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(technically equivalent to Panasonic DMC-LC1)
A "compact" camera (roughly as large as a DSLR) with a fast zoom lens and a 2/3" sensor.
The lens diameter is such that the sensor uses only the area near the central axis, so the optical quality is very high.
The sensor quality does not appear to match the that of the glass, as far as I can tell.
Ergonomics are excellent. Zoom, manual focus and f-stop are operated by rings on the lens barrel. The focus ring notches into an AF and AF-Macro stop. The exposure time is set by a dial on the camera body. Mostly, and unusually for a compact camera, the photographer will not be choosing all settings in this way.
The flash can be used in either of two modes, either flashing directly forward (the fairly large distance from the lens should minimize the red-eye-occurrence, or tilted upwards and bouncing its light off the ceiling. I haven't tried the flash, so I don't know how well this works.
Shot with a Canon EOS600D and a Leitz-Summicron-R 50mm manual focusing lens.
Ilford FP4 (ISO125) Film shot a few months ago using a canon eos 10 developed using Ilford ilfosol 3.
I must admit, using film brings a very different element to the process and the resulting images definitely a different feel about them. I'm surprised by the amount of grain given the film speed but I suspect this might be something to do with my development process.
This image has a bit more post that the last one but so far I haven't been able to do nearly as much as is possible with a raw file. Again this might just be learning how to get the best out of it.
If anyone has any tips on minimising grain during the development process (although I do quite like it) I'd be interested to know.
The remains of the Grade I listed Dudley Castle, in Dudley, West Midlands.
According to legend, a wooden castle was constructed on the site in the 8th century by a Saxon lord called Dud. However this legend is not taken seriously by historians, who usually date the castle from soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is thought one of the Conqueror's followers, Ansculf de Picquigny, built the first castle in 1070 and that his son, William Fitz-Ansculf, was in possession of the castle when it was recorded at the time of the Domesday Book of 1086. Some of the earthworks from this castle, notably the "motte", the vast mound on which the present castle keep now sits, remain. However the earliest castle would have been of wooden construction and no longer exists.
After Fitz-Ansculf, the castle came into the possession of the Paganel family, who built the first stone castle on the site. This castle was strong enough to withstand a siege in 1153 by the forces of King Stephen. However, after Gervase Paganel joined a failed rebellion against King Henry II in 1173 the castle was demolished by order of the king. The Somery's were the next dynasty to own the site and set about building the castle in stone starting in the second half of the 13th century and continuing on into the 14th. The keep (the most obvious part of the castle when viewed from the town) and the main gate date from this re-building. A chapel and great hall were also constructed.
The last of the male line of Somery, John Somery, died in 1321 and the castle and estates passed to his sister Margaret and her husband John de Sutton. Subsequently, members of this family often used Dudley as a surname. In 1532 another John Sutton (the seventh in the Dynasty named John) inherited the castle but after having money problems was ousted by a relative, John Dudley, later Duke of Northumberland, in 1537. Starting around 1540, a range of new buildings were erected within the older castle walls by him. The architect was William Sharington and the buildings are thus usually referred to as Sharington Range. Dudley was later beheaded, for his attempt to set Lady Jane Grey on the throne of England.
The castle was returned to the Sutton family by Queen Mary, ownership being given to Edward Sutton. The castle was later visited by Queen Elizabeth I and was considered as a possible place of imprisonment for Mary, Queen of Scots. However, the Sutton family were not destined to hold the castle for much longer and Edward Sutton's son, Edward Sutton III was the last of the male line to possess the property. In 1592, this Edward sent men to raid the property of Gilbert Lyttelton, carrying away cattle which were impounded in the Castle grounds. Financial difficulties continued to mount, however, until Edward Sutton III solved the problem by marrying his granddaughter and heir, Frances Sutton, to Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy merchant.
The castle became a Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War and was besieged twice before its surrender to Cromwell's forces in 1646. The first siege in 1644 was lifted after the Royalists sent a relief force which drove away the Parliamentarians. In 1646 Sir William Brereton commanded the Parliamentarians in the second siege against the Royalists led by Colonel Leveson. The castle was surrendered on 13 May 1646. Parliament subsequently ordered that the castle be partly demolished and the present ruined appearance of the keep results from this decision. However some habitable buildings remained and were subsequently used occasionally by the Earls of Dudley although by this time they preferred to reside at Himley Hall, approximately four miles away, when in the Midlands.
The bulk of the remaining habitable parts of the castle was destroyed by fire in 1750. However, in the nineteenth century, the site found a new use as a 'Romantic Ruin' and a certain amount of tidying up of the site was carried out by the Earls of Dudley. Battlements on one of the remaining towers were reconstructed and two cannon captured during the Crimean Wars were installed. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century the site was used for fêtes and pageants. In 1937, when the Dudley Zoo was established, the castle grounds were incorporated into the zoo.
. . . meant to be viewed on black . . . Via Fluidr . . . (then click on image to view details LARGE) . . . bigger is definitely better . . .
thanx to Lenabem for sharing her wonderful textures . . . www.flickr.com/photos/lenabem-anna/sets/72157624082271697/
Tunnel 7 was first put out of service in 1920 after landslide.
The San Diego and Arizona Railroad had cleared the bore of Tunnel 7 after it collapsed on October 22, 1932, but a fire later destroyed the support timbers and the alignment was abandon.
To by pass the tunnel, a cut was excavated around the mountain and the track was routed to by-pass the bore completely.
The western entrance to Tunnel 8 which is the longest tunnel on the Desert Line is about 100 yards away (behind me) from this opening.
The western entrance to tunnel 7 was buried in a land slide and there is no evidence today which would show exactly where it was once located.
Carrizo Gorge Railway Tunnel 7 - MP 98.5.
Jacumba - San Diego County, California.
(March 1, 2015)
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Actually they both complain about not being able to have a drink, and how their husbands, although they are trying to help, just don’t seem to understand what a woman goes through.
