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The Case of the Missing Warts!
At some point in time, back then in the very early seventies the thought donned on me that I too could attend university, that, just because I was a grade ten dropout didn’t necessarily mean that my qualifications were much different than those who had attained their grade thirteen graduation certificates. There was a school of thought which supported the broader idea of Mature Student. This was me, had to be me, I was older, therefore wiser by experience. The decision was honed by observation and experience. My buddy, John the Count had taken me to a few lectures at U of T. At one such lecture Father David Belyea was lecturing to an English class numbering in the hundreds in a huge auditorium. The meat of the lecture was his discourse on the priest in the book Diary of a Country Priest written by George Bernanos. His lecture was nothing less than holy, I was impressed with his grasp of matters pertaining to the soul. On another visit to the campus John had me sit in at a small third year Sociology class which was about the lives of negro street people. The professor in that class had the students read a book titled Tally’s Corner which was about a man who worked now and then in a inner city East Coast American City, it may have been Baltimore. Count used me as a current day example of folk who though not pursuing a scholarly future were wise from experience, just like the guy in the book Tally’s Corner. I remember reading the book, enjoying the simplistic narration the writer wrote about, his observations, his respect for the characters in the book. One section described the method by which the shop keeper would pay his staff for unloading a truck full of merchandise. The owner estimated that the going rate for labour was five dollars an hour, this work took place in the sixties when rates of pay were much less than today, but so were the costs of goods. The owner would then subtract his estimate of how much the worker would steal from him per hour, he came up with the figure of two dollars and fifty cents an hour. The owner deducted this sum from the going rate then paid his workers the sum of $2.50 an hour. Surprisingly, the Count would find himself in a similar situation later in life while he ran the big cheese shop Pasquale Brothers on King Street East in downtown Toronto. John would from time to time actually hire, street folks, drunks, drifters, hoboes to help unload his merchandise and I know he applied the knowledge he learned in this social class to his wage structure.
Beside Count taking me to his school he also introduced me to his school friends who were not slouches when it came to scholarly matters. Some of the other guys were attending Universities around the country, one could say that my interest was by osmosis, or simply said, if they can do it, so can I.
Being an ardent writer, I penned letters to a few schools, U of T, U of Guelph and the U of Windsor. I recall having an opportunity to attend Guelph however my application arrived too late for the upcoming fall semester and this left Windsor as the school ready to accept me into a full first year of university studies. The roller coaster ride was about to pick up speed.
As an added bonus to attending school in Windsor my friend John the Count's brother Pete Kalci was looking for a roommate to share an apartment with as he was entering his second year of studies at Windsor. Using their dad Matts car we drove down to Windsor in late July of 71 to look at a bachelor apartment for the upcoming school year, Pete had gotten the lead from one of the newspapers. The apartment was situated at the back on the second floor in a plain three storey building. A centre stairway cut the building into two sections. The building was situated on University Avenue about a mile or so north of the school itself. An added bonus was that it was situated directly kitty corner to an Ontario Liquor store outlet. Besides that it was walking distance, about ten minutes to the downtown section, clubs/bars etc and a few blocks from a great second hand store. There was a clothing thrift shop in one of the store fronts of the thirty or so unit building. We took the small bachelor apartment without much thought. I believe the rent was around two hundred a month. It was furnished, albeit somewhat sparingly with a green pull out couch, an easy chair, small kitchen table and chairs which fit nicely into the tiny apartment size kitchen, it was the tiniest kitchen, no bigger really than that which a single person could fit into at one time. The eating area was tiny as well, however there was enough room for two to sit at the small rectangular table. Pots and pans and cutlery and dishes were also included. A small bathroom was tucked into the corner of the apt near the kitchen, there was no tub, just a small shower, the tiles were black and white one inch pieces with a black relief every here and there. The floor tiles matched but were a larger size, four inch by four inch. Although the fixtures were ancient, they were of a quality one seldom sees in more modern buildings. Really, everything was just perfect. The large walk in closet was to act as Pete’s bedroom, it was just large enough to accommodate a single bed with a dresser for clothes above which hangers could be hung with shirts and other articles.
Having been built I would think in the late thirties, the building was rock solid, the materials used in its construction were plain but durable. Solid wooden railings led to each floor, heavy steel self closing fire doors were present at each entrance. The building itself had character, there was an unusual stairway between the left and right hand sides of the building which was a great place to have a puff and hang out your laundry as a number of clotheslines were strung up for this purpose. Brenda the lease holder had graduated from Windsor and was taking a year off to live and study in Toronto. The neighbours across the hall were Sam, a balding, intellectual sounding Greek, short, barrel chested, Ouzo drinking Chrysler line worker, about thirty five or so years old and his new bride Mary a bit chubby twenty something, farm raised, locally, organic, dark haired woman, his conquest and love interest.
