Not difficulty to spot the polar orbiters in the shot, composed of around 100, 20 second exposures, taken with my Canon40d, 28mm Sigma lens, f 2.8, ISO 800.

(to see further pictures and read other information please go to the end of page!)

Flaktowers

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

 

The Vienna flak towers are six large, of reinforced concrete erected defensive and protective structures in Vienna, which were built in the years 1942-1945 as giant bomb shelters with fitted anti-aircraft guns and fire control. The architect of the flak towers was Friedrich Tamms (1904-1980).

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Image: Terrace of the flak tower in Arenbergpark

 

The system of the Vienna flak towers consists as a whole of six buildings, three turrets, each with a Feuerleitturm (fire-control tower). The three bunker pairs are arranged in a triangle in the approximate middle of which the Stephansdom is situated. The towers are of different heights, but their upper platforms are in exactly the same altitude, so that an overall coordination of air defense was possible. The maximum operating radius of the four main guns (12.8 cm twin) of each tower was under ideal conditions 20 km. The smaller platforms of combat and fire-control towers were provided for 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, but they were never used in Vienna. In addition to its military crew the flak towers in Vienna served as makeshift hospitals, housed radio stations and partly war-relevant technical companies and offered on a large scale air raid shelters for the population.

 

Flakturm Augarten

Picture: Flakturm, Augarten

 

After the war, the Red Army undertook blasting tests in Gefechtsturm (flak tower with battle platform) Augarten, but a removal of the towers failed because of the proximity to residential areas. Nowadays, a removal of the towers would be possible, but now existing only an official decision as to the two anti-aircraft towers in Augarten from 5 April 2000 (GZ 39.086/2/2000) because all six buildings ex lege have been put under monument protection. Today, the towers are partially owned by the City of Vienna and partly owned by the Republic of Austria. There were repeatedly attempts to rebuild the flak towers and make it usable. The ideas range from depot for important backup data to a café or hotel.

 

Planning

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark - Notstiege (Emergency flight of stairs)

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Elevator shaft to the left, original instructions for lift usage right

 

After the battles of World War II also spread more and more to Vienna, Adolf Hitler ordered on 9 September 1942 the construction of flak towers in Vienna. The Air Force leadership provided for this purpose as building sites the Schmelz (Vienna), the Prater and Floridsdorf but Hitler rejected these places since the city center would not have been adequately protected because of the large distances. After discussions with Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) Baldur von Schirach, the final locations were determined. Instead of the Augarten, however, was initially the Roßauer barracks under discussion. The decisive factor for the choice of the places were on the one hand, the easy availability of the building ground and on the other hand the possibility to establish railway connections. The plan provided after the victorious end of the war to disguise the flak towers with marble and devote them as monuments to the fallen German soldiers. As with all the flak towers Friedrich Tamms was responsible for the planning, he was represented in Vienna by Anton Ruschitzka, construction management held Franz Fuhrmann from Vienna's city building department. The military leadership rested with Major Wimberger, which, however, had no mission staff. The material procurement was carried out by the Organisation Todt.

 

Construction

Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Picture: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

Emergency Exit Photo: Flakturm, Arenbergpark

 

With the construction of the flak towers the companies Philipp Holzmann and Gottlieb Tesch were commissioned, smaller firms being integrated via joint ventures. Since the availability of local workers due to conscription declined steadily, more and more prisoners of war, foreign and forced laborers were used in the course of the war. Cement was delivered primarily from Mannersdorf at Leithagebirge, to a lesser extent from Rodaun (situated in the outskirts of Vienna). The gravel stemmed from the gravel pits Padlesak in Felixdorf and Gustav Haager at Heidfeld at the Bratislava railway (Pressburger Bahn), about in the area of ​​today's airport Wien-Schwechat. Sand was delivered in ships over the Danube Canal, which is why in the area of Weißgerberlände sand silos of the United Baustoffwerke AG were built. In this area was already in 1918 a feeder track of the tram through the Drorygasse. Although this was already in 1925 shut down it was restored in 1941 and enlarged in the following year after the construction of a new silo to two tracks. For the then due to the excavation of the foundations coming up overburden, at the Kratochwijlestraße (then Weissenbachstraße) in 22 District was created a landfill, which also got a tram connection.

 

This report is based on an article in the

WIKIPEDIA - The Free Encyclopedia

and is licensed under the GNU license

Free Documentation Creative Commons CC -BY- SA 3.0 Unported.