To complete the dish, all I have to do is cook some brown rice or bulgur and make a fresh, green salad.
How about some burger patties? Why not. Let's see if I can improvise vegan burgers for the first time :-)
to be continued
Poor Patch...I mean poor Patch Premier...she'll have to deal with a new Patch now...
I noticed that I carry hand sanitizer, wet wipes and anti bacterial wipes with me at all times. I am very aware and probably a little paranoid about getting sick these days, especially since I'm always prone to allergies and catching a cold. I feel like these things do help protect me and also, taking vitamins has also helped to prevent me from getting sick so often.
Place: Comacchio (FE) - Italy
Date: December 13, 2013
Camera: Olympus Evolt E-420
Lens: Zuiko Digital ED 14-42 mm 1:3.5-5.6
----------------------------------------------------
...dedicated to my grandfather!
----------------------------------------------------
All images are exclusive property of Fogli Luca and are protected under International Copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without the written permission. If you wish to use or buy any of the images, please contact me by e-mail address lux76[at]libero.it or by flickr mail
See also: Lux @ Blogspot
"To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the making of bread."
James A. Baldwin
Model • Aajibah' Belle Daniel-Davila
Santa Fe New Mexico 2010
Photo © Jennifer Esperanza
Dear friends, you are more than welcome to visit my channel.
These are some photos regarding my eleventh Lego MOC set named Cartoon series.
Dear all, we finally come to the last series, and I am kind of proud of myself because I have put a lot of effort in every series. Constant brainstorming and continual modifications, each vehicle is my finest work. And, of course, doctoring pictures is just another perspiration. Many Many
thanks for your accompany all along. Last but not least, hope you can also enjoy this final series of my Lego MOC.
There are still 6 videos (size comparison videos) to go. However, it is Chinese New Year now in my country; therefore, the rest of the videos may be a little bit late- perhaps I will have more time in mid-Feburary. Anyhow, wish all my dear family and my friends safe and sound in this beautiful season. :)
This set includes:
(1) Chibi Batpod: Based on the special-designed motorcycle in the film-Dark Knight Trilogy. I built this batpod-like but a bit more compact. The proportion and style are particularly adjusted. A shout-out to whoever design the original batpod.
(2) Batmobile (Tumbler): Once again, this is another MOC also from Dark Knight Trilogy. Well, according the designer, this tank-like tumbler is a mixture of Hummer and Lamborghini. I can tell you that this is by far and so far my favorite batmobile among all the movie, or cartoon- batmobiles.
How do you like my own version of tumbler?
(3) Assault Batmobile: Simply put, this is kind of a modified version of the official set-76045, known as BvS batmobile from the movie Batman v Superman. The body lines of the official one is a bit complex so I thought if I can still keep its initial assault design but with sleeker and simpler body line(s). For me, I like the rear part of this batmobile most.
(4) Knightcrawler: Hmmm.... How should I start it? My idea all began from the official set-76086, and.... the official one is so ugly....(sorry but I do think so..) From the first sight I saw knightcralwer in the theater, I immediately understood Lego failed to nail its real shape and spirit. Additionally, the idea of making knightcrawler a tank for my Lego batman series is in my brain that I could never get rid of. I used some illegal techniques (I glued some parts to make it looks more like the movie version.) Nontheless, I am satisfied with the final work very much.
(5) Hoverboat: Lego released the first batman hoverboat-7780 in 2006. I have to say it is an awesome set to play with. However, I care so much about the size and proportion (for a minifigure scale). So I downsized it with some touches based on my personal preference.
(6) Batwing: From the official set 76027, this batwing became one of my favorite aircraft among all my mocs/mods.
Thank you so much for viewing my Lego works. My only intention is to share. Hope you like these cute toys. peace. :)
Dear friends, you are more than welcome to visit my channel.
These are some photos regarding my tenth Lego MOC set named Cartoon series.
Perhaps this is a set with my favorite Batman minifigure (lol). I came up with this crazy idea when I saw all the offcial sets in 2019. Honestly, the combination of color black, red and yellow make great match in my opinion, and I was extremely thrilled and somehow just cannot wait
to build a "CARTOONIZED" series for batman. Now hope you can enjoy and appreciate these funky vehicles. :)
This set includes:
(1) Chibi Spider-Android: A modified version of the official set- 30243. And for some reason I just have an idea that a bat along with a spider is a fun match-up if I really want to build to cartoonized version of batman chibi vehicle.
(2) Batmobile: Umm...I think i put part of the 1966 batmobile concept into this cartoon batmible. And I particularly love its "blocky" and chucky look. Fun fact: If you take a close look at it, you will find out there are 8 wheels in total.
(3) Batcycle: I don't really have some special explanations for this motorcycle. It is designed as my other motorbike- a little angled up in the middle and tried to create a beautiful bodyline for it. However, I do believe that the stickers play a vital role overall.
(4) Bat Mech: This giant Bat-Mech is inspired by the official set- 76117. However, I don't really dig the original version, especially the leg design. I think you can see the obvious difference with this optimized version. And hopefully I successfully give a more menacing feel/look to it.
(5) Batsub: Yes, the official set- 76116, I didn't do much with this set for its original appearance is so great already. A few touches and modifications were done to it only.
(6) Flying Fox: I can't tell you how much I love the vehicles in the movie Justice League, though the first version is such a "DISASTER" the way I see it. And the later Snyder cut version is way~~ better in my opinion; There is no reason that I don't build a cartoon version of this already well-designed aircraft from the movie.
Thank you so much for viewing my Lego works. More pictures of the last series are coming in soon. My only intention is to share. Hope you like these cute toys. peace. :)
Special Thanks to:
www.brothers-brick.com/tag/elvis-lawrey/
My youtube:
A rather glorious and beautifully produced (it is bound in slik tape) handbook describing the industrial and municipal services of the Lancashire borough of Salford and lavishly illustrated to show scenes of the borough and various industrial activities. It is obviously aimed at VIP visitors to the Civic Hall at the 1924 Briitsh Empire Exhibition at Wembley and as well as Salford's claims to fame and importance it includes descriptions of the various colonies and Dominions and their trade with Lancashire.