It was a hot day that July Saturday in Windsor and this is often the case in far southern Ontario as the location of the city is almost as far south as Canada reaches. We visited the school, there were a lot of empty buildings. I’m just estimating but I would think the campus took in about ten or so city acres. There were several older looking school styles, for the most part the construction was that of a late fourties architectural style with some early sixties buildings that contrasted with the older style. Prior to receiving university status the University of Windsor was known as Assumption College. The campus was growing as a new Arts and a fabulous Science facility were being constructed on the outskirts of the current campus.
There was a landscaped buffer zone from the main artery University Ave. A short five minute walk would take you to the central hub of the school, the cafeteria and student affairs building where everyone gathered, ate, attended concerts and generally observed life’s slowly turning pages in the lounges created in the foyer. Across from the cafeteria there was an impressive four storey library, quite new, well landscaped, with elevators to reach the upper floors that housed hundreds of thousands of books in sturdy six foot tall racks made of metal and dark oak wood shelves. Numerous areas had been created for sitting and studying, some had desks with chairs. On each floor there were a number of areas where four modern comfortable easy chairs faced each other. In the basement there was a microfiche department where one could look up information on this predecessor to the computer, computers were still a thing of the future, only large corporations had those newfangled information storage machines at the time. The library also had sound booths with excellent turn tables to play the fine assortment of records from the school library.
Trees graced the grounds, along with weed free trimmed lawns and hedges. On this quiet pre fall Saturday just the odd student could be seen coming and going. At the rear of the campus there was a pair of tall eight or ten storey complexes designed for students to live in, residences, beside these buildings there was a low rise building that housed the student pub.
Pete and I stopped for a few beers at the local watering hole, a place called Sid’s Bridgehouse, named thusly as it was within view of the large steel Ambassador bridge which connects Windsor to Detroit across the murky Detroit River. Draft rooms were not strange places for Pete and I, as frequent bouts of relaxation would often find us sitting at one of the many draft beer hotels in various parts of Toronto. It seems now as if we knew the city by the location of its drinking holes. With a bit of a glow on we headed over to Detroit to get some Ripple wine on my insistence. We happened upon a herd of streetwalkers, black damsels dressed in various manner many were sashaying in black high heels at the sidewalks edge wearing the kind of butt enhancing short tight miniskirt their cleavage propped up by wire hinged push up bras. It was quite obvious what the girls were up to and what we were looking for. We chatted a mother and daughter act up and we met them around the corner at the Chicago Hotel a three storey grey brick dive of a place that was more of a flop house as well as a hub for the prostitution trade. I can still see the black sign with white neon lettering above the entrance. Now why they would call a Detroit hotel the Chicago Hotel is a mystery. Each lady required ten dollars in advance which was a bargain compared to rates in Toronto at the time. The Hotel itself required a dollar fifty from each of us to use the room, I balked at the extra dollar fifty charge. The burly, dark 350 pound gentleman behind the counter didn’t make any fuss over his attempt to overcharge us, it was either pay the extra fee or leave and risk losing the money we had already paid the ladies in advance. The room was very basic, there was a small bed, a toilet, a sink, one worn thin faded green facecloth and a small once white towel. I let Pete go first, he had the daughter, a skinny thing, much less than twenty, whatever they did they did it fast, he came out of the room with his typical reserved grin and a glint in his pale blue grey eyes after his session. It was now my turn. The thirty something year old lady stripped down to her white panties and white brassiere which I found to be quite a contrast to her dark brown skin, she could have been a member of the Supremes, she cleaned herself down there with the facecloth, then rinsed the threadbare cloth in the little sink and cleaned my bulging apparatus. I couldn't help but notice the contrast in her skin color with that of her clitoris walls, why she was just like a white woman down there! My mind took a permanent snapshot of her anatomy which remains vivid today. She then proceeded to attempt to get me off, it was a while before Henry would cooperate, no amount of lip work or hand persuasion could keep Henry at attention for a very long period. A few attempts at entering her walnut shaped area failed, it was embarrassing. At the time I had a few small genital warts on my pecker that gave me some concern, Mavix jerked me off vigorously for five or so minutes, I finally came. Later that night back in Windsor while having a piss I checked and the warts were gone! She was protesting how long it was taking me to finish but I didn’t remember her saying we were on a time limit! You could say it was not a real touchy feely lovemaking session. Leaving the first floor room I stuck my chest out like a cock in the chicken pen, Pete was sitting with his date on a ratty sofa in the hotel lobby, the girl was chewing gum and primping her hair, the clerk wore a black summer shirt, he had a pencil stuck in his ear, a radio played soul music in the background, the lights were dim. We bought some Ripple wine and slept at the apartment in Windsor as had been arranged with the owner prior to leaving the city, a key was provided beforehand. Indeed life in Windsor was getting off to a very good start.
