close and true to me- helping me remember where I have come from, and where I am to go!

 

I believe in the power of kindness, and using that power we harness to bring life to others that feel whiltered- growing the beauty that is hidden by darkness. I want to try and be kinder and put that out in the world.

 

This image was created with my favourite flowers, little gypsophila's, placed in a crown I bought this year with a lovely friend. I used new editing techniques (as well as the ones I have been doing since the very beginning, like using a square format.) I have practised using lightroom which I just got! So this is my first fine art image using lightroom properly with presets and everything! As well as using eyelash glue to stick little gypsophilas to my face and body, thinking more about the little details I can capture in camera- I think this year I have come to love the way I look more, embracing each little part of my body that holds unique value. You can see my heart shaped scar on my cheek, the scars on my arms and hands from when I was working so hard, acting as a reminder to continue in that same mindset, and the lines that have began to form on my skin that I chose not to remove, but instead embrace and love, for they show the days filled with endless laughter, and the moments where I felt, moved and grew. Acting as a reminder of where I have come from, marking this time in my life forever.

 

So thank you to everyone who made this year so special and memorable. I hold you all so close in my heart. I feel like I am ready to go forwards in this new year, not necessarily setting any specific targets, but with the hope that I can just continue in the way I am, and see where I can go and what opportunities may come my way, I just hope to those who made it this far, that you're able to come on this journey with me, and find infinite hope together!

 

Thomas Oscar Miles, Aged 20.

French postcard by Les Films de Mon Oncle, Paris. Jacques Tati in Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967).

 

French actor, comedian and film director Jacques Tati (1907-1982) was best known as the taciturn, gesticulating, maladjusted Monsieur Hulot, stumbling through the contemporary, mechanised world. He began as a mime in music halls. In his career of 50 years, Tati made only six feature-length and four short films in which he always starred himself. All his films came about after years of meticulous work. The influence of his sophisticated slapstick comedies on international cinema is considerable. In 1958, he received an Oscar for Mon oncle.

 

Jacques Tati was born Jacques Tatischeff in 1907 in Le Pecq, 19 km west of the centre of Paris. He was the son of a Dutch mother and the Russian military attaché at the Russian embassy in Paris. At 18, he entered military service and from the age of 20, he was active as a professional rugby player. Later, he made a living as a pantomime player. He was in variety theatre, where he performed several comic mime acts. Here he learnt the art of the comic movement and gained inspiration for his later films. His comic acts, based on various sports, were a success in the theatre. He made his screen debut in a series of short featurettes, tailored to show off his practised gags, notably Oscar, champion de tennis/Oscar, tennis champion (Jack Forrester, 1932) and Soigne ton gauche/Watch Your Left (René Clément, 1936), a very funny boxing sketch. The Second World War, military service and inherent strictures resulting from the German occupation put a temporary halt to his career. Then, in 1946, through a friend, the writer-director Claude Autant-Lara, Jacques obtained a small role in the whimsical fantasy Sylvie et le fantôme/Sylvie and the Ghost (Claude Autant-Lara, 1946), about a girl (Odette Joyeux) in love with a ghost (Tati). The small township of Sainte-Sévère, where Tati had taken refuge during the occupation, served as inspiration for his first film, the short L'école des facteurs/School for Postmen (Jacques Tati, 1947), in which Tati plays the character of François, a bumbling hyperactive postman. The film was so successful that Tati was offered the chance to make his first feature-length film, starring that same character. Jour de fête (Jacques Tati, 1949) shows a postman in a rural village, Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre, which is isolated and deprived compared to the rest of the modern world. But even the peaceful village does not escape modernity: on the day of the French national holiday on 14 July, a film is shown for the first time, and it is about the efficiency of the US postal service. In this film, postman François (played by Tati himself) sees how his colleagues in the United States deliver their mail by car and even by plane. François does everything by bike and now decides to drive his bike as fast as a car. The result is a whole series of stunts, which Tati himself performed on the bicycle. Jour de fête became a success.

