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Please receive my deep gratitude for sharing
your wonderful photographs
and for stopping by to appreciate mine.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas
and a Prosperous New Year :)
Please receive my deep gratitude for sharing
your wonderful photographs
and for stopping by to appreciate mine.
May you all have a very Merry Christmas
and a Prosperous New Year :)
MTA NYCT Subway Receives A Hybrid Locomotive By Sea And Rail. On the July 3, 2024, NYNJ Rail, New York & Atlantic Railway, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA NYCT Subway coordinated the delivery of Wabtec WAB6HYB/R-255 HL001 from Greenville, New Jersey to Brooklyn, New York. The locomotive was loaded on the NYNJ 200 barge and powered across New York Harbor by McAllister Towing's 'Bruce McAllister'. After arrival in New York, it was unloaded by NYNJ Rail. New York & Atlantic Railway's RS-90 then transported the loco to the interchange at MTA NYCT Subway's Linden Shops, where a Division C crew brought the locomotive on to the property.
Because this kind of locomotive is not designed to work with standard consists, it is shipped on a 90-foot flat car, and will be moved to the track by crane. The Wabtec WAB6HYB/R-255 is a 675hp hybrid work locomotive designed for the demands and clearances of the New York City Subway system. The diesel engine charges the batteries, which will allow the locomotive to operate for 8 hours. This will allow a new generation of locos to pull work trains through the subway with a much lower level of emissions. MTA NYCT Subway presently rosters 90 diesel engines that operate on non-revenue work trains, and is adding this 25 unit order of R-255s as well as the 10 R-77Es under conversion to R-257s by CAD Railway Industries to increase the size and flexibility of the fleet.
YouTube Video: youtu.be/-XD6k1tMbcs
Full resolution pics and prints: www.riverrailphoto.com/mtanyctsubwayhl001delivery
Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France.
Ribeauvillé en idioma francés y oficialmente, Rappschwihr en alsaciano, Rappoltsweiler en alemán, es una localidad y comuna francesa situada en el departamento de Alto Rin, en la región de Alsacia.
Sus habitantes reciben en francés el nombre de Ribeauvillois y Ribeauvilloises. Es uno de los centros de producción vinícolas de la llamada Ruta de los Vinos de Alsacia, situado al norte de la capital departamental Colmar y 75 km al sur de Estrasburgo.
Ribeauvillé está, en parte, bordeada por antiguas murallas. Cuenta con varias casas medievales pintorescas y dos iglesias antiguas, la de San Gregorio y la de San Agustín, que a su vez son construcciones góticas. El ayuntamiento contiene una valiosa colección de antigüedades. El Carolabad, un manantial salino de temperaturas cálidas que tuvo buena fama en la edad media, fue redescubierto en 1888, e hizo de Rappoltsweiler un balneario.
Cerca de la localidad están las ruinas de tres famosos castillos, Ulrichsburg, Girsberg y Hohrappoltstein, que antiguamente pertenecieron a los señores de Rappoltstein.
Ribeauvillé in French and officially, Rappschwihr in Alsatian, Rappoltsweiler in German, is a locality and French commune located in the department of Haut-Rhin, in the region of Alsace.
Its inhabitants receive in French the name Ribeauvillois and Ribeauvilloises. It is one of the wine production centers of the Alsace Wine Route, located north of the departmental capital Colmar and 75 km south of Strasbourg.
Ribeauvillé is, in part, bordered by old walls. It has several picturesque medieval houses and two ancient churches, the one of San Gregorio and the one of San Agustín, that at the same time are gothic constructions. The town hall contains a valuable collection of antiquities. The Carolabad, a saline spring of warm temperatures that had a good reputation in the middle ages, was rediscovered in 1888, and made Rappoltsweiler a seaside resort.
Near the locality are the ruins of three famous castles, Ulrichsburg, Girsberg and Hohrappoltstein, that formerly belonged to the gentlemen of Rappoltstein.
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Dungeness Lifeboat Station was the first to receive the RNLI Shannon class lifeboat. The Morrell was named on 31 May 2014 by HRH The Princess Royal. The station has a rich history. In 1940, the Dungeness lifeboat was one of 19 that took part in the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk in northern France. And through the 1950s the station was famous for its Lady Launchers - local women who helped haul the lifeboat down to the sea, and recover her.
King Triptolemus receives the grain & knowledge of agriculture from Demeter (left) & her daughter Persephone
Amphora [550-525] - RISD Museum
RISDM 25-083 v02
This is where I stopped to regain courage and calm my nerves before heading back to city traffic. After getting buzzed by a jet and a stray sniper bullet that day on the mountain, I needed some serious help from nature.
Shopping for Jeans should be a type of community service.
It’s worst of all when you have, in your youth, already owned the Holy Grail of jeans - a pair that made your bum look the best it could ever look and your legs as long as a foal’s. The jeans were legendary in your head, but the minute you bought them you were anxious. Anxious about what would happen in the future when those jeans wore out and you could find no pair to fit as beautifully around your derriere. Each wearing of them, although wondrous, was tinged with fear of the future, you couldn’t even enjoy the time you had with them, and instead you anticipated the immense loss.
“Wow, your arse looks incredible in those jeans!”
“Thank you, but make the most of it. When these wear out I will no longer have an incredible denim arse, it will all be over for me. You might want to take a photo, or make a rubbing.”
I think that this is how it must feel for beautiful women – at some point as a teenager, they realise they are beautiful from the reactions they get from scaffolders and their friends’ dads. From the moment they realise this though they are petrified of the day when their beautiful exterior wanes and they no longer receive such awestruck receptions.
My Holy Grail jeans were found in the basement of a really seedy second-hand Levis shop in Camden. I think I must have bought them on my very first visit to the shop, for I would never have gone back otherwise. The fear started there. From then onwards I would revisit Camden on a monthly basis to try to find a duplicate pair. Many pairs were bought, but none were quite as spectacular. They were 501s – it was the late 90’s – and they made one’s bum look wonderfully succulent. Two tightly confined buttocks, with a seam lodged suggestively right up in-between. A little crease under each cheek, highlighted the flesh, the meat, the living body, moving about in there. Walking behind a woman in well fitting 501s was hypnotic, like walking behind a racehorse, the undulating, swaying buttocks, muscular, powerful, inviting. Yes, horses arses are inviting - just ask flies.
And then fashion goes and ruins everything. The cut of jeans changes so regularly, that one minute your jeans are in, then they are so horrifically out that you must beg the charity shop to take them.
“Didn’t you see the sign? I’m afraid we don’t take anything with a high waist and a straight leg, goodness, even the rag man won’t take THOSE!”
Five years later they are back in again. Whenever I hear Passenger’s song ‘You let her go’ I think of my ex jeans. I am of the school of thought that once you find the cut that gives you the best possible arse and legs that your arse and legs are capable of then you should stick with it, regardless of fashion, because fashion gets led in strange directions by fickle, strangely proportioned people who have no bums, who therefore want everyone else to wear jeans that take away their bums too.
I foolishly thought that if I could find one pair of jeans that looked right, then there would, in the future be others, that my bum could move with the decades, but no, it was only ever really happy in that one pair of vintage 501s from the 90’s.
Nowadays I put off shopping for jeans for as long as possible. There is never a day when I feel strong enough. If I could afford one of those Vitamin IVs that millionaire businessmen have before long flights or marathon sex sessions with high-class hookers then I would have nine of those.
Each denim brand has about twenty different varieties of shape and cut, so for each brand you have to try on at least five styles (this during the first wave of trying on, and the waves are many because they only let you take six at a time to the fitting room), and then at least three different sizes in each of the five styles. Brands, cuts, styles and sizes, how many were going to St Ives’s?!
While you are trying on a mountain of denim you still have, in the back of your mind, the legendary jeans. Is this really the best I can expect my bum will look now? Do I have to accept no bum and comically tapered, stumpy legs? Surely someone somewhere makes the right cut for my crack? It’s incredible the difference the cut of jeans can make to your shape. Just a slight difference in waist height, pocket positioning, crotch depth can make you look horrendous or really horrendous. There are so many considerations that a mental ‘fit checklist’ is required when trying on each ‘jean’:
How would my bum look if I was standing with my legs together at a bar ordering martinis, and my date was sitting down looking at me from about ten metres away?
How would my bum look if I was being frisked by the police, at night, legs akimbo?
How would my legs look if I was riding a horse, side-saddle, wearing orthopaedic shoes?
What would happen to my tummy if I crouch down to rescue a bald fledgling that has fallen from its nest? Fleshy overhang?! Multiple creases like a roast belly of pork?
How would my arse look if I was walking through Paris in 9-inch heeled over-knee suede boots, an oversized camel jumper and walking a pair of haughty Borsoi?
How would my arse look if I was fighting off a mugger on a tube train? Or if I came out of a public toilet without realising I had toilet paper trailing from my foot?
How would they look if I was bending over and turning to look behind me in a mirror in a jeans shop?
My bloke always had his own very specific way of trying on clothing. He would stand in front of the mirror looking as though he was warming up for a run. He would shake his arms out, kick out each leg in turn, tweak his neck left and right, rotate his shoulders vigorously. Eventually he would actually go inside the changing room and put on the garment. When he emerged he would spend ten minutes fiddling with the cuffs and sleeves, buttoning his jacket right up to the neck. He was trying on trousers. Finally he would look in the mirror and stand in positions that I had NEVER seen him stand in, except in front of a mirror, in a shop. My favourite was the legs wide apart, leaning forward like Michael Jackson in the Smooth criminal video, arms about to grab two imaginary Smith and Wessons from an invisible holster stance. It looked as though he was letting some pee dribble down the inside of his leg and out of the bottom of the trousers without it touching the fabric. If he looked good in that position then he felt they were worth purchasing, makes sense now I think about it.
