This is my photo for the 52 in 2016 Challenge - #13 - Danger. We went for a drive to the Northern Beaches last week and when we were at Narrabeen I spotted so many piles of Bluebottles laying on the sand. I am sure it wouldn't be safe to swim at the beaches when these are about.

 

The Blue Bottle, or Pacific Man o' War, is a common, if unwelcome, summer visitor to Sydney beaches. At the mercy of the wind, they are sometimes blown into shallow waters, and often wash up onto the beach.

 

Bluebottles can deliver a painful sting even when washed up dead on the beach.

 

Bluebottle tentacles will cause a sharp, painful sting if they are touched, which is aggravated by rubbing the area. Intense pain may be felt from a few minutes to many hours and develops into a dull ache which then spreads to surrounding joints. The affected area develops a red line with small white lesions. In severe cases blisters and weals looking like a string of beads may appear. Victims may exhibit signs of shock. Children, asthmatics and people with allergies can be badly affected and many cases of respiratory distress have been reported in Australia.

 

If stinging occurs, leave the water immediately. If any part of the animal is still sticking to the skin, it should be gently lifted off with tweezers or a gloved hand. This will minimise the firing of more stinging capsules. Do not rub the area with wet sand or towel, or wash with alcohol as this will only make it worse. For milder stings, ice packs or local anaesthetic sprays are often effective in reducing pain. In extreme cases resuscitation may be needed and medical attention should be sought.

 

Bluebottles are not always obvious in the water. Tentacles may break away from the colony in the surf and inflict stings just as potent as those from attached tentacles. Even dead specimens stranded on the beach can still cause stings. To avoid being stung do not touch these animals with bare skin and do not enter the water if they are present.

 

atelier ying, nyc

 

The asthmatic Proust would've lived longer if he could get some exercise along with his daily bowl of coffee and croissants.

 

This Movable bar solves the problem with the help of eight friends. Marcel's customary place at this bar (on the left) has a marble top, an oil lamp and some of his writing materials.

 

Design, concepts, text and drawing are copyright 2015 by David Lo.

Soprano Anne Wiggins Brown was born on August 9, 1912, in Baltimore, Maryland. (This year, rather than 1915, was confirmed by the singer herself.) Her father, Dr. Harry F. Brown, was a prominent physician and grandson of a slave. Her mother, Mary Wiggins Brown, was of African, Cherokee and Scottish-Irish ancestry. She and her three sisters were active in the musical and theatrical life of the racially segregated community. Brown described her early musical training:

 

Brown's parents tried to enroll her in an area Catholic school, where they hoped to foster her musical talents. However, the school refused to admit an African American. After confronting similar discrimination years later when she applied to the Peabody School of Music, Brown was admitted to Morgan State College in Baltimore and attended Teachers' College, Columbia University. She continued her classical vocal studies with Lucia Dunham at the Institute of Musical Art at the Juilliard School. Brown became the first African American to win Juilliard's prestigious Margaret McGill scholarship.

 

In 1953, Brown began a new career as a voice teacher and opera director--including a Norwegian production of Porgy and Bess in 1967--when her chronic asthmatic condition forced her to retire as a performer. She published an autobiography, Sang Fra Frossen Gren, in 1979. She returned to the United States in 1985 for the premiere of Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera in 1985--fifty years after the original production. In 1998, she participated in the Library of Congress commemoration of George Gershwin's 100th birthday. That year, she also received the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America by the Peabody Institute, righting the wrong done by the school decades earlier.

 

Anne Wiggins Brown resided in Norway, remaining close to her daughters and numerous grandchildren until her death on March 13, 2009. She was the subject of a 2004 film documentary by Nicole Franklin entitled, Gershwin, Norway, & The Artists' Libido: A dialogue with Anne Brown.

I come from a Shia ancestry from my mothers side that has its connection to Mir Anis through my maternal grandfather Daroga Nabban Sab of Pata Nala Lucknow.

 

My paternal grandfathers family was hardcore Sunnis from Subatiya Baug Pata Nala Lucknow ..but he converted to Shiasm after marrying a Shia lady Khushed Begum ..giving birth to my dad Mohomed Shakir ,,, my father too like his dad followed Shiasm.

 

So these are my roots but I was bought up in a cosmopolitan surroundings at Colaba Wodehouse after my parents shifted from the putrid slums of Kurla adjoining a Hindu crematorium.

 

My initial schooling was John The Baptist or Methodist church I was about 5 0r 6 the teachers were British and my primary school was called Private European School ..my earliest tryst with Jesus and he has not left my side all these years .

 

My father was uneducated but a good tailor later a tailor master had learnt his trade under British bosses ..here at Wodehouse road we lived as tenants of veteran actor of the silverscreen Nawab Kashmiri s family in their servants quarters ..huge rooms but common toilet with the servants quarters of Atomic Forest Keith Kanga founder of Rock in Bombay and my childhood friend his grandmother was a rabid Jehovah Witness though Keith was of mixed parentage European and Parsi.. after the death of both his parents his maternal grandmother got his custody.. this was where I saw the other side of Christianity or a more aggressive one that hated all other Christians Muslims Hindus Parsis ..I was fed Watchtower those early days made to read the Bible to cleanse myself.

 

As my parents were poor the school fees were paid by my tenants beautiful daughter Akhthar Kashmiri a very educated Muslim from a noble family descendant of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

 

They had a huge library the first poem I read was Lochinvar ..by Sir Walter Scott .

 

O young Lochinvar is come out of the west,

Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;

And save his good broadsword he weapons had none,

He rode all unarm’d, and he rode all alone.

So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,

There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

 

The words are there unerased in my head and heart.

 

Above our house on the next wing lived the Barias Parsis and VimalPatacharige from Sri Lanka his father Charly goldsmith working for Gazdar Taj Mahal Hotel so Buddha and Om Mani Padme Hoon came int my life ,,,I learnt a lot about the Life of The Buddha his message and his Path of Peace ..

 

After I completed my primary Akthar Kashmiri enrolled me in a Roman Catholic School ..Holy Name High School I could not get admission in 4 th so Principal Fr FX Fernandes took me in 3 rd standard but with a ruling if I came first in all the semesters I could take a double promotion.

 

I did that in 4 Standard I jumped straight to 6th and my best friends in class were Altar boys their dad worked in th sacristy of Holy Name Cathedral.

 

In Colaba there was no Shia mosque one had to go to Bhendi Bazar and that happened mostly during Moharam.. my mother was an asthmatic my dad busy with work I found solace in the Church..I befriended two priest s who would talk about their Faith but never tried to influence or coerce me into changing my religion.. Fr Stephan Fernandes and Fr Leslie Ratus ..both dead .but they were the founding fathers of my secular outlook ..I owe a lot to them.. they made me read books and widened my cramped horizon .

 

From Wodehouse Road we shifted for a short while to tony Breach Candy and my dad finally got us a permanent own house at Colaba Strand Cinema 3 Mohini Mansions.

  

Later there were many ups downs ..my alcoholism and to get rid of it I took up Photography it was through Photography the Camera I discovered different Faiths Different Gods I began to shoot Shiasm.. and than Hinduism finally I began shooting Sufism in 2000 I visited Ajmer first time in 2005 I began documenting the Chishtiya Sufi Order 12 years now ..I had already begun shooting the Mahim Rafaes .. to this I added the Madarriya order I became a Malang in 2011 along with a Belgian photographer and it was more to shoot the Malangs than as a quest for Faith ,, I am happy with my Shia Faith.

 

In 2003 I shot my first Nasikh Kumbh met a Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Juna Akhara and began documenting the

Naga Sadhus .

 

But it was Khamakhya Assam that pushed me head long into shooting the Aghoris Tantrics I became a devotee of the Goddess Khamakhya ,, I was called again this year ...

 

Meanwhile the Malang Head Syed Masoom Ali Baba of Asqan Madarriya Order made me his Khalifa in 2017.

 

So two places that hold me cosmically are Khamakhya and Makanpur .

 

I also began documenting the relationship between Hijras and Sufism Dargah Worship and Hijras and Goddess Khamakhya and their relationship with Tantrics .

This library of images I completely disabled from public view at Flickr but I posted a bit at Twitter ,

I dont use Facebook or Twitter ..no Insta no Snapchat .

  

So these words of Rumi made me bring all this out it is a very long journey and more than changing people with my pictures I am changing myself through your pictures too,

 

I respect your choice genre of photography but I cant shoot cars airplanes flowers insects lunar eclipse and your stunted vision of street photography a million pardons ,,,Photography should touch feel and heal Photography should connect educate otherwise it is nothing but megalomaniac self conceit

It is nothing but blowing your trumpet and forcing your narrow mindedness on the soul of humanity .

 

This is my opinion I hope it changes ..with time ,,,

 

I am a storyteller I tell fables I shoot India ,..I live in India

India lives in me ,,

I am apolitical

I am religious but it is my personal prerogative ,,

I shoot all seasons of religious faith and than comes that day of Moharam Ashura Chehlum when I speak through my blood the story of my persecuted Shia race beyond the borders of India ..

Ya Hussaina ..

California Revival. This is my first ever painting using acrylic mediums. I received the acrylic paint as a Christmas gift. I was not sure how to use acrylic so I treated it like oil paint. This piece took me three days to paint! The paint was low grade and dried very quickly especially in the Los Angeles climate. I was frustrated at not being able to get proper coverage with the white hence an off color fruit dish. I used multiple techniques to get a desired finish without success. After I finished this piece I researched acrylic paints and realized that much higher quality acrylic paints were available and that the drying time was completely different from oil paints. I now paint my pieces in hours rather than days and I use the drying time to my advantage because I am an impulsive artist with an impatient desire to bring my work to life instantly. Acrylic mediums allow me to do this in addition to making it possible for me to paint indoors where oil based mediums take a longer time to dry and are positively lethal inside the home of an asthmatic!!!

www.etsy.com/shop/InstantARTS

After an interesting week which saw DD108 (named Dave Maltby in honour of one of our late colleagues) escape its usual very local journeys which it is usually confined to due to its rather asthmatic engine, Friday saw him once again operating the 85 service from Coddington to the Suthers School at Fernwood. Not exactly a long journey but with the ‘dead runs’ added in, it’s somewhat further than he usually manages. On Friday morning, Dave waits for time in Coddington before taking up the trip to school.

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons. Kensington Palace is sometimes used as a metonym for the offices of royals who officially reside there.

 

Today, the State Rooms are open to the public and managed by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, a nonprofit organisation that does not receive public funds. The offices and private accommodation areas of the palace remain the responsibility of the Royal Household and are maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. The palace also displays many paintings and other objects from the Royal Collection.

 

Kensington Palace was originally a two-storey Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605 in the village of Kensington.

 

Shortly after William and Mary assumed the throne as joint monarchs in 1689, they began searching for a residence better suited for the comfort of the asthmatic William. Whitehall Palace was too near the River Thames, with its fog and floods, for William's fragile health. In the summer of 1689, William and Mary bought the property, then known as Nottingham House, from the Secretary of State Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea, for £20,000. They instructed Sir Christopher Wren, Surveyor of the King's Works, to begin an immediate expansion of the house. In order to save time and money, Wren kept the structure intact and added a three-storey pavilion at each of the four corners, providing more accommodation for the King and Queen and their attendants. The Queen's Apartments were in the north-west pavilion and the King's in the south-east.

 

Wren re-oriented the house to face west, building north and south wings to flank the approach, made into a proper cour d'honneur that was entered through an archway surmounted by a clock tower. The palace was surrounded by straight cut solitary lawns, and formal stately gardens, laid out with paths and flower beds at right angles, in the Dutch garden fashion. The royal court took residence in the palace shortly before Christmas 1689. For the next seventy years, Kensington Palace was the favoured residence of British monarchs, although the official seat of the Court was and remains at St. James's Palace, which has not been the actual royal residence in London since the 17th century.

 

Additional improvements soon after included Queen Mary's extension of her apartments, by building the Queen's Gallery. After a fire in 1691, the King's Staircase was rebuilt in marble and a Guard Chamber was constructed, facing the foot of the stairs. William had constructed the South Front, to the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, which included the Kings' Gallery where he hung many works from his picture collection. Mary II died of smallpox in the palace in 1694. In 1702, William suffered a fall from a horse at Hampton Court and was brought to Kensington Palace, where he died shortly afterwards from pneumonia.

 

Following their marriage in 2011, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge used Nottingham Cottage as their London residence. They then moved into the four-storey, 20-room Apartment 1A, the former residence of Princess Margaret, in 2013.[citation needed] Renovations took 18 months at a cost of £4.5 million, including new heating, electrics and plastering, and the removal of asbestos that required nearly everything to be stripped out internally, as well as a new roof.

 

Kensington Palace became the Duke and Duchess's main residence in 2017, moving from their country home, Anmer Hall. The apartment covers four storeys, with three bedrooms, two nurseries and five reception rooms. In 2016, Diana's former residence, Apartment 8, was turned into office space for the couple's staff, official duties and charity work. The Duke and Duchess have hosted multiple engagements, receptions, and meetings at the palace.

 

On 28 March 2012, it was announced that Prince Harry had moved his residence from Clarence House to a one-bedroom apartment at Kensington Palace. From 2013, he resided at Nottingham Cottage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued to live at the property until the birth of their son in spring 2019.