 

Jacques Tati then made the classic Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Jacques Tati, 1953). In this film, Tati played the character of Monsieur Hulot for the first time. Tati took the name of the character from the architect Hulot who lived in the same apartment building as himself. Hulot arrives in a rickety 1924 Amilcar. I.S. Mowis at IMDb: "Tall and reedy, clad in a poplin coat, wearing a crumpled hat, striped socks, trousers which are patently too short, rolled umbrella, a pipe firmly clenched between his teeth and perambulating with an odd stiff-legged gait, Hulot cuts an ungainly, yet hilarious figure. Well-meaning though he is, he invariably leaves disaster in his wake and departs the scene quickly as things go wrong, letting others sort out the mess." Monsieur Hulot would become one of the icons of comic cinematography. Style features of Tati are silent, small jokes hidden in a scene. These scenes are almost always filmed in total shots, keeping the camera and thus the audience at a distance. This makes the films like observations of people's behaviour. Tati shows the viewer an absurd, satirical mirror in which the viewer can recognise his own behaviour, from everyday life. Another feature that made Tati differ from other slapstick actors was his use of sound. In Tati's films, the sound is as important as the image; many strange sound effects, such as footsteps, creaking and squeaking doors and clinking glass, enhance the effect of the jokes. In 1958, Tati made Mon Oncle (Jacques Tati, 1958), a comedy that was awarded the Oscar for best foreign film. This film also sees Tati as Monsieur Hulot. Tati criticises today's modern society in the film. According to Tati, technology, decadence and greed started playing an increasing role in our society. Real human values such as individuality, sociability, helpfulness and exercise are lost as a result. Crowds are central to all of Tati's films, but there is always a character who refuses to adapt, but eventually dissolves into the masses. This individual, played by Tati himself, fights (often unconsciously) against modernity. He understands nothing about machines and this often results in hilarious failures, in which modern technology is destroyed by human nature. The film juxtaposes the good old days with modern technology. Nostalgia clashes with the unimaginative, decadent, massive and impersonal world of modern times.

 

Jacques Tati then started working on an extremely expensive film, Playtime (Jacques Tati, 1967), a kind of Sci-Fi comedy in which the world was completely turned into a very large city. Lacking suitable filming locations, Tati had an entire full-scale futuristic city (Tativille) recreated in Joinville-le-Pont. The shooting took almost four years. It was shot on the expensive 70 mm format and the most extraordinary filming techniques were used. Tati experimented with colour and used a very recognisable soundtrack in his films, which is repeated again and again throughout the film. When Playtime was released in 1967, critics' reactions were divided. In France, the film was reasonably successful, but nothing came of the intended American success: the film was not even released there. The picture's total budget had been $3 million and left Tati bankrupt. Tati was now unemployed: no one wanted to invest money in his films. Only in 1972 did he return to the big screen, in the film Trafic (Jacques Tati, 1972), a satire of modern man's love of cars, partly shot in the Netherlands and co-directed by Dutch cinematographer Bert Haanstra. This film was not a success either. Tati then made the television film Parade (Jacques Tati, 1974), a comedy about circus life, for Swedish television. Creditors impounded Tati's films, which were not re-released until 1977, when a canny Parisian distributor expunged his outstanding debts. Jacques Tati died of cancer in 1982 in Paris at the age of 75. Since 1944, he had been married to Micheline Winter with whom he had two children. In 2010, L'Illusionniste was released, a full-length animated film by Sylvain Chomet, based on a script by Tati. The main character in this film, an old, disillusioned magician named Tatischeff, is a cartoon version of Monsieur Hulot. The idea to release Tati's script as a cartoon came from Tati's daughter who did not want another actor to imitate her father. In the film, the protagonist walks into a cinema where Mon Oncle is currently being played. The film is not so much comic as melodramatic and builds on Tati's ideas about alienation and the demise of old trades.

 

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch) and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

This seemingly gravity defying shot isn't some fake levitiation Photoshop image but a shot taken during the recent #Nikon100 London #Nikonmeetups Action Photography workshop with Tom Miles ( www.tmphoto.co.uk/ ) and three parkour experts.

 

Having been selected as one of 100 photographers to take part in the Nikon Centenary celebrations the day involved five seperate themed shoots around different locations in London. All in all it was a superbly organised event and I captured a wide variety of shots.

 

Click here to see my other shots from the days workshops : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157686756184653

 

From Wikipedia : "Parkour (French pronunciation: ​[paʁkuʁ]) is a training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from one point to another in a complex environment, without assistive equipment and in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Parkour includes running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and other movements as deemed most suitable for the situation. Parkour's development from military training gives it some aspects of a non-combative martial art.