I have to go through all of my own position scenarios for each pair I try on. I get to the fitting room; the assistant opens the black lead-weighted x-ray curtain for me. I walk in. Where are the mirrors? Where is A mirror? Where is the light? In G Star Raw you have to come out onto the shop floor to look at yourself. In front of everyone in the store, and an irritated, disdainful assistant, you have to go through the above described ‘fit checklist’ – and you can still NEVER see your own arse properly. I have to do the ‘turning away from the mirror and suddenly looking back to catch my arse by surprise’ stance, over and over again. I never sweat as much as I do when trying clothes on - my whole face goes red and shiny (I lie, its almost constantly like that) my boob cleavage starts to drip (actually it does that too, quite often) the slimy backs of my knees cling to the denim (that is definitely only when I’m jeans shopping) It is one of the most arduous, self confidence annihilating activities, and you have to deal with your disappointment at the sight of your bottom in public.
“No NO! NO! I KNOW it has looked better than this. I KNOW how it SHOULD look, I once had the perfect fitting jeans, strangers said nice (but filthy) things to me in the street when I wore them. No-one would say a word to me in these horrors!! “
“Is it nothing to do with the fact that you are at least 15 years older now madam?”
“How DARE you?! My face has certainly wizened over time, but somehow I have maintained much of my arse turgidity. I put it down to continually clenched buttocks due to IBS.”
I have photos of me in my perfect arse jeans, but never a photo of me from behind – Why? Why? Why?! Idiot – that would be the picture I would take around to the shops and say “Have you got anything that can do THIS?” I would want that photo sitting on my casket at my funeral; I would show it to my grandchildren (before I’m in the casket) who would develop immediate respect for me.
“Oh Grandmamma, please will you read me the story about the girl with the perfect arse jeans?”
“Oh, alright then my darling. Once upon a time there was a girl who dearly wanted a pair of jeans that would make her arse look incredible. She set off one Saturday morning to the enchanted mall (just off the magic wishing M25) She tried on pair, after pair, after pair, but nothing was quite right.
The skinny jeans with stretch in them crept down her bum and left her with a saggy crotch - like a little girl’s tights. They flattened her pert little bottom and made it look like a suburban road-wide speed bump. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror she looked as though she had scopic hips, fat thighs and short, bowed legs. ‘If my hips were too narrow, I had emaciated thighs, a great shelf of an arse and knock knees then these jeans would be great. But I don’t!’ So she flung them out of the fitting room in a temper.
The boot cut jeans made her legs look long and athletic but she immediately felt as though she were a foreign exchange student, or an American country singer - she started to crave a rucksack to put on both shoulders and some cowboy boots. She pulled the jeans off before all of her style drained away out of the legs.
The low-waisted jeans were the pair that she was most hopeful about. The girl pulled on the jeans, they clung beautifully around her bum but in order to stay up they had to hug her hips so tightly that all of her flesh was pushed upwards where it squeezed out between the waistband of the jeans and the hem of her t-shirt like butter cream. She was not a chubby girl but as she bent over in the mirror she was horrified to see a vast slab of back flesh looking grey and clammy behind and several inches of stomach overhanging at the front. She stood up straight very quickly and removed the jeans with her eyes closed, whilst holding her breath.
When she pulled on the ‘boyfriend’ jeans (without even undoing the flies) she felt wonderfully skinny, her stomach looked as flat as a flat thing as it disappeared into the pubic-bone-skimming waistband. She was delighted to look so emaciated and knew that it was very good to get lots of air to one’s nether regions in the eternal battle against thrush, but her bum had entirely vanished and she could sense that the low crotch would start to chaff her inner thighs as she walked.
By this time she was tired and in a foul mood so she hurried home to shout at her boyfriend, that always cheered her up.
On Sunday the girl woke up with renewed vigour, having taken her bad Saturday out on her boyfriend, and went out shopping again, this time to the big City of Londinium where the streets were paved with chewing gum. But her search was just as futile, she tried on dozens more jeans and got so frustrated that she shouted at someone else’s boyfriend.
She was just about to give up and buy some jeggings when she stumbled upon a dingy little shop in the base of an old Oak tree in Camden. As she went downstairs, six foreign shop assistant squirrels asked her, one after the other, if she needed any help. She hadn’t even got down the stairs yet.
“I’m fine thanks, just browsing.”
The squirrels went back to hovering around the rails of jeans, nervously chewing on hazelnut husks.
The girl honed in on a rail of jeans that looked like her size, she skimmed through them and one pair stood out – they looked as though a very nice, toned bottom had already worn them in and enjoyed some very nice compliments whilst inside. She asked to try them on. The six squirrels squabbled over who would put the pair of jeans in the changing room for her. The six squirrels then waited outside anxiously. The girl slipped on the jeans, turned to look at her bum in the mirror, which glowed, and she felt as happy as any girl could feel. She bought the jeans (the squirrel with the longest, sharpest claws got the commission) and the girl left the oak tree feeling happy.
As soon as she got outside though she felt instant panic. ‘No jeans will ever be as good as these jeans.’ She thought. ‘I have found my perfect jeans, but I am so young, they cannot possibly last me til I die, what will I do when they wear out?!’ She tried to put these thoughts aside and she began to wear the jeans, though only on special occasions or hot dates. Whenever she wore them she felt as though her arse was a glowing beacon of pertness, she felt good, but scared of the inevitable day when the jeans would die.
Soon enough, when she wore the jeans she began to avoid sitting down, or leaning against anything, or walking too briskly, in case she wore out the denim too quickly. Eventually she became so fearful of the end of her perfect arse era that she decided not to go out at all. She couldn’t wear the jeans, and she wouldn’t go out in anything less flattering so she stayed at home, pleased to think that the only memory that would remain of her would be a few sightings when she had possessed what appeared to be the most perfect bottom in the world.
The girl grew old and died a recluse. One man who went to her funeral remembered that she had possessed the greatest arse he had ever seen, but no one else remembered anything about her. The jeans were bagged up and sent to a charity shop. They were bought by a shrunken old man who wanted some trousers to wear whilst digging his vegetable patch. He tried them on without even looking in the mirror. The other old geezers at the allotment thought that he had the best arse of anyone at the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd. When he eventually wore them out he dressed his scarecrow in them. Some weeks later his scarecrow was sexually assaulted and the jeans were bagged up and given to the police for forensic evidence.
The End.”
“Oh grandmamma, will I ever find the perfect pair of jeans?”
“But darling, don’t you see, the girl who found those jeans was not happy. Because of those jeans she felt that the only good thing about her was her arse, and only if it was in those jeans. She wasted her life and only one person remembered her by the end.”
“Yes but he thought she had the best arse in the world. That’s all I want.”
“Well you are a shallow little whore and let me tell you this young lady, I once had a splendid arse. But now, now it is wrinkled and droopy and old but it is still better than your arse will ever look because you have your father’s fat arse genes. So there. Now sleep tight you little Lolita whore, we can go and feed the ducks tomorrow.”
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (April 22, 2015) The Navy's unmanned X-47B receives fuel from an Omega K-707 tanker while operating in the Atlantic Test Ranges over the Chesapeake Bay. This test marked the first time an unmanned aircraft refueled in flight. (U.S. Navy photo/Released) 150422-N-CE233-457
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We receive lots of camera donations here at The FPP but every now and then there's something for The Gang! Thanks FPP listener Doug Golupski for the Tim Tams. Fist time "Black Forest" flavor!!!
I created Abstract: Loving Autumn
using Photoshop Elements 8.
Please receive my deep gratitude
for sharing your wonderful photographs
and for stopping by to appreciate mine.
2 Corinthians 13:14
" May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God, and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Alone With GOD - 3 Hour Peaceful Music
| Relaxation Music | Christian Meditation Music
|Prayer Musicyoutu.be/fOB73qRVGJs
Frodo receives The One Ring from Tolkien - Lord of The Rings
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A la mi-octobre, la situation de l’armée belge, qui tente de se maintenir sur le front de l’Yser, est critique. L’état-major va arrêter l’avance allemande en reprenant une tactique utilisée à plusieurs reprises dans la région : l’inondation de la plaine de l’Yser à partir de la "Patte d’oie" à Nieuport.
Située dans l’arrière-port, au début du chenal de l’Yser, et baptisée ainsi du fait de sa forme particulière, la "Patte d’oie" est un complexe d’écluses et de vannes qui régule la gestion de l’eau dans le bassin de l’Yser. Six voies d’eau convergent à cet endroit : trois canaux surélevés et endigués - dont l’Yser canalisé – fermés par des écluses et trois "vaartjes" (collecteurs non canalisés, situés au niveau des terres avoisinantes pour recevoir les eaux de ruissellement et drainer les terres basses des polders) commandés par des barrages et des vannes. La portion de terrain située entre deux canaux forme un wateringue dont le drainage est assuré par un collecteur.
Pour inonder la zone entre l’Yser et le talus de la ligne de chemin de fer Nieuport-Dixmude derrière lequel ils ont pris position, les Belges ont utilisé les écluses et les vannes de la "Patte d’oie" en inversant leur fonctionnement normal. L’histoire a retenu les noms de Karel Cogge, employé de la wateringue de Furnes, et d’Hendrik Geeraert, un batelier de Nieuport : grâce aux indications de l’un et la connaissance du système hydraulique de l’autre, les écluses et vannes sont ouvertes à la marée montantes pour laisser l’eau envahir les polders et fermées à la marée descendante pour empêcher son évacuation. Après une première tentative décevante dans la nuit du 26 au 27 octobre, la seconde, en ouvrant le déversoir du Noordvaart du 29 au 30, permettra de faire pénétrer une énorme quantité d’eau dans l’arrière-pays, ce qui oblige les Allemands à se retirer sur la rive droite de l’Yser.
Début novembre 1914, la bataille de l’Yser est terminée et le front stabilisé jusqu’en septembre 1918 par une zone inondée s’étendant de Nieuport à Dixmude. Entre le talus du chemin de fer et la rive gauche de l’Yser, le terrain est devenu un immense marécage parsemé d’îlots sur lesquels les deux camps ont installés des postes avancés.
Le seul point de contact direct se situe à Dixmude où les lignes ne sont séparées que par l’Yser et où les Allemands parviennent à se maintenir sur la rive gauche du fleuve à hauteur du "Boyau de la mort". Au sud de Dixmude, l’inondation s’étend jusqu’à Steenstraat.
