It breaks my heart to have to tell all our Flickr friends of this sad news. Asha passed away Tuesday 5th October 2021. It was just another Tuesday morning and Asha was her usual happy self and full of beans. She did her usual early morning 2 mile walk into Millisle with my Brother before he went to work and he said she was very happy, walking along the wee wall she walked along every morning with her tongue out at the seafront. At home she was happy and doing all her usual things. Around 11.30am I noticed Asha lying down in the hall which I thought was unusual. She followed me into the living room and lay at my feet. I instantly knew there was something wrong. Not to go into all the minute details we took Asha to the vet and the vet said that that Asha was having wee seizures (she could see this from her eyes) and she would admit her and give her some diazepam and anti seizure drugs and do some blood tests to see what is going on and she would phone the next day.

When the phone rang at 8.15am the next day I knew it could only be the vet phoning this early and it wasn't going to be good news. The vet said that Asha didn't make it and passed away at 11.30pm. She said that Asha died of multiple organ failure, for some reason her immune system attacked all her major organs. The vet said that this just happens and nobody knows why it happens that the immune system suddenly attacks all the organs. She did say that maybe Asha had some undetected medical condition that could have brought this on like some kind of auto immune disease or blood disorder or even Leukemia even though she wasn't showing any symptoms. The vet said she could do a autopsy but even a autopsy might not show what caused her immune system to suddenly attack all her organs and it wouldn't change things. I didn't want a autopsy to be performed as what would be the point? It wouldn't bring Asha back!

I was working on my Halloween pictures of Asha and did a lovely shoot of her the day before she died of her with her wee Witch costume on. She was so happy doing this shoot and nothing to suggest there was something wrong with her. I decided to upload this wee montage picture of Asha from this shoot as this was the last pictures I took of Asha the day before she passed away to let our dear flickr friends know this sad news.

I can't believe I'm having to write this and it is breaking my heart to have to do so. Asha had just turned 10, border collies are one of the dogs that generally live a longer life usually between 14-17 years. I feel cheated out of a good 4 years I should have had with her. I was working on her Halloween pictures and on the day she passed a prop I had ordered on ebay had just arrived and I was expecting two further Halloween props to arrive. I was going to go full out this year on my Halloween pictures and was even thinking about the Christmas pictures with her. I had so many plans for all the future Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and just Asha being herself pictures etc. I feel so cheated out of all those photoshoots to come and all the pictures I could have created of her and shared with her lovely fans here on flickr. I had plans to do shoots of her with Bonnie the doll I had recently bought especially for Asha to create a different kind of shoot to make her pictures interesting and fun for her fans. I can't believe I will never be able to do these pictures now with Asha and Bonnie.

I don't know what will happen now with my photography and whether I will continue to take pictures or upload to flickr. I only got into photography when I noticed Asha posing for the camera when taking the usual family snaps that you do. Asha would literally stop what she was doing when she seen I was pointing the camera at her and looked straight at it and didn't move till I had taken the picture. I knew this was unique for a dog so it all just started from there my taking pictures of her. I had no interest in photography before that. Asha was my inspiration into the world of photography. I always had chronic insecurities regarding my photography and lots of times thought about stopping but my flickr friends gave me such wonderful comments on my pictures which gave me confidence and I continued on and would have continued on for at least another 4 years creating my Asha pictures for her fans but life is cruel and robbed us of these pictures to come.

The only comfort I can gain was that Asha was happy on the last day and she didn't suffer and died peacefully. I don't know why she died but if she had something wrong with her like Leukemia then maybe she might have had suffering ahead of her and I wouldn't have wanted that for her. She was happy to the very end and had a wonderful life. She was a very special dog even as a wee puppy when I took her to puppy classes they all said she was special and full of character. Asha excelled in everything she did, when I first took her to Agility classes she ran up all the ramps right away and I remember the dog trainer shouting out to everybody 'That dog should be a agility dog'. Asha even did doggie dancing with me and I took her to nose work classes and she excelled at sniffing things out like in the videos I uploaded of Asha counting, where she was able to pick out the numbered tennis balls. She excelled at Flyball too and even demonstrated this in a big dog event here in Northern Ireland. Thousands of people where there at this big event at a estate with thousands of dog's demonstrating what they can do. They did a piece about this event 'Wet Nose Day' the next week in the local paper and out of all the thousands of dog's at this event they chose one picture to go along with this piece and it was a picture of Asha demonstrating flyball (a close up of her). I couldn't believe that out of all the dogs there that they chose a picture they had taken of Asha demonstrating flyball with her group Downdog Dashers.

Circumstances changed at home and I couldn't take Asha to al these classes but I created my own agility course for her in the back garden and even had her flyball jumps and ball thrower for her. I kept up her training but I began to focus more on her pictures. For around two years Asha had her picture in our local weekly paper every week. I would submit a picture of her every week and they would print it in the 'reader's pics' section (usually a funny picture). The paper even did a special on her, a full two page spread. I eventually stopped this for various reasons and concentrated on creating my own pictures of her for flickr and this was what I was hoping to do for another 4 or 5 years. I felt my photography of her was only beginning. I even bought a umbrella light to enable me to take pictures of Asha indoors and I had Bonnie and another doll that I was going to include in her pictures. I had so many wonderful ideas all revolving around Asha, she was my inspiration and light and I'm so lost without her.

Asha was well known in our local town of Millisle as my Brother walked her to this town every morning for 10 years and walked along the seafront with her meeting all the other people with their dogs,they then went to the local Spar to get the morning papers. Asha was never on a lead and she would wait outside the door of this shop which later became a petrol station for my Brother to come out so all the customers were used to her sitting there waiting patiently for my Brother, they all petted her and said that they couldn't get their dog to do this. Even today I would get people from further afield than Millisle who would still recognize Asha from her pictures being in the local weekly paper. She was well known and loved by everybody who knew her. Asha was the only dog I knew who loved postmen. She loved bringing in the post. There is one particular postman who always rings the door when he is delivering so he can give Asha the post. Asha always ran out to him wagging her tail and licking his face when he rang and he loved that. He rapped the door yesterday with the post and my Sister answered and he said 'where's my wee pet' as Asha was always first at the door when he rapped. When my Sister told him through tears that Asha died two days ago he couldn't speak and had tears in his eyes.

