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.

A long time ago.

This area has been inhabited a long time and you can see Neolithic monuments close by. Later it became a place of danger. It could be cut off for weeks at a time in winter and unsavoury folks would hole up to evade the law. Forgery (Coinage) was practised.

It has a pretty good folklore too. There are peat bogs and deep pools, a lost traveller could disappear. Tales of bloodthirsty mermaids, ghosts and Bogarts abound.

The rocks are Carboniferous Millstone Grit.

Gannet - Morus Bassanus

Gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to 2 metres (6.6 ft). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand.

Gannets hunt fish by diving into the sea from a height and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this:

no external nostrils, they are located inside the mouth instead;

air sacs in the face and chest under the skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;

positioning of the eyes far enough forward on the face for binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.

Gannets can dive from a height of 30 metres (98 ft), achieving speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds.

The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to "gannet" becoming a description of somebody with a voracious appetite.

Gannets are colonial breeders on islands and coasts, normally laying one chalky, blue egg. Gannets lack brood patches and they use their webbed feet to warm the eggs. It takes five years for gannets to reach maturity. First-year birds are completely black, and subsequent sub-adult plumages show increasing amounts of white.

The most important nesting ground for northern gannets is the United Kingdom with about two thirds of the world's population. These live mainly in Scotland, including the Shetland Isles. The rest of the world's population is divided between Canada, Ireland, Faroe Islands and Iceland, with small numbers in France (they are often seen in the Bay of Biscay), the Channel Islands, Norway and a single colony in Germany on Heligoland. The biggest northern gannet colony is on Scotland's Bass Rock; in 2014, this colony contained some 75,000 pairs. Sulasgeir off the coast of the Isle of Lewis, St. Kilda, Grassholm in Pembrokeshire, Bempton Cliffs in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Sceilig Bheag, Ireland and Bonaventure Island, Quebec are also important northern gannet breeding sites.

Young gannets were historically used as a food source, a tradition still practised in Ness, Scotland, where they are called "guga". Like examples of continued traditional whale harvesting, the modern day hunting of gannet chicks results in great controversies as to whether it should continue to be afforded "exemption from the ordinary protection afforded to sea birds in UK and EU law". The Ness hunt is currently limited to 2,000 chicks per year, and dates back at least to the Iron Age. The hunt is considered to be sustainable, as between 1902 and 2003 Gannet numbers in Scotland increased dramatically from 30,000 to 180,000.

Population:

UK breeding:

220,000 nests

Le palais de la Porte-Dorée, construit à l'occasion de l'Exposition coloniale internationale de 1931, est un édifice situé à la porte Dorée. Il abrite aujourd’hui le musée national de l'histoire de l'immigration et l’aquarium du palais de la Porte-Dorée. Ce bâtiment de 17 000 m² est considéré comme un joyau de l'Art déco.

Le palais de la Porte-Dorée a été construit en l'espace de 18 mois pour l'Exposition coloniale internationale de 1931 par l'architecte français Albert Laprade, dans le style du mouvement Art déco qui prit son essor durant les années 1920. Il réalise pour l’événement une synthèse architecturale. La façade monumentale et l’imposant péristyle évoquent l’architecture des temples grecs mais aussi le classicisme français, à l’instar de la colonnade du Louvre. Les lignes géométriques et épurées du bâtiment sont typiques du mouvement Art déco, tout comme une grande partie du décor et du mobilier du monument. Le palais n’est donc pas dominé par un unique style architectural et se présente plutôt comme une synthèse de différents styles. À cet égard, il se distinguait d’ailleurs des autres pavillons de l’Exposition coloniale.

Le bâtiment de 17 000 m2 témoigne de la double inspiration de son auteur : sa silhouette parfaitement symétrique, sa façade austère sont d'inspiration très classique alors que sa technique d'éclairage zénithal s'inspire de l’architecture du Maroc, où Albert Laprade a exercé. La façade est ornée d'un bas-relief dû à Alfred Janniot, qui veut illustrer la richesse des colonies.

The Palais de la Porte-Dorée, built for the 1931 International Colonial Exhibition, is a building located at the Porte Dorée. It now houses the National Museum of the History of Immigration and the Palais de la Porte-Dorée Aquarium. This 17,000 m² building is considered a jewel of Art Deco.

The Palais de la Porte-Dorée was built in 18 months for the 1931 International Colonial Exhibition by the French architect Albert Laprade, in the style of the Art Deco movement that took off in the 1920s. He created an architectural synthesis for the event. The monumental façade and the imposing peristyle evoke the architecture of Greek temples but also French classicism, like the colonnade of the Louvre. The building's geometric and pure lines are typical of the Art Deco movement, as is much of the monument's décor and furniture. The palace is therefore not dominated by a single architectural style, but rather is a synthesis of different styles. In this respect, it was different from the other pavilions of the Colonial Exhibition.

