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The Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve is a protected area consisting of wetlands and surrounding monsoon and dry forests approximately 70 km (43 mi) east of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It lies within the Adelaide and Mary River Floodplains, which is an Important Bird Area.
It attracts a wide range of local and migratory water birds and other wildlife including one of the largest populations of snakes within Australia (including the Water Python and Death Adder), and includes a several raised observation platforms.
Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and Freshwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) can be seen at Fogg Dam all year around. Fogg Dam is open 24/7/365.
Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve was created after the demise of an unsuccessful rice farming project which operated in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The dam was originally created as dry season water storage facility for the rice crop.
GRIANAN OF AILEACH (OR AILIGH) IS AN IMPRESSIVE STONE RINGFORT WITH SURROUNDING EARTHWORKS PERCHED ON THE SUMMIT OF GREENAN MOUNTAIN. THE STONE RINGFORT ALSO KNOWN AS A CASHEL, IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN BUILT IN 1700BC. THE NAME GRIANAN OF AILEACH HAS BEEN VARIOUSLY TRANSLATED AS "STONE PALACE OF THE SUN", "FORTRESS OF THE SUN" AND "STONE TEMPLE OF THE SUN". ALTHOUGH HEAVILY RESTORED, THIS STONE RINGFORT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST BUILDINGS IN IRELAND.
CASHEL IS OF WELL-FITTED DRY-STONE CONSTRUCTION AND THE THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE 5M HIGH WALLS HAS A GRACEFUL CURVED FORM. THE INTERIOR OF THE STRUCTURE TODAY HAS A DIAMETER OF 23.6M NORTH-SOUTH, AND IS REACHED THROUGH A LINTEL-COVERED ENTRANCE PASSAGE 4.65M LONG AND 1.86M HIGH.
THERE ARE EXCELLENT VIEWS FROM THE FORT ACROSS LOUGH SWILLY, LOUGH FOYLE AND THE INISHOWEN PENNINSULAR, IT IS CLAIMED THAT ON A CLEAR DAY FIVE OF THE NINE COUNTIES OF ULSTER CAN BE SEEN FROM THIS VIEWPOINT.
© photo rights reserved by B℮n
From the 8th century BC. the settlements of the surrounding hills united and the city of Rome was founded. The Forum Romanum also known as Foro Romano, is a plaza surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. The House of the Vestal Virgins was the residence of the Vestal Virgins in Ancient Rome. The house was right next to the Temple of Vesta, where the Vestal Virgins were responsible for keeping the sacred fire burning. The virgins living in the house were six noble women who served the temple for thirty years. House of the Vestal Virgins were destroyed during the Great Fire of Rome in 64. After the fire the house was rebuilt and the house was used for members of the imperial court and later by the papal court. The complex remained in use until the 11th or 12th century. During excavations, lower parts of the building and the ponds in the atrium have been exposed. Around the atrium are now excavated images of Vestal Virgins.
The House of the Vestal Virgins located at at the eastern edge of the Roman Forum was completed by AD 113. The statue above was found in a pile of statues. There were in total six Vestals, who were between 6 and 10 years of age when they were appointed by the emperor to serve for 30 years and learn the the sacred rites and keep the sacred fire burning. Vestal-virgins were the only female priests within the Roman religious system. Reconstruction of the House of the Vestal Virgins: goo.gl/images/3RbtEh. We visit Rome on a hot summersday and temperatures soar to over 40ºC. We took it slow amid region’s most intense heatwave.
Vanaf de 8e eeuw v.Chr. verenigden de nederzettingen van de omliggende heuvels zich en ontstond de stad Rome. Het Forum Romanum - Latijn voor Romeins marktplein - was in de oudheid het centrum van Rome. Het forum was in de gloriedagen van het Romeinse Rijk het politieke, juridische, religieuze en commerciële centrum van de stad. Het Huis van de Vestaalse maagden was het woongebouw van de Vestaalse Maagden in het Oude Rome. Het huis lag direct naast de Tempel van Vesta, waar de Vestaalse Maagden verantwoordelijk waren voor het brandend houden van het heilige vuur. De in het huis wonende maagden waren zes adellijke vrouwen, die de tempel dertig jaar dienden. Vestaal-maagden waren de enige vrouwelijke priesters binnen het Romeinse religieuze systeem. Huis van de Vestaalse Maagden werden verwoest tijdens de Grote brand van Rome in 64. Na de brand werd het huis herbouwd en werd het huis gebruikt voor leden van het keizerlijk hof en later door het pauselijk hof. Het complex bleef tot in de 11e of 12e eeuw in gebruik. Bij opgravingen zijn lagere delen van het gebouw en de vijvers in het atrium blootgelegd. Rondom het atrium staan nu opgegraven beelden van Vestaalse Maagden opgesteld. De meeste zonder hoofd. Bekijk de reconstructie: Huis_van_de_Vestaalse_Maagden...
The forest surrounding Mount Koya (Koyasan) in Wakayama, a sacred mountain and temple complex founded by the monk Kobo Daishi, serves as a huge cemetery.. So huge, in fact, that Okunoin Cemetery, as it is called, is the largest in all of Japan., containing over 20,000 graves. The cemetery, as it is called, is the largest in all of Japan.
Lit by thousands of lanterns, Okunoin is the mausoleum of the monk that founded the complex. According to tradition, the lights have been burning constantly since his death more than 1,000 years ago. It is around that mausoleum that the cemetery is located. Known not only for its size and significance, but for its unique headstones, Okunoin is filled with giant spaceships, cups, and other strange monuments erected for the former employees of astronautical and coffee companies. A special monument was built by a pesticide company to commemorate all of its insect victims.
Known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, Mount Koya was settled back in 816 in a high valley that sits between the eight peaks of the mountain. Over the past 1200 years, the complex has grown to over 100 temples and not encompassed the entire town of Koya. It is so important to a segment of the Japanese population that UNESCO named Mt. Koya a World Heritage Site in 2004.
Region surrounding M16 and M17
Credit: ESO/Dss2, Giuseppe Donatiello
(Colorized plates)
Messier 16 and Messier 17 are two emission nebulae located in the boundary between Serpens Cauda and Sagittarius. Both are part of a larger molecular complex.
18h00m18.10s, -11 ° 18′58.9 ″
M16, also called the Eagle Nebula due to its shape, is about 5,600 light years away and is home to the famous "Pillars of Creation", one of the most iconic images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
7h54m38.03s, -13 ° 37′44.8 ″
M17, also known as the Omega Nebula, is also about 5,500 light years away.
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Due to the (questionable) limitations in downloading images introduced in Flickr's policy, a high resolution copy of this image can be obtained upon justified request at: profondocielo[at]uai.it
Alice lake is surrounding by an amazing array of sharp pointy sawtooth mountains. When the light faded and the water grew calm the feeling of serenity and awe was palpable.
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The town of Dobbyn was surveyed by the Mines Department in 1917. A rail line was established to service the mine and surrounding ventures in 1916 and was later closed in 1933, by which time it had been worked to a depth of 100 metres with levels out to 135 metres wide. The nearby Orphan Mine was worked in conjunction with the Dobbyn Mine. Being the railhead, extensive transport infrastructure existed bringing ore in principally from Mount Oxide. By 1932, five trucks and 350 camels were on the road between Mount Oxide and Dobbyn.
Originally the rail line was going to extend a further 80km north to Myall Creek and even Burketown. However, Mount Cuthbert Mine, near Kajabbi, closed in 1920, forcing the abandonment of the rail line extension. At its height, Dobbyn boasted about twenty houses; ubiquitous galvinised iron, with bough sheds out the back, and all but one low set. There was a police station, a school, and extensive railway facilities. The towns store and post office (1917 - 1923 and 1927 - 1961) was initially run by Mrs Elliott, then after 1918, by Mrs Kay Brown. In 1931 the town had one hotel; Mrs Lawson's Dobbin Hotel. Another store was established later, named Arsola Khan's.
In the early 1960s, there were reports of bullets being fired into teachers accommodation, proving it impossible to retain teachers for the local school. It remains a mystery to this day as to why someone was firing bullets at the teachers.
The poppet head that still remains at Dobbyn was transported from Charters Towers.
Source: Cloncurry Trails & Angor to Zillmanton by Colin Hooper.
Dicyrtomina saundersi
After Eddie The Bugman's recent Sminthurides nr penicillifer post, I thought I would go and check the beck in the nearby valley for similar species. I didn\'t have any luck, but the light was fading, so I\'ll keep looking and try and get out a bit earlier.
I did find my first Dicyrtomina of the season in the surrounding woodland. This is a common species that will be easy to find in the coming weeks, and I find a similar species under fallen leaves in the back garden.
This one is a young male and looks to be about ready to moult.
Springtails (unlike insects) continue to moult throughout their adult life, but this was quite a small individual so I suspect it still has some growing to do. As they age the patterning will also get darker.
In the comments below are a couple more images showing the abdominal patterning that helps to distinguish between species, and also the raised papilla that shows that this is a male. Unfortunately I can\'t figure out how to add notes in flickr anymore, so I can highlight them.
Single image @ 7x magnification.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
Concerned about her beau, Selwyn Spencely’s, true affections for her, and worried about the threat his cousin and 1923 debutante, Pamela Fox-Chavers, posed to her own potential romantic plans with Selwyn, Lettice concocted a ruse to spy on Pamela and Selwyn at the Royal Horticultural Society’s 1923 Great Spring Show*. As luck would have it, Lettice ran into Pamela and Selwyn, quite literally in the latter’s case, and they ended up having tea together. Whilst not the appropriate place to talk about Selwyn’s mother, Lady Zinnia, whom Lettice suspects of arranging a match between Selwyn and Pamela, who are cousins, Selwyn has agreed to organise a dinner with Lettice where they can talk openly about the future of their relationship and the interference of Lady Zinnia. However, whilst Lettice waits for the dinner to be arranged, she has a wonderful distraction to take her mind off things.