Asha was more than a dog/pet to us she was a family member she understood everything we said to her. I didn't see her as a dog she was like a wee human and we all loved her. My Dad is disabled and confined to bed a lot of the time so when he wants something he would ring a bell. Asha was always the first to alert us that my Dad was ringing the bell. I remember one time she was out in the garden and she suddenly dashed into the house as fast as she could go as she heard my Dad's bell and wanted to alert us that he was ringing. She was very compassionate towards my Dad and would sleep beside his bed for part of the night. I got Asha as a wee pup of 7 weeks, I picked her from a litter of 6. As soon as I held her I knew she was the one. Circumstances drew me to her. I was inconsolable over the loss of my previous border collie Sasha. Asha helped me heal and get over my grief for it felt that I could feel Sasha's love through Asha. It felt like Sasha wasn't dead while Asha was alive as it felt like she lived through Asha. Maybe one day another wee pup will come to me and I will feel Asha's love through her and Asha will still be alive through this wee pup but at the moment I'm just empty inside and trying to come to terms with what has happened.

I could write so much more about Asha and how special she was but I'm not sure how much written words these comment boxes will hold, hopefully they will hold all that I have written. I know some will want to write a wee comment to send their condolences etc. I will read them but please forgive me if I don't reply. I just couldn't reply it is too raw for me and would be too painful. I'm crying inside now as I write this and I don't know how to ease the pain. I'm trying to block out all the memories as it is too painful to remember but I can't block out the feeling inside, the knotted stomach which is preventing me from eating and my soul knowing that something bad has happened even though I'm trying not to think about it. It is impossible to block it out completely, it just comes suddenly out of the blue and you have to re-live it all over again. Every time you wake up at night it is in your head and you relive it all over again what has happened. I can't believe I will never see my Beautiful Asha ever again or to hold her or to take a portrait of her beautiful smile. She was such a happy dog and lived life to the full.

Thank you from Asha and myself to all our lovely flickr friends for you support, likes and comments they meant so much to us and it was your support and love for Asha that kept me going with my Asha photography. I told Asha all the time that she had fans from all over the world who love her.

Lots of Love...Connie and Asha xxx (I have 4 Halloween picture created if it feels right I might upload them for Halloween)

Nice bit of light at sunset last night! So dashed out to cliff house!

…walking at midnight was just the same.

The temperaments had quelled, subsided under the condensation of fear. Ya sure, it could be argued that this outcome was already written in the stars, penned in a notebook by the grand sorcerer himself, Quando. Somehow though, given the nature of human spirit and the classes that were taught amongst its young, the surety waned like a paper-mâché puppet on a puppy masticated string.

Wasn’t it just twenty-fours before, maybe forty-seven and one half, that all the luster and sheen was paraded out and praised with exaltation of the highest regard, proclaiming such a dominance over everything that was good and just? Oh, tender are those moments when time passes through without even the slightest regard.

Now, when all hope had been dashed aside by an ever so faux handshake and pearly smarm that one could wretch, a call was being made to stay calm, play board games, placate the wee ones with suckers and floss and “just wait it out, will you!” There is never so fine an instance when the caution is sliced with a bloodied bayonet… never.

Musical accompaniment: ’The Foggy Dew’ – The Chieftains (with Sinead O'Connor)

There was only a one-day window of decent weather between a snow event and the arrival of arctic conditions, so we dashed to Prairie Mountain. The wind was howling at the top as usual, but didn't pose a problem. We ascended the normal route up the south flank, but took the long way back, descending the northwest flank and following Prairie Creek. We walked over 11 1/2 km's return distance, gaining around 840 m's with all the ups and downs, taking 4 1/2 hours to do so.

I was having dinner in the garden when the mother bear arrived with her four cubs. I dashed inside with my food, but my barrier around the garden pool was off. While one cub sampled my glass of wine (it didn't like the wine, but didn't break the wine glass), another cub started checking out the pool.

PLEASE View On Black

I was flickring in bed, when I caught sight of the dawn sky. I tumbled into a coat and slippers, grabbed a camera, and dashed for the hole in the hedge over the road. I think I missed the best, and it quickly faded.

I had considered earlier getting out and finding some straw bales ... if only I had.

I may try to improve this later.

Maybe one can see this kind of sky show once or twice a year in big cities. Today Japan had terrible heat after the storm passed through and dashed to the north. But the nature in return left us this heavenly panoramic show to end the day. The pictures were taken from my balcony.

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Παναγία Ελαφιώτισσα Virgin Mary of Deers

on my blog ΛΟΓΕΙΚΩΝ Logicon

Είναι γνωστό ότι υπάρχουν χιλιάδες προσωνύμια της Παναγίας στην Ελλάδα.Ένα από τα πιο περίεργα,συνοδευόμενο,μάλιστα και από θαυμαστή προφορική παράδοση είναι αυτό που συνάντησα σ’έναν μικρό περιφερειακό ναό σε διπλανό μας(>10χλμ) κεφαλοχώρι,το Προάστιο Καρδίτσας,αγνοώντας παντελώς το όλο θέμα παρ’όλη την εικοσαετή περίπου γειτνίαση!!! Συνέβη,δε,όλως “τυχαίως”:

Λόγω των έργων για την περίφημη Ε65 υποχρεώθηκα να αλλάξω το καθημερινό δρομολόγιό μας από το χωριό όπου διαμένω για το χωριό όπου διδάσκω.

Σ’ένα σημείο της νέας αυτής διαδρομής,το πάντοτε…ανήσυχο φωτογραφικό μάτι διέκρινε, κάπου στο βάθος, έναν πέτρινο ναό κτισμένο πάνω σε κάποιο περίεργο,πολύ χαμηλό “ανάχωμα” να περιβάλλεται από εκτεταμένο λειμώνα.

Σκέφθηκα ότι ο συνδυασμός μπορεί κάποια στιγμή να αποφέρει κάτι ενδιαφέρον φωτογραφικά και το…παράτησα σε μιά γωνιά του μυαλού μου.

