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Had to attend a meeting in Daventry today, on the way home I decided to visit a random church, I chose this one purely because I spotted it from across the fields. It has a strange collection of bits and bobs (worth a Google), the chancel was just boarded up! you could still get there, just via another door. There was an amazing oak effigy in there of Sir Thomas le Latymer. Met a lovely lady in there who was on flower duty. Amongst other things she told me a few Braybrooke facts, one was that the wooden effigy is a place of pilgrimage!! Then she told me how they used to do total submersion baptisms in the River Jordan (just outside the church) Then she went on to mention the tale that featured Braybrooke Castle (also just over the road) and a ghost called Isabelle!! I had a quick Google and found this:
In England during the fifteenth century (those were troubled times), there was a civil war in progress (The war of the Roses). After which, Edward IV needed and was grateful for any support which he could muster from the Barons. Such a person was John, Lord Seagrave and he stood tall in the King's favour. When Lord Seagrave passed through a town or a village he was cheered by the Yorkist followers and spurned by the Lancastrians.Burton and Barton were Yorkist places, this was because no one dare cross the powerful Lord Seagrave. The two villages Gave him a huge welcome on his return from the wars tributes of huge feasts and arches of white roses (the symbol of the Yorkists)to honour his triumph.
One man who did not take part in the war was Lord Latimer of Braybrook, for he stayed at his home which was the castle at Braybrook peacefully with his two children Isabel and Robert, his wife having died many years previously. Upon return from Cambridge for the vacation, Robert brought back a friend, Hugh Neville, and soon Hugh and Isabel were in love.
The Manor House at Burton was owned by Lord Latimer,and, whilst he was staying there with friends, Lord Seagraves entourage passed through Burton from London. With the Manor House facing the road along which the entourage was to pass, the lovers, Hugh and Isabel Stood under the white rose decorated porch, the beautiful Isabel stood amidst the decoration with an expectant look on her face.
The cheering grew ever louder as Lord Seagrave passed by the Manor House. Looking toward the group on the porch,he raised his hat.Isabel blushed because she know that John Seagrave was staring at her.The image of Isabel on the porch in all her beauty did not leave John Seagrave's mind that day and he could not forget her, this made him morose because he knew only too well that there would be a great deal of difficulty in arranging a union between himself and the beautiful Isabel.
Throwing caution to the wind, the following day he sent forth Sir Henry Clopton with a message for Lord Latimer. The message was an invitation to Lord Latimer to dine at Barton Castle. Should he accept, he would pehaps discuss the subject of a marriage between himself and Isabel. Lord Latimer gave his answer in no uncertain terms...He
would never accept the hospitality of Seagrave!
Lord Seagrave was seathing with anger upon hearing the response to his invitation and he was determined to gain his revenge upon Lord Latimer for such an insult. Lord Latimer himself became fearful of Isabel's kidnap as rumours spread of Lord Seagrave's great anger, and as a precaution, he returned to the castle at Braybrook and made sure that Isabel was accompanied every inch of the way.
Barton Seagrave had a huge, strong fortress surrounded by a deep moat and the surrounding countryside was wild and woody, a far cry from the Barton Seagrave of today. Due to his standing as a favorite of the King, The owner of the castle was in effect a law unto himself. A few weeks passed with no movement nor provocation on the part of Lord Seagrave and thus Latimer relaxed enough to perhaps brush aside all the speculation, perhaps he was being too cautious, perhaps he should afterall return to Burton Manor...upon consideration, he did.
Upon Latimer and Isabel's return, they settled back into Burton Manor, unfortunately, upon retiring to bed that first night, he heard screams coming from Isabel's bedroom...rushing to Isabel's quarters Hugh Neville found only an open window revealing the devastating scene of Isabel herself being kidnapped by a man on horseback.
Neville abandoned any caution he had and mounted his horse and persued them into the night. There was a storm that night and the rain was fierce and accompanied by the loud clapping of thunder...on and on he rode never quite catching them, he would only catch glimpses of them in the distance, until both Isabel and the unknown horseman dissapeared over the drawbridge and into the fortress at Barton Seagrave. Neville continued undaunted perhaps onward until he was brought from his horse by an arrow which was fired from one of the turrets striking him in the arm. He was rescued and brought back to Burton by the sad Lord Latimer and his son Robert.
The only person at that time with whom it should be said had any power over Seagrave
was that of the King, and Latimer spared no time in petitioning the King for the restoration of his precious daughter Isabel, but Seagrave was able to influence the King in such a way as to steer the King into not complying with Latimer's wishes. Latimer, failing this even resorted to trying to persuade neighbours into helping him in his plight,
but no one dared cross the powerful Lord Seagrave, this left poor Isabel at the mercy of
her captor.
During her captivity, Isabel was only fed bread and water and her health soon began to falter, luckily for her, the warder in charge of her was endowed with a little compassion and gave her a little extra food and somehow was able to allow her to communicate with her family, for he could not bear to see her in such a sorry state. After time, the warder realised that there was little or no hope for Isabel for he knew that there would be no chance for release for her and she could not survive living in such an awful place...his compassion for her grew such that he decided to help her escape the clutches of Lord Seagrave.