On Wikipedia there is List of the authors Available .

de.wikipedia.org

 

The monstrous remnants of the "Third Reich"

District II (Leopoldstadt), anti-aircraft towers in the Augarten, tram line 31 from metro station Scots ring/Schottenring (U2, U4).

 

On 15 March 1938 gathered some 200 000 Wiener (Viennese people) on Heldenplatz in order to celebrate the "Anschluss" of Austria to the so-called fatherland Germany, something, since the end of the first World War I many had been longing for. Adolf Hitler himself appeared on the balcony of the Neue Burg and announced: "As leader and Chancellor of the German nation and the Reich I report before story now the entry of my home in the German Reich". Then he boarded a plane back to Germany, the rest, as they say, is history. A few years later the magnificent Heroes Square (Heldenplatz) was dug up to plant vegetables there, they needed food for the distraught people who suffered the privations in Hitler's zusammenbrechendem (breaking down) "millennial Reich".

 

Right: Gefechtsturm in the Augarten

In Leopoldstadt

Below: The Leitturm (control tower) in Arenbergpark

In III. District highway (Landstraße).

 

The already existing and sometimes bombastic Viennese architecture the occupiers seems to have pleased, no major buildings were added during their reign. On 9 September 1942, however, Hitler decreed that the city center of Vienna like in Berlin and Hamburg should be protected by some huge flak towers, three pairs should form a defensive triangle, St. Stephen's Cathedral was the center. 1943/44, the German troops began the construction of two flak towers in the Augarten and defaced in this way Austria's oldest still existing and in 1712 laid out baroque garden. Another pair of flak towers emerged in Arenberg Park in III. District (Landstraße), a third near the Mariahilferstraße (in Esterházypark and in the courtyard of the barracks Stiftskaserne) in the VI. resp. VII. District (Mariahilf/Neubau). The towers have been made of almost indestructible, 2.5 to 3.5 meters thick reinforced concrete and were self-sufficient, and they possessed their own water and power supply, first aid station and air filters if it should come to a gas attack. Each pair of flak towers contained a big, provided with a heavy gun flak tower and a smaller control tower for communication. The first is either a square tower in the style of a fortress, like the one in the Arenbergpark (neunstöckig - nine storeys), 41.6 meters high, 57 meters in diameter) or a round tower, in fact, sixteen -sided, as in the Augarten Park and the yard of the Stiftskaserne Barracks (zwölfstöckig - twelve storeys, 50.6 meters high, 43 meters in diameter). The heaviest artillery gun (105-128 mm) was standing on the roof, on the projecting balconies below there were lighter guns (20 to 30 millimeters). The Leittürme, from which the air defense was coordinated, were all rectangular (neunstöckig - nine storeys, 39 to 51.4 meters high, 24 to 39 feet long) and equipped with a lighter gun, they possessed communication devices and searchlights on the roof. Toward the of the war the towers only just were functional. They also served as air-raid shelter for the people in the area and each tower had space for 30 000 people. In the event that the war ended with a victory, the architect, the builder of the Reichsautobahn Friedrich Tamms, already had prepared designs to dress up the towers with black marble plates in which the names of the dead German soldiers should be engraved in gold letters. So the towers would also have been victory and war memorials (and thus in a strange way similar to the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna or the Castel de Monte in Apulia).

In the bureau of an architect of Berlin were even found plans to demolish the Jewish Quarter in the Leopoldstadt and to build a huge Nazi forum. Today, however, there is in Leopoldstadt again a thriving Jewish life and the flak towers are frozen monuments to the darkest times of Viennese history (in fact, the Russians tried to destroy the tower in Augarten with dynamite, which later on was mistaken for the vandalism of a few schoolboys, by mistake a forgotten weapon depot setting on fire).

In a famous quote Hitler Vienna compared with a pearl, which he wanted to give a socket. Towards the end of war, however, this socket only consisted of bombed-out buildings and abandoned flak towers, silent witnesses of the delusion of their builder. As a result, only the Leitturm was used in Esterhazy Park, and today in it the house of the sea (Zoo - Haus des Meeres) is accommodated. Outside there is a climbing wall with 25 different routes, and the vertical wall and the projecting balconies give a perfect imitation of an overhanging cliff of 34 meters of height. A conservatory (or biotope) with a miniature rain forest along with monkeys and birds has been added on one side; it is entered through a door that only with difficulty could be broken in the two and a half meters thick reinforced concrete, but this also ensures a uniform temperature for aquariums and vivariums in the tower.

