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Ever since the introduction of money, people shopped! This #TBT, we want to see the history of commerce.
Share your best #Shopping photo with us by uploading it to your Flickr account and sharing the URL in the comment section of our Facebook post or by posting it on Twitter (@flickr #TBT #shopping). We will curate our favorites and show them in the Flickr blog next week.
Photo from the Nationaal Archief (https://flic.kr/p/bnCaGx)
If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.
Since the kids have been happily snowed in witht he big storm I decided homemade marshmellows were in order!
Cherry vanilla homemade marshmellows dipped in chocolate and sprinkles
say mmmmmm . . . .
Since this week's challenge falls on Thanksgiving in the U.S., the challenge will be holiday foods. Whether it's a Christmas treat or a Thanksgiving dish or some other holiday, show us a pic of some holiday food! Post here: www.flickr.com/groups/livinglens
Since yesterday I'm not afraid to take pictures next to my house with people watching me anymore! I live in a very pretty side of the town (no bragging, I'm just in love with it) and always wanted to take my dolls here. It's much easier than having to go to my grandma's place who lives not close enough to just go there everyday.
If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.
Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade
Since 2009 has a service between Vitry-le-François (F) and Antwerp (B), hauling barley to the latter. Although this service with G2000 loco’s, it has been run for years now by more modern Vossloh/Stadler euro4000 diesel locomotives. And to think almost the whole route is electrified. On thursday it arrives in Antwerp’s Angola yard, where the train splits up. A few wagons go to Mouterij Albert in Boom Prayon (although I haven't seen it for a while now this may have ended), so and the majority goes to the nearby Boortmalt. On friday the train gets unloaded at Boortmalt and returns to Vitry-le-François.
Since 2021 Europorte also has a second train to Antwerpen D.S. Angola. This train goes from Bobigny to Antwerp, crossing Belgium in the morning and arriving around 2pm every weekday. However this train is often late departing from the french marshalling yard, so it's often late in Belgium as well. The train returns again during the night.
And so it happened on this friday that the return train to Bobigny was still waiting while the next train from Bobigny was already on it’s way. 3 Europorte 4000’s would be passing Antwerp’s Angola yard. After the train to Bobigny has left and the train from Bobigny had arrived it was time for the train to Vitry-le-François to depart. It ran slightly late, but just after 3pm this orange snake was hauled by the 4016 towards France.
If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.
This is from the Buttermilk HIlls area just outside of Bishop. I left it a little dark since the sun was setting behind this mountain, and it just didn't look right when I brightened it up.
This area is really popular with rock climbers. There is a hill full of big boulders to my left that people were climbing all over.
I came back this this area for a sunrise, but got slightly lost in the dark, so I ended up walking in that big snowfield you see below.
It’s been a while since I have done a set for Sliders Sunday.
These were all based on my panning experiment in Cambridge recently. The car is going through some road works so we have red fences and high-viz jackets in the background.
All the variants were made with Topaz Studio. It was a really interesting image to play with in the software. The basic subject was easily defined by blocks of colour and needed little detail to convey what it was about (it was an impression of a car effectively). But the panning created quite a bit of variation in detail and blur and it’s that that gave Topaz so much to work with.
For each variant, I started with one of the presets that looked interesting and worked from there. In two cases I used my own presets. If you would like the Topaz presets for any of these just ask - your mileage will vary but that’s the fun of it all...
I tried to create a range of effects for the set. I’ll post one of them for the Sliders Sunday group and also for my 100x motion project. I’ll also do a natural version which is how I would normally process the image. Three of the versions are effectively monochrome.
As usual, I am really interested in which ones you like (if any!). My personal favourite (as I write anyway!) is the painterly one with the textured canvas, but the sketch one is intriguing.
It's the same commentary on all the variants so you don't have to read them all... or any :) For those who like seeing things in images (am I alone in that??) you can play spot the driver's hands and a set of chimneys, and you can work out where I am standing in the road (it's the UK remember ;) ).
I’ll post a link to the in-camera rendition in the first comment so that you can admire the sensor dirt!
Thank you for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the image. Happy Sliders Sunday and 100x
Since 18 years she is known to me,so I can understand her most of the sign languages, as well she can also read me, I am talking about the sign language because she is dumb.She is alone, no one with her. She like to share many thoughts with me or I can say she feel comfortable with me.She has a cake making shop and she leads her life by that. What is very remarkable as well as impressive to me that's her always smiling face despite the fact that she is extremely poor and alone.
Please DO NOT use this image anywhere for commercial or non-commercial purpose without my prior approval.
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. There has been a royal castle on the rock since at least the reign of David I in the 12th century, and the site continued to be a royal residence until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle's residential role declined, and by the 17th century it was principally used as military barracks with a large garrison. Its importance as a part of Scotland's national heritage was recognised increasingly from the early 19th century onwards, and various restoration programmes have been carried out over the past century and a half.
As one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745. Research undertaken in 2014 identified 26 sieges in its 1,100-year history, giving it a claim to having been "the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world". Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of the 16th century when the medieval defences were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St Margaret's Chapel from the early 12th century, which is regarded as the oldest building in Edinburgh, the Royal Palace, and the early 16th-century Great Hall, although the interiors have been much altered from the mid-Victorian period onwards. The castle also houses the Scottish regalia, known as the Honours of Scotland, and is the site of the Scottish National War Memorial and the National War Museum of Scotland. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the castle, although its presence is now largely ceremonial and administrative. Some of the castle buildings house regimental museums which contribute to its presentation as a tourist attraction.
The castle, in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, is Scotland's most and the United Kingdom's second most-visited paid tourist attraction, with over 2.2 million visitors in 2019 and over 70 percent of leisure visitors to Edinburgh visiting the castle. As the backdrop to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the annual Edinburgh Festival, the castle has become a recognisable symbol of Edinburgh in particular and of Scotland as a whole.
The castle stands upon the plug of an extinct volcano, which is estimated to have risen about 350 million years ago during the lower Carboniferous period. The Castle Rock is the remains of a volcanic pipe, which cut through the surrounding sedimentary rock before cooling to form very hard dolerite, a type of basalt. Subsequent glacial erosion was resisted by the dolerite, which protected the softer rock to the east, leaving a crag and tail formation.
The summit of the Castle Rock is 130 metres above sea level, with rocky cliffs to the south, west, and north, rising to a height of 80 metres above the surrounding landscape. This means that the only readily accessible route to the castle lies to the east, where the ridge slopes more gently. The defensive advantage of such a site is self-evident, but the geology of the rock also presents difficulties, since basalt is extremely impermeable. Providing water to the Upper Ward of the castle was problematic, and despite the sinking of a 28-metre deep well, the water supply often ran out during drought or siege, including during the Lang Siege in 1573.