Choosing the right time, he waited for one particular night when Lord Seagrave had gone to the village of Pychley, the warder took hold of poor Isabel and carried her to the
drawbridge of the fortress and into the arms of Hugh Neville and her brother Robert.
after a joyful reunion they quickly whisked Isabelle onto the back of Robert's horse and
they rode with great haste toward the direction of Braybrook Castle hoping to use the
track leading through Kettering which crossed the river Ise. Upon approaching the ford at a place which now houses the A6 road which allows traffic to pass between Kettering
and Burton Latimer the waters being swollen after many days of torrential rain they
forged onward and urged their horses through the river.
Coming upon them rapidly was the dreaded figure of Lord Seagrave, they tried in vain to not be recognised, but to no avail...and Lord Seagrave met them half way across the ford. Lord Seagrave let loose his sword and with a fearsome blow slashed at Robert and killed him instantly. Hugh would not lose Isabel again...he would fight...the two men prepared to fight each other.
Isabel was so weak due to her captivity and was terrified...and in her panicked state fell from her horse into the swollen waters and was drowned before her beloved Hugh could save her. In desperation, Hugh began slashing at Lord Seagrave's horse and managed to dismount him, but Seagrave struck at Hugh and for a long time they fought in the mist and the darkness in the middle of the river. Hugh was still in a weakened state as his arm had not healed from the arrow which struck him from Seagrave's stronghold, Seagrave struck and slashed Neville's leg which sent him down into the waters where Seagrave ran him through with his sword...leaving his body to the mercy of the unforgiving waters which now enveloped and engulfed his lifeless form.
Enraged, Seagrave sped back to the castle, found the warden who had helped Isabel escape and had him hung, his body displayed upon the battlements and three other conspirers were buried within the walls of the castle, but Seagrave feared that Latimer might inform the King of his misdoings and have him punished, but alas, poor Lord Latimer, upon hearing of the events which had transpired died of a broken heart...
So The Legend Goes...
For three nights John Seagrave could not sleep, when at last he did, he was awoken to the sound of clashing helmets, the ghostly apparitions of Hugh and Robert stood pointing accusing fingers at him...then upon their vanishing, a hand was said to clasp a burning sword was thrust through the wall of his chamber, the light from this burning sword shed flickering light upon his ceiling illuminating the spectral head of the warder...The severed head let out a terrifying scream and dropped to the floor...
The sword Vanished and all was silence...
Still shaking, Seagrave then saw the ghostly figure of the beautiful Isabel who uttered the words " Oh Seagrave be warned, I shall appear before you at the ford, where I fell and drowned, If thou cross at night beware that death is approaching. When thou art dead I shall return to the ford every fortieth year, for the space of three hundred years. I shall come till thy castle is destroyed and grass covers thy halls. I come as a warning to repent thee of thy evil ways..." So saying, the apparition of Isabel dissapeared.
For some time, the rememberence of that grizzly night kept John Seagrave in check, but on one fated night upon returning from a caroose at Rockingham he approached Kettering. Upon crossing the river he remembered Isabel's curse. Surely enough, Isabel appeared, her shadowed ghostly figure spoke to Seagrave, uttering the words "Seagrave take heed" So shocked was John Seagrave from this point that he gave one half of his property to his son and the other to the church, then from that point he went into reclusion within a monastery.
Grass now grows where once stood the halls of Seagrave Castle and the three hundred year curse passed in 1771...
...Isabel walks the ford no more...
This page from a website developed by: gary catlin
A Bit of A Do 2023 at Pebmarsh produced the usual eclectic mix of bygones, vehicles, machinery and good cheer despite indifferent weekend weather.
Bit of a bonus for a Saturday, 60094 'Rugby Flyer' heads through Lee heading for Eastleigh Yard on a 6N93 working from Wilton. 13/9/2008
The broken bits of a CD-ROM that must have broken up in the drive. I was given a PC the other day, for parts. I took all the drives out and found that this one rattled. I opened it up expecting to find some small object loose in there that had been dropped in by accident. Instead, I found these pieces of a CD-ROM disk, shattered presumably by the centrifugal forces in the drive. It's a Philips 52x CD-RW drive.
This is me about sometime in Vienna surfing our computer while drinking whiskey, I might be a tad bit intoxicated why I have face paint, I don´t know but that wasn´t unusual at that time and space in life, the haircut is one of my fashionable own invention, not a lot of people copied it, although I actually stole it from those who by laws of follicle hair laws are missing hair on the top part of the head (common among human males above a certain age)
I am nor normally Crosseyed but I think I am just trying to look beautiful for the photographer (who is probably my wife at the time) I thought this picture was to pretty to hide for you so now I publish it here :)
Peace and Noise!
/ MushroomBrain the fashion model
Bit of snow on the distant Rochdale moors from Silver Lane pools Risley looking across the Eastern Arable fields .
