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This was such a friendly fearsome fellow with a great aptitude when hungry. I was having a coffee and a few biscuits at one of my local nature reserve when this chap landed on the table scoffing down any biscuit crumbs he could find to eat. One minute he was the table then the seat next to me, my shoulder, and to top it all he'd constantly kept landing on my woolly hat on my head being very vocal and flapping his wings until he got another crumb. Christmas came a bit early for me this year as Mr Robin left a few presents on my beloved favourite woolly green hat, he pooped all over it, lol. In the 1400's when the Robin was named the colour orange had not been classified and this is why we say that the Robin has a red breast and not orange. Its about time that the Robin became the national bird of the UK just like America that has an eagle as their national bird.
La Sittelle torchepot ( Sitta europaea ) est un oiseau dit cavernicole en ce sens qu'il niche dans un trou d'arbre, plus rarement dans une cavité de mur ou de rocher. Il occupe souvent un nid vacant de pic. Il ne creuse que très rarement sa propre cavité. C'est en squattant les logis abandonnés d'oiseaux plus grands que la Sittelle torchepot fait preuve d'une autre originalité. En effet le trou de vol étant trop grand pour ses besoins, elle s'emploie à le rétrécir afin qu'il n'atteigne que 29-3l mm, ce qui en interdit l'entrée à d'autres candidats, comme l'étourneau par exemple.
C'est le travail de la femelle. Au moyen de boulettes de terre ou d'argile imprégnées de salive, elle maçonne soigneusement un chambranle aux dimensions voulues. C'est cette aptitude qui lui a valu le qualificatif de torchepot (torchis).
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The Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a so-called cavernicolous bird in that it nests in a tree hole, more rarely in a wall or rock cavity. It often occupies a vacant peak nest. It rarely digs its own cavity. It is by squatting abandoned houses of larger birds that the Nuthatch torchepot is showing another originality. Indeed the flight hole being too big for its needs, it works to shrink it so that it reaches only 29-3l mm, which prohibits entry to other candidates, such as the starling for example.
It's the work of the female. By means of saliva-impregnated clay or clay balls, she carefully masonates a jamb to the desired dimensions. It is this ability that earned him the name of torchpot (mud).
La Sittelle torchepot ( Sitta europaea ) est un oiseau dit cavernicole en ce sens qu'il niche dans un trou d'arbre, plus rarement dans une cavité de mur ou de rocher. Il occupe souvent un nid vacant de pic. Il ne creuse que très rarement sa propre cavité. C'est en squattant les logis abandonnés d'oiseaux plus grands que la Sittelle torchepot fait preuve d'une autre originalité. En effet le trou de vol étant trop grand pour ses besoins, elle s'emploie à le rétrécir afin qu'il n'atteigne que 29-3l mm, ce qui en interdit l'entrée à d'autres candidats, comme l'étourneau par exemple.
C'est le travail de la femelle. Au moyen de boulettes de terre ou d'argile imprégnées de salive, elle maçonne soigneusement un chambranle aux dimensions voulues. C'est cette aptitude qui lui a valu le qualificatif de torchepot (torchis).
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The Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a so-called cavernicolous bird in that it nests in a tree hole, more rarely in a wall or rock cavity. It often occupies a vacant peak nest. It rarely digs its own cavity. It is by squatting abandoned houses of larger birds that the Nuthatch torchepot is showing another originality. Indeed the flight hole being too big for its needs, it works to shrink it so that it reaches only 29-3l mm, which prohibits entry to other candidates, such as the starling for example.
It's the work of the female. By means of saliva-impregnated clay or clay balls, she carefully masonates a jamb to the desired dimensions. It is this ability that earned him the name of torchpot (mud).
La Sittelle torchepot ( Sitta europaea ) est un oiseau dit cavernicole en ce sens qu'il niche dans un trou d'arbre, plus rarement dans une cavité de mur ou de rocher. Il occupe souvent un nid vacant de pic. Il ne creuse que très rarement sa propre cavité. C'est en squattant les logis abandonnés d'oiseaux plus grands que la Sittelle torchepot fait preuve d'une autre originalité. En effet le trou de vol étant trop grand pour ses besoins, elle s'emploie à le rétrécir afin qu'il n'atteigne que 29-3l mm, ce qui en interdit l'entrée à d'autres candidats, comme l'étourneau par exemple.
C'est le travail de la femelle. Au moyen de boulettes de terre ou d'argile imprégnées de salive, elle maçonne soigneusement un chambranle aux dimensions voulues. C'est cette aptitude qui lui a valu le qualificatif de torchepot (torchis).
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The Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a so-called cavernicolous bird in that it nests in a tree hole, more rarely in a wall or rock cavity. It often occupies a vacant peak nest. It rarely digs its own cavity. It is by squatting abandoned houses of larger birds that the Nuthatch torchepot is showing another originality. Indeed the flight hole being too big for its needs, it works to shrink it so that it reaches only 29-3l mm, which prohibits entry to other candidates, such as the starling for example.
It's the work of the female. By means of saliva-impregnated clay or clay balls, she carefully masonates a jamb to the desired dimensions. It is this ability that earned him the name of torchpot (mud).
Rain speeds through the streets of Ascension 7, on Leigh's hoverbike, on an adrenaline induced high.
(Photo taken at Sleepy Bay Photo studio)
Atelier peinture sur porcelaine avec les petits-enfants (des points plus ou moins gros semés suivant le goût et l'aptitude de chacun, un atelier qui a beaucoup plu...) .
Porcelain painting workshop with the grandchildren (more or less large points sown according to the taste and the aptitude of each one, a workshop which was very popular ...).
My cocoon tightens, colors tease,
I'm feeling for the air;
A dim capacity for wings
Degrades the dress I wear.
A power of butterfly must be
The aptitude to fly,
Meadows of majesty concedes
And easy sweeps of sky.
So I must baffle at the hint
And cipher at the sign,
And make much blunder, if at last
I take the clew divine.
~ Emily Dickinson ~
I used to tell HR, which for most of my career consisted of my wife...hire attitude, train aptitude :-)
lotus blossom, denver botanical garden, colorado
My baby lives in shades of blue
Blue eyes and jazz and attitude
He lives in California too
He drives a Chevy Malibu
And when he calls
He calls for me, and not for you
He lives for love, he loves his drugs
He loves his baby too
But I can't fix him
Can't make him better
And I can't do nothing about
His strange weather
But you
Are unfixable
I can't break through your world
'Cause you
Live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
My baby lives in shades of cool
Cool heart and hands and aptitude
He lives for love, for women too
I'm one of many; one is blue
And when he calls
He calls for me, and not for you
He prays for love, he prays for peace
And maybe someone new
But I can't help him
Can't make him better
And I can't do nothing about
His strange weather
'Cause you
Are unfixable
I can't break through your world
'Cause you
Live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
Your hot, hot weather in the summer
Hot, hot, neglectful lover
Hot, hot weather in the summer
Hot, neglectful lover
You're crumbling, sadly
You're sadly crumbling
'Cause you
Are unfixable
I can't break through your world
'Cause you
Live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJABBmAMXnY
Location: Salmson Isle.
Le Grand Cormoran est un bel oiseau, largement répandu dans le monde.
Son aptitude à la pêche est soit appréciée et tournée à l’avantage des hommes en Extrême Orient, soit désapprouvée dans plusieurs pays où il est considéré comme un concurrent redoutable et persécuté.
**********************************************************
The Great Cormorant is a beautiful bird, widespread in the world.
His aptitude for fishing is either appreciated and turned to the advantage of men in the Far East, or disapproved in several countries where he is considered a formidable competitor and persecuted.
"You know, if you have the aptitude, you should join the Mage's College in Winterhold."
―Farengar Secret-Fire
The College of Winterhold is a guild of mages. The College is located in the northern section of the city of Winterhold. Instructors of each magical discipline reside within, offering training and various magical wares to members.
Before entering the College, the gatekeeper, Faralda, will wish to see a demonstration of the Dragonborn's magical powers. She requests to see a spell appropriate for the Dragonborn's level before gaining passage.