In mid-October, the situation of the Belgian army, which is trying to maintain itself on the Yser front, is critical. The general staff will stop the German advance by resuming a tactic used several times in the region: the flooding of the Yser plain from the "Crow's foot" in Nieuport.
Located in the inner harbor, at the beginning of the Yser channel, and so named because of its particular shape, the "Patte d'oie" is a complex of locks and gates which regulates the management of the water in the Yser basin. Six waterways converge at this point: three raised and dyked canals - including the channeled Yser - closed by locks and three "vaartjes" (unchanneled collectors, located at the level of the neighboring lands to receive runoff and drain. the lowlands of the polders) controlled by dams and sluices. The portion of land located between two canals forms a watering whose drainage is provided by a collector.
To flood the area between the Yser and the embankment of the Nieuport-Dixmude railway line behind which they took up position, the Belgians used the locks and gates of the "Patte d'oie" by reversing their normal operation. . History has retained the names of Karel Cogge, employee of the wateringue de Veurne, and Hendrik Geeraert, a boatman from Nieuwpoort: thanks to the indications of one and the knowledge of the hydraulic system of the other, the locks and Valves are opened to the rising tide to let water flow into the polders and closed to the ebbing tide to prevent its evacuation. After a disappointing first attempt on the night of October 26 to 27, the second, by opening the Noordvaart spillway from 29 to 30, will allow a huge amount of water to penetrate into the hinterland, forcing the Germans to to retire to the right bank of the Yser.
In early November 1914, the Battle of the Yser was over and the front stabilized until September 1918 by a flooded area stretching from Nieuport to Diksmuide. Between the railroad embankment and the left bank of the Yser, the land has become a huge swamp dotted with islets on which the two camps have set up outposts.
The only direct contact point is at Dixmude where the lines are only separated by the Yser and where the Germans manage to maintain their position on the left bank of the river at the height of the "Trench of Death". South of Diksmuide, the flood extends to Steenstraat.
"& everyone’s competing for a love they won't receive
'Cause what this palace wants is release"
I'm playing catch up at this point, missing two weeks.I honestly edited the crap out of this and I have no idea how it looks any more. But, I took it because I wanted to experiment. Since I finished classes for the semester I thought I'd run to my camera and take photos non-stop.
Instead, I found myself mentally exhausted and just wanted a break from everything. Is it weird to say that I feel like I'm losing the dreamer in me? I find myself to be really cynical at times, it's like reality is hitting me in the face over and over again. I don't know..
I'm constantly frustrated by people and how they think treating people a certain way comes without consequences. And I'm frustrated by how everyone around me is rushing me to figure out who I am and who I want to be.
I just would like taking things slow, I'd like people to be kind, and I'd like the world to function on a more humane basis
AND this is where Lorde and my troubled mind comes in. I love her. Sorry I think too much, and I'm getting too comfortable writing it all out here. oh well, maybe someone will see what I'm seeing :)
hope you lovely people are doing well x
President Barack Obama receives an update in the Oval Office from FBI Director James Comey and Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco on the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., June 12, 2016. Also attending the meeting were Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
...I wake up and first things first
I’m of service
I make sure your needs are met, as a selfless
I give hard and serve hard and now I, I need a break
I give big, I give all and now it’s time to regenerate
Today’s all about me, all about cup filling
Today’s all about me learning how, how to receive
How to receive,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I move on through offerings often one-sided
Being this low on list of worth: over-extended
I give hard, provide hard and now I need some relief
I look out, I proffer, and now I need some respite indeed...
Details:
"Ask, Believe, Receive."
Practice piece using techniques from "Letter Love 101" and "Artful Alphabets" with Joanne Sharpe.
Faber Castell Pitt Brush Markers and Sharpie markers.
A prototype transmit/receive module on a single 6x6 mm chip, intended to deliver miniaturised space radar systems for future missions.
Traditional transmit/receive modules used on Europe’s Sentinel-1 and comparable radar missions employ separate circuits for the high-power amplifier, the low-noise amplifier and the switch/isolator.
The aim, developed for ESA by TNO in the Netherlands, UMS in France, and Airbus Defense and Space in Germany, was to integrate all these functions onto a single chip, while delivering increased efficiency and a threefold increase in radio-frequency power.
The added ingredient enabling this was that the chip was made using gallium nitride (GaN) – the most promising semiconductor since silicon. If you have a Blu-ray player than you own a tiny crystal of GaN, used in high-performance blue lasers.
GaN can operate with high radio-frequency output power, low noise or at much higher temperatures than silicon. As a plus, it is also inherently resistant to radiation. ESA has been leading the industrialisation of GaN through the GaN Reliability Enhancement and Technology Transfer Initiative consortium.
This prototype was developed through ESA’s Basic Technology Research Programme.
A follow-up project to integrate the chip into a complete radar module suitable for a future Sentinel-1 successor mission is being undertaken through the Agency’s follow-up General Support Technology Programme.
Credit: ESA/TNO
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
~John Muir
I just kinda realized that I don't talk much about the actual process I use on my pictures. Seeing as flickr is a photography sharing website, I will try to give a bit more insight moving forward. First, the shot though!
This is a path that is between the old gym and the Campus Center, or student union, and that is the library on the right side of the screen. I think I really took for granted how incredible the fall can be at Allegheny, and I'm glad that I was able to go back and appreciate it more this time around!
Now the shot. This is a 7 RAW exposure HDR that I processed in HDR Efex. Appropriately enough, the preset I started with on this shot was "End of the Road". I added a bit more Structure and compressed the tones more as well as lowered the saturation. The HDR Effect used here is called "Soft" and I had that set to 40. I kicked it over to CS5 where adjustments wer made to the reds for the leaves and the blues for sky. Added a Curves adjustment layer as well as a shadow adjustments layer. And here it is!
If you havea second, it may be worth a look on black! Just hit "L"!
I hope that you all have a great second half to the week!
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"Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16.24."
Compare this with the advertising trade card for J. G. Lutkenhoff, Dealer in Dry Goods and Notions, Covington, Kentucky.
Originally posted on Ipernity: Ask and Ye Shall Receive.
Liz Frazer, resident at Pine Meadow Nursing Home, receives her first COVID-19 vaccination.
This article written by Jeff Green at the Frontenac News (frontenacnews.ca) was published January 27, 2021.
Vaccination begins in rural KFL&A as active COVID-19 case loads decrease.UK variant has arrived, prompting new measures.
Residents at the Pine Meadow Nursing Home in Northbrook were offered the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine on Saturday (January 23) and 92.5% of the residents in the home took up the offer and received their first dose.
“It was a very exciting and emotional day,” said Margaret Palimaka,” administrator at Pine Meadow in an email to the News. “We are all so happy to be moving ahead with this. We had been a little concerned that we would have to wait until later in the process to get the vaccine because KFL&A has been doing so well throughout this past year and we are in a pretty remote location.”
The impact of a shortage of Pfizer vaccine in KFL&A was felt at Pine Meadow on Saturday, however.
“There were only a couple of doses left on Saturday after the residents were vaccinated,” said Palimaka, “so those were given to staff. We have been told that staff and essential caregivers will be receiving their first dose at a later date once the Pfizer vaccine numbers increase again. We don’t know when that will be but we are looking forward to it.”
Some of the Pine Meadow staff have gone to Kingston Health Sciences Centre to get their first dose
Vaccination roll-out has not hit rural retirement homes yet
The News has made Inquiries to retirement residences and even a seniors’ apartment complex in Frontenac County, and found most are still waiting to learn when their residents and staff will be offered the vaccine on-site.
According to the manager of one of the retirement residences in Frontenac County, KFLAPH has said they expect the vaccine will be offered to residents in long term care/retirement homes, by February 21.
The manager said they were hoping to be informed of the date when the vaccine will be offered, a day or two, so they gather all their employees to get the shot at one time.
Also on Monday, the provincial government announced that residents in long term care throughout the province will now become the first priority for vaccination, with a target date of February 5 for the first dose.
It appears that senior’s living in senior’s housing complexes, are not included in the priority list the way those in retirement homes and long term care are.
Neil Orser, the administrator for the Loughborough Housing Corporation, which runs two seniors’ apartment buildings in Sydenham, said he has not been contacted at all by health officials about the vaccination program, or anything else, over the last 10 months since the COVID-19 response began.
“I’ve just followed the published guidelines, as have the residents in the two buildings,” he said.
UK variant
Kingston Frontenac Public Health (KFLAPH) put out a media release on Monday (January 25) announcing that there has been a lab confirmed case B.1.1.7 COIVD-19 case in KFL&A. B.1.1.7 is a new, more easily transmissible variant of COVID-19 that was first found in the United Kingdom.
As a result, Dr. Kieran Moore, the Medical Officer of Health for the region, is “advising anyone who has travelled outside of the region (i.e., beyond Hastings, Prince Edward, Leeds, Grenville, or Lanark counties), has had visitors from outside the region, or has moved to the region in the last 14 days to consider voluntary, asymptomatic testing for COVID-19.”
“We know that one in five individuals with COVID-19 don’t have symptoms but carry and transmit COVID-19,” said Dr. Moore. “With this new variant detected in our area, it is crucial that we alter our COVID-19 control strategies and recommend asymptomatic testing to those who have travelled, or had visitors, from outside our region, to detect positive COVID-19 cases early and to isolate these cases, to prevent rapid spread of the virus and outbreaks in our community.”
KFLAPH is also recommending a more proactive approach, to comprehensive and timely case and contact management, to limit the spread of this variant with the following public health measures: Isolation period extended to 14 days for all confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, and a lower threshold for considering contacts to have had high risk of exposure (e.g., not masked for any duration of time and less than 2 metres from each other).
“Please remain vigilant and continue to adhere to public health measures over the coming weeks and months as schools begin in-person learning. The continued efforts of individuals and families to stay home, stay local, and to not travel unless for essential purposes, will help keep the number of positive cases low in our area and help our community stay safe, until vaccines are available to all,” added Dr. Moore.
Caseload headed in the right direction
This sobering release from KFLAPH is coming about after the caseload in the region has settled down, after it had been on the rise in the early winter and through the holiday season.
