Generally quite dark compared to other orb web spiders and can be found close to water where their webs are spun on fencing, buildings and bridges and rarely on vegetation. Close to a river near me where I live a river flows under a road in a tunnel these Orbweb spiders can be found and seen in their webs close to the lights that help to light up the pathway where they have the best of both worlds, warmth from the lights where I have even seen the adults spiders here in February with snow outside and plus their prey such as moths and flies are attracted to the lights also. Its amazing to see their webs so close together and not eating each other, nature can be truly amazing at times.

This is a tiny (the marks on the ruler say 5mm) watch cog. (MM not imperial)

Placed on a metal ruler, you can see the size compared to the markings and the depth of the ruler itself. Had to use extension tubes on top of my usual 90mm macro to get in this close. I even used a tripod instead of hand held.

(Going to be interesting to see how may tags get autocorrected to My Closet as mine tried too!)

HMM!

Scandalize Melange Set Jeans/Belt/Top/Sleeves

In-World Store

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Scandalize/115/127/1502

Marketplace

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/152629

*Vanilla Bae* Grace Boots

.:EMO-tions:. * STEPHANIE *

Roosters (McGraw) Classic Western Hat

LeMont- Hummingbird Dreadnought Whiskey Guitar

For Male and Female.

In-World Store

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Citrine/210/126/2497

Marketplace

marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/220061

Fence & Horses NorthMont Farm (PG) ♥ CHEZ MOI

In-World Store

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CHEZ%20MOI%20FURNITURES/15...

Marketplace

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Fence-Horses-NorthMont-Farm-...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=glmSXRWsosw

in Memoriam Sinéad O'Connor

Thank you very much for all your nice visits, comments and favourites! ❤

—————

special thanks to: lelutka, simple bloom, kunglers, glam affair, and tuus sl (maybe soon).

—————

🎧 chris cornell → nothing compares 2 u ❥

. featured items .

♥ lelutka  »  evo-x head-ryn 3.1 [bom] //update//

   ≕ for full details see the faq for evo and evo-x

♥ kunglers  »  odette set @access sl [¹] //new//

   set includes: l/r earrings w/matching

   l/r rigged rings: maitreya kupra,

   ≕ legacy, slink, tonic, plus l/r unrigged

   ≕ texture hud w/4 metals; 7 big gems

   ≕ exclusively at access sl event → sept.12 ‐ oct.8, 2021

♥ [sb]  »  *evox avalon* msshields left-symm diamond [brows, hd applier/bom]

   ≕ also available on marketplace.

♥ [glam affair]  »  tera layer [lel. evo-x, beige, bom]

   ≕ shown w/feckles (a) 50%, blush, neck shadow-light

♥ tuus  »  ryn 3.1-x ga tera v1.1 [lel. evo] //new// maybe soon

—————

. anatomy, hair, and makeup .

  tram  »  j1227 hair

  a r t e  »  candy eyes [fatpack]

  toksik  »  lashes 3 [evo/evo-x]

  shiny stuffs  »  sittying pretty gloss 75% [evo-x, bom]

  maitreya  »  lara v5.3 base + petite v1.0 addon

  [glam affair]  »  body skin [fit,maitreya beige,bom]

  omega  »  system installer [lelutka, eyes]

. clothing .

  justbecause  »  brooklyn dress [lara petite, fatpack]

. accessories .

  toksik  »  cushy baret

  ***tentacio***  »  delicacy [holdable]

. setup .

  t. wizardly  »  one-off, ad-hoc thumb ring pose n/a

  lelutka  »  axis hud face

  anypose  »  bvh hud v1.81

  lumipro  »  lumipro 18

. endnotes .

  ¹access sl event → sept.12 ‐ oct.8, 2021 ↪ teleport

—————

copyright © 2021 truth wizardly. all rights reserved.

// -tuesday, september 14, 2021 8:42:45 pm est-

// @20210914_lel_ryn_3.1_ga_tera_beige_[final].png

To quote Sinead O'Connor (RIP) - Nothing compares to actual clarity

雌蕊はとろけて見えなくなって仕舞いました(^^;

but compared to your eyes

nothing shines quite as bright

and when we looked to the sky

it's not mine but i want it

and i need it

~mayday parade

happy early bokeh wednesday? :D

thank you owlfeathers. and nakano.photography for the testimonials. :) :)

Compared to the coralroot flowers yesterday that were like looking for a needle in a haystack, cardinal flowers wave their beautiful blossoms around like bright red banners that beg us to see them. Fall is officially here according to nature's calendar when the cardinal flowers show their colors in shady wooded wetlands.