Archaeological investigation has yet to establish when the Castle Rock was first used as a place of human habitation. There is no record of any Roman interest in the location during General Agricola's invasion of northern Britain near the end of the 1st century AD. Ptolemy's map of the 2nd century AD shows a settlement in the territory of the Votadini named "Alauna", meaning "rock place", making this possibly the earliest known name for the Castle Rock. This could, however, refer to another of the tribe's hill forts in the area. The Orygynale Cronykil of Andrew of Wyntoun (c. 1350 – c. 1423), an early source for Scottish history, names "Ebrawce" (Ebraucus), a legendary King of the Britons, as having "byggyd [built] Edynburgh". According to the earlier chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1100 – c. 1155), Ebraucus had fifty children by his twenty wives, and was the founder of "Kaerebrauc" (York), "Alclud" (Dumbarton) and the "Maidens' Castle". The 16th-century English writer John Stow (c. 1525 – 1605), credited Ebraucus with building "the Castell of Maidens called Edenbrough" in 989 BC. The name "Maidens' Castle" (Latin: Castra or Castellum Puellarum) occurs frequently up until the 16th century.[16] It appears in charters of David I (r. 1124–1153) and his successors, although the reason for it is not known. William Camden's survey of Britain, Britannia (1607), records that "the Britans called [it] Castle Myned Agned [winged rock], the Scots, the Maidens Castle and the Virgins Castle, of certaine young maidens of the Picts roiall bloud who were kept there in old time". According to the 17th-century antiquarian Father Richard Hay, the "maidens" were a group of nuns, who were ejected from the castle and replaced by canons, considered "fitter to live among soldiers". However, this story was considered "apocryphal" by the 19th-century antiquarian Daniel Wilson and has been ignored by historians since. The name may have been derived from a "Cult of the Nine Maidens" type of legend. Arthurian legends suggest that the site once held a shrine to Morgain la Fee, one of nine sisters. Later, St Monenna, said to be one of nine companions, reputedly invested a church at Edinburgh, as well as at Dumbarton and other places. Similar names are shared by many other Iron Age hillforts and may have simply described a castle that had never been taken by force or derived from an earlier Brittonic name like mag dun.
An archaeological excavation in the early 1990s uncovered evidence of the site having been settled during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, potentially making the Castle Rock the longest continuously occupied site in Scotland. However, the extent of the finds was not particularly significant and was insufficient to draw any certain conclusions about the precise nature or scale of this earliest known phase of occupation.
The archaeological evidence is more reliable in respect of the Iron Age. Traditionally, it had been supposed that the tribes of central Scotland had made little or no use of the Castle Rock. Excavations at nearby Dunsapie Hill, Duddingston, Inveresk and Traprain Law had revealed relatively large settlements and it was supposed that these sites had been chosen in preference to the Castle Rock. However, the excavation in the 1990s pointed to the probable existence of an enclosed hill fort on the rock, although only the fringes of the site were excavated. House fragments revealed were similar to Iron Age dwellings previously found in Northumbria.
The 1990s dig revealed clear signs of habitation from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, consistent with Ptolemy's reference to "Alauna". Signs of occupation included some Roman material, including pottery, bronzes and brooches, implying a possible trading relationship between the Votadini and the Romans beginning with Agricola's northern campaign in AD 82, and continuing through to the establishment of the Antonine Wall around AD 140. The nature of the settlement in this period is inconclusive, but Driscoll and Yeoman suggest it may have been a broch, similar to the one at Edin's Hall near Duns, Scottish Borders in the Scottish Borders.
The castle does not re-appear in contemporary historical records from the time of Ptolemy until around AD 600. Then, in the epic Welsh poem Y Gododdin there is a reference to Din Eidyn, "the stronghold of Eidyn". This has been generally assumed to refer to the Castle Rock. The poem tells of the Gododdin King Mynyddog Mwynfawr, and his band of warriors, who, after a year of feasting in their fortress, set out to do battle with the Angles at "Catreath" (possibly Catterick) in Yorkshire. Despite performing glorious deeds of valour and bravery, the poem relates that the Gododdin were massacred.
The Irish annals record that in 638, after the events related in Y Gododdin, "Etin" was besieged by the Angles under Oswald of Northumbria, and the Gododdin were defeated. The territory around Edinburgh then became part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, which was itself absorbed by England in the 10th century. Lothian became part of Scotland, during the reign of Indulf (r.954–962).
The archaeological evidence for the period in question is based entirely on the analysis of middens (domestic refuse heaps), with no evidence of structures. Few conclusions can therefore be derived about the status of the settlement during this period, although the midden deposits show no clear break since Roman times.
The first documentary reference to a castle at Edinburgh is John of Fordun's account of the death of King Malcolm III (1031–1093). Fordun describes his widow, the future Saint Margaret, as residing at the "Castle of Maidens" when she is brought news of his death in November 1093. Fordun's account goes on to relate how Margaret died of grief within days, and how Malcolm's brother Donald Bane laid siege to the castle. However, Fordun's chronicle was not written until the later 14th century, and the near-contemporary account of the life of St Margaret by Bishop Turgot makes no mention of a castle. During the reigns of Malcolm III and his sons, Edinburgh Castle became one of the most significant royal centres in Scotland. Malcolm's son King Edgar died here in 1107.
Malcolm's youngest son, King David I (r.1124–1153), developed Edinburgh as a seat of royal power principally through his administrative reforms (termed by some modern scholars the Davidian Revolution). Between 1139 and 1150, David held an assembly of nobles and churchmen, a precursor to the parliament of Scotland, at the castle. Any buildings or defences would probably have been of timber, although two stone buildings are documented as having existed in the 12th century. Of these, St. Margaret's Chapel remains at the summit of the rock. The second was a church, dedicated to St. Mary, which stood on the site of the Scottish National War Memorial. Given that the southern part of the Upper Ward (where Crown Square is now sited) was not suited to be built upon until the construction of the vaults in the 15th century, it seems probable that any earlier buildings would have been located towards the northern part of the rock; that is around the area where St. Margaret's Chapel stands. This has led to a suggestion that the chapel is the last remnant of a square, stone keep, which would have formed the bulk of the 12th-century fortification. The structure may have been similar to the keep of Carlisle Castle, which David I began after 1135.