Tags: #Secondlife #Fantasy #Roleplay #Mage #College #Magic #Dragonborn #Elven
EEP! WL: Anan Adore Light Explosion II
"Well Dad" ? "Did i pass the (cr)aptitude test" ?.......
"Yes son, with flying colours".
"I didn't think any of us could poop on three thousand horses all at once."
A fairly big crop, (part of a birds digestive system) to hi-light the Pigeons.
A power of Butterfly must be -
The Aptitude to fly
Meadows of Majesty concedes
And easy Sweeps of Sky -”
― Emily Dickinson
Please take a minute to press L and view in large!
Square dancing tractors combine the art of dance with agricultural machinery. This unique tradition involves vintage tractors performing choreographed movements, resembling a traditional square dance.
History
Origins
The concept began in 1953 as part of a marketing campaign by International Harvester.
The Farmall Super-C tractors showcased their agility through choreographed performances.
Performance
Four couples operate tractors, moving in sync to mimic square dance steps.
A caller guides the drivers, similar to traditional square dancing.
Skills Required
Tractor Operation
Participants must have knowledge of operating vintage tractors.
Skills include mechanical aptitude and patience.
Dance Coordination
Dancers need impeccable timing and teamwork.
The performance requires both agricultural skills and dance grace.
PHOTO: this tractor appeared to be dancing, so I did some research and found tractors really do dance, square dance that is!
but a great aptitude for patience :-)
George-Louis de Buffon
HFF!!
chrysanthemum, 'Allyson Peace', sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
Having run out of new material to edit due to my firm belief we should stay the hell home during this pandemic unless there is a very good reason to be out and about so I have reached back into my shot vaults to find some interesting things to work on and edit with a softer hand for a while.
Here there be dragons in this case a horse dragon named Long-Ma part of a show that was brought to Ottawa for a street performance of a story developed in Nantes France by La Machine stage/film creatives with an amazing mechanical aptitude.
Long-Ma pictured here weighs about 40 tons stands 13m high and stretches almost 20m in length at times and it takes a dozen operators to maneuver through the city streets clanking, snorting huge gusts of steam vapor while roaring loud enough to rattle windows all the while huge crowds following his path making the kid in you believe this is somehow real.
I took this on Oct 25, 2020 with my D750 and Nikon 70-300mm 3.5-5.6 Lens at 300mm 1/50 sec f/5.6 ISO3200 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia, Topaz , and DXO
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress
O Sole Mio, Carlo Bergonzi
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nNxw7c55Mk
Bunin: Debussy - Arabesque No. 1 in E major
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GStfo_f4L0g
An American living in China talking about the nCoV
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5rhyBKJXb4
On the Death of Dr. Li in Wuhan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Fy80yHYQo&t=9s
Toscha Seidel - Grieg Violin Sonata #3, Mvt 3
www.youtube.com/watch?v=anTp1BExGes
Raoul Koczalski : Chopin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcV3P6zS30Q
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhfmiuVSnDw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFSPMrxTgdk
www.youtube.com/watch?v=au33_fvyJng
www.youtube.com/watch?v=elTSwjBY8nQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOHg33Shwl8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fprBFVoMeU
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRMyRYYGtQ
Tschaiovsky
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugn1MPF-T84&list=RDV_22HZ7T_F...
Scriabin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHPFrCJP6c4&list=RDsOHg33Shwl...
Schubert-Liszt
www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_22HZ7T_FQ&list=RDV_22HZ7T_F...
*
In Conversation With: Toscha Seidel
"Studying with Professor Auer was a revelation. I had private lessons from him, and at the same time attended the classes at the Petrograd Conservatory. I should say that his great specialty, if one can use the word specialty in the case of so universal a master of teaching as the Professor, was bowing. In all violin playing the left hand, the finger hand, might be compared to a perfectly adjusted technical machine, one that needs to be kept well oiled to function properly. The right hand, the bow hand, is the direct opposite—it is the painter hand, the artist hand, its phrasing outlines the pictures of music; its nuances fill them with beauty of color. And while the Professor insisted as a matter of course on the absolute development of finger mechanics, he was an inspiration as regards the right manipulation of the bow, and its use as a medium of interpretation. And he made his pupils think. Often, when I played a passage in a concerto or sonata and it lacked clearness, he would ask me: 'Why is this passage not clear?' Sometimes I knew and sometimes I did not. But not until he was satisfied that I could not myself answer the question, would he show me how to answer it. He could make every least detail clear, illustrating it on his own violin; but if the pupil could 'work out his own salvation' he always encouraged him to do so.
"Most teachers make bowing a very complicated affair, adding to its difficulties. But Professor Auer develops a natural bowing, with an absolutely free wrist, in all his pupils; for he teaches each student along the line of his individual aptitudes. Hence the length of the fingers and the size of the hand make no difference, because in the case of each pupil they are treated as separate problems, capable of an individual solution. I have known of pupils who came to him with an absolutely stiff wrist; and yet he taught them to overcome it.
HOW TO STUDY
"Scale study—all Auer pupils had to practice scales every day, scales in all the intervals—is a most important thing. And following his idea of stimulating the pupil's self-development, the Professor encouraged us to find what we needed ourselves. I remember that once—we were standing in a corridor of the Conservatory—when I asked him, 'What should I practice in the way of studies?' he answered: 'Take the difficult passages from the great concertos. You cannot improve on them, for they are as good, if not better, as any studies written.' As regards technical work we were also encouraged to think out our own exercises. And this I still do. When I feel that my thirds and sixths need attention I practice scales and original figurations in these intervals. But genuine, resultful practice is something that should never be counted by 'hours.' Sometimes I do not touch my violin all day long; and one hour with head work is worth any number of days without it. At the most I never practice more than three hours a day. And when my thoughts are fixed on other things it would be time lost to try to practice seriously. Without technical control a violinist could not be a great artist; for he could not express himself. Yet a great artist can give even a technical study, say a Rode étude, a quality all its own in playing it. That technic, however, is a means, not an end, Professor Auer never allowed his pupils to forget. He is a wonderful master of interpretation. I studied the great concertos with him—Beethoven, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Tschaikovsky, Dvoøák, the Brahms concerto (which I prefer to any other); the Vieuxtemps Fifth and Lalo (both of which I have heard Ysaye, that supreme artist who possesses all that an artist should have, play in Berlin); the Elgar concerto (a fine work which I once heard Kreisler, an artist as great as he is modest, play wonderfully in Petrograd), as well as other concertos of the standard repertory. And Professor Auer always sought to have us play as individuals; and while he never allowed us to overstep the boundaries of the musically esthetic, he gave our individuality free play within its limits. He never insisted on a pupil accepting his own nuances of interpretation because they were his. I know that when playing for him, if I came to a passage which demanded an especially beautiful legato rendering, he would say: 'Now show how you can sing!' The exquisite legato he taught was all a matter of perfect bowing, and as he often said: 'There must be no such thing as strings or hair in the pupil's consciousness. One must not play violin, one must sing violin!'
My baby lives in shades of blue
Blue eyes and jazz and attitude
He lives in California too
He drives a Chevy Malibu
And when he calls
He calls for me, not for you
He lives for love, he loves his drugs
He loves his baby too
But I can't fix him, can't make him better
And I can't do nothing about his strange weather
But you are invincible
I can't break through your world
'Cause you live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
My baby lives in shades of cool
Blue heart and hands and aptitude
He lives for love, for women, too
I'm one of many, one is blue
And when he calls
He calls for me, not for you
He prays for love, he prays for peace
And maybe someone new
But I can't help him, can't make him better
And I can't do nothing about his strange weather
'Cause you are invincible
I can't break through your world
'Cause you live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
You are invincible
I can't break through your world
'Cause you live in shades of cool
Your heart is unbreakable
"My baby lives in shades of cool
Blue heart and hands and aptitude
He lives for love, for women, too
I'm one of many, one is blue"
Styling:
Head Nova by Lelutka
Skin Teresa by Mila
Hair Artemis by Doux
Grace Sweater [Granite] M-Lara by Giz Seorn
Grace High Waist Pants [Brown] M-Lara by Giz Seorn
Clutch Bag Upper Right by -MONCADA PARIS-
Auria Stiletto Suede by NX-Nardcotix
Blog Post:
meshedgal.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/one-is-blue
“Naviguer dans les airs entretient les fantasmes de notre enfance ; cela stimule notre aptitude à rêver.”