From Sonnet 18

It is well known now as Shakespeare's phrase "The Darling Buds of May" was used as the title for his novel by H.E. Bates... which has since been adapted for television too 😊

Apologies for using my Japanese plum in 3 successive photos - I am enjoying it before it freezes (-2.6c last night)

For the Smile on Saturday challenge: "picture with added text"

HCC and HSoS ;o)

Cliché and Smile on Saturday: Here

my Plum blossom set: Here

Blend and Merge: Here

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Zeiss 50mm Planar f/2

struthio molybdophanes

as compared to the Common Ostrich, the plumage of the male Somali Ostrich is more densily black, the bare areas are blue-grey and the eyes are grey-brown. The female has blue-grey eyes.

IUCN RED LIST STATUS: vulnerable

Somalische struisvogel

Autruche de Somalie

Somalistrauss

Many thanks for your views, favorites and supportive comments.

All rights reserved. ©

remembering now

my mother’s camellia

this bittersweet spring

*****

With this Haiku poem I have paired it with Sinéad O'Connor's song "Nothing Compares 2 U". On listening to her sing this again recently after many years, the words below came to me. So this is part two of this work if you like.

*****

Sinéad O'Connor - December 1966 - July 2023.

I would like to express my condolences to Sinéad O'Conner's family at this deeply difficult and sad time of Sinéad's passing. I share with those people who loved her music and indomitable spirit a heartfelt sadness that her bright spirit is not here to give us joy any longer. But I hope that her soul has now found the peace that she so longed for. May she rest in peace with her God. Her legacy will continue to comfort and delight us and we will remain forever grateful that this unique woman shared her talent and life with us. Thank you, dear Sinéad.

youtu.be/0-EF60neguk

a lot of my flowers

have gone mama

but your camellia blooms

It's been 4 years and 49 days...

*****

How long has it been for you? Please write in the comments below if you want to.....

*****

To see more of my poetry and images have a look at my website at:

www.shelleyturnerpoetpix.com

Small, slender oriole. Adult males are a unique rich chestnut-brown color with a black head. Females are dull yellow-green with white wingbars. Immature males are similar to females, but with a black throat and mask. Breeds in open woodlands, river edges, pastures with scattered trees, and brushy orchards. Visits feeders with nectar and fruits. Departs breeding grounds early and heads to wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America, where it can be found in any open or wooded habitat. Compare with female Hooded Oriole, which is larger and longer-tailed and has a narrower, more curved bill. (eBird)

----------------

This lovely oriole was feeding on the plants at our B&B in Belize on our first day. A great way to start our Belize birding trip.

Ladyville, Belize. January 2011.

The All American Park in Quincy, Illinois provides this beautiful view of the Bay Bridge (on the left) and the Quincy Memorial Bridge (Highway 24, on the right). Large barges headed up the Mississippi River frequently pass beneath the bridges.

Quincy is a beautiful river city. According to Wikipedia, "In the fall of 2010, [it] was listed as eighth in the top fifteen small cities to raise a family in the United States by Forbes magazine for its commute times, high school graduation rate, median household income, home ownership rate and cost of living. Forbes compared 126 cities with a population under 100,000 and ranked them on these five quality-of-life measures."

I also found this to be of interest, "During the winter of 1838-1839, five thousand members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, on their way west, were driven from their homes in Missouri and arrived in Quincy. Though vastly outnumbered by the new arrivals, the residents of Quincy provided them food and shelter. Joseph Smith then led his followers 40 miles (64 km) up river to Nauvoo, Illinois. The kindness extended by the people of Quincy continues to be remembered by Mormons. In 2002, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir gave a benefit concert in Quincy, with the proceeds donated to the city as an expression of gratitude."

_DSC6722

© Stephen L. Frazier - All Rights Reserved.

All material in my photo stream may NOT be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission. My photos are Copyrighted "Stephen L. Frazier" and All Rights Reserved.

This photo somehow looked better with the kind of muted colours and slight softness taken on my Pentax ME Super 35mm film camera compared to my super sharp Sony camera. So this photo gets loaded...

