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The white material will be spread over and mixed into the soil. Stabilization of road subgrades using lime, Littleton, Colorado.
Make up done by another girl call Veronica, her dress and faux fur jacket i had literally nothing back in those days , she said to me you look a right tart lol so i took that as a compliment lol ☺️😇
I think I have a hard crush on this wig ; but I really don't no which head will wear it definitely haha !
Good weather today. Perfect time to do some photos outside !
Leagsaidh - Pullip Classical White Rabbit
A tribute to the devistation that took place on September 11, 2001
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty"*...
*John Fitzgerald Kennedy
People always joke that 'dog' spells 'god' backwards. They should consider that it might be the higher power coming down to see just how well they do, what kind of people they are. The animals are right here, right in front of us. And how we treat these companions is a test.
Linda Blair
a wild palestinian tortoise (Testudo graeca - not sure of subspecies, for those interested check www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/newfloweri.html ), on our project site land. our old palestinian farmhouse in the background - bethlehem, west bank. if anyone is interested in visiting, volunteering on our permaculture farm, or donating - please contact me. for project brief see below...
BUSTAN QARAAQA
The Project:
Bustan Qaraaqa (the Tortoise Garden) is a permaculture initiative in the Palestinian West Bank, near to the city of Bethlehem. Working closely with our neighbours, we are creating a model permaculture farm and carrying out environmental education activities with the local community, youth, and farmers.
The aims of the project are fourfold:
•To address and combat the degradation of the Palestinian environment, and to actively pursue the conservation of native Palestinian species.
•To provide a space for experimentation and demonstration of easily replicable Permaculture methods for sustainable living systems, and to nurture an ongoing interest in these methods within the local community.
•To carry out environmental education activities with Palestinian youth groups, fostering the knowledge and skills to appreciate human impact on the environment and to take action for positive change in the way we interact with it.
•To encourage volunteers from all over the world to visit Palestine, and learn skills for sustainable living, whilst also learning about the situation in the Palestinian Territories, and the reality of life under military occupation.
The Site:
Bustan Qaraaqa takes its name from the numerous tortoises found roaming the site. The ancient farmhouse that is at the heart of the project is nestled in a beautiful wadi (valley) between the verdant mountains of Bethlehem and the spectacular Judean desert. The site includes twelve dunums (4 acres) of terraces and valley floor, as well as a large rooftop space, outbuildings and a number of caves.
We have room to house 8 short-term visitors in dormitory rooms in the oldest part of the house, which consists of beautiful caves carved into the side of the hill, in addition to three private rooms for long-term volunteers. There is also plentiful space on the roof for those who wish to sleep under the stars, or for camping in the caves that are spread throughout the site.
The prices include breakfast and are as follows:
Accomodation in the house – 60 shekels per night (1-14 days)
–50 shekels per night (> 14 days)
–1200 shekels per month (> 1 month)
–1000 shekels per month (> 2 months)
Sleeping on the roof – 25 shekels per night (150 shekels per week)
Camping in the caves – 25 shekels per night (150 shekels per week)
The Context:
The Palestinian environment and the Palestinian people face a unique set of challenges as a result of the ongoing Israeli military occupation and colonization of the Palestinian Territories. The Palestinian environment is degrading rapidly as a result of the combined pressures of population growth, industrialization and climate change. As an arid to semi-arid area, the Palestinian Territories faces problems with water scarcity and desertification which are likely to escalate as a result of global climate change. Overlaying these problems is the structure of the Israeli military occupation and the restrictions it imposes on Palestinian access to resources and the ability of Palestinians to manage and control their environment and their impact on it. Further complication is added by the network of Israeli settlements across the West Bank with their associated effects of land confiscation, movement restriction and monopolization of resources. These serious factors further compound on an already dire environmental situation which directly affects Palestinian lives; the very people who have no control over the land in which they live.
Over 60% of the land area of the West Bank is designated as Area C, which means that Israel retains full military and civil control over it. Palestinians cannot carry out development projects in Area C, such as the construction of sanitary landfills or sewage treatment plants, without first getting a permit from the Israeli authorities, a process that often takes years. The areas over which the Palestinian authorities do have control mainly comprise towns and villages which are densely populated and not suitable locations for such projects. Thus pollution of soil, air and groundwater as a result of almost non-existent waste management facilities is a serious and widespread problem.