Μετά από δύο χρόνια,την περασμένη άνοιξη, το…ανέσυρα και είπα να κάνω την πρώτη αναγνωριστική επίσκεψη.Όταν έφτασα,το φώς είχε πέσει πάρα πολύ και δεν προσφερόταν για “σοβαρή” φωτογράφιση.Έμεινα έκπληκτος όμως βλέποντας στον περιβάλλοντα χώρο του Ναού να περιφέρεται αμέριμνα μια μικρή αγέλη από…ΕΛΑΦΙΑ !!!

Έκανα μερικές λήψεις έτσι για…την τιμή των όπλων και αποχώρησα.

Το ανέφερα στη σύζυγο και συμφωνήσαμε την επόμενη φορά να πάμε μαζί.Ό,περ και εγένετο ένα απογευματάκι στις αρχές Ιουνίου με κατάλληλο ουράνιο καμβά.Εκεί,λοιπόν,εκτός από το ενδιαφέρον φωτογραφικό υλικό,ανακαλύψαμε και ένα λαογραφικό διαμάντι.Μεταφέρω το κείμενο που είδαμε τοιχοκολλημένο έξω από τον Ιερό Ναό:

Iστορία του Iερού Nαού Παναγίας Eλαφιώτισσας Προαστίου Kαρδίτσας

Σύμφωνα με την εγχάρακτη επιγραφή της κυρίας εισόδου του Ι.Ν.Κοιμήσεως της Θεοτόκου Προαστίου,αυτός κτίσθηκε το 1858 στην βόρεια πλευρά του χωριού πάνω σε έναν γήλοφο ύψους 3 και περιμέτρου 300 περ.μέτρων.

Η τοπική παράδοση κληροδότησε αξιοθαύμαστα γεγονότα τόσο για την ανέγερση όσο και για την μετέπειτα ιστορία του Ναού.

Ο γήλοφος,που στέκει εκεί για αιώνες,κατά την περίοδο της τουρκοκρατίας ήταν κατάφυτος από μεγάλα δέντρα,θάμνους διαφόρων ειδών και αγκαθωτούς βάτους.Ένα βράδυ λοιπόν,ενώ οι κάτοικοι του χωριού έβοσκαν τα πρόβατά τους γύρω απ’αυτή τη μαγούλα(προεξοχή της γής σαν μάγουλο),άκουσαν να λαλεί ένας κόκορας μέσα στο πυκνό δασύλιο.Με δυσκολία και γεμάτοι απορία ανέβηκαν για να βρούν τον κόκορα.Όμως,αντί γι’αυτό,βρήκαν μπροστά τους μια εικόνα της Παναγίας και δίπλα της να καίει ένα καντήλι.

Γεμάτοι ευλάβεια μετέφεραν την εικόνα στον Ι.Ν.Αγίου Αθανασίου Κάτω Χώρας διότι,τότε,το χωριό χωριζόταν σε δύο μαχαλάδες,την Άνω και Κάτω Χώρα,λόγω του μικρού ποταμού «Φλέβα» ο οποίος διχοτομούσε την Παραπράστανη όπως ήταν η παλαιά ονομασία του χωριού.Όμως η εικόνα,με θαυματουργικό τρόπο,επέστρεψε στην αρχική της θέση δείχνοντας την σαφή προτίμηση της Παναγίας γι αυτό τον τόπο.

Έτσι,παρ’όλες τις δυσκολίες,οι κάτοικοι,οπλισμένοι με πίστη και θέληση,άρχισαν να κτίζουν τον Ι.Ναό .Και τα εμπόδια δεν ήταν λίγα.Αξίζει να αναφέρουμε την συλλογική προσπάθεια των κατοίκων όταν προσέφεραν ένα μέρος από τα μαλλιά των προβάτων τους με σκοπό να φράξουν την πηγή η οποία ανέβλυζε μέσα από τα σπλάχνα της μαγούλας καθιστώντας αδύνατο το χτίσιμο πάνω σ’αυτήν.

Όταν πλεόν ολοκληρώθηκε ο Ι.Ναός,λίγες ημέρες πρίν τον 15Αύγουστο εμφανίστηκαν στον περίβολο του Ναού τρία ελάφια.Όλοι κατάλαβαν πως αυτό το Θεόσταλτο δώρο ήταν η ανταμοιβή της Παναγίας για τα παιδιά της που τόσο μόχθησαν.

Για χρόνια λοιπόν έσφαζαν τα δύο,δίνοντας το κρέας τους ευλογία στους πιστούς που τιμούσαν το «Πάσχα του καλοκαιριού» και άφηναν το ένα το οποίο επέστρεφε την άλλη χρονιά παρέα με άλλα δύο καινούργια.

Όταν,όμως,αυτό διαδόθηκε στα γύρω βαλτοχώρια,πλήθος προσκυνητών συνέρρεε στο πανηγύρι του 15Αυγούστου.Έτσι,οι Παραπραστανίτες για να ευχαριστήσουν όλους τους πανηγυριώτες ,μια φορά έσφαξαν και τα τρία ελάφια και από τότε δεν ξαναφάνηκε κανένα.

Τα συνεχή θαύματα δεν άφησαν ασυγκίνητο ακόμη και τον αγά του χωριού του οποίου ο γιός ήταν κωφάλαλος.Έτρεξε και αυτός,αν και μουσουλμάνος φυσικά,γονάτισε μπροστά στην χάρη της Παναγίας και προσευχήθηκε για την αποκατάσταση της υγείας του παιδιού του.Πράγματι σε λίγες ημέρες ο γιός του ανέκτησε την ομιλία και την ακοή του ενώ ο Αγάς, ευγνώμων,δώρισε πολλά από τα υλικά αγαθά του στον Ι.Ναό.

Σήμερα,σε ανάμνηση όλων των προαναφερθέντων, στον περιφραγμένο περιβάλλοντα το Ναό χώρο εκτρέφονται κάποια ελάφια και ο κάθε προσκυνητής ή απλός περαστικός μπορεί να απολαύσει την συναναστροφή μαζί τους.

It is known that there are thousands of names of the Virgin Mary in Greece. One of the most odd, accompanied indeed wonderful oral tradition is what I met in a small regional temple in our neighboring (> 10km) big village, Proastio Karditsa, The whole thing over the next twenty years around! It happened totally "accidentally":

Due to the works for the famous E65 I was forced to change my daily route from the village where I live for the village I teach.