David's successor King Malcolm IV (r.1153–1165) reportedly stayed at Edinburgh more than at any other location. But in 1174, King William "the Lion" (r.1165–1214) was captured by the English at the Battle of Alnwick. He was forced to sign the Treaty of Falaise to secure his release, in return for surrendering Edinburgh Castle, along with the castles of Berwick, Roxburgh and Stirling, to the English King, Henry II. The castle was occupied by the English for twelve years, until 1186, when it was returned to William as the dowry of his English bride, Ermengarde de Beaumont, who had been chosen for him by King Henry. By the end of the 12th century, Edinburgh Castle was established as the main repository of Scotland's official state papers.
A century later, in 1286, on the death of King Alexander III, the throne of Scotland became vacant. Edward I of England was appointed to adjudicate the competing claims for the Scottish crown, but used the opportunity to attempt to establish himself as the feudal overlord of Scotland. During the negotiations, Edward stayed briefly at Edinburgh Castle and may have received homage there from the Scottish nobles.
In March 1296, Edward I launched an invasion of Scotland, unleashing the First War of Scottish Independence. Edinburgh Castle soon came under English control, surrendering after a three days long bombardment. Following the siege, Edward had many of the Scottish legal records and royal treasures moved from the castle to England. A large garrison numbering 325 men was installed in 1300. Edward also brought to Scotland his master builders of the Welsh castles, including Thomas de Houghton and Master Walter of Hereford, both of whom travelled from Wales to Edinburgh. After the death of Edward I in 1307, however, England's control over Scotland weakened. On 14 March 1314, a surprise night attack by Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray recaptured the castle. John Barbour's narrative poem The Brus relates how a party of thirty hand-picked men was guided by one William Francis, a member of the garrison who knew of a route along the north face of the Castle Rock and a place where the wall might be scaled. Making the difficult ascent, Randolph's men scaled the wall, surprised the garrison and took control. Robert the Bruce immediately ordered the slighting of the castle to prevent its re-occupation by the English. Four months later, his army secured victory at the Battle of Bannockburn.
After Bruce's death in 1329, Edward III of England determined to renew the attempted subjugation of Scotland and supported the claim of Edward Balliol, son of the former King John Balliol, over that of Bruce's young son David II. Edward invaded in 1333, marking the start of the Second War of Scottish Independence, and the English forces reoccupied and refortified Edinburgh Castle in 1335, holding it until 1341. This time, the Scottish assault was led by William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale. Douglas's party disguised themselves as merchants from Leith bringing supplies to the garrison. Driving a cart into the entrance, they halted it there to prevent the gates closing. A larger force hidden nearby rushed to join them and the castle was retaken. The 100 English men of the garrison were all killed.
The 1357 Treaty of Berwick brought the Wars of Independence to a close. David II resumed his rule and set about rebuilding Edinburgh Castle which became his principal seat of government. David's Tower was begun around 1367, and was incomplete when David died at the castle in 1371. It was completed by his successor, Robert II, in the 1370s. The tower stood on the site of the present Half Moon Battery and was connected by a section of curtain wall to the smaller Constable's Tower, a round tower built between 1375 and 1379 where the Portcullis Gate now stands.
In the early 15th century, another English invasion, this time under Henry IV, reached Edinburgh Castle and began a siege, but eventually withdrew due to lack of supplies. From 1437, Sir William Crichton was Keeper of Edinburgh Castle, and soon after became Chancellor of Scotland. In an attempt to gain the regency of Scotland, Crichton sought to break the power of the Douglases, the principal noble family in the kingdom. The sixteen-year-old William Douglas, 6th Earl of Douglas, and his younger brother David were summoned to Edinburgh Castle in November 1440. After the so-called "Black Dinner" had taken place in David's Tower, both boys were summarily executed on trumped-up charges in the presence of the ten-year-old King James II (r.1437–1460). Douglas' supporters subsequently besieged the castle, inflicting damage. Construction continued throughout this period, with the area now known as Crown Square being laid out over vaults in the 1430s. Royal apartments were built, forming the nucleus of the later palace block, and a Great Hall was in existence by 1458. In 1464, access to the castle was improved when the current approach road up the north-east side of the rock was created to allow easier movement of the royal artillery train in and out of the area now known as the Upper Ward.
In 1479, Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, was imprisoned in David's Tower for plotting against his brother, King James III (r.1460–1488). He escaped by getting his guards drunk, then lowering himself from a window on a rope. The duke fled to France, then England, where he allied himself with King Edward IV. In 1482, Albany marched into Scotland with Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III), and an English army. James III was trapped in the castle from 22 July to 29 September 1482 until he successfully negotiated a settlement.
During the 15th century the castle was increasingly used as an arsenal and armaments factory. The first known purchase of a gun was in 1384, and the "great bombard" Mons Meg was delivered to Edinburgh in 1457. The first recorded mention of an armoury for the manufacture of guns occurs in 1474, and by 1498 the master gunner Robert Borthwick was casting bronze guns at Edinburgh. By 1511 Edinburgh was the principal foundry in Scotland, supplanting Stirling Castle, with Scottish and European smiths working under Borthwick, who by 1512 was appointed "master melter of the king's guns". Their output included guns for the Scottish flagship, the "Great Michael", and the "Seven Sisters", a set of cannons captured by the English at Flodden in 1513. Sir Thomas Howard, England's Lord Admiral, admired their graceful shape and brilliant finish, declaring them the most beautiful [cannon] for their size and length that he had ever seen. From 1510 Dutch craftsmen were also producing hand culverins, an early firearm. After Flodden, Borthwick continued his work, producing an unknown number of guns, of which none survive. He was succeeded by French smiths, who began manufacturing hagbuts (another type of firearm) in the 1550s, and by 1541 the castle had a stock of 413.
Meanwhile, the royal family began to stay more frequently at the Abbey of Holyrood, about 1 mile from the castle. Around the end of the fifteenth century, King James IV (r.1488–1513) built Holyroodhouse, by the abbey, as his principal Edinburgh residence, and the castle's role as a royal home subsequently declined. James IV did, however, construct the Great Hall, which was completed in the early 16th century. His daughter Margaret Stewart was lodged in the castle with her servant Ellen More.