Palestinian access to water is restricted and the Palestinian Territories are in the midst of an ongoing and worsening water crisis. Over 200 000 Palestinians are not connected to the public water network and are reliant on delivery of water by tankers which are often obstructed from reaching their destinations by road blocks, curfews and closures. The water supply to the population who are connected to the network is unreliable, with frequent cut-offs being experienced, particularly during summer months. 40% of the population receive an average of less than 50 litres of water per person per day, which is half the amount recommended by the World Health Organization to maintain a decent standard of living. Lack of access to water and high water prices limit the ability of Palestinians to grow their own food.
On top of all this, the Palestinian people are becoming increasingly urbanised and disconnected from the environment as a result of the construction of the Separation Wall (which will annex approximately 10% of the land area of the West Bank to Israel) and the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements. In the Bethlehem area alone, over 18 000 acres of land are being cut off by the Wall, devastating the local farming economy and ghettoizing the population. As a result of this and of the general economic crisis in the Palestinian Territories, the food security of Palestinians is threatened, and Palestinian children are growing up in crumbling ghettoes under conflict conditions, disconnected from their natural heritage and facing daily hardships as environmental and economic conditions worsen.
Finding ways to live sustainably under such circumstances is an enormous challenge, and one that will require innovative thinking and determination. However, the difficulty of the problem is equalled by its urgency. Palestinians are struggling for their very existence in the midst of political, economic and environmental crises that threaten to destroy all quality of life, while resolution of the conflict with Israel at a political level seems as far away as ever. Therefore, work at a grassroots level which empowers people to take control of their lives and their environment is crucial.
Why Permaculture?
Permaculture is an integrated approach to the care of the earth and its people. It is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns, using the stability and resilience of natural ecosystems to provide a framework and guidance for people to develop their own sustainable solutions to the problems facing their world. Permaculture seeks to foster the skills, confidence and imagination to enable people to become self-reliant, and to seek creative solutions to problems on a global or local scale.
Permaculture techniques can help restore and improve degraded soils, encourage species diversity, harvest and recycle water, maximize efficiency of water use throughout the system, and minimize harmful impacts on the environment from human activities through composting, creatively reusing materials and good waste management practice. Permaculture techniques are highly adaptable, cheap and easy to implement.
We believe that the application of Permaculture design and ethics to the Palestinian context can help ameliorate some of the problems faced by Palestinians. Restoration of robust natural ecosystems that also provide goods and services to the population can help to counteract environmental degradation, conserve species, provide food and materials to people suffering from economic crisis, and restore a sense of independence and dignity to people suffering under brutal military occupation.
Current Activities:
We are currently in the process of renovating the farmhouse to turn it into a functioning permaculture centre and guesthouse. The guesthouse is expected to open in May, when work will begin on laying the foundations of the permaculture farm: building rainwater harvesting systems, laying the graywater system, building greenhouses and propagating seeds. The construction of each of these components will be used as the framework for open workshops on permaculture techniques, when we will invite local youth groups to join us in learning about environmental problems, and ways of taking action to improve the situation.
In addition, we are partnering with Paidia (www.pidev.org) to hold a series of environmental awareness workshops with groups of Palestinian youth, focussing on the theme of environmental responsibility and solid waste management. The central activity of these workshops is to build a picnic area close to Paidia’s adventure playground out of discarded tyres and rubbish collected from the surrounding area.
We are also working on creating a community garden together with Lighting Candles (www.lightingcandles.org), a local Palestinian NGO working to support women and children whose lives are being adversely affected by the conflict. We are holding a series of workshops on Permaculture themes as we work together with the children to create a beautiful space for people to enjoy.
Upcoming Events:
We plan to hold a week long Permaculture course in July this year consisting of a series of workshops and lectures, with tuition from locally renowned Permaculturalists. The course will be open to both Palestinians and international participants, and will also incorporate lectures on the Palestinian environmental situation from representatives of local NGOs. The week’s activities will also serve as an opportunity to open our doors to the local community and share with them our vision as well as beginning an ongoing dialogue about ways in which we can support each other in creating positive change on the ground.
Funding:
We have so far successfully raised €8500 from donors based in the Netherlands for renovation of the farmhouse, and a further £1300 from UK sources to help with the ongoing material expenses of the project.