This film is a bit different and more upbeat than my usual films. I generally prefer to keep my films simple to show wildlife in a natural way, but this one is in a different format. I think I had too much time on my hands today as I had a bit of a tumble in the garden yesterday and didn't manage to get out today except to feed the birds. No serious damage...only to my pride! A few bruised ribs and the imprint of my camera on my face (some would say an improvement!) leaving me with a mouth that means I will not be needing a collagen injection to plump my lips up any time soon! Anyway I hope this brings a smile to the faces of those that view it...even if smiling is a bit difficult for me at the moment:)
The remains of a statue on display to give some appreciation of the destruction the Cathedral suffered during the First World War.
In the song "Clare's Dragoons" about the famous Wild Geese is the line "The flags we conquered in that fray look lone in Ypres choir they say, we'll win them company today, or bravely die like Clare's Dragoons. This was a reference to the battle of Ramillies where the French were in complete disarray after an English attack. The Irish Brigade were sent in to act as a rearguard and allow the French to withdraw but they attacked with such ferocity that the lost battle was turned into a victory of sorts. That day the famous motto "Fág an bealach" was coined as the Irish speaking soldiers tried to get the panicked French to get out of the way and let them get at the English. For me the visit to this Cathedral was a must and I was not disappointed though the flags I would have wished to see are long gone. Nonetheless there were flags from Irish regiments only in the English army!
Wikipedia has a great account of the history of this beautiful, austere church. Construction started on the church in 1230, and was finished in 1370. There had previously been a Romanesque church in the area, dating from the 10th or 11th century.
The diocese was originally part of the Diocese of Thérouanne, which had been established in the 7th or 8th century. In 1553 Charles V besieged the city of Thérouanne, then a French enclave in the Holy Roman Empire, in revenge for a defeat by the French at Metz. After he captured the city he razed it. In 1557, as a result of the war damage to its see, the diocese was abolished. This led to a reform of sees at the Council of Trent, Council of Trent, and the bishopric of Thérouanne was split between the Diocese of Saint-Omer, the diocese of Boulogne and the Diocese of Ypres. With this, Saint Martin's Church was elevated to cathedral status, as it became the see of the new diocese.
In 1656 the secular and religious authorities of the then Spanish Netherlands destroyed the monument to Bishop Cornelius Jansen in St Martin's Cathedral - a symbolic act as part of the increasing persecution of Jansen's disciples, the Jansenists. As noted by Jonathan Israel [3] many of the Ypres citizens were angry and distressed at this demolition.
After the Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, Ypres was incorporated into the diocese of Ghent, and Saint Martin's lost its status as a cathedral. As with many former cathedrals (proto-cathedrals), it is often still referred to as a cathedral by locals.
It was heavily damaged during the First World War. Subsequently (1922–1930) the ruin was cleared and the church was entirely rebuilt following the original plans, although the tower was built with a higher spire than the original.
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I did a bit of exploring while heading home from Death Valley this past Thanksgiving weekend. The area around Panamint lake always intrigued me. Last year I took a quick look through the remnants of Ballarat. This time I made a left turn off Panamint Valley onto Indian Ranch road. The lake still had a bit of water left over from summer monsoons, and I noticed quite a bit of greenery around the back of the lake. It turned out to be a heavy Mesquite thicket. I thought it may be a good place to find some wildlife to photograph so I grabbed my D7000 and 80-400mm and headed out. First thing I noticed was a maze of narrow trails and very small hoof prints. I wondered through for 30 minutes and didn't see a thing. I was thinking, wild Pigs or maybe Goat.
It was getting kind or eerie seeing nothing around. As I was returning to my Jeep, I saw some irregular shapes up the canyon. Looking through my lens, I finally solved the secret of the trails, yep...Wild Donkey!
I was pretty excited, since I had never seen them in the wild before.
So, If you ever want to get some shots of Wild Burrow...head out to Panamint lake!
1725 apparently midway through its second refurbishment with Yorkshire Rider. The "YR" logo has been removed, and a new front panel appears to lack provision for fog and driving lamps.
Watch South Indian Tamil Actress Tamanna & Probash Hot Romance Story. bit.ly/2oo7OQy
www.flickr.com/photos/mallumasalavideos/albums/7215768151...
Women's Rugby World Cup: England win 'surreal' - Gary Street
England's 21-9 victory over Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup final felt "surreal" and a "bit like a dream", said head coach Gary Street.
Centre Emily Scarratt scored 16 points as England, who had lost the last three finals, won in Paris to claim the title for the first time since 1994.
"I still can't quite believe we're world champions," said England vice-captain Sarah Hunter.
"We're just so proud of everyone involved," added Street.
"We've been on a long journey but to have that trophy makes it worthwhile. It's a pretty amazing feeling."
Full-back Danielle Waterman scored a first-half try and Scarratt crossed late on as England won the tournament for only the second time, having beaten the United States in the 1994 final.
"You dream about being an England captain and lifting the World Cup," said skipper Katy McLean. "That's something I've just gone and done."
She added: "It's a team sport and you have such a bond within the group. I've never felt that as much as I have with this group of players and staff. Every single one is a world champion, it's amazing."
England had lost the last three finals to New Zealand - in 2002, 2006 and 2010 - but their experience proved decisive this time as they beat a Canada side playing in their first.