The 17,000 m2 building bears witness to the dual inspiration of its author: its perfectly symmetrical silhouette and austere façade are very classically inspired, while its zenithal lighting technique is inspired by the architecture of Morocco, where Albert Laprade practised. The façade is decorated with a bas-relief by Alfred Janniot, who wanted to illustrate the wealth of the colonies.

Pumping foil, du surf sans vent, sans vagues, sans rames, juste avec l‘énergie du corps

Le pumping foil se pratique sur une planche équipée d’un foil et c’est tout ! Seule l’ondulation du foil dans l’eau permet de garder de la vitesse et donc de la hauteur. C’est une activité technique et très physique qui se pratique de préférence sur eau plate, depuis un ponton.

Pumping foil, surfing without wind, without waves, without oars, just with your body's energy.

Pumping foil is practised on a board equipped with a foil and that's it! Only the undulation of the foil in the water maintains speed and height. It's a technical and very physical activity, best practised on flat water from a pontoons.

Pump Foil, Surfen ohne Wind, ohne Wellen, ohne Paddel, nur mit der Energie des Körpers.

Beim Foil-Pumping fährt man auf einem Brett mit einem Foil und das war's! Nur durch die Wellenbewegung des Foils im Wasser bleibt die Geschwindigkeit und damit die Höhe erhalten. Es handelt sich um eine technische und sehr körperliche Aktivität, die am besten auf flachem Wasser von einem Steg aus ausgeübt wird

That Kriya-yoga (should be practised) for bringing about Samadhi and minimising the Klesas. (afflictions)

Yoga Suttra 2 of book II by Patanjali

day 3

Yesterday, the extremely gifted jazz pianist Thomas practised the complete volume of Pischna's 50 exercises three times -

in all (!) keys!

Afterwards he presented himself very proudly - understandably ...

This also helped him to overcome his longing for his beloved brother Jampa;

nevertheless, they will meet again as soon as possible ...

That will be a joy!

Réserve autochtone de Mingan

Côte-Nord | Duplessis

Les Innus ou Montagnais sont un peuple autochtone originaire de l’est de la péninsule du Labrador, plus précisément des régions québécoises de la Côte-Nord et du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean ainsi que de la région du Labrador (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador).

Le terme « Innu » provient de leur langue, l’innu-aimun, et signifie « être humain ». Ce nom fut officiellement adopté en 1990 remplaçant le terme « Montagnais » donné par les premiers explorateurs français. Les Innus désignent leur territoire ancestral sous le nom de Nitassinan. Source

=======================================

© Guylaine Bégin. L'utilisation sans ma permission est illégale.

=======================================

Aboriginal Reserve Mingan

North Shore | Duplessis

The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan (“Our Land”), which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador. Their population in 2003 includes about 18,000 people, of which 15,000 live in Quebec and under 3000 in Labrador.

Their ancestors were known to have lived on these lands as hunter-gatherers for several thousand years, living in tents made of animal skins. Their subsistence activities were historically centred on hunting and trapping caribou, moose, deer and small game. Some coastal clans also practised agriculture, fished, and managed maple sugarbush. Source

=======================================

© Guylaine Bégin. Use without permission is illegal.

=======================================

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.

I looked through my window to see mama deer in my yard with her young one and curiously watched how she navigated her way across my barnyard. With just a look she told her baby to wait in the bush until she made it across safely. Meanwhile, she kept glancing back nervously at my door almost as if tippy toeing with practised stealth, once there, at her mother's cue the young one darted across and they touched noses. I guess the grass must be greener in my arena. It seemed as if they used the same technique as two soldiers in a war zone especially now since hunting season is upon them. They walk freely but always on guard for their life.

“To go safely through the world, you must have the eye of a falcon, the ear of an ass, the face of an ape, the mouth of a pig, the shoulders of a camel, and the legs of a deer.”

As the traction engines drove into Camborne for the Trevithick Day celebrations, I practised slow panning shots to try and get the driver and controls into sharp separation. This was the best I could get, 1/80sec, it's almost there....

Please view full screen.....

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.

Lincoln's Inn Chapel

In the heart of Legal London, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city outside, stands the historic chapel of Lincoln's Inn, surrounded by a mix of historic buildings going back to at least the 15th century. The Lincoln's Inn Chapel dates to 1623 and was designed by Inigo Jones.

HISTORY

The origins of Lincoln's Inn are lost in the mists of time, but we do know that it was in existence long before the first written records occurred in 1422. It is possible that the name 'Lincoln's Inn' refers to Henry de Lacy, the 3rd Earl of Lincoln (d. 1311). The Earl owned property in this area of London and may have been one of the Inn's earliest patrons.