The running costs of the project each month including the rent for the site, utility bills, salaries for part-time Palestinian staff and pocket money for long-term international volunteers total £865. Ultimately we hope to be able to defray these costs from revenues raised from the guesthouse. However, we are still seeking small grants to help us secure the rent for the site, pay for set-up costs of the farm (including plants and building materials), support us in holding environmental education workshops with local youth groups, and to support the salaries of Palestinian project staff.
Long-term Vision
We have secured a renewable 5 year lease contract with the owners of the site, in which time we will aim to turn Bustan Qaraaqa into a fully functioning model Permaculture farm. During this time we also intend to create links and build trust within the local community, helping to propagate many permaculture initiatives with local partners and reaching out to many Palestinian youths. By the end of the first five years, it is our objective to have handed over decision making power and control over project activities to Palestinians. At this stage we will renegotiate the terms of the lease with the landowners, with the objective of securing a stable, long-term agreement to continue our work of building a grassroots Permaculture movement in the Palestinian Territories.
www.greenintifada.blogspot.com
for details about Bustan Qaraaqa guest house including rates and photos of rooms see: www.flickr.com/people/bustanqaraaqa/
And thus I bring you my favourite family car of all time, bar none, all things considered, king of the hill, lord of the manor, master of all it surveys, the Range Rover P38! :D
Why do I love this car so much when the original was a classic that changed the world of motoring? Because it combined an updated version of that original winning design with some of the perks and premiums of the 1990's. The Classic Range Rover is indeed a fantastic machine, and one of those rare instances where sense and logic perforated into the ranks of British Leyland. But by the time I was born in the early 90's the car was very much looking its age, a tired 60's design mixed with what was starting to become a comparatively under-equipped interior. The only way the Range Rover was going to survive the 90's was to shape up, and thus in 1990, Rover Group (the descendant of British Leyland) put together a plan to design a new car under the chassis codenumber P38A (or just P38 for short). Four years of development and £300 million later, the car was launched to a whirlwind of critical acclaim.
Launched in 1994, the Range Rover P38 was the last Land Rover machine to be designed by Rover, and included the very best in cutting-edge technology to mix the go-anywhere do-anything raunchiness of the Classic, with the luxury and majesty of an upmarket saloon car. The first major difference between the old and new was the option of engines. For those who didn't intend to take these cars to the mountains and go driving off cliffs, then there was the humble BMW 2.5L V8, but for those who wished to conquer Everest and still have enough time in the day to lacerate the rest of the Himalayas, there was the original 4.5 & 4.6L Rover V8 from the original. Another later addition to this fray of power units was what was later dubbed the 'Overfinch', which was powered by a 5.7L General Motors V8, for if you wanted that extra edge. Jeremy Clarkson once demonstrated the power of the Overfinch by having a drag race with a Ford Focus, whilst pulling a trailer upon which was another Ford Focus, to which the Range Rover won by an absolute mile!
However, what people were interested the most was on the inside. The interior of the Range Rover P38 was very much similar to that of the original, with 5 seats, good space in the boot, and various other trim options depending on your preference. However, the new Range Rover came with a more personal touch, this being dubbed the 'Autobiography' service. For a little extra, Land Rover would happily fill out your preference for any optional extras or personalising of your machine. Leather on the seats, wood veneer, paintwork, these were just some of the features that you could select, not to mention the number of gadgets you could insist on as well, including reclining seats, on-board engine management systems, SATNAV, remote control locking that also resets the seats to their original position, etc. The car is also incredibly safe too, a 6-foot, 3 ton block of steel hurtling through the countryside, and the high driving position meant that you could feel a sense of security and comfort as you looked down on lesser mortals in their normal cars.
So, to summarize, the Range Rover P38 is the best car in the world bar none because it is big, safe, comfortable, very well equipped, extremely reliable, powerful, beautifully designed and all around the best thing anyone could possibly drive...
...if they could afford it!
The problem with the P38 is that it is a very, very, very expensive car to both buy and run. At £40,000 it wasn't an easy car to get your hands on when new in 1994, especially after a massive recession, and if you went for the Long-Wheelbase 'Vogue' or SE (Special Equipment) versions, you'd be forking out more towards £50,000, and if you went for an 'Autobiography' job or an Overfinch if you were really edgy, you'd have to be an eccentric millionaire!