Joyce Carol Oates
Thank you very much for your comments and for your faves.
(Please do not use without my written permission.)
Taken on the road to the Nighthawk border crossing near Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada.
Perhaps the plainest in appearance as far as sparrows are concerned, however this little fella atones for it with a considerable aptitude for song. Below is a link where you may hear him perform in a video I posted earlier this year.
www.flickr.com/photos/ebirdman/47960598561/in/photostream/
Brewer's Sparrow
Caption literal translation is 'having no fingers to play the piano', a common saying around here to someone who has no aptitude or skill to do a particular thing.
I can punch the keys but definitely can't play the piano, so pun intended :-)
(plain sooc, the jpeg over raw experiment still going on - has survived 2 months by now - dim natural light with custom white balance from a styrofoam homemade card).
Santiago, Chile.
savute plains, a leopard is trying to approach a kudu .
those big cats have a slow approach technique during which a minimal error makes the hunting fail.
a leopard must approach about 10/15 meters from the prey to have a good chance..it then makes a brief and an explosive charge(uo to 60kmh) ,pounching on its prey and dispatching it with bite to the neck.leopards do not have the aptitude to chase their quarry over any kind of distance.many of their preys are faster and can be caught only with an ambush.despite what we think,researchers believe that each individual leopard accounts for 20/40 kills a year.
of course if preys are small or stolen from hyenas and lions they have to hunt much more.
the leopard intraspecific natural enemies are baboons (one of the leopard favorite meal too) ,hyenas and wild dogs can steal them the preys.
but only the male lions can catch and kill easily an adult leopard.
the lion females are used to attack leopards but usually with the purpose to intimidate them.lion females are more tolerant towards other animals not considered as food.
the lion males instead have an instinct that brings them to kill all the possible competitors and they do it.
in savute there are notorius lion prides and leopards must stay always on alert.
anyway the leopard remain maybe the most beautiful african predator ,a deadly form of perfection.
"attack mode"
savute plains,botswana
original file here:
🇫🇷 La corse est une race caprine venant de l'île dont elle porte le nom.Cette chèvre est une race autochtone élevée en isolement des autres races. Traditionnellement, elle est élevée pour sa viande Elle peut présenter toutes les couleurs du blanc au marron, brun et noir, souvent en mélange de couleurs et ses poils sont longs. La chèvre corse est un animal laitier, qui se caractérise par sa rusticité, ses facultés d'adaptation à l'environnement corse et son aptitude à valoriser les terrains difficiles.on rencontre donc une grande diversité de couleurs (roux, fauve, gris ou noir). Sa robe est constituée de poils longs ou mi-longs, uniformes, bariolés ou panachés. Sa tête est fine, généralement cornue, avec des cornes parallèles et recourbées Elle porte de petites oreilles, et certains animaux ont des pampilles.¤[
C'est une chèvre de petite taille, la femelle pèse entre 35 et 45 kg et le mâle entre 45 et 65 kg[
¤ Pampille Ces petites excroissances de peau, souvent situées de part et d’autre du cou des chèvres, ressemblent à de petites clochettes pendantes recouvertes de poils
🇬🇧 The Corsican goat is a breed originating from the island of the same name. This goat is a native breed raised in isolation from other breeds. Traditionally, it is raised for its meat. It can be any colour from white to brown, often with a mixture of colours, and has long hair. The Corsican goat is a dairy animal, characterised by its hardiness, its ability to adapt to the Corsican environment and its aptitude for making the most of difficult terrain. It therefore comes in a wide variety of colours (red, fawn, grey or black). Its coat consists of long or medium-length hair, which is uniform, variegated or piebald. Its head is slender, usually horned, with parallel, curved horns. It has small ears, and some animals have dewlaps.¤[
It is a small goat, with females weighing between 35 and 45 kg and males between 45 and 65 kg[
¤ Dewlap These small growths of skin, often located on either side of the goat's neck, resemble small hanging bells covered with hair.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
🇩🇪 Die Korsische Ziege ist eine Ziegenrasse, die von der Insel stammt, deren Namen sie trägt. Diese Ziege ist eine einheimische Rasse, die isoliert von anderen Rassen gezüchtet wird. Traditionell wird sie wegen ihres Fleisches gezüchtet. Sie kann alle Farben von Weiß über Braun bis Schwarz aufweisen, oft in einer Mischung aus verschiedenen Farben, und hat langes Fell. Die korsische Ziege ist ein Milchvieh, das sich durch seine Robustheit, seine Anpassungsfähigkeit an die korsische Umwelt und seine Fähigkeit, schwieriges Gelände zu nutzen, auszeichnet. Man findet daher eine große Vielfalt an Farben (rotbraun, fahl, grau oder schwarz). Ihr Fell besteht aus langen oder mittellangen, gleichmäßigen, bunten oder gescheckten Haaren. Ihr Kopf ist schlank, meist gehörnt, mit parallelen, gebogenen Hörnern. Sie hat kleine Ohren, und einige Tiere haben Ohrläppchen.¤[
Es handelt sich um eine kleine Ziege, das Weibchen wiegt zwischen 35 und 45 kg und das Männchen zwischen 45 und 65 kg[
¤ Ohrläppchen Diese kleinen Hautauswüchse, die sich oft auf beiden Seiten des Halses der Ziegen befinden, sehen aus wie kleine hängende Glöckchen, die mit Haaren bedeckt sind.
🇪🇸 La corsa es una raza caprina originaria de la isla del mismo nombre. Se trata de una raza autóctona criada aislada de otras razas. Tradicionalmente, se cría por su carne. Puede presentar todos los colores, desde el blanco hasta el marrón, pasando por el castaño y el negro, a menudo en mezcla, y su pelaje es largo. La cabra corsa es un animal lechero que se caracteriza por su rusticidad, su capacidad de adaptación al entorno corso y su aptitud para aprovechar terrenos difíciles. Por lo tanto, se encuentra una gran diversidad de colores (rojo, leonado, gris o negro). Su pelaje está formado por pelos largos o semilargos, uniformes, abigarrados o moteados. Su cabeza es fina, generalmente con cuernos paralelos y curvados. Tiene orejas pequeñas y algunos animales tienen papilas.¤[
Es una cabra de pequeño tamaño, la hembra pesa entre 35 y 45 kg y el macho entre 45 y 65 kg[
¤ Pampilla Estas pequeñas protuberancias de piel, a menudo situadas a ambos lados del cuello de las cabras, parecen pequeñas campanillas colgantes cubiertas de pelo.
🇮🇹 La capra corsa è una razza caprina originaria dell'isola da cui prende il nome. Si tratta di una razza autoctona allevata in isolamento dalle altre razze. Tradizionalmente viene allevata per la sua carne. Può presentare tutti i colori dal bianco al marrone, al bruno e al nero, spesso in una combinazione di colori, e ha il pelo lungo. La capra corsa è un animale da latte, che si caratterizza per la sua rusticità, la sua capacità di adattarsi all'ambiente corso e la sua attitudine a valorizzare i terreni difficili. Si incontra quindi una grande varietà di colori (rosso, fulvo, grigio o nero). Il suo mantello è costituito da peli lunghi o medi, uniformi, variegati o screziati. La testa è sottile, generalmente cornuta, con corna parallele e ricurve. Ha orecchie piccole e alcuni esemplari presentano delle pampille.¤[
È una capra di piccola taglia, la femmina pesa tra i 35 e i 45 kg e il maschio tra i 45 e i 65 kg[
¤ Pampille Queste piccole escrescenze cutanee, spesso situate su entrambi i lati del collo delle capre, assomigliano a piccoli campanelli pendenti ricoperti di pelo.