We know that there was a Chapel at Lincoln's Inn in 1580 when the Inn's 'Benchers' purchased the freehold of the property from the Bishop of Chichester. A Bencher is a member of the Council, the body responsible for administering the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn

By the early 17th century that chapel was proving too small and in need of replacement. Architect Inigo Jones, best-known for his design of the Queen's House in Greenwich, was called in to design the new building. Work started in 1620 and was complete by 1623. The chapel was repaired in 1685 with input from another famous English architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

Much of the chapel was rebuilt in 1797, and there was a major refurbishment in 1883. More repairs were needed in 1915 when a Zeppelin bomb fell in neighbouring Old Square and blew out the glass of two windows. The lesson was learned, and when WWII broke out all the chapel's glass was removed and put in storage for the duration of the war. You can see pockmarks caused by wartime damage on the north wall and the undercroft.

THE UNDERCROFT

The chapel is elevated onto the first floor and supported by a vaulted undercroft at ground level. Because it is at ground level the undercroft is open to the outside air, and pedestrians pass directly through the undercroft as they navigate Lincoln's Inn.

The undercroft is a frequent meeting place for the Benchers, and has even been a recreation area in the past. It has also served as a crypt; a burial place for the Benchers. Not only Benchers were buried there; sometimes servants or other members of the Society.

In the 18th century the undercroft was used by poor mothers to leave newborn babies they were unable to care for. The foundlings were usually cared for by the Inn and were all given the surname Lincoln.

THE CHAPEL BELL

The Chapel boasts a bell that forms an important part of Lincoln's Inn tradition. The bell is said to have been cast in 1596, though this seems unlikely. According to an ancient tradition, the bell wound sound the curfew at 9:00 pm each night, with a stroke added for every year of the serving Treasurer's age. The bell is also rung between 12:30 and 13:00 to mark the passing of a Bencher.

THE PAINTED GLASS

One of the highlights of the Chapel interior are the six richly coloured painted glass windows, designed by the Van Linge brothers. These are not 'stained' glass windows, but painted glass, where vitreous enamels were painted onto clear glass to create a design which was then fired.

Abraham and Bernard van Linge were natives of East Frisia who worked in Paris. They fled France in 1621 during a period of religious intolerance and found a new home in London. The brothers painted glass designs are featured in several Oxford colleges, including Lincoln College, Christ Church College, and the reading room at the Bodleian Library.There are three Van Linge windows on each side of the chapel. Those on the south side depict the Chapel and the Hall of Lincoln's Inn with figures representing the Treasurer and the City of London accepting the keys to the Chapel in 1623.

The large east window depicts heraldic coats of arms of the Treasurers of Lincoln's Inn, beginning in 1689.

THE PERCEVAL MEMORIAL

Another thing to look for is a memorial plaque commemorating Spencer Perceval (1762-1812), the only British Prime Minister to be assassinated. Perceval was educated at Lincoln's Inn and practised as a barrister before becoming a King's Counsel. The then turned to politics where he experienced a meteoric rise as a follower of William Pitt the Younger.

Perceval served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons before becoming Prime Minister in 1809. He was killed by a merchant named John Bellingham who had been imprisoned unfairly in Russia and had his claims for compensation ignored by the government.

The Chapel is used for musical performances as well as church services. It is normally open daylight hours to visitors and is the only one of Lincoln's Inn's building to be open (visitors are always welcome to walk through the Inn).

GETTING THERE

There are two ways into Lincoln's Inn; through the historic medieval gatehouse on Chancery Lane and from the picturesque set of gates facing Lincoln's Inn Fields on Serle Street. The nearest underground is Chancery Lane.

From the station follow Holborn west to Chancery Lane, turn left and you will find the gatehouse across the road on your right after one block. Go through the gatehouse and follow the obvious sign for Old Square. Turn right and you will find yourself at the Chapel. From the underground station to the Chapel is a very easy walk taking no more than 5-7 minutes.

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.

I find Roses and Daffodils really hard flowers to photograph, unless you do a real Macro image of a Rose and create drama with the petals or a real close up which I often see done so wonderfully and successfully by fellow photographers, I feel I can't deliver an image that gives that 'wow' factor so I practised on this Rose the other day, just taking a few images without doing a Macro shot.

The light was beautiful and this Rose was sticking out of someones front fence. I think this is best image I have taken of a Rose that's not a Macro of the petals, just simply the Rose. I think it all depends on the light, composition and angle of the Rose at the time.

Anyway I hope you like it, thank you for visiting my Photo Stream have a wonderful evening Flickr Folk ~ KissThePixel2019

Image taken with Helios 44M-4 58mm f2 Vintage Lens on the Nikon DF

the Cygnets have practised very hardly :)

My Website | My 500px | My Facebook

Awful weather, but one of the views from the balcony of the ATC tower at RAF Cottesmore nine years ago today, as Joint Force Harrier practised for the 16-ship formation that would ultimately never grace Cottesmore at all :-(

COUGAR1 & 2 get airborne.

Beautiful Catholic baroque church in Vienna, which is unfortunately in the hands of the notorious far-right institution Opus Dei. The piety practised in this church is quite repulsive.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterskirche,_Vienna

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_Dei

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.