Next was actually running it. These days when you come across Range Rover P38's you'll find that most people have the 2.5L BMW engine because of the fact that it was less expensive in terms of fuel consumption. The Rover V8 and Overfinch versions on the other hand, you'd be very lucky to get yourself 9 Miles to the Gallon out of them! You'd be spending more time at Petrol Stations than anywhere else!
And then there's the image when owning a Range Rover. Today modern Range Rovers are very mundane cars in comparison to what they were back in 1994. If you owned a brand new P38 back in 1994, everyone would notice, and everyone would hate you! They'd hate you on a cellular level, on an atomic level even! If you were a person on the street, you'd think 'Egotist', if you were an environmentally minded person, you'd think 'Planet homicidal murderer', if you were any other motorist, you'd think 'Wideboy'. The fact that you had the audacity to go out and buy a gas guzzling luxury SUV which chewed up petrol at 9MPG, had an interior lined with 4 cows and half the New Forest, and was generally a bigger car than theirs in more ways than one, they would absolutely loathe you!
However, the seeds with the P38 were sown and the Range Rover found itself into the hands of a newer, wider ranging audience, this audience being the celebrities and superstars of the 1990's TV and Music scene. No person with a regular salary could possibly risk the Range Rover, but the new money lapped them up like warm milk. With this new demographic in mind, Land Rover very much changed their attitude on the Range Rover, moving it from being a practical ground-covering all terrain vehicle to an item of 'bling-bling'. In 2002 the P38 was replaced by the newer L322, and it was clear from the start that this new Range Rover was built not to climb mountains, but to climb over legions of fans as they huddled around the celebrities of Hollywood and Dubai. Chances are a modern L322 Range Rover and the later L405 have never seen a muddy puddle, and chances are they never will, but their comfortable lives in the spotlights of celebrities can all be owed to the endearing design of the original P38 that dominated the 1990's, and brought that original British Leyland dream of an international conquering car to reality...
...24 years late mind you but ho hum...
A steampunky, elk-like automaton; I posed myself three objectives for this MOC: convey a rusty aesthetic, combine many different textures, and integrate Bionicle elements (something I've wanted to do for a long time but never had the right project for.)
Those of you who have me on Facebook probably have a pretty good idea of what this is supposed to be. But let others guess. ;D
Anyway, this is only a first draft, as I'm still not sure whether it'll be open-back or closed. Expect to see an update in the coming days.
Today a great many people are resistant even to reading the Qur’an, though they do not know what it contains. Because of ingrained prejudices, and without knowing what kind of life to which Allah invites them, a majority of people shy away from the Qur’an.
The purpose of writing this book is to alert people about this prejudiced viewpoint which will ultimately cause them to suffer great losses in this world and in the next. It is to invite everybody, whether or not they are believers, to read the Qur’an and consider the verses of Allah with an open heart and mind, as all pious believers have done before them, cleansed of all prejudices, rote "knowledge" and fixed ideas. This reminder is also of benefit to Muslims who say they believe in the Qur’an but who are not guided by its instructions. Hopefully, complying with this call, which has been constantly repeated throughout history by true believers, will be a way for the salvation of those who seek to win the good pleasure of Allah and lead a beautiful life in this world.
At 21:47 GMT, the equinox happened, and so from then on, light is destined to win over darkness. Which meant, of course, that the day before then was the shortest "day", or amount of daylight.
This is the end of the year, the build up and excitement before Christmas, and at the same time, looking back at the year, and what has happened in the previous 50 or so weeks. So, a time of mixed emotions, good and bad, happy and sad.
But I was on vacation, or not going to work.
I am not up to date, but I did all the tasks I was supposed to do, threw a few electronic grenades over the walls, and was now happy not to think of that shit for two whole weeks.
For Jools, however, there was half a day to do, and then her employers paid for all those employed at the factory to go to a fancy place in Folkestone for lunch, drinks at the bar and a bottle of wine between four folks.
It was, in short, a time for celebration. Something I realise has not happened in my job since I left operational quality, to be happy and give thanks to those we work with. And be recognised for the good job we do.
So, I was to take Jools to work, and have the car for the day.