"It perhaps wasn't our best performance and it didn't quite click at times, but the true team showed that, when we're under pressure, we keep going, picking each other up off the floor," added Hunter.
"Our defence was simply outstanding."
Prime Minister David Cameron was among those paying tribute, tweeting: "Huge congratulations to England women on their first World Cup triumph in 20 years. Your country is so proud of you."
England's 2003 men's Rugby World Cup winners Jason Robinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill also congratulated Street's side.
Former England captain Dallaglio called the team "inspirational", while ex-England back rower Richard Hill tweeted: "Congratulations ladies. A proud day. I'm sure Tuesday training sessions feel worth it now!"
England were in a strong position to win after two Scarratt penalties and Waterman's try put them 11-0 ahead after 31 minutes.
Canada's Magali Harvey kicked a penalty shortly before half-time and then another two after the break to make the score 11-9.
Even though Scarratt was successful with another penalty shortly afterwards, it was only when she scored a converted try in the closing minutes that England began to look safe.
Street added: "Huge credit to Canada as well. I thought that they were excellent and made it extremely tough for us."
Women's Rugby World Cup: England's winners 'back to work'
England's victorious rugby union squad returned home from Paris on Monday after securing their first World Cup title in 20 years, but, for many of the players, it will be back to full-time work within days.
Among them is Marlie Packer, a plumbing and heating engineer who will swap her boots for overalls before the week is out.
"I've got two days hopefully to let this all sink in and then it's back to work," said the 24-year-old flanker. "I'll be heading back to London first and then down to Yeovil to see the family."
But at least the Wasps forward, capped 28 times by her country, will have a World Cup winner's medal on her CV alongside her day-to-day career following Sunday's 21-9 success over Canada.
"The boss emailed me on the morning of the final to wish me the best of luck, so they've been celebrating the success as much as I have," she added.
Packer's story is a familiar tale. The women's game is yet to turn professional or benefit from the boost in sponsorship and media profile experienced by the likes of women's cricket, netball and football.
Danielle Waterman, playing in her third World Cup, quit her job as head of coaching on the apprenticeship scheme at Gloucestershire's Hartpury College in order to focus on the tournament in France.
"The support I've had from my family's been absolutely huge," said the 29-year-old full-back, daughter of Bath legend Jim Waterman.
"My mum's been there for me emotionally.
"I've had a real rollercoaster with injuries over the last four years and to have her here along with my dad, my brothers and my boyfriend has given me that extra boost to go out and play well.
"It was definitely worth it quitting work. As a team, we've been on a massive journey and this has been coming for a number of years."
Later this week, captain Katy McLean will be back in the classroom preparing her primary school pupils at Bexhill Academy in Sunderland for a new school term.
The fly-half, 28, believes her side's win will do great things for the sport.
"I know when I get back to school, I'm going to have everyone in my class out there playing rugby," she said.
"There might be some reading and writing as well in between, but I think we can inspire the next generation.
"The support's been absolutely phenomenal. I've had messages during the tournament from children as young as three and five."
Vice-captain Sarah Hunter, a university development officer with the Rugby Football Union, admits being crowned a world champion makes the sacrifices of juggling full-time work with sport very worthwhile.
"We train harder than anyone, getting up when it's dark outside and people are tucked up in bed, then working late to fit in a session at lunchtime," she said.
"But there's absolutely no regrets about anything we do and moments like this make it all worth it."
L'équipe d'Angleterre de rugby à XV féminin est une sélection des meilleures joueuses anglaises. Depuis son premier match en 1987, elle a remporté 10 Tournoi des six nations et deux Coupes du monde en 1994 et 2014.
En 1983, le Women's Rugby Football Union (WRFU) est créé pour diriger le rugby féminin dans toute la Grande-Bretagne. Pour leurs premiers matchs internationaux en 1986, les Anglaises sont donc associées aux Galloises et aux Écossaises dans l'équipe de Grande-Bretagne. Peu à peu, de 1987 à 1990, cette équipe se divise par nations et l'équipe d'Angleterre de rugby à XV féminin joue et remporte son premier match en le 5 avril 1987 contre l'équipe du pays de Galles. Elle reste invaincue pendant quatre ans et perd son premier contre les États-Unis en finale de la première Coupe du monde féminine en 1991.
En 1993, l'Angleterre remporte la première Canada Cup puis gagne la deuxième Coupe du monde en 1994 en prenant leur revanche en finale face aux États-Unis. En cette année 1994, le Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) est fondé pour gérer le rugby féminin sur l'Angleterre seule, en lieu et place du WRFU. Par la suite, les Anglaises remportent les deux premières éditions du Tournoi britannique de rugby à XV en 1996 et 1997 ainsi que le Championnat européen des nations 1997.
En 1998, elles s'inclinent en demi-finale de la Coupe du monde face aux futures vainqueurs, les Néo-zélandaises, et terminent à la troisième place. De 1999 à 2001, elle enchainent trois Grands chelems consécutifs dans le Tournoi des cinq nations. Le Tournoi se joue à six à partir de 2002 et les Anglaises s'inclinent face à la France et terminent à la deuxième place de la compétition. C'est également la place qu'elles occuperont deux mois plus tard en Coupe du monde après une nouvelle défaite face à la Nouvelle-Zélande.