Tuition for the first year in school was going to be paid for by a grant and student loan, which was to be used for living expenses. Besides that money I had saved almost twelve hundred dollars at a summer job delivering Roll It shelving brackets. The total of the combination grant and loan was the sum of three thousand five hundred dollars. A third of that went directly to the University for tuition. Fortunately the Government issued two separate cheques for the grant portion, one in early September and the other shortly after the Christmas holiday or I surely would have spent it all in no time. Now I was pretty good with dollars, knew how to divvy them up, as I had developed my budget back in the Dyer and Miller and White House days. My habit was to take note of what was coming in and what was needed to go out. I’d been living on my own since the age of seventeen. I would make a list just before paydays and write on a piece of paper in order of necessity, the rent, meals at the Silver Tip, tobacco, bus fare, snacks for the room, beer money, HFC payments, I always owed my mom a few bucks. But this was so different, living in an unexplored town, a big town with a big city just across the bridge. My quest for adventure would drain the account in order to properly explore this new horizon. As mentioned the Liquor outlet was less than fifty steps away, it was hot in Windsor in September, to make matters worse there was a province wide beer strike, Pete and I quickly became fond of a beverage called Lite n Easy Sparkling Cider an apple beverage that was similar to beer in its alcohol content and similar in size of bottle and also satisfaction.
As mentioned the first week back to school is similar on many campuses, the new pupils gets oriented, they forgot to tell Pete and self and thousands of other students that it was not a week for getting disoriented! Check the local sales of booze in school towns during orientation week, they must be over the top. Pete and I lived like kings, we drank daily starting early in the afternoon. For entertainment I would cruise all the new to me second hand shops seeing which one could fill whatever purpose. Buying new shirts, pants etc was out of the question but poverty or near poverty was no excuse for not looking sharp. There were new goldmines of hand me downs to be explored. An early find was a bassy sounding record player AM FM radio combo, a boxy shaped wooden sound system about three feet tall by two feet wide, when you put on Albert Kings Born Under a Bad Sign album particularly that cut When I Lost My Baby, why you’d almost start to cry. The boxy 50s style system was easy to put on my shoulder and carry the few blocks to the apartment, up the stairs and down the hall on a sunny early fall afternoon.
Windsor was divided as are many towns into economical sections, we were living just south of the downtown where there were apartments and shops and side streets with big homes in a neighborhood I would describe as a step up from working class blue collar. Across from the centre of town lay more working class streets where a lot of the plant employees lived. The city’s main employer was Chrysler, they had plants spread out over the area north of the main intersections of Wyandotte and Oulette. While going to the school I was quite unaware of the fact the local economy was spurred by the automobile industry. To me, it was just another working class town, not unlike Toronto, or Hamilton. There was a good size downtown it seemed to have all the usual trappings, bars, clubs, restaurants, Woolworths, Kressges, Eatons, specialty shops, bookstores, curio stores, hospitals, police stations, pizzerias, grocery stores including a new Steinbergs everything one would need including my favourite a handful of second hand stores. One day at a second hand shop run by the St Vincent De Paul organization I found an old black typewriter from the 1920s complete with case. It was in working order I paid five dollars for it, it was a thing of beauty. It had no purpose except to look good, it oozed character but was somewhat dysfunctional as the ribbon that held the ink jammed shortly after I took it home. For assignments, which had to be typewritten and double spaced I used a newer portable electric Smith Corona bought for about seventy five dollars in Toronto complete with an aerodynamic looking plastic case.