Jools was conscious that my plan for the day involved driving to the far west of Kent, so realised I needed an early start, and not dropping her off in Hythe at seven.
We left after coffee just after six, driving through Dover and Folkestone on the main road and motorway before turning over the downs into Hythe. I dropped her off in the town, so she could get some walking in. She always didn't walk, as waves of showers swept over the town, and me as I drove back home for breakfast and do all the chores before leaving on a mini-churchcrawl.
So, back home for breakfast, more coffee, wash up, do the bird feeders and with postcodes, set out for points in the extreme west. Now, Kent is not a big county, not say, Texas big, but it takes some time to get to some parts of the west of the county. Main roads run mainly from London to the coast, so going cross-country or cross-county would take time.
At first it was as per normal up the A20 then onto the motorway to Ashford then to Maidstone until the junction before the M26 starts. One of the reasons for going later was to avoid rush hours in and around Maidstone, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.
As it was, after turning down the A road, things were fine until I got to Mereworth, but from there the road began to twist and turn until it lead me into Tonbridge. Once upon a time, this was a sleepy village or small town. The the railways came and it became a major junction. The road to Penshurt took me though the one way system, then down the wide High Street, over the river Medway and up the hill the other side.
Two more turns took me to my target, through what were once called stockbroker mansions, then down a hill, with the village laid out before me just visible through the trees.
The village was built around the outskirts of Penshurst Place, home to the Sidney family since Tudor times. Just about everything is named the Leicester something, the village having its own Leicester Square, though with no cinemas, and all timber framed houses and painfully picturesque.
The church lays behind the houses, the tower in golden sandstone topped with four spirelets.
I parked the car, and armed with two cameras, several lenses and a photographer's eye, walked to the church.
The reason for coming was I can only remember a little about my previous visit, but the Leicester name thing triggered in my head the thought the memorials and tombs might be worth a revisit.
So there I was.
Gilbert Scott was very busy here, so there is little of anything prior to the 19th century, but the memorials are there. Including one which features the heads of the children of Robert Sidney (d1702) in a cloud. Including the eldest son who died, apparently, so young he wasn't named, and is recorded as being the first born.
This is in the Sidney Chapel where the great and good are buried and remembered, it has a colourful roof, or roof beams, and heraldic shields. It has a 15th century font, which, sadly, has been brightly painted so is gaudy in the extreme.
I go around getting my shots, leave a fiver for the church. Go back to the car and program Speldhurst into the sat nav.
Its just a ten minute drive, but there is no place to park anywhere near the church. I could see from my slow drive-by the porch doors closed, and I convinced myself they were locked and not worth checking out.
I went on to Groombridge, where there is a small chapel with fabulous glass. I had been here before too, but wanted to redo my shots.
It was by now pouring with rain, and as dark as twilight, I missed the church on first pass, went to the mini-roundabout only to discover that it and the other church in the village were in Sussex. I turned round, the church looked dark and was almost certainly locked. I told myself.
I didn't stop here either, so instead of going to the final village church, I went straigh to Tunbridge Wells where there was another church to revisit.
I drove into the town, over the man road and to the car park with no waiting in traffic, how odd, I thought.
It was hard to find a parking space, but high up in the parking house there were finally spaced. I parked near the stairs down, grabbed my cameras and went down.
I guess I could have parked nearer the church, but once done it would be easier to leave the town as the road back home went past the exit.
I ambled down the hill leading to the station, over the bridge and down the narrow streets, all lined with shops. I think its fair to say that it is a richer town than Dover because on one street there were three stores offering beposke designer kitchens.
The church is across the road from the Georgian square known at The Pantiles, but it was the church I was here to visit.
I go in, and there is a service underway. I decide to sit at the back and observe.
And pray.
I did not take communion, though. The only one there who didn't.
About eight elderly parishioners did, though.
I was here to photograph the ceiling, and then the other details I failed to record when we were last here over a decade ago.
I was quizzed strongly by a warden as to why I was doing this. I had no answer other than I enjoyed it, and for me that is enough.
After getting my shots, I leave and begin the slog back up to the car, but on the way keeping my promise to a young man selling the Big Issue that I would come back and buy a copy. I did better than that in that I gave him a fiver and didn't take a copy.
He nearly burst into tears. I said, there is kindness in the world, and some of us do keep our promises.