 

Parkour is an activity that can be practised alone or with others and is usually—but not exclusively—carried out in urban spaces. Parkour involves seeing one's environment in a new way, and imagining the potential for navigating it by movement around, across, through, over and under its features.

 

Parkour was developed in France, primarily by Raymond Belle, and further by his son David and the latter's group of friends, the self-styled Yamakasi, during the late 1980s. The discipline was popularised in the late 1990s and 2000s through films, documentaries, and advertisements featuring the Yamakasi."

 

My Website : Twitter : Facebook : Instagram : Photocrowd

 

© D.Godliman

Plaza de Toros de Santamaria, Bogota, Colombia

 

Bullfighting or tauromachy (from Greek ταυρομαχία - tauromachia, "bull-fight"), is a traditional spectacle of Spain, Portugal, some cities in southern France, and several Latin American countries, in which one or more live bulls are ritually killed as a public spectacle. A nonlethal variant stemming from Portuguese influence is practised on the Tanzanian island of Pemba[1].

 

The tradition, as it is practiced today, involves professional toreros (toureiros in Portuguese; also referred to as toreadors in English), who execute various formal moves with the intent, during various phases of the fight, of distracting, angering, or causing injury to the bull itself. Such maneuvers are performed at close range, and can result in injury or even death of the performer. The bullfight usually concludes with the death of the bull by a sword thrust. In Portugal the finale consists of a tradition called the pega, where men (forcados) try to grab and hold the bull by its horns when it runs at them. Forcados are dressed in a traditional costume of damask or velvet, with long knit hats as worn by the campinos (bull headers) from Ribatejo.

 

Bullfighting generates heated controversy in many areas of the world, including Mexico, Ecuador, Spain, and Portugal. Supporters of bullfighting argue that it is a culturally important tradition, while animal rights groups argue that it is a blood sport because of the suffering of the bull and horses during the bullfight.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullfighting

The cemetery was established in the 1840s by a small group of German Lutheran missionaries who, in 1838, had founded Queensland's first free settlement, at Zion's Hill above Kedron Brook.

 

Only one death had been recorded at the German Station by 1845, but several children died the following year, and the cemetery is indicated on an 1846 sketch by missionary Carl Gerler.

 

Certainly the site had been established as a graveyard before James Warner first surveyed it as a cemetery reserve in 1862. None of the wooden crosses marking the earliest graves has survived, but the oldest headstone dates to March 1855.

 

Although the German Station mission was wound down between 1844 and 1850, several of the missionary families remained in the area. From amongst these settlers the first trustees of the German Station Cemetery were appointed in 1866. Various trustees administered the cemetery until 1930, when the Brisbane City Council took control.

 

In 1914 a small shelter pavilion was erected at the cemetery. It was designed by architect John Henry Burley, who practised in Brisbane from 1886 until 1936. The builder was J MacDonald, and the structure cost £175.

 

In 1963 the cemetery was closed.

 

A sexton resided in the cemetery grounds from at least the 1890s, but since 1975 one sexton based at Lutwyche has cared for the Bald Hills, Lutwyche and Nundah cemeteries. The Nundah sexton's house has been demolished.

 

In 1982 the Nundah Historic Cemetery Preservation Association was formed to help tend and restore the site.

 

Source: Queensland Heritage Register.

www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMD...

 

Site description The site is a National Park covering 36,000 ha of the High Atlas, including the highest mountain in Morocco, Jbel Toubkal (4,167 m). Located only 60 km south of the town of Marrakech, the dramatic mountain scenery attracts thousands of visitors each year, many of whom climb Jbel Toubkal or trek elsewhere in the park. The mountain summits are often only slightly above the level of their surrounding high plateaus, which are separated by deep valleys. The park extends from 1,000 m upwards and therefore encompasses a range of vegetation-types, from forest to alpine meadow. Forest only covers 15% of the park, and consists mainly of the oldest Quercus rotundifolia stands in the High Atlas and Juniperus thurifera. Along the valleys, irrigated agriculture is practised and most of the park is used for extensive livestock-grazing.