That is why today we are far from London, returning to Wiltshire, where Lettice grew up at Glynes, the grand Georgian family seat of the Chetwynds, and the home of Lettice’s parents, the presiding Viscount and Countess of Wrexham and the heir, their eldest son Leslie and his new wife Arabella. However, we are not at Glynes, but rather in Glynes Village at the local village hall where a much loved annual tradition is taking place. Every year the village have a summer fête, run by the local women and overseen by Lettice’s mother, Lady Sadie, to help raise money for a worthy cause in the village. The summer fête is one of the highlights of the village and country calendar as it always includes a flower show, a cake stand, stalls run by local famers’ wives selling homemade produce, games of hoopla, a coconut shy, a tombola and a jumble sale, a white elephant stall and a fortune teller – who is always local haberdasher Mrs. Maginot who has a theatrical bent and manages the Glynes theatrical players as well as her shop in the village high street. All the stalls and entertainments are held either in the village hall or the grounds surrounding it. Not only do the citizens of the village involve themselves in the fête, but also the gentry, and there is always much excitement when matriarch of the Brutons, Lady Gwyneth – Gerald’s mother, and Lady Isobel Tyrwhitt – Arabella’s mother, attend. Neither lady have been well over the last few years with Lady Gwyneth suffering a spate of bronchial infections and Lady Isobel receiving treatment for cancer, so it is a rare treat to have both in attendance. This year’s summer fête is a special one for Arabella in particular, for as the newly minted Mrs. Leslie Chetwynd, she now joins the effort to help run the Glynes summer fête for the first time and has been given the second-hand clothing stall to run as part of the jumble sale.
The Glynes village hall is a hive of activity, and the cavernous space resounds with running footsteps, voluble chatter from the mostly female gathering, hammering and children’s laughter and tears as they run riot around the adults as they set up their stalls. Mr. Lovegrove, who runs the village shop, climbs a ladder which is held by the elderly church verger Mr. Lewis and affixes the brightly coloured Union Jacks and bunting that have been used every year since the King’s Coronation in 1911 around the walls. Lady Sadie casts a critical eye over the white elephant stall, rearranging items to put what she considers the best quality items on more prominent display, whilst removing a select few pieces which she thinks unsuitable for sale, which she passes to Newman, her ladies maid, to dispose of. Bramley, the Chetwynd’s butler arranges and categorises books for the second-hand book stall, perhaps spending a little too much time perusing some of the titles. Mrs. Elliott who runs the Women’s Institute manages the influx of local women bringing in cakes with regimental efficiency. And amongst all the noise, activity and excitement, Arabella busies herself unpacking boxes of old clothes and tries her best to make her trestle an attractive addition to the summer fête. Lettice perches on an old bentwood chair, offering suggestions to her sister-in-law whilst pulling faces as she lifts up various donations before depositing them in disgust where they had been beforehand.
“Here we are then,” Gerald announces as he walks across the busy floor of the hall bearing a wooden tray containing several teacups and a plate of cupcakes from the refreshments stand, narrowly avoiding Mrs. Lovegrove’s two youngest children as they chase one another around his legs. The sound of his jolly call and his footsteps joining all the other cacophony of setting up going on around him. “Refreshments for the hard workers,” he looks at Arabella. “And the not-so-hard-workers.” he looks at Lettice.
“Don’t be cheeky!” Lettice says to him with a hard stare, letting a limp stocking fall from her hand and collapse into a wrinkled pool on the trestle table’s surface.
Gerald puts the three tea cups down where he can find a surface on Arabella’s trestle table, followed by a long blue and gilt edged platter on which sit three very festive cupcakes featuring Union Jacks made of marzipan sticking out of white clouds of icing.
“Mrs. Casterton’s special cupcakes.” he announces proudly with a beaming smile.
“How on earth did you get those, Gerald?” gasps Lettice in surprise, eyeing the dainty cakes greedily. “Mrs. Casterton hasn’t let me take food from her kitchen since I started dining at the table with the rest of the family, never mind pinch anything from her stall for the fundraiser!”
“It helps when you aren’t her employer’s indulged youngest child.” Gerald says, tapping his nose knowingly.
“I was not an indulged child!” Lettice defends, raising her hand to the boat neckline of her frock and grasping her single strand of creamy white pearls hanging about her neck. “You were more indulged by Aunt Gwen than I ever was by Mater or Pater.”
“Oh, just ignore him, Tice!” laughs Arabella from her place behind the trestle. “You know Gerald has always had the ability to charm anything from anyone when he wants to.”
“That’s true,” Lettice replies, eyeing Gerald with a cocked eyebrow and a bemused smile as she picks up her magenta and gilt rimmed cup and sips her tea. “I had forgotten that.”
“What can I say?” laughs Gerald proudly with a shrug of his shoulders.
“It’s not so much what you can say as what you can do, Gerald.” mutters Arabella with a frustrated sigh.
“I am at your service, my lady?” Gerald replies, making a sweeping bow before Arabella and Lettice, who both laugh at his jester like action.
“Be careful what you promise, Gerald.” giggles Lettice.
“Bella would never expect too much from me, Lettice.” Gerald retorts with a smile. “She’s known me all her life and she knows what my limitations are.”
“Well, I was hoping you could help me by working some magic on my second hand clothing stall.” Arabella remarks with another frustrated sigh as she tugs at the old fashioned shirtwaister** blouse with yellowing lace about the collar. “I’ve tried and tried all morning, but nothing I seem to do helps make anything look more modern and more attractive to buy.”
Lettice and Gerald look around at Arabella’s stall. The shirtwaister outfit with its pretty, albeit slightly marked, lace, tweed skirt and leather belt with a smart, yet old fashioned Art Nouveau buckle really is the most attractive piece that she has on display. Around it on the surface of her trestle are a jumble of yellowing linen napkins complete with tarnished napkin rings, a selection of embroidered, tatted*** and crocheted doilies, mismatched pairs of leather and lace gloves and several rather worn looking hats that are really only suitable for gardening now, rather than being worn to church services on Sunday.
“I warned you Gerald.” Lettice says with a knowing wink.
“Don’t you remember how much we all felt sorry for whomever ran the second-hand clothing stall at the fête each year as children, Bella?” Gerald asks.
“It was always the short straw.” Lettice adds.
“Yes, being stuck under the piercing stare of His Majesty.” Gerald indicates to the portrait of King George V, dating back to the pre-war years when the King still had colour in his hair.
“The worst stall to have because none of the villagers ever seem to have anything nice or remotely fashionable to donate, even for a good cause like new books for the village school.” Lettice picks up a pretty primrose yellow napkin. “These are nice at least.”
“Except there are only three of them.” points out Arabella with a disappointed air. “I can’t seem to find a fourth.” She picks up a red dyed straw hat in the vain hope that it will be there, even though she has searched beneath it three times already. “And I’ve looked everywhere.”
“Tea for two, perhaps?” Gerald suggests hopefully as he picks up his own teacup and takes a sip of tea.
“Oh, you two are no help!” scoffs Arabella. “I’ve a right mind to stick you both with these!” She grasps a pair of knitting needles complete with some rather dreadfully made rows of incomplete knitting and a ball of wool and thrusts them through the air between she, Lettice, and Gerald. “They’ll get you working.”
“Even if they do, Bella, we aren’t miracle workers.” remarks Gerald.
All three of them laugh good heartedly.
“Oh I must make the best of it,” Arabella sighs resignedly as she tugs at the left leg-of-mutton sleeve**** of the shirtwaister. “After all, this is my first year as Leslie’s wife, and the first jumble sale I am actively helping to run to help raise funds for the village. I must make this stall a success no matter what.” The steely determination in her voice surprises her as she speaks. “I’m a Chetwynd now, and I can’t disappoint the villagers with a poor show.”
“Nor Mater.” adds Lettice, taking another sip of tea.
“No indeed!” agrees Gerald. “Lady Sadie will be judging you from afar, Bella, rest assured. If your stall isn’t a great success, you’ll hear about it.”
“In a dozen little quips.” Lettice adds.
“More like a hundred.” corrects Gerald.
“Tearing delicately phrased strips off you.” agrees Lettice.
“Inflicting as much pain for as long as possible.” adds Gerald with seriousness.
“Oh stop, Gerald!” laughs Arabella. “She isn’t anywhere near as much of a dragon as you and Tice paint her to be.”
“You’ve only been married to the family for a little while now,” Lettice counters, looking at her sister-in-law over the magenta and gilt painted rim of her cup. “And you and Leslie have your own lives and are left pretty much to your own devices down in the Glynes Dower House from what I can gather. We’ll give you a little while longer to find out the truth about your wicked mother-in-law.” She smiles cheekily.
“I have grown up alongside you, going in and out of your house, Tice,” Arabella replies with a dismissive wave of her hand. “So it’s not like Sadie is an unknown quantity to me.”
“But you’ve never been a recipient of her acerbic tongue either, I’ll wager.” adds Gerald dourly. “You’re far too sweet and compliant a young daughter-in-law for that, but both Lettice and I have.”
“I still don’t know,” Lettice queries, turning her attention to Gerald. “What was it you said to Mater that night of Hunt Ball that set her so against you, Gerald? I’ve never known her to take against anyone so vehemently, except perhaps poor Aunt Egg who can never do any right in her eyes.”
Gerald blushes, remembering the altercation he had with Lettice’s mother, Lady Sadie, at the ball. In a slightly inebriated state he told her that neither she nor Lettice had any sway over Selwyn Spencely’s choice of a wife, any more than Selwyn did himself, explaining that it was his mother, the Duchess of Mumford, Lady Zinnia, who would choose a wife for him. “I keep telling you, darling girl. I really don’t remember,” he replies awkwardly, covering his tracks as best as he can. “If you remember, I was rather tight***** that night on your father’s champagne.”
“Well,” Arabella says with a sigh. “I’m determined not to incur her wrath, even though I’m sure it’s nowhere near as awful as you two suggest.”
“Oh-oh!” Gerald mutters under his breath to Lettice. “In coming.”
“Oh no.” moans Lettice quietly in return behind the painted smile she places on her face as she, Gerald and Arabella are suddenly set upon by the Miss Evanses, the two spinster sisters who live in Holland House, a Seventeenth Century manor house in the village.
The trio smile benignly as the two sisters twitter to one another in crackling voices that sound like crisp autumn leaves underfoot as they approach them.
“Well, twice in as many weeks, Miss Chetwynd!” exclaims the younger of the Miss Evanses in delight, a joyous smile spreading across her dry, unpainted lips. “Last week at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show, and now here! How very blessed we are to see you again.”