The Geranium Tea Garden was a gem of a restaurant ran by a couple of older ladies. It was situated on a secondary street a few blocks from the downtown core. On Tuesdays buisness must have been very slow as a hand scrawled red poster board sign in the window beckoned one and all to come and eat the Tuesday luncheon buffet for .89 cents! After the first months partying Pete and I were getting a bit low on money. When we found the Geranium it became a regular event for us to attend this feast on Tuesdays, mid afternoon. Much of the food was casseroles, hamburger hash, leftover lasagna and meatballs, stick to your ribs goulash and other such fare that was probably left over from the previous weekend. Those items along with soggy mixed vegetables and gravy with a formidable skin on it were served from a stainless steel water heated table. Besides those dishes there was always a big tray of breaded pork chops and pieces of breaded fish, as well as southern fried chicken drumsticks. There were tiny rolls, along with those cold one inch squares of butter and plenty of jugs of water to wash it all down with. The deal was you could have two plates full for the cost of .89 cents. Getting the overloaded plate to your table was a bit tricky, I would often slip a half dozen chops and some breaded fish and drumsticks into my brown tweed sports jacket pocket before arriving at the table, before leaving the serving area I would look around and check that the ladies were busy elsewhere. There was a chilled display case that held homemade rice pudding as well as a variety of brightly coloured jellos with small squirts of whipped topping on top, these were also included in the buffet price.
Orientation week was coming to an end, a few bands played a free concert in the cafeteria, there were other activities as well. Pete encouraged me to check things out, as up to this point we had pretty much avoided the week long festivities on campus as we were to busy drinking at the apartment and gallivanting downtown. We just happened to go into the cafeteria mid afternoon as a beer chugging contest was winding down after a day of preliminaries. We sat down and ordered some cheap draft to watch the goings on. There were four contestants left on the stage sitting behind small desks. The judges would place six draft in front of each contestant and blow a whistle, whichever drinker finished first would advance to the next round with the second place finisher. As I recall quite a few contestants participated in the advertised event, drinks for all contestants were free of charge. No one knew me, I was a sleeper, an import, a high draft pick! Pete egged me on, our eyes meeting each others in knowing ways. Up on the raised stage there sat one last person, his name was Iggy or something like that he was the president of the local motorcycle gang, the Lone Bunch or Satans Breed, he was a big six foot four, long haired son of a bitch, a brute of a man older than me, shit older than most of the teachers. The judges hushed the crowd and asked if there were any challengers, I looked around, no one dared challenge Iggy! No one except me. As Iggy began to go for the trophy I finally stood up and got out of my chair and swaggered up to the stage, chest out like that cock in the chicken coop. I took a seat, in my mind of minds I projected myself to some of the previous victories I had amassed at places like the Embassy Tavern in Toronto on Belmont Street and of course the Place Pigalle on Avenue Road, the bars in Canton New York like Billy’s Lower, no one could beat me at chugging. They poured us each six draft in seven ounce glasses. We waited for the judge to give us the signal to drink. No one knew I had perfected the 'straight drop' technique, which allows me to open my throat and pour a full glass of beer down without gulping. As the bell rang I looked my competitor in the eye, it was like a shoot out. An alarm sounded, RRRRRIIIINNNGGG the bell went and I drank the six draft in what must have been world record time, Iggy had three left when I had slammed the sixth glass on the table. There was much applause from the drunken audience, I stood up and non chalantly shook my opponents hand and returned to the table with Peter, there was a small write up in the University newspaper marking the occasion, the prize was more free draft. Mature Student.
My current tripod setup.
Featuring:
DFocus: amzn.to/VIV90p
Carry Speed Viewfinder: amzn.to/VIVb8J
SmallHD Monitor: smallhd.com
Currently on display at the Milton Keynes LEGO store. The base was one stud too wide to fit, sadly. Photo by Ian.
Thought you'd like to see my current setup.
An uprated SkyWatcher HEQ5-Pro carries a SkyWatcher Quattro 8CF.
I use Seben Tripod Vibration Suppression Pads to stop the whole thing sinking into soft ground, car mats stop me getting too muddy.
Power supplied by both the car and a LiFePo4 12V 12VA battery. I keep the engine running all night so I don't freeze to death.
Polar alignment courtesy of the QHYCCD Polemaster.
Focusing with a Bahtinov Mask.
Imaging normally done with a CentralDS Astro 60D, but here I'm trying out an ASI 290MC Cool.
Guiding with a Starlight Xpress SuperStar through a 50mm guidescope.
Laptop is the superb SCAN 3XS Graphite 13 running PHD2, with Backyard EOS or Firecapture.
MOT expired 12th June 2024, currently SORNed.
Car: MG TF 135.
Engine: 1796cc in-line 4.
Power: 134 BHP.
Fuel: Petrol.
Year of manufacture: 2004.
Date of first registration in the UK: 3rd March 2004.
Place of registration: Exeter.
