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This is a fake tilt -shift photography. I used actual mini diecast (1/64 scale) and creat some diorama to make it look like a tilt shift photo.
Featured car: James Bond 007 models
Sunbeam Alpine (Dr No)
BMW Z3 (Golden eye)
Aston Martin DBS(Quantum of Solace)
Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger)
Enjoy =)
My first word when I entered Diagon Alley was “WOW”.
This was definitely the highlight of the tour.
I apologise for uploading so many from this part of the tour. The lighting kept changing and I lost count the number of times I just walked up and down (with my mouth probably wide open)!
These photos don't really do it justice. It has to be seen to be believed. I can't wait to go back.
Welcome to Diagon Alley
The Diagon Alley set has never been the same twice. Since its construction for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone walls have shifted, shopfronts have moved and entire buildings have come and gone. In fact, many of these set pieces were redressed and repurposed as Hogsmeade village for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Years later Stuart Craig and his artists went back to the original drawings and redesigned all of Diagon Alley for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Each building's architecture was carefully tweaked and refined to create the picture-perfect street as it is now.
People the world-over have been enchanted by the Harry Potter films for nearly a decade. The wonderful special effects and amazing creatures have made this iconic series beloved to both young and old - and now, for the first time, the doors are going to be opened for everyone at the studio where it first began. You'll have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and see many things the camera never showed. From breathtakingly detailed sets to stunning costumes, props and animatronics, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides a unique showcase of the extraordinary British artistry, technology and talent that went into making the most successful film series of all time. Secrets will be revealed.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter films - the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.
Here are just some of the things you can expect to see and do:
- Step inside and discover the actual Great Hall.
- Explore Dumbledore’s office and discover never-before-seen treasures.
- Step onto the famous cobbles of Diagon Alley, featuring the shop fronts of Ollivanders wand shop, Flourish and Blotts, the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Gringotts Wizarding Bank and Eeylops Owl Emporium.
- See iconic props from the films, including Harry’s Nimbus 2000 and Hagrid’s motorcycle.
- Learn how creatures were brought to life with green screen effects, animatronics and life-sized models.
- Rediscover other memorable sets from the film series, including the Gryffindor common room, the boys’ dormitory, Hagrid’s hut, Potion’s classroom and Professor Umbridge’s office at the Ministry of Magic.
Located just 20 miles from the heart of London at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the very place where it all began and where all eight of the Harry Potter films were brought to life. The Studio Tour is accessible to everyone and promises to be a truly memorable experience - whether you’re an avid Harry Potter fan, an all-round movie buff or you just want to try something that’s a little bit different.
The tour is estimated to take approximately three hours (I was in there for 5 hours!), however, as the tour is mostly self guided, you are free to explore the attraction at your own pace. During this time you will be able to see many of the best-loved sets and exhibits from the films. Unique and precious items from the films will also be on display, alongside some exciting hands-on interactive exhibits that will make you feel like you’re actually there.
The magic also continues in the Gift Shop, which is full of exciting souvenirs and official merchandise, designed to create an everlasting memory of your day at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
Hogwarts Castle Model - Get a 360 degree view of the incredible, hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction that features within the Studio Tour. The Hogwarts castle model is the jewel of the Art Department having been built for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It took 86 artists and crew members to construct the first version which was then rebuilt and altered many times over for the next seven films. The work was so extensive that if one was to add all the man hours that have gone into building and reworking the model, it would come to over 74 years. The model was used for aerial photography, and was digitally scanned for CGI scenes.
The model, which sits at nearly 50 feet in diameter, has over 2,500 fibre optic lights that simulate lanterns and torches and even gave the illusion of students passing through hallways in the films. To show off the lighting to full effect a day-to-night cycle will take place every four minutes so you can experience its full beauty.
An amazing amount of detail went into the making of the model: all the doors are hinged, real plants are used for landscaping and miniature birds are housed in the Owlery. To make the model appear even more realistic, artists rebuilt miniature versions of the courtyards from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral, where scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were shot.
The Littlefee body is definitely best at this sort of pose due to the locking bit on the torso, However, with a little bit of effort with some glue sueding or something, I think I could get the Impldoll body to hold this position better too.
Definitely not happy about the weather at West Point circa 1990. I was going to try to use this for a Bershon thing (I saw it on Mirka's photos) but I don't know if I look old enough or cool enough. I think the giant polka dot raincoat my negate the whole thing. I think I look too much like I am either going to crack into a smile or burst into tears?
Some of you may have noticed that, unfortunately, owing to the fact that a certain person who sells truck photos on eBay commercially has been lifting my images from this album and selling them I have had to remove 2300 photos that didn't have a watermark. I have now run around 1700 through Lightroom and added a watermark with the intention of bulk uploading them again. Rather than watermark the existing (hidden) files in Flickr one at a time it will be easier to do it this way. I definitely won’t be adding individual tags with the make and model of each vehicle I will just add generic transport tags. Each photo is named after the vehicle and reg in any case. For anyone new to these images there is a chapter and verse explanation below. It is staggering how many times I get asked questions that a quick scan would answer or just as likely I can’t possibly answer – I didn’t take them, but, just to clarify-I do own the copyright- and I do pursue copyright theft.
This is a collection of scanned prints from a collection of photographs taken by the late Jim Taylor A number of years ago I was offered a large number of photographs taken by Jim Taylor, a transport photographer based in Huddersfield. The collection, 30,000 prints, 20,000 negatives – and copyright! – had been offered to me and one of the national transport magazines previously by a friend of Jim's, on behalf of Jim's wife. I initially turned them down, already having over 30,000 of my own prints filed away and taking space up. Several months later the prints were still for sale – at what was, apparently, the going rate. It was a lot of money and I deliberated for quite a while before deciding to buy them. I did however buy them directly from Jim’s wife and she delivered them personally – just to quash the occasional rumour from people who can’t mind their own business. Although some prints were sold elsewhere, particularly the popular big fleet stuff, I should have the negatives, unfortunately they came to me in a random mix, 1200 to a box, without any sort of indexing and as such it would be impossible to match negatives to prints, or, to even find a print of any particular vehicle. I have only ever looked at a handful myself unless I am scanning them. The prints are generally in excellent condition and I initially stored them in a bedroom without ever looking at any of them. In 2006 I built an extension and they had to be well protected from dust and moved a few times. Ultimately my former 6x7 box room office has become their (and my own work’s) permanent home.