“How do you do, Miss Evans, Miss Evans,” Lettice acknowledges them both with a curt nod from her seat. She glances at the two old women, who must be in their seventies at least, both dressed in a similar style to when she saw them last week at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show, in floral gowns of pre-war Edwardian era length, their equally old fashioned whale bone S-bend corsets****** forcing their breasts into giant monobosoms down which sautoirs******* of glittering Edwardian style beads on gold chains cascade. Wearing toques with feather aigrettes jutting out of them atop their waved white hair they look like older versions of Queen Mary.
“I’m afraid you are a little early for the jumble sale, Miss Evans and Miss Evans,” Arabella remarks sweetly. “We are still setting up.”
“Oh, thank you! We know, Mrs. Chetwynd.” twitters the elder of the Miss Evanses, surprising Arabella a little as she still gets used to being referred to by her new married name. “I was just remarking to Henrietta this very morning over breakfast that we do so much look forward to the village fête every year.”
“Yes, it’s a nice way for us to be able to support the local community in our own small way, isn’t that right Geraldine?” enthuses her sister, raising her white lace glove clad hand to her wrinkled and dry mouth as she giggles in a rather unseemly girlish way.
“Indeed yes, Henrietta. It is to aid the school this year, is it not?”
“It is Miss Evans.” Arabella confirms. “To help buy new books for the children.”
“A very fine cause, I must say,” the younger of the Miss Evanses remarks indulgently. “Helping the young ones to read and develop their fertile minds. Rather like gardening, wouldn’t you say?”
“It is not even remotely like gardening!” quips her sister. “Stop talking such nonsense Henrietta.”
“We shall of course be glad of your patronage when the jumble sale opens in an hour.” Arabella quickly says in an effort to diffuse any unpleasantness between the two spinster sisters, at the same time emphasising the time the sale begins.
“Well,” adds the elder of the Miss Evanses seriously. “We shall of course come and spend a few shillings and pence when it opens officially, but…”
“Oh!” interrupts the younger of the Miss Evanses. “Is your frock designed by Master Bruton, Miss Chetwynd?” She addresses Gerald in the old fashioned deference of the village and county folk when addressing the children of the bigger aristocratic houses.
“Yes, Miss Evans. Mr. Bruton,” Lettice applies gravatas to the correct reference to Gerald’s name now that he is of age. “Did design my frock.”
“Oh it’s ever so smart!” the younger of the sisters enthuses.
“Thank you, Miss Evans.” Gerald acknowledges her.
“And your hat?” Miss Evans points to the yellow straw hat. “Didn’t I see you wearing that at Master Leslie’s wedding to Miss Arabella?”
“Mrs. Chetwynd, I think you mean, Henrietta.” corrects her sister with a sharpness to her remark.
“Oh yes!” bristles the younger Miss Evans at her sister’s harsh correction, raising her hand to her mouth again. “Yes of course! Mrs. Chetwynd, I do apologise.”
“It’s quite alright, Miss Evans.” Arabella assures her. “I am still getting used to being Mrs. Chetwynd myself.”
“How very observant of you, Miss Evans.” Lettice addresses the younger of the siblings. “I did indeed have my hat made for Leslie and Bella’s wedding. It was made by a friend of Mr. Bruton’s, Miss Harriet Milford.”
“Yes, well thinking of hats, I…” begins the elder Miss Evans.
“Oh it’s most becoming, Miss Chetwynd.” the younger Miss Evans interrupts her sister again as she compliments Lettice in an obsequious manner, followed by another twittering giggle.
“I can send someone down to Holland House this afternoon after the fête with her details if you like.” Lettice replies. “The next time you’re in London, you might pay her a call.”
The two sisters give one another a sour look at the idea, their lips thinning and their eyes lowering as they nod to one another in unison before turning back to Lettice and Gerald.
“Aside from the Great Spring Show, we don’t have much call to go up to London these days, do we Henrietta?”
“Indeed no, Geraldine.” agrees the younger Miss Evans between pursed lips, a tinge of regret in her statement.
“Besides we find the services of Mrs. Maginot’s in the high street to be quite adequate.”
“Good lord!” gasps Gerald, causing the two spinster sisters to blush at his strong language. “Is old Mrs. Maginot still going?” He chuckles. “Fancy that!”
The elder Miss Evans clears her dry and raspy throat awkwardly before continuing. “For our more bucolic, and doubtlessly simple tastes, Master Bruton, we find Mrs. Maginot to be quite satisfactory.” Both sisters raise their lace gloved hands to their toques in unison, patting the runched floral cotton lovingly. “We aren’t quite as fashionable as you smart and select London folk down here in sleepy little Glynes, Master Bruton, Miss Chetwynd, but we manage to keep up appearances.”
“On indeed yes, Miss Evans.” Lettice replies with an amused smile. “No-one could fault you on maintaining your standards.”
“I imagine you will soon be designing Miss Chetwnd’s own wedding frock, Master Bruton.” the younger of the Miss Evanses announces rather vulgarly.
“That’s only if I let her get married, Miss Evans,” Gerald teases her indulgently. “I might like to whisk her away and lock her in a tower so that I can keep her all to myself.”
“After what we all saw with our own eyes at the Hunt Ball, I’m sorry Master Bruton, but I don’t think you are in the running for Miss Chetwynd’s affections!” the younger Miss Evans twittering giggle escapes her throat yet again as her eyes sparkle with delight at the very faintest whiff of any gossip.
“How is Mr. Spencely, Miss Chetwynd?” the elder Miss Evans asks pointedly, her scrutinising gaze studying Lettice’s face.
Lettice blushes at the directness of both Miss Evans’ question and her steely gaze. “Oh, he’s quite well, as far as I know, Miss Evans.” she replies awkwardly.
“As far as you know?” the older woman’s outraged tone betrays her surprise as she looks quizzically into Lettice’s flushed face.
“Well, I haven’t seen Selw… err, Mr. Spencely just as of late.”
“Oh?” the elder Miss Evans queries. “I thought we saw you leave the tent we were in at the Great Spring Show, on the arm of Mr. Spencely.”
“Yes, I’m sure it was him, Miss Chetwynd.” adds the younger Miss Evans as she raises a lace clad finger in thought. “He’s very striking and hard to mistake for someone else.”
Silently Lettice curses the beady eyed observation the two spinster sisters are known for. Of course, they of all people at the bustling and crowded Chelsea flower show, noticed her inadvertent stumble into Selwyn and then her departure with him. Although perfectly innocent, and accompanied by her married friend Margot Channon, and Selwyn’s cousin, Pamela Fox-Chavers, she can see how easily the Miss Evanses can construe the situation to their own advantage of spreading salacious London gossip about Lettice, as daughter of the local squire, around the citizenry of Glynes village.
“I believe you were here for a purpose, Miss Evans.” Gerald pipes up, quickly defending his best friend from any more uncomfortable cross examination.
“Oh,” the elder Miss Evans replies, the disappointment at the curtailing of her attempt to gather gossip clear in both her tone of voice and the fall of her thin and pale face. “Yes.” She turns to Arabella. “I have actually come early today to see you on business, Mrs. Chetwynd.”
“Me, Miss Evans?” Arabella raises her hand to the scalloped collar of her blouse and toys with the arrow and heart gold and diamond broach there – a wedding gift from her husband.
“Yes.” replies the elder of the two sisters. “You see, when I heard that you were running the second-hand stall this year, I did feel sorry for you.”
“Sorry for me, Miss Evans?”
“Yes,” she replies, screwing up her eyes. “For as you know, there is always a poor offering of donated goods by the other villagers, and it makes for a rather sad and depressing sight amidst all this gaiety.” She gesticulates over Arabella’s trestle with a lace glove clad hand, sending forth the whiff of lavender, cloves and camphor in the process.
“Unless you are donating one of your lovely frocks to the sale, Master Bruton?” the younger of the Miss Evanses adds with a hopeful lilt in her voice. “I should buy it, even if it didn’t fit me.”
Gerald splutters and chokes on the gulp of tea he has just taken as the question is posed of him. Coughing, he deposits his cup quickly and withdraws a large white handkerchief which he uses to cover his mouth and muffle his coughs.
“Oh, poor Master Bruton!” exclaims the younger of the Miss Evanses as she reaches out and gently, but pointlessly, taps Gerald on the shoulder in an effort to help him. “Did you tea go down the wrong way?”
“I arrest my case.” her elder sister snaps giving Gerald a steely, knowing look.
“Now be fair, Miss Evans,” Lettice defends her friend, filled with a sudden burst of anger towards the hypocritical old woman, who despite having plenty of money of her own, only spends a few shillings at the fundraiser every year. “Gerald is still establishing himself in London! He cannot afford to give one of his frocks away when he has to pour what little profit he currently makes back into supporting and promoting his atelier.”
“As you like, Miss Chetwynd.” Miss Evans replies dismissively. “It is a pity though that neither Master Bruton, nor yourself could cast something Mrs. Chetwynd’s way, to help make her stall more,” She pauses momentarily as she considers the correct word. “Appealing.”
Lettice feels the harshness of the old woman’s rebuke, but she says nothing as she feels a flush of shame rise up her neck and fill her face.
“Geraldine!” her younger sister scolds her. “That’s most uncharitable of you.”
“Charity, my dear Henrietta, begins at home.” She looks critically at the knotted half completed knitting, the yellow and age stained linen and the mismatched gloves. “And Mrs, Chetwynd, I see that try as you might, you cannot disguise the usually dispirited efforts of the village used clothing drive this year.”
“Oh, well I haven’t really finished setting up yet, Miss Evans.” Arabella defends herself. “There are still some things to unpack from the boxes behind me.” She indicates to several large wooden crates stacked up behind her against the wall under the watchful gaze of the King.
“Which are items that doubtlessly didn’t sell last year, or the year before that have been shuffled away, only to make their annual reappearance.”
“Perhaps you have something appealing,” Lettice emphasises her re-use of the elder Miss Evans’ word as she tries to regain some moral standing against the older woman. “To offer at this year’s second-hand clothing stall, Miss Evans.”
“As a matter of fact,” the elder Miss Evans replies with a self-satisfied smile and sigh. “That is exactly why I am here.”