 

In April 2018, Princess Eugenie moved from St James's Palace into Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. She lived there with her husband Jack Brooksbank until November 2020. In September 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, previously residents of Apartment 1, moved to the Old Stables, a smaller home located within the palace's estate.[citation needed] In summer 2022, The Prince and Princess of Wales moved their family residence to Adelaide Cottage near Windsor Castle. Kensington Palace remains their official London residence as well as the location of their household and offices.

  

My forest in semi-abstract again.

 

Painted in mixed media.

  

We are experiencing a very unusual snow season here in Michigan, with warmer weather melting any snow we get rather quickly.

 

We are to be in the 50's to 70's today!!! It's January in Michigan and very rare!!! But being a California girl, I like it.

  

I thought I would take this opportunity to explain my lack of paintings or postings here. First of all, lots of holiday activity.

 

Then, one of my low inspirational times.

 

And now I have had the virus from hell, that became asthmatic bronchitis...resulting in 2 trips to the ER at night for breathing treatment, along with several medications, little sleep and etc. I am not much for taking drugs/meds, so this is very unusual that I am on 6 different things including an inhaler every 4 hours!

 

Just not very wonderful painting conditions.

 

I'm not liking this because I generally have good health...and don't even like talking about it...but wanted to give you an idea about why I have not posted much.

 

I'll be back in the game soon...:) Love & ooops no Hugs....wouldn't want anyone to catch this one...may have been the worst of my life!

   

Louise

Nature Lover, Artist...:)

Whilst in Kyabram, we spent an afternoon walking around Horseshoe Bend and Moama Wharf. Living in Melbourne, I didn't realise how close this part of the NSW border was to me, and it's so beautiful.

 

You may notice in some of these images a dark mark on the tree trunks. This marks the level of the water as it rose up over the immensely tall river banks during the catastrophic floods last year. According to local authorities, the levels rose 94.94 metres (from sea level)! It is truly humbling to see.

 

One of the off-tracks led to a marsh that had hundreds of white cranes wading through the green plant beds - mesmerising!

 

On the way back I stopped to watch as dozens of lorikeets, galahs, and cockatoos flew overhead and filled the tree canopy high above.

 

Then I heard a toot and was flooded with emotion - was it a famous steamer?! A little known geeky fact about me is that I have had a long fascination with Murray River steamboats but have never seen one - this was my opportunity! In the cold evening air, with asthmatic lungs filled with bronchitis, I ran as fast as I could to get back to the Moama Wharf. From atop my perch there I took so many images of an actual steamer as it chugged along down the Murray River. Glorious!

Leyland Constructor 8 wheeler F228GND.

 

Run for the last 20 or so years by an owner driver, this lorry is now in the care of a skip firm. It is still in use and undergoing "tidying". It is on it's third engine and second cab - also its third body and second set of rear axles.

 

The current engine is a Rolls 340 TX which is a little asthmatic. The previous engine was a 325 which despite persistent water problems, pulled extremely well. Prior to this the lorry was fitted with a 270 which suffered a broken crankshaft.

 

The Rockwell rear axles are from a Foden - fitted due to their cross-locks -- if this gets stuck on a tip then the rest of the vehicles stand no chance!

 

The Leyland has also been fitted with rubber suspension to counteract the excessive rolling found with the steel suspension when travelling over bumpy ground. This also eliminates the numerous breakages found with the original installation.

 

The body was homemade around 10 years ago and was fitted when the chassis was lengthened.

 

The cab came from a Roadtrain found in Skegness -- the doors were cut down to fit.

As the Majesty Songbird, performing at the Town Hall, NYC, Sept 29, 2006.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3914/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Kiesel, Berlin.

 

Yugoslav film actress and beauty queen Ita Rina (1907-1979) was one of the major film stars in Germany and Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

 

Ita Rina was born as Italina Lida ‘Ida’ Kravanja in the small town of Divača (then Austro-Hungarian Empire, later Yugoslavia, now Slovenia) in 1907. She was the first daughter of Jožef and Marija Kravanja. Rina had a younger sister Danica. Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, the family moved to Ljubljana, where Rina matriculated in 1923. Her dream was to become an actress. In October 1926, Slavic People magazine organized a beauty pageant for a Miss to represent Yugoslavia at the Miss Europe contest. The attractive nineteen-year-old secretly entered the beauty contest, not telling anyone at home. She was crowned Miss Slovenia and should travel to the final event for Miss Yugoslavia in Zagreb. However, her mother did not want to let her go to Zagreb. After a group visit of the Slovenian delegation, Marija Kravanja slacked. Unfortunately, when Rina arrived in Zagreb, the jury was already choosing the most beautiful of three finalists. However, she was noticed by Adolf Müller, the owner of Balkan Palace cinema in Zagreb. He sent her photographs to German film producer Peter Ostermayer, who invited her to come to Germany. As her mother did not want to let her go to Berlin, Rina ran away from home and arrived in Berlin in 1927. After her first audition, she had classes in acting, diction, dancing, driving, and riding. She made her film debut in the leading role in Was die Kinder ihren Eltern verschweigen/What Do Children Hide from Their Parents (Franz Osten, 1927) with Mary Johnson. Ita Rina was actually a model of fulfilled dreams of glory and success in film. After some small film roles in 1927 and 1928, the critics noticed her in Das letzte Souper/The Last Supper (Mario Bonnard, 1928) starring Marcella Albani. That same year, Rina met her future husband Miodrag Đorđević, a student. Her big breakthrough came the following year, opposite Olaf Fjord in Erotikon/Seduction (1929), directed by Gustav Machatý. She was starring in the leading female role, Andrea. The film was a great success but also upset some moral and Christian organizations. Robert J. Maxwell at IMDb loved Rina’s performance: “She's a beauty by any metric. Her eyes are slanted and large. When she's excited, the irises are surrounded entirely by the whites. I can't do that. I just tried it in the mirror. And her nose is exquisite. It begins between her eyebrows, disregarding the usual need for a glabella, and cleaves her features in two. That nose is magnetic, exactly the right size for nibbling.”

 

In 1930, Ita Rina acted in three films, the most notable being the first talking Czech film Tonka Šibenice/Gallows Toni (Karl Anton, 1930). The title part in this film is often named her best role. In 1931, she married Miodrag Đorđević, and changed her religion from Roman Catholic to Serbian Orthodox. Rina was baptised in the Russian Orthodox Church, and also got her new Orthodox name, Tamara Đorđević. Now at the height of her career, she earned 15,000 marks per month and was an idol to teenagers as well as modern emancipated women.

The same year, Rina was given an offer from Hollywood, but her husband forced her to choose between her career and their marriage; Rina chose to stay with him. Although she had announced her retirement from the cinema, she acted until the outbreak of World War II. Her last film appearance was in the crime drama Zentrale Rio/Central Rio (Erich Engels, 1939) co-starring Leny Marenbach and Camilla Horn. Rina and her husband settled in Belgrade. In 1940, she gave birth to their son Milan. After the bombing of Belgrade in 1941, the family moved to Vrnjačka Banja, where Rina gave birth to a daughter, Tijana. They moved back to Belgrade after the end of World War II in 1945. Although she was promised several roles in Yugoslav films, all projects were cancelled. After she had written to President Tito, Rina began working as a co-production advisor in Avala Film. She returned to the silver screen once, in the Science-Fiction drama Rat/Atomic War Bride (Veljko Bulajić, 1960). The film, which deals with the horrors of the atomic weapon era, won three Golden Arena awards at the 1960 Pula Film Festival, including for Best Director (Veljko Bulajić), Best Actor (Antun Vrdoljak) and Best Scenography (Duško Jeričević), and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. It was her last role. As she was ill of asthma, Rina and her husband moved to Budva (then Yugoslavia, now Montenegro) in 1967. There, she was taking care of her husband, who was ill of sclerosis. Ita Rina died in 1979 in Budva of an asthmatic attack. She was buried a few days later in Belgrade, in the presence of numerous film artists, admirers, friends, and family. A few years ago, the Slovenian Cinematheque mounted a permanent exhibition of the actress’s photos and posters at the Škrjateljnova domačija, the house where she was born. The Slovenian Cinematheque also marked the recent centennial of her birth by reprinting a monograph on her life and work, now in an extended edition complete with English translations.

 

Sources: Slovenia.si, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

the is miles, our neighborhood cat. we can't have furry pets because mike is allergic (like wheezy, asthmatic allergic). we had a goldfish named johnny carson once, but that didn't end well, so we have pet cacti instead. miles is a great cat because he visits us often. in fact, he is known to visit all our neighbors, frequently even sleeping in other folks homes. he has even gotten in people's cars, taking trips as far away as oakland. he comes and hangs with us, sometimes multiple times a day. we pet him, comb him and feed him contraband kitty treats. we call him the mayor of campbell since is quite the cat around town, and we love him like our own.

CP1400 No. 1457 at Alcantariha on 10th March 1998 with IR2870 12h29 Tunes – Lagos, which was actually a portion from the morning Barreiro – Villa Real train. Most of the other trains (except the IRs) on the Lagos branch were hauled by members of the asthmatic CP1200 class.

Well this is overdue.

 

1. I've a bit to say.

2. I am from Ireland.

3. I am a heavy asthmatic, for 10 years now.

4. The figures here represent some friends on Flickr and characters they portray, but not all of them.

5. I am a big fan of Pokemon, and I've been playing Red since I was a wee lad.

6. I am 15, nearly 16.

7.I play football (It's called football, not soccer).

8. I hate it when people use three spots on tags for stuff like "almost done", "nearly there...", and "I'm done!".

9. I am a huge DC fan, but I also like Marvel very much.

10. My favourite DC character is Green Arrow, and I wish that they do a GA:TAS.

11. I do dress like my sig-fig in the back very often, excluding the glasses. :3

12. My lucky number.

13. I actually liked the Green Lantern film.

14. I loved The Flashpoint Paradox. Amazing film.

15. My favourite Robin is Damian.

16. My favourite dwarf from The Hobbit is Nori. :D

17. I am a supporter of Arsenal F.C.

18. I can't wait for Batman Arkham Origins, I got the Deathstroke pre-order bonus yesterday.

19. I was quite busy this summer, so my GA stories are picking up where I left off. Starting now!

20. My nickname is kinda stupid, hence my username. I'm finished. :3

 

 

Slenderman Reference: knowyourmeme.com/memes/slender-man

Slenderman Game Reference: Slender (Free for Mac & PC)

 

Slenderman Avatar: etam - Slender Man Mesh Avatar

 

Sweater: Reek - Daily Hoodie - Navy - Asthmatic Dept. (N/A)

Jeans: Decoy - Inferno 88 - Dark Denim (N/A)

Hair: BP*yumyum - 16/brown

Lantern: Kurotsubaki - Drowsy Lamp (Closed)

Note Paper: etam - Slender Man Notes  "Aways Watching, No Eyes"

packaged with Slenderman avatar

 

Photo Location: Garden of Dreams - Cemetery Skybox

 

My Blog: amiofsl.blogspot.com/2012/10/dont-look-back.html

Kiwi fruit is the edible fruit of Actinidia Deliciosa, and hybrids between this species and others in the genus Actinidia.

 

Kiwifruits owe their name to a bird, native of New Zealand, named "kiwi", and actually in many regions of Europe, North America and South America, kiwi fruits are generally referred to as "kiwi"

 

This fruit consists of a hairy, brown peel containing green flesh, with white pulp in the center, surrounded by black, edible seeds. The fruit has a sweet taste, similar to a mixture of banana, pineapple and strawberry. Kiwi fruits are native to China, where they were called "macaque peach"

 

Nutrition-wise, kiwi fruits contain about as much potassium as bananas, and also contain 1.5 times the DRI for Vitamin C. It is also rich in Vitamins A and E, and its black seeds can be crushed to produce kiwi fruit oil, which is very rich in Alfa-Linoleic Acid (an important Omega-3 essential fatty acid)

Kiwi Fruits

Sliced Kiwifruits

 

Studies have proven that kiwifruits are useful in improving conditions of asthmatic children, and in decreasing the probability of colon cancer by providing a good amount of dietary fiber.

 

Please be aware that kiwifruits can be allergic to some individuals, since they contain the protein-dissolving enzyme "actinidin". The most common symptoms include itching of the mouth, lips and palate, but can range to a more severe level such as wheezing or collapsing.

 

Enjoy the benefits of this delicious fruit...

The minute I stepped from the plane’s door onto the air-bridge I could smell cigars. I wasn’t going to say anything to Stan, because I thought he’d say I was overreacting, but as I caught up with him he said. “Can you smell the cigar smoke?”

 

“Yes, of course.” I replied. It didn’t auger well. I have a sensitivity to cigarette and especially cigar smoke. Not an asthmatic reaction exactly, but my doctor describes me as having “sensitive airways”, which makes me sound like a bit of a wuss. Cold air effects me too and sometimes perfumes... and then the uncontrollable coughing starts, my nose starts to run and my sinuses react... its not pretty.

 

I knew Cuba would be a challenge, but I had no idea how much of an assault on my respiratory system it was going to be.

 

We continued through the austere airport terminal, first through immigration... one person at a time, bonding with some fellow Australians as we wait our turn... and then through customs for the obligatory bag scan. Stan went through first and in retrospect perhaps I should have gone through a different scanner. I collected my handbag and was about to lift my camera backpack off the conveyor belt when I was stopped. An unsmiling official challenged me.

 

“Is this your bag?” he asked.

 

“Yes.” I replied.

 

“One camera.” he said.

 

I wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, so I hesitated.

 

“One camera.” he said again.