It was the tree and the sun creating a triangle of darkness caught my attention shortly after sunrise at Derwentwater...

…… compared to our local Shrewsbury town which now is on virtual lockdown having just one footbridge open into town (if you dare!) and Ironbridge expecting to reach 7 meters and likely to breach flood defences! Commiserations to EVERYONE wherever you are that is affected by weather related issues. Alan:-(…..

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51541282

For the interested I’m growing my Shutterstock catalogue regularly here, now sold 35 images :- www.shutterstock.com/g/Alan+Foster?rid=223484589&utm_...

©Alan Foster.

©Alan Foster. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.……

Compared to the rufous one I posted yesterday, this one looks far more like a bumblebee with a nice white tail

A Walk In The Clouds....

There is a beauty in a chilly December morning that can only be experienced by getting up early and getting outdoors;. the view through the bedroom window doesn't even compare.

It is the smack of the bone chilling cold on your cheeks, the rush of winter air as it is inhaled through your nose. it is the sound of the crisp grass crunching underfoot, it is even the sound of frosty fabric swish swishing as you walk...and all of this is only experienced through the briskness and chill of a December morn.

Today the sunrise cut through a thin mist that hung lazily in the air, floating just a few inches off the ground but not high enough to reach the tree tops. The new dawn sky alight with yellow and blue made the moment that much more special...

As i made my way home only a few short minutes later, I looked back only to see the entire scene had changed; the sky had dimmed losing its brilliance and the fog had begun to dissolve and vanished into the far distance. that brief but memorable moment now forever lost never to be repeated exactly the same way.

Thank you for visiting for marking my photo as a favourite and for the kind comments,

Please do not copy my image or use it on websites, blogs or other media without my express permission.

© NICK MUNROE (MUNROE PHOTOGRAPHY)

You can contact me

by email @

karenick23@yahoo.ca

munroephotographic@gmail.com

munroedesignsphotography@gmail.com

or on Facebook @

www.facebook.com/MunroePhotography/

On Instagram

www.instagram.com/munroe_photography1/

Compared to Tofu Sethi is hyperactive and loves to play. He especially likes to play with things which aren't really toys like this old shoelace. :)

Posted for the Happy Caturday theme "Favourite toy".

3 bull elephants at a waterhole in the Tembe Elephant Park in KZN near the southern Mozambique boarder with South Africa. Well known for their large tusks. Great simply ''being there''.

Très souvent comparée à Venise, Comacchio est le centre historique le plus original et le plus fascinant du parc du Delta du Pô. Héritage de l'ancienne Spina, Comacchio, aux origines très lointaines, est une ville lagunaire fascinante

In the Flambeau River State Forest. It has a bit of road noise compared to the other campground in the forest, but the sites are better (larger, spaced better, and several have lake views & access).

Nothing Compares...

I really don't know!

Series of six. My first Red-throated Diver. Interesting to be able to compare it with the Black and Northern at the same time. This is definitely my favourite of the pics.

Candid portrait of two men, seen at Ballinrobe Racecourse on a blindingly sunny day.

The Autumn Lady’s-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis) and Cat’s-ear (Hypochaeris radicata, I believe), This is the site where these small orchids (the last wild orchids that flower in the season in the UK) are particularly well present in their hundreds. Though this year, compared to our last visit few years ago, the numbers seems reduced and they look even smaller. The ground was quite dry and New Forest ponies teamed up with cows are at work here keeping everything they can eat low in height. New Forest. England, UK.

With this photo of the famous water castle, we now say goodbye to the warehouse district in Hamburg.

I once again really enjoyed the visit (it was my third) and found a few insights and perspectives that had previously escaped me. And it certainly wasn't my last visit here.

By the way, this is the second photo from the sunset, when I was waiting here for the colorful sky and illuminated buildings to come together.

As you can see, thick clouds moved in shortly after picture number 1, which unfortunately ruined the plan.

Nature cannot be planned and that is a good thing.

If you compare both photos you can also see that the water level is rising again. The small watercourse on the right is significantly wider here than in the photo I took before.

If you have the time and desire, you can go backwards in my gallery and look at the other version again for comparison.

Mit diesem Foto vom berühmten Wasserschloss verabschieden wir uns nun auch von der Speicherstadt in Hamburg.