It was raining today so I called into Winchester Cathedral to dry out and take some photos. As I wandered I was accompanied by the angelic sound of the Choir as they practised, their voices reached every nook and cranny. Despite it being a dull day outside, this beautiful old building was vibrant and alive with colour and cheer..

There are several little nooks and crannies in the village of Orlingbury in the north of Northamptonshire, and they are invariably named after the trades that used to be practised there many years ago. Pictured is Carpenters Yard. From the research I've done it seems that back in the 19th century and beyond, most villages seemed to have residents who - between them - practised virtually all the various different trades so that the village effectively became self-contained without the need for people to travel very far.

At the end of the year we tend to reflect on the last twelve months and we often judge ourselves harshly for things that have gone wrong.

Forgiveness of ourselves is often way down our list. Society pressurises us to be perfect. We want to live up to the expectations others place upon us and if we fail we feel negatively towards ourselves.

I know I've been far from perfect this year and I know that I "should have, could have, ought to have" done this or that but this year has been hard and I've been the best I can be. That is all I can do and for that I must accept who I am and what my limitations are.

Forgiving myself encourages positive attributes which if practised often enough makes me a kinder person. It helps me to help others and be more forgiving of others. So, at the end of this year I urge you to show yourself grace, patience be the best you can be.

Happy New Year to you all and thank you to those special people who have guided me through 2022.

My favourite shot from our trip to Bempton. Northern Gannets mate for life and you can see their devotion every time they return to the nest site. I read that this behaviour is known as "Billing" it is practised by the birds to reaffirm their bonds after meeting again at their nest site after a winter away. I love the birds facial markings and their devotion to each other.

Exhausted. Finally, I settled on a bench in the middle of a room filled with touring abstract pieces, letting the energy of the art surround me.

As I sat, strangers glanced my way, some curious, others smiling. I smiled, at first uncomfortably, but then practised my confidence, thinking to myself, that today, it wasn’t just the collection on display. It seemed to be me—my look, my energy, my presence. I often wondered about this: Are we a display, life as art? In moments like this, I can see the answer is yes. Every choice, every step, every moment is a brushstroke on the canvas of existence. That's when a security guard approached and asked me not to sit on the sculpture.

Play ڿڰۣ-ღ

The Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła, Kraków.

The monastic order of the Cistercians was first founded in Citeaux in France in 1098, and it was brought to its full bloom by the activities of St. Bernard (1090-1153) from Clairvaux.

In 1222 the Cistercians were brought to Mogiła near Kraków by the Bishop of Cracow, Iwo Odrowąż. They built the church under the invocation of the Assumption of the Holy Mother and St. Vaclav, and the monastery. The church was consecrated in 1266 by the Bishop of Cracow Jan Prandota in the presence of Prince Boleslaus the Chaste, and his wife Cunegunda (St. Kinga of Poland).

The Cistercian monks from Mogiła brought the surrounding area into cultivation. They dried the flood waters and swamps, they used the waters of the Dłubnia river to set the water-mills and the fulling-mills going.

The pride of the abbey was the library and the scriptorium. Wall paintings and miniature paintings were practised here.

In the Middle Ages the monastery was known as Clara Tumba, ‘Clear Tomb’ in Latin, after the ancient barrow (which is, according to a legend, a burial mound of Wanda, daughter of Prince Krak) situated less than a mile to the east. Also the Polish name of the abbey and the adjoining village, Mogiła, translates as ‘tomb’. Today Mogiła is a part of Nowa Huta, the district of Kraków.

Since the 15th century the church in Mogiła was also an important pilgrimage destination. The sculpture of the Crucified Jesus, which was placed in the church, soon became famous for good graces and miracles. Many pilgrims were attracted to Mogiła to the feet of the Miracolous Christ, among them bishops, cardinals, kings and sovereigns such as Casimirus the Great, Ladislaus II Jogaila or St. Jadwiga Queen of Poland, but above all, the pious country folk, who came by the thousand throughout the years.

The church dates back to the 13th century. One of the first brick buildings in Lesser Poland province, it was an interesting mixture of Romanesque and Gothic features. The baroque frontal part and facade have been added in 1780, together with the vault of the nave. The present church interior reveals austerity typical for early Cistercian architecture. It is manifest in the chancel closed with a plain wall and a pair of ‘twin’ chapels on the right. The Gothic features of the interior include the main altarpiece of 1514 in the chancel and the 15th-century crucifix in a chapel on the left behind an iron grille of 1650. The Renaissance art is represented by Stanislaw Samostrzelnik’s outstanding frescos in the right-hand transept and one of the ‘twin’ chapels as well as the painting of circa 1530 on the forward wall of the chancel. The rest of the decor mostly dates to the Baroque of the 18th century.

The monastery has adjoined the Church to the south since the 13th century. The oldest parts of the present quadrilateral structure are the 13th-century cellars of the west wing and ground floor of the east wing. Ground floors of the west and the south wings date back to the 14th century together with the Gothic refectory and cloister.