 

I said “Yes.” anyway. And just as I said it, I remembered that I had a second camera body buried deep at the bottom of the bag. We take the D700 body with us for a holiday. It never gets used, but we keep it as a back up incase we have a camera malfunction. Cuba is OK with people bringing in cameras for personal use, but having two DSLR bodies could stretch the friendship.

 

“Open.” he says. So I unzip the bag.

 

“Yes, one camera.” I say again, lying. There is a lot going on in my camera bag, the D3s with a 28-300 lens on board, a suite of lenses, a laptop, a couple of backup drives, a set of noise-cancelling headphones... The second body was right at the bottom and hard to see unless you really bent the top of the bag back on itself.

 

By now Stan had come to my rescue, but having an identical camera bag full of even more gear probably wasn’t going to help my case.

 

The official called over his superviser and they continued to peer into my bag.

 

“We’re just tourists.” I said by way of explanation.

 

“Just tourists.” Stan concurred.

 

The officials go into a huddle and discuss me in hushed tones.

 

“OK.” he says finally and dismissively waves his hand towards me.

 

I zip up the bag and sling it across my back. Welcome to Havana... have a nice day.

Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) is effective in the treatment of the new H1N1 influenza virus, the so called Swine Flu. Canada and the United States have stockpiled this antiviral drug for it's population should the infection reach epidemic proportions.

The dose is 75 mg twice daily for five days, must be started within 48 hours of onset of illnes. By prescription only. Public Health guidlines advise against the use of Tamiflu for 'low risk' cases. Treatment advised for high risk individuals under age 65 with chronic health conditions (ie heart disease, COPD, diabetes), residents of nursing homes, those aged 65 years or older, healthy children 6-23 months.

 

Running commentary:

 

May 1, 2009, Canada has 51 confirmed cases. My province of Ontario has 12 cases, all mild, everyone recovering. All travelled recently to Mexico. Expecting many more cases.

May 2, Canada reports first case of human to pig transmission of N1H1 virus.

May 4, Canada's cases reach 140, one seriously infected child admitted to hospital.

Twenty countries ban Canadian pork.

May 5, Public Health officials in Canada predict 1 in 4 will get ill with Swine Flu.

May 6, Canada's total 165, Ontario 36 confirmed cases.

May 7, 171 total cases. It's behaving like a seasonal flu.

May 8, 191 cases. Canada's first death attributable to Swine flu is reported. Tina l'Hirondelle, a 39 year old asthmatic died of posible flu complications, at High Prairie Alberta. She did not have a history of travel to Mexico.

May 9, The national total is now 281 cases, 76 in Ontario.

May 10, China reports it's first case.

May 13, 389 cases nation wide.

May 18, Worldwide, 8,829 cases, 76 fatal, mostly in Mexico.. There is a global unease as the virus seems to spread easily from person to person and country to country.

May 19, Mexico reported total 3,734 cases, with 74 deaths, and advises that the epidemic "continues its tendency to decline".

May 22, More than 12,000 worldwide cases, more than half in the USA, Canada up to 805.

June 2, The numbers mount, 1,530 cases in Canada with 3 deaths, more than 19,000 worldwide.

June 3, In the Province of Ontario, there are 969 lab confirmed cases, of these 525 cases were aquired in Ontario. Nearly all cases here considered mild.

June 4, The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care advises that all influenza cases in the community should be assumed to be the novel H1N1 virus. Testing of routine cases no longer required. Treatment with Tamiflu is recommended within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms for those with: 1) Acute illness requiring hospitalization (pneumonia), and 2) Those at risk for complicated disease (ie Diabetes, COPD, etc.)

June 9, Particularily hard hit are native aboriginals in Canada's North, not sure if this population is genetically predisposed or related to comorbid illnesses more common in natives (ie Diabetes).

June 11 The World Health Organization raised the H1N1 flu virus pandemic alert level from Phase Five to Phase Six. In doing so the WHO underscored:

The decision is based on the spread of the virus and not the severity of illness it causes. The virus has caused sustained community level outbreaks in more than three countries across two WHO regions;

In general, the H1N1 flu virus continues to cause moderate illness globally with most people affected recovering at home without medical treatment. For instance in Canada most infections to date have been mild; and,

That borders should remain open.

June 16, Canada reports eleven deaths thus far, one, a male in his forties with no antecedant illness.

June 19, Researchers theorise that high levels of arsenic contamination of well water in Mexico could have contributed to the high mortality of cases there. A study of mice exposed to arsenic indicated more severe disease with H1N1. These results suggest that chronic arsenic exposure particularily in Southeast Asia and Mexico may be a factor that could enhance the potential impact of a pandemic strain of influenza.

June 21. It was reported that a six year old girl from Toronto died from H1N1, and there have been two casualties in Quebec.

June 25. Public Health officials estimate that out of Canada's population of 32 million, there are 100,000 active N1H1 cases. There are 2,667 confirmed cases in Ontario alone, and 18 deaths. Typically, during a regular flu season, 500 deaths are expected to occur in the province of Ontario.

June 29. For the first time, a case of Swine Flu has proven resistant to Tamiflu! The resistance was seen in a patient in Denmark, who has recovered.

July 2. Public health officials in the UK predict 100,000 cases by the end of the summer.

July 20. Four cases of Tamiflu resistance have been reported in Canada. They are unrelated, it is NOT felt that a new resistant strain is emerging.

July 23. The UK reports a dramatic rise in cases, upto 100,000 nationwide. Tamiflu is being released to the general public without physician screening. Canada has stockpiled enough Tamiflu to treat only one quater of it's population.

Aug 9, I personally started a theraputic course of Tamiflu after direct contact with a severe case of N1H1 and the start of mild URI symptoms. The drug is well tolerated with only slight GI disturbance (transient nausea). So far, I have not developed an Influenza like illness.

Aug 11, Public health measures in Canada now directed at managing the second wave of Influenza cases expected for the Fall/Winter season. Efforts to encourage mass immunization for the usual Flu shot plus H1N1 when it becomes available. Also because of the tendency for pneumonia to complicate the infection, pneumococcal vaccine is being promoted.

Sept 25, Ontario Ministry of Public Health has decided on a two phase seasonal flu vaccination for this year. Beginning in October the seasonl flu vaccine will be offered only to Ontarians over 65 and residents of long term care homes. The H1N1 vaccine will be offered to the general population in November, and the seasonal flu vaccine will be available to the rest of the province following the H1N1 vaccination program. Reasons for this are as follows: Emerging unpublished data shows a possible link between immunization with seasonal flu vaccine and infection with H1N1. Epidemiological studies show seniors are more at risk of serious complications from seasonal flu infection. On the other hand, data shows that infection from the pandemic H1N1 virus is less likely to occur in persons born before 1957. Based on what occurred in the southern hemisphere, H1N1 is expected to be the main strain circulating in the nothern hemisphere this fall. There is no scientific evedence that administering both seasonal and H1N1 at the same time is safe and effective. A staggered immunization approach will help ease the challenges of multiple vaccines this season.

October 8, After repeated contact with cases of Influenza like illness, I come down with fever, sore throat, myalgias and take a second course of Tamiflu within 24hrs of symptoms and I rapidly improve.

October 28,Canada's so called second wave of H1N1 is well underway with southern Ontario particularily hard hit. Many schools and institutions reporting at least 10% of individuals absent due to illness. Canada's total deaths is reaching 100, and two fatal cases involving healthy children ( girl age, 10 and a boy aged, 13) has caused a bit of a panic just as the H1N1 vaccination program was started this week. People are waiting in lines for several hours at vaccination clinics. This first to get the shot are healthcare workers, children, pregnant women and medically high risk individuals.

October 26, I recieve the Adjuvanted H1N1 Vaccine. My side effects are a sore arm for 3 days, and muscle aches for 2 days. I usually have no side effects with the Flu shot. The estimated risk of a serious reaction (allergy etc) is 1 in 10,000. It's a safe vaccine.

Nov 5, Public Health officials recommend the use of Tamiflu beyond the first 48 hours, the traditional time limit of effectiveness. It should be added when those beyond 48hrs develop respiratory complications. The drug has been stockpiled in Canada, and free to the individual but still requires a physician's prescription.

Dec 19. In Canada the overall influenza activity continues to decrease. In total there have been 8,436 hospitalizations, 1,404 ICU admissions, and 401 deaths due to pandemic H1N1.

 

text posted on my You Tube video

 

#hinduism

#universalpeace

#firozeshakir

My parents migrants from UP Lucknow lived in the slums of Kurla early 50s my father was in the tailoring business he got a room in a servants quarters of veteran actor late Nawab Kashmiri at Khatau Bhuvan Wodehouse road my father worked at N Swamy Rao near Colaba bus depot .. my mother was an asthmatic she hired a Marathi lady for taking care of us she stayed at Military quarters with her son Tulsi we were told to call her Aiee which means mother so our upbringing was not corrupted with hate or bigotry my friends were Anglo Indians Parsis Jews and Buddhist..my schooling thanks to Nawab Sabs daughter was at Private European school of Mrs Lester her sisters June and Marjorie later I went to Holy Name High School .

I suffered huge loss during the Hindu Muslim riots politically engineered during 1993 ,,but I have no hate animosity with my Hindu brethren as a photographer besides being a Muslim I have documented Hinduism as a message of universal peace the pandemic has destroyed my business and health is deteriorating.. due to diabetes ..I had a bypass surgery sponsored by Swabhiman I am alive ..Jai Maharashtra.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9q0BP6idTE

Ephedra distachya

 

Famiglia: Ephedreacea

 

Distribuzione: Areale Mediterraneo limitato, in Italia è presente nelle regioni meridionali,, Sardegna e Sicilia. In

Sardegna rara è si trova nei littorali sabbiosi della provincia di Sassari. La sua esistenza è fortemente minacciata dal degrado e deterioramento delle zone costiere.

 

La medicina popolare gli attribuisce proprietà antiasmatiche e curative dell’apparato respiratorio dovuto all’efedrina che è un buon broncodilatatore.

 

Ephedra distachya

 

Family: Ephedraceae

 

Distribution: limited Areal Mediterranean, in Italy is present in the southern regions,, Sardinia and Sicily. Rare in Sardinia is located in the sandy littoral of the province of Sassari. Its existence is seriously threatened by the degradation and deterioration of coastal areas.

 

Folk medicine attributes to anti-asthmatic properties and healing of the respiratory system due to ephedrine which is a good bronchodilator.

 

distachya Ephedra

 

Familia: Ephedraceae

 

Distribución limitada Areal Mediterráneo, en Italia está presente en las regiones del sur,, Cerdeña y Sicilia. Raro en Cerdeña se encuentra en el litoral de arena de la provincia de Sassari. Su existencia está seriamente amenazada por la degradación y el deterioro de las zonas costeras.

 

La medicina popular atribuye a las propiedades anti-asmáticos y la curación de las vías respiratorias debido a la efedrina, que es una buena broncodilatador.

 

This is Honey. She and her sister Kitty are 3 years old. They were brought to the rescue centre because the owners' child is asthmatic and they have another on the way. Kitty and Honey seemed quite nervous to start with, but it wasn't long before they let me stroke them and they both seem very affectionate. By the end of Saturday afternoon they'd already been reserved.

German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3324/1, 1928-1929. Photo: Alex Binder, Berlin.

 

Yugoslav film actress and beauty queen Ita Rina (1907-1979) was one of the major film stars in Germany and Czechoslovakia in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

 

Ita Rina was born as Italina Lida ‘Ida’ Kravanja in the small town of Divača (then Austro-Hungarian Empire, later Yugoslavia, now Slovenia) in 1907. She was the first daughter of Jožef and Marija Kravanja. Rina had a younger sister Danica. Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, the family moved to Ljubljana, where Rina matriculated in 1923. Her dream was to become an actress. In October 1926, Slavic People magazine organized a beauty pageant for a Miss to represent Yugoslavia at the Miss Europe contest. The attractive nineteen-year-old secretly entered the beauty contest, not telling anyone at home. She was crowned Miss Slovenia and should travel to the final event for Miss Yugoslavia in Zagreb. However, her mother did not want to let her go to Zagreb. After a group visit of the Slovenian delegation, Marija Kravanja slacked. Unfortunately, when Rina arrived in Zagreb, the jury was already choosing the most beautiful of three finalists. However, she was noticed by Adolf Müller, the owner of Balkan Palace cinema in Zagreb. He sent her photographs to German film producer Peter Ostermayer, who invited her to come to Germany. As her mother did not want to let her go to Berlin, Rina ran away from home and arrived in Berlin in 1927. After her first audition, she had classes in acting, diction, dancing, driving, and riding. She made her film debut in the leading role in Was die Kinder ihren Eltern verschweigen/What Do Children Hide from Their Parents (Franz Osten, 1927) with Mary Johnson. Ita Rina was actually a model of fulfilled dreams of glory and success in film. After some small film roles in 1927 and 1928, the critics noticed her in Das letzte Souper/The Last Supper (Mario Bonnard, 1928) starring Marcella Albani. That same year, Rina met her future husband Miodrag Đorđević, a student. Her big breakthrough came the following year, opposite Olaf Fjord in Erotikon/Seduction (1929), directed by Gustav Machatý. She was starring in the leading female role, Andrea. The film was a great success but also upset some moral and Christian organizations. Robert J. Maxwell at IMDb loved Rina’s performance: “She's a beauty by any metric. Her eyes are slanted and large. When she's excited, the irises are surrounded entirely by the whites. I can't do that. I just tried it in the mirror. And her nose is exquisite. It begins between her eyebrows, disregarding the usual need for a glabella, and cleaves her features in two. That nose is magnetic, exactly the right size for nibbling.”