I hope to avoid posting images that Jim had not taken his self, however should I inadvertently infringe another photographers copyright, please inform me by email and I will resolve the issue immediately. There are copyright issues with some of the photographs that were sold to me. A Flickr member from Scotland drew my attention to some of his own work amongst the first uploads of Jim’s work. I had a quick look through some of the 30 boxes of prints and decided that for the time being the safest thing for me to do was withdraw the majority of the earlier uploaded scans and deal with the problem – which I did. whilst the vast majority of the prints are Jims, there is a problem defining copyright of some of them, this is something that the seller did not make clear at the time. I am reasonably confident that I have since been successful in identifying Jims own work. His early work consists of many thousands of lustre 6x4 prints which are difficult to scan well, later work is almost entirely 7x5 glossy, much easier to scan. Not all of the prints are pin sharp but I can generally print successfully to A4 from a scan.
You may notice photographs being duplicated in this Album, unfortunately there are multiple copies of many prints (for swapping) and as I have to have a system of archiving and backing up I can only guess - using memory - if I have scanned a print before. The bigger fleets have so many similar vehicles and registration numbers that it is impossible to get it right all of the time. It is easier to scan and process a print than check my files - on three different PC’s - for duplicates. There has not been, nor will there ever be, any intention to knowingly breach anyone else's copyright. I have presented the Jim Taylor collection as exactly that-The Jim Taylor Collection- his work not mine, my own work is quite obviously mine.
Unfortunately, many truck spotters have swapped and traded their work without copyright marking it as theirs. These people never anticipated the ease with which images would be shared online in the future. I would guess that having swapped and traded photos for many years that it is almost impossible to control their future use. Anyone wanting to control the future use of their work would have been well advised to copyright mark their work (as many did) and would be well advised not to post them on photo sharing sites without a watermark as the whole point of these sites is to share the image, it is very easy for those that wish, to lift any image, despite security settings, indeed, Flickr itself, warns you that this is the case. It was this abuse and theft of my material that led me to watermark all of my later uploads. I may yet withdraw non-watermarked photos, I haven’t decided yet. (I did in the end)
To anyone reading the above it will be quite obvious that I can’t provide information regarding specific photos or potential future uploads – I didn’t take them! There are many vehicles that were well known to me as Jim only lived down the road from me (although I didn’t know him), however scanning, titling, tagging and uploading is laborious and time consuming enough, I do however provide a fair amount of information with my own transport (and other) photos. I am aware that there are requests from other Flickr users that are unanswered, I stumble across them months or years after they were posted, this isn’t deliberate. Some weekends one or two “enthusiasts” can add many hundreds of photos as favourites, this pushes requests that are in the comments section ten or twenty pages out of sight and I miss them. I also have notifications switched off, I receive around 50 emails a day through work and I don’t want even more from Flickr. Other requests, like many other things, I just plain forget – no excuses! Uploads of Jim’s photos will be infrequent as it is a boring pastime and I would much rather work on my own output.
These are dinosaurs made by a company called Playskool. Part of their Definitely Dinosaurs line. Some of these small ones came in kids' meals at Wendy's in the 1980's. I took an extra photo of these guys because their faces are so cute! :D
Photographing my dinosaur collection! They don't normally live on this shelf, books live here. My dinos live in a box.
This seep was definitely too good to pass up. It ran for about 50' along the side of the road until ending in a mess of ice and sand. I backed up a little pool with a rock and had no trouble filtering the water. Since I found this water, I didn't bother looking for Goldbelt Spring which was supposed to be just a bit further down the road. For folks taking this route and depending on Jackass Spring or Goldbelt Spring I recommend getting detailed directions of where to find them. There are a number of spur roads, and the location of the spring on the Delorme 1:150K atlas isn't quite good enough to easily to locate the springs. At times apparently Jackass Spring runs across the road, but that wasn't the case when I was there even though this seep (on the opposite side of Hunter Mountain) was flowing well.
This photo appeared in the following ideotrope albums:
Biking the Mojave Fall 2007 - Introduction
I biked through Death Valley in October 1996. It was 109°F at Furnace Creek. The area is beautiful, but it was way too hot at that time of year. I knew I wanted to come back on my bicycle when it was cooler. This year it worked out to take about 3 weeks after Thanksgiving. I ended up spending 18 days to cycle from Palm Springs to Las Vegas. I spent about half of that time in Death Valley NP. In Baker I met a group of cyclists on racing bikes with a support vehicle. They were cycling from Palm Springs to Las Vegas in 2 days. I saw a lot more desert than they did.
Coachella Valley and Joshua Tree National Park
I crossed the Coachella Valley on Ramon Rd. It was over 70°F, probably the warmest day of the trip. It wasn't 'til I turned onto Thousand Palms Rd. that I felt like I was heading out into the desert on my own. The San Andreas Fault system runs along the northern end of the Coachella Valley. The faults allow groundwater to rise to the surface resulting in a number of California fan palm oases. It's wonderful to see oases in the desert.
It was a 1300m climb on Berdoo Canyon Rd. to the Coachella Valley-Pleasant Valley saddle in Joshua Tree NP. I didn't see a single person or vehicle in Berdoo Canyon. Climbing out of Pleasant Valley I saw the first person, a fellow adventurer. Patrick was walking solo across Joshua Tree NP from west to east. That's a heck of a trek. That park is huge and has only one known spring. Patrick had set up two water caches before his trip.
Amboy Road and Mojave National Preserve
I bought enough food in 29 Palms to last 4 days to Baker. Heading east on the Amboy Rd. I met the only other touring cyclist of the trip. He had come down from Bishop through Death Valley NP, Baker, Kelso, Amboy - much the same route I was planning to take. When I met him, he had run out of food. I shared some almonds with him but didn't have much sympathy with his plight. The reason he didn't buy food in Baker was because there wasn't a health food store! Well, I told him there was a grocery store in 29 Palms, but it might not be up to his standard.
One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was experiencing the transition zone between the Sonoran Desert (lower, farther south) and the Mojave Desert (higher, farther north). Creosote bushes grow in both, but most other flora is limited to one ecosystem or the other. In the transition zones you can see a mix of vegetation. What I saw ended up being less dramatic than Washington County, Utah where the Colorado Plateau, the Basin and Range country, and the Mojave Desert all come together. Joshua Trees were the main ecosystem indicator for me. I knew I was climbing high when I started to see them.
I was surprised how much traffic there was on the Amboy Rd. It wasn't much, but a lot of the paved roads that I was on during the trip would have one car every 10-30 minutes and perhaps none all night. The only truly busy roads were the road north out of Baker (on a Saturday morning) and the Pahrump-Las Vegas superhighway which has a wonderful bicycle lane.