With a groaning heave, she foists the wicker basket, the handle of which she has been grasping in her bony right hand, up onto the trestle table’s surface. She opens one of the floral painted flaps and withdraws a large caramel felt Edwardian style picture hat of voluminous pre-war proportions from within the basket’s interior. The brim of the hat is trimmed with coffee and gold braid, woven into an ornate pattern whilst the crown is smothered in a magnificent display of feathers in curlicues and the brim decorated with sprigs or ornate autumnal shaded foliage and fruit.
“As I said, charity begins at home, so I thought I would add some style and panache to your stall, Mrs. Chetwynd, with the addition of this beautiful hat.”
“Oh, thank you, Miss Evans.” Arabella says with a sweet, yet slightly forced smile as the older woman tears off a smaller blue stiffed lace hat from a wooden hatstand and replaces it with her enormous millinery confection.
“I know it is only a hat from Mrs. Maginot, and not a London milliner,” she looks pointedly at Lettice. “But I dare say it will be more than suitable for our modest little country jumble sale.”
“Oh I’m sure it will be,” Arabella lies politely as she looks in dismay at the old fashioned headwear.
“Geraldine!” gasps her sister in disbelief. “You love that hat! I remember you had Mrs. Maginot make it for the King’s Coronation celebrations at great expense!”
“That’s true, Henrietta, but it just sits in a box at home these days and never gets worn anymore. It seems a shame to hide it away when it could look fetching on another’s head in church on Sunday. No-one will have anything to rival it. Not even you, Miss Chetwynd.”
“I agree with that,” whispers Lettice discreetly into Gerald’s ear, unnoticed by either of the spinster sisters. “I’d rather die than be caught in that ghastly thing. It looks every minute of it’s age.”
“Just a touch Miss Havisham, don’t you think?” Gerald whispers back, causing both he and Lettice to quietly snort and stifle their giggles.
“Well, that really is most kind of you, Miss Evans.” Arabella says loudly and brightly with a polite nod of acknowledgement, anxious to cover up the mischievous titters from her friend and sister-in-law.
“It’s my pleasure.” she replies with a beatific smile. “Well, we shan’t hold you up any longer from doing your setting up of the clothes, Mrs. Chetwynd. Come along Henrietta. Let’s go and make sure Mr. Beatty has my floral arrangement in a suitably advantageous place. I’m not having it shunted to the back like last year.”
“Oh, yes Geraldine.” her sister replies obsequiously.
Lettice, Gerald and Arabella watch as the two old ladies slowly retreat and heave a shared sigh of relief.
Gerald deposits his cup on the trestle’s surface and walks up to the grand Edwardian hat and snatches it off the wooden stand before placing it atop his own head with a sweeping gesture. “Do you think it suits me?” he laughs.
Lettice and Arabella laugh so much they cannot answer.
“Well,” Gerald sighs, returning the hat to the stand. “Even if Hattie could make hats a hundred times more fashionable than this, maybe some local lady who is a bit behind the times will want to take this beauty home.” He arranges it carefully on the rounded block so that it shows off the autumnal themed fruit garland pinned to the wide felt brim.
“That’s the spirit I need, Gerald.” Arabella manages to say as she recovers from laughing at her friend’s theatrical modelling of the hat, and quietly she hopes that someone will buy the hat and everything else she has in her remit to sell, to help raise money for schoolbooks for the local village and country children that attend the Glynes Village School.
*May 20 1913 saw the first Royal Horticultural Society flower show at Chelsea. What we know today as the Chelsea Flower Show was originally known as the Great Spring Show. The first shows were three day events held within a single marquee. The King and Queen did not attend in 1913, but the King's Mother, Queen Alexandra, attended with two of her children. The only garden to win a gold medal before the war was also in 1913 and was awarded to a rock garden created by John Wood of Boston Spa. In 1919, the Government demanded that the Royal Horticultural Society pay an entertainment tax for the show – with resources already strained, it threatened the future of the Chelsea Flower Show. Thankfully, this was wavered once the Royal Horticultural Society convinced the Government that the show had educational benefit and in 1920 a special tent was erected to house scientific exhibits. Whilst the original shows were housed within one tent, the provision of tents increased after the Great War ended. A tent for roses appeared and between 1920 and 1934, there was a tent for pictures, scientific exhibits and displays of garden design. Society garden parties began to be held, and soon the Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show became a fixture of the London social calendar in May, attended by society ladies and their debutante daughters, the occasion used to parade the latter by the former. The Chelsea Flower Show, though not so exclusive today, is still a part of the London Season.
**A shirtwaister is a woman's dress with a seam at the waist, its bodice incorporating a collar and button fastening in the style of a shirt which gained popularity with women entering the workforce to do clerical work in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.
***Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace from a series of knots and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, accessories such as earrings and necklaces, and other decorative pieces.
****A leg of mutton sleeve is a sleeve that has a lot of fullness around the shoulder-bicep area but is fitted around the forearm and wrist. Also known as a gigot sleeve, they were popular throughout different periods of history, but in particular the first few years of the Twentieth Century.
*****’Tight’ is an old fashioned upper-class euphemism for drunk.
******Created by a specific style of corset popular between the turn of the Twentieth Century and the outbreak of the Great War, the S-bend is characterized by a rounded, forward leaning torso with hips pushed back. This shape earned the silhouette its name; in profile, it looks similar to a tilted letter S.
*******A Sautoir is a long necklace consisting of a fine gold chain and typically set with jewels, a style typically fashionable in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.
Whilst this charming village fête scene may appear real to you, it is in fact part of my 1:12 miniatures collection, including items from my own childhood.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
Perhaps the main focus of our image, the elder Miss Evans’ camel coloured wide brimmed Edwardian picture hat is made of brown felt and is trimmed with miniature coffee coloured braid. The brim is decorated with hand curled feathers, dyed to match the shade of the hat, as well as a spray of golden “grapes” and dyed flowers. Acquired from an American miniatures collector who was divesting herself of some of her collection, I am unsure who the maker was, other than it was made by an American miniature artisan. 1:12 size miniature hats made to such exacting standards of quality and realism such as these are often far more expensive than real hats are. When you think that it would sit comfortably on the tip of your index finger, yet it could cost in excess of $150.00 or £100.00, it is an extravagance. American artists seem to have the monopoly on this skill and some of the hats that I have seen or acquired over the years are remarkable.
The shirtwaister dummy, complete with lace blouse, tweed skirt and Art Nouveau belt attached to a lacquered wooden base, is an artisan miniature as well, once again by an unknown person. It came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom.
The divine little patriotic cupcakes, each with a Union Jack on the top, has been made in England by hand from clay by former chef turned miniature artisan, Frances Knight. Her work is incredibly detailed and realistic, and she says that she draws her inspiration from her years as a chef and her imagination. Each cupcake is only five millimetres in diameter and eight millimetres in height! The plate on which they stand and the teacups on the table are made by the Dolls House Emporium and are part of a larger sets including plates, tureens and gravy boats.
Miss Evans’ wicker picnic basket that can be seen peeping out near the right-hand side of the picture was made by an unknown miniature artisan in America. The floral patterns on the top have been hand painted. The hinged lids lift, just like a real hamper, so things can be put inside. When I bought it, it arrived containing the little yellow napkins folded into triangles and the hand embroidered placemats that you see on the table in the foreground.
The knitting needles and tiny 1:12 miniature knitting, the red woven straw hat, the doilies, the stockings and the napkins in their round metal rings all came from Kathleen Knight’s Doll House Shop in the United Kingdom. The elbow length grey ttravelling gloves on the table are artisan pieces made of kid leather. I acquired these from a high street dolls house specialist when I was a teenager. Amazingly, they have never been lost in any of the moves that they have made over the years are still pristinely clean.
The wooden boxes in the background with their Edwardian advertising labels have been purposely aged and came from The Dolls’ House Supplier in the United Kingdom.
The Portrait of King George V in the gilt frame in the background was created by me using a portrait of him done just before the Great War of 1914 – 1918. I also created the Union Jack bunting that is draped across the wall in the background.
In autumn, the intense blue glacial water of Brúarfoss creates a beautiful contrast to the discolored surrounding vegetation
The forest surrounding Mount Koya (Koyasan) in Wakayama, a sacred mountain and temple complex founded by the monk Kobo Daishi, serves as a huge cemetery.. So huge, in fact, that Okunoin Cemetery, as it is called, is the largest in all of Japan., containing over 20,000 graves.
Lit by thousands of lanterns, Okunoin is the mausoleum of the monk that founded the complex. According to tradition, the lights have been burning constantly since his death more than 1,000 years ago. It is around that mausoleum that the cemetery is located. Known not only for its size and significance, but for its unique headstones, Okunoin is filled with giant spaceships, cups, and other strange monuments erected for the former employees of astronautical and coffee companies. A special monument was built by a pesticide company to commemorate all of its insect victims.
Known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, Mount Koya was settled back in 816 in a high valley that sits between the eight peaks of the mountain. Over the past 1200 years, the complex has grown to over 100 temples and encompassed the entire town of Koya. It is so important to a segment of the Japanese population that UNESCO named Mt. Koya a World Heritage Site in 2004.
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As it seems that not only the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon itself is very photogenic, but also its surrounding. As I was heading for the sunset to the lagoon, I noticed wonderful and absolutely still reflection in one of those small ponds that are along the road towards the lagoon. Who would not stop for scene like this.
Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF17-40mm f/4L USM; Focal length: 17.00 mm; Aperture: 4.5; Exposure time: 1/30 s; ISO: 100
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Mist surrounding the Sphinx Observatory.
The Sphinx Observatory is an astronomical observatory located above the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. It is named after the Sphinx, a rocky summit on which it is located. At 3,571 m above mean sea level, it is one of the highest observatories in the world. Accessible to the public, it is also the second highest observation deck in Switzerland.
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Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a number of notable Edinburgh residents are interred at Greyfriars. The Kirkyard is operated by City of Edinburgh Council in liaison with a charitable trust, which is linked to but separate from the church. The Kirkyard and its monuments are protected as a category A listed building
Greyfriars takes its name from the Franciscan friary on the site, which was dissolved in 1559. The churchyard was founded in 1561
The Kirkyard was involved in the history of the Covenanters. The Covenanting movement began with signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirk on 28 February 1638. Following the defeat of the militant Covenanters at Bothwell Brig in 1679, some 1200 Covenanters were imprisoned in a field to the south of the churchyard. When, in the 18th century, part of this field was amalgamated into the churchyard as vaulted tombs the area became known as the "Covenanters' Prison".