 

In 1930, Ita Rina acted in three films, the most notable being the first talking Czech film Tonka Šibenice/Gallows Toni (Karl Anton, 1930). The title part in this film is often named her best role. In 1931, she married Miodrag Đorđević, and changed her religion from Roman Catholic to Serbian Orthodox. Rina was baptised in the Russian Orthodox Church, and also got her new Orthodox name, Tamara Đorđević. Now at the height of her career, she earned 15,000 marks per month and was an idol to teenagers as well as modern emancipated women.

The same year, Rina was given an offer from Hollywood, but her husband forced her to choose between her career and their marriage; Rina chose to stay with him. Although she had announced her retirement from the cinema, she acted until the outbreak of World War II. Her last film appearance was in the crime drama Zentrale Rio/Central Rio (Erich Engels, 1939) co-starring Leny Marenbach and Camilla Horn. Rina and her husband settled in Belgrade. In 1940, she gave birth to their son Milan. After the bombing of Belgrade in 1941, the family moved to Vrnjačka Banja, where Rina gave birth to a daughter, Tijana. They moved back to Belgrade after the end of World War II in 1945. Although she was promised several roles in Yugoslav films, all projects were cancelled. After she had written to President Tito, Rina began working as a co-production advisor in Avala Film. She returned to the silver screen once, in the Science-Fiction drama Rat/Atomic War Bride (Veljko Bulajić, 1960). The film, which deals with the horrors of the atomic weapon era, won three Golden Arena awards at the 1960 Pula Film Festival, including for Best Director (Veljko Bulajić), Best Actor (Antun Vrdoljak) and Best Scenography (Duško Jeričević), and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. It was her last role. As she was ill of asthma, Rina and her husband moved to Budva (then Yugoslavia, now Montenegro) in 1967. There, she was taking care of her husband, who was ill of sclerosis. Ita Rina died in 1979 in Budva of an asthmatic attack. She was buried a few days later in Belgrade, in the presence of numerous film artists, admirers, friends, and family. A few years ago, the Slovenian Cinematheque mounted a permanent exhibition of the actress’s photos and posters at the Škrjateljnova domačija, the house where she was born. The Slovenian Cinematheque also marked the recent centennial of her birth by reprinting a monograph on her life and work, now in an extended edition complete with English translations.

 

Sources: Slovenia.si, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.

Whilst in Kyabram, we spent an afternoon walking around Horseshoe Bend and Moama Wharf. Living in Melbourne, I didn't realise how close this part of the NSW border was to me, and it's so beautiful.

 

You may notice in some of these images a dark mark on the tree trunks. This marks the level of the water as it rose up over the immensely tall river banks during the catastrophic floods last year. According to local authorities, the levels rose 94.94 metres (from sea level)! It is truly humbling to see.

 

One of the off-tracks led to a marsh that had hundreds of white cranes wading through the green plant beds - mesmerising!

 

On the way back I stopped to watch as dozens of lorikeets, galahs, and cockatoos flew overhead and filled the tree canopy high above.

 

Then I heard a toot and was flooded with emotion - was it a famous steamer?! A little known geeky fact about me is that I have had a long fascination with Murray River steamboats but have never seen one - this was my opportunity! In the cold evening air, with asthmatic lungs filled with bronchitis, I ran as fast as I could to get back to the Moama Wharf. From atop my perch there I took so many images of an actual steamer as it chugged along down the Murray River. Glorious!

This is an advert for Crossley Motors, who were based in Gorton (Manchester) and later at Errwood Park (Stockport). They built well-crafted if idiosyncratic buses and coaches with a reputation for a smooth ride and some weakness in engine design.

 

All that changed in the war years when Crossley's chief designer found himself in Switzerland recovering from Tuberculosis, with time on his hands to shape Crossley's postwar offering. The results, which appeared in prototype form in 1944, was the Crossley DD42 (double deck) and SD42 (single deck) design. The new model rode well, was lovely to drive and went like a bomb. Demonstrations inevitably resulted in orders, partly because the chassis was good and partly because it was clear that in the postwar era many older buses would need replacing.

 

But there was a problem: while in Switzerland the designer had become familiar with the work of Swiss company Saurer, and the cylinder head was very similar to the Saurer design: so similar that it infringed Saurer patents. When confronting this problem, the Managing Director of Crossley could have paid a licence fee to Saurer; but he refused to do so, and instead ordered a redesign of the cylinder head to avoid the Saurer patents.

 

The result was that the demonstrator (with the Saurer head) performed admirably; the Crossley head, made with tortuous passages in an attempt to bypass the patents, was weak and asthmatic. The result was that customers were disappointed and repeat orders didn't often come: and the company soon found itself owned by competitors AEC. The new management had a new 'downdraught' head produced, and this is why the advert refers to an 'improved design of cylinder head. But the damage had been done, and the end of Crossley buses was in sight as owners AEC pulled the plug in order to use the Errwood Park site for specialist machining and coachwork.

 

But even that didn't last long, and by 1958 the Crossley factory was closing down for good. There are, thankfully, a few Crossleys still in existence and the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester has four. Three of these are DD42 models, two with the downdraught cylinder head and one with the 'avoid Saurer patents' one.

 

If you'd like to know more about the Museum of Transport Greater Manchester and its collection of vintage buses, go to www.gmts.co.uk.

 

© Greater Manchester Transport Society. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is strictly prohibited and may result in action being taken to protect the intellectual property interests of the Society.

20mg of Cetizirine

20mg of Loratadine

25mg of Dipenhydramine

30mg of Pseudoephedrine

 

(basically, enough antihistamines and nasal decongestants to KILL A HORSE, and...)

 

an air filter that has been running for more than 12 hours in my bedroom, and yet:

 

my throat and tongue are still so swollen i can't talk properly

my eyes are still dry, red and raw and won't stop watering

my skin feels really itchy and flushed

i woke up several times in the night because i felt like i couldn't even breathe (i'm not asthmatic...)

 

all of this - because i decided i wanted to enjoy a couple hours of warmth and sunlight being outdoors yesterday afternoon.

 

i think i really need to see a doctor....

 

...or i could just seal myself away in a quarantined solarium until it's officially summer and i'm no longer inhaling tree sperm everywhere i go.

A bit of twin-engine action as this German canary navigates Lučko's uneven apron on its way toward RWY 28. Even though the Seneca is one of history's most popular piston twins, this early version - introduced in 1974 - is nowadays nevertheless a bit of a rarity. Created as a response to the numerous criticisms levied at the original Seneca I - which was, with its normally-aspirated 200 HP engines, considered severely "asthmatic" - the Seneca II was fitted with turbochargers that, despite not adding to the power, had immediately and dramatically improved performance (especially in an engine-out scenario). However, despite this, the type's ultimate lack of power had remained a thorn in users' eyes, leading Piper to add 20 HP per engine and new three-bladed props in 1981, creating the most popular PA-34 of them all, the Seneca III.

 

D-GLOC itself had been manufactured in 1978, and had received its eye-catching paint scheme from one of its previous owners, Italian watchmaker Locman (which also explains the reg). On this day, it had popped into town to pick up a passenger bound for Split (SPU/LDSP) down on the Croatian coast.

Kuckuck, an outdoor-/indoor she cat with 77 lives, living with us since 15 years, asthmatic since 10 years, but totally vivid and independent, funny, bold, very cuddly and speaking a lot, with her typical warm and magic glance ... as we love her ;)

View On Black

 

I have been tagged by Dan ( www.flickr.com/photos/eldano/ ) and I will reveal 16 truths about me:

 

1) I am 49 y.o.

2) I am not photogenic

3) I am a ex Nordique fan ......Yes , Alain Coté`s goal was good...........I am Sens fan by default

4)I am asthmatic

5) I have a phobia for bats ..I can stand them

6) I am pathologist assistant and I have participated to thousands of post mortem exams .......... PLEASE forget CSI

7) I love flowers .... because they do not move when I take a photo of them

8) I love Italian food , red wine and beer

9)I am a slow learner on PhotoShop and other software .... ask Michel Roy ( Digital Direct Photgraphy flickr.com/photos/michelroy/)

10) My wife tells me that I am flickr addict !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but I like it

11) My buddy is icon is a beluga but I do not swim

12) I like travel but I am loosing all the papers of trips.............this makes my wife up set ............she still loves me ....yet

13) I am from Charlevoix but I live in Gatineau ..............I belong to the blue planet

14) I do prefer Mac than PC

15 ) I am married for the last 25 years ................... God I am good ..sorry we are good honey

16) I always have this weird feeling that I am using the wrong lens when I am taking a shot

 

Oufffffffffffffffffffffff.....done ............................. this was not that bad Dan

 

This is more playing around with Mixed Media.

I used Watercolor, Ink, and Neocolor Watersoluble Wax pastels.

 

On May 14th I contracted some sort of illness that started with a sore throat and went into my head, ears and chest.

I was coughing so much, I was only getting 3-4 hours of sleep. Finally yesterday the Dr decided I have Asthmatic Bronchitis.

I have had Bronchitis before, but never with the Asthmatic word connected! I am now on a strong antibiotic.

 

I am rarely sick...and don't like it at all...so I have managed to amuse myself by painting the 3 Sea Holly paintings and the Grasses, and now this one. Thank goodness for Painting...!!!!!!!!!!! I believe it is very therapeutic...:) Everyone should try it.

Soon I will be back to daily paintings again I hope...:)

 

Thank you all for your continued encouragement and friendship over the months....I have always appreciated every one of your generous and kind thoughts, even though I have not thanked you each time....You are all dear to me....:)

Whilst in Kyabram, we spent an afternoon walking around Horseshoe Bend and Moama Wharf. Living in Melbourne, I didn't realise how close this part of the NSW border was to me, and it's so beautiful.

 

You may notice in some of these images a dark mark on the tree trunks. This marks the level of the water as it rose up over the immensely tall river banks during the catastrophic floods last year. According to local authorities, the levels rose 94.94 metres (from sea level)! It is truly humbling to see.

 

One of the off-tracks led to a marsh that had hundreds of white cranes wading through the green plant beds - mesmerising!

 

On the way back I stopped to watch as dozens of lorikeets, galahs, and cockatoos flew overhead and filled the tree canopy high above.

 

Then I heard a toot and was flooded with emotion - was it a famous steamer?! A little known geeky fact about me is that I have had a long fascination with Murray River steamboats but have never seen one - this was my opportunity! In the cold evening air, with asthmatic lungs filled with bronchitis, I ran as fast as I could to get back to the Moama Wharf. From atop my perch there I took so many images of an actual steamer as it chugged along down the Murray River. Glorious!

Este proyecto parte como solución a la cuarentena que estamos sufriendo, al tener Asma me veo totalmente forzado a trabajar dentro de casa. Siendo hiperactivo es una especie de condena. Siempre me gustó la idea de mezclar la fotografía con las diferentes artes. Lo que buscaba era lograr algo tridimensional en una bi-dimension y sugerir esa mirada microscópica o totalmente contraría, un escape al encierro, una cura a la cuarentena, al virus y a mí. Un escape abstracto al encierro mental…

Para ver más:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

  

This proyect born as an answer to the quarantine, as an Asthmatic I'm really worried and forced to be inside home. I'm hiperactive too so been in this situation is a kind of confinement.

I always liked the idea of mix photography with diferents kind of visual arts. What I wanted was to get something tridimesional in a 2d image and sugest something microscopic or totally opossed like an abstract scape to the mental closure.

  

If you want to see more:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank and their two sons.

 

Today, the State Rooms are open to the public and managed by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, a nonprofit organisation that does not receive public funds. The offices and private accommodation areas of the palace remain the responsibility of the Royal Household and are maintained by the Royal Household Property Section. The palace also displays many paintings and other objects from the Royal Collection.

 

History

King William III and Queen Mary II

Kensington Palace was originally a two-storey Jacobean mansion built by Sir George Coppin in 1605 in the village of Kensington.

 

Shortly after William and Mary assumed the throne as joint monarchs in 1689, they began searching for a residence better suited for the comfort of the asthmatic William, as Whitehall Palace was too near the River Thames, with its fog and floods, for William's fragile health.

 

In the summer of 1689, William and Mary bought the property, then known as Nottingham House, from the Secretary of State Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, 7th Earl of Winchilsea, for £20,000. They instructed Sir Christopher Wren, Surveyor of the King's Works, to begin an immediate expansion of the house. In order to save time and money, Wren kept the structure intact and added a three-storey pavilion at each of the four corners, providing more accommodation for the King and Queen and their attendants. The Queen's Apartments were in the north-west pavilion and the King's in the south-east.

 

Wren re-oriented the house to face west, building north and south wings to flank the approach, made into a proper cour d'honneur that was entered through an archway surmounted by a clock tower. The palace was surrounded by straight cut solitary lawns, and formal stately gardens, laid out with paths and flower beds at right angles, in the Dutch fashion. The royal court took residence in the palace shortly before Christmas 1689. For the next seventy years, Kensington Palace was the favoured residence of British monarchs, although the official seat of the Court was and remains at St. James's Palace, which has not been the actual royal residence in London since the 17th century.