James IV was killed in battle at Flodden Field, on 9 September 1513. Expecting the English to press their advantage, the Scots hastily constructed a town wall around Edinburgh and augmented the castle's defences. Robert Borthwick and a Frenchman, Antoine d'Arces, were involved in designing new artillery defences and fortifications in 1514, though it appears from lack of evidence that little of the planned work was carried out. Three years later, King James V (r.1513–1542), still only five years old, was brought to the castle for safety. Upon his death 25 years later, the crown passed to his week-old daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. English invasions followed, as King Henry VIII attempted to force a dynastic marriage on Scotland. When the English burnt Edinburgh in May 1544 the gunner Andrew Mansioun firing from the castle destroyed an English cannon placed to bombard the forework. In 1547 disaffected members of the garrison who resented Regent Arran came to Norham Castle and offered to let the English in.
Refortification in 1548 included an earthen angle-bastion, known as the Spur, of the type known as trace italienne, one of the earliest examples in Britain. Brunstane Castle the home of the traitor Alexander Crichton was demolished to provide building materials. The Spur may have been designed by Migliorino Ubaldini, an Italian engineer from the court of Henry II of France, and was said to have the arms of France carved on it. James V's widow, Mary of Guise, acted as regent from 1554 until her death at the castle in 1560.
The following year, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, returned from France to begin her reign, which was marred by crises and quarrels amongst the powerful Protestant Scottish nobility. In 1565, the Queen made an unpopular marriage with Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, and the following year, in a small room of the Palace at Edinburgh Castle, she gave birth to their son James, who would later be King of both Scotland and England. Mary's reign was, however, brought to an abrupt end. Three months after the murder of Darnley at Kirk o' Field in 1567, she married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, one of the chief murder suspects. A large proportion of the nobility rebelled, resulting ultimately in the imprisonment and forced abdication of Mary at Loch Leven Castle. She escaped and fled to England, but some of the nobility remained faithful to her cause. Edinburgh Castle was initially handed by its Captain, James Balfour, to the Regent Moray, who had forced Mary's abdication and now held power in the name of the infant King James VI. Shortly after the Battle of Langside, in May 1568, Moray appointed Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange Keeper of the Castle.
Grange was a trusted lieutenant of the Regent, but after Moray's murder in January 1570 his allegiance to the King's cause began to waver. Intermittent civil war continued between the supporters of the two monarchs, and in April 1571 Dumbarton Castle fell to "the King's men". Under the influence of William Maitland of Lethington, Mary's secretary, Grange changed sides, occupying the town and castle of Edinburgh for Queen Mary, and against the new regent, the Earl of Lennox. The stand-off which followed was not resolved until two years later, and became known as the "Lang Siege", from the Scots word for "long". Hostilities began in May, with a month-long siege of the town, and a second short siege in October. Blockades and skirmishing continued meanwhile, and Grange continued to refortify the castle. The King's party appealed to Elizabeth I of England for assistance, as they lacked the artillery and money required to reduce the castle, and feared that Grange would receive aid from France and the Duke of Alba in the Spanish Netherlands. Elizabeth sent ambassadors to negotiate, and in July 1572 a truce was agreed and the blockade lifted. The town was effectively surrendered to the King's party, with Grange confined to the castle.
The truce expired on 1 January 1573, and Grange began bombarding the town. His supplies of powder and shot, however, were running low, and despite having 40 cannon available, there were only seven gunners in the garrison. The King's forces, now with the Earl of Morton in charge as regent, were making headway with plans for a siege. Trenches were dug to surround the castle, and St Margaret's Well was poisoned. By February, all Queen Mary's other supporters had surrendered to the Regent, but Grange resolved to resist despite water shortages within the castle. The garrison continued to bombard the town, killing a number of citizens. They also made sorties to set fires, burning 100 houses in the town and then firing on anyone attempting to put out the flames.
In April, a force of around 1,000 English troops, led by Sir William Drury, arrived in Edinburgh. They were followed by 27 cannon from Berwick-upon-Tweed, including one that had been cast within Edinburgh Castle and captured by the English at Flodden. The English troops built an artillery emplacement on Castle Hill, immediately facing the east walls of the castle, and five others to the north, west and south. By 17 May these batteries were ready, and the bombardment began. Over the next 12 days, the gunners dispatched around 3,000 shots at the castle. On 22 May, the south wall of David's Tower collapsed, and the next day the Constable's Tower also fell. The debris blocked the castle entrance, as well as the Fore Well, although this had already run dry. On 26 May, the English attacked and captured the Spur, the outer fortification of the castle, which had been isolated by the collapse. The following day Grange emerged from the castle by a ladder after calling for a ceasefire to allow negotiations for a surrender to take place. When it was made clear that he would not be allowed to go free even if he ended the siege, Grange resolved to continue the resistance, but the garrison threatened to mutiny. He therefore arranged for Drury and his men to enter the castle on 28 May, preferring to surrender to the English rather than the Regent Morton. Edinburgh Castle was handed over to George Douglas of Parkhead, the Regent's brother, and the garrison were allowed to go free. In contrast, Kirkcaldy of Grange, his brother James and two jewellers, James Mossman and James Cokke, who had been minting coins in Mary's name inside the castle, were hanged at the Cross in Edinburgh on 3 August.
Nova Scotia and Civil War
Much of the castle was subsequently rebuilt by Regent Morton, including the Spur, the new Half Moon Battery and the Portcullis Gate. Some of these works were supervised by William MacDowall, the master of work who fifteen years earlier had repaired David's Tower. The Half Moon Battery, while impressive in size, is considered by historians to have been an ineffective and outdated artillery fortification. This may have been due to a shortage of resources, although the battery's position obscuring the ancient David's Tower and enhancing the prominence of the palace block, has been seen as a significant decision.
The battered palace block remained unused, particularly after James VI departed to become King of England in 1603. James had repairs carried out in 1584, and in 1615–1616 more extensive repairs were carried out in preparation for his return visit to Scotland. The mason William Wallace and master of works James Murray introduced an early Scottish example of the double-pile block. The principal external features were the three, three-storey oriel windows on the east façade, facing the town and emphasising that this was a palace rather than just a place of defence. During his visit in 1617, James held court in the refurbished palace block, but still preferred to sleep at Holyrood.
In 1621, King James granted Sir William Alexander the land in North America between New England and Newfoundland, as Nova Scotia ("New Scotland"). To promote the settlement and plantation of the new territory, the Baronetage of Nova Scotia was created in 1624. Under Scots Law, baronets had to "take sasine" by symbolically receiving the earth and stone of the land of which they were baronet. To make this possible, since Nova Scotia was so distant, the King declared that sasine could be taken either in the new province or alternatively "at the castle of Edinburgh as the most eminent and principal place of Scotland."