 

More than 95 breeding species have been recorded, among them nine species of the Mediterranean North Africa biome. Thirteen raptors are recorded, among them Gypaetus barbatus, which definitely bred in the park until 1980. The Parc National de Toubkal is one of only two areas in Morocco where Apus caffer has been recorded breeding, and also holds several species with quite localized distributions in Africa, such as Rhodopechys sanguinea and Eremophila alpestris.

 

Conservation issues The National Park was created by 'Arrête viziriel' on 19 January 1942. Despite its protected status, the park has been facing growing pressures since the 1960s. Poaching has wiped out some species and overgrazing has destroyed or degraded much of the natural vegetation. Tourism has mushroomed and led to erosion of footpaths—on some days 30-40 tourists may be found together at one time on the summit of Jbel Toubkal, in spite of the long and arduous trek required to reach it. To counter these threats and safeguard wildlife, in the 1950s AEFCS created a reserve for Ammotragus lervia adjacent to the park, and in 1994 enclosed an area of 1,000 ha for the reintroduction of Gazella cuvieri. Both these measures have resulted in the protection of areas of forest habitat which are important for breeding birds. In 1994, a management plan for the park was drawn up under the auspices of AEFCS. Further conservation measures required include the training of local guides; the protection of nest-sites of the rarer bird species, particularly raptors; maintenance of trails to prevent erosion; and the establishment of grazing enclosures to protect endemic plant species.

  

You may view more of my images of Ickworth House, Park and gardens, by clicking "here" !

 

Please do not insert images, of group invite, thank you!

 

Ickworth Park. With over 1,800 acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown, the house and its grounds were created as an homage to Italy, the country so beloved by Frederick Augustus Hervey, the 4th Earl of Bristol. The Earl-Bishop spent his life travelling the continent, gathering together a vast collection of paintings, sculpture and artefacts. Already possessed of several houses, he conceived Ickworth primarily as a museum for his treasures. At his death only the Rotunda - the giant circular structure at the centre of the two wings, described by Hervey's wife as 'a stupendous moment of Folly' - was nearing completion. The house was eventually finished by his son. Although Hervey's treasures, confiscated during the French invasion of Italy, were destined never to occupy Ickworth, his descendants made it their life's work to rebuild what has become an exceptional collection of art and silver. Paintings housed in the galleries include works by Velázquez, Titian and Poussin, while the collection of 18th-century portraits of the family is exceptionally fine, featuring canvases by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Vigée-Lebrun and Hogarth. In addition to one of the very best British collections of Georgian Huguenot silver, Ickworth is also home to an impressive array of Regency furniture, porcelain, and domestic objects. More made a career of producing idealised Italian landscapes. His Landscape with Classical Figures, Cicero at his Villa, painted in 1780 and funded in 1993, is a typical work, the misty soft-focus and pastel light adding to its appeal. Hugh Douglas Hamilton's The Earl Bishop of Bristol and Derry Seated before the Prospect of Rome shows Hervey seated at what is thought to be the southern tip of the Borghese Gardens.

Ickworth's parklands and gardens can provide a day's activity in their own right. The south gardens are modelled on the formal Italian style, while the gardens to the west of the house are more informal. Visitors can walk or cycle out into the park itself and up to the Fairy Lake. Bright and modern, The West Wing Restaurant overlooks the gardens and can be guaranteed to catch any sunlight on offer. It serves everything from hot meals to snacks, and at weekends the restaurant is open for breakfast. If you're after something rather more formal, try Frederick's restaurant at Ickworth Hotel in the grounds.

  