 

Additional improvements soon after included Queen Mary's extension of her apartments, by building the Queen's Gallery. After a fire in 1691, the King's Staircase was rebuilt in marble and a Guard Chamber was constructed, facing the foot of the stairs. William had constructed the South Front, to the design of Nicholas Hawksmoor, which included the Kings' Gallery where he hung many works from his picture collection. Mary II died of smallpox in the palace in 1694. In 1702, William suffered a fall from a horse at Hampton Court and was brought to Kensington Palace, where he died shortly afterwards from pneumonia.

 

Queen Anne

After William III's death, the palace became the residence of Queen Anne. She had Christopher Wren complete the extensions that William and Mary had begun, resulting in the section known as the Queen's Apartments, with the Queen's Entrance, and the plainly decorated Wren designed staircase, that featured shallow steps so that Anne could walk down gracefully. These were primarily used by the Queen to give access between the private apartments and gardens.

 

Queen Anne's most notable contribution to the palace were the gardens. She commissioned the Hawksmoor-designed Orangery, modified by John Vanbrugh, that was built for her in 1704. The level of decoration of the interior, including carved detail by Grinling Gibbons, reflects its intended use, not just as a greenhouse, but as a place for entertaining. A magnificent 12-hectare (30-acre) baroque parterre, with sections of clipped scrolling designs punctuated by trees formally clipped into cones, was laid out by Henry Wise, the royal gardener.

 

Kensington Palace was the setting of the final argument between Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Queen Anne. The Duchess, who was known for being outspoken and manipulative, was jealous of the attention the Queen was giving to Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham. Along with the previous insensitive acts of the Duchess after the death of Anne's husband, Prince George of Denmark, who had died at Kensington Palace in October 1708, their friendship came to an abrupt end on 6 April 1710, with the two seeing each other for the last time after an argument in the Queen's Closet. Queen Anne died at Kensington Palace on 1 August 1714.

 

King George I and King George II

George I spent lavishly on new royal apartments, creating three new state rooms known as the Privy Chamber, the Cupola Room and the Withdrawing Room. He hired the unknown William Kent in 1722 to decorate the state rooms, which he did with elaborately painted trompe l'oeil ceilings and walls. The Cupola Room was Kent's first commission for the King. The octagonal coffering in the domed ceiling was painted in gold and blue, and terminated in a flat panel decorated with the Star of the Order of the Garter. The walls and woodwork were painted brown and gold to contrast with the white marble pilasters, doorways and niches which were surmounted with gilded statuary.

 

George I was pleased with his work, and between 1722, and 1727, Kent oversaw the decoration and picture hanging for all of the royal apartments at Kensington Palace. Kent's final commission was the King's Grand Staircase which he painted with 45 intriguing courtiers from the Georgian court, including the King's Turkish servants Mahomet and Mustapha, Peter 'the wild boy' as well as himself along with his mistress. King George I enlarged the palace with the addition of an apartment, built on the north-west side, to house his mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal.

 

The last reigning monarch to use Kensington Palace was George II, who did not undertake any major structural changes to the palace during his reign, and left the running of the palace to his wife Queen Caroline. At the request of the Queen, Charles Bridgeman, successor to Henry Wise as royal gardener, swept away the outmoded parterres and redesigned Kensington Gardens in a form that is still recognisable today: his remaining features are The Serpentine, the basin called the Round Pond, and the Broad Walk. After the death of his wife, George II neglected many rooms and the palace fell into disrepair. King George II died at Kensington Palace on 25 October 1760.

 

Notable palace residents

With the accession of King George III in 1760, Kensington Palace was only used for minor royalty.[citation needed] The sixth son of George III, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, was allocated apartments in the south-west corner of Kensington Palace in 1805 known as Apartment 1.[11] He was interested in the arts and science and amassed a huge library that filled ten rooms and comprised over fifty thousand volumes.[11] He had a large number of clocks, and a variety of singing birds that were free to fly around his apartments. He was elected as president of the Royal Society and gave receptions in his apartments at Kensington Palace to men of science. The expense they incurred induced him to resign the presidency, as he preferred to employ the money in making additions to his library.

 

The Duke of Sussex caused quite a scandal when he married twice in contravention of the Royal Marriages Act 1772, because it had not been approved by the King. His second wife, Cecilia Underwood, Duchess of Inverness, was never titled or recognised as the Duchess of Sussex. However, she was created Duchess of Inverness in her own right in 1840. The Duke died at Kensington Palace in 1843. As he had lived beyond his means and amassed substantial debts, his possessions, including the library, were sold after his death. The Duchess of Inverness continued to reside at Kensington Palace until her death in 1873.

 

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III, was allocated two floors of rooms in the south-east corner of the palace, below the State Apartments, which he renovated for his use. The apartments were next to his near-blind sister Princess Sophia. His daughter, Alexandrina Victoria, was born on 24 May 1819, and her christening conducted in the Cupola Room the following month. The Duke of Kent and Strathearn died nine months after the birth of his daughter.

 

She grew up in the confines of the palace in an unhappy and lonely childhood as a result of the Kensington System adopted by her mother, Victoria, Duchess of Kent, and the domineering Sir John Conroy, her mother's comptroller of the household. Princess Sophia fell under the sway of Conroy, who took advantage of her senility and blindness. She frequently served as his spy on the Kensington household, as well as on her two elder brothers. Conroy squandered most of her money until she died in 1848, at Kensington Palace.

 

In 1837, Princess Alexandrina Victoria was awakened to be told that her uncle, King William IV, had died and that she was now queen. She took the regnal name of Victoria and held her first privy council in the Red Saloon at the palace. The Queen promptly moved to Buckingham Palace. She granted rooms in Kensington Palace to her family and retired retainers, which included the Duke and Duchess of Teck, parents of Queen Mary (great-grandmother of King Charles III), who was born at Kensington Palace on 26 May 1867. In 1873, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, resided in the apartment with her husband, the Marquess of Lorne, departing after he was appointed Governor-General of Canada for Rideau Hall.

 

The couple returned after his tenure, and Louise used her art studio at the apartments to design and sculpt the Statue of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace. The apartment became her primary residence upon her widowhood in 1914 before her death in 1939. In 1955, the apartment was given to the widowed Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and her children until her death in 1969. Louise's younger sister, Princess Beatrice, was given by Queen Victoria the apartments once occupied by the Queen and her mother below the State Apartments.

 

20th century

During World War I, George V allowed a number of rooms in the palace to be used by those working for Irish POWs and Irish soldiers at the front, and decreed that its royal inhabitants adhere to the same rations as everyone else. The royal inhabitants now included Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany; Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone; and the Earl of Athlone. In 1921, upon widowhood, Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, moved into a grace-and-favour apartment at Kensington Palace. During this period, her grandson, Prince Philip, lived with her at times as she was in charge of his education. As a result of the number of royal relatives residing there during the 1920s and 1930s, Edward VIII called the palace "the aunt heap."

 

Kensington Palace was severely damaged during The Blitz of 1940. It was hit by an incendiary bomb that exploded in the north side of Clock Court, damaging many of the surrounding buildings including the State Apartments, particularly the Queen's Apartments. The Headquarters of Personnel Section occupied Apartment 34, and as a result the garden was overrun with anti-aircraft guns, sandbags and trenches. Repairs to the palace were not completed for several years, but after the war, Prince Philip stayed with his grandmother, Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven in the lead-up to his 1947 marriage with Princess Elizabeth, later to become Queen Elizabeth II.

 

With the bombing damage and the deaths of Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice, the palace entered a period of neglect. During the 1950s, residents of the palace included the Master of the Horse, Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort, who had married Lady Mary Cambridge - a niece of Queen Mary as the daughter of the 1st Marquess of Cambridge, Sir Alan Lascelles, Queen Elizabeth's private secretary and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, who lived in the palace until her death in 1981.

 

In 1955, the widowed Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, moved into Apartment 1, with her children, which had been vacant since Princess Louise's death in 1939. It was at this time that the apartment was divided and Apartment 1A created. The stylish Duchess of Kent continued to live in the apartment until her death at Kensington Palace of a brain tumour in 1968.

 

Following their wedding on 6 May 1960, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, and the Earl of Snowdon, moved into Apartment 10, while they set about transforming the much larger Apartment 1A to new designs.[15] In 1960, Kensington Palace was under the auspices of the Department of the Environment. The renovation had to be carried out under the strictest of budgets, with the eventual costs coming in at £85,000, approximately £1.5 million today. By 1962, the whole interior had been gutted. All the floors, except the attic floor, were removed to deal with rising damp. The resulting modern apartment consisted of the main reception rooms, three principal bedrooms and dressing rooms, three principal bathrooms, the nursery accommodation, nine staff bedrooms, four staff bathrooms, two staff kitchens and two staff sitting rooms.

 

Twenty ancillary rooms included a linen store, a luggage room, a drying room, a glass pantry and a photographic dark room for Lord Snowdon. The house in 18th century style, had a modern colour palette, with the bold use of colours including Margaret's favourites, pink and kingfisher blue. The house was largely designed by Snowdon and Princess Margaret with the assistance of the theatre designer Carl Toms, one-time assistant to Oliver Messel, Lord Snowdon's uncle, and a close friend of the royal couple.[citation needed] The royal couple moved into Apartment 1A on 4 March 1963, prior to the birth of their daughter, Lady Sarah, who was born at the palace the following year.

 

Prince and Princess Richard of Gloucester, later Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, moved into Apartment 1 after their marriage in 1972, the 21-room house previously occupied by Princess Marina, where they subsequently raised their three children. In 1994, after the Gloucesters had to give up their country home, Barnwell Manor, for financial reasons, they moved the Duke's aged mother Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, from Barnwell to Kensington Palace where she died in her sleep on 29 October 2004 at age 102. She holds the record as the oldest person in the history of the British royal family.

 

The Queen gave the keys to the five-bedroom, five-reception grace-and-favour Apartment 10 to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent on the occasion of their marriage in 1978. Their children, Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Kingston, were raised at the residence.[15] In 2008, there was controversy when it was claimed that the couple paid a rent of only £70 per week, though they fulfilled no official duties on behalf of the Queen. The British Monarchy Media Centre denied these reports and stated that, "The Queen is paying the rent for Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's apartment at a commercial rate of £120,000 annually from her own private funds... This rent payment by The Queen is in recognition of the Royal engagements and work for various charities which Prince and Princess Michael of Kent have undertaken at their own expense, and without any public funding."

 

It was announced that from 2010, that Prince and Princess Michael would begin paying rent of £120,000 a year out of their own funds to continue living in the apartment. In 1996, Prince Michael's older brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and his wife Katharine moved into Wren House on the Kensington Palace estate.

 

In 1981, in the part of the palace that King George I had built for his mistress, the Duchess of Kendal, Apartments 8 and 9 were combined to create the London residence of the newly married Prince of Wales and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales. It remained the official residence of the Princess after their divorce until her death. Her sons, Princes William and Harry, were raised in Kensington Palace and went to local nursery and pre-preparatory schools in Notting Hill, which is a short drive away. According to Andrew Morton, the palace was a "children's paradise" with its long passageways, a helicopter pad, and many outdoor gardens, including one on the roof where the family spent many hours.

 

Several notable courtiers live or have lived at The Old Barracks building, on the southern end of the palace. Notable residents include: Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's butler; Sir Miles Hunt-Davies, Private Secretary to Prince Philip; Jane, Lady Fellowes, Diana's sister, and her husband Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes, Private Secretary to the Queen. Diana's interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC's Panorama programme was recorded in Diana's sitting room at the palace. In February 1987, a thief wearing a ski mask hit police guards with a hammer while in the gardens but did not get inside the palace, where Prince Charles, Diana and other royals were sleeping.

 

Upon Diana's death on 31 August 1997, the gates at Kensington Palace became the focus of public mourning with over one million bouquets, reaching 5 feet (1.5 m) deep in places, placed as tribute before them stretching out into Kensington Gardens. The Princess's coffin spent its last night in London at the palace. On the morning of 6 September 1997, a tenor bell signalled the departure of the funeral cortège carrying the coffin from the palace on a gun carriage to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. Her residence was stripped bare and lay vacant for 10 years after her death. It was split back into two apartments, with Apartment 8 being used by four of Charles's charities and Apartment 9 becoming home to the Chief of Defence Staff.

 

21st century

Following their marriage in 2011, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge used Nottingham Cottage as their London residence. They then moved into the four-storey, 20-room Apartment 1A, the former residence of Princess Margaret, in 2013. Renovations took 18 months at a cost of £4.5 million, including new heating, electrics and plastering, and the removal of asbestos that required nearly everything to be stripped out internally, as well as a new roof.

 

Kensington Palace became the Duke and Duchess's main residence in 2017, moving from their country home, Anmer Hall. The apartment covers four storeys, with three bedrooms, two nurseries and five reception rooms. In 2016, Diana's former residence, Apartment 8, was turned into office space for the couple's staff, official duties and charity work.[32] The Duke and Duchess have hosted multiple engagements, receptions, and meetings at the palace.

 

On 28 March 2012, it was announced that Prince Harry had moved his residence from Clarence House to a one-bedroom apartment at Kensington Palace. From 2013, he resided at Nottingham Cottage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued to live at the property until the birth of their son in spring 2019.

 

In April 2018, Princess Eugenie moved from St James's Palace into Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. She lived there with her husband Jack Brooksbank until November 2020. In September 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, previously residents of Apartment 1, moved to the Old Stables, a smaller home located within the palace's estate. In summer 2022, The Prince and Princess of Wales moved their family residence to Adelaide Cottage near Windsor Castle. Kensington Palace remains their official London residence as well as the location of their household and offices.