The stable temperatures also have the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) brought to take advantage of the flak tower in Arenberg Park as a magazine and occasional exhibition space; in the meantime it is known as Contemporary Art Tower (CAT).

A former air-raid shelter at the base of the Leitturm in Esterhazy Park now contains the Museum of Medieval legal history: the history of torture

 

Excerpts from

Duncan J. D. Smith; Only in Vienna

A travelling guide to strange places, secret places and hidden attractions

Translated from English by Brigitte Hilzensauer

Photographs by Duncan JD Smith

 

"The streets of Vienna are paved with culture, the streets of other cities with asphalt". Karl Kraus (1874-1936)

Vienna is certainly one of the greatest and also the most homogeneous capitals in Europe. And it is one of the most fascinating. The overabundance of travel guides that are out there to buy, presents the not too demanding visitor a magical (and easily accessible) abundance of museums, churches, palaces and culinary venues, and they recount the history of the city since the times of the Romans over those of the Habsburg Empire to the present.

 

Courtesy

Christian Brandstätter Verlag mbH

The publishing service for museums, businesses and public authorities

www.brandstaetter - verlag.at

Total, totalitarian, dead

Picture: Flak tower in 1943 /44, Augarten

 

At the zero point of the knowledge about the progress of the world stands since 11 September 2001 "Ground Zero". The debris field of the World Trade Center was used as a metaphor, which for its part marks a zero point. "Ground Zero" is called the area that lies in the center of a nuclear explosion. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki this area has been explored, the experiments that began with Albert Einstein's warning of a nuclear policy of Nazi Germany, were successful beyond measure. The name for the nuclear program, "Manhattan Project". With the beginning of the new millennium "Ground Zero" is real returned to where it had once taken its nominal starting point. The skyscraper obviously is able to stimulate the imagination of physicists, ballistics and aeronauts. In the skyscraper the obsessions of the 20th century are concentrated, self-sufficiency and utopia become one in the sky billowing tower. It is the exalted and the sublime. It provides a beacon, of the construction as well as of the destruction.

As the World Trade Center each of the Viennese "flak towers" come along as pairs: One serves as control tower, the other as a flak tower. The central component is the platform, it was needed in high altitudes in order to have a clear field of fire over the city. The tower architecture, which thereby became necessary, one used for bunker systems, no fewer than 40,000 people should here find shelter. For other facilities there was also space: the Gaupropagandaleitung (Regional propaganda direction) for example, the radio station, a munitions factory. At three locations in the city - the triangle that they abzirkelten (encircled), took in Vienna's historic center - in the years 1943/44 had established an own self-contained world, with it corresponded an outside, the world of total war. The flak towers gave this world the architectural icon.

On 14 February 1943, the British Air Force had carpet bombings on German cities announced after it adversary those commitments to civility, just in war of some validity, namely to protect non- military targets, long ago had abandoned. It was a strategy that should give World War II a decisive turn. The Germans had their production concentrated on weapons with immediate penetrating power, especially on fighter planes and tanks. The Allies, however, swore on sustainability, on long-range bombers that now more and more were used. Against such so-called "flying fortresses" should prepare the city's flak towers.

On 18 February 1943 already, the Nazi regime had reacted propagandistically. Joseph Goebbels delivered in the Sportpalast (Sports Palace) those infamous speech in which an unleashed crowd at the top of its voice loud the hysterical question "Do you want total war?" applauded. From then on, the action would no longer overridingly occur on the fronts. Now, as Goebbels put it, the "phalanx of the homeland" was at stake. The war would be carried to the cities. In their midst, in the urban milieu that would now lose all nonchalance and any worth of life. Also, and just that is what the flak towers stand for: their comfort is the security wing, their promise the ammunition depot. They guarantee offensive and defensive in one. In this hard as reinforced concrete alignment, imagined the regime each of every Volksgenossen (member of the German nation).

The flak towers are the architecture of total war par excellence: monumental exclamation marks for military preparedness, towering icons of the resistiveness, uniform archetypes of a technical, an instrumental progress, to which the Nazi state with due atavism was always committed. Furthermore, comes to some extent the domestic political effect: The flak towers are citadels against the own population, reduits in the face of a psychological and social situation, which solely by forced violence, by martial law and concentration camps could be overmastered.