Excerpt from www-seminaire--sherbrooke-qc-ca.translate.goog/seminaire/...:
Founded in 1875 by Msgr. Antoine Racine, first bishop of Sherbrooke, the Séminaire de Sherbrooke is an educational establishment constituted as a corporation by chapter 189 of the Quebec statutes (1959, SQ).
The Seminary was declared of public interest (DIP) by the Quebec Ministry of Education in August 1969 for the collegiate order; in October 1969 for the secondary order.
The Séminaire de Sherbrooke's purpose is education, understood as a process aimed at ensuring the growth of the person. The achievement of this purpose assumes that everyone subscribes to its overall project, designed as a response to the needs, aptitudes and aspirations of the student, and which tends to the balanced development of all the components of his personality: physical, intellectual, emotional. , ethical, religious and social.
The Alaskan husky (distinct from the Siberian husky) is a breed of medium-sized working sled dog, developed specifically for its pulling ability. Alaskan huskies are the most commonly used type of dog for competitive sled dog racing, both in short-distance sprint racing as well as long-distance expedition races.
The Alaskan husky is not an officially recognized breed by any kennel club, nor does it have a formal breed standard.[6] Unlike breeds developed for the show ring, the Alaskan husky is instead a product of careful selection for desirable sled dog traits from various other breeds, such as aptitude for pulling, endurance, speed, intelligence, appetite, and tolerance of extreme weather.
This meet and greet was as near as we got to the sled trails as the conditions were too icy on our trip. Having seen the speed that these dogs pull I think we probably dodged a bullet!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Br%C3%A2ncu%C8%99i
Constantin Brâncuși (Romanian: [konstanˈtin brɨŋˈkuʃʲ] (About this soundlisten); February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered a pioneer of modernism, one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century, Brâncuși is called the patriarch of modern sculpture. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1905 to 1907. His art emphasizes clean geometrical lines that balance forms inherent in his materials with the symbolic allusions of representational art. Brâncuși sought inspiration in non-European cultures as a source of primitive exoticism, as did Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, André Derain and others. However, other influences emerge from Romanian folk art traceable through Byzantine and Dionysian traditions.[1]
ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_memorial%C4%83_Constantin_Br%C...
This liberty, currently remains quiescent as the present location does not allow for this volition to rise at it's fullest aptitude.
I’ve been working to show that Levitation is not confined to birds only, for a while now. Yes, we have documented evidence that Levitation has made the jump to mammals down in Calgary where a hare displays this aptitude but I have not been able to show that up here. Well, finally I talked the squirrel into showing his technique. That took a bit of doing because the last shot of him, levitating a peanut, took him by surprise and he was cross with me for a long time. We finally straightened out these differences although it took a huge amount of peanuts to seal the deal. I would like to point out several things here. This squirrel is not a novice at this and I suggest you don’t try this at home without at least some sort of safety netting to cushion the inevitable impact on first tries. He casually leans into the maneuver and is completely relaxed. No intense concentration is visible in his expression. He is completely parallel to the ground and although his back feet still touch the peanut stand, there is no way that they would be responsible for supporting this position.
Relaxation, of course, can be accomplished in many different ways and does not need to be involved with Levitation. In my case, a good bottle of wine (or actually, any bottle of wine since I don’t pretend to be a connoisseur) and maybe some easy to listen piece of music (yes, foot stomping and hand clapping are requirements) such as ...
Benton Lake, Caddo Lake, Texas, USA
Another couple of shots taken whilst floating around in a kayak. Benton Lake was one of the limited areas that had a significant variation in colours within the cypress tree canopy. As I said in a previous posting, one of the locals said about 6-8 weeks before my visit some ‘bug’ had decimated the leaves on a lot of the trees. Whilst not meeting the level of a biblical plague of locusts I’d say it wasn’t too far off from a number of the areas I saw.
Shooting from a kayak is an interesting experience in that for someone of my aptitude I had a little control of my shooting position (certainly more than when on the motor boat but nothing like the degree I’m used to having. Note to self, should I manage to return to Caddo Lake take a full sized tripod as I gather over a fair bit of the lake the water is only about 3-4ft deep although 8-10ft is more the average. No guarantees though. I certainly have seen and saw some Togs using a tripod in the water when canoeing - I suspect it’s not as straight forward as it might seem!
As you can readily see, these two shots were taken from very similar positions with one pointing slightly to the right of the other. It’s another case where I have found it impossible to decide which I prefer, so decided to post both. No obligation to say which you prefer but equally I’d be very happy to know and the reason why.
Should anyone be interested my ‘mancave (aka my garden photography editing room) is now mostly kitted out and I’ve finally taken pity on my old PC that has soldiered on using a sub-spec graphics card and other aged internals (that only those under 30 or working in IT would know the names of!) and replaced it with something I trust will last me an equally long time. I’m not one of those that automatically thinks new = better but have to say having a PC that loads images without needing to step away to make a cuppa nor fear the desktop case is about to take off (due to the fans working so fast) is much more relaxing. I don’t know about others but why people want a PC that glows like a late 70s/early 80s disco ball is beyond me so needless to say I deleted that from the spec the salesman showed me.
© All rights reserved to Steve Pellatt. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
For TMI’s October 2020 contest Nature in Black & White
and
Kreative People’s October 2020 Contest One Good Word
Own image processed with Topaz Studio 2
~~~ Thank you all for viewing, kind comments, favs and awards - much appreciated! ~~~
Todos los derechos reservados - All rights reserved - copyright © Pilar Azaña Talán
Después de tantas fotos de maravillosa nieve, me apetece poner este lago en plena explosión de colores otoñales, con su calidez, luminosidad y calma total. Me gusta observar como el agua puede reproducir en este espejo inigualable toda la belleza que lo rodea. La madre naturaleza no deja de asombrarme por la impresionante capacidad para mantener su equilibrio, y es que en ella siempre se encuentra la solución y la clave para casi todo... pero el ser humano destruye...
---------------------------------
After so many photos of wonderful snow, I like to put this lake in full explosion of autumnal colors, with his warmth, luminosity and total calmness. I like to observe as the water it can reproduce in this incomparable mirror the whole beauty that surrounds it. The mother nature does not stop amazing me for the impressive aptitude to support his balance, and is that in her always one finds the solution and the key for almost quite... but the human being always destroys...
Most of Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, particularly if one walks across the path in front of a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune, Black Cat, however, shows you new ways of looking at the world and may even encourage Clairvoyant or other psychic aptitudes that boost intuition.
Soundtrack // Bande-son : SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES ("Dear Prudence"): www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6rrTROoZIw&list=RDM6rrTROoZI...
"Dear Prudence, open up your eyes... Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies... The wind is low, the birds will sing... That you are part of everything... Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes ? LOOK AROUND ROUND AROUND ROUND ROUND..."
"C"est beau comme une peinture de Seurat... presque du pointillisme !!!" // "It's as beautiful as a painting from Seurat. Sort of pointillism !!!" (Georges LISSILOUR / www.flickr.com/photos/geolis06/)
"Your skills at 'softening and romanticizing' the world are both inspirational and fascinating! - j'applaudis tes merveilleuses oeuvres." // "Tes aptitudes pour adoucir et romancer le monde sont aussi inspirantes que fascinantes !" (Robby MacGILLIVRAY / www.flickr.com/photos/137060962@N08/ )
"Nos caps si familiers mais toujours captivants, le traitement semble gommer les distances, la tonalité du ciel nous emmène ailleurs, reste l'espace, la beauté ineffable..." // "Our so familiar but still captivating capes... The treatment seems to erase the distances and the tone of the sly leads us somewhere else... Still remains the space, the ineffable beauty." (VINCENT / www.flickr.com/photos/58769600@N07/)
"Superbes couleurs harmonieuses pour mettre en valeur nos caps." // "Great harmonious colours to promote our capes." (FLORENCE.V / www.flickr.com/photos/flo59/)
"Terrific image - compliments !!" (PAROWAN496 / www.flickr.com/photos/parowan496/)
own texture.