 

Interior and grounds

Kensington Palace contains many public and private apartments and residences within the building and its grounds. The palace houses fifty total residents. Aside from royals, it also hosts members of the military, courtiers, staff, and citizens who pay market rent.

 

King and Queen's State Apartments

The King's and Queen's State Apartments are state rooms and private apartments historically used by various monarchs and consorts. The King's State Apartments were used for diplomatic audiences and meetings, described as "opulent" and "surprisingly sparse". The Queen's State Apartments were a domestic residence typically used by consorts to live in and entertain. The state apartments were first opened to the public in 1899. The museum closed intermittently during the conflicts of the First and Second World Wars before reopening permanently in 1949.

 

The entryway to the King's State Apartments is marked by the King's Staircase, decorated with a painting by William Kent depicting George I's royal court, completed in 1974. The apartment possesses several reception rooms. The Presence Chamber features a limewood fireplace where the monarch received ministers. The Privy Chamber was one of Queen Caroline's favourite entertaining spaces. The Cupola Room has been described as the "most splendidly decorated room in the palace", also by Kent.

 

The King's Drawing Room, where courtiers would come "in search of power and patronage", features a copy of Venus and Cupid by Giorgio Vasari, which Caroline attempted to have removed to no avail. The King's Gallery, built for William III, is decorated with red accents and golden ornaments, used for exercise and displaying paintings. Featuring numerous works by Kent, it houses Charles I at the Hunt by Anthony van Dyck.

 

The Queen's State Apartments consist of the rooms where Mary II and later royal consorts resided. The Queen's Staircase is "deliberately plainer" than its counterpart, accessible to the gardens. The Queen's Gallery, built in 1693, was previously filled with Turkish carpets and oriental artifacts, and was designed as a place for Mary to fulfil "simple pastimes such as walking, reading, and needlework." The Queen's Dining Room is where Mary and William would take their meals together in private, featuring 17th-century panelling. The Queen's Drawing Room features décor from China and Japan, and features William and Mary's intertwined monogram carved into the crown moulding. Mary's bedroom, where she entertained friends, is included in the apartments.

 

Apartment 1

Apartment 1 is a royal residence located in the southwest wing of the palace.[50] During its vacancy from 1939 and 1955, it was divided into two, with a separate Apartment 1 and Apartment 1A within the space. The apartment has 21 rooms and a walled garden, as well as adjoining doors to Apartment 1A. It has been described as a “lovely big apartment”; Apartment 1 is the second-biggest residence in the palace. Previous interior rooms have included the "sizable" library of Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, and the sculpting studio of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.

 

Apartment 1A

Apartment 1A is a royal residence, covering four storeys, with twenty rooms total. It has five reception rooms, each with fireplaces, as well as three bedrooms, dressing rooms and two nurseries. The upper level has nine staff bedrooms, while the basement holds a luggage room, gym, and laundry quarters. There are three kitchens, one for family use and two for the staff. The residence overlooks a large, walled-in garden, hidden from public view in the palace's museum wing by frosted windows.

 

The entrance hall has intricate crown moulding and black-and-white tiling. The apartment features art and furnishings from the Royal Collection. The Duchess of Cambridge decorated the space with furniture from IKEA, with the interior featuring "warm beiges and floral pillows", gold trim upholstery, and detailed carpeting.

 

Apartments 8 & 9

Apartments 8 & 9 are two conjoined chambers situated on the northern-most section of the main palatial building. The apartment covers three storeys. During its use as a residence, the two-room nursery covered the entirety of the top floor. Other spaces included two reception rooms: a drawing room doubling as Diana's office, a sitting room with a television, and a formal dining room. In 1981, the apartments were combined to create a family home for Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales.

 

The residence had a helicopter pad, and many outdoor gardens, including one on the roof and a greenhouse where the family spent many hours. Diana decorated the residence in "bold patterns and lush fabrics", as well as floral wallpaper and a mix of modern and antique furniture, upholstered with golden laquer. From 1997, the apartments have been used as office space for various groups, charities, and staff.

 

Apartment 10

Apartment 10 is a residence situated in the north-east section of the palace, in the public gardens. The three-storey apartment holds five bedrooms and five reception rooms. Former tenant Princess Margaret described it as "the doll’s house".

 

Wren House

Named for architect Christopher Wren, Wren House residence is near a cluster of cottages on the grounds of the palace, located north of the main building. It has five bedrooms and five reception rooms. The cottage covers two storeys, and has been noted as one of the more modest residences within the palace. Wren House is said to have the "best view" of the palace's walled gardens.

 

Nottingham Cottage

Main article: Nottingham Cottage

Nottingham Cottage is a residence near a cluster of cottages on the grounds of the palace, located north of the main building. Described as a "cosy property", it contains two bedrooms, two reception rooms, and a small garden.

 

Ivy Cottage

Ivy Cottage is a residence near a cluster of cottages on the grounds of the palace, located north of the main building. The cottage holds three bedrooms. While in residence, Princess Eugenie was reported to have renovated the residence and "brightened the cottage up with lots of pops of colour" and various art pieces.

 

Old Stables

The Old Stables is a residence near a cluster of cottages on the grounds of the palace, located north of the main building.[67] During Sir Alan Lascelles' occupation, it was described as "lavishly decorated". During the residence of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, the house was decorated with "old wooden furniture" and "bright turquoise walls".

 

King's Kitchen Cottages and the Upper Lodge

The King's Kitchen Cottages and Upper Lodge make up staff residences.

 

Chapel

The Kensington Palace Chapel was built in the 1830s, used for private family services and occasions. Described as the "heart" of the palace, it was converted into residential space before being restored as a chapel by a conservation company in 2002. The space is approximately 9 meters long, including a "variety of antique features" and oak wall panelling. Renaissance era art pieces from the Royal Collection adorn the room, alongside a 19th-century brass hung chandelier. Family events that have taken place at the chapel include the 2004 wedding of Lady Davina Windsor, and the 2015 christening of Isabella Windsor, daughter of Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Frederick Windsor,.

 

As a tourist attraction/other uses

By the end of the 19th century, the State Rooms were severely neglected. The brickwork was decaying and the woodwork was infested with dry rot. Calls were made for the palace to be demolished, but Queen Victoria declared that "while she lived, the palace in which she was born should not be destroyed". In 1897, Parliament was persuaded to pay for the restoration which was completed two years later. The State Rooms were opened to the public on the Queen's birthday, 24 May 1899. This began the palace's dual role as a private home to royalty and a public museum.

 

Queen Mary was instrumental in opening the State Apartments as a temporary location for the London Museum, now known as the Museum of London, from 1911 to 1914. The State Apartments were filled with showcases, some containing hundreds of objects including 18th-century costumes and dresses worn by Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary. The museum returned from 1950 to 1976 before it moved to its next home on London Wall.

 

In 1989 care for the Kensington Palace State Rooms was contracted out to Historic Royal Palaces Agency, a non-departmental public body, on behalf of the Department of the Environment. Historic Royal Palaces Agency became an independent charity in 1998 called Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), which is dependent on charitable giving for management of the site. Under HRP the Kensington Palace State Rooms underwent a two-year, £12 million renovation, underwritten with contributions from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as other public and private donations. New uniforms for staff were designed by Stuart Stockdale at Jaeger.

 

The re-opening of the palace occurred in time for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. Visitors now can choose four different routes throughout the palace that offer exhibits incorporating cutting-edge digital presentations, interactive experiences, and audio sequences that bring to life the gatherings of gowns, antique furniture, and other memorabilia of notable residents of the palace. These include William and Mary in the Queen's State Apartments, the court of George I and II in the King's State Apartments, and the life of Queen Victoria in the rooms most associated with her.

 

The fourth exhibit displays selections of Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe in the 1950s, Princess Margaret from the 1960 and 70s and Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1980s during their fashion heyday. The grounds of the palace were renovated with enhancements including eliminating railings, fences, and shrubs that had undermined royal gardener Charles Bridgeman's original landscaping. Two new public gardens to the south and east of the palace were installed that connect the property to Kensington Gardens.

 

The nearest tube stations are Queensway, Bayswater, High Street Kensington, or (slightly farther) Gloucester Road.

 

In October 2011, Disney, in cooperation with Historic Royal Palaces, hosted "Rapunzel's Royal Celebration" at Kensington Palace, a special event in which Rapunzel (Tangled) was inducted as the tenth official Disney Princess and crowned. All nine existing Princesses attended – Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Jasmine (Aladdin), Pocahontas, Mulan and Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) – arriving by carriage in a procession that passed through Hyde Park. Other Disney characters who attended were the Fairy Godmother and Flynn Rider, who crowned Rapunzel. An estimated 10,000 people watched the procession, and over 100 girls from 25 countries attended the ceremony inside the palace. It was the second Disney Princess induction/coronation to take place outside the Disney Parks and Resorts, and the first to take place outside the United States.

 

Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Park, in western central London known as the West End. The gardens cover an area of 107 hectares (265 acres). The open spaces of Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James's Park together form an almost continuous "green lung" in the heart of London. Kensington Gardens are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

 

Background and location

Kensington Gardens are generally regarded as being the western extent of the neighbouring Hyde Park from which they were originally taken, with West Carriage Drive (The Ring) and the Serpentine Bridge forming the boundary between them. The Gardens are fenced and more formal than Hyde Park. Kensington Gardens are open only during the hours of daylight, whereas Hyde Park is open from 5 am until midnight all year round.

 

Kensington Gardens has been long regarded as "smart" because of its more private character around Kensington Palace. However, in the late 19th century, Hyde Park was considered more "fashionable", because of its location nearer to Park Lane and Knightsbridge.

 

History

Kensington Gardens was originally the western section of Hyde Park, which had been created by Henry VIII in 1536 to use as a hunting ground. Beginning under Queen Anne, it was designed by Henry Wise and Charles Bridgeman in order to form a landscape garden, with fashionable features including the Round Pond, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden. It was separated from the remainder of Hyde Park in 1728 at the request of Queen Caroline.

 

Bridgeman created the Serpentine between 1726 and 1731 by damming the eastern outflow of the River Westbourne from Hyde Park. The part of the Serpentine that lies within Kensington Gardens is known as "The Long Water". At its north-western end (originally the inflow of the River Westbourne), in an area known as "The Italian Garden", there are four fountains and a number of classical sculptures. At the foot of the Italian Gardens is a parish boundary marker, delineating the boundary between Paddington and St George Hanover Square parishes, on the exact centre of the Westbourne river. Kensington Gardens were opened to the public in 1841.

 

Buildings and monuments

The land surrounding Kensington Gardens was predominantly rural and remained largely undeveloped until the Great Exhibition in 1851. Many of the original features survive along with the Palace, and there are other public buildings such as the Albert Memorial (at the south-east corner of Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall), Queen Caroline's Temple, the Serpentine Gallery, and Speke's monument. Queen Victoria had commissioned the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial during a series of improvements.

 

Another feature is the bronze statue of Peter Pan by George Frampton standing on a pedestal covered with climbing squirrels, rabbits and mice. It is also home to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and a seven-mile Memorial Walk. A statue of Queen Victoria sculpted by her daughter, Princess Louise, to celebrate 50 years of her mother's rule stands outside Kensington Palace. The park also contains the Elfin Oak, an elaborately carved 900-year-old tree stump.

 

In popular culture

In his 1722 poem Kensington Garden, Thomas Tickell depicted the area as inhabited by fairies.

 

The park is the setting of J. M. Barrie's book Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, a prelude to the character's famous adventures in Neverland. Both the book and the character are honoured with the Peter Pan statue by George Frampton located in the park.

 

Rodrigo Fresán's novel Kensington Gardens concerns in part the life of J. M. Barrie and of his creation Peter Pan, and their relationship with the park, as well as the narrator's own.

 

The opening scene of Wilkie Collins’s story "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost" (1887) takes place in Kensington Gardens – the section that "remains nearest to the old Palace of Kensington."

 

The Infocom interactive fiction game Trinity begins in the Kensington Gardens. The player can walk around many sections of the gardens, which are described in moderate detail.

In 1954 an Italian consortium developed the large Saiccor industrial cellulose plant beside the river a short distance inland from the town. Many Italian immigrants and workers, mostly from the region of Friuli in Northeast Italy, followed suit, and the result is that Umkomaas probably had the largest Italian community relative to its total population of any town in Southern Africa.

 

Saiccor has for some time been a controversial plant. It was purchased by international pulp and paper giant Sappi in 1988, and while it continues to provide jobs for about 1200 workers, and a livelihood for their dependents, concerns were raised as early as the 1990s over Saiccor's adverse effect on asthmatic children at the nearby Umkomaas Drift School. In 1999 Saiccor paid for the relocation of the school.

 

Additionally, a large amount of effluent is pumped out to sea, and major extensions of this effluent pipe were carried out in 1987 and 1999, though Saiccor maintained for many years that the effluent was largely harmless. A well-known act was when Saiccor chief executive was challenged to drink a glass of effluent at a company function.

 

Saiccor is today the world's largest producer of chemical cellulose, and employs about 1200 people directly and about 20 000 indirectly, its pulp being used largely for products such as viscose, acetate and cellophane. In 2012 the company said almost half its staff came from Umkomaas, Magabeni, Craigieburn, Roseneath and Widenham.[3]

 

The manufacture of over 1 billion components annually for the packaging industry and furniture assembly are also carried out in the area. Additional infrastructure includes the roads and railways built by and for Saiccor's operations, together with a stretch of Spoornet-owned coastal track, on which Saiccor to this day maintains and operates classic steam engines.