The sheep is a quadrupedal, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe (/juː/), an intact male as a ram or occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a younger sheep as a lamb. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleece, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science. Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production. Sheepraising has a large lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region and dialect. Use of the word sheep began in Middle English as a derivation of the Old English word scēap; it is both the singular and plural name for the animal. A group of sheep is called a flock, herd or mob. Many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age. Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and find representation in much modern language and symbology. As livestock, sheep are most often associated with pastoral, Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many mythologies—such as the Golden Fleece—and major religions, especially the Abrahamic traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as sacrificial animals. Domestic sheep are relatively small ruminants, usually with a crimped hair called wool and often with horns forming a lateral spiral. Domestic sheep differ from their wild relatives and ancestors in several respects, having become uniquely neotenic as a result of selective breeding by humans. A few primitive breeds of sheep retain some of the characteristics of their wild cousins, such as short tails. Depending on breed, domestic sheep may have no horns at all, or horns in both sexes, or in males only. Most horned breeds have a single pair, but a few breeds may have several. Another trait unique to domestic sheep as compared to wild ovines is their wide variation in color. Wild sheep are largely variations of brown hues, and variation within species is extremely limited. Colors of domestic sheep range from pure white to dark chocolate brown and even spotted or piebald. Selection for easily dyeable white fleeces began early in sheep domestication, and as white wool is a dominant trait it spread quickly. However, colored sheep do appear in many modern breeds, and may even appear as a recessive trait in white flocks. While white wool is desirable for large commercial markets, there is a niche market for colored fleeces, mostly for handspinning. The nature of the fleece varies widely among the breeds, from dense and highly crimped, to long and hairlike. There is variation of wool type and quality even among members of the same flock, so wool classing is a step in the commercial processing of the fibre. Depending on breed, sheep show a range of heights and weights. Their rate of growth and mature weight is a heritable trait that is often selected for in breeding. Ewes typically weigh between 45 and 100 kilograms (99 and 220 lb), and rams between 45 and 160 kilograms (99 and 353 lb). When all deciduous teeth have erupted, the sheep has 20 teeth. Mature sheep have 32 teeth. As with other ruminants, the front teeth in the lower jaw bite against a hard, toothless pad in the upper jaw. These are used to pick off vegetation, then the rear teeth grind it before it is swallowed. There are eight lower front teeth in ruminants, but there is some disagreement as to whether these are eight incisors, or six incisors and two incisor-shaped canines. There is a large diastema between the incisors and the molars. For the first few years of life it is possible to calculate the age of sheep from their front teeth, as a pair of milk teeth is replaced by larger adult teeth each year, the full set of eight adult front teeth being complete at about four years of age. The front teeth are then gradually lost as sheep age, making it harder for them to feed and hindering the health and productivity of the animal. For this reason, domestic sheep on normal pasture begin to slowly decline from four years on, and the average life expectancy of a sheep is 10 to 12 years, though some sheep may live as long as 20 years. Sheep have good hearing, and are sensitive to noise when being handled. Sheep have horizontal slit-shaped pupils, possessing excellent peripheral vision; with visual fields of approximately 270° to 320°, sheep can see behind themselves without turning their heads. Many breeds have only short hair on the face, and some have facial wool (if any) confined to the poll and or the area of the mandibular angle; the wide angles of peripheral vision apply to these breeds. A few breeds tend to have considerable wool on the face; for some individuals of these breeds, peripheral vision may be greatly reduced by "wool blindness", unless recently shorn about the face. Sheep have poor depth perception; shadows and dips in the ground may cause sheep to baulk. In general, sheep have a tendency to move out of the dark and into well lit areas, and prefer to move uphill when disturbed. Sheep also have an excellent sense of smell, and, like all species of their genus, have scent glands just in front of the eyes, and interdigitally on the feet. The purpose of these glands is uncertain, but those on the face may be used in breeding behaviors. The foot glands might also be related to reproduction, but alternative reasons, such as secretion of a waste product or a scent marker to help lost sheep find their flock, have also been proposed.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Course landaise, Estang, Gers, France.

Course landaise is one of the four forms of bullfighting praticed in the world but it differs from the other three by two features, first it is practised exclusevely with cows and not bulls, the other feature it shares with the Camargue races, is that there is no killing, or hurting of the animal, either during the race, or after.

Zu Schloss Biesdorf, dessen bekannteste Bewohner die Familie Siemens war, gehörte ein großes Landgut, das sich unterhalb des erhöht gelegenen Schlosses befand. 'Dort wurde nicht nur Landwirtschaft betrieben, sondern dort gab es am Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts auch die erste drhbare Luftschiffhalle zu Lande, wo Siemens Luftschiffe testete. Diese musste nach dem 1. Weltkrieg gemäß den Bestimmungen des Versailler Vertrags abgerissen werden, weshalb man keine Spuren davon mehr sieht. In den 1950-er Jahren wurde die landwirtschaftliche Nutzung aufgegeben. Jetzt nähert sich auf dem einstigen Gutsgelände ein neues Wohngebiet mit 515 Wohnungen, genannt "Gut Alt-Biesdorf", seiner Vollendung. Gesellschaftliches Zentrum der Anlage soll der historische Kuhstall werden, der zur Zeit noch restauriert wird. Auch die beiden noch erhaltenen anderen Gutsgebäude sollen restauriert werden und neue Funktionen erhalten.