James' successor, King Charles I, visited Edinburgh Castle only once, hosting a feast in the Great Hall and staying the night before his Scottish coronation in 1633. This was the last occasion that a reigning monarch resided in the castle. In 1639, in response to Charles' attempts to impose Episcopacy on the Scottish Church, civil war broke out between the King's forces and the Presbyterian Covenanters. The Covenanters, led by Alexander Leslie, captured Edinburgh Castle after a short siege, although it was restored to Charles after the Peace of Berwick in June the same year. The peace was short-lived, however, and the following year the Covenanters took the castle again, this time after a three-month siege, during which the garrison ran out of supplies. The Spur was badly damaged and was demolished in the 1640s. The Royalist commander James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, was imprisoned here after his capture in 1650.
In May 1650, the Covenanters signed the Treaty of Breda, allying themselves with the exiled Charles II against the English Parliamentarians, who had executed his father the previous year. In response to the Scots proclaiming Charles King, Oliver Cromwell launched an invasion of Scotland, defeating the Covenanter army at Dunbar in September. Edinburgh Castle was taken after a three-month siege, which caused further damage. The Governor of the Castle, Colonel Walter Dundas, surrendered to Cromwell despite having enough supplies to hold out, allegedly from a desire to change sides.
After his Restoration in 1660, Charles II opted to maintain a full-time standing army based on Cromwell's New Model Army. From this time until 1923, a garrison was continuously maintained at the castle. The medieval royal castle was transformed into a garrison fortress, but continued to see military and political action. The Marquis of Argyll was imprisoned here in 1661, when King Charles II settled old scores with his enemies following his return to the throne. Twenty years later, Argyll's son, the 9th Earl of Argyll, was also imprisoned in the castle for religious Nonconformism in the reign of King James VII. He escaped by disguising himself as his sister's footman, but was recaptured and returned to the castle after his failed rebellion to oust James from the throne in 1685.
James VII was deposed and exiled by the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which installed William of Orange as King of England. Not long after, in early 1689, the Estates of Scotland, after convening to accept William formally as their new king, demanded that Duke of Gordon, Governor of the Castle, surrender the fortress. Gordon, who had been appointed by James VII as a fellow Catholic, refused. In March 1689, the castle was blockaded by 7,000 troops against a garrison of 160 men, further weakened by religious disputes. On 18 March, Viscount Dundee, intent on raising a rebellion in the Highlands, climbed up the western side of the Castle Rock to urge Gordon to hold the castle against the new King. Gordon agreed, but during the ensuing siege he refused to fire upon the town, while the besiegers inflicted little damage on the castle. Despite Dundee's initial successes in the north, Gordon eventually surrendered on 14 June, due to dwindling supplies and having lost 70 men during the three-month siege.
The castle was almost taken in the first Jacobite rising in support of James Stuart, the "Old Pretender", in 1715. On 8 September, just two days after the rising began, a party of around 100 Jacobite Highlanders, led by Lord Drummond, attempted to scale the walls with the assistance of members of the garrison. However, the rope ladder lowered by the castle sentries was too short, and the alarm was raised after a change of the watch. The Jacobites fled, while the deserters within the castle were hanged or flogged. In 1728, General Wade reported that the castle's defences were decayed and inadequate, and a major strengthening of the fortifications was carried out throughout the 1720s and 1730s. This was the period when most of the artillery defences and bastions on the north and west sides of the castle were built. These were designed by military engineer Captain John Romer, and built by the architect William Adam. They include the Argyle Battery, Mills Mount Battery, the Low Defences and the Western Defences.
The last military action at the castle took place during the second Jacobite rising of 1745. The Jacobite army, under Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie"), captured Edinburgh without a fight in September 1745, but the castle remained in the hands of its ageing Deputy Governor, General George Preston, who refused to surrender. After their victory over the government army at Prestonpans on 21 September, the Jacobites attempted to blockade the castle. Preston's response was to bombard Jacobite positions within the town. After several buildings had been demolished and four people killed, Charles called off the blockade. The Jacobites themselves had no heavy guns with which to respond, and by November they had marched into England, leaving Edinburgh to the castle garrison.
Over the next century, the castle vaults were used to hold prisoners of war during several conflicts, including the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American War of Independence (1775–1783) and the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). During this time, several new buildings were erected within the castle, including powder magazines, stores, the Governor's House (1742), and the New Barracks (1796–1799).
19th century to the present
Drawing of the castle surrounded by crowds
King George IV waves from the battlements of the Half Moon Battery in 1822, drawn by James Skene
A mass prison break in 1811, in which 49 prisoners of war escaped via a hole in the south wall, persuaded the authorities that the castle vaults were no longer suitable as a prison. This use ceased in 1814 and the castle began gradually to assume a different role as a national monument. In 1818, Sir Walter Scott was given permission to search the castle for the Crown of Scotland, believed lost after the union of Scotland and England in 1707. Breaking into a sealed room, now known as the Crown Room, and unlocking a chest within, he rediscovered the Honours of Scotland, which were then put on public display with an entry charge of one shilling. In 1822, King George IV made a visit to Edinburgh, becoming the first reigning monarch to visit the castle since Charles II in 1651. In 1829, the cannon Mons Meg was returned from the Tower of London, where it had been taken as part of the process of disarming Scotland after "the '45", and the palace began to be opened up to visitors during the 1830s. St Margaret's Chapel was "rediscovered" in 1845, having been used as a store for many years. Works in the 1880s, funded by the Edinburgh publisher William Nelson and carried out by Hippolyte Blanc, saw the Argyle Tower built over the Portcullis Gate and the Great Hall restored after years of use as a barracks. A new Gatehouse was built in 1888. During the 19th century, several schemes were put forward for rebuilding the whole castle as a Scottish baronial style château. Work began in 1858, but was soon abandoned, and only the hospital building was eventually remodelled in 1897. Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, the architect David Bryce put forward a proposal for a 50-metre keep as a memorial, but Queen Victoria objected and the scheme was not pursued.
Edinburgh Castle, waxed-paper negative by Thomas Keith, c. 1855. Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington DC
In 1905, responsibility for the castle was transferred from the War Office to the Office of Works, although the garrison remained until 1923, when the troops moved to Redford Barracks in south-west Edinburgh. The castle was again used as a prison during the First World War, when "Red Clydesider" David Kirkwood was confined in the military prison block, and during the Second World War, when downed German Luftwaffe pilots were captured. The position of Governor of Edinburgh Castle, vacant since 1876, was revived in 1935 as an honorary title for the General Officer Commanding in Scotland, the first holder being Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Cameron of Lochiel. The castle passed into the care of Historic Scotland when it was established in 1991, and was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1993. The buildings and structures of the castle are further protected by 24 separate listings, including 13 at category A, the highest level of protection for a historic building in Scotland, and special care was taken when installing 31 kW solar panels on the roof of the War Memorial, obscured by its parapet. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, a World Heritage Site inscribed by UNESCO in 1995, is described as "dominated by a medieval fortress".