Date of last MOT: 13th June 2023.
Mileage at last MOT: 71,067.
Date of last V5 issued: 8th June 2021.
Date taken: 1st September 2024.
Currently on loan to First Scotland East, this former McColls Dennis Dart is captured in Glasgow whilst on training duties out of Livingston Depot.
I was heading home late, after giving a friend a ride out of town to her home. An as I drove down this country road I glanced off into distance. There out of nowhere was these towers of Electricity, carrying power from City to city, and threw the country The sun was setting just right, and I seen towers of monsters in a row as far as I could see. I probably have crossed paths with these towers, maybe even just miles away. But tonight the sky illuminated them in my minds eye.
Currently on Ebay for sale.
P229 EJW
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1997-MERCEDES-BENZ-811D-MARSHALL-31-SE...
X228 WNO
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-DENNIS-DART-PLAXTON-41-SEATER-SER...
N905 AAS
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1996-VOLVO-B10M-PLAXTON-PREMIERE-COACH...
The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the river Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley.
The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556-1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570 to 1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.
An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance, Château de Chenonceau and its gardens are open to the public. Other than the Royal Palace of Versailles, it is the most visited château in France.
The château has been designated as a Monument historique since 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, Chenonceau is a major tourist attraction and in 2007 received around 800,000 visitors.
In the 13th century, the fief of Chenonceau belonged to the Marques family. The original château was torched in 1412 to punish the owner, Jean Marques, for an act of sedition. He rebuilt a château and fortified mill on the site in the 1430s. Jean Marques' indebted heir Pierre Marques found it necessary to sell.
Thomas Bohier, Chamberlain to King Charles VIII of France, purchased the castle from Pierre Marques in 1513 and demolished most of it (resulting in 2013 being considered the 500th anniversary of the castle: MDXIII–MMXIII), though its 15th-century keep was left standing. Bohier built an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521. The work was overseen by his wife Katherine Briçonnet, who delighted in hosting French nobility, including King Francis I on two occasions.
In 1535 the château was seized from Bohier's son [fr] by King Francis I of France for unpaid debts to the Crown. After Francis' death in 1547, Henry II offered the château as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who became fervently attached to the château along the river.[8] In 1555 she commissioned Philibert de l'Orme to build the arched bridge joining the château to its opposite bank. Diane then oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a variety of fruit trees. Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens were laid out in four triangles.
Diane de Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained with the crown until 1555 when years of delicate legal manoeuvres finally yielded possession to her.
After King Henry II died in 1559, his strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de' Medici forced Diane to exchange it for the Château Chaumont. Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favourite residence, adding a new series of gardens.
As Regent of France, Catherine spent a fortune on the château and on spectacular nighttime parties. In 1560, the first-ever fireworks display seen in France took place during the celebrations marking the ascension to the throne of Catherine's son Francis II. The grand gallery, which extended along the existing bridge to cross the entire river, was dedicated in 1577. Catherine also added rooms between the chapel and the library on the east side of the corps de logis, as well as a service wing on the west side of the entry courtyard.
Catherine considered an even greater expansion of the château, shown in an engraving published by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau in the second (1579) volume of his book Les plus excellents bastiments de France. If this project had been executed, the current château would have been only a small portion of an enormous manor laid out "like pincers around the existing buildings."
On Catherine's death, in January 1589, the château went to her daughter-in-law, Louise of Lorraine, wife of King Henry III. Louise was at Chenonceau when she learned of her husband's assassination, in August 1589, and she fell into a state of depression. Louise spent the next 11 years, until her death in January 1601, wandering aimlessly along the château's corridors dressed in mourning clothes, amidst sombre black tapestries stitched with skulls and crossbones.
Henri IV obtained Chenonceau for his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées by paying the debts of Catherine de' Medici, which had been inherited by Louise and were threatening to ruin her. In return, Louise left the château to her niece Françoise de Lorraine, at that time six years old and betrothed to the four-year-old César de Bourbon, duc de Vendôme, the natural son of Gabrielle d'Estrées and Henri IV. The château belonged to the Duc de Vendôme and his descendants for more than a hundred years. The Bourbons had little interest in the château, except for hunting. In 1650, Louis XIV was the last king of the ancien régime to visit.
The Château de Chenonceau was bought by the Duke of Bourbon in 1720. Little by little, he sold off all of the castle's contents. Many of the fine statues ended up at Versailles.