The prototype of the flak towers built up in Berlin, as well as their principle was conceived in the capital, especially by Albert Speer, the Minister for the war economy. But as a kind of urban identification mark they stand in Vienna, and also for this the logic of total war can be used. It is the logic of destruction, the so-called "Nero-command", which after Hitler's disposal would have provided the destruction of all remaining infrastructure in the German Reich. It is the logic of a perverted Darwinism, which would have applied the dictum of unworthy life in the moment of defeat on the own population.

In one of his table talks in May 1942, Hitler blustered about the "huge task to break ... the supremacy of Vienna in the cultural field ...". The hatred toward the city of his youth was notorious, and one may assume that the flak towers, whose placement the "Führer" personally ordered, the enemy, in a manner of speaking, definitely should stake out a target area. Because naturally, the towers would increasingly attract attacks on themselves. But they have the war unscathed as hardly another building survived. That they are standing for the long shot, the totalitarism this very day is clear. To eliminate them, would mean to turn the city with them in rubble.

www.wien-vienna.at/index.php?ID=1236

After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.

 

Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.

Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.

 

Zero waste By-products:

Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.

 

What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?

Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/

Prep Time: | Cook Time: 4 | Servings: 8 | Difficulty:

 

Ingredients:

 

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (4 pound) bone-in pork shoulder

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cup Mexican beer

1 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

 

Directions:

 

Heat oven to 300 F. Mix the cumin, paprika, sugar salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over the meat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a dutch oven. Brown the pork on all sides. Remove the pork. Add onion, garlic, beer, orange juice, chipotles, lime juice and brown sugar to the dutch oven. Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits, then reduce heat to a simmer. Return the pork to the pot. Cover and transfer to oven. Cook until pork is very tender, about 3 to 4 hours, turning every hour or so.

Remove pork from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat. Place the meat in a baking dish. Strain the braising sauce into a saucepan. Boil until reduced to a sauce consistency. Drizzle over the shredded pork. Transfer the pork to oven and broil until the meat begins to caramelize, 3 to 5 minutes.

To serve, spoon some of the pork in the center of a tortilla. Top with guacamole, salsa, fresh cilantro and scallions. Roll up and eat.

 

Notes: Carnitas are perfect weekend food. Festive and fun to eat, they are great for a casual party or a large family gathering. Begin the meat early in the day so that it will slow cook in the oven while you go about your daily business. As the meat breaks down, it will be infused by the beer and chipotle braising liquid until it's falling apart tender at the bone. A little shredding and a final turn in the oven with the reduced sauce turns out smoky, spicy, caramelized pork, ready to pile on tortillas with salsa and guacamole. If you have any leftovers, the meat may be used in sandwiches or loaded on homemade nachos the next day.

 

courtesy of tastefoodblog.com

After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.

 

Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.

Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.

 

Zero waste By-products:

Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.

 

What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?

Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/

I get some awkward inner city locations to deliver to but this one had me stumped.

The Armistice Clearing at Compiègne:

 

You can see what difficulty I'd have had trying to fit into this machine. Safe to say that, during WW1, tankers (George S. Patton's term) were of a smaller stature than my 6ft 4½", 280lb (1.95m, 127kg).

  

Char Renault FT 17: '00626'

 

The Renault FT was also called "FT 17" although this specific naming was never acknowledged by Renault or any official working on the project.

It was to be related to the year 1917, like "modele 1917" as it was customary for many French weapons of the time, but this was introduced after the war.

"FT" has no meaning but was the next identification letters available for this project in Renault nomenclature (some authors suggested later "Faible Tonnage" "low tonnage" or "Franchisseur de Tranchées" "trench crosser"). It began as a concept, and became a personal project of Louis Renault, the famous car maker. He sought the ideal weight-to-ratio proportion for a more agile and faster tank than the Schneider CA-1 and the heavy Saint Chamond, and also a cheaper and easier model to produce.

All started after a meeting between Colonel Estienne and him at the Hotel Claridge in Paris. Until then, Louis Renault declined any involvement into tank production, claiming his lack of experience with tracked vehicles and other commitments. However, as an engineer he was taken up by the challenge, and after the meeting, started a practical study for a light vehicle, easy to manufacture with a reduced, unskilled workforce (factories had been depleted then by mass drafts and enlisting).

 

The Renault FT prototype included a rotating turret, a concept already tested with the Little Willie, a rear engine configuration, a front driver, with the turret operator (and commander) right behind. Compared to the short and narrow hull, the modified Holt chassis was big enough to allow sufficient grip on any ground. To manage large trench crossings a rear tail was mounted, which facilitates balance and hanging. Instead of "mobile fortresses" or "land cruisers", the Renaut FT seemed lightly armed, but the turret made it versatile and efficient in most circumstances.