Salford was an important industrial centre in its own right, albeit often overshadowed by its neighbour Manchester, and indeed in 1926, two years after this publication, the County Borough was raised to City status matching that of its neighbour. Salford also shared the the spoils of the Manchester Ship Canal, that incredible engineering feat that had made landlocked Manchester one of the largest port facilities in the UK - if only because a large acreage of the docks themselves was administratively in Salford. It meant that the borough was well placed as an entrepot - handling imports and exports via rail and road links across the south and south east Lancashire conurbation. Needless to say cotton, raw in and finished goods out, made up a major part of this trade.
The book also describes Salford's municipal services such as transport, gas and electricity - seen as vital in 'selling' the borough to potential investors and traders. This advert is for Salford's Tramways Department and rather nicely shows an outline route map illustrating the tramways within the borough and the first few motor bus routes that where being operated. Salford, like many other Manchester area operators, ran an extensive system of linke and jointly operated services so for example both Manchester and Bury Corporation vehicles could be seen on Salford routes. The map shows the adjacent local authorities who, although they owned the actual tram tracks, leased operational rights to Salford Corporation. The system's tracks were also connected to those of a private operator, Lancashire United Tramways.
Salford was also famous in that due to the close proximity of the two city centres, divided by the River Irwell, many of its tram routes effectively terminated over the boundary in Manchester. The decision to scrap the trams was therefore bound up rather intimately with, in particular, Manchester's early decision to convert their system to buses, a process that strated in the 1930s but that was delayed by the outbreak of war in 1939. The last remaining trams soldiered on until 1947, two years before Manchester finally abandoned its last route and the motor bus reigned supreme. In 1969 Salford City Transport passed to SELNEC PTE although, in 1999, light rail returned to the City when the Metrolink system was extended to Eccles returning street operation to Eccles New Road.
A final touch is the coat of arms in the central cartouche of the map compass.
My Henry Cavill Action was happy to model Underwear from Magic Cube!
Pre-order them them here...
www.gijoeelite.com/f_itemPart.asp?strPart=GIMC-F036B
and here...
www.gijoeelite.com/f_itemPart.asp?strPart=GIMC-F036A
More to come ...
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.
Today however we are following Lettice’s maid, Edith, who together with her beau, local grocery delivery boy Frank Leadbetter, have wended their way north-east from Cavendish Mews on their Sunday off, through neighbouring Soho to the Lyons Corner House* on the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. As always, the flagship restaurant on the first floor is a hive of activity with all the white linen covered tables occupied by Londoners indulging in the treat of a Lyon’s luncheon or early afternoon tea. Between the tightly packed tables, the Lyons waitresses, known as Nippies**, live up to their name and nip in and out, showing diners to empty tables, taking orders, placing food on tables and clearing and resetting them after diners have left. The cavernous space with its fashionable Art Deco wallpapers and light fixtures and dark Queen Anne English style furnishing is alive with colour, movement and the burbling noises of hundreds of chattering voices, the sound of cutlery against crockery and the clink of crockery and glassware fills the air brightly.
Amidst all the comings and goings, Edith and Frank sit at a table for two just adjunct to one of the glass fronted cabinets filled with delicious cakes on display, engrossed in a conversation over the film that they have just seen together in an East Ham cinema.
“Oh I did enjoy ‘The Notorious Mrs. Carrick’***, Frank.” Edith enthuses. “That Cameron Carr**** is such a handsome film star!” she sighs.
“Hey!” splutters Frank as he deposits his teacup back into its saucer. “I would hope you only have eyes for me, Edith Watsford, and not some flicker of light up on a screen at the Premier in East Ham*****.”
“Are you jealous, Frank Leadbetter?” Edith laughs, her amused giggles blending in with the vociferous chatting going on around them.
“Certainly not!” Frank retorts blusteringly, stiffening in his seat. “Don’t talk such rubbish!”
“I declare, you are!” Edith giggles.
“Am not!”
“You are, Frank, and don’t pretend you aren’t.” she teases. “I can tell when you are, and your flushing cheeks give you away.”
“Oh really?” Frank gasps, raising his hands to his cheeks and pressing his palms into them to hide the rising colour in his face.
“Oh Frank!” Edith continues to chuckle. “You know you have nothing to worry about. Those film stars are just matinee idols******. They aren’t flesh and blood like you are. They are…” She pauses for a moment to think of the right words. “They are creatures made of stardust and dreams.” She gesticulates waving her hands elegantly through the air between them. “They aren’t real. I’m just like most girls, Frank. I like the moving pictures for their fantasy and their escapism into another world, far away from the hand graft of our everyday lives.”
“Well, so long as you don’t become like those crazy girls who scream hysterically in the street about that Rudolph Valentino*******, making a scene, and fools of themselves.” Franks says with distain.
“As if I would, Frank!” Edith retorts, lifting her cup of tea to her lips. “You know me well enough to know I’d never do anything like that! If anything, Miss Lettice or some of her flapper friends strike me as being more inclined to behave like that, and even then Miss Lettice would only do it just to shock her parents.”
“Well, she does influence you,” Frank replies sagely. “Even if you don’t know it.”
“Oh, don’t talk such rubbish, Frank.” Edith scoffs with a wave of her hand. “It is true that I admire Miss Lettice - it makes it easier to work for her that I do – but I would never let her influence me like that! She already tries to fill my head with ideas about my place in this new post-war world, but I’m not prepared to be quite as revolutionary as she would have me be.”
Their conversation is interrupted by a Nippie carrying a blue and white china plate on which some dainty triangle sandwiches are prettily arranged and garnished with parsley sprigs. “Tongue and jelly sandwiches********.” she announces cheerily over the hubbub of chatter around them before lowing the plate onto the empty space on the white linen covered tablecloth between their plates and teacups.