During the early days of photography in the 1840s the kirkyard was used by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson as a setting for several portraits and tableaux such as The Artist and The Gravedigger.
The city of Kumamoto (population 670,000) lies in the center of Japan's southernmost island of Kyushu. The area is widely known for smoldering Mt. Aso, an active volcano just an hour's drive from the city, and for the fresh spring water that trickles from Aso's slopes. This pure water has fostered a thriving integrated circuit industry which has made Kumamoto Japan's "Silicon Valley" of sorts. source: Japan welcomes you by Tom Dillon
Kumamoto Castle rises 30 meters above the ground and, bathed in spotlights at night, dominates the cityscape. Even now, the castle seems the watchful guardian of the city and its people. Please view my Slideshow on Japan
Location: View from outside premises of Kumamoto Castle
pp: A blend of "Topazlab" & "Softlight" in small doses
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"Cable Beach is a 22 km (14 mi) stretch of white sand beach on the eastern Indian Ocean and the name of the surrounding suburb in Broome, Western Australia. Cable Beach was named after the telegraph cable laid between Broome and Java in 1889. Low cliffs of red ochre rise behind the very flat and wide beach, with waves that are mostly gentle in the dry season from May to October."
Part of the historic fortifications surrounding the royal palace compound, very near the Lotus Mahal building published yesterday.
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Hampi was the capitol of the Vijayanagara Hindu kingdom in the early 16th century and by 1500 CE the 2nd largest city in the world after Beijing. The Vijayanagara empire was defeated by a coalition of Mughal sultanates, its capitol conquered and destroyed in 1565. Today the ruins of over 1,000 monuments, temples and fortifications are spread over a vast area in a rocky terrain with bizarre boulder formations, all designated as UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The more distinct the features, the more “beautiful” a snowflake generally becomes. Uncluttered designs with strong lines and geometry are usually best, like this one!
The rapid growth out from the center usually denotes a change in atmospheric variables surrounding the snowflake. Higher humidity and possibly a change in temperature to a degree or two colder will allow a “dendrite” style snowflake to form. These small changes often affect snowflakes part-way through their growth cycle, resulting in unending variations to the snowflakes we can find.
The very center of this snowflake contains an odd-shaped dark area. This was likely once a column that connected two separate plates together, but could have also been a single plate that split in two early on. Regardless of how the two plates formed, the bottom plate gained the upper hand and blossomed into branches, while the top plate stayed geometrically beautiful. A perfect pair of plates growing from the same source!
Some people might point to the center of the snowflake and call that the nucleus, but they’d be mistaken. All snowflakes need something to start with – a speck of dust or even airborne bacteria or viruses. These particles would be too small to capture at these magnifications and any central “spot” is likely the remnants of a column. The physics here begins on a much smaller scale than what I’m able to capture!
It’s snowing now, with the larger part of a snow storm just about to hit. I’ll be out taking pictures, but so far the results have been sub-par. Lots of snow doesn’t necessarily been beautiful crystals, but there might be a chance for some magic to fall from the sky tonight. Stay tuned! :)
And for those curious to discover the science and photography of snowflakes for themselves, I suggest checking out Sky Crystals: www.skycrystals.ca/ - any owner of the book would certainly say it’s worth it!
The rugged terrain surrounding Gallup was popular with Hollywood filmmakers during the 1940s and 50s for the on-location shooting of Westerns. Actors and film crews would stay at the El Rancho Hotel during filming. Films made in Gallup include Billy the Kid (1930), Pursued (1947), The Sea of Grass (1947), Four Faces West (1948), Only the Valiant (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), A Distant Trumpet (1964), and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).
Gallup, NM
Dec 2016
There are hundred-foot tall tulip trees surrounding my house. Some of my earliest memories are of being in my backyard, looking up at these trees. I felt a strong connection with them, considering them entities unto themselves.
I spent many afternoons and evenings communing with them.
Examining the moss and lichens that grew on their ridged bark.
Tracing their expansive root systems that rose like seaserpents through the soil.
Staring in wonder at knotholes and other openings in their flesh, wondering what kind of creatures might find refuge there.
Examining the rainswept constellations of stones and bugs that gathered at their bases.
Wondering what it would be like to climb to their tippy-tops, clinging onto swaying branches like the squirrels and birds.
In the summertime, I lay in the tree fort to read under their foliage, periodically stopping to stare up through their emerald plumes, somehow feeling both nothing and everything.
In the winter, I sat at the kitchen table and divined their branches; animals, letters, and human figures emerged to greet me.
In middle school, I cried when a large number of them just past our fence were cut down to make way for a new property.
As a teenager, I looked through my beside window to the ones that remained, both during the night and the day. I thought of them as neurons, synapses firing as their branches shifted in the wind.
I memorized a line from an Allen Ginsberg poem, and recited it in my mind while I watched them dance;
“today out of the window
the trees look like
live organisms
on the moon.”
They remain something both familiar and foreign to me to this day. Looking at them through my telephoto lens for this photo, they took on yet another layer of mystery. Encrusted in ice, their branches sparkled like gemstones; red, yellow, blue, and, occasionally, every color at once in rainbow-flashes.
Light captured in place of summer's leaves.
Talking to me.
Something about eternity.
Find Me Elsewhere:
Looking at the feathers and then the surrounding bark on the trees, one can understand how easy it is to walk right past them without noticing their silent presence.
On the far right is the 'down arrow'- click on that to open 'original' size... click 'open' on original size and then hit F11 on keyboard for full screen effect...
Sun setting over mountains surrounding 1000 Islands Lake in Zhejiang province, China.
© Andy Brandl (2013) // PhotonMix Photography // Andy Brandl @ Getty Images
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Just below the Mount Buffalo Chalet is Bent's Lookout, which affords visitors breathtaking views of the sheer three hundred metre North Wall and surrounding valleys far below.
Mount Buffalo National Park is located in the Australian Alps, around 350 kilometres north east of Melbourne. In November 1898, an area of 1,166 hectares was reserved on the Mount Buffalo plateau around the Eurobin Falls to form the Mount Buffalo National Park. This makes it one of the oldest national parks in Australia. In 1908 was expanded to 10,406 hectares, before being expanded again in 1980 to its current size. The park exists on a high elevation around the top of the mountain, and it has striking granite boulders, outcrops and rock formations which make the landscape look striking and in some places, almost alien. This is enhanced by many dead trees which were a result of a bushfire that tore through the Mount Buffalo National Park in late 2006 and early 2007. It features The Horn, Cathedral Mountain and Lake Catani amongst other beautiful places to see. The Horn is the highest accessible peak on Mount Buffalo and it offers wonderful views from the top. Lake Catani is a man made ornamental lake which is very tranquil and beautiful. A road into the Mount Buffalo National Park was opened in 1908, and so the alpine tourist trade began. Visitor accommodation was made available at the historic guest house, the Mount Buffalo Chalet, built in 1910, until January 2007. Parks Victoria and the Victorian Government undertook restoration work on the exterior and gardens of the Chalet in 2017 and 2018. The chalet overlooks large sheets of granite and has views of the Ovens Valley and Buckland Valley below. During the winter season, Mount Buffalo is a destination for cross-country skiing. There are a number of cross-country ski trails near the Cathedral, and toboggan runs at Dingo Dell and Cresta Valley, both of which are used by beginners. The Mount Buffalo National Park was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2008, listing it as one of eleven sites that make up the Australian Alpine National Parks and Reserves.
The remains of the, paper like, old flower heads of Fringed Campion (Silene fimbriata) in the shadowy woodland surrounding the lake at Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
I love the old folklore surrounding weather...rings around the moon, and such. And especially those that rhyme such as "no weather is ill, if the wind be still" and "rain before seven, clear by eleven." That last one seems oddly specific and I'm not sure there is much validity. But in the days before Accuweather and Doppler radar the folklore gave people at least small straws to grasp. If I was really clever, I'd come up with a folksy saying for photographers. But I've got nothing. I will say as a fan of dark and dreary photos, I watch for the time shortly before the arrival of a rain storm. The most turbulent and 'photographable' clouds seem to appear in advance of heavy rain. This phase is often fleeting and fast-changing. That's the time to jump. Once the rain begins the clouds generally flatten out into a monolithic sea of gray. Shooting right up until rain begins means I'm then stuck outside in the rain, sometimes a long way from any shelter. Doesn't really bother me. I'm often outdoors in weather conditions that chase most people indoors. I have always loved experiencing weather extremes first hand.
A natural vignette is formed by the surrounding geology of Hedge Creek Falls when viewed from behind. The rain brought out the incredibly rich autumn colors.
Joshua Tree National Park, a dry dry massive dessert near Los Angeles.
The oddly shaped "Joshua Trees" grow in this park and its surrounding areas.
Their dry landscape is worth noting, you find these rock formations you don't really find anywhere else.
Also don't forget - don't go there in summer, especially like August. That's what we did, and we regretted that simply because it was way too hot.
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I love cinematic photos, and particularly shots that seamlessly integrate models with their environment. I want to believe that the model actually belongs in whatever setting is being depicted. It's much the same sense you get watching a good movie. If it's skillfully done, you lose all sight of the fact there there is a production company and camera crews surrounding the actors. You buy into the concept that you are watching real life; for that time reality is suspended. I was having much the same feeling in a session I did with JillyJames in a windswept cornfield. My imagination had produced a concept somewhere between the Wizard of Oz and Children of the Corn. I've had a lifelong fascination with scarecrows ever since seeing one as a child (and resembling one in real life). Whether or not they actually kept birds away from gardens was irrelevant. All that mattered to me was seeing the effigy of a human figure standing up in the middle of a field of crops. And in particular the thought that they remained there all summer, rain or shine, night and day, growing progressively more weatherbeaten by the day. This shot became the adult realization of my childhood imagination. And best of all I realized it as it was unfolding. Unlike some sessions where the import is not recognized until long after, I was right where in the moment shooting like a crazed person, intent on missing nothing. This image gives me the sense, not of a posed model, but rather of discovering an organic scene. There's a sense of intrigue as to what's going on here, a trance like state, a dark meditation, maybe some sort of witchcraft. Darkness, eeriness, but strangely compelling. Shooting up through the stalks gives a sense of a hurried, surreptitious photo, a voyeuristic feeling of seeing something not meant to be seen.