Benton Lake, Caddo Lake, Texas, USA
Another couple of shots taken whilst floating around in a kayak. Benton Lake was one of the limited areas that had a significant variation in colours within the cypress tree canopy. As I said in a previous posting, one of the locals said about 6-8 weeks before my visit some ‘bug’ had decimated the leaves on a lot of the trees. Whilst not meeting the level of a biblical plague of locusts I’d say it wasn’t too far off from a number of the areas I saw.
Shooting from a kayak is an interesting experience in that for someone of my aptitude I had a little control of my shooting position (certainly more than when on the motor boat but nothing like the degree I’m used to having. Note to self, should I manage to return to Caddo Lake take a full sized tripod as I gather over a fair bit of the lake the water is only about 3-4ft deep although 8-10ft is more the average. No guarantees though. I certainly have seen and saw some Togs using a tripod in the water when canoeing - I suspect it’s not as straight forward as it might seem!
As you can readily see, these two shots were taken from very similar positions with one pointing slightly to the right of the other. It’s another case where I have found it impossible to decide which I prefer, so decided to post both. No obligation to say which you prefer but equally I’d be very happy to know and the reason why.
Should anyone be interested my ‘mancave (aka my garden photography editing room) is now mostly kitted out and I’ve finally taken pity on my old PC that has soldiered on using a sub-spec graphics card and other aged internals (that only those under 30 or working in IT would know the names of!) and replaced it with something I trust will last me an equally long time. I’m not one of those that automatically thinks new = better but have to say having a PC that loads images without needing to step away to make a cuppa nor fear the desktop case is about to take off (due to the fans working so fast) is much more relaxing. I don’t know about others but why people want a PC that glows like a late 70s/early 80s disco ball is beyond me so needless to say I deleted that from the spec the salesman showed me.
© All rights reserved to Steve Pellatt. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
A power of Butterfly must be –
The Aptitude to fly
Meadows of Majesty concedes
And easy Sweeps of Sky –
Emily Dickinson
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
Zig Ziglar
Eleven on the River is a 550 ft (170 m) tall skyscraper in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, located at 1111 W River Pkwy. Completed in 2022, Eleven has 42 floors and 120 units It is the 7th-tallest building in Minneapolis, and the tallest residential building in Minnesota.
It was designed by New York City architecture firm Robert A.M. Stern Architects alongside Ryan A+E, Inc. as the architect of record. Ryan Companies US, Inc. served as co-developer and builder.
A group of lions taking rest in Masai Mara, Kenya
"No domestic animal can be as still as a wild animal.
The civilized people have lost the aptitude of stillness,
and must take lessons in silence from the wild
before they are accepted by it.“
(Karen Blixen)
Probably the last one from Crown Mines, Botallack, Cornwall, UK - certainly for a while.
I gather George Harrison came up with the seed of 'Here Comes the Sun' when he bunked off a meeting with Apple and went instead to see his mate Eric Clapton. Sitting in the garden he reflected that Apple was a bit like school with 'sign this, sign that' and he felt liberated in not having to go and see a load of "dopey accountants".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmBTYK7XZQk
Now despite me not having any musical aptitude (beyond knowing what I like to listen to) the general sentiment strikes a real cord with me. When you have had 20+ years of 'experts' telling you how they could repair roads a hell of a lot better than we do and how they are now driving on third world roads and why can't the road gullies cope with a monsoon ....well lets just say the idea of bunking off has a great attraction. So George, it may be 54 years later but I (and probably a vast number of people out there) can totally understand where you were coming from!
Slightly different composition taken nearer the 'Ledge of Doom' . I'd have liked to get separation between that rock the other side of the ledge and the bit where the coast joins the sea near the mines but there was a family settled in for the sunset just out of frame and I did not feel confident I could clone them out and too many of them to act as a 'scale'. I decided to just shoot what I could as by this time I could see the colours/light would be very nice and wasn't going to be too fussy.
This one is obviously taken a just before sunset when there was the light on the Crown Mines and the water. it's a set of 2 lots of 3 brackets - one for the foreground and one for the mines.
Some of you will know I've a workshop in Iceland coming up in October which is coming up quickly now. I need to get on and do some research and fine tuning as I feel obligated to try to shoot enough 'good' shots in my 5 days there to make Dom Haughton jealous. Between that prep. and my work I have to apologise again for being sporadic with comments on your photos and my postings/replies. I will try to do batches of comments but if I miss commenting on some of your photos please excuse me.
© All rights reserved Steve Pellatt. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
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 at Rippon Court, the ancient sprawling Baronial style* house and family seat of Sir John Nettleword Hughes, buried deep within his vast estate of Rippon in Bedforshire. Old enough to be Lettice’s father, wealthy Sir John was until recently still a bachelor, and according to London society gossip intended to remain so, so that he might continue to enjoy his dalliances with a string of pretty chorus girls of Lettice’s age and younger. After an abrupt ending to her understanding with Selwyn Spencely, son and heir to the title Duke of Walmsford, Lettice in a moment of both weakness and resolve, agreed to the proposal of marriage proffered to her by Sir John. More like a business arrangement than a marriage proposal, Sir John offered Lettice the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of his large fortune, be chatelain of all his estates and continue to have her interior design business, under the conditions that she agree to provide him with an heir, and that he be allowed to discreetly carry on his affairs in spite of their marriage vows. He even suggested that Lettice might be afforded the opportunity to have her own extra marital liaisons if she were discreet about them.
Lettice, her fiancée, Sir John, and his sister Clemance have motored over from Lettice’s family home of Glynes in Wiltshire, cutting their Christmas holiday with Lettice’s family short, to host the Rippon Hunt. Being a keen hunter, His Royal Highness, Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales has sent word to Sir John that he and a party of his equally enthusiastic foxhunting friends wish to participate in the Rippon Hunt, so Sir John has cut short his sojourn to Fontengil Park in Wiltshire, near to his fiancée’s family seat and has reluctantly returned to his sprawling, draughty and slightly tumbledown, dreaded childhood home to host the Prince. The Prince has also expressed his particular wish to reacquaint himself with Lettice, now that she is Sir John’s fiancée, so she is playing hostess to His Royal Highness, and as the future Lady Nettleford Hughes, has been bestowed the honour of handing out trophies to the winners. Clemance is attending as chaperone.
Today is the day of the Rippon Hunt, and all the participants, including the Prince of Wales and his current paramour, married socialite Freda Dudley-Ward**, have set out after Sir John and Lettice came out onto Rippon Court’s grassy forecourt and socialised with the mounted hunters. With the hunting party already mounted as they waited to set off on the hunt, Sir John and Lettice shared port and sherry with them, served by Rippon Court’s butler, Huntley, and several of the estate’s housemaids in Sir John’s father’s sterling silver stirrup cups*** so that they did not have to dismount. Lettice and Sir John shared pleasantries and titbits of county gossip with their guests, Sir John accepting congratulations and Lettice happiness**** at their impending nuptials*****. Lettice and Sir John wished them luck, even though neither enjoy the bloodsport****** of foxhunting, and Sir John gladly relinquished his hereditary right to be Master of the Hunt******* as owner of Rippon Court and the land on which the Rippon Hunt was conducted, to the current owner of nearby Wrest Park********, Mr. J.G. Murray*********.
We find ourselves on the front lawns of Rippon Court as heavy ancient oak front doors are opened by Huntley, their hinges creaking loudly in protestation as they are swung wide.
“Well, it looks like it has been nice weather for His Royal Highness at least,” Sir John says stepping out into the bright early afternoon sunshine with Lettice on his arm.
As she decreed at dinner on their first evening at Rippon Court, Lettice is arrayed in her uniform country tweeds**********, yet she had added her own distinctive style and elegance to the outfit by wearing a brightly hand painted Florentine silk scarf around her throat, a diamond spray belonging to Sir Johns grandmother on her lapel, and a neat hat atop her glossy honey blonde Marcelled waves***********. Her snakeskin handbag swings on its gold chain as it hangs at the crook of her arm.
“Indeed yes.” Lettice agrees. What a pity!”
“A pity?” Sir John queries.
“Yes,” Lettice answers. “Today would have been perfect for a steeplechase************, rather than a ghastly foxhunt.”