“Thank you, Miss.” Edith says politely to the Nippie, who’s grateful smile brightens her slightly tired looking visage beneath her stiff linen cap. After the Nippie leaves, Edith turns her attention back to Frank and adds, “I was always taught that ‘pleases’ and ‘thank yous’ go a long way, in this world, and that you should always thank anyone who is serving you, whether it is a shop girl, or a Nippie.” She slips her starched linen napkin out from underneath her knife and shakes it out before draping it across her lap. “And my Mum taught me that by the way, not Miss Lettice.” she continues, as she makes a selection from the sandwiches on the plate, removing the top one from the stack.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it, Edith.” Frank says as he shakes out his own napkin and places it across his lap before selecting a sandwich for himself. “I’ve always admired you for your manners and how polite and kind you are to others. Your mother taught you well.”
“And your parents and grandmother taught you well… Francis.” Edith adds Frank’s proper name at the end of the sentence cheekily, teasing him.
“I wish Gran had never let that slip.” Frank mutters begrudgingly. “I’m Frank now. No-one at the trades union will take me seriously if I’m called Francis.”
“Oh, I’m only teasing, Frank.” Edith reaches out her right hand and grasps his left as it rests on the tablecloth next to his plate. She smiles in an assuring way towards Frank.
Edith takes a bite of her sandwich, enjoying the soft white bread and the spiced meat as she rolls it around her mouth, and sighs contentedly.
“Oh, and thinking of the trade unions, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Edith.” Frank remarks as he chews on a mouthful his sandwich.
Edith swallows her mouthful of sandwich hard and picks up her teacup. Sipping her tea she remarks, “That sounds very serious, Frank.”
Frank looks earnestly at Edith. “Well, I suppose it is, Edith.”
Replacing her cup into its saucer, Edith smiles sweetly at Frank. “What is it then, Frank?”
Frank reaches inside the inner breast pocket of his tweed jacket and withdraws an advertising leaflet. Slightly dogeared, he hands it over the table to Edith.
“What’s this then?” She glances at the colourful brochure. On its cover is a stylised drawing of a Tutorbethan style********* two storey house with a tiled pitched roof set amidst an idyllic and lush English cottage garden. “Metro-Land, price twopence.” she reads the golden yellow wording on a dark brown background in a vignette at the bottom of the booklet.
“How would you like to live there, Edith?” Frank asks, his voice breathy with excitement.
Edith looks up from the brochure with wide and startled eyes. “Have you broken the bank at Monte Carlo********** Frank?” she laughs. “We couldn’t afford to live in a house like this, even with my extra four shillings a month as part of our combined wages! I won’t be earning a proper wage after we get married*********** don’t forget, Frank.” she cautions. “Where is this anyway?” She flicks the pamphlet open. “Chalk Hill Estate.”
“For around five shillings a week, we could rent a nice little two-up two-down************ semi************* just like that, in the Chalk Hill Estate: maybe a little bit more if we want one that’s furnished.”
“You’re dreaming, Frank. We can’t afford this.” she scoffs as she runs her hand over the brightly coloured cover. “This is for the aspiring middle-classes, not for the likes of us.”
“Ah, but that’s where your reckoning is wrong, Edith.” Frank replies, picking up his cup and taking a sip of his milky tea. “You see, when I was at the trades union meeting the other week, I met up with my friend Richard, and well, he told me that there might be an opening or two in one of the new grocers shops being built in places like the Chalk Hill, Grange and Cedars Estates for an assistant manager position, which would lead eventually to a position where I’d be running my own corner grocer. Even as an assistant manager, I’d be earning a decent wage: we might be lower middle-class dare I suggest it.” Frank smiles proudly. “Richard gave me that pamphlet.”
“So where are these Metroland************** estates then, Frank?”
“Well, they are these new London suburbs being built north-west of London: Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex.”
“Buckinghamshire?” Edith splutters, nearly choking on the mouthful of tea she has just drunk. “But that’s where Miss Lettice’s married sister lives! That’s miles away! It’s the country!”
“Well not any more it isn’t Edith.” Frank assures her. “It’s all being subdivided now and served by the Metropolitan Railway. They are the ones who are developing it.”
“But I don’t want to move to Buckinghamshire, Frank!”
“It’s not so bad, Edith. The Chalk Hill, Grange and Cedars Estates are all being built along the railway line not too far from Wembley Park, so you’d be able to visit your parents easily, and they’d be able to come and visit us too. In fact, you’d be closer to them than you are at Cavendish Mews. We’d live in a nice little house behind the shop, with all the mod-cons like indoor plumbing and electricity, just like Miss Lettice’s flat at Cavendish Mews.”
“That all sounds splendid, Frank, but the country!”
“They aren’t the country. They are called the ‘new suburbs’. Anyway, don’t forget that Harlesden was once a country area too. You’ve heard your mother tell stories about how she and your grandparents lived on a farm when she was growing up.”
Edith contemplates what Frank says for a moment. “Well, I think they might have lived a bit further out than Harlesden, then Frank.”
“But even so, Edith, Harlesden was a rural area once. Anyway, if I were running a corner grocer, or even being an assistant manager of one to begin with, we would be right in the heart of the shopping strip, so you wouldn’t be far from anything.”
“I remember what Queenie told Hilda and I about life in a country village, and I saw it for myself,” Edith tempers, remembering the trip that she and her best friend took to visit their friend and fellow housemaid, Queenie, in Alderley Edge in Cheshire. “Everyone there knows everyone else’s business, and the ladies there were all horribly snobbish and mean to Queenie, and were equally snobbish to Hilda and I once they knew that we were maids – not that there’s anything wrong with being a humble domestic.”
“Of course there isn’t, Edith. However, Alderley Edge is different to one of these estates, Edith.” Frank assures her.
“I don’t see how, Frank.”