At a point on this new route, the ever-restless photographic eye could see, somewhere in the background, a stone temple built on some strange, very low "embankment" surrounded by extensive lawn.

I thought the combination could somehow produce something interesting in the photographic way and I ... I left in a corner of my mind.

After two years, last spring ... I took off and said to make the first identification visit. When I arrived, the light had fallen too much and was not offered for "serious" photography. I was surprised to see the surrounding area of the church wandering Carelessly a small herd of ... deer !!!

I made some shots so ... for the price of the weapons and I left.

I mentioned it to my husband and we agreed next time to go together. That was the first afternoon in early June with appropriate uranium canvas. So, apart from the interesting photographic material, we also discovered a folk diamond. I translate the text we saw Dashed outside the Temple:

History of the Holy Monastery of Panagia Elafiotissa, Proastio, Karditsa

According to the engraved inscription of the main entrance of the Church of the Assumption of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, it was built in 1858 on the north side of the village on a hill of height 3 and a perimeter of 300 centimeters.

The local tradition bequeathed admirable events both to the erection and to the subsequent history of the Temple.

The gulp, which has been there for centuries, during the Ottoman domination, was full of large trees, shrubs of various species and barbed walruses. One evening, while the inhabitants of the village grazed their sheep around this magoula (the outskirts of the land Like a cheek), they heard a cock in the dense wood. With difficulty and full of urge they went up to find the rooster. But instead they found a picture of the Virgin Mary in front of them and burning a candle next to it.

Full of devotion, they transferred the icon to Agios Athanasios Kato Chora, because at that time the village was divided into two mosques, Ano and Kato Chora, due to the small river "Fleva" which divided the Paraphrastani as it was the old name of the village . But the image, in a miraculous way, returned to its original position, showing the clear preference of the Virgin Mary for this place.

So, despite all the difficulties, the inhabitants, armed with faith and will, began to build the Nau. And the obstacles were few. It is worth mentioning the collective effort of the residents when they offered some of their sheep's hair In order to clog the source that flowed through the guts of the magus, making it impossible to build on it.

When the temple was completed, a few days before 15 August, three deer appeared in the temple's courtyard. Everybody understood that this Goddess was the reward of the Virgin Mary for her children who had been so abused.

For years, they both were sacking, giving their meat a blessing to the faithful who honored "Easter of the Summer" and left the one who was returning another year together with two new ones.

When, however, it spread to the surrounding marshlands, a crowd of pilgrims gathered at the feast of August 15th. So the Paraportesites to please all the fanatics, once slaughtered all three deer and no one ever came back.

The constant miracles did not leave even the agape of the village whose son was deaf. He also went, though a Muslim, of course, kneel before the grace of the Virgin and prayed for the restoration of his child's health. Indeed, in a few days His son recovered his speech and hearing, while Agas, thankful, donated many of his material goods to John Nau.

Today, in remembrance of all the aforementioned, in the enclosed surroundings the Temple area is bred some deer and every pilgrim or simple passer can enjoy the interaction with them.

I like this image. It’s a long story and too technical. Its15 minutes before sunset and I’m on a canoe, not so steady in light wind. I spotted the Heron landing from about 800 meters and dashed over there after waiting for him the whole day. He was standing on a rock just behind a small island. Facing him the sun was directly at my lens. So got a bit closer to get some of the trees to block the sun and anticipated the takeoff. Used raw to get the 2 extra stops and editing capabilities and got a few good images. As I was panning to follow the takeoff path… a bit out of focus and exposure completely off, I got this shot. Lots of work on Adobe Raw… But I like the feel and colours of it, the back light and the highlights of the flies while panning. Of course he flew to about 50 meters from where I came from.

Check the Meta.

DASHED - BEER NAILS FATPACK - BOXED (ADD ME) --- MIXWKND

Opulein . Eyeshadow Set #0015 . BOM (evox maps) . Fatpack

Opulein . Lipstick Set #0009 . BOM (evox maps) . Fatpack

(Yummy) Malka Curated Ear (human)

MICHAN - Nola Rings - Gold [add me]

DOUX - Unruly hairstyle [BLOGGER PACK]

WOWma! - Girl pose (pack Hands) 1038 - BOX [ADD ME]

I have always struggled here to come up with a shot that told the full story of the beauty of this place. I had a couple of days away in Beara but the weather forecast wasn't very promising although yesterday evening was suppose to brighten up. I went with a few locations in mind but I really wanted to do this place justice. and had decided on a panorama. I was down at the rocks taking a few shots when the light started to turn really good so I dashed up onto the cliffs and just managed to make this shot with only a couple of minutes to spare before this lightshow was over. This is looking back at Cods head and Allahies although the view behind me is almost as nice. What a beautiful place on earth.

Garnish point Beara peninsula co Cork.

4:51... Shawnah, almost getting late for the 5 O'clock party, needs to get there on time... So she dashed her way through the room, FR2 Leopard print pumps in hand, and realizing how the sea of people seem to pave way as they hear her crystal hemline chiming a lovely rushing tune... and leading her towards that golden door where royalties nestle...

Shawnah is wearing an OOAK Couture, fully beaded dress by Cho:lo Doll Couture.

Just around the corner from our hotel was this fairly busy cross road junction. At a relatively quiet moment ,I dashed into the road to get this image , as a bus went by......& I wasn`t run over !

Click on image to enlarge.

View On White

Today we spent the day near the water. Early on in the afternoon we went to Capitola to show some love to Jim Patterson who was showcasing his work at the art show. Good chatting with you bud... Around sunset time we dashed over to Pigeon Point. This was only my second time there and boy was I wondering what took me so long to get back. Guess that sort of thing happens... Well, the sky was nothing to scream about but it was nice to scope out the potentials. Looking forward to getting back there with more favorable photo conditions like some bad weather... ; )

Stupid me, I forgot my filter holder so had to resort to HDR.I could have handheld them I suppose but I couldn't be bothered.

Thanks for looking!

Tally Ho Corner, Finchley, London, in the 1940s. A Feltham tram terminates on the road behind the Tally Ho Pub.