 

Biesdorf Manor, whose best-known residents were the Siemens family, included a large estate located below the elevated castle. Not only was agriculture practised there, but at the beginning of the 20th century there was also the first revolving airship hangar on land, where Siemens tested airships. This had to be demolished after World War I in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles, which is why you can no longer see any traces of it. In the 1950s, agricultural use was abandoned. Now a new residential area with 515 flats is nearing completion on the former estate grounds, called "Old Biesdorf Estate". The social centre of the complex is to be the historic cowshed, which is currently still being restored. The two other remaining estate buildings are also to be restored and given new functions.

  

🇬🇧 The school battalions

 

The republicans who undertook the reform of state schools in 1880 were deeply affected by the defeat of 1870. For those who had embodied national defence against the Prussian armies, the democratic and patriotic figure of the citizen-soldier represented an ideal and a hope. As a result, pre-military instruction was added to intellectual and moral training for boys at local schools.

 

The first school battalions appeared in 1882. They consisted of at least two hundred boys over the age of twelve, armed with wooden rifles. But in many schools, pupils practised handling weapons without forming a battalion, because the conditions to be met were restrictive and costly.

 

Municipalities saw the school battalion, equipped with a uniform and a flag, as a demonstration of republicanism. Opponents of the Republic considered these parades to be regrettable childish masquerades.

For the military, such instruction was of little interest: pupils, most of whom left school at thirteen, had forgotten everything by the time they entered military service. The popularity of battalions was therefore short-lived, especially as the republicans were not unanimous. Military exercises soon gave way to a new activity: gymnastics.

 

🇩🇪 Die Schulbataillone

 

Die Republikaner, die 1880 mit der Reform der öffentlichen Schule begannen, waren von der Niederlage von 1870 tief geprägt. Für diejenigen, die die nationale Verteidigung gegen die preußischen Armeen verkörperten, stellte die demokratische und patriotische Figur des Bürgersoldaten ein Ideal und eine Hoffnung dar. So kommt es, dass in der Gemeindeschule für Jungen neben der intellektuellen und moralischen Ausbildung auch die vormilitärische Ausbildung hinzukommt.

Die ersten Schulbataillone entstanden 1882. Sie umfassen mindestens 200 Jungen über 12 Jahre, die mit Holzgewehren bewaffnet sind. In vielen Schulen übten sich die Schüler jedoch im Umgang mit Waffen, ohne ein Bataillon zu gründen, da die zu erfüllenden Bedingungen einengend und kostspielig waren.

Das Schulbataillon am 14. Juli mit Uniform und Fahne aufmarschieren zu lassen, ist für die Gemeinden eine Demonstration des Republikanismus. Die gleichen Paraden werden von den Gegnern der Republik als bedauerliche kindische Maskeraden angesehen.

 

🇪🇸Los batallones escolares

 

Los republicanos que emprendieron la reforma de las escuelas públicas en 1880 estaban profundamente afectados por la derrota de 1870. Para quienes habían encarnado la defensa nacional frente a los ejércitos prusianos, la figura democrática y patriótica del ciudadano-soldado representaba un ideal y una esperanza. En consecuencia, a la formación intelectual y moral de los muchachos en las escuelas locales se añadió la instrucción premilitar.

 

Los primeros batallones escolares aparecieron en 1882. Estaban formados por al menos doscientos chicos mayores de doce años, armados con rifles de madera. Pero en muchas escuelas, los alumnos practicaban el manejo de las armas sin formar un batallón, porque las condiciones que debían cumplir eran restrictivas y costosas.

Los municipios veían en el batallón escolar, equipado con uniforme y bandera, una demostración de republicanismo. Los opositores a la República consideraban estos desfiles como lamentables mascaradas infantiles.

Para los militares, esta instrucción tenía poco interés: los alumnos, que en su mayoría abandonaban la escuela a los trece años, lo habían olvidado todo cuando entraban en el servicio militar. Así pues, la popularidad de los batallones duró poco, sobre todo porque los republicanos no eran unánimes. Los ejercicios militares pronto dieron paso a una nueva actividad: la gimnasia.