“Well, Alderley Edge was a village and an old one at that, and Cheshire has some very fancy people living in it. These estates like Chalk Hill,” He points to the leaflet hanging limply in Edith’s hand. “Are new. There are no existing big families with fancy titles and histories and all that. There’s no pecking order. It would be made up of working people – yes, many middle-class families looking to solve their housing problems, but aspiring working people like us, too. It would be far more…” He thinks for a moment. “Egalitarian.”
“And what does that mean, Frank?” Edith spits.
“Well, it’s a belief, a belief based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.”
“Hhhmmm…” Edith contemplates. “Well, we’ll see about that. That all sounds fine in theory, but in my experience there are people who look down on other people everywhere, like nasty old Widow Hounslow,” She utters the name of her parent’s doughy landlady with distaste. “In Harlesden. I think people wanting to start new lives and lord that fact over others might live in these new paradise suburbs of yours, Frank.”
“Oh now don’t be like that, Edith! You sound like your mother when you talk like that.”
“Well, you can hardly blame me, Frank. This,” She hands the pamphlet back to Frank with an air of distain. “Is a big change you’re suggesting we make.”
Frank accepts the thin booklet and slips it somewhat reluctantly back into his inner breast pocket. “But just think, we could have a lovely home together: a real home with a little garden.”
“Dad has an allotment.” Edith defends.
“I know, but imagine a proper garden for the children to run around and play in. The children we have, Edith, can grow up attending local schools and getting lots of fresh air. There would be no pea-soupers*************** for them to suffer through.”
Edith considers the great clouds of thick, dense fog enveloping the streets of London and seeping into the corners of even places as fine as Cavendish Mews during the winter months, and how everyone coughs badly during them and in their aftermath.
“Well that’s true.” she admits begrudgingly. “But…”
“And if we lived in a little house like this,” Frank pats his jacket where the pamphlet now resides. “We’d have room for Hilda or Queenie to come and stay. Wouldn’t that be nice.”
“Very nice Frank.” Edith replies a little disbelievingly. “But what about your Gran?”
“What about her, Edith?”
“Well, if we moved to one of these new Metroland estates of yours, we’d be closer to my parents, but further away from Upton Park, and your Gran is older than my parents are.”
“Oh!” Frank dismisses. “Gran will be fine with it. She’s been telling me that I should get out of London if I can for years now. Don’t forget that before she married my grandfather, Gran lived in a little Scottish village. London is the only big city she has ever lived in, and she still doesn’t like it even to this day.”
“But what about when she gets older, Frank? She’s already infirm now.”
“Well,” Frank admits a little sheepishly. “I’ve been thinking about that too.”
“And?”
“And I was thinking that she might come to live with us when the time came that she couldn’t be on her own any more, since we’d have a bit more room with a house of our own.”
“It sounds like this house of yours that you imagine for us might be made of elastic, Frank,” Edith snorts with mild amusement and disbelief. “What with our children, my parents, Hilda and Queenie visiting, and now you Gran coming to live with us. Where will everyone fit? Someone will have to sleep in the inside privy!”
“We’d make it work, Edith.” Frank assures her. “Together.”
“Well, it’s a lot to consider, Frank.” Edith says after taking a few minutes to chew another mouthful of sandwich, the bread, tongue and jelly suddenly heavy in her mouth and stomach.
“But you will consider it, Edith?” Frank asks, the hopeful lilt in his voice echoing the optimistic glint in his bright blue eyes and anticipative stance as he sits across from his sweetheart.
“Metroland.” Edith utters.
“Our future… in Metroland.”
Edith sighs heavily. “You have rather sprung this on me, Frank.”
“Well, I hadn’t even considered the idea until Richard mentioned it to me at the trade unions meeting.”
“It’s a lot for me to consider, Frank. It means a major shift in where I’d envisaged us living after we were married, and how we would live.”
“Oh, me too, Edith. The most I’d hoped for was to take a position as a buyer or merchandiser at another grocer, maybe one south of the Thames.”
“So, you have to give me time to warm to the idea.”
“I don’t see what’s to warm to, Edith. Imagine our live…”
Edith holds up her worn right hand to silence Frank’s immediate defence of his idea. “You know me, Frank. I’m not as enthused as you are about new ideas. You have to give me time, or this will never work.”
Frank smiles as he settles back more comfortably in his seat and picks up the remains of a triangle of tongue and jelly sandwich. “I’ll wait for as long as you need to be convinced that our future in Metroland will be for the best, Edith.” He takes a bite of the sandwich in his hand. “Anyway, it’s not like I’m marrying you tomorrow and whisking you away to Buckinghamshire.”
“And you won’t be, Frank Leadbetter.” Edith cautions him. “Just the other side of Wembley is one thing. Buckinghamshire is quite another.”
Edith picks up her teacup and takes a sip of her tea.
*J. Lyons and Co. was a British restaurant chain, food manufacturing, and hotel conglomerate founded in 1884 by Joseph Lyons and his brothers in law, Isidore and Montague Gluckstein. Lyons’ first teashop opened in Piccadilly in 1894, and from 1909 they developed into a chain of teashops, with the firm becoming a staple of the High Street in the United Kingdom. At its peak the chain numbered around two hundred cafes. The teashops provided for tea and coffee, with food choices consisting of hot dishes and sweets, cold dishes and sweets, and buns, cakes and rolls. Lyons' Corner Houses, which first appeared in 1909 and remained until 1977, were noted for their Art Deco style. Situated on or near the corners of Coventry Street, Strand and Tottenham Court Road, they and the Maison Lyonses at Marble Arch and in Shaftesbury Avenue were large buildings on four or five floors, the ground floor of which was a food hall with counters for delicatessen, sweets and chocolates, cakes, fruit, flowers and other products. In addition, they possessed hairdressing salons, telephone booths, theatre booking agencies and at one period a twice-a-day food delivery service. On the other floors were several restaurants, each with a different theme and all with their own musicians. For a time, the Corner Houses were open twenty-four hours a day, and at their peak each branch employed around four hundred staff including their famous waitresses, commonly known as Nippies for the way they nipped in and out between the tables taking orders and serving meals. The tea houses featured window displays, and, in the post-war period, the Corner Houses were smarter and grander than the local tea shops. Between 1896 and 1965 Lyons owned the Trocadero, which was similar in size and style to the Corner Houses.