La Coupe du monde 2006 ressemble à la précédente et elles subissent une nouvelle fois la suprématie des Néo-zélandaises en perdant 25-17 en finale. Entre temps, elles réalisent de nouveaux Grands chelems dans le Tournoi en 2003 et 2006, puis plus tard en 2007 et 2008. En 2009, elles remportent une nouvelle fois le tournoi malgré une défaite de justesse, 16-15, contre le équipe du pays de Galles. Elles gagnent également les deux premières éditions de la Nations Cup disputées en 2008 en Angleterre et en 2009 au Canada.
Women's Rugby World Cup: England win 'surreal' - Gary Street
England's 21-9 victory over Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup final felt "surreal" and a "bit like a dream", said head coach Gary Street.
Centre Emily Scarratt scored 16 points as England, who had lost the last three finals, won in Paris to claim the title for the first time since 1994.
"I still can't quite believe we're world champions," said England vice-captain Sarah Hunter.
"We're just so proud of everyone involved," added Street.
"We've been on a long journey but to have that trophy makes it worthwhile. It's a pretty amazing feeling."
Full-back Danielle Waterman scored a first-half try and Scarratt crossed late on as England won the tournament for only the second time, having beaten the United States in the 1994 final.
"You dream about being an England captain and lifting the World Cup," said skipper Katy McLean. "That's something I've just gone and done."
She added: "It's a team sport and you have such a bond within the group. I've never felt that as much as I have with this group of players and staff. Every single one is a world champion, it's amazing."
England had lost the last three finals to New Zealand - in 2002, 2006 and 2010 - but their experience proved decisive this time as they beat a Canada side playing in their first.
"It perhaps wasn't our best performance and it didn't quite click at times, but the true team showed that, when we're under pressure, we keep going, picking each other up off the floor," added Hunter.
"Our defence was simply outstanding."
Prime Minister David Cameron was among those paying tribute, tweeting: "Huge congratulations to England women on their first World Cup triumph in 20 years. Your country is so proud of you."
England's 2003 men's Rugby World Cup winners Jason Robinson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Hill also congratulated Street's side.
Former England captain Dallaglio called the team "inspirational", while ex-England back rower Richard Hill tweeted: "Congratulations ladies. A proud day. I'm sure Tuesday training sessions feel worth it now!"
England were in a strong position to win after two Scarratt penalties and Waterman's try put them 11-0 ahead after 31 minutes.
Canada's Magali Harvey kicked a penalty shortly before half-time and then another two after the break to make the score 11-9.
Even though Scarratt was successful with another penalty shortly afterwards, it was only when she scored a converted try in the closing minutes that England began to look safe.
Street added: "Huge credit to Canada as well. I thought that they were excellent and made it extremely tough for us."
Women's Rugby World Cup: England's winners 'back to work'
England's victorious rugby union squad returned home from Paris on Monday after securing their first World Cup title in 20 years, but, for many of the players, it will be back to full-time work within days.
Among them is Marlie Packer, a plumbing and heating engineer who will swap her boots for overalls before the week is out.
"I've got two days hopefully to let this all sink in and then it's back to work," said the 24-year-old flanker. "I'll be heading back to London first and then down to Yeovil to see the family."
But at least the Wasps forward, capped 28 times by her country, will have a World Cup winner's medal on her CV alongside her day-to-day career following Sunday's 21-9 success over Canada.
"The boss emailed me on the morning of the final to wish me the best of luck, so they've been celebrating the success as much as I have," she added.
Packer's story is a familiar tale. The women's game is yet to turn professional or benefit from the boost in sponsorship and media profile experienced by the likes of women's cricket, netball and football.
Danielle Waterman, playing in her third World Cup, quit her job as head of coaching on the apprenticeship scheme at Gloucestershire's Hartpury College in order to focus on the tournament in France.
"The support I've had from my family's been absolutely huge," said the 29-year-old full-back, daughter of Bath legend Jim Waterman.
"My mum's been there for me emotionally.
"I've had a real rollercoaster with injuries over the last four years and to have her here along with my dad, my brothers and my boyfriend has given me that extra boost to go out and play well.
"It was definitely worth it quitting work. As a team, we've been on a massive journey and this has been coming for a number of years."
Later this week, captain Katy McLean will be back in the classroom preparing her primary school pupils at Bexhill Academy in Sunderland for a new school term.
The fly-half, 28, believes her side's win will do great things for the sport.
"I know when I get back to school, I'm going to have everyone in my class out there playing rugby," she said.
"There might be some reading and writing as well in between, but I think we can inspire the next generation.
"The support's been absolutely phenomenal. I've had messages during the tournament from children as young as three and five."
Vice-captain Sarah Hunter, a university development officer with the Rugby Football Union, admits being crowned a world champion makes the sacrifices of juggling full-time work with sport very worthwhile.
