Is a happy mind.

Pink Peony.

As I wrote the above I was reminded of the oriental story of the traveller who comes across a monk sat upon a rock by the roadside in peaceful meditation. They begin conversing and the traveller asks the monk...

"Can you tell me the difference between heaven and hell?"

"Yes" says the monk, and returns to his meditation.

"Tell me then" says the traveller but the monk remains silent. The traveller keeps repeating "tell me, tell me:, each time becoming angrier and angrier until at last he picks up a rock and yells -

"Tell me or I will kill you!"

"And there you have it" says the monk "there is the difference".

So a peaceful mind is indeed a happy mind and a mind only becomes peaceful when it is free from desire and aversion and is in full acceptance of what is, and what comes. A mind forever seeking this or avoiding that is a mind of discontent - self evidently.

What's any of that got to do with this flower you might rightly ask - well, it kind of reminded me of the shape of the brain, which led to mind which led to the title, which in turn led to the anecdote. So, if you got this far - odd how things work out.......

The high desert of Southern Utah can be unforgiving. Here, along the Hickman Natural Bridge Trail in late Spring, there are few signs of life.

Pectols Pyramid across the Fremont River Canyon is a sandstone formation which dominates the landscape to the south of the Hickman Bridge Trail, but it is the knife-like sharp limbs of the dried out, dead, gnarled juniper in the foreground that rightly dominates this frame.

This land is open to the elements, exposed to extreme temperatures throughout the year, and a place where only the heartiest plants and animals survive. This juniper once fell into that category, but after decades if not centuries of life, it too succumbed to this harsh environment.

Recognition:

Merit Image - MAR 2020 Professional Photographers of San Diego County, Nature/Landscape category

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLlcIa-9if4

Christmas is a magical time in Greater Manchester and the perfect occasion to combine a short festive break with a spot of Christmas shopping. With hundreds of high street and independent boutique shops to choose from, Greater Manchester attracts visitors from far and wide, particularly during this period – and rightly so!

This seat with its stunning view is on the Pateley Bridge to Wath Road in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire.

It is a place I linger far to long drinking in the view

Rightly proud of its place within the Dales, Nidderdale is for many the favourite Dale. It truly deserves its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its stunning moorland scenery and tapestry of lush green meadows

Happy Fence Friday (HFF)

Best viewed large

The impressive formations of volcanic rock are rightly one of Tenerife's sights. In contrast to the island's popular coastal resorts, it is considerably cooler here due to the altitude (approx. 1900 m above sea level). In the photo, low-hanging trade wind clouds pass through the area, creating a spooky atmosphere with constantly changing conditions. On my tour, I met photographers and hiking friends from all over the world, who were all enthusiastic about this special place.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince)

Saxifraga x arendsii 'Marto Picotee Red' (Saxifrage 'Marto Picotee Red'). Taken in the garden. Bath, BANES, Somerset, England, U.K.

Nunca sabremos los tesoros que tenemos guardados sin saberlo. Objetos que removiendo cajones salen ...aquel reloj que se quedó parado ..el mechero Zippo ...esta foto y los recuerdos de esta foto en uno de los días mas completos y felices que me ha dado la fotografía . Todo salió bien ..la luz las nubes la compañía...Juanjo como conocedor del terreno y magnifico guía ...Ricardo ...todos lo conocéis, y otra persona que no recuerdo el nombre Doce horas por la Mancha dan mucha fotografía . Gracias a los que proporcionaron este día .

“Oh, memory, mortal enemy of my rest!” “Virtue is more persecuted by the evil than loved by the good.” “Ingratitude is the daughter of pride.” “The reason for the unreason that is done to my reason makes my reason so weak that I rightly complain about your beauty.”

Tulipa Queen of Night

With 'Queen of Night' a black tulip was grown for the first time. Depending on the light, the calyx shimmers silky from deep dark purple to black. The famous variety is still rightly considered the most beautiful black tulip unmatched.

'Queen of Night' received an Award of Merit from the Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging voor Bloembollencultuur (KAVB) and an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1944. In 2007 the tulip was named Flower Bulb of the Year.

From the high dune you can see how chasing clouds cast their shadows on the land in the making.

The old row of dunes, on which we are standing now, descends steeply to the nursery of the new land that is being born here in the shadow of a large overcast cloud.