I climbed Sheep Hole Pass to get into the Amboy Valley. It was in the Amboy Valley where I became accustomed two aspects important to cyclists in the Mojave:
Distances are deceiving. You can see really far. It takes much longer to cross these valleys that it appears that it would.
The slight inclines up alluvial fans or other fill climb a lot more than they appear to. In Colorado I'm not accustomed to seeing the whole climb since there are usually canyon climbs here. Leaving Amboy, for example, I climbed over 3000 ft. on a slowly rising alluvial plane. It took hours.
I enjoyed time off the bike to walk out to and up Amboy Crater. The following day I climbed to the top of the Kelso Dunes. And one day later I climbed one of the cinder cones east of Baker. I enjoyed having a diversion each day. Each of those areas is beautiful in its own way. The creosote bushes in the Amboy Valley are particularly green because of the shallow water table. Kelso Dunes are simply fantastic, and the cinder cone area with over 30 cinder cones and not another person felt like another planet.
In Baker I bought enough food to last 10 days and ate at the Mad Greek at my brother's recommendation. I had taken a rest day the previous day because of rain, and Baker was a bit flooded. Folks were out pushing water around with brooms. At the store the locals were telling each other how much their roofs leaked.
Death Valley National Park
Heading north of Baker the saddle that separates the Silurian Valley from Death Valley is only about a 50' climb. From there I left the pavement and stopped at Saratoga Springs to see the incredible wetlands in the desert. I had planned on climbing the Ibex Dunes, but wind was blowing sand off the top of the dunes and everything was still a bit wet from the rain. The following day I reached the pavement, took it for 5 miles and then headed west up Warm Springs Canyon.
The 1400m climb up Warm Springs Canyon was not the longest of the trip, but it was the toughest. The climb started out hard from below sea level in Death Valley and continued to be hard all the way to the saddle leading into Butte Valley. I struggled in my easiest gear (which is really low) the whole way. Surprisingly I walked very little. It always seemed to be just slightly easier to pedal than to walk.
Butte Valley felt remote. The views to the east were phenomenal giving Greater View Spring its name. I could see range after range. I stopped at Stella Anderson's place and cut some chicken wire to repair my glasses. The rattling had loosened a screw which I couldn't find. It was important to get a good fix since I wore those glasses a lot riding in the early morning and late afternoon. I found I had about 10 hours of light to ride in with perhaps 45 minutes of twilight on either end to mess around in camp. The sun was theoretically up for 8 or 9 hours, but it was often a lot less than that in the canyons. My repair job worked well, and I didn't even strip the threads so the glasses are good as new again :)
Mengel Pass is rough and keeps too many people from taking this route between Death Valley and Panamint Valley. Down in Goler Wash I met Rock(y), one of two residents of Ballarat. His father is the other. Rocky was poking around Goler Wash with his girlfriend who was visiting from LA. He had worked with various mining operations in the area, and I enjoyed his stories. It was also fun to talk with his Isreali girlfriend. We compared this desert with the eastern Mediterranean desert where I have also cycled.
In Ballarat the following day I talked with Rocky some more, but the girlfriend had already returned to LA. There are a surprising number of springs on the west side of the Panamints (due to faults, I'm sure) and a surprising number of fighter jets playing overhead. I scared a coyote into some bushes near a spring and then was scared myself by the jet passing just overhead. Once the quiet returned I could hear the coyotes, packs of them, howling and yipping in the bushes. The yipping made it sound like there were a lot of youngsters. Fun to hear the bushes make such unusual noises.
Hunter Mountain to Racetrack Playa
I was pretty tired this day and finally made it to Panamint Springs where I had planned to get water. There's a store as well, but they really only have candy bars. The restaurant, however, was able to sell me some bread and cheese. I bought a veggie burger for lunch as well. That rejuvenated me enough to climb about half of the 1100m paved climb that afternoon.
I was lucky that the following day was stunningly warm since I climbed to over 7000 ft. The 1100m paved climb was followed by 600m of climbing on a dirt road. I'm sure it ended up being more than that since there were a number of descents thrown in as well. To give an idea of the terrain the only two flat places I went through that day were named: Lee Flat and Ulida Flat! Lee Flat was filled with the most Joshua trees I've ever seen in one place. I camped in Ulida Flat next to one of the only Joshua trees out there.
I made it over Hunter Mountain, through Hidden Valley, down Lost Burro Gap, and arrived at Teakettle Junction with enough water to be able to make the ~16 mile detour to Racetrack Playa. Of course I'd seen photos of the moving rocks at Racetrack Playa, but I was absolutely blown away being at the site in person. It's not simply the amazement of seeing the evidence of the moving rocks and all the different directions and shapes of the tracks, but also how well preserved the area is. It wouldn't take too many people moving rocks from the tracks, driving on the playa, or walking out there when the surface is wet to really ruin the magic of the place. Additionally Racetrack Playa is so big and so flat. The flat playa blends in in the distance with the hills miles away. I loved this place. I was lucky enough to be there when I was. The rain from 5 days earlier had completely dried out, and it rained some more just 10 hours after I was there.
I recovered my stashed gear and water at Teakettle Junction and headed uphill into a cold, stiff wind climbing out of Racetrack Valley. By this point in the trip I had started to associate Joshua trees with cold weather. At the saddle in the twilight I made it my goal to descend far enough down to get away from the Joshua trees and perhaps into warmer weather. It was practically dark by the time I got off my bike, but I succeeded! It sprinkled off and on all night, but I was dry and fairly warm.
Through the bottom of Death Valley
The downhill continued all the way to the pavement at Ubehebe Crater, but I had to push the bike a bit once I got to the lava/cinder area. The black sand of the roadbed was much finer and deeper than the surface of most of the descent. Getting to Ubehebe concluded what I had planned for this trip. The only thing left was to get to Las Vegas. Berdoo Canyon, Mengel Pass, and Hunter Mountain had all been hard excursions, but each took about a day less than I had (conservatively) expected. I had time to make it a pleasant, easy ride to Vegas. I hiked around Ubehebe Crater and relaxed in the wind at the parking lot. Only two cars plus a ranger came by during the ~3 hours I was there. Each car stopped, the occupants got out, took a couple photos, and were driving away less than 2 minutes later. Incredible! This place is the middle of nowhere. I couldn't understand why anyone would drive so far and spend so little time. It turns out though that Ubehebe is only a 10 mile detour from the Scotty's Castle road.