By the time I got to the car park, it was raining hard again. I had two and a half hours to get to Folkestone to pick up Jools after her meal.
Traffic into Tunbridge Wells from this was was crazy, miles and miles of queues, so I was more than happy going the other way.
I get back to the M20, cruise down to Ashford, stopping at Stop 24 services for a coffee and something to eat. I had 90 minutes to kill, so eat, drink and scroll Twitter as I had posted yet more stuff that morning. In other news: nothing changed, sadly.
At quarter past four I went to pick up Jools, stopping outside the restaurant. When she got in she declared she had been drinking piña coladas. Just two, but she was bubby and jabbering away all the way home.
With Jools having eaten out, and with snacks I had, no dinner was needed, so when suppertime came round, we dined on cheese and crackers, followed by a large slice of Christmas cake.
She was now done for Christmas too.
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The red brick church stands on a busy junction at the end of the Pantiles whose patrons it was built to serve in 1678. Within thirty years it had been extended on two occasions to more or less reach its present size. The ceiling bears the date 1678 and is rather domestic in character, based on deep circular domes with putti, palms and swags. The stained glass in the east window is based on a picture by Alex Ender and was designed by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1901. There is an excellent window under the north gallery designed by Lawrence Lee in 1969. The church was sympathetically restored by Ewan Christian in 1882, when the shallow chancel was added. The woodwork it contains was brought from one of Wren's City of London churches. Outside the west wall of the church, set into the footpath, is a boundary marker to show the former parish boundaries of Tonbridge and Speldhurst.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Tunbridge+Wells+1
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The large and populous hamlet or village of TUNBRIDGE-WELLS is situated at the south-east boundary of this parish; part of it only is in Speldhurst, another part in the parish of Tunbridge, and the remainder in that of Fant, in the county of Suffex. It consists of four smaller districts, named from the hills on which they stand, Mount Ephraim, Mount Pleasant, and Mount Sion; the other is called The Wells, from their being within it, which altogether form a considerable town; but the last is the centre of business and pleasure, for there, besides the Wells themselves, are the market, public parades, assembly rooms, taverns, shops, &c. Near the Wells is the chapel, which stands remarkably in the three parishes above mentioned—the pulpit in Speldhurst, the altar in Tunbridge, and the vestry in Fant, and the stream, which parted the two counties of Kent and Suffex, formerly ran underneath it, but is now turned to a further distance from it. The right of patronage is claimed by the rector of Speldhurst, though he has never yet possessed the chapel or presented to it; the value of it is about two hundred pounds per annum, which sum is raised by voluntary subscription; divine service is performed in it every day in summer, and three times a week in winter. Adjoining to it is a charity school, for upwards of fifty poor boys and girls, which is supported by a contribution, collected at the chapel doors, two or three times a year.
The trade of Tunbridge-wells is similar to that of Spa, in Germany, and consists chiefly in a variety of toys, made of wood, commonly called Tunbridge ware, which employs a great number of hands. The wood principally used for this purpose is beech and sycamore, with yew and holly inlaid, and beautifully polished. To the market of this place is brought, in great plenty, from the South downs, in Sussex, the little bird, called the wheatear, which, from its delicacy, is usually called the English ortolan. It is not bigger in size than a lark; it is almost a lump of fat, and of a very delicious taste; it is in season only in the midst of summer, when the heat of the weather, and the fatness of it, prevents its being sent to London, which otherwise would, in all likelihood, monopolize every one of them. On the other or Suffex side of the Medway, above a mile from the Wells, are the rocks, which consist of a great number of rude eminences, adjoining to each other, several of which are seventy feet in height; in several places there are cliffs and chasms which lead quite through the midst of them, by narrow gloomy passages, which strike the beholder with astonishment.
THESE MEDICINAL WATERS, commonly called TUNBRIDGE-WELLS, lie so near to the county of Suffex that part of them are within it, for which reason they were for some time called Fant-wells, as being within that parish. (fn. 1) Their efficacy is reported to have been accidentally found out by Dudley lord North, in the beginning of the reign of king James I. Whilst he resided at Eridge-house for his health, lord Abergavenny's seat, in this neighbourhood, and that he was entirely cured of the lingering consumptive disorder he laboured under by the use of them.