  

The Renault 4-cylinder air-cooled petrol engine was started either by a rear crank or an internal one. It was handily reachable from above, protected by a large hood. The petrol tank was installed after the turret and before the engine, high for gravity and well-protected except from above. A steel chain was usually suspended on the rear tail in order to be used for towing another vehicle. Large metal boxes were suspended on the flanks, with shovels, picks, spanner and other tools, as well as sometimes additional fuel tanks and spare track links. There was no means of communication between the turret operator and driver and the interior was almost deafeningly noisy, so a kind of "kicking code" in the back, shoulders or even head of the driver was used to transmit steering orders. These were armed with a Puteaux M19 37 mm (1.45 in) short-barreled, low-velocity gun, or a coaxial Hotchkiss 7.92 mm (0.31 in) machine gun.

  

FT 17s after the First World War were in service with more than 20 countries around the world and took an active part in many military conflicts on different continents. It has become one of the most popular interwar model, and purchased by Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Yugoslavia, Belgium, while Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Greece and Sweden tested it. The biggest buyer outside Europe was Brazil. The FT influence worldwide could not be underestimated: They were the very first US, Soviet and Italians tanks, generating close-copies and printing a profound mark on later developments.

 

There were still thousands of FTs in various conditions around the globe when the Second World War broke out. The bulk of this WWI vintage fleet was in France, mostly because of a late rearmament. Both the Renault R35 and Hotchkiss H35 were due to completely replace this model (almost 2800 light tanks combined in May 1940). But still around 1850 FTs were listed as of 1939, renamed "FT-31". These were rearmed version with the Reibel 7.5 mm (0.295 in) compact machine-gun, a gas-operated model originally designed to serve on the Maginot line. But this upgrade did not improve their limited capabilities in range and speed, although not worrying an ageing general staff still thinking in trench warfare terms. Many were stationed in the Colonies, others served in second line, some were in various depots or assigned to training units when the western campaign began. This fleet was seized by the Germans, and reused for various duties.

 

Numerous Renault FT-17s saw action during the three first years of the war. The Polish ones were committed when the Germans launched Fall Weiss, Finnish modified Neiraas and Koiraas fought as dug out pillboxes for ambushes during the winter campaign, the Belgian FT-18s were also at the stakes when the Werhmacht crossed the north-eastern border in May 1940. Later on in April 1941, the Yugoslavian FTs and a very few Greek models also saw action against the Panzerdivisions. In Indo-China, also in 1941, French colonial armoured brigades equipped with the FT-17 (in original conditions) opposed a Thai invasion. The very same year, Iran, still operating a small fleet of FTs was found mobilized during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of their country. Perhaps some of these were sold or sent to Afghanistan and found some years ago by G.I.s in a metal dump.

(www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww1/fr/renault_ft.php)

Hi guys.

 

Just thought I'd pop along to let you know that I probably won't be uploading for a little while...

 

After a short, but hard working life My laptop has decided to opt for early retirement.

 

I'm down to just a 9" Dell notebook to work with and I just can't face editing with that, so I'll be saving my pennies for a whizzy new desktop instead.

 

As I don't currently have a desk either, I'll be taking a little while to get my workspace up to scratch.

 

Hopefully won't be gone too long and will no doubt be taking shots in the meantime to edit with my new system.

 

Catch you all soon.

Ratty.

 

Photo and upload via IPhone.

Same mall and same day as this one, but a different system. In fairness, it must be awful hard to get on-site tech support on a holiday weekend.

After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.

 

Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.

Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.

 

Zero waste By-products:

Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.

 

What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?

Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/

Eaglehawk Neck.

The dramatic coastline here shows the difficulties mariners faced reaching Hobart in the 19th century. There are caves and blow holes along the coast. The narrow isthmus which separates the Tasman Peninsula from the mainland shows why Port Arthur was such an easily defended prison site. The tessellated (tiled) pavement is unique in Australia. The flat sandstone here has fractured into rectangular tiles, which have then been eroded by water and waves. The fractures dry out at low tide allowing salt crystals to form which speeds up the erosion of the pan or tile surfaces, leaving the original fractures higher.

 

Port Arthur 1830-1877.