In 1733 the estate was sold for 130,000 livres to a wealthy squire named Claude Dupin. His wife, Louise Dupin, was the natural daughter of the financier Samuel Bernard and the actress Manon Dancourt, whose mother was also an actress who had joined the Comédie Française in 1684. Louise Dupin was "an intelligent, beautiful, and highly cultivated woman who had the theatre in her blood." Claude Dupin, a widower, had a son, Louis Claude, from his first wife Marie-Aurore de Saxe, who was the grandmother of George Sand (born Aurore Dupin).
Louise Dupin's literary salon at Chenonceau attracted such leaders of the Enlightenment as the writers Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Fontenelle, the naturalist Buffon, the playwright Marivaux, the philosopher Condillac, as well as the Marquise de Tencin and the Marquise du Deffand. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was Dupin's secretary and tutored her son. Rousseau, who worked on Émile at Chenonceau, wrote in his Confessions: "We played music there and staged comedies. I wrote a play in verse entitled Sylvie's Path, after the name of a path in the park along the Cher."
The widowed Louise Dupin saved the château from destruction during the French Revolution, preserving it from being destroyed by the Revolutionary Guard because "it was essential to travel and commerce, being the only bridge across the river for many miles."
In 1864 Marguerite Pelouze [fr ], a rich heiress, acquired the château. Around 1875 she commissioned the architect Félix Roguet to restore it. He almost completely renewed the interior and removed several of Catherine de' Medici's additions, including the rooms between the library and the chapel and her alterations to the north facade, among which were figures of Hercules, Pallas, Apollo, and Cybele that were moved to the park. With the money Marguerite spent on these projects and elaborate parties, her finances were depleted, and the château was seized and sold.
José-Emilio Terry, a Cuban millionaire, acquired Chenonceau from Madame Pelouze in 1891. Terry sold it in 1896 to a family member, Francisco Terry. In 1913, the château was acquired by Henri Menier, a member of the Menier family, famous for their chocolates, who still own it to this day.
During World War I Gaston Menier set up the gallery to be used as a hospital ward. During the Second World War, the château was bombed by the Germans in June 1940.[20] It was also a means of escaping from the Nazi-occupied zone on one side of the river Cher to the "free" zone on the opposite bank. Occupied by the Germans, the château was bombed by the Allies on 7 June 1944, when the chapel was hit and its windows destroyed.
In 1951, the Menier family entrusted the château's restoration to Bernard Voisin, who brought the dilapidated structure and the gardens (ravaged in the Cher flood in 1940) back to a reflection of its former glory.
Chenonceaux is a commune in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, and the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France.
It is situated in the valley of the river Cher, a tributary of the Loire, about 26 km (16 mi) east of Tours and on the right bank of the Cher.
The population of permanent residents hovers about 350, but there is a large influx of tourists during the summer months because the village adjoins the former royal Château de Chenonceau, one of the most popular tourist destinations in France. The château is distinctive in being built across the river. The village is also situated in Touraine-Chenonceaux wine-growing area, and bordered on its northern edge by the Forest of Amboise.
Name
The difference in spelling between the Château's name (Chenonceau) and the village (Chenonceaux) is attributed to Louise Dupin de Francueil, owner of the château during the French Revolution, who is said to have dropped the "x" at the end of its name to differentiate what was a symbol of royalty from the Republic. As a result of her good relations with the village, the Château was spared the iconoclastic damage suffered by many other monuments during the Revolution. Although no official sources have been found to support this claim, the Château has ever since been referred to and spelled as Chenonceau.
Mme Dupin hosted the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Chenonceau as tutor to her children, and among her descendants was the writer George Sand, born Aurore Dupin.
Philibert de l'Orme (pronounced [filibɛːʁ də lɔʁm]) (3-9 June 1514 – 8 January 1570) was a French architect and writer, and one of the great masters of French Renaissance architecture. His surname is also written De l'Orme, de L'Orme, or Delorme.
Biography
Early career
Philbert de l'Orme was born between 3 and 9 June 1514 in Lyon. His father was Jehan de L'Orme, a master mason and entrepreneur, who, in the 1530s, employed three hundred workers and built prestigious buildings for the elite of the city.[3] When Philibert was nineteen he departed Lyon for Italy, where he remained for three years, working on building projects for Pope Paul III. In Rome he was introduced to Cardinal Jean du Bellay, the Ambassador of King François I to the Vatican, who became his protector and client. Du Bellay was also the patron of his friend Francois Rabelais. In about 1540 de l'Orme moved to Paris, and was soon occupied with royal projects.