Since we have so much rain and overcast weather here in the Pacific Northwest, I had to wait until we had some sun and nice clouds. This is only about a 10 minute drive from my home. The setting is the Swan Town Marina in Olympia, Washington. I used my 70-200mm Nikon zoom to use the compression factor to my advantage and bring those mountains in closer for my background.
... since I was all ready to be taken for a walk and have been sitting here waiting for you! Now what? But you are late, lol!
Since Remembrance Day is approaching (on November 11) I thought it would not be a bad idea to give a theme on "POPPIES" on November 9.
The Chicago Botanic Garden has had a bonus year in terms of Titan Arums. Titan Arums, if you aren't familiar, are the giant blooming plants that emits a carrion smell to attract pollinators. It takes years for one to get to the flower stage, and then it opens for about a day. Three plants have put up "buds" or spathes over the past year.
The first of the Titan Arums, Spike, put up its spathe, and there was a ton of publicity around it. but it never opened up. A month or so later, it was announced (nearly at the last minute), that another Titan Arum, Alice, was opening up. Lots of people lined up to see and smell this rare wonder. I sat at home and watched the webcam, as I didn't want to deal with the crowd. Or the stench.
Just a little over a week ago, Sprout blossomed. To say that the folks at the CBG are giddy over this is an understatement.
These are berries from Alice. She was pollinated by hand with pollen from Spike and another Titan Arum from another botanic garden. Her berries have been on display at the greenhouse at various times since January, but the angle previously was not great for photos. This time, she was displayed in the center of the room, so lots of chances for different angles.
It's been a while since I've posted on flickr ... sorry about that, but life sometimes gets in the way. I hope to be able to get in the swing of things now and also hope to catch up on everyone's photos as well, so bear with me. :-)
Thought that I would post an image taken during the winter ... albeit a gorgeous winter's day ... in Yellowstone NP. One of our favorite subjects besides the bison, coyotes, and fox are the bighorn sheep. Up until last year, we had never run into them in Yellowstone, which is now hard for me to believe, being that we've seen them the last few years in a row. Lucky us too because I absolutely adore seeing them. To me, they have such expressive eyes and seem to be always on alert and aware of their surroundings, which of course, includes us. As I observed this guy, I was silently hoping that it would walk to the top of the ridge, so that I might photograph it against that gorgeous blue sky as the backdrop. After we waited for some time, sure enough, it did just that! What a treat!
Thanks so much for stopping by to view and especially for sharing your thoughts and comments. Remember to check out the blog for more images and stories behind them @ www.tnwaphotography.wordpress.com
© 2015 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
Since they were popular I am adding a few more French Maid pictures from the recent photo shoot. Feel free to send me your suggestions for future shoots.
Since I was traveling with the baby in Spain it was hard getting out during golden and blue hour to shoot. I managed a few evenings, one of them in Madrid.
This was shot at the Plaza de la Independencia near the Parque del Buen Retiro. Not the most ideal sky, but fun nonetheless.
Ever since I saw this barn (in my hometown Wayanad), I always wanted to photograph it. But, my photos would never turn this amazing scene into what I wanted. Hence, this experiment with multiple exposure HDR.
Since this year is the 10th anniversary of Halo 3, one of my all time favourite games, I thought it would be appropriate to post my LEGO version of the D77H-TCI Pelican from the game.
To me the Pelican is one of the most iconic ships in video game history (basically the Millennium Falcon of video games) and I always wanted to have a LEGO version of this ship.
This model has been in a box for almost 2 years now. I've completed the main build before I started with most of my other MOCs I posted on flickr. It took almost another half a year to colour all the bricks.
Yes, all olive bricks are spray painted. After seeing how good the paint on the UNSC Mantis turned out, I just had to paint the Pelican as well.
After all, I wanted a definitive version :D
I already displayed this at the Comic Con Germany this and last year.
But due to the size I never came around to take proper pictures.
As you will notice my MOC takes huge inspiration from Benny Bricksters amazing Pelican from 2011. I absolutely love his version and think he nailed the proportions. Actually his build is one of the reasons why I started building MOCs in the first place.
He takes full credit for many of the visible design solutions.
So I already knew which dimensions the MOC would be, which gave me the opportunity to focus on building a sturdy inner frame.
Because one thing I desperately wanted to achieve is the Pelican not needing a second stand to hold the overhang.
The original Pelican stands on one front wheel and two tiny arms which fold down. Since the build is far too heavy to be held by these two arms, you definitely need one small stand under the troop bay.
But almost half the model (including the back thrusters) at the back "floats" and has no stand. I am quite happy that the inner frame is strong enough to hold that part. So Warthogs can drive under it :)
Additionally all four engines/wings are rotatable. The model has a build interior in the cockpit and the troop bay but it is hard to access.
The white logos are printed on, while the red arrows are stickers.
Over the last weeks I made some additional changes and incorporated some of the new LEGO pieces. I also redid some of the paint work.
The Warthog is Nick Bricks awesome design which I altered just a little bit by using a non-LEGO part.
I know not everybody in the LEGO community approves of painting LEGO but I still hope you guys like the build! :)
If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.
Sometimes thinking about preservation and heritage of the city is not enough.
These are some disappearing surroundings...
Well since you guys just Love My night shots! LOL!, and since the previous shots I did here a about 3 weeks ago: www.flickr.com/photos/69558134@N05/46184287402/, was well received, and since people had previously asked me, this Excel Bus is for the foot passengers going to the Ferries and was loading up at about 18:30PM for what I belive maybe the last foot passenger sailing of the day in winter.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Last Week!!
Yes I'm back again.
However due to my main computer on which I edit my work being struck down with a big bad virus, this picture and all the others I am uploading, were Unedited but have now been replaced with Edited versions. So enjoy and Thanks for your patience and understanding.
I do still hate everything about this shit that is new Flickr and always will, but an inability to find another outlet for my work that is as easy for me to use as the Old BETTER Flickr was, has forced me back to Flickr, even though it goes against everything I believe in.
I don't generally have an opinion on my own work, I prefer to leave that to other people and so based on the positive responses to my work from the various friends I had made on Flickr prior to the changes I have decided to upload some more of my work as an experiment and to see what happens.
So make the most of me before they delete my acount: www.flickr.com/photos/69558134@N05/?details=1, to stop me complaining!!