**The name 'Nippies' was adopted for the Lyons waitresses after a competition to rename them from the old fashioned 'Gladys' moniker - rejected suggestions included ‘Sybil-at-your-service’, ‘Miss Nimble’, Miss Natty’ and 'Speedwell'. The waitresses each wore a starched cap with a red ‘L’ embroidered in the centre and a black alpaca dress with a double row of pearl buttons.
***”The Notorious Mrs. Carrick” is a 1924 British silent crime film directed by George Ridgwell and starring Cameron Carr, A.B. Imeson and Gordon Hopkirk. It was an adaptation of the novel Pools of the Past by Charles Proctor. The film was made by Britain's largest film company of the era Stoll Pictures. It was released in July 1924.
****Cameron Carr was an English actor of the silent era, born in 1876, he died in 1944. He made many films between 1918 and the early 1930s. Then like many stars of the silent era, the advent of talking pictures put an end to his career in films as he found the transition to talkies to difficult. He starred as the lead actor, of the 1924 silent film, “The Notorious Mrs. Carrick”, playing Mr. Carrick.
*****The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
******A matinee idol is a handsome actor, admired for his good looks.
*******Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella was born in May 1895, and was known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle, and The Son of the Sheik. Valentino was a sex symbol of the 1920s, known in Hollywood as the "Latin Lover" (a title invented for him by Hollywood moguls), the "Great Lover", or simply Valentino. His early death at the age of 31 in 1926 caused mass hysteria among his fans, further cementing his place in early cinematic history as a cultural film icon. In spite of his appeal to women of the 1920s, it is now believed that Valentino was gay, or at the very least bisexual, with relationships with actress Pola Negri and actor Ramón Novarro in addition to his second wife Natacha Rambova. Despite claims of him being a “Latin Lover”, his first marriage to lesbian actress Alla Nazimova was never consummated.
********Tongue and jelly is a gelatinous food made from braided calves tongues, boiled with onions, celery, cloves, herbs, brandy and sugar which is then preserved in gelatine. Back in the 1920s, it is more likely that aspic would have been used, rather than gelatine. It was a very popular savoury topping on picnic sandwiches in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.
*********Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in Britain, first manifested in domestic architecture in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in reality it usually took the style of English vernacular architecture of the Middle Ages that had survived into the Tudor period. Tudorbethan is a subset of Tudor Revival architecture that eliminated some of the more complex aspects of Jacobethan in favour of more domestic styles of "Merrie England", which were cosier and quaint. It was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement.
**********"The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" (originally titled "The Man that Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo") is a popular British music hall song published in 1891 by Fred Gilbert, a theatrical agent who had begun to write comic songs as a sideline some twenty years previously.[1] The song was popularised by singer and comedian Charles Coborn. Coborn wrote in his 1928 autobiography that to the best of his recollection he first sang the song in 'the latter part of 1891.'[6] An advertisement in a London newspaper suggests, however, that he first performed it in public in mid-February 1892. The song remained popular from the 1890s until the late 1940s, and is still referenced in popular culture today. Coborn, then aged 82, performed the song in both English and French in the 1934 British film “Say It with Flowers”.
***********Prior to and even after the Second World War, there was a ‘marriage bar’ in place. Introduced into legislation, the bar banned the employment of married women as permanent employees, which in essence meant that once a woman was married, no matter how employable she was, became unemployable, leaving husbands to be the main breadwinner for the family. This meant that working women needed to save as much money as they could before marriage, and often took in casual work, such as mending, sewing or laundry for a pittance at home to help bring in additional income and help to make ends meet. The marriage bar wasn’t lifted until the very late 1960s.
************Two-up two-down is a type of small house with two rooms on the ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs. There are many types of terraced houses in the United Kingdom, and these are among the most modest. The first two-up two-down terraces were built in the 1870s, but the concept of them made up the backbone of the Metroland suburban expansions of the 1920s with streets lined with rows of two-up two-down semi-detached houses in Mock Tudor, Jacobethan, Arts and Crafts and inter-war Art Deco styles bastardised from the aesthetic styles created by the likes of English Arts and Crafts Movement designers like William Morris and Charles Voysey.
*************A semi-detached house (known more commonly simply as a semi) is a house joined to another house on one side only by a common wall.
**************Metroland is a name given to the suburban areas that were built to the north-west of London in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Middlesex in the early part of the Twentieth Century that were served by the Metropolitan Railway. The railway company was in the privileged position of being allowed to retain surplus land; from 1919 this was developed for housing by the nominally independent Metropolitan Railway Country Estates Limited (MRCE). The term "Metroland" was coined by the Met's marketing department in 1915 when the Guide to the Extension Line became the Metro-land guide. It promoted a dream of a modern home in beautiful countryside with a fast railway service to central London until the Met was absorbed into the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933.
***************A term originating in Nineteenth Century Britain, a pea soup fog is a very thick and often yellowish, greenish or blackish fog caused by air pollution that contains soot particulates and the poisonous gas sulphur dioxide. It refers to the thick, dense fog that is so thick that it appears to be the color and consistency of pea soup. Pea-soupers were particularly common in large industrial cities like Manchester and Liverpool and populous cities like London where there were lots of coal fires either for industry and manufacturing, or for household heating. The last really big pea-souper in London happened in December 1952. At least three and a half to four thousand people died of acute bronchitis. However, in cities like Manchester and Liverpool, where the concentration of manufacturing was higher, they continued well beyond that.