Watch the video created with scenes from this shoot on youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBOvjZI3mkc
See more of model JillyJames (in much less somber settings) here: www.modelmayhem.com/4259916
Met these ladies in Delhi while they were paying respects at Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, located on the banks of the river Yamuna.
PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.
Port Bickerton Lighthouse - Bickerton was settled in 1840 by a group of fishermen from Peggy's Cove. Although Bickerton Island was settled first, the area surrounding the lighthouse was settled soon afterwards. Port Bickerton, Nova Scotia, Canada
It was not until 1901 that the first of three lighthouses was constructed in Port Bickerton, with a bid of only five hundred dollars.
In about 1924 the first lighthouse was replaced, by a temporary light. In 1930 the light was first shown from the combined light and dwelling which still remains at the site. (This building is now the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Interpretive Centre and is open to the public.)
A fire in 1947 brought the lighthouse dangerously close to destruction. The blaze started across the peninsula in Fisherman's Harbour and worked its way to the light. Fortunately, residents in the community were able to douse the fire with water from the sea. The light escaped destruction with only some damage to the roof.
Until 1948, the fog warning device consisted of a small, manually operated fog horn and was utilized only when boats were entering the harbour. Electricity was introduced to the Port Bickerton area in December 1947, and along with it came an automatic fog horn. The first automatic horn sounded from the Port Bickerton light October 20, 1948. Now on top of ensuring that the light itself remained lit, the keepers also had to start the engine for the fog horn. They were responsible, as well, for relaying the weather over a two-way radio. In 1962 the light was converted to electricity. Up until that time oil had been used.
Another one for my book: www.blurb.com/b/5493232-nova-scotia-lighthouses-and-beyond
Whilst the rest of the country basked in glorious sunshine parts of the Yorkshire coast was under a sea fog or locally known as sea fret. Sadly, it did not lift. It was a bit disappointing as it was my first visit here in 5 years!!!
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/index.aspx
Top things to do in Summer
1.Experience the sights, sounds and smells of the miraculous seabird spectacle at the peak of the breeding season
2.The surrounding fields are bejewelled by glorious red campion flowers
3.Enjoy a bite to eat in the family-friendly picnic area
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/about.aspx
A family favourite, and easily the best place in England to see, hear and smell seabirds! More than 200,000 birds (from April to August) make the cliffs seem alive – with adults bringing food to their nests, or young chicks making their first faltering flights.
With huge numbers to watch, beginners can easily learn the difference between gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars. The easily recognisable puffins (here between April and July) are always a delight. Specially-created cliff top viewpoints are wheelchair accessible with care.
You can watch our 200,000 seabirds LIVE on CCTV through the breeding season from March to October. Meet our information assistants and hear about the live action, watch it for yourself on our two TV screens and enjoy the close-up images of our nesting gannets.
Opening times
The reserve is open at all times. From March to October, the visitor centre is open daily from 9.30 am to 5 pm, and from November to February, 9.30 am to 4 pm.
Entrance charges
Entry is free of charge to members all year. There's a charge for non-members of £5 per car, minibus £8 and coach £10.
If you are new to birdwatching...
The birds are easy to see during breeding season - creating a fantastic seascape and bird spectacle. Only eight target seabird species breed here, so learning to identify birds is simple. In winter, common passerines (buntings, sparrows and finches) and short-eared owls (vary in numbers from one year to next) can be seen and identified.
Information for families
Reserve already popular with families. Various family events included in our programme throughout the year. Backpack Activity days very popular.
Information for dog owners
Dogs are welcome on the reserve, however they must be kept on leads at all times. This is to ensure that ground nesting birds are not disturbed, and also to ensure the safety of dogs on the cliff top.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/star_speci...
Star species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Gannet
Look for stunning gannets cruising around at the base of the cliffs and fishing out to sea by rising up into the air before plunging in headfirst with their wings close.
Kittiwake
Visit Bempton in spring and early summer and your ears will be filled with the unmistakable 'kitti-wake' calls of this dainty gull. Look along the cliffs to see them packed onto their tiny nesting ledges.
Puffin
Enjoy the comical antics of puffins in spring and early summer from the viewing points on the cliffs. Watch the adults returning from fishing forays at sea with sandeels hanging from their colourful beaks.
Short-eared owl
Short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the clifftop grassland here in winter. The afternoons are a good time to spot them banking and gliding just above the ground; their piercing yellow eyes scanning for voles moving in the grass below.
Tree sparrow
Flocks of tree sparrows can be seen in the cliff top fields and are regular visitors to the feeding stations. Listen out for their conversational calls - a hard and piercing 'tek'.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/seasonal_h...
Seasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
Breeding seabirds start to return, including gannets, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, kittiwakes, herring gulls and shags. Farmland birds such as skylarks, tree sparrows, linnets, meadow pipits, reed and corn buntings can be seen. There are normally short-eared owls and peregrines to be seen too. Migratory birds include arriving wheatears and various warblers, while over-wintering thrushes can be seen on the reserve before moving back into mainland Europe. Porpoises can often be seen on calm days while early morning visits may provide sightings of roe deer.
Summer
Breeding season is in full swing with all 200,000 seabirds with eggs or chicks. Breeding tree sparrows, whitethroats, grasshopper warblers, sedge warblers, skylarks, linnets, reed buntings, rock and meadow pipits can be seen within 200 m of the visitor centre and car park. A moderate range of the commoner butterflies may be seen on sunny days, along with day-flying moths such as cinnabars, burnet moths and occasionally hummingbird hawk-moths. Trailside flora is dominated by red campion, black knapweed, various thistles and orchids including common spotted, northern marsh and pyramidal.
Autumn
All seabirds departed and breeding finished except for gannets. The autumnal migration can be exciting at Bempton owing to its coastal location and being on a headland. Short-eared owls begin to arrive to stay for the winter (depending on food availability) but the main interest is in the arrival of migrants such as willow warblers, chiffchaffs, whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, reed warblers, sedge warblers, goldcrests, stonechats, whinchats, wheatears and redstarts. Scarce species occur annually such as red-backed shrikes, and barred and icterine warblers. October is peak time to witness the winter thrush arrival, often hundreds of redwings, blackbirds, song thrushes and fieldfares occur along with occasional ring ouzels. Offshore, movements of seabirds may be seen in ideal weather conditions (strong NW winds). These include Manx and sooty shearwaters, Arctic and great skuas. Around the car park area migrant hawker and common darter dragonflies can be seen. There is little botanical interest at this time of year.
Winter
This is normally a quiet time of year. Bracing clifftop walks and fantastic seascapes are probably the best in Yorkshire. Up to 12 short-eared owls winter here, though in poor 'vole' years there may only be a few. The bird feeding station offers food and shelter to a range of commoner species such as tree sparrows (110 have been counted), greenfinch (60), and smaller numbers of blackbirds, robins, dunnocks, wrens, chaffinches, bramblings and various tit species. The cliff face attracts very few birds except for occasional herring gulls and fulmars, but by January gannets will return in good numbers with occasional days of guillemots in good numbers too.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/facilities...
Facilities
Facilities
•Visitor centre
•Information centre
•Car park : Car park has no height restrictions. Cycle rack available close to visitor centre.
•Toilets
•Disabled toilets
•Picnic area
•Binocular hire
•Live camera
•Group bookings accepted
•Guided walks available
•Remote location
•Good for walking
•Pushchair friendly
Viewing points
Five cliff-top viewpoints and a bird feeding station. The five viewpoints are:
Grandstand: 200 m from visitor centre/car park, accessible by wheelchairs/pushchairs with care
Bartlett Nab: 400 m from visitor centre/car park and not easily accessible by wheelchairs/pushchairs
Jubilee Corner: 900 m from visitor centre/car park, not easily accessible by wheelchairs/pushchairs
New Roll-up: 500 m from visitor centre/car park, not easily accessible by wheelchairs/pushchairs
Staple Newk: 900m from visitor centre/car park, not easily accessible by wheelchairs/pushchairs.
The bird feeding station is easily accessed, 50 m from visitor centre/car park.
Nature trails
There are two nature trails. The first nature trail leading to five cliff-top viewpoints. The most distant viewpoints are 900 m from the visitor centre. Part of the trail is crushed chalk, with the remainder over worn grass. There is easy wheelchair and pushchair access to one viewpoint only. Paths can be wet and slippery following wet weather conditions, therefore care should be taken. The discovery trail is a shorter farmland walk.
Refreshments available
•Hot drinks
•Cold drinks
•Snacks
•Confectionery
Shop
The shop stocks:
•Binoculars and telescopes
•Books
•Bird food
•Gifts
Educational facilities
The Bempton Field Teaching Scheme operates throughout the year and offers exciting educational opportunities linked with the National Curriculum. The busiest time is from May to July, when breeding seabirds are at their peak. The scheme provides a unique opportunity to discover breeding seabirds, such as gannets and puffins, as well as investigating the challenging habitats in this fantastic coastal location. A truly memorable experience!
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/accessibil...
Accessibility
26 October 2012
This is a Summary Access Statement. A full access statement is available to download from this page
Before you visit
•Clear print leaflet available on request
•Free parking for members. Parking charge for non members. Free parking for carer or essential companion
•Registered Assistance Dogs welcome
•Check accessibility for events and activities
•Wheelchair free of charge to hire. Pre-booking advised
•Live footage on TV in Visitor Centre
How to get here
•Bempton railway station is 1.25 miles away
•The nearest bus stops are on the main B1229 through the village, around 1 mile from the reserve
•No pavement on road to reserve
Car parking
•Four blue badge parking spaces 10 m (13 yards) from the visitor centre on bound gravel and paved path
•60 spaces in main car park, is a short walk to the main entrance of the visitor centre
•Overflow with 60 spaces on grass
•The path surface from the overflow car park is crushed limestone on exiting the field and after 20 m (26 yards) joins the path from the coach drop-off point (see below)
•Drop-off point 50 m (60 yards) from the visitor centre with a crushed limestone surface with a 1:10 sloped descent
•No lighting or height restrictions.