Since visiting Mexico, I've always thought that there would be a fine business importing some old volkswagen beetle from there, since they are so cheap and so numerous, and since they now have incredible values as collection cars in more developped countries.
I, of course, never did anything about it, other than renting this red baby on Isla Cozumel.
Since Tickels birthday is in the same month as mine we celebrate together on the 21st of September. She loves raw beef and chicken, so we treated her with a chopped steak and she loved it!
Since there have been mentions of the demons out at night, well, there was one I encountered. At least a quite demonic appearance.
This horse trailer looks quite unsuspicious from the rear. But wait for the next one :-)
[Zeesen_20230725_0022_e-m10_07259779]
Dear Mrs. Speaker, Mrs. Viktorija, I remember your visit to Kyiv, one of the first since the beginning of this war.
Dear Mr. President, friend Gitanas, you have been to Ukraine many times, you and I have done a lot together. I'm sure we will do even more!
Dear Mrs. Prime Minister, Mrs. Ingrida, I am grateful to you for your visit yesterday...
Dear Lithuanian people!
I am grateful for the opportunity to address you today on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people, who will always remember your sincerity and readiness to support us at the most difficult time for our country.
You were among the first to come to the aid of Ukraine. And you remain among those who care most about peace and security of Europe.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has posed a strategic question to Europe: are the values that underlie the unification of nations on the European continent after World War II still alive?
Or the values have already played their part and can become exhibits in museums for tourists? Just part of Europe's historical heritage somewhere in the halls of ancient palaces, not something that defines real life.
Unfortunately, there is no common answer to this question for all Europeans.
But the future of Europe depends on this - whether there will be a common answer.
In the liberated areas of Ukraine, work continues to record and investigate war crimes committed by the Russian Federation.
Almost every day new mass graves are found. Evidence is being gathered.
Thousands and thousands of victims. Hundreds of cases of brutal torture. Human corpses are still found in manholes and basements. Tied up, mutilated bodies.
There are villages - once quite large, which were left almost without inhabitants.
Hundreds of children are orphans. That is, at least hundreds of children, because we do not know the exact number of victims yet.
Hundreds of cases of rape have been recorded, including underage girls, very young children... And even a baby! It's just scary to talk about it now.
But it's true, it happened.
Even this person, this Russian savage Bychkov from Pskov is identified. The paratrooper or special services officer who sent this video to his comrades. Video of what he does to the baby. How he torments the baby!
This is the Russian military. "Defender" of children. This is a "special operation" planned in Moscow. This is the story of the struggle for the "Russian world". This is what the Russian army and Russian paratroopers will now be associated with. From Pskov.
Rape of a baby…
Russian propagandists have apparently already begun to justify this. They will probably say, as always, that this did not happen, or even if it did happen, it was the protection of "Russian-speakers." And propagandists will also be responsible for this crime, as well as for any such crime. Including those who educate such paratroopers. From Pskov.
And including those in Europe who still do not remove Russian propaganda from television.
And I wonder how do the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and other authors of this "special operation" evaluate its results now? After such crimes.
After such a "feat" of the Russian soldier Bychkov?
Maybe the Russian Minister of Defense will invite such Pskov paratroopers to his home to protect his children and grandchildren? Or the minister wouldn’t want that?
I'm sure he'll be scared.
Everywhere in Ukraine where the occupiers came, along the roads, in yards, parks, gardens, there is a burial of people whose bodies could not be taken to cemeteries.
And all this is within a period of several weeks of Russian occupation. About a month. In the areas around our capital, in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions, in the north of our state.
The whole world remembered the name of the city of Bucha. But this is just one symbol of the crimes of the Russian military.
You can take any other city from those where they managed to gain a foothold for a while, any village... The occupiers did the same thing there as in Bucha.
And what is in the east of our country, where Russian troops still remain? What is in the south? We cannot even imagine what is in Mariupol and Volnovakha, which were almost destroyed by the Russian army.
Obviously, it's even scarier there.
Russian officials and state propagandists deny crimes committed by their army. They say it's a staging. They lie in response to even the obvious facts that convince everyone in the world.
However, no wonder. They always did it. But they have changed their tactics in areas where the Russian troops still remain.
Corpses are no longer left on the streets there. They are taken out and probably burned.
There are mass deportations of people from the occupied areas. Hundreds of thousands of people have already been deported. They are placed in special filtration camps. Documents are taken away from them. They are interrogated and humiliated. It is unknown how many are killed.
Many deportees are distributed in the regions of Russia and banned from leaving.
Obviously, all this is an attempt to get rid of witnesses to Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Is it possible that the Russian military has done and is doing so without orders from the high command? Impossible. Is it possible that the Russian political leadership is not aware of the consequences of such orders? Impossible.
But this is happening on our Ukrainian land. Why?
The answer is very cynical. They are confident of impunity. They are sure that they will be able to make the world forget it. They are sure Europe will forget this or Europe's claims can simply be brushed aside.
They have a simple, ordinary logic. Like, everyone needs to trade. Everyone needs oil. Everyone needs gas. Everyone will want to use Russian territory for the transit of their goods. Everyone will want to use the Russian market, the big market. That's what Moscow thinks.
Of course, if everyone in Europe were as principled and respected the values of Europe as you do in Lithuania, and we are proud of you, I am sure that the Russian leadership would not hope that they would go unpunished. Probably, this war would not have begun. They would not have dared to make a decision to start it.
But what do we see?
The European Union is discussing the sixth - I emphasize: the sixth package of sanctions against Russia for the war unprecedented since World War II, and it is still unknown whether oil will be subject to sanctions.
Even after seeing massacres in Bucha and other cities, even knowing about the deportations of people, even watching the deliberate destruction of peaceful cities by Russian missiles and air bombs - some EU countries cannot decide when they will at least significantly limit the purchase of Russian energy.
Hundreds of European companies and banks have not only not yet refused to operate in the Russian market, but are also showing outright contempt in response to demands to stop financing Russia's military machine through their taxes and excise taxes.
And all this is happening right now - when the blood is still fresh. What does this indicate?
If oil is being seriously discussed only for the sixth package of sanctions, then the world does not realize what war Russia was preparing for. If there is still no clear decision on Russian gas, there can be no certainty that Europe has a common will to stop Russian war crimes. To force Russia to seek peace.
If there are large European companies and large European banks, which even in the midst of hostilities in Ukraine do not consider it necessary to withdraw from the Russian market, it means that all other companies will take this as a signal: wait, wait a bit and then you can work as usual, even if nothing changes significantly in Russia's behavior.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
Dear Lithuanian people!