 

🇮🇹 I battaglioni scolastici

 

I repubblicani che intrapresero la riforma delle scuole pubbliche nel 1880 furono profondamente colpiti dalla sconfitta del 1870. Per coloro che avevano incarnato la difesa nazionale contro le armate prussiane, la figura democratica e patriottica del cittadino-soldato rappresentava un ideale e una speranza. Di conseguenza, alla formazione intellettuale e morale dei ragazzi nelle scuole locali si aggiunse l'istruzione premilitare.

 

I primi battaglioni scolastici apparvero nel 1882. Erano composti da almeno duecento ragazzi di età superiore ai dodici anni, armati di fucili di legno. Ma in molte scuole gli alunni si esercitavano a maneggiare le armi senza formare un battaglione, perché le condizioni da soddisfare erano restrittive e costose.

 

Le municipalità consideravano il battaglione scolastico, dotato di uniforme e bandiera, come una dimostrazione di repubblicanesimo. Gli oppositori della Repubblica consideravano queste parate come deplorevoli mascherate infantili.

Per i militari, questo tipo di istruzione era di scarso interesse: gli allievi, la maggior parte dei quali lasciava la scuola a tredici anni, avevano già dimenticato tutto quando entravano nel servizio militare. La popolarità dei battaglioni fu quindi di breve durata, soprattutto perché i repubblicani non erano unanimi. Le esercitazioni militari lasciarono presto il posto a una nuova attività: la ginnastica.

 

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L’Antiga Farmàcia “Hippodrates” - Casa d’Antoniadi, Plòvdiv, Bulgària.

Музейна аптека "Хипократ", Пловдив.

 

ENGLISH

The house was built in 1872 by Dr. Sotir Antoniadi, one of the first people with medical degree in Plovdiv.

Nowadays, it features the Old pharmacy shop Hippocrates and the Museum of Pharmacy, which are unique for Bulgaria. Here you can have insight of the way medicine and pharmacy were practised during the Bulgarian Revival period, up to the beginning of the 20th century – a period when all the medications and pills used to be made of natural ingredients.

A lot of tools and medical equipment, manufactured mainly in Vienna and Berlin, are displayed inside.

The original book with recipes by the healer St. John of Rila still keeps the memory of the century-old art of making remedies.

 

CATALÀ

La casa va ser construïda el 1872 pel Dr Sotir Antoniadi, una de les primeres persones amb un grau mèdic a Plòvdiv.

Avui en dia, compta amb l'antiga botiga de farmàcia Hipòcrates i el Museu de Farmàcia, únics a Bulgària. Aquí podeu conèixer la manera en què es feien els medicament durant el període de Revival búlgar, fins a principis del segle XX. Període en què tots els medicaments i pastilles solien estar fets d'ingredients naturals.

Moltes eines i equips mèdics, fabricats principalment a Viena i Berlín, es mostren a l'interior.

El llibre original amb receptes del sanador Sant Joan de Rila encara conserva la memòria de l'art centenari de fer remeis.

  

The Highland Clearances (Scottish Gaelic: Fuadach nan Gàidheal, the "eviction of the Gael") was the forced displacement during the 18th and 19th centuries of a significant number of people from traditional land tenancies in the Scottish Highlands, where they had practised small-scale agriculture. It resulted from enclosures of common lands and a change from farming to sheep raising, an agricultural revolution largely carried out by hereditary aristocratic landowners. The Clearances were a complex series of events occurring over a period of more than a hundred years. A Highland Clearance has been defined as "an enforced simultaneous eviction of all families living in a given area such as an entire glen".

 

The Clearances are particularly notorious as a result of the brutality of many evictions at short notice (year-by-year tenants had almost no protection under Scots law), and the abruptness of the change from the traditional clan system, in which reciprocal obligations between the population and their leaders were well recognised. The cumulative effect of the Clearances, and the large-scale "voluntary" emigrations over the same period, devastated the cultural landscape of Scotland in a way that did not happen in other areas of Britain; the effect of the Clearances was to destroy much of the Gaelic culture.

 

The Clearances resulted in significant emigration of Highlanders to the coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and further afield to North America and Australasia. In the early 21st century, more descendants of Highlanders are found in these diaspora destinations than in Scotland.