Royal architect of Henry II (1548-1559)
On April 3, 1548 he was a named architect of the King by Henry II. For a period of eleven years, he supervised all of the King's architectural projects, with the exception of changes to the Louvre, which were planned by another royal architect, Pierre Lescot. His major projects included the Château de St Maur-des-Fossés, the Château d'Anet, the Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley; the royal Château de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne; the Château de Vincennes, and major modifications to the Palace of Fontainebleau.
He also made a reputation as a writer and theorist, and as an innovator in building techniques. He invented a new system for making the essential wooden frameworks for constructing stone buildings, called charpente à petits bois, which was quicker and less expensive than previous methods and used much less wood. He demonstrated it before the King in 1555, and put it to work in construction at the new royal Château de Montceaux and at the royal hunting lodge La Muette [fr] in the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Out of favor - architectural theorist (1559-1563)
The death of Henry II of France on July 10, 1559 suddenly left him without a patron and at the mercy of rival architects who resented his success and his style. Two days later, on 10 July, he was dismissed from his official posts, and replaced by an Italian artist and architect, Francesco Primaticcio, whose work was much in fashion. He had joined a religious order, and decided to turn his attention to meditation, scholarship and writing. He made another trip to Rome to inspect the new works of Michelangelo. Beginning in 1565 wrote the first volume of a work on architectural theory, which was scientific and philosophical. It was published in 1567, and was followed by new editions after his death in 1576, 1626 and 1648.
Royal architect again (1563-1570)
Under Charles IX and Catherine de Medici, he returned to royal favor. He was employed on the enlargement of the Chateau of Saint Maur (1563) and, along with Jean Bullant, on additions to the Tuileries Palace (1564). He died in Paris in 1570, while this project was underway.
Reputation
In the 17th century, during the period of Louis XIV style that followed his death, his reputation suffered. The grand stairway that he built at the Tuileries Palace was demolished in 1664, as was his Château de Saint-Léger in 1668, to make way for classical structures. In 1683, he was denounced by François Blondel of the Royal Academy for his "villainous Gothic ornaments" and his "petty manner". Nonetheless, his two major theoretical works on construction and design continued to be important textbooks, and were regularly republished and read.
His reputation rose again in the 18th century, through the writings of Dezallier d'Argenville, who wrote in 1787 that he had "abandoned the Gothic covering in order to redress French architecture in the style Ancient Greece." D'Argenville wrote the first biography and catalog of works. Though few of his building survived to be studied carefully, later important academic works on de l'Orme were written in the 19th and 20th centuries by art historians including H. Clouzot and Anthony Blunt.
One of De l'Orme's primary accomplishments was to change the way architects trained and studied. He insisted that architects needed formal education in classical architecture, as well as in geometry and astronomy and the sciences, but also needed practical experience in construction. He himself was an accomplished scholar of ancient Greek and Roman architecture, as well as a humanist scholar. He argued that architects needed to be able to design and manage every aspect of the building, from the volumes to the lambris to adding up the cost, making detailed three-dimensional drawings of vaults, judging if wood was dry enough, and knowing to stop digging the foundation when the first sand was encountered. He had scorn for those architects who could design a facade but had no knowledge actual construction. His opponents scorned him for his background as the son of a masonry contractor. He was referred to by Bernard Palissy as "The god of the stone masons", which deeply offended him.
His other major accomplishment was to resist the tendency to simply copy Italian architectural styles; he traveled and studied in Italy, and borrowed much, but he always added a distinctly French look to each of his projects.
The first major building of de l'Orme was the Château of Saint Maur (1541), built for the Cardinal Jean du Bellay, whom de l'Orme had met during his time in Rome. Its plan showed the influence of the Italian villas; and, like the Italian buildings, it was decorated with frescoes.
Much of his work has disappeared, but his fame remains. He was an ardent humanist and student of the antique, he yet vindicated resolutely the French tradition in opposition to Italian tendencies; he was a man of independent mind and a vigorous originality. His masterpiece was the Château d'Anet (1552–1559), built for Diane de Poitiers, the plans of which are preserved in Jacques Androuet du Cerceau's Plus excellens bastimens de France, though only part of the building remains. His designs for the Tuileries (also given by Androuet du Cerceau), begun by Catherine de' Medici in 1565, were magnificent. His work is also seen at Chenonceau and other famous châteaux; and his tomb of Francis I at Saint Denis Basilica remains a perfect specimen of his art.
The most easily viewed work of de l'Orme in Paris is the court facade of the Chateau d'Anet, which was moved to Paris after a major portion of the chateau was demolished, to illustrate for students the major works of the French Renaissance. It is attached to the front wall of the chapel of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and is visible from Rue Bonaparte.