"We train harder than anyone, getting up when it's dark outside and people are tucked up in bed, then working late to fit in a session at lunchtime," she said.
"But there's absolutely no regrets about anything we do and moments like this make it all worth it."
L'équipe d'Angleterre de rugby à XV féminin est une sélection des meilleures joueuses anglaises. Depuis son premier match en 1987, elle a remporté 10 Tournoi des six nations et deux Coupes du monde en 1994 et 2014.
En 1983, le Women's Rugby Football Union (WRFU) est créé pour diriger le rugby féminin dans toute la Grande-Bretagne. Pour leurs premiers matchs internationaux en 1986, les Anglaises sont donc associées aux Galloises et aux Écossaises dans l'équipe de Grande-Bretagne. Peu à peu, de 1987 à 1990, cette équipe se divise par nations et l'équipe d'Angleterre de rugby à XV féminin joue et remporte son premier match en le 5 avril 1987 contre l'équipe du pays de Galles. Elle reste invaincue pendant quatre ans et perd son premier contre les États-Unis en finale de la première Coupe du monde féminine en 1991.
En 1993, l'Angleterre remporte la première Canada Cup puis gagne la deuxième Coupe du monde en 1994 en prenant leur revanche en finale face aux États-Unis. En cette année 1994, le Rugby Football Union for Women (RFUW) est fondé pour gérer le rugby féminin sur l'Angleterre seule, en lieu et place du WRFU. Par la suite, les Anglaises remportent les deux premières éditions du Tournoi britannique de rugby à XV en 1996 et 1997 ainsi que le Championnat européen des nations 1997.
En 1998, elles s'inclinent en demi-finale de la Coupe du monde face aux futures vainqueurs, les Néo-zélandaises, et terminent à la troisième place. De 1999 à 2001, elle enchainent trois Grands chelems consécutifs dans le Tournoi des cinq nations. Le Tournoi se joue à six à partir de 2002 et les Anglaises s'inclinent face à la France et terminent à la deuxième place de la compétition. C'est également la place qu'elles occuperont deux mois plus tard en Coupe du monde après une nouvelle défaite face à la Nouvelle-Zélande.
La Coupe du monde 2006 ressemble à la précédente et elles subissent une nouvelle fois la suprématie des Néo-zélandaises en perdant 25-17 en finale. Entre temps, elles réalisent de nouveaux Grands chelems dans le Tournoi en 2003 et 2006, puis plus tard en 2007 et 2008. En 2009, elles remportent une nouvelle fois le tournoi malgré une défaite de justesse, 16-15, contre le équipe du pays de Galles. Elles gagnent également les deux premières éditions de la Nations Cup disputées en 2008 en Angleterre et en 2009 au Canada.
A little bit of candid 'street' photography from New York. While there I did a little shopping on 37th street. The Victoria's Secret store there is massive, and they had a DJ playing in the front entrance. I don't do much street photography, but I thought this was a cool enough scene that I would bring out the camera. It's a bit of a cluttered photo, but I do think all the elements work well together.
This is day 2 of two five day black and white challenges that I was nominated for by Cindy and Karen (Cindy's Here and kfpsardou ). I'm trying to post things that are a little different from my normal during this challenge, and street photography is definitelyoutside of my comfort zone and usual fare.
Bit of muck around with my last image,ran through a kaleidoscope app on my phone...out popped this! Looks a bit Inca/Mayan I feel.
A bit better prepared this week for #mocaroundgang #mocaround57 for 80's touring cars.
This period covered my life ages 7 - 17, so a primetime interest in cars. It helps that I also live in Australia, home to the legendary Bathurst 1000 km Touring car race, held in October.
The 80's started off in Australia running Group-C regulations, with a switch to International Group-A in 1985.
After decades of domination by Ford and Holden – they’d won all bar one of the races since its inception in 1963 – British marque Jaguar added its name to the roll of honour in what has always been known as ‘The Great Race’.
Three of the V12-engined, Tom Walkinshaw-prepared XJ-S machines were entered, for the boss himself and Win Percy, Jeff Allam/Ron Dickson and John Goss/Armin Hahne.
The 1985 edition was the first run to Group A regulations after the switch from the old Group C formula (not to be confused with World Sportscar Championship regulations) and would feature Jaguar taking on Ford, Holden, BMW and Volvo at the front.
Walkinshaw, European Touring Car Champion of 1984, took pole in the #8 XJ-S, with a mighty 2m18.822s lap – the only car to dip below 2m19s.
The Scot duly led away at the start with local heroes Allan Grice (Holden), Dick Johnson (Ford) and Robbie Francevic (Volvo) vying for best of the rest. Allam soon moved the #9 XJ-S into second before the end of the climb up to Turn 2 to make it a Big Cat one-two.