I used to live near here in the 1970s and the pub remains one of my most pleasant memories. And the girls who we used to meet there.

Fineliner pen on cartridge paper. 200 x 130mm. I dashed this off during half time in the football.

Black 5 45231 coasts towards its planned stop at Leigh on Sea this morning, skirting the Thames Estuary at Chalkwell. Steam Dreams tour from Southend Central to Winchester. I had planned to overtake this tour on the service train following the charter, however this was not to be. I made it to Chalkwell in time to board, but the train did not move. The driver informed us all that we were being held up by a steam train which had stopped for water and was blocking the points ahead! We were delayed and the charter allowed out first, presumably to allow the stopping service train to actually access Leigh on Sea. Don't know if the water stop was planned, the ECS from Southall ran very late and went straight into Southend instead of the planned path to go to Shoeburyness with a break there. In any case, my hopes of trying a glint shot at Benfleet with the loco working were dashed!

"Watching huge flocks of Snow Geese swirl down from the sky, amid a cacophony of honking, is a little like standing inside a snow globe. These loud, white-and-black geese can cover the ground in a snowy blanket as they eat their way across fallow cornfields or wetlands. Among them, you might see a dark form with a white head—a color variant called the “Blue Goose.” Snow Geese have skyrocketed in numbers and are now among the most abundant waterfowl on the continent.

The dark color of the blue morph Snow Goose is controlled by a single gene, with dark being partially dominant over white. If a pure dark goose mates with a white goose, the offspring will all be dark (possibly with white bellies). If two white geese mate, they have only white offspring. If two dark geese mate, they will have mostly dark offspring, but might have a few white ones too." From AllAboutBirds.

Yesterday, 12 October 2021, I stayed home in the morning to wait for a landscaper who had arranged to come and look at my tiny backyard late morning and give me an estimate for putting down desperately needed new grass that I want putting down from fence to fence. A last minute phone call let me know that he had been called out on something urgent, so had to cancel So, I got ready as fast as I could and dashed out east of the city in hopes of finding the Snow Geese that people have been reporting. I was in luck, though the maybe 300 or so birds were a long way off. I don't often go out looking for birds that are reported, but I thought it would be nice to see some Snow Geese, that I rarely see. Not a good spot for parking/pulling over, but I was either the only person there or just one other. These really are beautiful birds - and very vocal. I managed to take one video of them noisily in flight, taken from inside my car and looking across the passenger seat. Not the best video, as I kept getting the edge of the door included. However, it was so windy that I stayed inside.

After spending some time watching these beautiful, migrating birds, I drove a few mainly familiar roads before heading home. Just enough time to find a few, previously photographed barns.

The squirrels in my backyard forest have been remarkably lively, captivatingly displaying nature's wonders. I've captured video footage of a vibrant red squirrel energetically stuffing fluffy material into its mouth to build its nest. Meanwhile, other squirrels are busy gathering cones, while some are playfully chasing one another. I was especially charmed when one squirrel dashed before me, stopping as if to say, "I bet you can't see me!" I seized the moment to engage with him in my best squirrel mimicry as he graciously posed for some photos before racing up the nearest spruce tree. It's a powerful reminder of the beauty and vitality of the natural world, as even the wildlife exudes joy and anticipation for the arrival of spring.

Wednesday, 4 August 2021, was yet another hot, smoky day. I have been wanting to drive SE of the city to call in at a farm to drop off a couple of photos for weeks now, but kept running out of time. This day, I was determined to reach my destination, though the smoke from the British Columbia wildfires was really unpleasant. Travelling south on the highway, it was very tempting to turn around and try on a different day. However, I suspect we might be getting this smoke for the rest of the summer, so I decided I might as well continue my drive. Much of the landscape had disappeared, shrouded in toxic smoke.

There are two barns that I love down in this area, and I took just a few photos of each one before calling in at the farm to give the photos to the lady who owns the smaller of the two barns. We had spoken whilst on the back road near her barn on maybe three of my visits to the area other years and this time, we sat and chatted outside on her porch. It was so enjoyable!

Leaving the area, my drive took me back exactly the way I had come, as there was an old homestead that I had missed on the drive to the farm. Perhaps it had been removed, but I was really hoping that was not the case. I just hadn't been looking in the right place.

This was definitely a barn day, which was my intention, but there were so few birds to be seen. anyway. My drive was quick, as I didn't want to be out for a full day in the heat and smoke, even though I was driving, not walking. I did call in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, though. My hopes of buying some nice, fresh fruit and vegetables were dashed, as no fruit was left, bought by earlier visitors. Enjoyed a meal there, so that I wouldn't have to make supper when I got home. I had been hoping to get to the farm for the last few days, but avoided going, as it was a long weekend here. Why would I go on a busy holiday weekend, anyway, when I can go during the week?

Can't wait to see blue sky again, and our beautiful foothills and mountains in the distance. Compared to all those people who live much closer to the wildfires, we are lucky. How I feel for them, having to breathe in all the toxic smoke particles, not to mention the losses that many people are having to deal with.

I like the different layers of cloud in this picture. Photography is frequently about capturing the moment. Yesterday evening I was busy with the mundane task of shopping, but as I left the supermarket I realised that the grey sky of the day had broken. No planning or preparation but I dashed up to a high point and captured this picture. With minimal editing it's far from perfect, but if nothing else reminds me of the beautiful scenes we can see outdoors - so I must plan more trips with my camera and capture the beauty of Autumn.

EP07-339 is ready to leave Katowice station with TLK 53172, the 20:13 Hel to Kraków on the morning of July the 22nd 2022. Just before it does so, the guard walks over to a nearby gravel dashed bin to sharpen his knife! Best to have the correct ticket on this train..

August 16, 2021: A Canadian Pacific AC4400CW GE engine, along with a Norfolk Southern ES44DC GE engine, lead 3 company motors, as they bring empty CSX ethanol train K442 (Lawrenceville, GA-Bensenville, IL) through downtown Cartersville, GA on the CSX W&A Sub. The rain from Tropical Storm Fred had began, yet it lightened up just enough for us to film it underneath the Church Street Bridge. This train contained two K442 trains combined in to one,, and it stretched to over 12 thousand feet long! Thanks to my rail-friend Travis for sending me a heads up; I immediately dashed out the door an arrived just as the train approached. Talk about perfect timing LOL!