Visitor centre
Situated on ground floor level with step free access. Live footage on TV from the colony. Four circular tables with seating. Outside when weather is fine. Tiled floor surface. Artificial and natural lighting. Access ramp leads to reserve.
Nature trails
The reserve offers visitors a mixture of trails. A mix of bonded tar-spray chip, crushed limestone or mown grass. Most trails are a minimum of 1200mm/47ins wide and the majority lead to the cliff top viewing points (see Viewing Facilities below).
Viewing facilities
Five built viewpoints along the cliff top path, most have seats. In the Visitor Centre there is live footage on TV of the colony. From car park to exit is The Dell - good for small migrant birds - with a narrow grass path with inclines to and from two seats. A bird feeding station is off the path between the coach park and visitor centre.
Toilets
There are toilets and an accessible toilets outside the visitor centre, with level access to all. Note there are no toilet facilities beyond the visitor centre.
Catering
A servery with a hatch facing outside the visitor centre offering hot and cold beverages, snacks and ice creams. Hatch is 900 mm (36 inches) from the ground.
Shop
The shop is within the visitor centre. Staff and volunteers can assist. There is level entry and no doors to enter apart from those at the main entrance. The shop is lit with spot lamps.
Education area
There is currently a short mown grass square to the rear of the visitor centre which serves as an outdoor classroom reached via the access ramp.
Picnic area
Seven picnic tables - four on grass and three with spaces for wheelchairs on crushed limestone surface - situated 25 m/30 yards from the visitor centre.
For more information
Bempton Cliffs
E-mail: bempton.cliffs@rspb.org.uk
Telephone:01262 851179
YO15 1JF
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/directions...
How to get here
By train
Nearest railway station 200 m south of Bempton village. Exit station and turn left, follow road down to church, walk up lane adjacent to church to staggered cross-road junction. Walk across road and take the road adjacent to the White Horse public house, northwards to the reserve. Total walking distance 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Walking time 40 minutes.
By bus
Nearest bus stop in Bempton village, 1 mile (1.5 km) from the reserve. Buses will drop off at any point on request. Disembark at White Horse public house and follow road northwards up the lane to the reserve. Walking time 30 minutes.
By road
The reserve is on the cliff road from the village of Bempton, which is on the B1229 road from Flamborough to Filey. In Bempton village, turn northwards at the White Horse public house and the reserve is at the end of the road after 1 mile (follow the brown tourist signs).
Other ways to get to the reserve
Trains and buses stop at Bempton, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the reserve. The timetables are seasonal so we advise you call the Visitor Centre for further details. Nearest ferry port in Hull and Humberside Airport in north Lincolnshire.
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/bemptoncliffs/ourwork/in...
Management
Our Bempton Cliffs reserve, on the Yorkshire coast, protects over five kilometres of sea cliffs. From April to mid-August, these support England's largest population of seabirds. Grassland and scrub along the cliff tops are also home to breeding and wintering farmland birds.
The RSPB is managing the reserve for the benefit of its wildlife, which also includes seals and porpoises, and with a long-term view to upgrading its protection status.
Cliff-face communities
Bempton's breeding seabirds are internationally important, making the cliffs both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area.
Species include kittiwakes, gannets, guillemot, razorbills and puffins. We have specific targets for every one: for instance, we would like to maintain a yearly kittiwake population of 43,000 nesting pairs, producing at least one young each.
During the breeding season, our cliff-top patrols help prevent disturbance by visitors and fishermen.
Leading by example
Unfortunately seabird colonies are vulnerable to environmental threats that lie beyond our control. These include climate change and industrial fishing, which affect the birds' food supplies. We aim to use Bempton to highlight these issues, so that key decision makers will take action to safeguard the long-term future of seabirds. We hope this will lead to Bempton being designated a marine Special Conservation Area.
Room at the top
The grassland and scrub at the top of the cliffs are home to farmland birds such as tree sparrows, skylarks and linnets. Short-eared owls also spend winter here.
We are cutting back scrub and harrowing grassland in order to increase the population of insects and small mammals on which all these birds feed. We also put out extra food when necessary.
Vision for visitors
The seabird spectacle at Bempton makes the reserve very popular during summer, while the farmland birds help generate interest all-year-round. We aim to continue attracting and educating people, and inspiring them to support the marine environment.
Our facilities currently include a shop, picnic area and cliff top walks. We aim to develop these, with a view to increasing numbers to 60,000 visitors per annum over the next five years.
Tracking gannets
For the first time, we're finding out where Bempton's gannets go when they're away from the colony.
RSPB scientists have fitted satellite tags to a number of adult gannets so that we can monitor where they go to catch fish. The tags are designed so that they don't hurt or hinder the birds, and they will eventually fall off when the gannets grow new tail feathers, if not sooner.
We need to find out whether the birds are using areas which the government has earmarked as potential wind farms, and how that might affect them. This information will be used to help plan where to put wind turbines at sea.
What we're doing
•Fourteen adult gannets were fitted with satellite tags in July 2010 (and another 13 in July 2011)
•In 2010 we got data from all 14 tags during the time when the gannets were rearing their chicks, and several kept transmitting data late into the breeding season
•The highest density of recorded locations at sea was within 31-62 miles (50-100 km) of Bempton Cliffs
•The greatest overlap with any of the proposed wind farm areas was with the Hornsea zone, which is nearest to Bempton
•These results are from just one breeding season, so it's unclear just how representative they are of what Bempton's gannets do. We'll monitor them again in future breeding seasons to learn more.
You can find out more about this work on the gannet tracking project page.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Tor
Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower, a Grade I listed building.[2] The whole site is managed by the National Trust, and has been designated a scheduled monument.[1][3]
The conical hill of clay and Blue Lias rises from the Somerset Levels. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving the hard cap of sandstone exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the Iron Age to Roman eras.
Several buildings were constructed on the summit during the Saxon and early medieval periods; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a wheel cross dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1275, and the stone Church of St Michael built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times. Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. The Tor is mentioned in Celtic mythology, particularly in myths linked to King Arthur, and has a number of other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Glastonbury" is unclear, but when the settlement was first recorded in the late 7th and early 8th centuries it was called Glestingaburg.[4][5] Of the latter name, Glestinga is obscure, and may derive from an Old English word or Celtic personal name.[4][6] It may derive from a person or kinship group named Glast.[4] The second half of the name, -burg, is Anglo-Saxon in origin and could refer to either a fortified place such as a burh or, more likely, a monastic enclosure.
Tor is an English word referring to a high rock or a hill, deriving from the Old English torr.[note 1][7] The Celtic name of the Tor was Ynys Wydryn, or sometimes Ynys Gutrin, meaning "Isle of Glass". At this time the plain was flooded, the isle becoming a peninsula at low tide.[8][9]
Location and landscape
The Tor is in the middle of the Summerland Meadows, part of the Somerset Levels,[10] rising to an elevation of 518 feet (158 m).[1] The plain is reclaimed fen above which the Tor is clearly visible for miles around. It has been described as an island but actually sits at the western end of a peninsula washed on three sides by the River Brue.[11]
The Tor is formed from rocks dating from the early Jurassic Period, namely varied layers of Lias Group strata. The uppermost of these, forming the Tor itself, are a succession of rocks assigned to the Bridport Sand Formation. These rocks sit upon strata forming the broader hill on which the Tor stands; the various layers of the Beacon Limestone Formation and the Dyrham Formation.[12][13] The Bridport Sands have acted as a caprock protecting the lower layers from erosion. The iron-rich waters of Chalice Well, a spring at the base of the Tor, flow out as an artesian well impregnating the sandstone around it with iron oxides that have reinforced it to produce the caprock.[14] Iron-rich but oxygen-poor water in the aquifer carries dissolved iron (II) "ferrous" iron, but as the water surfaces and its oxygen content rises, the oxidised iron (III) "ferric" iron drops out as insoluble "rusty" oxides that bind to the surrounding stone, hardening it.[15]
The low-lying damp ground can produce a visual effect known as a Fata Morgana when the Tor appears to rise out of the mist.[16] This optical phenomenon occurs because rays of light are strongly bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed.[17] The Italian term Fata Morgana is derived from the name of Morgan le Fay, a powerful sorceress in Arthurian legend.[18]
Terraces
Terraces on the Tor
The sides of the Tor have seven deep, roughly symmetrical terraces, or lynchets. Their formation remains a mystery[19] with many possible explanations. They may have been formed as a result of natural differentiation of the layers of Lias stone and clay used by farmers during the Middle Ages as terraced hills to make ploughing for crops easier.[20] Author Nicholas Mann questions this theory. If agriculture had been the reason for the creation of the terraces, it would be expected that the effort would be concentrated on the south side, where the sunny conditions would provide a good yield, but the terraces are equally deep on the northern side, which would provide little benefit. Additionally, none of the other slopes of the island have been terraced, even though the more sheltered locations would provide a greater return on the labour involved.[21] Alternatively, the flattened paths may have been created by the hooves of grazing cattle.[22]
Other explanations have been suggested for the terraces, including the construction of defensive ramparts.[22] Iron Age hill forts including the nearby Cadbury Castle in Somerset show evidence of extensive fortification of their slopes. The normal form of ramparts is a bank and ditch, but there is no evidence of this arrangement on the Tor. South Cadbury, one of the most extensively fortified places in early Britain, had three concentric rings of banks and ditches supporting an 18-hectare (44-acre) enclosure. By contrast, the Tor has seven rings and very little space on top for the safekeeping of a community.[23] It has been suggested that a defensive function may have been linked with Ponter's Ball Dyke, a linear earthwork about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) east of the Tor.[24][25] It consists of an embankment with a ditch on the east side.[25] The purpose and provenance of the dyke are unclear. It is possible that it was part of a longer defensive barrier associated with New Ditch, three miles to the south-west, which is built in a similar manner. It has been suggested by Ralegh Radford that it is part of a great Celtic sanctuary, probably 3rd century BC, while others, including Philip Rahtz, date it to the post-Roman period and link it to the Dark Age occupation on Glastonbury Tor. The 1970 excavation suggests the 12th century or later.[26] The historian Ronald Hutton also mentions the alternative possibility that the terraces are the remains of a medieval "spiral walkway" created for pilgrims to reach the church on the summit,[27] similar to that at Whitby Abbey.[28]