I didn't make much distance this day even though it was flat and I had a tailwind after Ubehebe. I camped illegally near the paved road but was careful to avoid washes since I could tell it was going to storm. Storm it did. The wind bent my tent sideways, and rain poured down for hours. Death Valley received about a third of their annual average rainfall in this ~6 hour period. It was December 7, and it rained almost as much as it had from January 1 to December 6. The nice flat sandy spot I had chosen for my tent was just a bit lower than the surrounding area. The whole area was really quite flat, but the soil there can't absorb water very quickly. In the middle of the night I found my tent sitting in an inch or so of water. Only my thermarest was above it. I moved the tent in the pouring rain, but it was too late. Most of my stuff was pretty wet. Both pairs of socks and the bottom of my down bag were soaked. I wrapped my feet in a wool scarf like a Ace bandage and tried to get some sleep.
I was up early in the morning. I had managed to keep my down coat fairly dry so I put that over my damp clothes to ride away in the morning. Tons of rocks up to the size of softballs had poured across the 2-lane paved highway out of washes that were only a foot or two wide. It had snowed down to 4000'. In every direction were snow-covered peaks. I was so lucky to be down low, near pavement. The dirt roads that I had spent much of the last week on were probably impassable that morning. Ulida Flat where I had camped two nights earlier was probably covered in snow. I was able to keep warm biking in my down coat, but I was down at sea level, the warmest place around!
The sun came out. Everything warmed up. The views were phenomenal. In spite of the damp clothes it was a fantastic day to be cycling. At Furnace Creek I was directed to the sunny employee picnic area where I pulled everything out of my bags and dried everything out while enjoying lunch and wine from the grocery store. I hung out there for 2-3 hours before anyone else showed up. It was Herb, the night maintenance man. Enthralled with the bike he asked lots of questions about touring and the LHT specifically. He kept getting calls on his radio but continued to talk with me. Herb plans to live on his bike for a while and had been researching bicycles. I enthusiastically encouraged him since I know from experience that a lot of folks discourage that kind of crazy plan. Before he left to finally answer one of his calls, he asked me, "did you find the free showers?" I hadn't. Hohoho, that shower felt wonderful.
I spent a rest day at Furnace Creek and talked to Herb to 2 or 3 more times. I also met Mary and Paul from Rogue River, Oregon, who invited me to dinner at their campsite. I didn't carry a stove on this trip. The hot meal that Mary put together was the best meal of the trip. She had dried tomatoes and zucchini from their garden, a hot sauce with peppers that they grew, a jalepeno artichoke dip as an appetizer, and plenty of red wine. Was I ever a happy camper!
And on to Las Vegas
Back on the bike I rode south with a tailwind past Badwater all the way to the 5 miles of paved road that I had ridden between Saratoga Springs and Warm Springs Canyon over a week earlier. Instead of heading south to Baker I climbed Jubilee Pass. The following day I climbed Salsberry Pass on the coldest day of the trip. I simply couldn't warm up since I couldn't get away from the wind. And then I came to Tecopa Hot Springs! That cut the chill even though the wind was so fierce that I was dry within minutes of getting out of the pool. Around the corner I stopped at a RV park to get some water and ended up spending an hour talking with the 75-year-old man who runs the place with his wife. He ran an ultra-marathon when he was 55, had biked from Las Vegas to Sedona, had run a bunch of marathons. In the summer they leave Tecopa Hot Springs and explore the country in their 35' motorhome.
Later that afternoon I came upon Victor. Stopped at the side of the road, he handed me a Guinness and two granola bars. We chatted for a while using his car as a windbreak. He's taking a break from his 'round the world bicycle trip on a crazy rig that he built himself.
The following morning the only indication that I entered Nevada was a sign reading "Inyo County Line". Lower down on the same post was a smaller sign at an angle because it was falling off. That sign said "leaving". About 3 cars passed me in an hour, and then a car stopped. It was the couple from RV park in Tecopa Hot Springs. She had baked muffins that morning, put together a package of them for me, and handed them to me! They were still warm! Oh, I was cycling with a big smile yet again! I was on a gradual climb that continued all the way to Mountain Springs Pass. To get an idea of how long the climb was, consider that the couple drove all the way to Las Vegas, went to the dentist, drove back, and passed me just one minute before I crested the pass. They honked, smiled, and waved as did I. The first 2000' of descent was fast and cold, but I was warm and happy in my down coat.
My last excursion before Las Vegas was to ride through the scenic Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The cliffs and cemented sand dunes in that area reminded me much more of the Colorado Plateau than anything I'd seen on my journey through the Mojave Desert. In the morning I rolled into Vegas, found a bike shop, boxed my stuff, and took a taxi to the downtown Greyhound station. In Denver a day later I rebuilt my bike at the Greyhound station for the short ride to Market St. Station. I took the bus to Boulder and rode through the snow to get home.
Ford - V8
Not the first maker of Vee-eights, Ford most definitely made them available to the common man. Having first democratised the car, with the Model-T, production methods for which helped reduce the cost to under $500. The following model, the 'A' would begin production in 1927. The next Model the 'B' arrived in 1932, and with it a V8 version, the model '18'. This 'V8' became the staple for the hotrodding fraternity for decades.
The original V8 was configured as a 90-degree V8, of 'flathead' design. A feature of the engine was the casting and machining of the block as a single unit.
The replacement for the 'Flathead' was the 'Y-Block', inroduced into Ford cars in 1954, and into the truck model in 1955. The engine was available in a number of capacities from early on, beginning with a 256 CID (4.2 litre). The model featured here is the 292 CID (4.8 litre) which produce 212 hp. The engine was designated the 'Thunderbird' engine, and was used in Mercurys, the Ford Thunderbird, and other high-end Ford models, including Fairlanes (the top trim level of the full-sized Ford from 1957).
An even larger 312 CID was available, also used in Thunderbirds, Mercurys and high-trim Fords. Optional higher power configurations via induction carburation and even a supercharged version.
The model 1957 Ford Fairlane and the 292 CID Y-Bock Vee-Eight have been built for Flickr LUGNuts' 64th build challenge - 'Mad Motor Skills' - focusing on the engines that power our favourite rides, be they car, bike or truck.
I'll definitely use my camera instead of the flash on my phone this winter !!