The Parish Church of Saint Mary

Bungay is a small pretty market town on the River Waveney in the English county of Suffolk, close to the border with Norfolk.

The church of St Mary sits in the town centre close to the market place and was originally built as the church to a Benedictine priory in the late 12th century. The main part of the present church dates from the 14th–15th century. The priory was closed in 1536 as a result of the dissolution of the monasteries and St Mary's became a parish church.

A large part of the priory building was destroyed by the 'Great Bungay Fire' of 1688, the fire destroyed a significant portion of the town, including many houses and buildings.

Ruins of the priory can be see today in the churchyard of St Mary, including a delicately carved 13th century doorway.

The church is now redundant and in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

A local legend states that in August 1577 during a thunderstorm an apparition appeared, consisting of a black Hell Hound which dashed around the church, attacking members of the congregation. It then suddenly disappeared and re-appeared in Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh 12 miles away, injuring members of the congregation there.

As of 5/6 August 2021, Alberta has 46 wildfires, BC (next province to our west) has 291, and Saskatchewan (our neighbour to the east) has 129. Everywhere is SO dry.

Wednesday, 4 August 2021, was yet another hot, smoky day. I had been wanting to drive SE of the city to call in at a farm to drop off a couple of photos for weeks now, but kept running out of time. This day, I was determined to reach my destination, though the smoke from the British Columbia wildfires was really unpleasant. Travelling south on the highway, it was very tempting to turn around and try on a different day. However, I suspect we might be getting this smoke for the rest of the summer, so I decided I might as well continue my drive. Much of the landscape had disappeared, shrouded in toxic smoke.

There are two barns that I love down in this area, and I took just a few photos of each one before calling in at the farm to give the photos to the lady who owns the smaller of the two barns. We had spoken whilst on the back road near her barn on maybe three of my visits to the area other years and this time, we sat and chatted outside on her porch. It was so enjoyable!

Leaving the area, my drive took me back exactly the way I had come, as there was an old homestead that I had missed on the drive to the farm. Perhaps it had been removed, but I was really hoping that was not the case. I just hadn't been looking in the right place.

This was definitely a barn day, which was my intention, but there were so few birds to be seen. anyway. My drive was quick, as I didn't want to be out for a full day in the heat and smoke, even though I was driving, not walking. I did call in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, though. My hopes of buying some nice, fresh fruit and vegetables were dashed, as no fruit was left, bought by earlier visitors. Enjoyed a meal there, so that I wouldn't have to make supper when I got home. I had been hoping to get to the Saskatoon Farm for the last few days, but avoided going, as it was a long weekend here. Why would I go on a busy holiday weekend, anyway, when I can go during the week?

Can't wait to see blue sky again, and our beautiful foothills and mountains in the distance. Compared to all those people who live much closer to the wildfires, we are lucky. How I feel for them, having to breathe in all the toxic smoke particles, not to mention the devastating losses that many people are having to deal with.

I was at Walmart yesterday at 6 AM, getting a friend a birthday card and when I exited the store, a beautiful sunrise was lingering! I dashed to the car and grabbed the camera just as the colors were starting to fade! Had I not taken quite so long to pick out a card, you'd be seeing its full glory!

Here’s one from my recent Eastern Sierras boot camp trip with Alan. This one is from the sand tufas located by Mono Lake. Having scouted out this area last winter, I wanted to come back in the summer to shoot these tufas with the south Milky Way.

Luckily the smoke from the Rim Fire stayed towards the north and gave us clear conditions to the south. The only minor downside was the longer and windier drive through Sonora pass rather than a shorter route through Yosemite High Country.

I’ll admit that we were a bit late in getting over to Mono Lake after spending too much time chowing on our burgers. With little time to spare we dashed towards the tufas with Alan still sporting shorts and flip flops. I looked around at all the tufas and I ultimately settled on this one as it most resembled a castle. Specifically, it reminded me of the black gate from LOTR with its tall base columns topped off with multiple spires. Though only a few feet tall, I wanted to get close to these tufas and have an upward perspective to make the tufas appear larger and more daunting.

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This scan of a Dannimac PU funnel-necked mac from 2005 is a favourite of mine, but hasn’t only been included for that reason.

2003, I think, and I was idly passing time by looking at the rainwear in the various stores and came across an off-white Dannimac in exactly this style, but it was the fabric that intrigued me. The cloth was black on the inside, indicating that it was two bonded layers like a . . . double textured . . ?

My hopes were dashed when I found that the layers were bonded with some sort of glue that had no aroma to it at all, but it looked and felt like a double textured mac.

“Well, that’s an oddity!” I thought as I walked into the James Howell store, Cardiff’s Harrods and took the escalator, the head of which was at the entrance doors to the department marked ‘Ladies Outerwear’. There, I noticed the same type of coat and was rechecking the labels when I noticed that theirs was branded ‘House of Fraser’ rather than Dannimac. “Even odder!” was the thought that flashed by, to be instantly eclipsed when I noticed the tag.

The priciest shop in the city was selling the same coat as the other stores under their house brand for less than half the price!

Who was I to complain? and it only took a seconds thought before I asked one of their assistants to model it for me (always a highlight in Howell’s or the adjacent David Morgan store), plastic at the ready. Ann didn’t complain either.

I guess I’ll never sort that one out, nor what prompted Dannimac to produce a polyurethane coated version a few years later.

I noticed from my balcony that the aurora was visible, so I dashed out in my PJ's and crocs to capture the aurora. The moonlight and mist were a bit of a challenge - but it was great fun. The yellow light that can be seen is from the Coquille River Lighthouse.

This image shows the possible shot available before tree intervened on the A513 into Alrewas. Having taken a shot at Wichnor Junction, the late great Paul Higgins and I dashed here to get a second shot, when it was still possible.

Homestead, The Dalles, OR.

This abandoned homestead was the main reason that I dashed off last weekend to The Dalles area. I loved the way the freshness of the green wheat field melded with the blue sky! We did not stay there long enough for the golden hour light, but instead I was happy to just capture a couple of pictures quickly!