Ich habe den Besuch wieder einmal sehr genossen (es war mein Dritter) und ein paar Einblicke und Blickwinkel gefunden, die mir bisher entgangen waren. Und es war mit Sicherheit nicht mein letzter Besuch hier.

Das ist übrigens das zweite Foto vom dem Sonnenuntergang, als ich hier auf das Zusammentreffen von einem farbigen Himmel und erleuchteten Gebäuden gewartet hatte.

Wie ihr seht sind kurz nach Bild Nr. 1 dicke Wolken herein gezogen, die den Plan leider zunichte gemacht haben.

Natur lässt sich eben nicht planen und das ist auch gut so.

Außerdem kann man sehen, wenn man beide Foto vergleicht, dass der Wasserspiegel gerade wieder steigt. Der kleine Wasserlauf auf der rechten Seite ist hier nämlich schon deutlich breiter als auch dem Foto, welches ich zuvor gemacht hatte.

Wenn Ihr Zeit und Lust habt könnt Ihr ja mal in meiner Galerie zurück gehen, und Euch die andere Version zum Vergleich nochmal ansehen.

more of this on my website at: www.shoot-to-catch.de

Ha Giang is a province in Vietnam, which is utterly opposite to the provinces in the Mekong Delta; it is the northernmost as compared to the southernmost, mountainous as compared to incredibly low and flat, one of the poorest in Vietnam as compared to relatively affluent, minority status of Kinh Vietnamese as compared to the dominance, in particular, in Dong Thap.

Ha Giang city, the capital of the province, is located 300 km north-northwest of Hanoi, the capital of Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) and the homeland of Kinh Vietnamese in the Red River Delta.

This photo was taken on the way to Dong Van, which is expected to be the tourism centre for exploring the karst landscapes in Ha Giang.

The narrow winding road climbing the slope is the Quốc lộ (national route) 4C.

Another from under the stairs😉 or Tanygrisiau. It was meant to be just a quick snap with no intentions of posting, but looking through the photos from the trip I quite liked this one as there was a lot of contrasts going on.

With today being GCSE results day in the U.K. I felt it fitting to have a comment on the following and pull out the contrasting components in this capture!

It's Tanygrisiau reservoir and power station

Thanks for the views, faves and comments

Little compares to the astonishing and piercing stare of a Short-eared Owl! Bright yellow eyes, set in black which seem kohl-rimmed and a bird not afraid to stare at you, whilst sitting in the open during the day.

The bird is named after two small feather tufts on the top of its head, which look like ears (although the bird’s real ears are hidden away on the side of the head, covered in the head feathers), but most of the time these are not visible as they are held flat to the head. (Hawk and Owl Trust).

My thanks to anyone who views, faves or comments on any of my photos. It is much appreciated.

This is a remake of this nearly six-year-old photo by Tom Westbury: www.flickr.com/photos/drbnwy/32999224292/

As you can see the location has changed little since 2017. The addition of solar panels to the building and the presence of the electric car are interesting markers of the slow move toward "greener" technology, I think.

Although I used my camera's 7x6 setting to replicate the format of Tom's Mamiya the composition is significantly different. Apparently my Fuji's 50mm lens is not as wide as Tom's 65mm lens (I'm quite sure I stood as far back from the building as possible at the location). And Tom's camera seems to have been positioned slightly lower than mine - I assume because Tom's Mamiya has a top-mounted viewfinder and mine does not.

This is the first time I've done this experiment of "copying" another photo. I thought it was an interesting exercise, and although I've not precisely matched the tones of Tom's Portra film in post-processing I've gone some way toward it (the wet road in my version didn't help).

I have several other shots from this area, some of which I have processed in a similar style and will share over the coming days.

Much respect to Tom and his original image, which I love. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right?

Processed in Microsoft Photos

180 mm equiv. (medium-tele)

Exp. Corr. Value: +0.0 EV

Exp. Program: Normal

Metering mode: Spot

WB Settings: Auto

Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus (M)

(Double click)

The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European kestrel, Eurasian kestrel, or Old World kestrel. In Britain, where no other kestrel species occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel".

This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America.

Kestrels can hover in still air, even indoors in barns. Because they face towards any slight wind when hovering, the common kestrel is called a "windhover" in some areas.