As of Monday, January 25, there were 16 active cases in the region. This case rate compares favourably with the case rates in Ontario, Canada and the United States, in dramatic fashion.
The active case rate (per capita) is 22 times higher in Canada, 30 times higher in Ontario, and 95 times higher in the United States, than it is in KFL&A. The average region with a population of 200,000 anywhere in Canada, has 384 active cases, the average region in Ontario has 480, and in the United States the average is 1520 cases.
The overall case rate since the outbreak began shows a similar pattern. About 0.33% of KFL&A residents have had lab confirmed cases of the virus since March 15. 2020. In Ontario as a whole, the overall case rate is 6 times higher (1.8%). In Canada it is 7 times higher (2.05%) in the United States it is 22 times higher (7.6%), and in the United Kingdom it is 16 times higher (5.5%).
There were no new cases of COVID-19 in KFL&A on Monday. The active case rate was 16, the case rate over the previous 7 days was 8 per 100,000 people, and the positive testing rate was 0.24%. The colour coded zones in Ontario have been superseded by the provincial lock-down and stay at home orders, but the KFL&A region will come out of those orders in the Green zone if the current trend persists.
Part of the Frontenac News Album
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Today, January 6, the Christmas holidays end in Spain and other countries, which is when children receive their gifts.
Although in many homes this tradition of gift giving has been moved to Christmas Day and so the kids have more time to enjoy their toys before going back to school.
Christian tradition establishes January 6 as the day of the "Epiphany" in which, according to the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) "Some Magi who came from the East arrived in Jerusalem asking: Where is the newborn king of the Jews? Because we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him."
Later new data were added such as that there were three of them (confirmed in the 5th century by Pope Leo I) and later their names: Bithisarea, Melichior and Gathaspa.
At the dawn of Christianity, the three wise men were represented as belonging to the same race and with the same physical appearance.
But from the 12th century onwards, with the intention of symbolising the universality of Christianity, the appearances of the three wise men became differentiated and individualised, each of them acquiring characteristics that associated them with “the three parts of the world then known: Europe, Asia and Africa”.
During the Second Crusade (1147-1149) the Bishop of Milan received from the Roman Emperor of Constantinople the venerated relics of the Three Wise Men rescued in 300 AD by the Empress Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine.
The relics of the Three Wise Men were looted from Milan by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who gave them to the Archbishop of Cologne, Reinald of Dassel in 1164.
The Reliquary of the Three Kings (German: Dreikönigsschrein) is a large, richly decorated, triple gilded sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral in the city of Cologne, Germany, which is said to contain the bones of the Three Wise Men.
The reliquary, which was made between approximately 1190 and 1225 by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun, is considered the largest and most artistically demanding reliquary preserved from the Middle Ages. (Source: Wikipedia and other websites).
¡HASTA LAS PRÓXIMAS NAVIDADES, 2025!
Hoy, 6 de enero, acaban las fiestas navideñas en España y en otros países, que es cuando los niños reciben sus regalos.
Aunque en muchos hogares esta tradición de regalos se ha trasladado al día de Navidad y así los chavales tienen más tiempo para disfrutar de sus juguetes antes de volver a la escuela.
La tradición cristiana establece el día 6 de enero como día de la "Epifanía" en la que, según el evangelio de Mateo (2:1-12) "Unos Magos que venían de Oriente llegaron a Jerusalén preguntando: ¿Dónde está el rey de los judíos recién nacido? Porque hemos visto su estrella en el Oriente y venimos a adorarlo.".
Posteriormente se fueron añadiendo nuevos datos como que ellos eran tres (confirmado en el siglo V por el papa León I) y más tarde sus nombres: Bithisarea, Melichior y Gathaspa.
En los albores del cristianismo, a los tres magos se les representaba como de una misma raza y con el mismo aspecto físico.
Pero a partir del siglo XII, con la intención de simbolizar la universalidad del cristianismo, las apariencias de los reyes magos se diferenciaron e individualizaron, adquiriendo cada uno de ellos características que los asociaban a “las tres partes del mundo entonces conocidas: Europa, Asia y África”.
Durante la Segunda Cruzada (1147-1149) el obispo de Milán recibió del emperador romano de Constantinopla las veneradas reliquias de los Reyes Mago rescatadas en el año 300 d. C. por la emperatriz Elena, madre del emperador Constantino.
Las reliquias de los Reyes Magos fueron saqueadas de Milán por el emperador del Sacro Imperio Romano Germánico Federico Barbarroja, que se las entregó al arzobispo de Colonia, Reinaldo de Dassel en 1164.
El relicario de los Tres Reyes (en alemán Dreikönigsschrein) es un gran sarcófago triple, dorado y ricamente decorado, colocado encima y detrás del altar mayor de la Catedral de Colonia, en la ciudad de Colonia, Alemania, que supuestamente contiene los huesos de los Reyes Magos.
El relicario, que fue realizado aproximadamente entre 1190 y 1225 por el orfebre Nicolás de Verdún, es considerado el relicario más grande y artísticamente exigente que se ha conservado de la Edad Media.(Fuente: Wikipedia y otras webs).
Flow of water
Lake Jindabyne receives the flow from the Snowy River as well as its tributaries, the Thredbo River and Eucumbene River. The Jindabyne pumping station pumps the water from the rivers into Lake Eucumbene when it is then pumped into the Murray River and Murrumbidgee River. The flow of water into Lake Jindabyne is particularly strong during the spring months of October and November. Lake Jindabyne's capacity is 689,790 megalitres.
The idea of the Snowy Mountains Scheme was developed in the 1940's as a way of increasing the flow of inland rivers in order to encourage the development of primary industries based on irrigation. After the Lake was built, the flow of water into the Snowy River was only 1% of the amount that flowed before the river was dammed. This caused concerns about the state of the lower reaches of the Snowy River in Victoria and NSW.
A Victorian parliamentary committee recommended in October 1998 that the flow into the Snowy River be increased to 15%. Craig Ingram was elected to the Victorian Parliament as the independent member of East Gippsland with a promise to increase the flow into the Snowy River. After the 1999 election, Ingram was one of a handful of independents who reached an agreement with Steve Bracks, the leader of the Victorian ALP. In 2000, the NSW and Victorian Governments reached a longterm agreement to increase the flow of water into the Snowy to 28%. Work to modify the dam spillway commenced in 1994 and is ongoing as at July 2009.
Recreational Uses
Lake Jindabyne is a popular sailing and fishing destination. The body of water is one of the largest fresh water resivoirs in New South Wales, and has a resident population of Atlantic Salmon, Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout. In 1969 the Eucumbene Sailing Club moved to Lake Jindabyne and formed the Lake Jindabyne Yacht Club as conditions were not as rough on Jindabyne as Eucumbene. The club operates from November until April every year with racing in nineteen different classes of boat.
Human environment
The town of Jindabyne was on the site proposed for the dam. It was relocated to a nearby site on the shores of the lake in the mid 1960's. The settlement of East Jindabyne is located above what is known as Old Jindabyne and you can occasionally see parts of the old town when the levels of the lake are low. The Polish community has built a statue of Paul Strzelecki who first explored the area to celebrate the Bicentennial of white settlement of Australia in 1988.
Lake Jindabyne also has a reputation as one of the best places to catch trout in Australia. It is also a popular venue for waterskiing and sailing during spring, summer and autumn.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Jindabyne
President Barack Obama receives an update on Affordable Care Act in the Oval Office, April 1, 2014. With the President, from left, are: Phil Schiliro, Consultant; Tara McGuinness, Senior Communications Advisor; Marlon Marshall, Principal Deputy Director of Public Engagement; Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy; Kristie Canegallo, Advisor to Chief of Staff; and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.
A Prowling Affair
“A time for everything: A time to relax, and a time to be busy. A time to frolic and a time to labor. A time to give and a time to receive. A time to give, a time to begin and a time to finish.”
…Jonathon Lockwood Huie
“A time to lose and a time to gain. And for all these things, there is a first time, which is now.”
…Unknown
I’ve never cared for the rather unimaginatively given name of
“Pickpocket.”
Personally, I prefer the term “lifter” as a more adequately descriptive definition of what I was really into at the time.
Lifting as in from a pocket, purse, and beyond.
Beyond being lifting something specifically being worn by the person, such as a watch, bracelet, brooch, necklace, and even earring(s).
But then, that is just me being me.
So those statements being said, they are not really important to this story I am about to tell. For it was this occasion that “lifted” me into a whole different level of thievery.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I was at one of my favorite haunts, a wedding reception. This one is very upscale and quite richly delicious.
Almost like I had walked into the aftermath of two rooms being completely dumped onto a third one full of people. One room was full of expensive designer attire, the other full of over-the-top expensive jewellery.
Hopefully, you get the picture of what I was seeing.
I was dressed for an evening out, wearing a sexily short-skirted black satin dress with loose ruffles down the open neckline, a gold belt, and gold dangling earrings. My long red hair was straight down with a curl at the ends. I carried my long black velvet shoulder purse.
The reception was supposed to be a private affair but had so many guests that it was not hard for strangers like myself to mingle in.
It was a late evening affair, held in the huge basement area of a five-star hotel, with an interior entrance and one large exterior front entrance. Both of which had manned security booths set up. However, in the far backside, we’re two long corridors. One had the ladies' loo and a door at the end that led to outside gardens. The other contained the gentleman’s loo with a door at the end leading to a back parking lot, not fenced in.
Neither outside door was watched, or locked. And people were going in and out of those doors regularly. Didn’t make much sense not to be watched, but that was how I gained a surprisingly easy entry.
Cautiously I entered, immediately spying a pair of sweet sixteeners coming out of the loo ahead of me. They definitely were not sisters. They were also definitely royally decked out. Both were wearing long sequined satin gowns(blue and peach)with matching gloves. The gowns were fitted, designer, made, and had obviously been bridesmaid’s dresses for a different wedding each. Both wore their long silky hair elegantly up, held by mother-of-pearl clasps. The twittering pair also were jewelled up, sporting sweet gleaming sets of real matched pearls that swayed with a mesmerizing motion to the girl’s perky gait.