Sir John chuckles as they walk forwards on the gravel path before them. “You might have enjoyed a steeplechase, but His Royal Highness obviously prefers a hunt today.” He pauses. “And we all know that whatever His Royal Highness wants, his Royal Highness gets.” He looks knowingly down at Lettice with a wicked glint in his bright blue eyes. “Like Freda Dudley-Ward************* for example.”
Ignoring her fiancée’s alluding to the womanizing similarities that he shares with the Prince of Wales, Lettice replies, “His Royal Highness enjoys steeplechasing as well**************, you know, dear John, and as an excellent rider, I would have given him a challenge, and probably beaten him.”
“Such brave words, Lettice my dear.” Sir John says patting Lettice’s hand consolingly as they walk towards a green baize covered table on the lawns where several of Rippon Court’s maids are currently clustered.
“I’m an excellent rider, John, even if you aren’t.” Lettice insists.
“I don’t doubt it my dear, but for that very reason, I’m glad that the Prince wanted to go on a foxhunt today, even if I don’t care for it myself. The last thing I need is for my fiancée to best the future King of England at a sport he prides himself in being a champion of. There is such a thing as deference, even for the likes of you and I, my dear.”
“I see your point.” Lettice admits reluctantly.
It is then that Lettice notices several of the gardener’s boys with birchwood brooms sweeping the lawns around the house of the light dusting of snow that has fallen overnight.
“What are Mr. Grimsby’s men doing, John?”
“What does it look like, Lettice? Sweeping the snow off the lawns, of course.”
“Yes, I can see that,” Lettice replies a little peevishly. “But why are they sweeping the lawns of snow? The Times Daily Weather Report*************** this morning says we’re due for snow again, later today, although looking at the blue skies and sunshine now, I find that hard to believe. Still, it seems a fairly pointless job for the lads to do when we know more flurries are forecast.”
“Well, however much I dislike Rippon Court, I’d prefer to save the maids extra cleaning to do. Our guests from the hunting party will be filthy enough after riding across hill and dale when they get back here. So, if I can avoid them trudging in even more dirty snow into Rippon Court, I’m sure Mrs. Mason and her staff will appreciate it. Besides, don’t you remember what I said up in the Book Tower the other day, Lettice my dear?”
Lettice screws up her face in disbelief. “You said a great many things, John. You cannot surely expect me to remember them all.”
“I don’t, but close attention paid to important matters about the estate won’t do the future chatelaine of Rippon Court any harm.”
“Well, I shall try to pay closer attention to important estate matters in the future, John.” Lettice says apologetically. “But since I failed that test, please enlighten me.”
“I said that the Rippon Estate is one of the biggest employers in these parts, especially with Wimpole House**************** shut up so much these days*****************, and Mr. Murray running Wrest Park with a staff budget more suited to his middle-class Thirsk townhouse than that which a great park needs. I take that responsibility seriously. Ahh…” He unlinks his arm from Lettice as he spies his chief groundsman and walks up to him with Lettice following in his wake. “Mr. Grimsby. How are you?”
The groundsman who quickly withdraws his tweed workman’s cap from his head and clutches it in his hands answers brightly, “Very well, Milord. Thank you for asking.”
“You and your staff seem to be doing a beautiful job with the gardens.” Sir John continues.
“Ahh, they’re a good bunch, my lads.” Mr, Grimsby says with pride. “Work hard, and don’t put up no nonsense. Good afternoon, Milady.” the gardener says, acknowledging Lettice as she sidles up alongside Sir John. “It’s good of you to come.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure to visit Rippon Court, Grimsby, and to meet you.”
“Likewise, I’m sure, Milady.” the servant bobs his head down momentarily in a sign of deference.
“We were just admiring the hard work your staff are doing sweeping the snow from the lawns,” Lettice goes on. “Although it must be tedious work for them.”
“Ahh, I wouldn’t say that, Milady, more calming than tedious.” He chuckles good naturedly. “It gives them time to clear their heads, and just be at one with their work. Anyway, the lads have to learn their trade doing the less exciting jobs before they can go scaling trees to cut dead branches.”
“Where’s your son, Mr. Grimsby?” Sir John asks, scanning the figures of several of the men bent over their work with their backs to him.
“Oh, right there, Sir.” Mr. Grimsby answers, pointing to a broad-shouldered young man in a cap with rolled up shirtsleeves nearby.
“Good heavens!” Sir John exclaims. “Is that really your Erroll? “
“It is, Sir.” Mr. Grimsby says proudly.
“But he’s so grown up and bulked now.”
“Well,” Mrs. Grimsby says, shaking his head. “Time waits for no man, Sir, and you’ve been gone a while now. He’s not a boy anymore, but a young man, and old enough to have a sweetheart.”
“One of Mrs. Mason’s housemaids, or Mrs. Tabner’s kitchen maid?”
“Oh no, Sir! They’s all far too hoity-toity, being part of the indoor staff and with their noses stuck in the air, to ever give my Erroll a second glance. His hands are too dirty, Sir, if you know what I mean, Sir, for the likes of them.” He sniffs disparagingly as he nods at the maids in their formal black moiré uniforms with lace caps, cuffs and aprons, usually reserved for evenings, but also worn on special occasions like the visit of a member of the Royal Family.
“Nothing wrong with good, honest toil, Grimsby.” Sir John opines, patting his head gardener on the back.
“I agree, Sir, but they think otherwise. So, he’s got himself a sweetheart better suited to him, who don’t look down on him: one of the milkmaids from the home farm******************, if it pleases you, Sir.”
“Jolly good, Grimsby.” Sir John beams. “Well, I really must congratulate him after His Royal Highness’ visit, before we leave.”
“He’d appreciate that, Sir.”
“I’ll pop in to visit him, Mrs. Grimsby and you at the cottage before we take our leave.”
“That’s very good of you, Sir.” Mr. Grimsby replies in admiration.
“I’ll come too, Mr. Grimsby.” Lettice pipes up. “If you’ll have me.”
“It’d be an honour, Milady, to have such fine and exalted company in our humble parlour. Mrs. Grimsby will be rightly chuffed, and no mistake!”
As Mr. Grimsby backs away, and falls out of earshot, Sir John says, “That was very good of you, Lettice. The staff are all so thrilled to meet their new future mistress.” Sir John links his arm with Lettice again, and directs her over towards the cluster of maids around the table.
Lettice remarks as they walk, “You amaze me, dear John.”
“How so?”
“Well, you admit that you seldom come to Rippon Court, and then only under sufferance, and yet, you know all your staff here so well, it’s as though you are here frequently. I don’t think, since moving up to London, that I know the staff at Glynes half as well as you do the staff here, and they obviously admire and respect you, even though you are seldom here.”
“As their employer, I make it my business to keep up with what goes on here, and my Estate Manager Mr. Sutton is the real genius behind this operation, keeping me abreast of all the comings, goings and happenings on the estate. It’s the difference between being an absent landlord who is disinterested, and thus is despised by his staff and treated with suspicion and contempt, like Lord Robartes*******************, and an absent landlord who has genuine interest in his tenants and employees, like me.”
“It’s worked very successfully in your favour, John.” Lettice remarks with admiration.
The pair approach the green baize covered table where Mrs. Mason and three of her housemaids have been gossiping and twittering like birds as they work, but their cheerful chatter ceases with the approach of their master and future mistress.
“Your Lordship. Miss Chetwynd.” Mrs, Mason and her staff politely greet Sir John and Lettice, dropping polite curtseys and lowering their gazes.
For the first time, Lettice can see what they were so industriously doing in their cluster. On the table’s surface stand two ornate lidded silver trophies – one large and one small – a punch bowl and three horse trophies, all gleaming in the early afternoon sun. The maids all hold cleaning cloths that show marks where they have polished away tarnish on the silverware.
“Thank you, Mrs. Mason, that will be all.” Sir John says dismissing his domestics politely. “You’ve all done a splendid job polishing the silver.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Mrs, Mason replies as she shoos and corrals her girls back towards Rippon Court.
“So, these are the trophies that you will award to the winners, Lettice my dear.” Sir John says kindly with a sweeping gesture over the pieces.