Unusual for falcons, plumage often differs between male and female, although as is usual with monogamous raptors the female is slightly larger than the male. This allows a pair to fill different feeding niches over their home range. Kestrels are bold and have adapted well to human encroachment, nesting in buildings and hunting by major roads. Kestrels do not build their own nests, but use nests built by other species.

Their plumage is mainly light chestnut brown with blackish spots on the upperside and buff with narrow blackish streaks on the underside; the remiges are also blackish. Unlike most raptors, they display sexual colour dimorphism with the male having fewer black spots and streaks, as well as a blue-grey cap and tail. The tail is brown with black bars in females, and has a black tip with a narrow white rim in both sexes. All common kestrels have a prominent black malar stripe like their closest relatives.

The cere, feet, and a narrow ring around the eye are bright yellow; the toenails, bill and iris are dark. Juveniles look like adult females, but the underside streaks are wider; the yellow of their bare parts is paler. Hatchlings are covered in white down feathers, changing to a buff-grey second down coat before they grow their first true plumage.

Data from Britain shows nesting pairs bringing up about 2–3 chicks on average, though this includes a considerable rate of total brood failures; actually, few pairs that do manage to fledge offspring raise less than 3 or 4. Compared to their siblings, first-hatched chicks have greater survival and recruitment probability, thought to be due to the first-hatched chicks obtaining a higher body condition when in the nest. Population cycles of prey, particularly voles, have a considerable influence on breeding success. Most common kestrels die before they reach 2 years of age; mortality up until the first birthday may be as high as 70%. At least females generally breed at one year of age; possibly, some males take a year longer to maturity as they do in related species. The biological lifespan to death from senescence can be 16 years or more, however; one was recorded to have lived almost 24 years.

Population:

UK breeding:

46,000 pairs

Compared to the news, this seems pretty normal to me. :(

HSS................Sliders Sunday

Compared to other blackbirds, Orioles are flashy in color and sweet in song. Lake St. Clair

it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abriola

Tungsten balanced to compare later

Perfect 10

Z-Deck

Detroit, MI

#Fallen Gods Hunt Day 1

Shhhhhhhhh

As you might have seen already I've built a few warships in the past. But for me those ones weren't good enough which is why I of course had to build another one. The main change I did was making the size a little bigger. Both the lower red part, the grey section and the buildings on top are higher now, which was definitely a good decision. The only thing that's bothering me is that in my opinion the back part is to short compared to the rest of the ship.

But overall I'm quite happy with how this ship turned out. Let me know what you think about the build and how I could improve it!

Sunday afternoon at the Kunstmuseum. “It’s a madhouse,” sighs the lady at the ticket check. Compared to the cheerful crowd she has to check in, her grey-blue uniform looks tired. Young and old have dressed up fashionably for the exhibition about Dior.

Uniforms should express authority, but how neutral do they have to be? “High time to put a good, preferably younger fashion designer in charge,” says an inner voice. A museum that - after many shows of famous designers - has developed into an epicenter of haute couture should surely have more courage. How else do you express the bond with ‘fashion’? A word that unites such a myriad of meanings – from cut to shape, from mannerism to creation – that everyone can identify with it.

LEFT OR RIGHT

In any case, at the top of the central stairs, a choice has to be made. Right to the ‘New Look’ by Dior – left to the ‘Night Animals’ by Spilliaert and Braeckman. We go left because that's why we came. In the dim silence that falls on us like a downy blanket, we focus our eyes on the introductory text. And on the image of a man descending a staircase in the semi-darkness. To be precise, we only see half a man. His face is barely visible, and his clothing reveals nothing special. Could that be a harbinger of what awaits us? Certainly.

Stairs are powerful metaphors. Up, down: life has its peaks and valleys. Platinum-blonde Hollywood stars made a great show of descending a staircase. A practice that Marcel Duchamp slyly commented on with 'Nu descendant un escalier'. In this sensational painting from 1912, a character strides down like an avalanche of cubist fragments. Naked? Down the stairs? The audience was stunned, moved by laughter and anger.

Admittedly, there was movement in the image. Or rather, that was suggested very nicely. Or was it a pile of firewood that came crashing down? The cartoons in the newspaper did not mince their words. The term ‘anti-art’ was used. Isn’t Braeckman’s intensification of the unfathomable also just a provocation? Yes, there is something in that… some photos are so black that you can only guess what you see.

(part of my review in Den Haag Centraal, October 31, 2024)