From the middle of the horizon, the channel from the North Sea enters the Wadden Sea and the water should run out in the basin in the right ahead of us.

However it is clear to see that this basin has largely silted up and will join the old land in the foreseable future.

The dark parts in the basin indicate the sandbanks that then can grow.

We have had a good look at this process in the previous photo.

On the left side of the horizon we see a row of young dunes that protect the new reclaimed land from the North Sea.

The area is wild and untouched so that you can rightly call it a primeval area as is looked hundred of thousands years ago.

But come, we have to go down again and we are going to see how the sea every now and then tries to destroy this new land....

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.

-- Martin Luther

Amsterdam - Galgenstraat - Sloterdijkstraat - Prinseneilandsgracht

Copyright - All images are copyright © protected. All Rights Reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.

~ James Russell Lowell

*FP*

A dedication to Tara (simple cam olive)

(a break from winter shots :o)

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly,; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved

Do not use without permission.

This is the town hall (Rathaus) in Stralsund, Germany. But I bet, that if you look it up on the Internet, this is not the side of the building you will be shown a picture of. The main facade is quite famous (and rightly so), but that does not mean that the other sides can't be beautiful too. (I have uploaded a shot of the front ages ago - literally ages ago.)

The building of the town hall was begun in around 1230 and it is a built in the brick Gothic style (Backsteingotik in German), a quite spectacular medieval style built from bricks, found in northern and central Europe - it was very popular in the Hanseatic area.

This is the brilliantly colored eastern form of the species, which should rightly be considered a discrete subspecies, S. sabaudus fulvulus PALLAS, but currently it is not accepted as a valid taxon.

Calceolaria, also called lady's purse, slipper flower and pocketbook flower, or slipperwort, is a genus of plants in the Calceolariaceae family, sometimes classified in Scrophulariaceae by some authors. Wikipedia

Enjoying their own little splash of sunlight, in an otherwise partially shaded part of Roma Street Parkland.

These flowers were creating quite a lot of attention from fellow photographers. Rightly so.

Howth / Ireland

English:

The fishing village of Howth is now a popular destination for Dubliners, and rightly so. It used to be an important port for goods to Dublin. Now it is more idyllic, there are more yachts in the harbor than fishing boats.

Deutsch:

Der Fischerort Howth ist heute ein zu Recht beliebtes Ausflugsziel der Dubliner. Früher war hier ein wichtiger Hafen für Waren nach Dublin. Jetzt geht es idyllischer zu, im Hafen liegen mehr Yachten als Fischerboote.

The Japanese celebrate the cherry blossom. On Majorca, the almond blossom is celebrated.

And rightly so, warm temperatures around 20 degrees, sunshine, green grass. For German tourists coming from grey Germany, it's like paradise. The almond cake with cream is also an incentive for me to travel there:).

Labyrinth Spider | Agelena Labyrinthica | June 2021 | Monteggio, Switzerland

My best photos are here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/ticino-best-photos-of-southern-...

More TICINO/TESSIN Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): it.lacerta-bilineata.com/ramarro-occidentale-lacerta-bili... (the website exists in ESPAÑOL, FRANÇAIS, ITALIANO, ENGLISH, DEUTSCH)

My latest ANIMAL VIDEO (warning, it's a bit shocking): www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T2-Xszz7FI

ABOUT THE PHOTO:

This beautiful labyrinth spider did me the courtesy of positioning itself in a ray of sunlight coming through the leaves of the plants in my garden where it had built its sophisticated (and judging from the remains of prey that were visible as lovely "home decorations" everywhere: highly effective) web.

I know, most people don't like spiders, and I must admit for the better part of my life I wasn't exactly too comfortable around them either. But what I love most about macro photography is that it's rapidly changing my perception of the tiniest creatures in my garden: viewed up close, they suddenly have a face - literally - which made me aware of them as expressive beings with a "personality" in a way I wasn't before.

Before, even though I've always been a "nature nerd", with regards to the tiniest insects and spiders in my garden I was a typical Homo Sapiens sapiens I guess. While it's easy for our species to sympathize with bigger animals whose biology more resembles our own and whose expressive faces remind us of our own emotions, we at best behave like ignorant, indifferent giants towards the smallest creatures that share our world, and at worst we see nothing in them but pests or scary, alien-looking monsters we try to extinguish wherever we find them.