Apart from the core church and monastery the abbey’s compound consists of assorted buildings that date from various periods. The architecture doesn’t represent clear-cut styles as subsequent alterations have left their mark over past centuries. Most prominent structures are the basilica, monastery around a Gothic cloister, and the Renaissance abbot’s mansion of 1569.

These stone formation, by the side of the lake are called Stupas, made by men as practised in Tibetan culture.....

The lake formed by melting glacier ice, is at an altitude of 14000ft above sea level, surrounded by glacier mountains on all sides...

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.

There is a long history of fishing from Dungeness. Up to the 1960s, boats on Dungeness were spaced out and opposite dwellings between the Pilot and the Cabin/Spion Cop. Bait digging, shrimping and fishing with nets for herring, mackerel and sprats were all practised. Pre-war, catches were dragged across the shingle in wooden boxes on runners made from wooden barrel staves. For some time pre-war, miniature guage rail tracks were installed on the beach from each boat to join a common track running between Spion Cop and the Pilot along the line of the present road. These were removed when the road was completed in 1938.

Canon EOS 20D; 03/06/2009; 1/400 at f/4; ISO 200; white balance: Auto; focal length: 24 mm

Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.

Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms[1] and covers 720,000 square metres (7,800,000 square feet). The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture,[2] and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987,[2] and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now located in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.

The common English name, "the Forbidden City," is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng (Chinese: 紫禁城; pinyin: Zǐjinchéng; literally "Purple Forbidden City"). Another English name of similar origin is "Forbidden Palace".[3]

The name "Zijin Cheng" is a name with significance on many levels. Zi, or "Purple", refers to the North Star, which in ancient China was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Ziwei Enclosure (Chinese: 紫微垣; pinyin: Zǐwēiyuán), was the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family. The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart. Jin, or "Forbidden", referred to the fact that no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. Cheng means a walled city.[4]

Today, the site is most commonly known in Chinese as Gùgōng (故宫), which means the "Former Palace."[5] The museum which is based in these buildings is known as the "Palace Museum" (Chinese: 故宫博物院; pinyin: Gùgōng Bówùyùan).

The Forbidden City is the world's largest surviving palace complex and covers 72 ha. It is a rectangle 961 metres (3,150 ft) from north to south and 753 metres (2,470 ft) from east to west. It consists of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms.[1] The Forbidden City was designed to be the centre of the ancient, walled city of Beijing. It is enclosed in a larger, walled area called the Imperial City. The Imperial City is, in turn, enclosed by the Inner City; to its south lies the Outer City.

The Forbidden City remains important in the civic scheme of Beijing. The central north-south axis remains the central axis of Beijing. This axis extends to the south through Tiananmen gate to Tiananmen Square, the ceremonial centre of the People's Republic of China. To the north, it extends through the Bell and Drum Towers to Yongdingmen.[29] This axis is not exactly aligned north-south, but is tilted by slightly more than two degrees. Researchers now believe that the axis was designed in the Yuan Dynasty to be aligned with Xanadu, the other capital of their empire.[30]

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Brief Description

Seat of supreme power for over five centuries (1416-1911), the Forbidden City in Beijing, with its landscaped gardens and many buildings (whose nearly 10,000 rooms contain furniture and works of art), constitutes a priceless testimony to Chinese civilization during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang consists of 114 buildings constructed between 1625–26 and 1783. It contains an important library and testifies to the foundation of the last dynasty that ruled China, before it expanded its power to the centre of the country and moved the capital to Beijing. This palace then became auxiliary to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. This remarkable architectural edifice offers important historical testimony to the history of the Qing Dynasty and to the cultural traditions of the Manchu and other tribes in the north of China.

Justification for Inscription World Heritage

Criterion (i): The Imperial Palaces represent masterpieces in the development of imperial palace architecture in China.

Criterion (ii): The architecture of the Imperial Palace complexes, particularly in Shenyang, exhibits an important interchange of influences of traditional architecture and Chinese palace architecture particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Criterion (iii): The Imperial Palaces bear exceptional testimony to Chinese civilisation at the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, being true reserves of landscapes, architecture, furnishings and objects of art, as well as carrying exceptional evidence to the living traditions and the customs of Shamanism practised by the Manchu people for centuries.

Criterion (iv): The Imperial Palaces provide outstanding examples of the greatest palatial architectural ensembles in China. They illustrate the grandeur of the imperial institution from the Qing Dynasty to the earlier Ming and Yuan dynasties, as well as Manchu traditions, and present evidence on the evolution of this architecture in the 17th and 18th centuries.

La première femme chef de cuadrilla de l’histoire de la course landaise.

The first female cuadrilla leader in the history of Landes racing.

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. 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.

The dancer in the female costume is the same actor-dancer from my previous upload.Here he plays the part of a demoness who, in the guise of a beautiful woman, tries to seduce the hero ( a God) who has captured her fancy.

In the background you can see the vocalist who accompanied the performance.