They paid no heed to me, and I lazily followed them inside the main chambre.
Contemplating that if the young adults were dolled up like this, what must the legal adults be wearing?
I had my answer soon enough, and my first few minutes inside is what plopped the rooms being dumped together thought of mine which I wrote about at the beginning.
It was delicious, moving in and out as I canvassed the room,admiring the sumptuous attire of the men and ladies present, expensive jewellery beckoning, plump purses, and fat wallets invitingly everywhere. I was ever on the lookout for opportunities to use my skilled fingers over.
My first opportunity looked to come my way as I whimsically found myself following a short brunette wearing a simply lovely gown that I actually owned a non-designer version of in the same colour , which is what caught my eye.
It was a green gown with a tight velvet bodice and free-falling taffeta skirt. I wish I looked as good in my copy as she did in her fitted one.
She was handsomely sporting a dazzling teardrop emerald pendant surrounded by diamonds hanging from a solid gold braided chain. It was bouncing from her perky breasts as she walked, creating quite the taunting show.
I could well imagine myself looking into a mirror wearing my version of that gown while also wearing that emerald and diamond set pendant.
As a plus, her long hair was up, exposing the gold clasp of the necklace she wore. Since I was still getting my feet wet, I was content with just stalking and seeing if it led to something.
It did, but not for her necklace.
As I was following the brunette I spotted a gorilla of a man wearing a far too-tight tux. He was showing off by lifting a squealing lady over his head like one would lift a set of weights.
Three of the lady's girlfriends, dressed in gowns of lavender, maroon, and neon lime, formed a half circle as they all watched laughing, pushing, and pawing against one another’s well-dressed figures as they cheered the bloke on.
With a twinge of reluctance, I decided to pass on the brunette for this much easier opportunity.
So I left her to go on her hip-swaying way, then got in with the half circle of sumptuously dressed ladies and joined in with the touchy-feely fun.
As he was bending over to put her down, I saw his jacket was lifted exposing a thick wallet now protruding from his hip pocket.
The girl joined her friends and as the “gorilla” watched with a half-pleased smile, I left them and walked past him, patting him on the rear with a slight squeeze.
I easily helped his wallet out the rest of the way as I patted his rear while saying to the prat’s backside…
“That has to be more fun than working out in a gym, eh laddie?”
Ok, so that was picking a pocket. But I still prefer the phrase lifting.
As in the solid silver Cartier watch, and the loosely worn emerald gemstone cocktail ring I lifted off two of the three watchers as we giggled together, and I happily stroked my fingers along their too soft sleek gowned, giggly warm, unsuspecting bodies.
With three scores now under my belt, my fingers deliciously tingled as I continued meandering my way amongst the happily partying guests, biding my time as I enjoyed the showy glamour of the reception halls’ guests.
The first dance time for the Bride and her Consort came.
Lights dimmed.
I began pressing up from behind against the couples in front. Seeing a sea of arms wrapped around silken waistlines. I eased off a man’s Rolex from his wrist as he held it against his wife’s satin-gowned waist. Similarly, I then relieved a lady’s gloved wrist of a gold jewelled bracelet as I pressed the fingers of my free hand against the side of her delightfully tingling feeling taffeta gown. My apologies to her were accepted as my other hand pocketed the bracelet.
Then as the wedding party held the floor, another hip pocket of a male watcher was relieved of a fat billfold.
Two picks and a lift for you language police out there.
Then the dance area, with the lights still dimmed, erupted as couples swarmed onto the floor. I went with the flow. Lifting a plump wallet from a swinging purse in the process as I cut through.
I then stationed myself in the outskirts watching the dancers. A fast dance tune started up and many of the men retreated leaving mostly ladies in shiny flowing gowns and swinging long shimmery skirts gyrating and jostling to the fast beat.
I spotted a lady wearing a taffeta gown with a diamond broach holding at the side of her waist.
I started to swing to the beat myself, wading in.
I worked my way to her, passing in the process the two sweet sixteen-year-olds and their swinging ropes of pearls. Brushing alongside them I spotted my prey. I zeroed in and jostled against her sweaty figure. Managing to easily pluck off her pricey broach as I slipped past.
Love the feel of an expensive taffeta gown.
I briefly considered leaving at that point. But there was still one traditional part of the reception I was waiting for, the Bride’s Bouquet throw.
Think of the potential.
A group of jostling, well-dressed ladies all focused on one thing. With someone like myself focused on another. There is no other opportunity like this, with the possible exception of midnight on New Year’s when the lights are dimmed over a swarming sea of guests.
So I behaved myself, catching a smoke and a free drink as I waited with anticipation.
Finally, it was announced and all of us single girls went out onto the dance floor.
I watched and like a lioness in the bush, circled around in the back.
I saw a young lady of twelve coming out to take part. She was a darling, dollied and dressed up like an adult. She was wearing blue mascara, that matched the colour of the long flowing blue satin gown she adorably was wearing. A fancy Long rhinestone necklace of diamonds and sapphires, were glistening down the front of her gown as she boldly made her way in.
When she passed me I cut her off and bumped right into her. As she wobbled on her blue leather pumps, my right hand shot up, lifting the front of her necklace as my left unsnapped the simple clasp. I pulled her necklace off with my right hand as she went off an apologetic ”Sorry miss ” like it had been her fault.
I had taken her necklace because I felt peeved that anyone not of marrying age would feel she should be allowed to take part, spoiling the tradition. Like having a cap and gown graduation for preschoolers, complete with diplomas. Kinda of ruins the meaning for those of us graduating after long years of schooling.
Sorry, but really, was a twelve-year-old going to be the one to marry next?
Oh by the by, the young girl's obviously wealthy mum was not wearing jewellery, otherwise, I would have targeted her instead to make my silent point.
So after that random encounter, I went back on the prowl, quickly choosing a likely victim and legitimately eligible participant.
I happily positioned myself.
The girl I had chosen was a tall thin blonde tightly encased in a white silk dress. Her jewels consisted mostly of 14K gold chains. Except for a gold tennis bracelet set with diamonds and rubies which is what I had my sights on.
Then, who should pop up next to the blonde? Why it was the short brunette wearing that simply lovely green velvet and taffeta gown like the one I had back in my closet at the flat.
Also wearing that delectable dazzling pendant.
I had not seen her since I had first started to follow her, and truth be told, had almost forgotten all about her.
I immediately wedged against the girl next to me(a nice lady in a silk gown with pearls) and got behind the brunette
The brunette chick's hair was still up, exposing the gold clasp of the necklace she wore, with that expensively flashy jewelled pendant at its bottom. She was short, the neckline of her gown coming up to my chin. It was now all a matter of timing.
As the bridal bouquet of roses was thrown and everyone lunged forward my fingers snaked up the backside of her soft gown and reaching the necklace I lifted the clasp and with a perfectly executed lift, opened it, slipping off her necklace almost before her high-heeled feet were firmly back on the ground.
I pulled away with my prize. And she with hers, for my victim had actually been the one catching the bouquet.
I turned, almost bumping into the pair of sweet sixteens in the satin bridesmaids' gowns who had been standing off to one side of us trying their luck at catching the bouquet.
We exchanged smiles and actually started walking off in the same direction. I pulled back and discreetly followed them.
Watching with interest as their gowns were richly fluttering along their svelte youthfully pointed figures. They then entered the same back corridor where I had first encountered them.
I saw one pulling out a pack of cigarettes as they whispered between themselves.
Happily, I overheard that they were sneaking off for a smoke.
For I saw opportunity knocking.
Following the girls I stood at the door of the loo as they slipped out the back door.
I turned and followed.
I was anticipating a chance to use their fear of being caught by me outside smoking, to allow me to chum right in and once I told them I saw no reason why they shouldn’t be smoking, receive relieved hugs from them as I left. Relieving each of them in turn by trimming off some of their pearled baubles.
At least that was the scenario that played out in my head.
One that had worked for me before. Except for that last time, three well-dressed younger ladies had been outside sneaking drinks from a flask. A pair of diamond earrings, a gold braided necklace, and a stunning diamond pin, had been my relieving picks from them.
So deciding that an opportunity for a pearl lift may be at hand I circled out and just followed the giggling and smoke signals emitting from their hidden roost.
I maneuvered up, unseen, behind them. And once again, I was that lioness hidden in the bush, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
As I waited, watching their adorably gowned and pearled figures as they giggled and gabbed on freely, I easily overheard the pair of sweet ones talking about their planned sleepover at the one girl's house.
The pretty pair were going to be alone since both parents were staying overnight at the hotel next to the reception.
I thought to myself how lovely it would be to burgle that house. To acquire all of the girl's delicious pearls, and possibly more?!
Then an epiphany as new as it was intriguing shot into my mind.
Why not try it?
I already had a nice haul for the evening. So if I could not pull it off I stood to lose nothing.
It was a gamble I was willing to take.
I stood there and watched, listened until the pair finished and swished their way back inside, none the wiser that they(and their pricy jewellery)had been watched in close proximity by a thief.
In a total bit of whimsy I went back to my sports coupe parked across an empty street from the lot. Once there I lit a cigarette of my own and stood vigil over the back parking lot.
There I could see several fancy cars parked. Including the fire-red Porsche that I had learned the one girl would be driving herself and her friend home in for their sleepover. The sports car was a sixteenth birthday gift from her parents.
All I received on my sweet sixteen was a summons to the head mistress’s office.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It was nearly two hours before I spied the fetchingly pretty pair walking out across that parking lot, smoking cigarettes like petite geysers.
They were vulnerably alone, their shiny long gowns flowing along svelte youthful figures with an air of elegance that called out to be noticed.
And with those gorgeous pearls, they were wearing, both clueless chicks presented a pair of prettily attired targets for a thief.
Fortunately, there were no muggers around. Only me, a thief with quite different aspirations on acquiring pearls this evening.
Seeing the girls leaving I got in my coupe and followed the red Porsche as it turned the corner.
It was easy to follow them. The driver was inexperienced enough not to have a lead foot.
The Porsche finally turned into the secluded driveway leading to a large two-story gothic stone structure, with small balconies outside the upper floor windows. As was a common sight with these large houses, a metal flower trellis reached up one side in between two balconies.