 

There are some eucalyptus and wattle plantations on higher inland ground in the general area, many of which were established for Saiccor. But most of the farming done around Umkomaas is for sugar cane and these fields are a noticeable landscape feature.

Blended photos of Damien Hirst's "The Asthmatic Escaped II, 1992, as seen at the Hirshhorn Museum.

Early 70s I worked at Burlingtons Taj Mahal Colaba ,,

Due to bad luck I lost my job In unavoidable circumstances and I was caught in a vortex of a situation that was bought about by a few evil colleagues at work..

I was very young this was my third job of my life I could not stick to a job I was hot tempered violent ..

However once I lost my job I started searching for another one I was doing morning college too..

I got a call from a boutique at Sheratons Maharajah ,,the owner called me to her palatial house at Breach Candy for an interview I spoke French bit of German..I was offered the job but sh wanted a testimonial from my ex boss..I did not have one ..

I told her I would try to get it ,,when I came to my area Strand Cinema my best friend a Pathan Fazal Khan worked as a manager of the canteen that belonged to Jimmy Irani of Paradise Colaba ..I told him my problem he made me sit in a cab and took me to Bhahauddin Shah Babas Dargah a famous Sufi Saint at Marine Lines .

Coming from a Shia background I told him I will stand outside the Tomb on the porch and will invoke the Saint to get me a job at Sheraton,,,and also hoped that my boss Mrs Gupta would give me a positive character certificate .

The next day I came to Burlingtons Taj where I had worked and left, for my certificate the manager told me to meet Mrs Gupta at Anjali building our main office as I stepped out I met Mrs Gupta we were all scared of her I told her that I was getting a job at Sheraton and needed the certificate from her .

She said to meet her at the office I walked out towards Radio Club and I heard footsteps following me I turned back ,,it was Mrs Gupta she accosted me and asked me why had I left the job I was in Lucknow with my mother when a few sales staff was caught by our manager Mike Kriplani they were handed over to the cops and one of them to save his skin gave my name .

I told her it was this fear of being arrested that made me leave the job .she knew my Dad Mohomed Shakir she told me to come with him next morning to the office and she spoke privately to my dad and re appointed me back to work with them.

So Fazal took me to the Dargah of Bahauddin Shah Baba I entered inside offered a floral tribute and thanked the Holy Saint for getting back my honor and my job.

I visited the dargah for a few months but than I stopped going completely ..

As i got married and in 1980 left for Muscat .

This was my first encounter with Sufism..

But I had no issue I came from a Shia background my mother started taking me to Hazrat Abbas Dargah at Dongri ,

Later about 18 years back when I took up photography to get rid of my alcoholic dependence I started shooting Shiasm at Imamwada I met a few friends and thus began my Shia documentary ,,

I also met my Hindu Gurus of photography began shooting Hinduism than shot my first Kumbh Mela 2003 Nasikh.

My Naga Guru was a teacher in Mangalore before he renounced the world an Islamic scholar so I became his student and thanks to him shot Maha Kumbh Allahabad Nasik Kumbh Ujjain Kumbh ,

My photography one day pulled me to Dargah of Makhdhoom Shah baba my friends Fahad Pathan and Sakib introduced me to the Rifais I decided to document the Rifai and I met the Murshad Late Sikandar Wali Baba I shot several dargahs and than shot Haji Malang .

I met Peersab Fakhru Miya of Hujra no 6 Ajmer in 2004 at Juhu Mumbai a hardcore lover of Hussain we got along he invited me to Ajmer Sharif in 2005 I began documenting the Chishtiya Silsila I shot for 12 years .

I stayed at Peersabs house and shot the Urus of Garib Nawaz I tried never to miss it as Garib Nawaz was the greatest follower of Imam Hussain.. Shah Ast Hussain.

I also shot Nizamuddin Aulia Dewa Sharif Mira Datar Bu Shah Qalandar .

In 2005 I began shooting the Dam Madar Malangs their head Syed Masoom Ali Baba Madari Asqan and Syed Rafik Ali Baba .

In 2011 I decided to document the Malangs seriously along with a Belgian photographer friend we both joined the Order and these Malangs of Ali accepted us we both again went to Makanpur spiritual seat of the Masdariyya Order in 2013 .

I shot the Maha Kumbh Allahabad in 2013 ..

A lot of my foreigner photographer friends started joining me to shoot the Malngs at Makanpur .

In 2017 while at Makanpur Syed Masoom Ali Baba and Syed Rafik Ali Baba gave me the Khilafatnama I wantedto politely refuse as I am not that spiritual ..but accepted it .

My foreigner friends walked to Ajmer from Delhi this year I decided to walk too documenting this pilgrimage and the Chishtiya trek from Dargah of Ma Sahiba mother of Nizamuddin Aulia .

I am now going to join the Qalandaris for the next pilgrimage walking from Bu Shah Qalandar Panipat to Ajmer ..I want to document the Sufi Qalandari Order at the same I am preparing for the Ardh Kumbh in Allahabad 2019 .

I also began documenting the Naga Sadhus Tantrics Hijra Shamans of Khamakhya I have shot this Tantric spot in Assam for last two years .

The other documentary is the relationship of Hijras with Sufi Saints and Sufi Dargah this is disabled from public view ..but it has the blessings of Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.

As a Muslim living in India my roots my cultural inheritance is bound to Mother India ..I was lucky that God chose India as my birthplace and housed me in the best womb.. I am the refection of my Mothers views thoughts my parents were Shia Muslims conservative but modern in their outlook..they did not pigeon hole us at all.. they gave us spiritual freedom we never misused it ..

Today my brothers sister are the fruits branches of our parental heritage .

We never ever needed to call a Hindu a Kafir as we were bought up by a Hindu maid elderly and we called her Aiee Mother my mother was an asthmatic so Aiee took care of us ,, and today I have no issue with any ones religion or faith ,,,and this is the beauty of India of living in Peace and I found this spirit only in Mumbai My Dharma My Karma ,, My Karbala too ...metaphorically poetically holding my soul.

Read me only as a Photographer and a Street Poet of Sorts.

The photo is of a Sufi Monk who has been my friend since I met him in Ajmer I never asked his name ,,

But like Syed Rafik Baba my Murshad he too calls me Maulaiee follower of Ali .

The footage is of swifts. Swifts can circle in loose groups of 6 to 12 from far greater gymnastic numbers. They seem to 'enjoy' finding and filling 'space' and getting the circumference of their thrill to be as close to walls and buildings as possible. The footage was taken from a top window with the sky as a backdrop.

 

The lens test was for a Jupiter 21M, which is a heavy 200mm f4 with 8 blades. Not much chance for flare or bokeh, and the sharpness of the lens is difficult to discern - so not much of a lens test, but fun to film the birds in motion and an exploration into ways of creating tone.

 

The music is a live studio version of the last track of the 2017 LP 'Planetarium', and the track is called Mercury. A relatively long LP of both allegory and description, 'Planetarium' explores the subject of the solar system and space via their reality and myths. Long passages aim to place the subjects - be they the sun, the planets or asteroids - in a musical representation of void - silence - eternity and the absolute, making dynamic peaks like 'Earth', and 'Jupiter' wait for their moment.

 

The record was described as "Flabby, indecisive and long winded" by the critic Anthony Fantano, and it is true that if you change just four words, Fantano's review does capture the creative energy of the project. 'Pitchfork' described the LP as "difficult to get close to" - again a good review source but seeming to miss the creative range that comes with Sufjan Stevens; whose work is either intimate in reflection and narrative (Carrie & Lowell, Michigan, Seven Swans, Illinois) or set at a certain distance for a wider viewpoint of either the urban or 'elemental' (BQE, 'Age of Adz' and to an extent "Beak and Claw" and "All delighted people"). The 'Planetarium' project has both the distance of BQE and Adz' and the intimacy of 'Seven Swans', and that may be the problem that some reviewers have - the need to adjust mindset as you pass between its musical subjects?

 

'Planetarium was a collaboration project between Sufjan Stevens and the classical 'bridge' composer Nico Muhly (the project's original commissioned head). The viola on this recording is by the excellent Nadia Sirota who worked with Muhly prior to the Planetarium project. The guitar is from the composer Bryce Dresner (vivid hints of Steve Reich) and (outside of this live version), the percussion is by Sufjan's long term drummer James McAlister. Whilst most releases are through Asthmatic Kitty, the Planetarium project was released via 4AD on ASIN: B06XWVDRXN.

 

The original live music is from an NPR field recording and can be seen here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG8wLT8SFiw

 

AJM 8.10.19

 

Press play and then 'L' and even f11. Escape and f11 a second time to return.

  

Day 66

 

Named after the lyrics of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

 

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

 

I am in an AP photography class this year and for my final portfolio I need to hand in a series of images with a common theme. I was talking about this with my photography teacher a few months ago and he suggested that I do a series of self portraits that represent my health and what it feels like to be sick. It had honestly never occurred to me that other people wanted to know more so I was intrigued, and I created this photo that night from some pictures that I had never edited.

 

Some of you who know me already know this, but I know that most of you don't so I will fill you in:

 

I am diagnosed as a severe chronic asthmatic, but I have gone through a multitude of tests throughout my life trying to find an answer that makes sense to explain the difficulties I have with my breathing. Every four weeks I go to the hospital and have a tube inserted into my a port-a-cath in my side to go through methylprednisone treatments for three days, as well as taking many harsh medications on a daily basis. This photo was taken in July, when I was hospitalized because my "asthma" has been steadily getting worse for a while now and it got to the point where I couldn't control it at home. No one knows why I sometimes have flare-ups like that, but I do.

 

I don't let my health define me. I would hate to be seen as someone who takes advantage of their "excuse" or "reason" to get out of working. I have a part-time job, I try to never stay home from school, and I have pursued my love for photography with every spare second that I have.

 

The reason I waited so long to post this photo is because I want to be seen the way I always have been: as the girl who takes pictures. I don't want to be seen as "the sick kid". I pour all my energy into my friends and my family and my photography, and I don't want my accomplishments to be overshadowed by something that I can't control.

 

This is a part of me, and that's why it's important to share this as a photo in my self portrait project, but it doesn't define who I am.

 

I am defined by the things that I accomplish with the life that I was given, and I try to do the best that I can under the circumstances.

 

I think I'll let the photo speak for itself now.

 

:)

Dutch postcard by SYBA, no. 6.

 

Rob de Nijs (1942) is a popular Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. His hits include 'Ritme van de regen' (1963), 'Dag Zuster Ursula' (1973) and the no. 1 hit 'Banger hart' (1996). He was also the star of Kunt u mij de weg naar Hamelen vertellen, mijnheer? (1972-1976), a legendary and beloved Dutch TV series. In 2019, De Nijs announced he was diagnosed Parkinson's disease, but as long as possible he wants to continue performing. A new album is expected this year.

 

Robert de Nijs was born in 1942 in Amsterdam. as the son of a driving school owner. When he was six years old, he went to the open air school in Oosterpark because of his asthmatic bronchitis. When he was eight years old, he received his first accordion lessons. Through Bob Bouber, director of the cabaret school which De Nijs attended, he got to know musicians Jan de Hont, Hans de Hont, Roel Vredeveld and Henny van Pinxteren in May 1960. They were looking for a singer with their band The Apron Strings. The band was renamed Robby and The Apron Strings. Soon the group played as the supporting act of Peter Kraus in the Doelenzaal. Then Bert de Nijs, Rob's younger brother, joined the band as an additional guitarist. In October 1960, they achieved first place in a Polydor talent show. In 1962 the band broke up. The 19 years-old Rob and his brother Bert got out of the band and started Rob de Nijs and the Lords. They won a talent-contest and the first prize was a record contract. The first two singles, 'De liefste die ik ken' (The sweetest I know) and 'Jenny' flopped, but the song 'Ritme van de Regen' (Rhythm of the Rain) from 1963 became a big hit of which almost 100,000 copies were sold. In 1963 he participated in the song festival in Knokke. Between 1964 and 1965, Rob was the leading man in the tv show 'TV magazine'. In addition to the Lords, he was assisted in this by Trea Dobbs, Ria Valk and Marijke Merckens. In 1965, De Nijs split from The Lords because they signed their own record-deal at another label. He embarked on a joint circus-tour with pop singer Johnny Lion. By 1967, De Nijs was a free agent; he performed at small venues and worked as a bartender for a living. His attempts to keep up with the zeitgeist, including 'Bye Bye Mrs. Turple', failed. He only made the headlines by marrying his girlfriend Elly in 1968. In 1969 De Nijs took part in the Dutch heat of the Eurovision Song Contest. Through appearances in musicals like 'Sajjuns Fiksjen' and later 'Salvation' (1970), he landed himself the role of Bello Billy Biggelaar in the popular children's TV-series Oebele (Bram van Erkel, 1969-1972) with Willem Nijholt and Wieteke van Dort. This was followed in 1972 by the TV series Kunt u mij de weg naar Hamelen vertellen, mijnheer?/Can you tell me the way to Hamelin, sir? (Tineke Roeffen a.o., 1972-1976) in which he played Bertram Bierenbroodspot. The series has become one of the most beloved and legendary series of Dutch television. Singer Boudewijn de Groot and songwriter Lennaert Nijgh helped De Nijs relaunch his singing career; in 1973 he was back in the charts with 'Jan Klaassen de Trompetter' (Jan Klaassen the Trumpeter) and 'Dag Zuster Ursula' (Bye bye Sister Ursula). The hits continued through 1975-1976, notably 'Malle Babbe' and 'Zet een Kaars voor Je Raam' (a Dutch translation by Lennaert Nijgh of David McWilliams's 'Can I Get There by Candlelight?'). In 1977 De Nijs released 'Tussen Zomer en Winter', a concept-album chronicling the change from a hot summer's day to a cold winter's night and featuring translations of Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' and The Beach Boys' 'Disney Girls' (1957).