My camera takes really good pics in the "dark", I won't try to explain how I took my pic last year during winter but when I come back from school, it's already too dark, so I have to use a flash, the one on my phone sucks but I used it last year but I just discovered after 5 years that the one on my camera is pretty good, shame on me I know XD
Anyways, here are my 3 Geek Shriek ghouls after a good bath, I also boiled Howleen & Frankie to make their hair look better, which is what happened lol and also I added some accessories to make them look less cheap :p
I added Deuce original belt to my Howleen, Spectra Picture Day's pants to Abbey and Frankie original belt and Wydowna I<3F pants to Frankie ^^
I really love them like that, I don't know for you ^^
I wasn't a big big fan of that line when I first see and heard about it but actually the dolls are really good, and look beautiful and with some more accessories they definitely look better :D
Have you heard about the rumor of Geek Shriek wave 2? With Ghoulia, Gigi & Catty ? I really hope it's true, I wanna see a Catty with glasses haha :p
Definitely a fun with w/the kiddos, despite how I captured this. Apologies to Holly for the not-so-flattering, and completely miss-captured, portrait of her. I’d definitely do a retake there if I could!!
The early shedding of this tree's leaves signaled that it was titled the Autumn steam gala for a reason, I suppose...
ANNUAL REPORT -2011-2012 Presented by Shri. C. Muthiah
Principal
Kendriya Vidyalaya Narimedu,
Madurai-625002
“The end-product of education should be a free creative man,” says Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. Our annual report outlines our efforts to create such individuals who are definitely going to be assets to our country. It gives me great pride today to list out the achievements of our students in different areas in the course of this academic year.
ACADEMIC ACIEVEMENTS:
The Board exam results of the year 2011-12 have been very encouraging. While class X and the Science stream of class XII produced 100% result, the Commerce stream and Humanities stream result was 97%. In 2012 AISSE class X, 12 students have been awarded Certificate of merit by the CBSE for scoring A1 grades in all the five subjects. They are awarded Rs. 5000 each as per KVS norms.
In the AISSCE 2012 class XII, R. Prathima secured 100% in Biology and has figured in the 0.1% Merit list issued by the CBSE.
In addition to this, more than 50% of the students of the Science stream have secured more than 400 marks out of 500 in the AISSCE exam.
In class XII, 5 students from the Science stream and 2 students from the Humanities stream have been declared regional toppers and are awarded Rs. 5000/- by the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. It gives me great pride here to say that out of the three regional toppers in the humanities stream, the first two rank holders are from our school. In addition to this, Mrs. S.Vanmathy Devi, PGT History has the rare distinction of securing a performance Index of 100% in History in the Humanities stream.
With regard to other classes, our school follows the continuous and comprehensive system of evaluation of students implemented by CBSE. The children of classes III to X are assessed through this method. The evaluation is done through a series of activities and paper pencil tests which make up the formative assessments and the term-end summative assessments. As the evaluation in this system is continuous, the child is made to work consistently throughout the year, which to a great extent, reduces his stress and fear of exams. A child is also able to identify his areas of interest and to improve significantly on them.
In the internal exams, the primary and the secondary sections upto class IX , produced 100% results.
Parent –teacher meetings are conducted regularly to apprise the parents of their wards’ performances in these tests.
Our teachers are taking all efforts to help the slow learners and the gifted children by giving them assignments suited to their needs. Special classes are taken in the mornings and in the evenings, both before and after the school hours and during the breaks.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES:
Many inter-house competitions are conducted round the year, to bring out the latent talents of the children. Our school played host to the cluster level CCA competitions for the Primary and 24 students from our vidyalaya won prizes in various competitions.
Apart from this, children are also encouraged to participate in many inter-school competitions which give them an opportunity to showcase their talents.
NCC:
The NCC unit of our vidyalaya was commissioned in the year 2006 and from then on, it has grown from strength to strength. 50 students have enrolled as cadets this year with G.S. Murugan, PRT and commissioned officer, guiding them.25 NCC cadets attended the CATC camp held at Kambam this year from 13th to 22nd of May.
A conference on “Save Energy” was conducted on 30.10.12 in our school by the NCC and 50 cadets participated in this conference.
I take this opportunity to announce with great pride that a girl’s wing of the NCC has been approved and will start functioning from the next academic year.
ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES:
25 boys and 25 girls, along with 5 escort teachers, went on an adventure trip to Ooty and Mettupalayam from 30.5.2012 to 2.6.2012. The children indulged in activities like trekking, Open Air Balloon Flying, Rope and tower climbing and Bungy ejection.
SCOUTS AND GUIDES:
The scouts and guides wing, along with the cubs and the bulbuls wing of this Vidyalaya, is very active and regular classes are conducted every Friday. At present, there are 3 Scout units and 3 Guide units functioning effectively in our school.
A one-day camp was organised in our school on 22.2.2012. 150 scouts, 60 guides and nearly 90 cubs and bulbuls participated in this camp.
3 Scouts and 3 guides were selected to attend the Rajyapuraskar Testing Camp at Neela Kurinchi Southern Railway Campsite at Ketti, the Nilgris.
SOCIAL SCIENCE EXHIBITION:
In order to promote the spirit of national integration, KVS organises the social science exhibition and the National Integration camp every year. This year, our school was selected to play the host for the cluster- level social science exhibition which was conducted on 9.10.12. Our students made an almost clean sweep of the prizes in the competitions held as part of this programme. They stood first in Hindi debate, English Debate, Group song, Skit and Quiz competitions and became eligible for contesting in the regional level competitions held at KV, Ashok Nagar, Chennai. There too, the children showed their prowess by winning the first position in Skit, the second position in Hindi debate and the third position in Group song competitions. The skit went on to represent the Chennai region in the National level exhibition held at Jaipur. 4 projects from our school also got selected for the Nationals.
SCIENCE EXHIBITION:
The vidyalaya-level Science exhibition was conducted on 16.8.2012 and 2 projects from each sub-theme were selected for the Regional level exhibition held at KV, HVF, Avadi on 7th and 8th of September.
NATIONAL CHILDREN’S SCIENCE CONGRESS:
Regional level Children’s science Congress was held at KV, OFT Trichy on 9.11.12. Six teams of 4 members each participated from our school. The projects of two teams headed by Nitish Kumar (IX B) and T. Ramanan (XI A2) were selected to take part in the national level contest. The project of Master Nitish Kumar and his team-mates Master M. Pravin Gulschand, R. Kabilan and s. Navaneetha Krishnan, all of class IX B, has been selected for the Open National congress to be held at Varanasi, later this month. This project was done under the able guidance of Mrs.Jansi Ruth Margaret, TGT Science and Ms I.Selvamathy, PGT(Phy)of our Vidyalaya.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT:
This academic year has been declared as the Year of Mathematics and in connection with this, many activities were conducted in the Vidyalaya. Kumari. Brinda of class VIII A won the first position in the Regional level quiz competition in the Junior level and will be participating in the National level competition, later this month. Master Sreeraj Janardhan of XII A1 won the II position in the senior category and Master Aswanth of class VIII D won the III position in the Junior category at Regional level.