“I wasn’t aware we were presenting trophies, John darling.”
Sir John chortles. “Surely you jest, Lettice. How can we host the Prince, and not award trophies? Now, the large one,” he winds his elegant hand with its long fingers around the finial of the largest trophy. “You will present to His Royal Highness.”
“If he wins.” Lettice interjects. “We don’t know who the winner of the foxhunt is yet.”
“Of course we know, Lettice my dear.” Sir John replies breezily. “It will be the Prince. He is a keen and active sportsman who doesn’t appreciate losing. There can be no other plausible outcome.”
“But that isn’t right, if someone else genuinely beats him, John.”
“This isn’t a best in show, Lettice.” Sir John insists seriously. “You will present the largest trophy to His Royal Highness out of deference to him.”
“Deference I am not unhappy with,” Lettice retorts hotly. “But forgive me for saying, John, but this seems far more like toadying to me.”
“Call it what you will, my dear,” Sir John replies dismissively with arched eyebrows and a sour purse of his thin lips. “But whether you like it or not, one day His Royal Highness will be our King. As a Member of Parliament, and a successful businessman, I need the Prince’s favourable opinion now, so that it furthers my own interests in both politics and business once he becomes our Sovereign.”
“But I…” Lettice stammers.
Sir John sighs deeply. “What did I remark upon about the Prince before, Lettice my dear?”
Determined not be caught not paying full attention to what her fiancée said again, and perhaps earning his ire, Lettice thinks quickly. “What His Royal Highness wants, His Royal Highness gets.” she parrots.
“Exactly!” Sir John replies with a satisfied sigh and a proud smile. “That’s my clever girl.” He reaches out and tweaks her on the left cheek, a gesture she finds belittling and dislikes so intensely that she moves her head away from his hand with irritation. Seemingly unperturbed by her reaction, Sir John goes on seriously, “You will present His Royal Highness with the large trophy. The smaller trophy may go to whomever Mr. Fitzwilliam, the Master of the Hounds******************** tells you is the official winner of the hunt.”
“And if perchance His Royal Highness legitimately wins the hunt?”
“The second-place winner.”
“Very good.”
“The punch bowl you present after the small horse trophies the recipients of which and reasons as to why they receive them you will be told by Mr. Fitzwilliam as well.” He pauses for a moment and thinks. “Be prepared, Lettice my dear, that they are more than likely to be all in the Prince’s coterie.”
Lettice sighs and nods. “I understand. And who is the punchbowl for?”
“Mr. Murphy, for being Master of the Hunt. Being a businessman, he will expect a quid pro quo for his help with today’s hunt, since I clearly have no aptitude for it, nor wish to participate in it.”
“I take it the roses,” Lettice indicates to a bunch of beautiful, full red roses resting on the table’s surface as she places her handbag next to them. “Are for Mrs. Dudley-Ward?”
“How perceptive you are, my dear Lettice.” Sir John purrs. “You will make an admirable chatelain of Rippon Court. I always knew you were far more intelligent than all those flibbertigibbet********************* flappers that cloy around me like a swarm of annoying insects at the theatre and parties and balls. The more I come to know you, the more I know I have made the right decision by proposing marriage to you. We will make an excellent team, you and I.”
And so saying he winds his arm around Lettice and pulls her closer to him, a gesture she struggles not to react to by pulling away from him in the opposite direction. Just as he does, the sound of horns blasting and hounds barking down the driveway behind a coppice of cedars, can be heard, along with cheerful and voluble conversations.
“Ahh! Perfect timing!” Sir John says with satisfaction. “Here comes the victorious hunting party now.”
*Baronial style, primarily Scottish Baronial, is a Nineteenth Century Gothic Revival architectural style mimicking medieval Scottish castles, featuring crow-stepped gables, conical towers (tourelles/witches\' hats), battlements, and turrets, creating a romantic, fortified look with asymmetrical plans and heavy stonework, heavily popularized by Sir Walter Scott\'s Abbotsford. It blends Scottish vernacular with French and Gothic elements, evolving from fortified tower houses into grand country homes and public buildings.
**Winifred May Mones, Marquesa de Casa Maury, commonly known by her first married name as Freda Dudley Ward, was an English socialite. She was best known for being a married paramour of Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VIII. She was twice married and divorced. Her first marriage was on 9 July 1913 to William Dudley Ward, the Liberal MP for Southampton. Her first husband\'s family surname was Ward, but \'Dudley Ward\' became their surname through common usage. They divorced on the ground of adultery in 1931 and were the parents of two daughters. Although married in 1913 to William Dudley Ward, Freda was also in a relationship with Edward, Prince of Wales from 1918, until she was supplanted by American Thelma Furness from 1929 to 1934 before he then took up with Wallis Simpson, whom he eventually married and abdicated for.
***A stirrup cup is a special drinking vessel, often shaped like an animal\'s head (fox, hound, stag), used historically for a parting drink of fortified wine like port, or sherry, offered to mounted horsemen before a fox hunt, or as a farewell drink as they set off or returned, hence also called a "parting cup". The term can also refer to the drink itself, traditionally consumed in one quick gulp with feet still in the stirrups.
****In more socially conscious times it was traditional to wish the bride-to-be happiness, rather than saying congratulations as we do today. Saying congratulations to a bride in past times would have implied that she had won something – her groom. The groom on the other hand was to be congratulated for getting the lady to accept his marriage proposal.
*****Nuptials is an alternative word for marriage. The term “nuptials” emphasizes the ceremonial and legal aspects of a marriage, lending a more formal tone to wedding communications and documentation.
******Bloodsports are sports or entertainment involving bloodshed, pain, and suffering, typically between animals or humans, like cockfighting, dog fighting, bullfighting, and often including certain types of hunting (like fox hunting or hare coursing) where killing or severe harm is integral to the "sport". These activities are often illegal and controversial today, focusing on violent combat for gambling or amusement, rather than traditional, regulated field sports like normal hunting or fishing. However, in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, fox hunting, grouse shooting and hare coursing were not only commonplace amongst the aristocracy, but a standard part of the London Season, with wealthy families decamping London and retreating to country estates before Christmas to pursue the hunting season and the county balls that went with them throughout January and February.
*******In the 1920s, a Master of the Hunt was the individual with ultimate authority over the management and conduct of a fox hunting club and its activities. The role involved significant financial and organisational responsibility.
********Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion.
*********In 1917, with her brother dead and Wrest House house having suffered a fire when used as a Military Hospital during the Great War, Nan Ino Cooper, 10th Baroness Lucas of Crudwell and 6th Lady Dingwall put Wrest Park up for sale by auction after selling off most of the contents. John George Murray of Thirsk in North Yorkshire bought it. He had been born in 1864 in Consett, Durham, son of Richard Murray JP of Benfieldside, Durham. He married Isabella, daughter of William Charleton in 1892. He became president of Bedfordshire Chamber of Agriculture in 1921 and 1922, and was High Sheriff of the county in 1923. He was essentially a businessman, being Chairman of Associated Breweries Limited, of North Eastern Breweries Limited, of Seaton Burn Coal Company Limited, of North Walbottle Coal Company Limited and of the Owners of Redheugh Colliery Limited. However he also enjoyed county pursuits, including hunting.
**********Both men and women wore tweed in the countryside during Edwardian times because of its warmth, durability, and water resistance, making it ideal for outdoor pursuits like hunting, shooting, and cycling, while also signalling association with the elite who popularised it for sporting activities on country estates, with styles like the Norfolk jacket and plus-fours being common for active gentlemen. Originally worn by Scottish peasants, tweed was adopted by the aristocracy for their country estates and sporting pastimes, making it a fashionable symbol of leisure and status for the middle and upper classes.
***********Marcelling is a hair styling technique in which hot curling tongs are used to induce a curl into the hair. Its appearance was similar to that of a finger wave but it is created using a different method. Marcelled hair was a popular style for women\'s hair in the 1920s, often in conjunction with a bob cut. For those women who had longer hair, it was common to tie the hair at the nape of the neck and pin it above the ear with a stylish hair pin or flower. One famous wearer was American entertainer, Josephine Baker.