An afternoon tea made up with tea and a selection of triangle sandwiches like this would be enough to please anyone, but I suspect that even if you ate everything you can see here on the table in and in the display case in the background, you would still come away hungry. This is because they, like everything in this scene are 1:12 size miniatures from my miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau:
The plate of sandwiches in the centre of the table was made by an unknown artisan and was acquired through Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop in the United Kingdom. The coffee pot with its ornate handle and engraved body is one of three antique Colonial Craftsman pots I also acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop, as is the silver tray on which they stand. The milk jug and sugar bowl are made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The Lyons Corner House crockery is made by the Dolls’ House emporium and was acquired from an online stockist of miniatures on E-Bay. The J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. tariff in the foreground is a copy of a 1920s example that I made myself by reducing it in size and printing it. Edith’s handbag handmade from soft leather is part of a larger collection of hats and bags that I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel.
The table on which all these items stand is a Queen Anne lamp table which I was given for my seventh birthday. It is one of the very first miniature pieces of furniture I was ever given as a child. The Queen Anne dining chairs were all given to me as a Christmas present when I was around the same age.
In the background is a display case of cakes. The Victoria sponge (named after Queen Victoria) on the cake stand is made by Polly’s Pantry Miniatures in America. Whilst the cupcakes have 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. All the cakes in the display cabinet came from Kathleen Knight’s Dolls House Shop in the United Kingdom. The glass and metal cake stands and the glass cloche came from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The glass cake stands are hand blown artisan pieces. The shiny brass cash register also comes from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures.
The wood and glass display cabinet and the bright brass cash register I obtained from a seller of 1:12 miniatures on E-Bay.
The 16 still runs to this day, though now operated by some low floor thingymabob that has no character whatsoever. Back in 1978, one could make the journey from Victoria on this rather splendid B20 Fleetline, which like the last post has a terribly non politically correct 'T' shape advert for Rothmans King Size Cigarettes. Rothmans were amongst the first to capitalise on the extra space available with the advent of the 'T' shape ads and many DMS vehicles were so adorned. Note that the LT roundal has been moved from its traditional staircase panel to behind the cab window to free up advertising space.
Back to Bescot on the 24th of July 1993 and this time we have a view of 31146 named Brush Veteran', which I am pretty sure was an Holbeck loco in the late 70's.
New to March in November 1959 as D5564 the loco was withdrawn in March 2000 and cut up in July 2004 at Booths in Rotherham.
Image from a slide in my collection taken by an unknown photographer.
A Martin PBM-3D Mariner prepares to launch from a coastal Naval Air Station to patrol for German submarines, probably in late spring 1943. The landing gear had to be manually removed before takeoff and reinstalled before exiting the water. Mariners were one of the most effective of the Navy’s long-range flying boats.
National Archives and Records Administration, 80-G-K-16065
On March 8, 2018, I went to the Strawberry Festival to view the colorful lights and to get a large scoop your own Strawberry Short Cake at the Booth that St. Clements Roman Catholic Church Runs every year in the Stone Building near the Lost & Found Caboose.
This Photograph shows one of the Food Joints at the 2018 Strawberry Festival.
Apparently, Belle City Amusements is the prime Carnival Contractor and they supply most of the Rides, Games and Food Joints on the Carnival Midway. The Strawberry Festival had a vast number of Rides and Food Joints and I'm sure Bell City Subcontracted other Carnival Vendors to fill the venue; either that, or the Strawberry Festival Board itself hires other Carnival Vendors to supply Rides, Games & Food Vendors
This is all the school things that I need to get done (hopefully) by friday. The colors don't mean anything except that I like pretty pens and they were on sale at Target :)
When the mistress was away the master would play and the
scullery maid thought it was her duty to honour and obey.
Into her bed he would creep at night and because of her job she
afraid to fight. Then when he would leave she prayed for better
things to come, but what would come next the street and a
homeless bum; she was desprate for comfort but there was no
one she could tell, so she jumped from the window shouting
'master go to hell! Her soul could not settle because the master
had a dept to pay. That's why she haunts the old house right to
this very day.
Hit 'L' to view on large.
The Lucky 3 UE Eurotour
3 Man crew
My 3rd time and
3 Countries - Luxembourg, France and Belgium
A heap of locations, 1541 KMs driving, a late night rainy steep infiltration to a famous urbex haunt and a day mostly spent driving and walking to some wrong coordinates.
Full set here:
www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157633420917013/...
Previous Eurotours:
www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157632759059815/
www.flickr.com/photos/timster1973/sets/72157631939892302/
Also on Facebook:
www.Facebook.com/TimKniftonPhotography
My blog
timster1973.wordpress.com
Down to 8 stores compared to 13 in June:
www.flickr.com/photos/walmart3/34814261830/in/album-72157...
Background map courtesy of:
mapsof.net/uploads/static-maps/georgia_county_map.png
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If you would like to use THIS picture in any sort of media elsewhere (such as newspaper or article), please send me a Flickrmail or send me an email at natehenderson6@gmail.com.
My 299A (the 'A' meant 'suitable for one man operation) was never allocated to North Western's Buxton garage, but the depot's buses found themselves at many impossibly photogenic locations just waiting for a posed photograph; and I have some affinity with the town, as my son lived there for three years and it's probably the easiest NWRCC depot location to get to from my current home in Staffordshire.
I appealed for help acquiring an authentic NWRCC Buxton blind, but all I could get was the very kind loan of an earlier Buxton blind - wrong size, and with some incorrect destinations (eg it included Buxworth station, which closed in 1958).
So Replica Blinds by PWC (look them up on Facebook) came to the rescue with a brand new blind, printed using the older loan; a couple of other NW blinds I have for typeface template; and a pile of photos of Buxton-based buses.
This is a first trial-fitting in 299A. I can't guarantee that it's 100% accurate but it's very authentic in style and has the key destinations such as the 65 to Ashbourne, which I'm keen to take a trundle along when the restoration project is complete.
PS if Mr Hearson is reading this - I have a Biddulph garage blind, some very photogenic spots round there too!
I asked my partner to take a few shots with me. We set up the camera to take two shots, one after the other, and this is the result. I love this photo of us! I think it shows the love we feel for one another.