I am grateful to you for the leadership. For being the first to abandon Russian energy now. When it is really necessary.
I am grateful to you, Gitanas, for the important decision. For being the first to give us real help, to give us weapons. Stingers and more.
It was a historic manifestation of leadership. After all, the Lithuanian people, like no other, understand how the occupiers can destroy freedom and at what cost the independence is rebuilt then, which you have done exemplary.
This is exactly the kind of leadership the whole continent needs now to truly save and uphold common values that are undoubtedly important for Europe.
To prove that the common values of freedom, human rights, respect for state borders and prevention of a war of invasion are in fact alive, not something outdated and worthy of a museum only.
When the continent thought primarily of selfish interests, rather than of what should unite everyone, this has always led to terrible times for Europe as a whole. Discord, outbreaks of revanchism, wars - this is definitely not what Europeans need in the 21st century.
But this is what Russia is trying to bring back.
The Russian state must be responsible for this war. Russian officials and military commanders, all those guilty of war crimes, must be held accountable. All organizers and perpetrators of deportation must be held accountable. Russia must be deprived of any opportunity to terrorize its neighbors.
It's not just about us, it's not just about Ukraine! The real Russian plans are obvious to everyone. Ukraine is just the beginning. Next, God forbid, but next is your state, other Baltic states, Moldova, Georgia, Poland, Central Asian states. Threats are already being heard from Moscow against Finland and Sweden.
How will Europe be able to stop Russia's further expansion if it is not yet able to stop even what is happening in Ukraine now?
Although I know that Lithuania is already doing everything one hundred percent to protect Europe's values, freedom and security for Europeans, it is important that the whole of Europe works one hundred percent.
Every effort must be made to ensure that Europe's response to Russian aggression is truly strong and truly consolidated.
We cannot wait for the elaboration of the seventh or eighth or ninth, tenth, twentieth package of sanctions against Russia in order to make really powerful decisions. We must do everything necessary now - in the sixth package of sanctions. The European Union can do that. And it must do that. It must include oil there. It must impose sanctions on Russian banks - on all of them, not part. No demonstrations needed.
Specific deadlines must finally be set for each EU state in order to really abandon or at least significantly limit the consumption of Russian gas, oil, etc.
Only then will the Russian leadership come to the conclusion that real peace must be sought. That war is a catastrophe first of all for them.
We have already achieved a lot at the bilateral level. True understanding. True allied relations based not just on interests, but on values and on our common historical path.
We will only strengthen our cooperation in the original format of the Lublin Triangle. This will definitely be the basis for a new security configuration in the Baltic-Black Sea region.
Ukraine is also grateful to all our friends in the European Union for starting the accelerated procedure for our country to obtain the status of a candidate for EU membership. We are especially grateful to the Republic of Lithuania.
Successfully completing the procedure in the near future is also a must to show Russia that the war will not break either you or the whole of Europe.
And when peace finally comes - and I am sure it will come very soon if everyone in Europe is truly principled - we will be able to quickly and demonstratively rebuild Ukraine after this war.
I invite your society, your companies, your state to join the project of reconstruction of Ukraine. The reconstruction, which will be the most convincing argument for all those who still have doubts about Europe. About its future. About its potential.
Life must win the war. Values must win the war. Europe must win the war. And we will win.
I am grateful to each of you!
I am grateful to the Lithuanian people!
Glory to Ukraine!
Since exported to Mainland Europe, 66201 heads a VERY late running 6M96 05:50 Margam TC - Corby through Coedkernew on 22/1/2013
8-11-25. Sydney trains operated H sets H44 & H22 are spotted as they prepair to depart from Wollongong station in the later hours of the evening on run C172 bound for Central.
These two sets are the most recent Oscar H sets to have been refurbished for Suburban use. With the referb including reupholstered seating, along with a new Orange livery.
For an unknown reason these two sets would make a few runs up & down the South coast for the day. Being somewhat of an inconvenience for passengers as these sets have their toilets locked off, even during this occasion.
This would also be the first time that these H sets have ventured down South since their refurbishments.
The consist for this run is as follows:
H44
-OD6989
-ONL5934
-ON5944
-OD6990
H22
-OD6946
-ON5922
-ONL5972
-OD6945
Since the only way to catch a shot of him was to use the flash and telefoto, almost all of these shots had to have the eyes painted in with the clone tool....(=P
Since taking up full-frame photography, I have found the Canon 35mm F2.0 IS USM to be a great all purpose lens. View other shots taken with this lens here.
Since I am not at all sure about posting the photo that made it into the top 20 for Emerging Focus, I thought I would post one of my other favs from the On the Surface series. I have to confess that these telephone poles in the middle of nowhere are creating quite an obsession within me.
Ever since I’ve gotten into photography and made the periodic trips to the in-laws in Houston, I’ve wanted to try and capture a picture of its skyline. Previous attempts in my own hometown don’t quite cut it. (San Antonio has a lot going for it, but an impressive skyline is not one of them.)
This past weekend I made the trip again and was determined to make an attempt. Houston’s a big place, and not being familiar with the layout, I had to rely on my mother-in-law to help me find a spot from where to shoot, and then have her drive me across town to get there. Not only that, but I took at least an hour’s worth of shots – from sunset to nightfall – while she waited in the car for me.
I had hoped for some cool clouds behind the skyline to provide a nice backdrop, but unfortunately it was clear, so the daylit shots weren’t all that impressive. Fortunately, the night shots came out better. This shot has a few flaws that I’m not happy about, but I won’t point them out for those that don’t notice :)
Equipment Details:
Nikon D300
Nikon 12-24mm @ 19mm
4sec. exposure @ f/8
ISO 200
MC-36 Multi-Function Remote Cord
Bogen - Manfrotto 190XB Tripod
486RC-2 Compact Ball Head with RC-2 Quick Release
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website · · · · | · · · · getty · · · · | · · · · vimeo · · · · | · · · · rectangle (coming soon)
Since this photo was taken in May, several storms have lashed Sunset Beach. The rapid wave erosion bites within a metre and a half of the actual building, the dunes and art fence have gone as is the gate and fence seen middle and right. All of the lower carpark has now gone and the upper car park has has been fenced off to the corner of the community hall, upper RH, its size reduced by a third, following last weekend's storm.
The surf tower has yet again to be moved to a more secure site within a few days...unless this weekend's westerly storm has managed to erode more.
For more visual information see other images of the shifting position of the surf tower and erosion in this album.