Let's face it: we are a highly irrational species. We pay money to go on safaris and are - rightly - fascinated by large predators such as a pack of lions lurking in the high grass; we call those the "kings of the animals" and hold our breath in sheer excitement when we see the pack suddenly attack and gorily devour an antelope (which is nasty business: it's not uncommon that the prey already gets its belly torn open while it's still alive); yet the micro equivalents of those lions hunting prey in our gardens we view with disdain or are repulsed by.

So, to anyone viewing this photo whose first immediate reaction is disgust, I say: try to replace your fear or repulsion with a little fascination for the "micro lions" in your own backyard. Then get a macro lens and go on a garden safari; chances are you'll find a world of hidden beauty that is every bit as fascinating and rewarding for a photographer as any tropical jungle or African savannah ;-)

ABOUT THE SPECIES (from Wikipedia, slightly abbreviated by me):

Range And Habitat

Agelena labyrinthica build flat plate surface webs connected to funnel-shaped retreats similar to labyrinths, which are typically constructed between low lying grass and vegetation. These spiders are fairly common in Europe and Central Europe, and are typically concentrated in areas near forests and low lying vegetation, as well as in dry grassland.

Description

Agelena labyrinthica has a body length of up to 18 mm (0.71 in). It has approximately 25 trichobothria per walking leg. These hairs help the spider detect prey that has been caught in its web, or even prey that is near enough to cause vibrations in its web. The trichobothria hairs essentially act as a long-distance sensory system for A. labyrinthica that helps them detect prey with great accuracy and speed.

Spatial Perception

Having to travel between its sheet web and its funnel shaped retreat, A. labyrinthica have shown signs of detour compensation that allow the spider to orient itself and navigate even in complete darkness. Using its eyes to quickly navigate its web, A. labyrinthica is able to detect the plane of polarized light present, and position itself relative to it in order to maintain its orientation. A. labyrinthica also relies on its idiothetic orientation, as well as directional cues such as gravity, to gain its bearings no matter where it is.

The very bobbly dunes backing Warkworth beach, with Coquet Island forming the backdrop.

The day had started beautifully but was heading on a downwards trajectory and, if I remember rightly, it was raining by the time I got home about an hour later.

ps A shot from the earlier, nicer part of the morning is at the start of the comments below.

Autumn leaves, shower like gold, as the winds of change, signaling the days of autumn, like rainbows):

On one of my many mountain hikes this autumn, I explored this incredibly beautiful area, which is rightly part of UNESCO's World Heritage list. I have rarely seen such a beautiful and untouched natural landscape.

We live in strange times indeed.

"In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

~ George Orwell

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Going back in the archives recently, I came across a few I'd never edited. This one was on Blyth beach in Northumberland. The storm damaged groyne was a bit of a magnet for us photographers if I remember rightly.

Ansel Adams would slap a red filter on his lens, then spend three days burning and dodging in the dark room, making his prints. That’s a manipulation. Even the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, with all due respect to him, are notoriously burned and dodged :-)

Joel Sternfeld

HPPT!! Truth Matters! Lies have consequences!

many petalled star magnolia, 'Chrysanthemumiflora', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina

Chapter One

The little prince meets the storyteller...

I was inspired to try something different and create a series of linked images which reveal a larger narrative, a short picture book, if you will. I hope you have as much fun exploring the story as I had in creating it! This is the first image from the series.

Keep playing, experimenting, and having fun, my friends.

And keep shining so bright!

5 shot pano.

I didn't take this, Helen did, and as Flickr are being difficult, I can't d/l her other images or access her account. This has been sat here for a while, an image she was rightly proud of.

Miss you.

The bulk of Skiddaw looming.

Autumn leaves, shower like gold, as the winds of change, signaling the days of autumn, like rainbows):

On one of my many mountain hikes this autumn, I explored this incredibly beautiful area, which is rightly part of UNESCO's World Heritage list in Norway. I have rarely seen such a beautiful and untouched natural landscape.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Quote ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Finally entering into the home stretch of my re-editing journey through the Netherlands and the finalization of my “Dutch Masters” process, this image 3rd to last is of the Amstel near the Halvemaansbrug and is what I consider the geographic heart of Amsterdam.

The canal belt or Grachtengordel (Canal Girdle) in Dutch, is a World Heritage protected site and this portion of it pictured here is called the Grachtengordel-Zuid and lucky for me and my camera had to be crossed to get to my accommodations in the De Pijp.