I found a place to pull over and quickly got out to sneak up and scout the grounds surrounding the house.
I saw a light go on upstairs, conveniently on the trellis side. Thankful my dress was tightly form-fitting, I went over and climbed up far enough to peek inside the upper-floor window
It was a bedroom, walls painted pink. Both girls were inside, starting to undress. Totally so into themselves that the pretty things had no idea a thief was eyeing them with sinister intent.
Licking my lips I watched the pair removing thier delicious pearls and piling them up on the vanity next to an open oak jewellery case, the contents shimmering in the light.
Then they pulled off their gloves and slipped out of their gowns, wearing only long slinking silk slips. Both girls, long hair now down, slipped into fancy satin robes and giggling, headed out the door.
I slipped back down the trellis and skirted the house. A light in the basement came on.
Crouching in the shadows I peeked in. The handsomely satin-wrapped pair were sitting on a couch in the furnished basement. Passing back and forth a clear bottle containing an amber-coloured liquor. Scotch I presumed.
Seeing they were becoming quickly intoxicated, I rose and with a feeling of utter confidence, went back to the trellis and climbed back up to the window.
It was conveniently left unlatched.
Piece of cake this burgling business apparently could be.
Turned out, It was a piece of cake.
Beginner’s luck, we’ll see.
I slipped over the sill and into the bedroom they had changed in.
The young lady's pearls piled on a vanity, next to the open jewellery case were my first target.
As the clueless young pair in the furnished basement was getting drunk, I put on a pair of satin evening gloves found on one of the gowns and lifted(or picked) the bedroom clean of valuables.
No persnickety housemaid could have done a more efficient job of picking clean that bedroom, or as quickly, as I did that early morning.
Then I left the room to hit the parent’s master bedroom.
It was the one on the opposite side of the hallway.
Inside I found a tall Jewelry Armoire. I opened it up and my eyes were dazzled by the display of pricy day jewelry it held. Or had held for another ten minutes until I emptied its contents into my already bulging purse.
I knew the mum would be wearing the good stuff at the wedding, the rest may be inside a safe, which was beyond my skill level in picking.
I briefly wondered if the owner of the red Porsche knew her parent's safe combination.
I thought of taking the time to find out. But shook my head no. Time to skedaddle.
Then I saw it. In my rush, I had almost missed a solitary piece of jewellery laying out on a nightstand.
It was a dazzler. An almost 7-centimeter wide bracelet, set with 7 strands of diamonds. Three strands of round stones each flanking a centre strand of pear-shaped stones. Vulgarly expensive.
But why was it out? A trap?
I edged up to the nightstand and looked around. Nothing else appeared out of place.
Except for that expensively flashy diamond bracelet.
Looking around, I carefully eased it off the nightstand. Nothing happened, not that I knew what could have happened.
I stuffed the bracelet inside my purse, still looking warily around.
I shrugged my feelings of danger off and left the room. Though perhaps a tad bit quicker than necessary.
I went back to the pink bedroom, then climbed back out the window and down the metal trellis
I stopped by the basement window for one last peek. The young shiny attired darlings were intensely hugging each other. The bottle of scotch was now almost empty.
Suddenly a naughty picture popped inside my head, with no proper rhyme, nor reason.
In that picture, I saw the pair still dressed voluptuously up in their satin gowns, tied up gagged, and sinister hands groping as the haplessly squirming sweet sixteeners were being relieved of pearls. Then long feminine fingers were tickling in the girl’s sensitive areas until a safe opening combination was coughed up.
It was a picture that would not go away. I shook my head to get them out and left.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I ruined the dress I was wearing, but I realized I had gotten away with enough small pricey valuables that gave me a profit that more than doubled my pickings combined over the previous 4 months.
As I drove home I experienced such a rush of euphoria that I decided the experience just had to be relived.
When I got back to my rooms, I changed into my satin pjs and empty my purse onto the black satin sheets of my bed.
I lifted the pearls and couldn’t stop fingering them as my euphoria overwhelmed me with sweeping hot flashes of giddiness over my accomplishments.
It was a lovely feeling. Both sensuous and a bit of hard sexual desires.
Not really sure where the bound and gagged fantasy picture came from. Or what it was foretelling if anything.
But the reality of tonight’s experience lay in glittering heaps on my black satin sheets.
I picked up the far to valuably shimmering diamond bracelet.
Pondering.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I bring that last memory up because years later I may have found out why the diamond bracelet had been left out.
For apparently some of the ultra-wealthy, as a ruse, will leave out several pieces of valuable jewels as a deterrent. Hoping the inexperienced thief will grab those and flee without searching further. Which is exactly what I did.
It also means that those two sweet sixteeners may have been the only barrier between me and a potentially small fortune in hidden jewels.
So maybe that fantasy vision I had about tickling to find a safe combination could have been an unrealized sixth sense moment?
One never knows.
Fini
Wolverhampton Stafford Rd at it's most gloomy was not a good place to work. This grainy and gritty shot of Peter's shows the interior at it's worst, disolving into the background is ex-GWR 6014 King Henry VII.
6014 was built in 05/1928, it became an 84A Wolverhampton allocated King 27/03/1954. 6014 was the locomotive chosed to receive "streamling" in 1935, a very half-hearted attempt consisting of a bulbous smokebox added on, straight splashers and nameplate, odd fairings to smooth the cylinders and a wedge-shaped cab roof, all were removed quite quickly except the wedge on the cab which was never removed and can just be made out here. 6014 was withdrawn 09/1962 and scrapped in March 1963.
*The original scan of these 3 Wolverhampton negatives was poor. They are very gainy being over exposed 35mm film but I had gone all out for detail with too much contrast and brightening. The result was highly detailed grain bleached highlights and featureless shadows. This new verrsion is better in so much as it is more atmospheric
Peter Shoesmith (01/03/1959)
Copyright Geoff Dowling & John Whitehouse: All rights reserved
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President Aquino receives a thousand cranes of origami from Japinoy children. Cultural relevance; They are traditionally given as a gift by the folder who wishes a thousand years of happiness and prosperity to the recipient. Thus, it was the message that was conveyed for the President.
A thousand origami? I wish they were hair strands for Noynoy but he always promised for transparency anyway.. Just kidding.. haha.
These chaps receive a very bad press that in my opinion is unwarranted,
If left alone they will not attack and in my experience it is when you approach the nest that you are likely to be attacked so simply do not go near the nest.
So industrious and not distracted by anything even other insects feeding on the same flower head and of course the old lady standing motionless clicking away.
Maybe time to think again about hornets?
Playful Southern White Rhino Calf at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Receives Name: Future
Name Celebrates the Hope She Brings to Future Rhino Conservation Worldwide
A 19-day-old southern white rhino calf at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park ventured into the sunshine this morning (Monday, Dec. 9), enjoying a reprieve from the recent rains and exploring the mud puddles the rains left behind. While mom Amani enjoyed her breakfast, the little calf explored the maternity yard, running, splashing and rolling in the mud. Wallowing in mud is a natural behavior for rhinos. They coat themselves with a thick layer of mud that helps act as a sunscreen and bug repellent, and helps to keep them cool.
The playful calf was recently given the name Future in honor of a strong female leader and past president of a privately held family foundation, which has generously supported reproductive research since 1979 and the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center, in recent years. Future is San Diego Zoo Global’s 100th southern white rhino born at the Safari Park, and she is only the second calf in North America to be born following hormone-induced ovulation and artificial insemination. Her name celebrates these monumental milestones—and the hope she brings to the future of rhino conservation worldwide.
Photo taken Dec. 9, 2019 by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
###
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REQUIRED CREDIT AND CAPTION: All image uses must bear the copyright notice and be properly credited to the relevant photographer, as shown in this metadata, and must be accompanied by a caption that makes reference to southern white rhino calf born through artificial insemination. Any uses in which the image appears without proper copyright notice, photographer credit and a caption referencing the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are subject to paid licensing.
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The only Ailsa to receive full SYT livery, 374 is seen at the top of Wharncliffe Street, Rotherham whilst working a journey on works service 769 to Beaumont Road. Beaumont Road no longer exists, having been renamed Castlebeck Avenue when the Manor Estate was redeveloped.
. . . To receive the full value of joy, you must have someone to share it with
~ Mark Twain as quoted in the 2006 edition of The Joy of Cooking.
"That which thy fathers have bequeathed to thee, earn it anew if thou wouldst possess it"
~ Goethe: Faust as quoted in the 1975 edition of the Joy of Cooking.
The June selection for my Page 233 Cookbook Project is a triple treat because I have three editions of The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer. In the 1946 edition, she writes in the Foreword, "Although I have been modernized by life and my children, my roots are Victorian. This book reflects my life. It once was merely a private record of what the family wanted, of what friends recommended and of dishes made familiar by foreign travel and given an acceptable Americanization." She includes a Preface to the 1943 Edition, "At the request of my children, who were leaving home, I began a record of 'what Mother used to make.' They thought, correctly that the work involved would help me tide over a period of loneliness."
It is refreshing to see things from her perspective. Especially these days. Someone who during the darkest times in her life became a light for so many others. It makes me happy that her family has carried on the tradition with subsequent editions.
The editions I have are from 1946, 1975 and 2006. I bought the 1975 edition back in the 80's because it had a good recipe for Cream Cheese Cookies. The 1946 edition came from my Mom's things. It was probably one she picked up at an estate sale and it has some additional ephemera treasures someone included. The 2006 edition, I added to my collection then.
From the 1946 edition, I chose Fish Cooked in Parchment Paper. I used a Striped Sea Bass. It was simple to make and it came out nicely.
From the 1975 edition, I chose Fish Timbale. Timbale means thimble. The recipe calls for the custard to be put in a 9 inch mold. I used two smaller ones instead. Although the Timbale was edible, it unfortunately was not photo-worthy. I think I'll save my molds for Angel Food cakes :-)
From the 2006 edition, I chose Stuffed Pears. Those came out heavenly! They can be served warm or cold.
There's another kind of Timbale.