Taking these shots sitting in the audience and without flash or stand was not easy but I tried my best.:-)

Kathakali is a traditional form of Indian classical dance and one of the oldest theatre forms still practised.It is a "story game" genre of art , distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditionally male actor-dancers.It is native to and almost entirely practised by the people of Kerala, the state at the south-western tip of India.

The roots of Kathakali can be traced back to at least the 1st millenium CE.

The term Kathakali is derived from the words "katha" meaning story or conversation and "kali" which means performance or play.The traditional themes are folk stories,religious legends and ideas from the Hindu epics and Puranas.Like all classical dances of India, a Kathakali performance synthesizes music, vocalists, choreography and hand and facial gestures which express ideas and emotions.

A Kathakali repertoire is an operatic performance involving actor-dancers in the front supported by musicians and vocalists.Typically all roles (even the female ones) are played by male actor-dancers.

Traditionally a kathakali performance is long ,starting at dusk and continuing through dawn with breaks for the artists. Modern performances are shorter. The stage is mostly bare with only a few drama related items.The front of the stage is adorned with a huge brass lamp (kalivilakku) with its thick wick sunk in coconut oil.When there was no electricity this lamp provided the light for the night performances when the actor-dancers would gather around it.

Of all the classical dances, Kathakali has the most elaborate make-up and costumes consisting of head dresses, vividly painted faces and masks.It typically takes hours to prepare a kathakali troupe for a play.

The make-up follows an accepted code that helps the audience identify with the characters.The colours which are made from natural ingredients are used denote different characters.For eg.The colour Pacha (green) with brillint coral lips potrays a noble character ,Thaadi (red) denotes an evil streak, Kari (black) is the code for forest dwellers, hunters, demons etc.

The actors speak a sign language where the word part of the dialogues is expressed through hand gestures ( mudras) while emotions and moods are expressed through facial and eye movements.

Source :- Wikipedia

Sources: goo.gl/QNCXcR

This is a family photograph of one of my earliest birthday parties. I am centre stage wearing the family “birthday box” and playing with my present, a mirror, (apparently the first one I had ever seen). This is all taking place in my grandfather’s garden. He had just nailed a fish to the fence, (for entertainment); dressed up two of my friends as ghosts, to frighten me. As was customary at family birthday parties my grandfather was dressed as one of the lost tribesmen of Tierra del Fuego. A tradition still practised in my family. As always at these events a good time was had by all!

best practised indoors at first

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Pho:

Wat Pho, also spelled Wat Po, is a Buddhist temple complex in the Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Rattanakosin Island, directly south of the Grand Palace. Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Rajwaramahawihan. The more commonly known name, Wat Pho, is a contraction of its older name, Wat Photaram.

The temple is first on the list of six temples in Thailand classed as the highest grade of the first-class royal temples. It is associated with King Rama I who rebuilt the temple complex on an earlier temple site. It became his main temple and is where some of his ashes are enshrined. The temple was later expanded and extensively renovated by Rama III. The temple complex houses the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, including a 46 m long reclining Buddha. The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, and the marble illustrations and inscriptions placed in the temple for public instructions has been recognized by UNESCO in its Memory of the World Programme. It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practised at the temple.

During this lockdown my cherry tree has come with beautiful blossom I've practised many different shots here one of my photos. Happy Easter and stay safe

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.

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.

From the Institute's Website...

The Institute was built in the 1860s by public subscription at a cost of £257 2s 7d, to provide a venue for residents (in practice men – though the constitution did not exclude women) to meet. Many Swaledale villages had such institutes originally built to provide adult self-education opportunities. Its historic importance and iconic design has been recognised in its Grade 2 Listed status.

The upstairs room had, for many years, an important educational function with a library of books and a daily newspaper—hence the name of the building. Membership was by subscription. Over time its role has changed. It continued to have a social role, with the installation of a billiards table and darts board. Muker Silver Band, which was formed in 1897, had originally practised in a small room elsewhere in Muker, but its growth in the 1920s led to it using the lower room for practice. This room was also used by a bank for visiting services until the mid-sixties. It was also, for a short time, the base for IT services providing remote access to key services.

The growth of other opportunities for social and educational activities in the Dale led to the decline of the main upstairs room as a social venue. So, about twenty years ago, it was decided to turn this upper room into Muker Silver Band’s permanent base where they store their instruments and music and practise twice a week.

The ground floor room continues to be used for occasional meetings, including Muker Parish Council and Muker Show committee. It also houses a small free exhibition of historic photos of Muker and videos about the iconic barns and a display of artefacts illustrating aspects of the history of Muker with background music by Muker Silver Band and is open most days in the summer months to visitors.

The snow is hammering it down. We skied a little this morning on lots of very soft powder. I just practised on the easy slopes. Then we came back and played in or around base.

I had time to play with snapseed on the iPad

So for the 365 and 17/215 for fun.