Whenever I stay in the city I like to stay a little off the beaten track and the De Pijp section of Amsterdam offers a bohemian experience, much cheaper accommodations and a small taste of life in the city without throngs of tourists as well as some the best outdoor markets in Europe.

They say all roads lead to Rome but in this case all Amsterdam canals lead to the Amstel and rightly so, it’s the namesake of the city, the canal cleaner and the waterway that propelled the city to greatness.

I took this on Sept 10th, 2017 with my D750 and Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens at 36mm 13 sec f/9 ISO100 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , Luminar and DXO

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

#09/❤📷❤

☞ SCANDALIZE

**Adira Set - Top - Jeans - Fatpack

Sizes: Maitreya - Petite - Legacy - Perky - Kupra

@Fameshed ( open 1st March ) : maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FaMESHed/205/233/800?fbcli...

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“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Capture and Edit by Orchid Arado

Delicatessen - Tell Me a Story

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Porto/52/224/21

"It's only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

When I walked to this spot it was one of those moments that literally took my breath away. I parked at Blea Tarn and had long wanted to revisit, and this time we took the lovely track past the tarn to here at the bottom of Side Pike. I love the view of the Band and Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes - rightly famous peaks.

I climbed Bowfell a few years back but in cloudy conditions and it was a whiteout at the top. Must go back again and climb it from Crinkle Crags. So many great hikes in the Lakes I have on my to-do list!

Siskin (m.) In our garden, Fauldhouse

This stunning view is from the Pateley Bridge to Wath Road in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire near to Wath village.

Rightly proud of its place within the Dales, Nidderdale is for many the favourite Dale. It truly deserves its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its stunning moorland scenery and tapestry of lush green meadows

"Come il giovane vive nel futuro, così l’adulto vive nel passato: nessuno sa giustamente come vivere nel presente."

"As the young man lives in the future, so the adult lives in the past: no one knows how to live rightly in the present."

FRANZ GRILLPARZER

The Yser Tower is a 98 meter high tower and peace monument in the Flemisch city of Diksmuide, on the banks of the river Yser.

This tower is primenarily a memorial monument for peace and for the Flemish fallen in the insane WW 1.

But at the same time it also symbolizes the will at that time to make Flanders autonimous that arose on the Yser Front.

Alltough the Belgian Constitution allowed in that time language freedom, the French language was the only official language.

As a result, in principle the Belgian Constitution was not respected at that time and as a result the Flemish language was not accepted as a fully-fledged language.

As an opposition to the non-respect of the constitution the Flemish Movement arose which, in my opinion, rightly acted against it.

In the 1913 Army Act, the proposed establishment of a Flemish army division was rejected by the Government.

The sad result of this blunder of the Government was that the warring Belgians on the Yser Front made up the majority of the Flemish soldiers.

The bravely fighting Flemish soldiers were given orders in the French language and because not all of them were fluent in this language, there was miscommunication resulting in unnecessary fatilities.

The 98 meter high tower is built in a cross shape and at the top of the cross is written in large letters: AVV/VVK, which is the abbreviation for "Alles Voor Vlaanderen/Vlaanderen Voor Kristus".

The translation in English for these Flemish words is: Everything For Flanders/Flanders For Christ.

The tower consist of a large and very impressive museum about the insane WW 1, spread over 22 floors.

At the top the yellow flag of the Flemish Lion flies, the symbol of Flanders........

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Autumn leaves, shower like gold, as the winds of change, signaling the days of autumn, like rainbows):

On one of my many mountain hikes this autumn, I explored this incredibly beautiful area, which is rightly part of UNESCO's World Heritage list. I have rarely seen such a beautiful and untouched natural landscape.

To say it rained the night before would rightly pass as the understatement of the year. No, tonight the floodgates of heaven have opened above us. For hours one thunderstorm after the other passed over us and discharged itself here.

When I woke up in the morning it was still cold and cloudy so I had very little expectation of what to expect at the lake. I was even happier when I saw this.

The haze that had blocked the view of the mountain range in the background during the day had almost completely dissipated and dense fog rose everywhere from the forests up the mountain slopes.

For me, this is the version I like the most. Patience pays off.