A power point presentation on the topic “Tricks and tips in Maths” prepared by Ms. Selvamathy, PGT Physics won the II position at regional level.
A magazine on mathematics was released in the Vidyalaya and it was selected in the cluster level competition conducted at KV,Thiruparankundram, Madurai.
COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT:
Our school has taken a leap into the future by installing 10 smart boards. This technological marvel has certainly made the teaching-learning environment in our school more interesting and more effective.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN SPORTS AND GAMES:
Our annual Sports Day was celebrated on 3.8.12 with great fanfare. Our school also hosted the Cluser level Kho-Kho Meet for both boys and girls, the KVS Chennai regional athletic Meet for Girls and the Cluster level Primary Sports Meet this academic year. Our Primary children emerged the champions in the Primary sports Meet.
The coaching camp for Pre-national athletics for girls was held in our Vidyalaya from 7.10.12 to 13.10.12.
At the Regional level meets, the girls under 19 team won the gold and the under 19 boys team won the silver. The Badminton team won the gold medal in the team event. In shooting, our student Priya Damodharan of class IX A won the gold and created a new record in the event. She was selected to the SGFI games where she has brought laurels to our school by winning the silver medal and a cash award of Rs.3000/- Our school sent the largest contingent of 33 students from our Vidyalaya to the 43rd KVS National sports Meet and these students, among them won Rs. 18,000/ as cash awards for winning various events. 6 of them were selected for the SGFI which will be held this month and the next at various locations.
LIBRARY:
Our school library is well-equipped and fully automated with an extensive and varied collection of books, magazines and dailies. 3 computers with internet connection and an exclusive website for the library are the other added attractions.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION:
The Alumni Association of our school has always been a pillar of strength to us, supporting us both monetarily and otherwise. Mr. Bhimsingh, secretary of the Association along with the other members, has contributed significantly to the growth of the school. Several scholarships have been instituted by the Association to help the needy, meritorious students in their pursuit of excellence. At present, 18 students are the beneficiaries of their benevolence.
The Association also rewards the toppers of class XI and XII. They have set up A.K. Annasamy Memorial Scholarship for two best students in class XII and Visalakshi Kalyanasundaram Memorial Prize for two best students in class XI. 2 prizes for the toppers in Maths in class XII Board Exams have been instituted by H. Balakrishnan, Ex. PGT Maths.
I take this opportunity to thank the Association for their constant support and I sincerely hope that their patronage will continue in the years to come.
Before I end this report, I would fail in my duties if I don’t mention the awards won by our teachers for their meritorious service to the student community. Mrs. Indra Ramaraju, PRT and HM I/c, Sri. M Pannerselvam, TGT PhE and Sri. K. Ramasamy, Librarian have been selected for the prestigious Regional Incentive Awards by the KVS. These teachers will be felicitated on KVS Foundation day ie. Dec. 15th at KV, Meenambakkam, Chennai. Two more teachers, Mrs. V. Gowri, PGT Chemistry and Mrs. Amirtha Anbalagan, PRT have been nominated as the Best Science teachers from our school. They too will be felicitated shortly. This recognition will, I am sure, inspire many more teachers to give their best and thereby benefit both the students and the society.
With this positive note, I end my report.
I wish you all a very pleasant and entertaining evening.
Thank you
-o0o-
You'll probably have to view this large so you can read the titles and I'm sorry for the upside down book and the Michael Chabon book being in the wrong column but my cat Buckley was ready for the shoot way before me I'm afraid. On the right are books I bought this weekend including: Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn (I enjoyed Fortress of Soltude and would recommend that to anyone who really likes learning about Brooklyn in the 70s as well as music and comic books.), Italo Calvino's Difficult Loves (I really like Calvino in general as a writer), Shirley Jackson's Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons.
Books I've read and are reading:
Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
This book is definitely in and of itself an adventure. We travel across the world as Josef literally escapes in a coffin out of Prague in the years leading up to WWII and travels to Brooklyn where he uses his drawing talents to depict anti Nazi comic book scenarios. This is a really engaging read that covers just about every major topic on life and there's a fascinating story about Picasso in it...not sure if it's true that he almost drowned at a party but I like the story anyways. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone-especially if you are into reading books of this time period, comic books, Jewish mysticism, or in general a great sense of adventure.
Sean Wilsey: Oh the Glory Of it All
Apparently, this is Sean's memoir of his life growing up with incredibly affluent parents and their affairs. I'm in the process of reading this one right now but it strikes me as delving into the superficiality of it all..a little like Douglas Coupland's Miss Wyoming in that way. It's catchy in the way a song it...what I mean by that is it is easy to read. It's more intelligent than your average pop culture magazine but it doesn't have anything in it for me yet that makes it have something of the kind of substance that always sticks with you. Maybe I'll like the ending though.
Van Gogh by Himself edited by Bruce Bernard
This is another one I'm in the process of reading and I'm learning so much about Van Gogh. DId you know he tried to be a minister? Did you know that the reason why his behavior was so erratic at the end was because he had syphillis (perhaps due to his relationship with a prostitute he fell in love with.) Did you know even his mentors questions his talent? Well, I didn't but anyone who paints like that and whose dying words were: "La tristesse durera" deserves some investigation.
Paul Auster: The Brooklyn Follies
I really enjoyed this one even if the ending does seem to come right out of nowhere. There are so many quirky and interesting stories that Auster throws in while his protagonist, who came to Brooklyn to die, gains meaning in his life by getting closer with a nephew, defending a niece against a conservative Christian nutcase, and falling in love. Another one that goes by fast.. youll wish Auster had written another 100 pages or so. Oh and really amazing story about Kafka!
Alain de Botton: Kiss & Tell
I thought this one would be horrific but my friend Leigh had me borrow it and she has great taste. Kiss & Tell is about a guy who feels challenged by his last relationship with a woman and her criticisms of him to write a biography of the next woman he dates. The ending is so-so and there are some moments that are not the best but what ultimately redeems it is that within the protagonist's analysis of every gesture and thing this woman does is a co-anaylsis of many famous biographies and the process of writing a biography in and of itself.