The first permanent settlement in Iceland by Norsemen is believed to have been established at Reykjavík by Ingólfur Arnarson from Norway around AD 870; this is described in Landnámabók, or the Book of Settlement. Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have decided the location of his settlement using a traditional Norse method; he cast his high seat pillars (Öndvegissúlur) into the ocean when he saw the coastline, then settled where the pillars came to shore. Steam from hot springs in the region is said to have inspired Reykjavík's name, which loosely translates to Smoke Cove (the city is sometimes referred to as Bay of Smoke or Smoky Bay in English language travel guides).[10][11] The original name was Reykjarvík with an additional "r" that had vanished around 1800.[12]

Reykjavík is not mentioned in any medieval sources except as being covered by farmland, but the 18th century saw the beginning of urban concentration. The Danish rulers of Iceland backed the idea of domestic industry in Iceland that would stimulate much-needed development on the island.[citation needed] In 1752, the King of Denmark, Frederik V, donated the estate of Reykjavík to the Innréttingar Corporation; the name comes from the Danish language word indretninger, meaning institution. The leader of this movement was Skúli Magnússon (is). In the 1750s several houses were built to house the wool industry that was to be Reykjavík's most important employer for a few decades and the original reason for its existence. Other crafts were also practised by the Innréttingar, such as fisheries, sulphur mining, agriculture, and shipbuilding.[13]

The Danish Crown abolished monopoly trading in 1786 and granted six communities around the country an exclusive trading charter, Reykjavík was one of them and the only one to hold on to the charter permanently. The year 1786 is regarded as the date of the city's founding; its 200th anniversary was celebrated in 1986. Trading rights were still limited to the subjects of the Danish Crown, and Danish traders continued to dominate trade in Iceland. Over the following decades, their business in Iceland expanded. After 1880, free trade was expanded to all nationalities and the influence of Icelandic merchants started to grow.

At a guess there were something like two dozen of these swallows and house martins in the immediate locality, feeding at two layers. Some were skimming the tops of the unripe barley shown above, the others were much higher, those latter were the martins as far as I could tell. Those looked to be around mature deciduous tree top height, in the wind shadow of the tree line; presumably picking up flying insects from the trees whereas the swallows were mostly concentrating on flies or flying beetles rising from the barley field. But there were crossovers between the two groups. Or so it looked to me, but I'm no practised observer of these birds.

The musaharati is a public waker for suhur and dawn prayer during Ramadan. According to the history books, Bilal Ibn Rabah was the first musaharati in Islamic history, as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people up.

According to Abbas Qatish, who is considered Sidon's best musaharati, the attributes every musaharati should possess are physical fitness and good health, "because he is required to walk long distances every day. He should also have a loud voice and good lungs, as well as an ability to read poems. A musaharati should supplicate God throughout the night to wake the sleepers.

The tradition is practised in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan and Palestine. However, there has been a gradual disappearance of the musaharati due to several factors, including: Muslims staying up later; using technology such as alarm clocks to awake for suhur; and louder and larger homes and cities that make the voice of the musaharati harder to hear. However the old Dhakaiya tradition of singing qasidas can still be found in the streets of Old Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Similarly, in Indonesia and nearby countries, a slit drum known as a kentongan is used to wake households up to eat the suhur meal.

Sahūr or Suhūr, also called Sahrī or Sehri is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting (sawm), before dawn during or outside the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eaten before fajr prayer. Sahur is matched to iftar as the evening meal, during Ramadan, replacing the traditional three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) although in some places dinner is also consumed after iftar later during the night.

Being the last meal eaten by Muslims before fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, suhur is regarded by Islamic traditions as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast. According to a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, Anas ibn Malik narrated, "The Prophet said, 'take suhur as there is a blessing in it. Source Wikipedia.

TD : Agfapan 100 Professional 35mm film, developed in D-76 1+1 for 7 minutes. Exposure ISO 100 @35mm lens, natural daylight. Scanned with Alpha 6000 edited in ACR, inverted in CS6.

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.

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.

Myself and Karenoc11 practised our slow shutter speeds on

Tower Bridge very late at night. It started to rain but we didn't care!

Waving!!

OMG Made No 1 on Explore!!!

Jumping up and down!!!

;o)

Hovering around for a second or two while I practised my focus-tracking!...!...! And named "pellucid" (translucent) for the way light passes through the ivory-white band across its abdomen.

🔴 El Albaicín (o Albayzín) es el barrio más antiguo de Granada. Es un mundo aparte, hay historiadores que dicen que el nombre Albaicín solamente significa 'barrio en cuesta'. Sí lo visitas, comprobarás que es verdad.

Antes de que se construyera la Alhambra, el Albaicín ya era corte musulmana. El máximo momento de esplendor del Albaicín tuvo lugar durante la dinastía nazarí, cuando tenía una población de más de 40.000 habitantes y treinta mezquitas.