Zu sagen es hätte ich der Nacht zuvor geregnet würde mit gutem Recht als die Untertreibung des Jahres durchgehen. Nein, heute Nacht haben sich die Schleußen des Himmel über uns geöffnet. Stundenlang ist ein Gewitter nach dem anderen über uns hinweg gezogen und hat sich hier entladen.

Als ich am Morgen aufwachte war es immer noch kalt und trüb und so hatte ich sehr geringe Erwartungen an das, was mich am See erwarten würde. Umso erfreuter war ich, als ich dies hier gesehen habe.

Der Dunst, der tagsüber den Blick auf die Bergkette im Hintergrund verhindert hatte, hatte sich fast vollständig aufgelöst und überall aus den Wäldern stieg dichter Nebel die Berghänge empor.

Für mich ist dies die Version, die mir am meisten gefällt. Geduld zahlt sich eben aus.

moreof this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de

On one of my many mountain hikes this autumn, I explored this incredibly beautiful area, which is rightly part of UNESCO's World Heritage list, nearby Geiranger in Norway. I have rarely seen such a beautiful and untouched natural landscape.

Auf einer meiner vielen Bergwanderungen in diesem Herbst habe ich diese unglaublich schöne Gegend, die zu Recht auf der UNESCO-Welterbeliste steht, nahe Geiranger in Norwegen erkundet. Ich habe selten eine so schöne und unberührte Naturlandschaft gesehen.

En una de mis muchas caminatas por la montaña este otoño, exploré esta área increíblemente hermosa, que con razón forma parte de la lista del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO, cerca de Geiranger en Noruega. Rara vez he visto un paisaje natural tan hermoso e intacto.

Lors d'une de mes nombreuses randonnées en montagne cet automne, j'ai exploré cette région incroyablement belle, qui fait à juste titre partie de la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO, à proximité de Geiranger en Norvège. J'ai rarement vu un paysage naturel aussi beau et intact.

This is taken on the Nidderdale Way footpath looking towards How Stean Gorge on the way from the village of Ramsgill

Rightly proud of its place within the Dales, Nidderdale is for many the favourite Dale. It truly deserves its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its stunning moorland scenery and tapestry of lush green meadows

Happy Fence Friday (HFF)

We are reliably informed that this slogan was invented by the late Charles Sydney Catlin (1915 - 1991) born in London, to the sound of Bow Bells.

The story goes that Charles had gone to an interview for a job at an advertising company and had shown them his portfolio, which included this saying he had made up into poster format. He was not accepted for the position. But some months later he saw his saying all over an advert on London Underground. He was to say the least very upset indeed.

Charles was rightly very proud of this now infamous advertising slogan and used his story as a message to his family to always safeguard your own work.

Needless to say this image is copyrighted.

Yellowhammer, Livingston.

This has to be one of my favourite birds. I was lucky with this one....I visited St Aidens/Swillington one evening in the summer. If I remember rightly I had to wait in the car for the rain to stop when I arrived. The accompanying wind can be an advantage depending on direction. This one was hunkered down here due to the wind. I remember I was very close ....however being buffeted by the wind, you never know how the shot will turn out. I am really pleased with this shot. Once again thank you all for your comments etc they are much appreciated :)

A first time visit to this location with fellow Flickr photographer Nick Butt. This place has had a few visits from other Flickr photographers over the last month and rightly so, it's a great location which works well for a winter sunrise. The conditions weren't the best on this morning with minimal cloud around apart from some high cloud obscuring the horizon, still nice to visit somewhere new. A second image from me this weekend, I've come to realise that I need to post more on here as I'm paying for it, plus I actually have images to post!

Hardy water lilies (Nymphaea) are rightly prized for the beauty of their blooms and their heart shaped floating leaves. The flowers come in a wide range of colours from pale pink through to the darkest of reds, white, yellow and orange. ... All varieties of water lily bloom throughout the summer month..

“The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”

~ Mark Twain~

“Speak only if it improves upon the silence.”

~Mahatma Gandhi~

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”

~Ansel Adams~

“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.”

~Elbert Hubbard~

Sometimes it's better to remain silent.....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWWrY7fO3S4&list=LLgp6_-0sAJl...

Tofu looks quite round in this photo but unlike his big sister Cleo he can rightly claim that it's only fur. He has lost a lot of fur in the last weeks already and this is now his summer coat but he is still amazingly fluffy.