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As it started to get dark, the roe deer emerged from the long grass. These youngsters dashed around, playing in the field. Throop, Dorset, UK.

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Christmas tree. Plus six clicks.

It’s Sunday. It’s Sliders Sunday. It’s time to create some modern fine art…

No I don’t really take myself that seriously, but I do try and have a little fun :)

In January I took around 40 ICM shots of the lights on our Christmas tree, mainly rotating the camera around its lens axis to get circular patterns.

The results are interesting because rather than a solid streak that you might expect from a light the LED produces a set of dashed lines: lacking in a hot filament the bulb oscillates in brightness with the voltage.

This is image and the other two very different variants today are all based on a stack of around eight of these images combined using the outlier operator.

Although they can sound advanced stacks are easy and quick to produce if you have the right software (I was using the low cost Affinity Photo).

Once you have built the stack you can scroll through the options for the operator that controls the combination and quickly see what each looks like. They are totally unpredictable in my experience so you need to just try them all.

This is my favourite variant, for today anyway. I just like the glass ball effect and the curves. Doubtless I’ll have changed my mind by morning :)

Yet it was the simplest to make. All I did was convert it from Rectangular co-ordinates to Polar co-ordinates and that was it.

Being the sad case that I am I went back and counted the mouse clicks from having selected which images to stack to the final look: six clicks and there you are.

Actually that’s not quite what I did, because as you might imagine for me there was a bit of messing about with the colours and the contrast and sharpness, but the basic look was there in six clicks.

I’ll post links to the stacked image and a typical in-camera ICM from the collection in the first comment.

Thank you for taking the time to look. I hope you enjoy the image. Happy Sliders Sunday :)

[Around eight ICM shots stacked in Affinity Photo with the Outlier operator.

Upped the black level in Levels to get rid of some of the residual ambient light. Clarity adjustment for sharpening.

Rectangular to Polar transformation.

Changed the colours a bit using hues shift in an HSL adjustment and Curves in LAB mode, to get a pleasing balance between red and blue.

Sharpened using High Pass and Linear blend to thicken the lines. Brightness and Contrast to balance the tones. Frame and drop shadow.]

The dashboard (I just learned) pre-dates the automobile. It was originally a leather apron or wooden board on a horse drawn carriage, protecting the passengers from mud and whatnot that might be "dashed" against the carriage by the horses' hooves.

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Tatama National Park, Risaralda, Colombia

Just relocated this baby rattlesnake. It fell off my snake hook, then dashed into the rocks. Wish I had got the one button rattle in this Capture

Chapter 7

The Parting Game

I had been watching the two flirting on the dance floor, and was becoming a bit bored by their smitten lovey-dovey actions.

But then the music stopped, and the orchestra took a break, finally!

I followed them out and saw him seat her on one of the private terraces that overlooked the large, hedged in gardens!

I saw my opening as soon as I saw him heading off to fetch drinks, leaving the girl alone.

Time to move in.

Time to try and change the winds of fate to my favor.

I went down another set of stairs and walked over to the bar set up on the front lawns, spying my man as he was waiting in line.

I went up and demurely touched him upon the shoulder.

He turned and looked me the eyes, smiling pleasantly.

“I remember you!” he said as I saw him then look me up and down, as he reminded me that I had bumped into him earlier.

It was a nice feeling having his roving grey eyes look me over.

Though I will admit that blue is my colour, and a tight-fitting satin gown usually begs notice to the gents.

Which is precisely why I had worn it out this evening!

^^^^^^

“Please sir, I really don’t know anyone here, and I could use some help.” I pleaded.

“Certainly miss, if I can” he answered and I saw his eyes go off to the whelp in white taffeta sitting as she straightened that lovely gown of hers while waiting for his return.

“Well,” I stammered, “ It is really quite embarrassing, and I don’t want anyone else to know.”

He looked intrigued.

So, I lowered my voice and quickly spun my tail of inability to get my car to start, and could he come and look at it? I was sure, I told him, that it was only a loosed terminal on the battery. At least that was what my husband was having troubles with.

“I wish he was here with me!” I said this last bit with a trembling lip!

Falling for my lie, he agreed and said he had to tell a friend that he would be right back.

“Please!” I appealed, grasping his arm, and looking pleadingly into his eyes

My acting lessons really paying for themselves at that moment,

“Don’t tell your friend about my car, just tell ‘em you need to help a friend in need, one who you owe a favour?”

He willingly agreed and with a touch to my chin for assurance, went off to talk to the lady in taffeta.

^^^^^^^^^^^

She was compliant to his request, and he soon came back to me and I led him off to the lot opposite lot of the one where my Italian sports coupe was parked.

We walked up to silver rolls I randomly selected, and I fumbled in my purse.

“Oh no I said, I dropped my bloody keys!”

We both looked around on the ground.

“Here I said, try the doors, I may have dropped them in the lady’s room. I will go and check.”

I gave him a huge enveloping hug for being such a dear, lifting his long thin billfold out of his tux coat pocket in the process.

I left him, as the sap was trying the doors!

So if anything else, I told myself, I had a watch and wallet to show for my efforts this evening!

^^^^^^^

Walking back inside I approached a young male servant.

“Look here my lad,” I said, leaning up against him like a co-conspirator, making sure he copped a good feel of my dress, and a look at what it was covering, in the bargain!

“I think someone is tryin to break into a Rolls outside!”

I led him to the door and pointed to where the gent was now trying to pry down a window of the silver Roll Royce.

The servant turned and fetched the butler, a rather stout ex para military-looking bloke!

They both dashed out.

I chuckled as I kept on going inside the house, to head through the ballroom to the private terrace where my victim was vulnerably waiting.

With no ID on him, it would be some time before her new boyfriend was set free!

It was sitting on one of the posts supporting the fence surrounding my vegetable garden. It was raining and I quickly dashed outside to get this shot. Not the best photo as I didn't have time to adjust the camera settings but it was the best I could do on short notice. Backyard bird.