Tras la Conquista por los Reyes Católicos, el Albaicín se asignó a los musulmanes como lugar de residencia. Cuando los reyes expulsaron a todos los que practicaban la religión musulmana todas las mezquitas fueron demolidas. El barrio de mezquitas se convirtió en el barrio de las iglesias, y a principios del siglo XVII los moriscos (musulmanes que continuaron habitando en la península ibérica después de la Reconquista) abandonaron definitivamente sus casas en el Albaicín. Los cristianos ricos que vivían en la medina aprovecharon la oportunidad y vinieron a construir en ellas sus suntuosos cármenes.

🔵 The Albaicín (or Albayzín) is the oldest neighbourhood of Granada. It is a world apart, there are historians who say that the name Albaicín only means 'neighbourhood on a slope'. If you visit it, you will see that this is true.

Before the Alhambra was built, the Albaicín was already a Muslim court. The peak of the Albaicín's splendour was during the Nasrid dynasty, when it had a population of more than 40,000 inhabitants and thirty mosques.

After the Conquest by the Catholic Monarchs, the Albaicín was assigned to the Muslims as a place of residence. When the kings expelled all those who practised the Muslim religion, all the mosques were demolished. The mosque quarter became the church quarter, and at the beginning of the 17th century the Moors (Muslims who continued to inhabit the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquest) abandoned their homes in the Albaicín. The wealthy Christians who lived in the Medina area took advantage of the opportunity and came to build their sumptuous kármenes there.

☑You can see my Instagram profile here www.instagram.com/nor7992/

#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣#️⃣

#AmateurPhotographers

#elclubdefotografiacallejera

#elclubdelafotografiacallejera

#everybodystreet

#fotodeldia

#fromstreetwithlove

#globalfotografia_streets

#lacalleesnuestracolectivo

#live_is_street

#nikonphotographer

#ourstreets

#photodaily

#photoday

#photoftheday

#photographylover

#photographylovers

#photoofday

#photooftheday

#storyofthestreet

#streetartphotography

#streetphotography

#streetphotographymagazine

#streetphotographynow

#streetphotographyworldwide

#streets_storytelling

#luminarai

Excerpt from www.collingwood.ca/sites/default/files/docs/Economic-Deve...:

The Birches 1871 -1872

Architect: Richard Palin

227 Minnesota Street

This home was custom-designed by Richard Palin, an English-born civil engineer and co-owner of the Collingwood Tannery. Richard and his wife raised four children in the English-style farmhouse they called “The Birches.” One of their sons, Philip Coles Palin, became an architect who designed many of the town’s finer homes, as well as the Federal Building on Hurontario Street. The house changed hands many times until 1946 when it was sold to Dr. Douglas Harvie, a GP who practised medicine until 1973. His wife, Madeleine, was well known for her contributions to activities of the Red Cross and the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Gannet - Morus Bassanus

Bempton Cliffs

Juvenile

The gannets are large white birds with yellowish heads; black-tipped wings; and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, having a wingspan of up to 2 metres (6.6 ft). The other two species occur in the temperate seas around southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand.

Gannets hunt fish by diving into the sea from a height and pursuing their prey underwater. Gannets have a number of adaptations which enable them to do this:

no external nostrils, they are located inside the mouth instead;

air sacs in the face and chest under the skin which act like bubble wrapping, cushioning the impact with the water;

positioning of the eyes far enough forward on the face for binocular vision, allowing them to judge distances accurately.

Gannets can dive from a height of 30 metres (98 ft), achieving speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds.

The gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to gannet becoming a description of somebody with a voracious appetite.

Gannets are colonial breeders on islands and coasts, normally laying one chalky, blue egg. Gannets lack brood patches and they use their webbed feet to warm the eggs. It takes five years for gannets to reach maturity. First-year birds are completely black, and subsequent sub-adult plumages show increasing amounts of white.

The most important nesting ground for northern gannets is the United Kingdom with about two thirds of the world's population. These live mainly in Scotland, including the Shetland Isles. The rest of the world's population is divided between Canada, Ireland, Faroe Islands and Iceland, with small numbers in France (they are often seen in the Bay of Biscay), the Channel Islands, Norway and a single colony in Germany on Heligoland. The biggest northern gannet colony is on Scotland's Bass Rock; in 2014, this colony contained some 75,000 pairs. Sulasgeir off the coast of the Isle of Lewis, St. Kilda, Grassholm in Pembrokeshire, Bempton Cliffs in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Sceilig Bheag, Ireland and Bonaventure Island, Quebec are also important northern gannet breeding sites.

Young gannets were historically used as a food source, a tradition still practised in Ness, Scotland, where they are called guga. Like examples of continued traditional whale harvesting, the modern day hunting of gannet chicks results in great controversies as to whether it should continue to be afforded exemption from the ordinary protection afforded to sea birds in UK and EU law". The Ness hunt is currently limited to 2,000 chicks per year, and dates back at least to the Iron Age. The hunt is considered to be sustainable, as between 1902 and 2003 Gannet numbers in Scotland increased dramatically from 30,000 to 180,000.

Population:

UK breeding:

220,000 nests

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.