This mocaround challenge is hosted on instagram by @illuminated_mocs
top and skirt - www.dorothyperkins.com
belt - Pagani
petticoat - www.dominodollhouse.com
tights - Kmart
boots - Overland
necklace - bling
I had a bit of a stressful evening. A CD that I put in carelessly got stuck in the bowels of CD/DVD burner, jamming it. As I can't afford to be running to the Geek Squad right now - and have done a few simple things inside the case now and then, I took it down to repair it myself. Now, for the non-mechanically inclined, there's no guarantee of success. Let's just say I spent the first half hour searching for the right screwdriver. The second half hour, trying to figure out to get the darn thing out, finally settling on a rather violent approach that I assumed might kill the burner. Then another 20 minutes remembering where all the connections go. Finally, as a coup de grace, when I started it, Windows gives me a message that my computer is unable to start and would I like "start up repair" to run? I chose yes, and after another 20 minutes watching the blue square going up and down the box, a message comes on saying "unable to repair". Now I figure I've wrecked the whole computer. But after it shuts down, I hit the start button again. It started up perfectly. Everything runs, including the DVD burner. Thanks, Microsoft!
Meanwhile, my little helper was busy knocking screws off the table and investigating wires. Here she is taking advantage of the spot temporarily vacated by the computer..:)
my college...
this is the main institute building view from the central lawns.
Another lame attempt at HDR!
a bit poorly executed but sometimes when i drink i like to take pictures and this is the outcome. the light painting was a lot harder on the darker car and being inebriated i wasn't able to keep the lines as straight as i wanted them to be. oh well
a little over 100 shots stacked. first time i messed with white balance and i kind of liked the redish sky vs the blue of the car.
side note:
ive been thinking of trying to do one in one single frame but finding a place where there is no light is becoming quite difficult
Tuesday morning came awfully early, and I was still on a bit of a natural high from having spent the past 2 days up in the mountains with its moody/cloudy/misty/foggy weather. I came downstairs early, around 7:00, and ate breakfast alone for the last time at the Dragon’s Backbone Hostel. (I recall donating a book to their library, too; I forget which. Just a generic David Baldacci one, I think.)
Around 7:30, I started to set my way down the hill, enjoying the walk – going down is always much more relaxing than slogging my way up hill – and got to the main parking lot just below Dazhai with about 45 minutes to spare.
That 40 minute jaunt gave me time to reflect on the past two days. For the most part, I just thought it was a peaceful, beautiful, serene place, which I’d gladly visit again…probably in a different season (autumn, to give variety)…and that I wished I’d had a nicer (that is to say, any) sunrise or sunset. On Monday, I even woke up at 4:45 in the morning, but staring through the pitch black, not seeing stars, I knew that there wouldn’t be much of a sunrise to validate going an hour farther uphill above Tiantouzhai to the Music from Paradise viewpoint just to see….varying shades of gray. (The viewpoints here all have very interesting and flowery names. Ironically, at that one, there was a Chinese guy playing saxophone. If anyone wants to know what they’ll hear when they get to paradise…evidently, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”)
With close to an hour in the parking lot, it’s entertaining to take a back seat to the dark corners of your mind. The bus to Yangshuo finally pulled up and I clambered aboard to settle in for the roughly 3-4 hour ride back through Guilin and south to the Li River valley and the lush, karst landscape of Yangshuo. I don’t recall how much the bus ticket cost, but I want to say it was cheap. Maybe 80 RMB or something along those lines, which is a little less than $15.
The ride between Dragon’s Backbone & Yangshuo was completely uneventful. It was just one of those times I wish I had a time machine (or a personal helicopter) to make it go that much more quickly…and avoid the horrendous Chinese driving, including the unnecessary traffic jam in the south part of Guilin and thicker traffic between Guilin and Yangshuo.
So far, vacation was humming along pretty close to on schedule, and I was happy as a lark. The bus pulled into the heart of Yangshuo around 12:15. Yangshuo was the other big part of the first half of the trip. As I mentioned, the plan was to spend 5 nights in this corner of the province, so I had two nights here in Yangshuo.
Yangshuo is also getting a lot of attention as a travel destination these days, and is supposedly getting pretty crowded (though it didn’t feel crowded to me…not after living in some of the world’s major cities for the past 5-6 years). Yangshuo is one of those types of towns that people in the Pacific Northwest of the US or Colorado would love. (Yes, I’m being intentionally stereotypical.) What I mean to say is…this is an active person’s paradise. Yangshuo is rapidly becoming one of the top destinations in the world for rock climbing. People come here to be active. Most are younger, outdoorsy, athletic types…and Yangshuo probably has as many foreigners as locals most of the time.
In general, people will come here and set up base camp at any of the number of hostels, guesthouses, or hotels in the area. (I chose the Yangshuo Outside Inn, about 6 km west of Yangshuo, on the banks of the Yulong River. It’s run by a Dutchman – Ronald, I believe – and his Chinese wife. An old farmhouse that they converted into an inn, and it’s absolutely charming with the most wonderful service. I’ll gladly stay there if I get back to Yangshuo someday.)
At whichever hostel you choose – and since, like any small tourist spot with an overflow of guesthouses fighting for business, the rates tend to be low, and they try to offer services (travel packages, bike rentals, advice, arranging taxis, doing laundry, whatever you want ) to attract customers – you will probably be pleased with how little money you spend. I can only tell you that the Outside Inn had a terrific restaurant, bike rental, laundry service, rooms with AC, without AC (ceiling fans and mosquito nets instead), and suggestions for local and regional travel.