Patrick McCabe: Breakfast on Pluto
I am most of the way through this-another one my friend Leigh lent me-but it's a bit difficult as the narration/first person perspective for it is very flighty. It's much easier to follow if you have seen the film, which I'll describe as a cross between Hedwig & The Angry Itch and In the Name of the Father. So it delves between identity and gender and the IRA.
Robert Loerzel: Alchemy of Bones
Robert is a friend of mine and is on flickr and like me does alot of music photography. You can find his stream here: www.flickr.com/photos/robertloerzel/
Even though Robert is a friend, I can objectively say this is a fascinating read. I'm never quite sure about non fiction in the beginning because I mainly read fiction but this is a really creative and detailed book not only about the Luetgert case in which a wife goes missing and a famous trial ensues but about Chicago around the turn of the century. It's so bizarre to me to pass these areas and landmarks now thinking of the way it was. I probably don't need to tell you this but it's very well researched and the characters from the past that come to life vary everywhere from the paperboys to Luetgert himself to Julian Hawthorne (Nathaniel Hawthorne's journalist son) I learned a great deal from it.
Daniel Handler: Adverbs
Overall, this book is worthwhile but some of these shorts or vignettes are definitely better than others. What is a little different from your classic short story collection is the fact that Handler eventually has these characters interacting and meeting one another in future stories so you don't fully leave some of these characters. It gets convoluted in true experimental fiction form and there are supernatural parts that are downright hokey but it's pretty entertaining and witty overall.
One of my favourite sounds from the Latin American rainforests belongs to the Howler monkey family! it is almost as if you are listening to a distant dragon and is such a wonderful call. This male was one of a group feeding in the early morning at the San Carlos river on the way to Arenal.
Yes, things are definitely looking on the up ... just realized that it's Friday ... so TGIF! Well, it's a bittersweet Friday for me because I have to work through this weekend. It is, however, a nice break in the routine though. :-)
Springtime in south Florida is always a favorite of mine. Not only is the weather just a tad cooler, but the birds are beginning to raise their young. It means another season of monitoring the progress of our local burrowing owls too.
Everyone knows that I adore bears, but next to them, I think my absolute favorite wildlife to photograph are owls. Due to proximity of the burrows, it makes it easy to stop by almost daily to check on their status and document their growth and behaviors.
Burrowing owls do spend time in their burrows, but they also get out into the sunshine for displays of their silly antics as they learn about the world around them. The parents play "watch dog" for intruders in the skies over them, as red tailed, as well as, red shouldered hawks are always an ever-present threat. When concerned for the burrows safety, one of the parents will let out an alarm call and within 1-2 seconds, the entire troupe retires to the burrows. It's fascinating to observe.
So, I hope that everyone has great plans for the weekend - full of adventure and photographic opportunities. I'll have to wait another weekend for mine. It's OK.
Thanks for stopping by to view and especially for all of your comments and thoughts shared.
© 2014 Debbie Tubridy / TNWA Photography
Again beautiful colors but not enough time to change the lens. Using a portrait lens to capture a sunset through a window is definitely not what goes for a normal but then it is the effect that counts.
This is my absolute favorite deco structure in all of SoBe but I can't find any documentation on it online to tell you what it is for sure. I'm assuming it is a bus shelter and is right outside The Wolfsonian Museum at around 1000 Washington Ave. These will be my last SoBe images in this 1st set and for awhile since I have lots of other photos waiting to be uploaded. Enjoy!!
Finally! Spring has definitely sprung. The apple blossoms are so wonderful this year...I love them. Hope you have a great Wednesday.
Definitely a two ring circus going on right here. If you know what I mean...
The Party Boat
Chaos in Tejas
Lake Travis - Austin, Texas
May 2013
Definitely didn't need a contest to get me to enjoy processing these. :)
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Face it, a fabulous bra that makes you look incredible can definitely help bring a bounce to your step, even if nobody can see it – it’s like your own naughty little secret. A bra that fits like a glove can do wonders for your appearance and even has the ability to make you look thinner and taller. Whether you’re looking for an everyday one, or a sexy style, we help you find the perfect bra for your boob type. Follow this guide to add some zest to your chest!
Everyday Bra: You need a bra with soft, cotton cups and a wide elastic band with wireless comfort. If you’re looking to add a little cleavage, look for a push-up bra with cups that push your boobs from the side towards the centre. This Hanes Molded Wire
Free Bra is perfect for your shape.
Everyday Bra: A cotton t-shirt bra
that is seamless and doesn’t show any telltale traces below a top. You can try a demi bra with wide straps for plenty of support while bringing an appropriate amount of sexiness to your girls for the day time. A bra like Hanes T-shirt Bra is perfect for you.
Sexy Bra: Flaunt what you’ve got and take advantage of the fact that they are modest but capable to be taken to full-on sexy with a plunging bra with a hint of push up or foam padding. Pair it with a dress or top with slightly low neckline to feel incredibly sexy and really get heads turning. A bra like Triumph Multiway Lace Plunge Underwired Bra is what we’re talking about.
Everyday Bra: Look for underwired, full-coverage bras with a strong, wide band at the back, narrow bands will just cut into your skin. Foam-lined cups, super soft and stretchable straps and microfiber fabric will provide you with amazing support and comfort without indenting into your skin. Satin trims can help make you feel sexy. Try Coucou Comfort Curve Cup Full Coverage Wired Bra. You can also opt for minimizing bras that help play down your large size, without flattening your assets.
Sexy Bra: Full support bras with demi cups or a deep plunge with sheer detailing and lace trimmings (that cover up spillage) or fun t-shirt bras with satin, lace and bow detailing and racy prints can help stir things up in the bedroom. We love this Penny Goddess Sheer Lace Underwired Bra for plenty of saucy support.
Moving Beyond The Cups
Captivating C-Cup Ladies
You’re blessed with a voluptuous chest and never need to bother with trying extra hard to get your girls out there.
Sexy Bra: You’re blessed with modest cleavage that will never look OTT no matter what the extent of the push-up or how low the neckline. To make your twins look fuller, try a padded, push-up that can help you fake being a B-cup. Get one in a bold print if you’re feeling extra wild. We love this Pretty Secrets Neon Pink Incredible Extreme Lift Push Up Bra.
Beautiful B-Cup Ladies
Everyday Bra: A lightly padded, underwired cotton bra is super soft and provides plenty of support during your daily activities. Something like this Enamor Lightly Padded Satin Bra should be your everyday go-to.
Sexy Bra: A wired bra with a slight push up to give your girls a slight lift is what you need. Experiment with bright colours and lace trimmings to really get pulses racing. Try something like Penny Lightly Padded Bra With Contour Cups.