Partial list of works
Château de Saint-Maur (1541), demolished in 1796
Tomb of François Ie in the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Paris (1547)
Château d'Anet (1547-1555), built for Diane de Poitiers. Only one wing remains.
Plans of the Chapel of Saint-Éloi, Paris (1550-1566), (Long attributed, but not documented. Only a portion of the facade remains)
Attribution du château d'Acquigny
Facade of the residence of the Vicomte of the Duchy of Uzès (attributed)
Completion of Sainte-Chapelle at the Château de Vincennes (1552)
Château de Villers-Cotterêts, southern portion( 1547-1559)
Chapel of the Château of Villers-Cotterêts (1552-1553)
Royal Château of Saint-Léger-en-Yvelines (demolished)
Château de Meudon (attributed)
Château de Montceaux
Château de Thoiry (1560s)
The bridge upon which the Château de Chenonceau is constructed
Portions of the Louvre
Portions of the new Chateau of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Portal of Château d'Écouen, now the National Museum of the French Renaissance (mid 16th century). The wing he designed was destroyed in 1787, but vestiges are displayed inside the Chateau.
Roofs of the towers of the Château de Bonnemare.
Stagecoach London 18256 is one of a number of Alexander ALX400/Dennis Trident currently on loan to Tower Transit for route 69, whilst a number of the latter's Enviro400s are with CT Plus for route 26. With its Stagecoach fleetnames removed, it is seen on Monday 11th April in Upper Road, Plaistow, crossing the Northern Outfall Sewer which runs four miles from Old Ford to the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works. The sewer was built as part of Joseph Bazalgette's 1860s scheme to improve London's public health, and is still in use today. It carries a traffic-free walkway and cycleway for most of its length.
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Route 69 passed from Stagecoach London to Tower Transit from 6th February - originally the new contract was scehduled to commence on 30th April, but it was brought forward by mutual agreement.
Scheduled type for the route will be 5-year-old ADL Enviro400s. However as a number of these are currently on loan to CT Plus for route 26 (this route changed hands on 27th February, again well ahead of the scheduled date), Tower Transit has hired in some of the ex-Stagecoach Tridents to tide them over. These should be phased out in a few weeks time as CT Plus receives its new Enviro400 City buses for the 26 and returns the Tower Transit Enviros to their owner.
Adding to the mix are the three "ZeEUS" electric buses - these are ADL Enviro400 MMC electric buses which have been adapted so they can be charged at each end as they lay over - route 69 was selected as it terminates at Transport for London bus stations at each end, and a special charging pad has been provided within Canning Town and Walthamstow Central Bus Stations. The pads are not live, and can only be activated by pressing a button in the driver's cab when the bus is parked in the correct position. Each bus has a small diesel engine generator as a back-up, but the aim is to operate for 80% or more of the time in full electric mode.
ZeEUS stands for Zero Emission Urban (bus) System, and is a Europe-wide initiative to develop and promote innovative solutions to providing fully-electric urban bus services. Originally intended for Stagecoach, the vehicles were diverted to Tower Transit given the impending contract change, and entered service on a supplementary schedule from mid-November 2015. From 9th April a new timetable came into force without the supplementary journeys; now the ZeEUS buses operate designated journeys in the regular timetabe, when available.
I am currently doing a mini series on black and white photographs. All shots were took in Changi Beach, Singapore.
My third upload:- "Waiting".
I'm currently painting a mural on the back of Victory Vintage Home in Decatur, Georgia. And I'm using the illustrations from the previously uploaded 1956 Better Homes & Garden Decorating Book as my subject.
It's been an interesting thing to duplicate large up on a wall what was originally meant to be viewed in a smaller scale, in a book. The images so far transpire really well. Bold lines and color help.
I'm having fun with it so far. I hope to be finished soon, but with all the hoohah during the Holidays, it's rather difficult to find the time to paint.
Read more about it here.
A Beat Safari csapata (karácsonyra való telkintettel :D )
ezúttal Current Value-t látja vendégül!
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(Blackout NL, Critical Music, Subsistenz, TSM, MethLab)
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Deko: Goof Art Deko
JEGYEK A HELYSZÍNEN MÉG KAPHATÓK KORLÁTOZOTT SZÁMBAN:
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Currently on loan to West Coast Motors is this Caetano Levante bodied Scania. It is seen here arriving into Buchanan Bus Station having completed the AIR service from Edinburgh Airport.