Another suggestion is that the terraces are the remains of a three-dimensional labyrinth,[29] first proposed by Geoffrey Russell in 1968. He states that the classical labyrinth (Caerdroia), a design found all over the Neolithic world, can be easily transposed onto the Tor, so that by walking around the terraces a person eventually reaches the top in the same pattern.[30][31] Evaluating this hypothesis is not easy. A labyrinth would very likely place the terraces in the Neolithic era,[32] but given the amount of occupation since then, there may have been substantial modifications by farmers and/or monks and conclusive excavations have not been carried out.[28] In a more recent book, Hutton writes that "the labyrinth does not seem to be an ancient sacred structure".[33]
History
Pre-Christian
Some Neolithic flint tools recovered from the top of the Tor show that the site has been visited, perhaps with lasting occupation, since prehistory. The nearby remains of Glastonbury Lake Village were identified at the site in 1892, which confirmed that there was an Iron Age settlement in about 300–200 BC on what was an easily defended island in the fens.[34][35] There is no evidence of permanent occupation of the Tor, but finds, including Roman pottery, do suggest that it was visited on a regular basis.[36]
Excavations on Glastonbury Tor, undertaken by a team led by Philip Rahtz between 1964 and 1966,[37] revealed evidence of Dark Age occupation during the 5th to 7th centuries[1][38] around the later medieval church of St. Michael. Finds included postholes, two hearths including a metalworker's forge, two burials oriented north-south (thus unlikely to be Christian), fragments of 6th century Mediterranean amphorae (vases for wine or cooking oil),[39] and a worn hollow bronze head which may have topped a Saxon staff.[40][41][42]
Christian settlement
Ruin of St Michael's Church
During the late Saxon and early medieval period there were at least four buildings on the summit. The base of a stone cross demonstrates Christian use of the site during this period and it may have been a hermitage.[43] The broken head of a wheel cross dated to the 10th or 11th centuries was found part way down the hill and may have been the head of the cross that stood on the summit.[44][45][46] The head of the cross is now in the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.[47]
The earliest timber church, which was dedicated to St Michael,[48] is believed to have been constructed in the 11th or 12th century from which post holes have since been identified.[49][50] Associated monk cells have also been identified.[50]
St Michael's Church was destroyed by an earthquake on 11 September 1275.[51] According to the British Geological Survey, the earthquake was felt in London, Canterbury and Wales,[52] and was reported to have destroyed many houses and churches in England. The intensity of shaking was greater than 7 MSK, with its epicentre in the area around Portsmouth or Chichester, South England.[51]
A second church, also dedicated to St Michael, was built of local sandstone in the 14th century by the Abbot Adam of Sodbury, incorporating the foundations of the previous building. It included stained glass and decorated floor tiles. There was also a portable altar of Purbeck Marble;[53] it is likely that the Monastery of St Michael on the Tor was a daughter house of Glastonbury Abbey. In 1243 Henry III granted a charter for a six-day fair at the site.[54]
St Michael's Church survived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 when, except for the tower, it was demolished.[1] The Tor was the place of execution where Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, was hanged, drawn and quartered along with two of his monks, John Thorne and Roger James.[55] The three-storey tower of St Michael's Church survives. It has corner buttresses and perpendicular bell openings. There is a sculptured tablet with an image of an eagle below the parapet.[2]
Post-dissolution
In 1786, Richard Colt Hoare of Stourhead bought the Tor and funded repair of the tower in 1804, including the rebuilding of the north-east corner.[1][56] It was then passed on through several generations to the Reverend George Neville and included in the Butleigh Manor until the 20th century. It was then bought as a memorial to a former Dean of Wells, Thomas Jex-Blake, who died in 1915.[57]
The National Trust took control of the Tor in 1933, but repairs were delayed until after the Second World War.[56] During the 1960s, excavations identified cracks in the rock, suggesting the ground had moved in the past. This, combined with wind erosion, started to expose the footings of the tower, which were repaired with concrete. Erosion caused by the feet of the increasing number of visitors was also a problem and paths were laid to enable them to reach the summit without damaging the terraces. After 2000, enhancements to the access and repairs to the tower, including rebuilding of the parapet, were carried out. These included the replacement of some of the masonry damaged by earlier repairs with new stone from the Hadspen Quarry.[56]
A model vaguely based on Glastonbury Tor (albeit with a tree instead of the tower) was incorporated into the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. As the athletes entered the stadium, their flags were displayed on the terraces of the model.[58][59][60]
Mythology and spirituality
The Tor seems to have been called Ynys yr Afalon (meaning "The Isle of Avalon") by the Britons and is believed by some, including the 12th and 13th century writer Gerald of Wales, to be the Avalon of Arthurian legend.[61] The Tor has been associated with the name Avalon, and identified with King Arthur, since the alleged discovery of his and Queen Guinevere's neatly labelled coffins in 1191, recounted by Gerald of Wales.[62][63] Author Christopher L. Hodapp asserts in his book The Templar Code for Dummies that Glastonbury Tor is one of the possible locations of the Holy Grail, because it is close to the monastery that housed the Nanteos Cup.[64]
With the 19th century resurgence of interest in Celtic mythology, the Tor became associated with Gwyn ap Nudd, the first Lord of the Otherworld (Annwn) and later King of the Fairies.[65][66] The Tor came to be represented as an entrance to Annwn or to Avalon, the land of the fairies. The tor is supposedly a gateway into "The Land Of The Dead (Avalon).[67]
A persistent myth of more recent origin is that of the Glastonbury Zodiac,[68] a purported astrological zodiac of gargantuan proportions said to have been carved into the land along ancient hedgerows and trackways,[69] in which the Tor forms part of the figure representing Aquarius.[70] The theory was first put forward in 1927 by Katherine Maltwood,[71][72] an artist with an interest in the occult, who thought the zodiac was constructed approximately 5,000 years ago.[73] But the vast majority of the land said by Maltwood to be covered by the zodiac was under several feet of water at the proposed time of its construction,[74] and many of the features such as field boundaries and roads are recent.[75][71]
The tor and other sites in Glastonbury have also been significant in the modern-day Goddess movement, with the flow from the Chalice Well seen as representing menstrual flow and the tor being seen as either a breast or the whole figure of the Goddess. This has been celebrated with an effigy of the Goddess leading an annual procession up the Tor.
The nebula was quite bright, and shorter exposure was needed.
Homunculus was saturated, though surrounding reddish part was visible. We need longer scope and far shorter exposure to see Homunculus clearly.
This frame was cropped the original 5,760 x 3,840 pixels to 1,152 x 986 pixels and duplicated. The frame was comparable to a frame taken with a scope of 4,25m in focal length.
Homunculus Nebula in wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus_Nebula
Equipment: Takahashi FSQ-106ED, Extender Q 1.6x, and EOS 5Dmk3-SP3, modified by Seo San on ZWO AM5 Equatorial Mount, autoguided with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, Pentax x2 Extender, ZWO ASI 120MM-mini, and PHD2 Guiding
Exposure: 4 times x 480 seconds, 4 x 240 sec, 4 x 60 sec, 4 x 15 sec, and 5 x 4 seconds at ISO 6,400 and f/8.0, focal length 850mm
site: 2,560m above sea level at lat. 24 23 21 South and long. 70 12 01 West near Cerro Ventarrones Chile
Ambient temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind was mild, and ambient turbulence was nice. Guide error RMS was 0.47". Sky Quality L was 21.58 at the zenith.
Here is a view of the site at the date:
Mote surrounding the forbidden city
Added to the Cream of the Crop pool as Most "favorited" (according to flickr)
Click to view in Lightbox.
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Click to see the inscribed and pending UNESCO Sites in Iran: whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ir/
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The site consists of an oval platform about 350 m by 550 m rising 60 m above the surrounding valley. It has a small calcareous artesian well that has formed a lake some 120 m deep. From here, small streams bring water to surrounding lands. The Sassanians occupied the site starting in the 5th century, building there the royal sanctuary on the platform. The sanctuary was enclosed by a stone wall 13m high, with 38 towers and two entrances (north and south). This wall apparently had mainly symbolic significance as no gate has been discovered. The main buildings are on the north side of the lake, forming an almost square compound (sides c . 180 m) with the Zoroastrian Fire Temple (Azargoshnasb) in the centre. This temple, built from fired bricks, is square in plan. To the east of the Temple there is another square hall reserved for the 'everlasting fire'. Further to the east there is the Anahita temple, also square in plan. The royal residences are situated to the west of the temples.
The lake is an integral part of the composition and was surrounded by a rectangular 'fence'. In the north-west corner of this once fenced area, there is the so-called Western iwan , 'Khosrow gallery', built as a massive brick vault, characteristic of Sassanian architecture. The surfaces were rendered in lime plaster with decorative features in muqarnas (stalactite ceiling decoration) and stucco. The site was destroyed at the end of the Sassanian period, and left to decay. It was revived in the 13th century under the Mongol occupation, and some parts were rebuilt, such as the Zoroastrian fire temple and the Western iwan . New constructions were built around the lake, including two octagonal towers behind the iwan decorated in glazed tiles and ceramics. A new entrance was opened through the main walls, in the southern axis of the complex. It is noted that the surrounding lands in the valley (included in the buffer zone) contain the remains of the Sassanian town, which has not been excavated. A brick kiln dating from the Mongol period has been found 600 m south of Takht-e Soleyman. The mountain to the east was used by the Sassanians as a quarry for building stone.
Enjoy your evening and thanks for dropping by.
The current Reichstag dome is a glass dome, constructed on top of the rebuilt Reichstag building in Berlin. It was designed by architect Norman Foster and built to symbolize the reunification of Germany. The distinctive appearance of the dome has made it a prominent landmark in Berlin.The Reichstag dome is a large glass dome with a 360 degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The debating chamber of the Bundestag, the German parliament, can be seen down below. A mirrored cone in the center of the dome directs sunlight into the building, and so that visitors can see the working of the chamber.