I saw the sky looked promising so I dashed off to Christchurch Harbour to get this shot just after sundown. Lee 1.2 Nd with .9 and .6 grads. No colour or saturation added in Photoshop.

better view

My plans of swimming in Jackson Lake next summer appear to be dashed now that the lake drawdown has turned the swim beach at Colter Bay into a “walk beach”. Oh, well.

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Sunset searching in the Channel Islands! These are the 14th Century ruins of Grosnez Castle on the North West corner of Jersey. The sun was just going down to the horizon and I was off to the Lighthouse at Corbiere, but I couldn't resist taking this shot as a dashed off back to my car. The name Grosnez is an old Norse word meaning "grey headland" which probably was true when seen by the ships from the sea, but on this evening it was anything but grey.

On 12 October 2021, I stayed home in the morning to wait for a landscaper who had arranged to come and look at my tiny backyard late morning and give me an estimate for putting down desperately needed new grass that I want putting down from fence to fence. A last minute phone call let me know that he had been called out on something urgent, so had to cancel So, I got ready as fast as I could and dashed out east of the city in hopes of finding the Snow Geese that people have been reporting. I was in luck, though the maybe 300 or so birds were a long way off. I don't often go out looking for birds that are reported, but I thought it would be nice to see some Snow Geese, that I rarely see. Not a good spot for parking/pulling over, but I was either the only person there or just one other. These really are beautiful birds - and very vocal. I managed to take one video of them noisily in flight, taken from inside my car and looking across the passenger seat. Not the best video, as I kept getting the edge of the door included. However, it was so windy that I stayed inside.

After spending some time watching these beautiful, migrating birds, I drove a few mainly familiar roads before heading home. Just enough time to find a few, previously photographed barns.

In the quiet time at the ocean, the waves whisper in my ears and bid me to be motionless and breathe in the cool salt air. At low tide, there is so much to explore beneath the ocean and play in the tide pools. This little girl was finding treasures from nature under the sea floor and realized she needed a bucket for them. I loved her excitement as she dashed through the stream of water splashing with the quickness of her feet as she ran, her shadow ahead of her.

Male Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca). The Smooth snake is the United Kingdom's rarest native reptile; it is totally harmless to man. In the UK, the Smooth snake is a specialist of heathland, and native populations can be found only in the south of England; in the counties of Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Like most snakes, the Smooth snake will eat almost anything that it can catch and swallow, however; they are mostly associated with a reptilian diet. Smooth snakes grow to a length of about 60-70cm (exceptionally up to 80cm), and appear slimmer than our other native snakes. The Smooth snake is so named because it lacks the central keels, or ridges on its scales, unlike our native Adder and Grass snake. This adaptation means that it is not as swift as our other snakes, but is well suited to navigating dense vegetation. Due to this name, the very smooth Slow worm is often misreported as being a Smooth snake. Exceptional individuals have reached an age of almost 30 years in the wild. Although usually considered mute, Smooth snakes can emit a quiet short hiss when stressed, which is usually associated with a strike or sudden jerk of the fore-body. They do not emit prolonged warning hisses like the Adder and Grass snake. The Smooth snake is usually of a matt colouration; usually a dark grey or dull brown, although brick-red specimens are not uncommon. The dark, almost black dorsal markings are not immediately apparent, and are arranged along the back, from neck to tail, as pairs of dots, bars or dashed lines. There is usually a second pair of lines, one of each running along the flanks of the body, although these are frequently even less obvious than the dorsal markings.The top of the head always features a large dark heart-shaped marking, which is sometimes described as a 'butterfly'. There is a characteristic dark line on the side of the head, that runs across the eye. Unlike the venomous Adder, the Smooth snake has round pupils. Copy courtesy of Surrey ARG. Specimen and handled photographed by Nick Dobbs in Dorset under license as part of an official survey 13-06-20

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Herman Melville's Moby Dick is my favorite novel and it inspires a lot of my photography, alongside the Iliad and Odyssey of course!

Moby Dick: "Know ye now, Bulkington? Glimpses do ye seem to see of that mortally intolerable truth; that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her on the treacherous, slavish shore?

But as in landlessness alone resides the highest truth, shoreless, indefinite as God—so better is it to perish in that howling infinite, than be ingloriously dashed upon the lee, even if that were safety! For worm-like, then, oh! who would craven crawl to land! Terrors of the terrible! is all this agony so vain? Take heart, take heart, O Bulkington! Bear thee grimly, demigod! Up from the spray of thy ocean-perishing—straight up, leaps thy apotheosis!"

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Ralph Waldo Emerson. The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca: On entering a temple we assume all signs of reverence. How much more reverent then should we be before the heavenly bodies, the stars, the very nature of God!

John Muir: All the wild world is beautiful, and it matters but little where we go, to highlands or lowlands, woods or plains, on the sea or land or down among the crystals of waves or high in a balloon in the sky; through all the climates, hot or cold, storms and calms, everywhere and always we are in God's eternal beauty and love. So universally true is this, the spot where we chance to be always seems the best.

I keep a bag of cat feed in my car nowadays so I can do this when I see a stray, which I did today.

This was the closest I got. The next moment, she dashed away.

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Norway. Continuing on from where I made the previous image the coastline turns from sandy beach and flat rock shelf, interspersed with boulders, to just large boulders. Clambering over these was quite a challenge, as was finding a non-slippery rock from which to see a satisfactory vantage point to achieve a composition that combined the elements in such a way that showed the place for what it is; beautiful, wild and rugged. With my back to the majority of the sea spray I saved myself the frustration of wiping filters after every shutter click (been there, done that!) whilst simultaeously managing to get some catchlight on the foreground rocks. Andy was somewhere in this boulder field...at 100% I think the bobble of his hat is just visible (an Andy-orama!).

technical note: I went with an average exposure time to get the motion of the waves in, and no one was dashed upon the rocks...though I almost was.

*seen on Explore*

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A scarred GEVO pulls IOANP through a lovely tunnel of trees flanked by greens of a golf course on either side. My railfan buddy and I started in the morning by driving to San Leandro in hopes of capturing the Mulford local in some grimy industrial spurs, but those were soon dashed when we realized that it leaped us and was almost done with it's work. While looking for our subject in Hayward, we saw this train fly by on the Little Coast and hightailed it all the way here. This wasn't at all what the plan was, but that's ok.