✽
“For it is in giving that we receive.”
(St. Francis of Assisi - Italian Catholic friar and preacher, Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226)
This scarf has a hand embroidery done by ladies involved in the workshops that we have settled with GURIA, a Human Rights organisation fighting against the sexual exploitation of women and children, particularly those forced into prostitution and trafficking.
Each scarf is unique and made in silk saries provided by many women in Benaras who take this opportunity to get rid of pieces that they don't want to wear anymore.
Those fabrics carry many stories, most of them were brought in order to celebrate happy moments, festivals or parties and in some ways they still keep traces of that in their yarns...
RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi - India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.
(Scarf style "Kingdom" - 100% silk - Collection RED HALO)
Visit and join the RED HALO page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/redhalo.in
Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography
© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.
Fortunately we receive few mailshots. However, this was a very strange and utterly pointless one!
Firstly, Sherborne is approximately 27 miles away, inland from the coast. That is casting an estate agent's / realtor's net pretty wide for business.
Secondly, a modicum of research would show the approximate current resale value of where we live is well under £200,000. For comparison, Rightmove ( a big UK agency) have calculated the average property price in Dorset for the last year as £376,546 ($457,555) i.e approximately twice the value of our abode.
Thirdly, look below and you'll see the other half of the mailshot lists four properties they have listed (not even in Dorset!) that we might like to buy. The cheapest is £925,000. The most expensive is £2,850,000. So we would need to sell five of our current homes to bid for even the cheapest on offer and around 15 homes for the most expensive.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hengistbury_Head
Hengistbury Head /ˈhɛŋɡəstbri/ is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Mudeford in the English county of Dorset. It is a site of international importance in terms of its archaeology and is scheduled as an Ancient Monument.[1] Declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990, the head and its surroundings form part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2] It is also a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, an Environmentally Sensitive Area and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest.[3] The name "Hengistbury Head" refers to the immediate area; the elevated portion is called Warren Hill.
There has been human activity on the site since the Upper Palaeolithic; during the Victorian era, it was heavily quarried, and in recent years tourism has become significant – it receives over a million visitors annually. The various habitats on the Head provide a home for many plants, birds and insects, some of them rare and critically endangered. Erosion remains a threat to the site, although long-term projects are intended to secure it for the future.
Location
After the counties were redesignated in 1974, the site has been considered part of Dorset. The isolated building near the centre of the image (labelled "Summer House") is the thatched barn still at the Head. The barn forms part of the new visitor centre.
Hengistbury Head is a sandstone headland forming part of Southbourne, which is a suburb of the town of Bournemouth to the west; the nearest major settlement is Christchurch to the north. It is the most easterly part of the Borough of Bournemouth, and marks the most easterly point of Poole Bay. Historically part of Hampshire, the Local Government Act 1972 designated the area a part of Dorset. The northern slope of the hill tailing off towards the sea forms Mudeford spit, the sand bar closing Christchurch Harbour from the south.
Buildings
The spit is home to more 300 privately owned beach-huts, one of which in 2012 became one of the UK's most expensive, selling for £170,000 just two days after being put on the market.[4] The hut measures a little over five by three metres, has no running water, and the occupants may only stay overnight from March to October. Despite the relative lack of amenities, the area has become one of the UK's most desirable; huts are rented out for up to £600 a week.[5]
The Black House, a local landmark, stands at the end of the spit, opposite Mudeford Quay, site of the Battle of Mudeford in 1784. Built in 1848, it was once a boat-builders' house, but is now rented out to holidaymakers.[6] It has served a variety of functions over the years, and is commonly associated with the area's smuggling past.[7]
Toponymy
Mentioned as Hednesburia in a church deed of the early 12th century, and referred to as Hynesbury Head in the 17th, Hengistbury only took on its current spelling in the 19th century, during a period of what archaeologist Barry Cunliffe calls "antiquarian romanticism".[8] Many prehistoric sites around this time were renamed to link them with historical figures.[8] It was thought at the time that the legendary Anglo-Saxon leader Hengist could be buried here, as he was said to have been laid to rest in an unlocated mound. Twentieth-century excavations have established that the tumuli at Hengistbury Head date to the Bronze Age however.[9]
History
Hengistbury Head is home to a plethora of nationally and internationally significant archaeological sites, with features dating from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Roman settlement of Britain, earning the site Scheduled Ancient Monument status.[10] Interest in the site declined throughout the Dark Ages, until extensive development took place in Christchurch around 890 AD, when the Head may have been used as a lookout post. The area was heavily quarried during the Victorian period and nowadays receives over a million visitors annually.[11]
Stone Age
Several archaeological digs have revealed that the site was occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic.[12] There is evidence of an open settlement of the Creswellian culture on the hill in the middle of the headland dating to around 14,100 years ago. With over 13,000 lithic artefacts it is probably the largest site of the period.[13][14] Most interesting were several blades typically found at Upper Paleolithic sites across Europe, but rarely seen outside of caves in the UK, where open air sites of this age are extremely rare.[15] People at the Head were heavily involved with the production of blades, further excavations identified 649 tools, dominated by backed blades, endscrapers and burins.[16]
At the time the Warren Hill would have overlooked a large river valley that was to become the English Channel. Once the sea had inundated the surrounding valley, Mesolithic hunter gatherers exploited the site. Pollen analysis of peat from the Solent bed suggest a lightly wooded headland free of close-knit undergrowth during this period, an ideal habitat for game.[17]
Bronze Age
In Bronze Age Britain this was an important seaport.[18] Eleven Bronze Age Britain round barrows sit on the promontory with two more a little further inland. Eleven of the round barrows were excavated; three by Bushe Fox in 1911–12 and eight by Harold St George Gray in 1919 and 1922.[9][19] Two appear to be undisturbed. Numerous finds including Early Bronze Age axes and cremation urns were recovered from these tumuli, which have been consistently found to be between 3500 and 4000 years old.[9]
One of the barrows (south of where the thatched barn now stands)[20] contained a high status cremation of a woman of about twenty years in age, accompanied by an incense cup, a halberd-style pendant made from amber and copper alloy, and two gold cones that would have covered buttons of an organic material.[21] The burial-goods recovered are similar to those of the Wessex culture, the Wilsford and Dorset Ridgeway series in particular.[20] An urn from one of the barrows likely to have been made between 1700 and 1500 B.C., has been identified as Trevisker ware, a type widely found throughout Devon and Cornwall which was transported east in lesser amounts, this find being one of the easternmost discovered.[22]
Iron Age
In Iron Age Britain around 700 BC, a settlement on the Head was established;[23] also around this time, the headland was cut off from the mainland by the construction of two banks and ditches called the Double Dykes, similar to those found at Maiden Castle.[24] The earthworks consisted of an inner bank three metres high, with a ditch three and a half metres deep. An outer ditch six metres wide and two metres in depth is now obscured due to wind-blown deposits of sand and a gradual silting process.[25] These defences turned Hengistbury Head into a fortified settlement area which seems to have grown over succeeding centuries until it became an important port.[26] The Iron Age port at Hengistbury Head forms a final site in a small chain of fortified earthworks, starting from Hambledon Hill, and also including Hod Hill, Spetisbury Rings, Buzbury Rings, Badbury Rings and Dudsbury Camp.[27]
John Lavender of the local Red House Museum noted evidence of small iron-ore smelting hearths on Warren Hill, while green vitreous slag has been also found on the Head.[28] In his 1911 to 1912 excavations, Bushe-Fox found evidence for working of lead, copper and silver; two ingots discovered at this time revealed that raw materials would have been imported to the area.[28] One ingot was of nearly pure copper, while the other, which weighed 8.6 kg, was roughly 50/50 copper-silver alloy with around one percent gold.[29] Argentiferous (i.e. silver-bearing) copper was refined to produce silver at the Head.[29] There are also indications that gold was worked at Hengistbury.[30] One excavation produced part of a torc, twisted together with a small gold bracelet and another fragment in a manner suggesting it was scrap; a different site produced a streaked touchstone indicating use in gold testing.[30]
Thousands of bronze coins have been found from the pre-Roman period, the vast majority having been struck by the Durotriges.[31] The abundance of coins, together with various hearths and smelting artefacts found within a close proximity suggest that the Durotrigan finds were minted here.[32]
International trade centre
The advanced level of metallurgy in the area, coupled with its ease of access from the Continent, meant that Hengistbury Head became a significant Late-Iron Age port; trading worked metal of iron, silver, and bronze in return for figs, glass, tools and other goods. Armorican coins and pottery uncovered here show links to the Brittany peninsula.[33] Amphorae used for the transportation of North Italian wine have been found in such quantities (more than all other sites in the south of England put together), that it is clear that the Head was a main port of entry into the country.[34] However, no similar amphorae have been unearthed in Armorica, hinting at a more direct trade route between Hengistbury Head and Italy.[34] Most of these vessels date from before 50 B.C., while later styles are absent despite being common in other parts of Britain, indicating the wine trade seems to have declined at about the time Caesar began his Gaulish campaigns.[35]
Roman occupation to Medieval period
After the Roman conquest, the south-east of England started to develop into a more urban economy, while the socio-economic system of the south-west remained little changed.[36] Hengistbury would still have served as an important hub for the Dumnonii of Cornwall and Devon, and the Durotriges of Wiltshire and Dorset; since transport by water was more efficient at the time, and the Head offered both a coastal route, and freshwater options via the Stour and Avon rivers.[36]
No evidence of Saxon use has been found at the Head.[37] The area was not substantially reoccupied until Alfred the Great decided to rebuild the harbour as a defence against raiders. He built the town that later became Christchurch, on the north side of the harbour. Access to Salisbury up the River Avon made this a more strategic place. The Head may have been used for harbour defence at this time. In the 11th century, some of the iron-ore rich stones found at the Head were used in the construction of Christchurch Castle. These reddish-coloured stones can still be seen in the base of the now ruined castle.[38]
17th, 18th and 19th centuries