************A steeplechase is a long-distance race involving both galloping and jumping over obstacles, primarily fences and water jumps. In horse racing, steeplechases involve horses jumping over various obstacles like fences and ditches.
*************Freda Dudley-Ward was the Prince of Wales\'s paramour for many years, with their affair beginning in the early 1920s. Their relationship was not a secret; it was openly acknowledged by their social circles, families, and the public. His parents the King George V and Queen Mary were concerned about the Prince of Wales\'s affair with Freda Dudley-Ward, as it was a public relationship that threatened to cause scandal and damage his reputation, especially given the expectation that he would marry a foreign royal. They disapproved of the affair, viewing it as a public scandal and hoping the situation could be managed and kept out of the papers to protect the monarchy and the future king. It was a source of considerable tension between father and son. The constant disapproval from his father contributed to Edward\'s already existing resentment and hatred for his royal role and the constraints it placed upon him.
**************During the 1920s the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor, was ranked among the most daring horsemen in England. Having forged an impressive reputation in the hunting field for courage, determination and skill, he moved on to steeplechasing furthering the indignation of George V and Queen Mary who urged their son to abandon the dangerous sport. Unheeded Edward broke his collar bone, blacked his eyes and suffered concussion with what seemed to be alarming regularity. The Prince’s addiction to his hazardous hobby even caused the Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald to request discontinuance. The prince stubbornly refused. Only after the near fatal illness of the King in 1928, did the he finally renounce the sport and order the sale of his entire stud.
***************The first daily weather forecasts in UK newspapers were published in The Times on August 1, 1861, by the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade, the forerunner of the modern Met Office. The Times began publishing daily meteorological reports in September 1860, which provided observational data (temperature, air pressure, rainfall) from around the British Isles, but did not yet include predictions. The first official, government-sanctioned weather "forecasts" (a term coined by the department\'s head, Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy) were published daily in The Times and syndicated in other newspapers as of August 1861. These reports predicted the probable weather for the next two days. Following FitzRoy\'s death in May 1866 and a period of scientific scepticism and political debate about their accuracy and cost, the publication of public forecasts ceased temporarily. However public weather forecasts and the Daily Weather Report were officially reintroduced and resumed publication in newspapers due to public demand in April 1879.
****************Wimpole Estate is a large estate containing Wimpole Hall, a country house located within the civil parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, nine miles southwest of Cambridge. The house began in 1640 and its 3,000 acres of parkland and farmland are now owned by the National Trust. However, in 1926, when this chapter is set, it was owned by Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, the 6th Viscount Clifden. The Wimpole Estate is the only visitor attraction in the National Trust portfolio that has a working farm, Home Farm, which is one of the largest centres for rare breeds in the UK.
*****************Under the ownership of Lord Robartes, the 6th Viscount Clifden, the grand Wimpole Estate fell into further decay after the neglect of its previous owner, Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke, who was an inveterate gambler who amassed huge debts. Also owning Lanhydrock, a magnificent late Victorian country house with garden and wooded estate in Bodmin, Cornwall, the maintenance on both properties proved to be expensive for Lord Robartes, who only owned Wimpole Hall as a result of payment of debts accrued by the 5th Earl of Hardwicke against the Agar-Robartes Bank, and he was forced to retrench, moving permanently to Lanhydrock. He tried, unsuccessfully for the most part, to lease Wimpole Hall out. By the mid 1920s when this story is set, Wimpole Hall, lacking mains electricity and with primitive drainage and water supply, was only occupied occasionally, usually for game shooting, racing at Newmarket or cricket in front of the house.
******************A home farm is traditionally a farm on a large estate, located near the main house, that directly supplies the household with food and supplies, often run by the landowner or a manager, rather than rented to tenants, while today the term also refers to small lifestyle properties or even modern indoor growing systems for personal use.
*******************Thomas Charles Agar-Robartes, 6th Viscount Clifden (1 January 1844 – 19 July 1930), styled The Honourable Thomas Agar-Robartes between 1869 and 1882 and known as The Lord Robartes from 1882 to 1899, was a British landowner and Liberal politician. In 1891, as chairman of the Agar-Robartes Bank, he took over the ownership of Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire from Charles Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke in payment of debts. After a few years, it was occasionally leased out, but with poor amenities, and the general disrepair of the house, he seldom spent much time there.
********************The Master of the Hounds was in charge of the hunt and supervised the field, hounds, and staff. The huntsman, who had bred the hounds and worked with them, would be in charge of the pack during the hunt. Once the group was assembled, the huntsman would lead the pack of hounds and field to where a fox might be hiding.
*********************The word "flibbertigibbet" originated in Middle English (before 1450) as an onomatopoeic term like fleper-gebet, meaning a chatterer or gossip, with its earliest known use in The Castle of Perseverance. It evolved to name a devil or imp in the early 1600s, notably in Shakespeare\'s King Lear, before becoming the familiar term for a flighty person, a meaning popularised by Sir Walter Scott in the Nineteenth Century.
Beautiful as they may be, this selection of trophies may not be all it seems, for it is in fact made up of miniatures from my 1:12 miniatures collection.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The large and medium sized lidded trophies and the punch bowl were made by Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The three tiny horses also come from my friend Kim (BKHagar *Kim*) and were sent to me last Christmas as a present.
Lettice’s snakeskin handbag lying on the chaise, with its gold clasp and chain comes from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniature Shop in the United Kingdom.
The red roses are hand made miniatures from Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering.
The collapsable card table with its green baize surface is a handmade artisan miniature by an unknown maker that I acquired from Kathleen Knight’s Doll’s House shop in the United Kingdom.
The grass and trees in the background standing in as the Rippon Estate are real, as this scene was photographed in my front garden during the height of summer, on a partially sunny day.
The Aptitude to fly
Meadows of Majesty concedes
And easy Sweeps of Sky -”
― Emily Dickinson
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeUPNmbKwQ4
Blog Post
Taken on the road to the Nighthawk border crossing near Osoyoos, British Columbia, Canada.
Perhaps the plainest in appearance as far as sparrows are concerned, however this little fella atones for it with a considerable aptitude for song.
Brewer's Sparrow
IMGP4455_1
Bueno, esta fue la primera vez que me atreví a fotografiar el cielo de noche. Al final, dadas las condiciones lumínicas y mis pobres aptitudes, no ha quedado un mal resultado. Prometo mejorar.
Well, this was the first time I ventured to take a photograph of the sky at night. And finally, given the light conditions and my poor skills, it has not been a bad result. I promise to improve.
Baruch de Spinoza lived here.
Baruch de Spinoza (Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה, Portuguese: Bento de Espinosa, Basque: Benedict de Spinoza, Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza) (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death. Today, he is considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism. By virtue of his magnum opus, the posthumous Ethics, Spinoza is also considered one of Western philosophy's definitive ethicists.
Spinoza lived quietly as a lens grinder, turning down rewards and honours throughout his life, including prestigious teaching positions, and gave his family inheritance to his sister. Spinoza's moral character and philosophical accomplishments prompted twentieth-century philosopher Gilles Deleuze to name him "The absolute philosopher" (Deleuze, 1990). Spinoza died in February 1677 of a lung illness, perhaps tuberculosis or silicosis caused by fine glass dust inhaled while tending to his trade.
“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no-one has ever been before.” - Albert Einstein
The theme for “Looking Close… on Friday” on the 23rd of April is “arrow or dart”. I thought about arrows (as I have no aptitude or interest in darts, except the ones used in making clothes) and I liked the clean lines of the one-way signs. However, I wanted something for a colour contrast. As someone who marches to the beat of my own drum, I envisioned pairs of shoes all following the rules, except for one pair: the pair that is the rulebreaker and marches to the beat of their own drum. I hope you approve and like my creation for the theme.
After using a pair of beautiful 1:12 size miniature red slippers from my miniatures collection for the group’s previous themes of “sprinkles” and “red and white”, I thought I might use them again, along with several other pairs I have subsequently acquired for this week’s theme. All the pairs of shoes are a centimetre in height and length, except the boots which are two centimetres in height.