The springs, which were then discovered, seem to have been seven in number, two of the principal of which were some time afterwards, by lord Abergavenny's care, inclosed, and were afterwards much resorted to by many of the middling and lower sort, whose ill health had real occasion for the use of them. In which state they continued till queen Henrietta Maria, wife of king Charles I. having been sent hither by her physicians, in the year 1630, for the reestablishment of her health, soon brought these waters into fashion, and occasioned a great resort to them from that time. In compliment to her doctor, Lewis Rowzee, in his treatise on them, calls these springs the Queen's-wells; but this name lasted but a small time, and they were soon afterwards universally known by that of Tunbridge-wells, which names they acquired from the company usually residing at Tunbridge town, when they came into these parts for the benefit of drinking the waters.
The town of Tunbridge being five miles distant from the wells, occasioned some few houses to be built in the hamlets of Southborough and Rusthall, for the accommodation of the company resorting hither, and this place now becoming fashionable, was visited by numbers for the sake of pleasure and dissipation, as well as for the cure of their infirmities; and soon after the Restoration every kind of building, for public amusements, was erected at the two hamlets above mentioned, lodgings and other buildings were built at and near the wells, the springs themselves were secured, and other conveniencies added to them. In 1664, the queen came here by the advice of her physicians, in hopes of reinstating her health, which was greatly impaired by a dangerous fever, and her success, in being perfectly cured by these waters, greatly raised the reputation of them, and the company increasing yearly, it induced the inhabitants to make every accommodation for them adjoining to the Wells, so that both Rusthall and Southborough became ruinous and deserted by all but their native inhabitants. The duke of York, with his duchess, and the two princesses their daughters, visited Tunbridge-wells in the year 1670, which brought much more company than usual to them, and raised their reputation still higher; and the annual increase continuing, it induced the lord of the manor to think of improving this humour of visiting the wells to his own profit as well as the better accommodation of the company. To effect which, he entered into an agreement with his tenants, and hired of them the herbage of the waste of the manor for the term of fifty years, at the yearly rent of ten shillings to each tenant, and then erected shops and houses on and near the walks and springs, in every convenient spot for that purpose; by which means Tunbridge wells became a populous and flourishing village, well inhabited, for whose convenience, and the company resorting thither, a chapel was likewise built, in 1684, by subscription, on some ground given by the lady viscountess Purbeck, which was, about twelve years afterwards, enlarged by an additional subscription, amounting together to near twenty-three hundred pounds.
About the year 1726, the building lease, which had been granted by the lord of the manor of Rusthall, in which this hamlet is situated, expiring, the tenants of the manor claimed a share in the buildings, as a compensation for the loss of the herbage, which was covered by his houses. This occasioned a long and very expensive law suit between them, which was at last determined in favour of the tenants, who were adjudged to have a right to a third part of the buildings then erected on the estate, in lieu of their right to the herbage; upon which all the shops and houses, which had been built on the manor waste, were divided into three lots, of which the tenants were to draw one, and the other two were to remain to the lord of the manor; the lot which the tenants drew was the middle one, which included the assembly room on the public walk, which has since turned out much the most advantageous of the three. After which long articles of agreement, in 1739, were entered into between Maurice Conyers, esq. then lord of the manor of Rusthall, and the above mentioned tenants of it, in which, among many other matters, he agreed to permit the public walks and wells, and divers other premises there, to be made use of for the public benefit of the nobility and gentry resorting thereto, and several regulations were made in them concerning the walks, wells, and wastes of the manor, and for the restraining buildings on the waste, between the lord and his tenants, according to a plan therein specified; all which were confirmed and established by an act of parliament, passed in 1740. Since which several of the royal family have honoured these wells with their presence, and numbers of the nobility and persons of rank and fashion yearly resortto them, so that this place is now in a most flourishing state, having great numbers of good houses built for lodgings, and every other necessary accommodation for the company. Its customs are settled; the employment of the dippers regulated; (fn. 2) its pleasures regulated; its markets well and plentifully supplied, at a reasonable rate, with sowl, fish, meat, every other kind of food, and every convenience added that can contribute to give health and pleasure.