Dazzling D-Cup Ladies
For you, it’s all about support; comfort and making sure that your ta-tas sit upright and not face downwards.
Not too big, but not too small either, you don’t need to worry about faking some cleavage as you have just the right amount.
Awesome A-Cup Ladies
You’re lucky enough to not really bother about annoying underwires that dig into your skin.
It’s official; I’m definitely an introvert. When you sit looking up the characteristics of an introvert on Wikipedia whilst in the middle of a boozy night out, surrounded by (but ignoring) people in the throes of animated conversation, it’s as good as diagnosed.
Jonathan Rauch wrote a fantastically astute piece about introverts in The Atlantic Magazine:
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-y...
On a night out I can (uncomfortably) last a maximum of two hours in a group of people I don’t really know. Fending off any enquiries about myself, even being asked my name, I instead fire questions back, knowing full well that not one ounce of it will stay in my head longer than it takes for them to get it out of their mouths. ‘Ask them about stuff they are interested in Lucy, people love to talk about themselves.’ At Primary school we used to have Geography/French lessons with a beery, stale faggy smelling bearded bloke on a Thursday afternoon. We quickly realised that if we got him talking about another subject that he was interested in then he would waste the entire lesson droning on about that and we wouldn’t have to do any work. – His absolute favourite was to talk about THE most dangerous animal in the world. We all knew the drill, we throw the obligatory, obvious suggestions at him for 45 minutes, bear, tiger, lion, great white shark, black widow spider blah blah blah, all rebuffed mysteriously and finally at 3.20pm he would announce that the most dangerous animal in the world was MAN – we would all look suitably surprised /impressed/in awe of him, he would prattle on about us being evil until 3.30 and then the school bell chimed and off home we skipped triumphant!
In a big group I’m uncomfortable, unless I have had half a bottle of wine and recently discovered a new soft core porn drama on SKY HD, then I will regale the entire room with character and plot analysis as if I am studying it for A levels.
One on one I’m even more uncomfortable, as soon as I’m in conversation I am searching for a way to end it, I find myself observing (as if I’m not involved) that barren dialectal no man’s land where things begin to peter out. There is point at which it could be restarted, or the subject changed, but if it’s past the ‘two hours’ then I will tend to let it peter, allowing its death as I look on like a wildlife cameraman. It’s actually quite interesting to see whether the other person tries to rescue it, or if they too want it to die – quite probably yes, as I am not even contributing.
At the stage of the evening when I hit the wall most people are inebriated enough to neither notice or care what I am doing, so now I desperately search out coffee tables laden with books and magazines and bury my head in those while sending the odd glower across the room to the boyfriend and hope that in the one milli-moment that he is able to focus he will realise that I have had enough.
My ultimate in introvert torture is to stay over at people’s houses. First comes the awkwardness in the kitchen, not knowing if you are meant to be helping them prepare the meal or not. Everyone else seems to launch into helping with aplomb, looking very relaxed and natural, moving things from one place to another, stirring stuff, clattering clattery things. I desperately look for something to do, there is nothing, I end up holding a dirty teaspoon aloft, pretending I’m about to put it somewhere very important whenever anyone looks over to me.
The one point that I feel like I know what to do is during the meal itself – JUST EAT – which I do, but I inhale my food - as long as there is something in my mouth, I don’t need to talk and so after about three minutes I’m done and everyone else is still going and so I sit, empty plated, empty mouthed with absolutely no conversational cover.
In American films they always have a bedroom allocated to storing the coats and bags at parties that also doubles up as the room to be caught having sex in. They never have one of those rooms when I go to parties, I would happily hide in there with a book without causing any fuss and without anyone having to say, “What’s the matter with you then?” It could become a kind of recovery room for all the introverts at the party to recharge and recover from an overdose of socialising. All around the party, at regular intervals little alarms go off and the introverts all excuse themselves for half an hour.
After dinner and pudding and stilted conversation over remnant-spattered plates I am wondering if it is peculiar If I go to bed before all of the children, the newborn baby even.
The next morning I wake up and I am desperate to go home immediately. No one else feels the same, they linger over a leisurely hangover breakfast, insist on a walk in the drizzle while waiting for the even more leisurely lunch to roast. I wolf down my lunch and whilst still chewing the last mouthful, putting my coat on and carrying my bags to the door manage to announce “Weoughttobeheadingoffnow.” Then ensues the final test, ‘saying goodbye’ we only said hello yesterday with all that kissing on two cheeks and half hugging stuff that took 20 minutes and now we have to do it all again?! I work my way round everyone as quickly as possible, with closed ended sentences, no questions, chanting ‘nice to see you, nice to see you.’ Anyone on the other side of the dinner table just gets an exaggerated wave and a faux-frustrated gesticulation as though the table is the Berlin wall so unfortunately we can’t hug goodbye.
I would love to go to the beauticians, or hairdressers, or a nail salon but I won’t go because my enjoyment of being pampered would be marred by having to make polite, banal conversation. When you book an appointment they should ask, “Chat or no chat?”
“Absolutely no chat please.”
“Great, you can have Karl, he is our mute nail technician.”
Crikey, I sound like a total misery guts and one who should never be invited out, but get me in the right environment/company/phase of the moon, talking to people about something with the potential to create hysterical laughter and I can go for at least 2 hours and 5 minutes.
I will let Jonathan Rauch have the last word, he sums it up so perfectly:
“We can only dream that someday, when our condition is more widely understood, when perhaps an Introverts' Rights movement has blossomed and borne fruit, it will not be impolite to say "I'm an introvert. You are a wonderful person and I like you. But now please shush."
These two beautiful Snow Leopards were seen together at the Los Angeles Zoo. They are very close (siblings?) and spent significant time grooming each other - very interesting to watch !! Since I returned home I have been unable to discover via the web whether these two are siblings. Next time I visit I will check. Snow Leopards are endangered with only ~5,000 existing in the wild.
via Instagram ift.tt/2fiDJcl Another gem (teehee) from my art walking during #EAST yesterday. I definitely fell back in love with #Austin again. ... #Atx #eastaustinstudiotour #art #graffiti #streetart #💎 #wanderlust
No trip to the Texas Renaissance Festival is complete without seeing the Gypsy Dance Theatre perform. They have been my favorite act for the last 10 years. Many of the performers from 2010 are still there and I swear they never age. Beautiful dancers, great musicians, and they always seem to be having a blast on stage. Definitely worth checking out!
I took these photos in October 2019 at the TRF in Todd Mission, Texas.