In the late 1600s, Andrew Yarranton (with backing from the Earl of Clarendon) commenced a scheme to improve the harbour. In 1693 a channel was cut out to sea, whilst ironstone boulders from the head were used to create a pier.[39] The plans proved ineffective; the pier was poorly positioned and subsequent storms (including the Great Storm of 1703) soon undid most of the work although parts of the pier known as "Clarendon's Jetty" or the "Long Rocks" are still visible today.[40] Many tons may have been removed from the beach and the head itself to make the jetty.[41]
In 1733 a new Excise and Customs Bill was introduced, restricting imports and raising taxes on many luxury items. Christchurch rapidly became a hot-bed for smugglers, where they were known as "freetraders", and much of the town was involved in the trade. The "Double Dykes" are said to have been used to hide contraband,[42] while Mudeford spit is rumoured to have been used in the construction of "Guinea boats" (cheaply built galleys sometimes capable of outrunning the day's steamships).[43][44] One apocryphal story is that the black house acquired its distinctive black colour when customs officers tried to smoke out some holed-up smugglers by lighting fires around the base.[43] The house was constructed in 1848 and used by shipwrights as a dwelling and workshop, smuggling was in decline with the introduction of a free trade policy and more effective measures being implemented by the Coast Guard by this time, so the house may not in fact have had much involvement in smuggling. The spit has a long association with shipbuilding with two large ships being built in the mid 19th century, the "Viscountess Canning" of 193 tons and the "Enterprise" 253 tons.[6]
From 1848 to 1872, the Hengistbury Mining Company – formed by a Christchurch-based merchant, John E. Holloway – extracted many more ironstone boulders through quarrying. Holloway brought coal from Southampton, and took the ironstone as ballast for the return journey.[45] These boulders, known as Iron Doggers, were prized for their high quantity of iron ore (up to 30%).[46] They form the base of Hengistbury Head, and the removal of a substantial amount of doggers over the years has weakened the headland. These and earlier excavations resulted in a loss of up to a third of the Head, caused mainly by erosion after the quarry's closure. The silt being washed down also threatened the ecology of the saltmarsh below. This has been reduced by the building of a dam, in 1976, to create a pool. Many "doggers" can still be seen lining the route of the land-train and at the quarry.[46]
UK's first airshow
In 1910 the first international aviation meeting ever held in Britain took place on a specially laid out aerodrome consisting of a mile of grassland between the "Double Dykes" and the nearby village of Tuckton. About twenty pioneer aviators from around the world participated in various competitions including spot landing, altitude tests and speed trials (both for the fastest and slowest circuit).[47]
On the second day of the meeting, co-founder of Rolls-Royce and pioneer aviator Charles Rolls was thrown from his plane, which disintegrated beneath him. Despite the fact that the first-ever powered flight had occurred only seven years previously, Rolls had been attempting a precision landing. He died from his injuries shortly after his fall.[48] The event was Britain's earliest fatal flying accident involving a powered aircraft.[47]
20th century
There were a number of development schemes for the head including a major railway and docks scheme proposed in 1885, proposals for housing and a golf course were also put forward before World War I, though none of these schemes came to fruition.[49] In 1919 the head was sold by Sir George Meyrick to Harry Gordon Selfridge with plans to construct a grand house. These plans also came to nothing, apart from the establishment of a nursery garden.[50] Bournemouth Borough Council purchased the head in 1930 for £25,200;[51] although plans for housing existed west of double dykes, the head itself was to be kept as public open space. During World War II the head was closed to the public and was occupied by the army, becoming home to a number of installations including a radar station. The area was also extensively mined. The Head was finally cleared of the military defences by the 1950s.[52]
Present day
Hengistbury Head Local Nature Reserve is currently owned and managed by Bournemouth Borough Council. In 1990, the land was declared a Local Nature Reserve, as a commitment by the town of Bournemouth to conserve and enhance the environment.[53] The heathland forms part of the Dorset Heaths and is internationally protected as a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. Nearby, the upper reaches of Christchurch Harbour (including the meadows at Wick) are recognised as an Environmentally Sensitive Area.[53]
The head today is used for a variety of reasons. Firstly it is a tourist spot where country walks can be taken all over the head due to the well defined gravel paths, some of which form part of the Bournemouth Coast Path.[54] In 2008, many paths were resurfaced, making more (though not all) parts of the Head wheelchair accessible. For example, it is now possible to gain wheelchair access to Quarry Pool. Regular field trips to the site are made by students of all ages and there are occasional guided tours or meetings around the Head covering a wide variety of subjects.[3]
There is a cafe at the bottom of the Head on the Bournemouth side. Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education centre is located near here on the south shore of the harbour. Run by Brockenhurst College, the centre offers a variety of water and outdoor activities.[55] A scenic land train (known as "the Noddy train") makes regular journeys from the cafe to the end of the spit, a journey of ten or so minutes.[56] On the head itself is a H. M. Coastguard radio relay station, a nature reserve and a triangulation pillar, shown on Ordnance Survey maps as 36 metres above sea level. Ample parking (subject to charges) can be found near the cafe, but the Head is also within walking distance of Southbourne and parts of Christchurch.
The Quarry Pool is now a significant part of the nature reserve features of the Head. While it was very acidic in the early years, since 1990 it has allowed the growth of a significant number of plant and insect species, as well as mallard and little grebe. The insects provide valuable food for migrating sand martins and swallows.[57]
Visitor centre
A new visitor centre for Hengistbury Head is scheduled to open by the end of 2013. Developments are currently underway on the thatched barn, which is being made in an eco-friendly way.[58] the new addition will cost over a million pounds with funding provided by developer contributions, the Heritage Lottery Fund and £300,000 from landfill tax.[58]
The centre will house a new display area concerning the site's archaeology, ecology and geology,[59] while work space will be created for volunteers and other community groups such as the Hengistbury Head Supporters Group, Residents' Association and Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group.[3] The public will have the chance to scrutinise a selection of the finds discovered at Hengistbury Head in the last century, and to interact with experienced staff, as well as providing them with the opportunity to become actively involved in the administration of the nature reserve.[59]
The surrounding area will be extensively landscaped to create outdoor learning areas and a wildlife garden.[60] Energy-saving features will include photovoltaic panels for electricity and ground source heat pump for heating. A green roof (a living roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium), will be used to absorb rainfall and provide insulation.[58] The centre will be constructed using timber-frame walls insulated with straw bales.[58]
Geography
According to Ian West of Southampton University, "Hengistbury Head is the best part of the Bournemouth coast for geology and geomorphology .... [and] is geologically important for the unusual nodules of sideritic ironstone [found] in Middle Eocene strata."[61] The exposed and relatively untouched cliff face at the Head perfectly lends itself to students of stratigraphy. Warren Hill itself is composed of Tertiary Bracklesham Beds,[62] a mixture of clays and marls with overlying sandy and lignitic beds.
Erosion
One serious threat to the future of the Head is erosion of the exposed southern cliff face from wind and rain, as well as erosion caused by the sea primarily through the process of Longshore drift. A comparison of Ordnance Survey maps reveals that 25 metres of cliff was washed away from 1915 to 1962,[62] a process accelerated by the Bournemouth cliff's concreted promenade and groynes, construction of which started in the early 20th century. It is thought that in the last 200 years around 150 metres of land has been lost from the Head.[62] The first attempt to counteract erosion came in the 1930s when Bournemouth Council constructed a breakwater now known as "the Long Groyne".[63] Since then, a gabion revetment has been constructed to secure the weakest point at the eastern end of the Head.[38] In a long-term project to secure the Head's future, from 2005 to 2008 Poole Bay was replenished with 1.8 million cubic metres of beach material,[64] drawing ire from some surfers and beach lovers owing to the increase in sharp stones on Southbourne beach in particular.[65] The project's organizers, the Poole Bay Partnership, state that: "The resulting wide beaches have been a success in terms of their function as a coast protection structure and for the enjoyment they provide to the area's residents and visitors."[64]
Flora and fauna
Hengistbury Head forms part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and in May 1990 was declared a Local Nature Reserve.[66] The Head supports 500 plant species (a quarter of the national flora), including eight red data book species, 14 nationally scarce, and 39 locally rare species. The main nature reserve area faces Christchurch Harbour, and is contiguous with the reed beds of Wick Fields. The Head contains a large variety of habitats from the heathland on Warren Hill to freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and salt marshes. The woodland (known as Withybed Wood) is home to English oak and silver birch amongst many other trees, and is of particular interest, as it is the only such area to be shown on an 1811 O.S. map of the Bournemouth/Christchurch area.[66] In 2002, cattle-grazing commenced in a field near the new visitor centre known as "Barn Field". This, combined with gorse eradication, has assisted in the restoration of this habitat to its ancient character.[67]
Present on the site is Sea knotgrass (Polygonum maritimum), the rarest of the knotgrasses in Britain,[68] and currently listed as a "schedule 8 species" under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Such plants are afforded greater than usual protection against damaging activities – such as "cutting, picking, destroying or selling."[69] The heathland is both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, part of a network of the best wildlife sites in Europe.[66]
The various habitats provide homes to numerous species of insects. There are 700 moth species recorded in the nature reserve, again a quarter of the national total. At different spots across the site butterflies (including the green hairstreak),[70] damselflies (like the large red), and dragonflies (such as the hairy dragonfly) can be observed.[3][66][71] The exceedingly rare thirteen-spotted ladybird (Hippodamia 13-punctata), was recently observed at the Head, the first recorded UK sighting since 1952.[66]
Over 300 bird species have been recorded in the area,[72] making Hengistbury Head an important migratory point. The Balearic shearwater, considered critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN and seldom sighted in the UK, has been seen in the area.[72] Other rare birds spotted here include the purple heron, the pink-footed goose, the European honey buzzard and the melodious warbler.[73] The fields and reserved areas near the car park provide an ideal spot to watch and listen to a significant population of skylarks during the summer months.
In 1989 a project commenced to re-introduce the country's rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad, to Hengistbury Head. The natterjack was last recorded on the headland in the 1950s before its extinction, probably as the result of a lack of suitable ponds.[74] The project has been a great success and today there are thriving populations at various locations.[74] The ideal time to witness their mating rituals is in May as dusk approaches, when the distinctive call of the natterjack can be heard for miles around.