 

In 1980 Rob de Nijs released 'Met Je Ogen Dicht' (Eyes Wide Shut) which included the top 10-hit 'Zondag' and became the country's best-selling album of the year. He met Belinda Meuldijk who gave up her own singing and acting career to become his chief-songwriter and his second wife. They married in 1984. The first efforts of their collaboration were collected in 1981 on the album 'De Regen Voorbij' (Past The Rain), a reference to his artistic growth. In 1985 De Nijs had a Christmas #2-hit with the peace-anthem 'Alles Wat Ademt'. The English version, 'Let Love Be The Answer', would also be recorded by US-exile singer Joe Bourne for his 'Bourne in Holland'-album of translated covers. In 1986 De Nijs released an album of covers from the 1950s/1960s-era; it included his version of 'Living Doll' shortly after the Comic Relief-remake topped the charts. In 1987 he celebrated his silver jubilee; he re-recorded 'Ritme van de Regen' for a Best Of-album and made a guest-appearance in television-series 'De Band' as himself. In 1989 De Nijs released 'De Reiziger' (Travelling Man) featuring the bilingual duet 'Ik Hou Alleen Van Jou' (I only love you). At the end of the year he wore his Bertram Bierenbroodspot-outfit again for a reunion with the leading-actors of Hamelen. In 1990 'Stranger In Your Land' was released, his first album of English originals plus translations of 'Zonder Jou' (On My Own, 1981), a duet with Demis Roussos, 'Bo' (1983) and 'Toerist In Het Paradijs' (Tourist In Paradise, 1989) which became the title-track. In 1992, De Nijs appeared as a judge during the finale of the 'Kinderen voor Kinderen' (Children for Children) festival. In 1996 De Nijs scored his first #1-hit with a remix of 'Banger Hart'.

 

Rob de Nijs entered the first decade of the 21st century with a knighthood and released albums with translations of meaningful Christmas-songs and French chansons, including 'This Melody' for which Julien Clerc was flown in to sing the French parts. Meanwhile, he separated from Meuldijk after twenty years; he married for the third time with Henriëtte Koetschruiter, and became a father again. De Nijs was 70 when he welcomed his third son Julius. He has also two sons with Belinda Meuldijk, Robbert Roman de Nijs (1983) and Yoshi Christopher de Nijs (1986). In 2010 De Nijs released the back-to-basics-album 'Eindelijk Vrij' (Free At Last) which he recorded in the US. In 2012 he embarked on his 50th anniversary tour. In 2014 De Nijs released an album called 'Nieuwe Ruimte' with contributions from well-known songwriters as Jan Rot, Boudewijn de Groot and Daniel Lohues; the latter two reprising their earlier collaborations. In 2016 De Nijs was honoured with the Radio 5 Oeuvre Award and a tribute-concert. In 2017 De Nijs released 'Niet voor het laatst'; on this album he collaborated with Meuldijk again and sang a duet with his son Robbert. In September 2019, De Nijs announced his retirement from performing after being diagnosed Parkinson's disease. A farewell-tour and a new album are scheduled for 2020.

 

Sources: Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

 

More, more, more? Take a look at our postcard albums Vintage Pop Stars, French Pop Stars, British Pop Stars, and American Pop Stars!

The headstocks of the abandoned salt mines at Solotvyno in south west Ukraine, located hard on the border with Romania (the wooded hills in the background). Due to heavy subsidence and sink holes swallowing up buildings, the result of flooding and underground salt erosion, the Government reluctantly took the decision in March 2013 to call it a day there. Salt mining has been carried out in the Solotvyno area since the Middle Ages and the mines, once considered to be among the richest producing salt mines in Europe, had also been exploited to offer speleotherapy treatment, 300 metres below ground in separate caverns, for patients suffering from asthmatic and other respiratory problems. The unique micro-climate of the mines had been believed to have been beneficial to sufferers of such illnesses. The once-thriving local economy, with many mansion-style houses having been constructed in recent years, possibly on the back of this 'medical services sideline', appeared to be suffering significantly from this sudden closure.

 

This is what the dream for the town was all about:

 

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4575388.stm

 

Copyright Gordon Edgar - All rights reserved. Please do not use any of these images without my explicit permission

#Top10 Reasons Why I Love #EssentialOils (And You Should, Too!)

 

Essential oils have a long history of being number one when it comes to health, home, and happiness. No matter what the problem is that you are trying to solve, there is likely an EO that can help you rid yourself of the issue. Here is my own little list.

 

My top 10 list of why I love essential oils, and why you should too (as if you need any more reasons).

 

1. Feeling Alert and Awake

 

Some essential oils, such as peppermint have been shown to add a little spring in your step. It can make you feel more alert.

  

2. Cleaning and Disinfecting

 

Another reason why I love essential oils is, they are great not only for cleaning but, disinfecting our homes. The oils from lemons and the tea tree are perfect for doing just that.

  

3. Better Massages

 

Using just a few drops of an essential oil blend such as Young lIving's Peace and Calming in your favorite massage oil will greatly enhance your relaxation.

 

For your safety and the safety of your kids, it is important not to exceed:

  

Adults: 1% concentration (1 drop per teaspoon of massage or carrier oil)

Infants: .25% concentration

Children 6 months. - 2 yrs: .5% concentration

Children 2 yrs & older: 1% concentration

  

4. Soothing to the Mind and Soul

 

One of the ingredients in Peace and Calming is Roman chamomile. For centuries, chamomile has been used to help induce relaxation. "Ancient Romans used the oil for mental clarity and courage during war." This miniature daisy-like bushy plant is also great for mental clarity and spiritual awareness.

  

5. Easing Pain

 

Lavender is what got me into EOs in the first place. Adding just a couple of drops of lavender essential oil to a hot Epsom salt bath will soothe those achy muscles and painful joints. Like the Roman chamomile, lavender is supercalifragelisticexpialidocious for relaxing, too. Just this tip alone is why I adore essential oils so much.

  

6. Deodorizing

 

I love essential oils, but I adore patchouli. If you recall an article I wrote a few weeks back, I wrote about the awesomeness of patchouli essential oil. I love it so much that I even put up a video up on my YouTube channel.

 

Anywho, in both the video and the article, I said that patchouli has been used for centuries in perfumes for deodorizing. The hippie culture used it for this and to rebel against "the man," by bringing them and the scents around them closer to the earth, instead of conformity.

  

7. Unstuffs the Stuffiest Noses

 

I love essential oils that can decongest me during the long, cold, and wet winters in Pennsylvania. Peppermint and Eucalyptus (Blue, Radiata, Globulus, or any other variety) do a phenomenal job of clearing up my sinuses.

 

I like to put a couple of drops of eucalyptus and peppermint on a wet washcloth and hang it on a hook on my shower caddy out of the way of the water. The heat of the steamy shower wafts the mentholated goodness through the shower to break up any congestion I may have.

 

As an asthmatic with plenty of breathable allergies, these are oils I always make sure to have on hand in my arsenal.

  

8. Adding A Boost of Flavor to Cooking

 

I did not discover that using plant essences in cooking could kick up my recipes more than just a single notch until recently. I love using essential oils like black pepper or basil in recipes, frequently. I dip a clean toothpick into the EO of my choice

 

I use the toothpick method.I dip a clean toothpick into the EO of my choice

 

First, I dip a clean toothpick into the EO of my choice. Then I stir the toothpick into whatever it is that I'm cooking. It is mind-blowing that it only takes that little bit to add so much flavor.

 

Try this recipe for Gluten-Free Yogurt Waffles with Lemon-Lavender from Young Living.

 

What are your favorite essential oils to cook with?

  

9. Versatility

 

Whatever ails you, or is causing you strife, there is not just an app for that, there's probably an oil or an oil blend, too. The first blend that comes to mind is Young Living's Thieve's blend. Their special blend of clove, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary is inspired by a 15th-century legend. Learn a bit more about Thieve's with this fantastic infographic from Young Living.

  

10. Customize Your Bath & Body Care, DIY

 

I totally dig homemade bath and body products, which is why I made it my lifestyle and my profession, When you make your own stuff, you can make it all that you need it to be. With the right ingredients, know-how and the power of essential oils, the beneficial qualities you can imbue into your DIY bath and body stuff is nearly endless.

 

I take my laziness seriously, so dry shampoo is crucial in my hair care repertoire. I found this great video tutorial from Young Living a great way to learn how to make my own. Give it a try for yourself.

  

There are so many ways to use essential oils in and out of the home. I use them at every possible turn. I love essential oils, and I hope you get to try some of my favorite reasons.

 

Do you have favorite ways to use essential oils? Tell me about it by leaving a comment below. I love hearing from you.

 

Love it? Follow my blog, and share my articles! nikisessentials.com/10-reasons-why-i-love-essential-oils-...

 

Yoga and Ayurveda are two closely related sacred sciences in the Vedic tradition of India. Now if I don’t write about wonder Herbs for obesity, it means, depriving my readers, from the very valuable things of our Ayurveda. Studies have shown that incorporating Herbal spice in our diet has a lots of health benefits.

1. Garlic: Garlic is a phytonutrient that contain allicin which produced by the enzyme alliance in garlic. It significantly lower cholesterols, reduces blood clotting in the arteries, helps in prevention of heart attack and also enhance immunity and wards of bacterial and fugal infections.

Dosage: Daily taking one or two cloves of garlic is considered adequate.

2. Onion: It is antioxidant and regulates blood sugar and cholesterol level. And very good for treatment of cholera and diarrhea.

Dosage: Daily dosage of 100 gms of fresh onion is consider adequate.

3. Fenu Greek (Meethi): Is good for asthmatic conditions, diabetes and in promotion of lactation in nursing mothers. It also prevents inflammation that can cause ulcers and heart disease.

Dosage: Use one gram of ground fenugreek soaked in water and drink once in a day.

4. Ginger: It suppresses severity of pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Dosage: Two grams of ginger juice or ginger powder is sufficient, to relieve arthritis pain.

5. Green tea: Green tea regulates blood sugar levels and fights mental fatigue. It also shields against Breast Cancer.

Dosage: A cup of green tea has about 40 grams of caffeine. It should be consumed without milk and sugar.

6. Turmeric: It is an antioxidant and anti inflammatory agent. It helps to treat cold, sore throats, fever, acne, and kidney and liver troubles.

Dosage: One half small spoon of turmeric powder daily between the meals. To know more visit www.yogagurusuneelsingh.com Pic By Addy

from an asthmatic kitty press release. for use on my blog.

My lil sis & me smoking it up. You would never guess from this pic that my lil sister Francesca is the worst asthmatic you'll ever meet! love ya sis.. x

Este proyecto parte como solución a la cuarentena que estamos sufriendo, al tener Asma me veo totalmente forzado a trabajar dentro de casa. Siendo hiperactivo es una especie de condena. Siempre me gustó la idea de mezclar la fotografía con las diferentes artes. Lo que buscaba era lograr algo tridimensional en una bi-dimension y sugerir esa mirada microscópica o totalmente contraría, un escape al encierro, una cura a la cuarentena, al virus y a mí. Un escape abstracto al encierro mental…

Para ver más:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

  

This proyect born as an answer to the quarantine, as an Asthmatic I'm really worried and forced to be inside home. I'm hiperactive too so been in this situation is a kind of confinement.

I always liked the idea of mix photography with diferents kind of visual arts. What I wanted was to get something tridimesional in a 2d image and sugest something microscopic or totally opossed like an abstract scape to the mental closure.

  

If you want to see more:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

(psst! me and some artists vastly superior to me have been posting comics and doodles on Asthmatic Kitty Record's sidebar!)

 

total dog poo brownie pan on the corner...blegh!

Este proyecto parte como solución a la cuarentena que estamos sufriendo, al tener Asma me veo totalmente forzado a trabajar dentro de casa. Siendo hiperactivo es una especie de condena. Siempre me gustó la idea de mezclar la fotografía con las diferentes artes. Lo que buscaba era lograr algo tridimensional en una bi-dimension y sugerir esa mirada microscópica o totalmente contraría, un escape al encierro, una cura a la cuarentena, al virus y a mí. Un escape abstracto al encierro mental…

Para ver más:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

 

This proyect born as an answer to the quarantine, as an Asthmatic I'm really worried and forced to be inside home. I'm hiperactive too so been in this situation is a kind of confinement.

I always liked the idea of mix photography with diferents kind of visual arts. What I wanted was to get something tridimesional in a 2d image and sugest something microscopic or totally opossed like an abstract scape to the mental closure.

 

If you want to see more:

linktr.ee/DavidMedinaKaiser

Ad for Asthmatic Kitty Records! for a super special deal for Canadian folk! Americans with hungry ears can still cash and carry the lovely new albums but with no fancy freebies (Canada also has milk in bags! And coins called loonies! And I'm assuming all the maple syrup you slurp...)