¶The whole neighbourhood of Tunbridge-wells abounds with springs of mineral water, but as the properties of all are nearly the same, only those two, which at the first discovery of them were adjudged the best, are held in any particular estimation. These two wells are enclosed with a handsome triangular stone wall; over the springs are placed two convenient basons of Portland stone, with perforations at the bottom; one of them being given by queen Anne, and the other by the lord of the manor; through which they receive the water, which at the spring is extremely clear and bright. Its taste is steely, but not disagreeable; it has hardly any smell, though sometimes, in a dense air, its ferruginous exhalations are very distinguishable. In point of heat it is invariably temperate, the spring lying so deep in the earth, that neither the heat of summer, nor the cold of winter, affects it. When this water is first taken up in a large glass, its particles continue at rest till it is warmed to nearly the heat of the atmosphere, then a few airy globules begin to separate themselves, and adhere to the sides of the glass, and in a few hours a light copper coloured scum begins to float on the surface, after which an ochreous sediment settles at the bottom. Long continued rains sometimes give the water a milky appearance, but do not otherwise sensibly affect it. From the experiments of different physicians, it appears that the component parts of this water are, steely particles, marine salts, an oily matter, an ochreous substance, simple water, and a volatile vitriolic spirit, too subtile for any chemical analysis. In weight it is, in seven ounces and a quarter, four grains lighter than the German Spa (to which it is preferable on that account) and ten grains lighter than common water; with syrup of violets this water gives a deep green, as vitriols do. (fn. 3) It requires five drops of oleum sulphuris, or elixir of vitriol, to a quart of water, to preserve its virtues to a distance from the spring.
This water is said to be an impregnation of rain in some of the neighbouring eminences, which abound in iron mineral, where it is further enriched with the marine salts and all the valuable ingredients, which constitute it a light and pure chalybeate, which instantly searches the most remote recesses of the human frame, warms and invigorates the relaxed constitution, restores the weakened fibres to their due tone and elasticity, removes those obstructions to which the minuter vessels of the body are liable, and is consequently adapted to most cold chronical disorders, lowness of spirits, weak digestions, and nervous complaints. Dr. Lodowick Rowzee, of Ashford, in this county, wrote a Treatise of the Nature and Virtues of these Waters, printed in 12mo. 1671; and Dr. Patrick Madan wrote a Philosophical and Medical Essay on them, in 1687, in quarto.
The National Memorial Arboretum is a national site of remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It gives its purpose as:
The National Memorial Arboretum honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice and fosters pride in our country. It is a spiritually uplifting place and is emerging as a world-renowned centre for remembrance.
The Arboretum is an evolving, maturing woodland landscape featuring 30,000 trees and a vast collection of memorials. The 150-acre site is a living, growing tribute to those who have served and continue to serve our country.
Monday was the observed holiday, but today's the traditional Memorial Day. Thanks again to all who have fought, and are still fighting to protect our freedoms, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
This was taken at the Charleston, SC Aquarium last week, and I'd like to dedicate it to my uncle, Howard Smallwood, who died in the Korean War.
When I was lonely back in '73
That's when the conga drums spoke to me
I was kind of poor, I didn't have much choice
It was just those drums and the human voice...
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Sweet LP congas...
The IAIS GE's are basically built to CSX specs as they were added on to the production end of a CSX order. That being the case, the IAIS got the steerable trucks as per CSX builds. Mar 2, 2015.
© Eric T. Hendrickson 2015 All Rights Reserved
Quando ero piccola ricordo che mia nonna aveva una vecchia scatola di caramelle piena di fotografie nascosta nella sua stanza.
Oggi dentro quella scatola ho trovato queste vecchie foto e molte altre, alcune quasi completamente ingiallite dal tempo e dagli anni.
Alcune di loro sono veramente vecchie, scattate nel lontano 1894 come qualcuno ha scritto dietro una di esse usando una stilo, quella in alto a sinistra.
La foto in basso a destra con il giovane in uniforme e' del 1916, durante la prima guerra mondiale: dietro e' scritta una dedica per la moglie.
Le altre immagini sono state scattate intorno al 1926.
When I was a child I remember my granny had an old sweets box fulled of pictures hidden in her room.
Today inside that box I found those pictures and a lot of other ones.
Some of them are really old, shoted in far 1894 as someone wrote behind one of them using a stylo, the one on the top left.
The bottom right one with the guy in uniform come from 1916, during the first conflict: behind there is a dedication to his wife.
Other pictures have been shoted around 1926.