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania is best known as the home to General George Washington's Continental Army for the winters of 1777-1778. Back in those days, large scale combat wasn't conducted during the winter since snow and cold weather presented a logistical nightmare so armies would build up large camps where they could spend the winter. Despite popular belief, the winters during these years weren't especially harsh (the belief that they were is mostly due to America's romanticism of this period). The winters however were full of disease which plagued the troops who were in extremely close proximity to one another. During those two winters at Valley Forge, the Continental Army trained and became an even stronger unit.
I had visited Valley Forge once before (shortly after I graduated high school) but for some reason didn't remember it well. Walking around the park in the summer's high heat and ridiculous humidity was worth it. It's a beautiful place that's fully of amazing history.
ABOUT THE SERIES
In June 2010 Michelle and I traveled to Philadelphia (and surrounding areas) for a summer vacation and to visit her extended family. I'd been to Philadelphia twice before, once in eighth grade and once during college but I only remember bits and pieces of each previous trip. The trip during college was during the 2010 Republican National Convention (I wasn't there for the convention) and I remember the entire city resembling a police state with police everywhere due to all the protests.
Anyway, it was great to return to the city and see some of the surrounding areas I hadn't explored before. We visited during a heatwave (90 degree heat with intense humidity which apparently is a little unusual in June but typical in August) but it was well worth the trip.
Due to Covid-19 and social distancing measures in place all church and memorial services are cancelled this year. Instead there has been street solidarity with flags on display. These shots are just from a walk around my block, taken shortly after the 1min silence at 11:30am. I am told there were many on the streets and driveways all across Australia at 6am also for the sunrise remembrance (with many lighting candles).
Lest we forget.
(L to R) Back row : Denise Sylvester, Dora Flores, President U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Running and Walking Club, Jeffery Prieto, General Counsel, Stephanie Barlow, National Watermelon Promotion Board, Rebekah Dosset, National Watermelon Promotion Board and Tony Moore, First Vice President National Watermelon Promotion Board and North Carolina Watermelon Handler, Front row: Kristin Valadez Texas Watermelon Queen, Lenze Morris, Alabama Watermelon Queen and Emily Brown (Indiana), National Watermelon Queen, Julie Polt and Barry Gomoll give the “W” sign in front of the National Watermelon Promotion Board booth at USDA’s Farmers Market in Washington, D. C. on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015 to promote the healthy benefits of eating watermelon. The National Watermelon Promotion Board will supply approximately 10 tons of watermelon for the athletes running the 40th Marine Corps Marathon. USDA photo by Bob Nichols.
I really wanted to take an impromptu pic of myself after a weekend of partying and only four hours sleep all weekend. I love you all :0)
Hello, everyone and welcome back to This Week in the News! I’m glad to report that this week’s stories are waaaay better than last week’s! Now shall we get on to the stories of the week?
The first story of the week is that Nintendo released a Nintendo Direct just for the upcoming Legend of Zelda game, Hyrule Warriors. This direct released a lot of information about the game and announced 3 new playable villain characters. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the Zelda series, but if you are, check out the direct here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_DZtTR3zu0&list=UUGIY_O-8vW4... it’s only 25 minutes long so enjoy! Hyrule Warriors is coming out September 26th in America.
Our next story is also about Nintendo. Nintendo has released that they are making an update for the game, MarioKart 8. This update included some tweeks to the online, a map of the course on the TV screen, and most importantly free Mercedes-Benz DLC! If you have MarioKart 8 and you want this DLC, just update the game on August 27th! Watch the DLC trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=abOnJoz85UY&list=UUGIY_O-8vW4...
The next story of the week is that The Avengers: Age of Ultron has officially finished filming! So… ya… WHY CAN’T THIS MOVIE COME ANY SOONER?!
The two stories of the week are probably the biggest ones! Warner Brothers has officially announced that Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice has moved out of their May 6th, 2016 date to March 25th , 2016, ONE WEEK AFTER MY BIRTHDAY, what a good birthday present for me! This means that Captain America has won. I think that moving earlier is a very smart decision because DC has more to loose than Marvel if they open on the same day. Now contiuing on this pattern of DC movies, DC also announced 9 dates for upcoming DC movies all the way to 2020!!! They also said that they are going to reveal a few of these movies at the end of the month! What movies do you think they’ll announce?
Our last story of the week regards the new film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Paramount has just announced that TMNT 2 is coming out June 3rd, 2016. I haven’t seen the movie yet but I’ll either try to see it next week so I can put up my review on it.
Well, that’s all for this week, tune in next week for more juicy stories on This Week in the News! Thanks for Reading!
Visit to Disneyland Resort, on February 16, 2014.
Visited the World of Disney Store, and bought some key chains and pins, mostly new Tinker Bell issues. They have finally restocked the Frozen Booster Pin Set after a couple of months but I didn't see the Frozen Princess Jewel (Snowflake) Pin there. The Frozen merchandise section had Mattel Anna dolls for sale, but were all out of Mattel Elsa dolls that they had last week. No Disney Store Frozen dolls at all. They finally had the Animators' Tinker Bell doll for sale. No Pirate Fairy dolls for sale except for the mini doll set.
Then in the Emporium on Main Street, I saw the Frozen Snowflake Pin. It was actually behind glass, in a display with limited edition pins, even though the Frozen pin is open edition. I was glad to see it, nevertheless.
I went to my favorite ride, the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and got a good score even though my aim was off today. It was #4 high score of the day, at 1,242,900. In the LGM Command Store, I saw that they had a good supply of both the Frozen Booster Pin Set and the Frozen Snowflake pin. The latter was out in the What's New section, under a row of Tinker Bell pins.
Afterward, I ate lunch at Plaza Inn, while I browsed Flickr. I laid out my pins so I could inspect them and take a quick photo. The flower vase on the table had the usual pink carnation, and also a cute little pink heart left over from Valentine's Day.
For everything you ever wanted to know about cloning but were afraid to ask, just click to this link I've done: phototechnique.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/how-to-clone-tech...
I'm feeling very 21st Century as it's my first ever blog, wooohooo! x