The village of Yangshuo is very small (and congested). There’s quite a bit of nightlife on Xi Dajie, since most who visit here are young and energetic. You’ll find all kinds of restaurants, bars, clubs. And surrounding this very small downtown are huge karst hills that look like gumdrops popping out of the ground.
During the day, rent a bike and ride to and from the nearby towns like Fuli (9 km to the east) or Xingping (about 20 km northeast). You can do things like take bamboo boat trips up and down the Li River (bigger and congested) or ride a bike along the Yulong River among the small villages and farms. Climb Moon Hill, go find caves, just…get outside.
And at night, come back, unwind, and relax downtown on Xi Dajie or enjoy the award-winning light show on the Li River that they have every night (weather permitting) that world-famous movie director Zhang Yimou (who also did the light show for the 2008 Beijing Olympics) put together for about 200 RMB. (I am sad to say, though, that I did not go see the light show. There may be another trip to Yangshuo for me yet…)
So what about my Yangshuo experience? Well…I checked in to the Outside Inn around 1:00 on Tuesday afternoon. Not wanting to waste a minute, the first thing I did was rented one of their bicycles, and hopped out on the road heading along the Yulong River. I joined up with two Chinese ladies, and off we went. We got separated later (because they were stopping every two seconds), though they were nice, friendly, and helpful. The bike was fine, though the seat felt like I was sitting on a brick. After arriving at the Dragon bridge (our original destination), I stayed there for about ten minutes. Right before getting there, though, I stopped at a roadside cafe, trying to wait for these two ladies for about 30 minutes. They never materialized, but I had an interesting time talking with the guy who owned the shop. Just sitting, drinking water, and passing the afternoon in the middle of nowhere.
The bridge was one of the most underwhelming bridges I’d seen. I don’t even think I photographed it. The surrounding scenery from atop the bridge, though, was quite nice (and is represented in this set). Climbing back on my bike, I worked my way the 90 minutes back to the hotel, feeling like my backside had been violated, and was black and blue. Since the temperatures were nearing 35 degrees, and it was a clear, sunny day, I figured it was time for a nap.
My ambition to get out early turned out to be the only real mistake I made this entire trip. On top of very slight heat exhaustion, I missed the most amazing sunset I’ve seen in China. The entire sky had turned every shade between deep purple and royal blue imaginable (which would have looked GREAT from next to the river), but I woke up about 1/3 of the way through that evening’s sundown and had to watch it tearfully between trees with only glimpses of the sky. At least it’s in my memory. I hoped the following night would be a repeat of this one, but, unfortunately, it was pretty much clouded over and didn’t photograph terribly well. Oh, well…lesson learned.
After a good night’s sleep, I woke up early on Wednesday to start exploring Yangshuo proper and the Li River, after staying exclusively on the Yulong River the previous day. I walked the 6 km to town. Well…about 3 km, then took a san lun che (“tuk tuk,” for those who’ve been to India) the rest of the way and just told the guy to stop…wherever. I got out, started wandering the main drag, and booked an afternoon tour of the Li River on a bamboo raft that would go from Xingping partway north on the river, then back to Xingping. (We would go to Xingping by bus and get stuck on the two-lane road coming back in terrible traffic). I still had quite a few hours to kill in the morning, so I wandered around Xi Dajie, and made it down to the riverside, where I booked yet another boat to go around the Li River. The first one cost, I think, 160 RMB from what I remember. This one was 100 RMB, but it was a bit of a lie. I had to hop on back a motorbike and we rode the 9 km to Fuli (a surprisingly nice little shopping area for souvenirs), and that boat was not an open-air bamboo raft, but more like…a very small cruise ship where you sit inside a cabin.
The ride wasn’t unpleasant at all – and the scenery was stunning – so I can’t complain too much. Besides, I did need to find a way to pass the morning, and this did just fine. After the boat and motorcycle ride back to Yangshuo, I had lunch, then went to the first place where I booked a boatride.
That really was a bamboo raft…the kind that’s canopied, and seats 4 people to a boat. So after the coach took us up to Xingping and dropped us off, we hopped on and had a ride for about 20-25 minutes up this stretch of the river (slightly more scenic than the section near Fuli), and then made our way back down to the starting point.
After the bus ride back to town, we got back around 6:00. I took a taxi to the hotel and, as I just mentioned, hoped to have a nice sunset (though my optimism has sunk after watching the afternoon sky start to cloud over). At any rate, I went out and found a place near the farmhouse…just in case.
With no good results from that sunset shot, I packed up my gear and spent the evening relaxing at the farmhouse with dinner, then back in my room reading. All in all, I had been very pleased up until this point with both Dragon’s Backbone and Yangshuo. Thursday morning didn’t need me to start too early. I also knew it would be a travel day, and I wouldn’t be shooting much (if at all). But, at least I’d see the Guangxi countryside, not quite knowing what the rest of the province looked like. It would be a pleasant and interesting day, I soon learned…