What became the largest convict prison in VDL was started at Port Arthur in 1830 and named after the strict disciplinarian governor of the day, Sir George Arthur. 75,000 convicts served time in VDL before 1853 compromising roughly half of all convicts transported to Australia. Most came direct from England, but a few thousand came from other colonies or Ireland. At its peak in 1847, there were over 30,000 convicts in VDL. The majority were assigned to work for private colonists, some worked on government projects such as roads and bridges and public buildings. The worst criminals and those least likely to reform themselves were sent to convict prisons such as Port Arthur. Most of those assigned to farm work were from the petty criminal class of the industrial cities of Britain but they were not necessarily less skilled than free workers of those days. Port Arthur never had more than 1,200 prisoners there at any one time during its 47 year history. But it had a well deserved reputation for brutality and harshness. It was not an idle penal base; its inmates, if not in solitary confinement, worked felling timber, in foundries, the prison gardens, erecting buildings, and in the nearby coal mines- usually in chain gangs. Port Arthur was an industrial complex. Six forges operated here, bricks, barrels, coach wheels, and shoes were among the major products produced. The dock at Port Arthur was always busy with shipping arrivals and departures. It was not until the last years of the prison that the complex based on Pentonville in London was constructed (1848-52) where the cells were six feet by nine feet, dark and damp. The most infamous commandant, known for his brutality was Captain Charles O’Hara Booth who headed the prison from 1833 to 1844.

 

The main structures at Port Arthur include many that have not been demolished over the years: the Commandant’s House 1833; the round guard Tower 1835; the church 1836 (partially destroyed by fire in 1884); the Shipwright’s House 1834; the Clerk of Work’s House 1841; the Hospital 1842; the Commandant’s Office 1848; the Magistrates House 1847; the Medical Officer’s House 1847; the large four storey mill and granary was converted into the Penitentiary for those who were left at Port Arthur after 1853; the Model Prison 1852. In its heyday Port Arthur was much bigger than what you see today. After the end of transportation those prisoners convicted for life stayed on until the prison closed in 1877. Some were then transferred to Hobart or other prisons.

 

The Island of the Dead that we will cruise past is believed to contain about 1,100 graves. Only about 90 still have headstones. The civil workers were separated even in death from the convicts who were buried on the Island of the Dead. Marcus Clarke briefly visited Port Arthur in 1870 as it was winding down to get material for his fictional account of the life of a convict called For the Term of His Natural Life, which was first serialised in newspapers between 1870-72.

 

Holga film from Vieques, Puerto Rico in July

 

This double exposure is the result of some difficulty I had advancing the film.

Access is difficult to infrasound station IS55, Windless Bight, Antarctica (USA).

 

Copyright CTBTO Preparatory Commission

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

goodandcrazypeople.blogspot.com/2009/08/technical-difficu...

Per auto over een hindernisbaan om weg te kunnen komen.

 

Trying to get out with the car with some difficulties.

38. Spiritual Practice is Will Asserted and Reasserted

 

Questioner: The Westerners who occasionally come to see you are faced with a peculiar difficulty. The very notion of a liberated man, a realised man, a selfknower, a God-knower, a man beyond the world, is unknown to them. All they have in their Christian culture is the idea of a saint: a pious man, law-abiding, God-fearing, fellow-loving, prayerful, sometimes prone to ecstasies and confirmed by a few miracles. The very idea of a jnani is foreign to Western culture, something exotic and rather unbelievable. Even when his existence is accepted, he is looked at with suspicion, as a case of self-induced euphoria caused by strange physical postures and mental attitudes. The very idea of a new dimension in consciousness seems to them implausible and improbable. What will help them is the opportunity of hearing a jnani relate his own experience of realisation, its causes and beginnings, its progress and attainments and its actual practice in daily life. Much of what he says may remain strange, even meaningless, yet there will remain a feeling of reality, an atmosphere of actual experiencing, ineffable, yet very real, a centre from which an exemplary life can be lived.

 

Maharaj: The experience may be incommunicable. Can one communicate an experience?

 

Q: Yes, if one is an artist. The essence of art is communication of feeling, of experience.

 

M: To receive communication, you must be receptive.

 

Q: Of course. There must be a receiver. But if the transmitter does not transmit, of what use is the receiver?

 

M: The jnani belongs to all. He gives himself tirelessly and completely to whoever comes to him. If he is not a giver, he is not a jnani. Whatever he has, he shares.

 

Q: But can he share what he is?

 

M: You mean, can he make others into jnanis? Yes and no. No, since jnanis are not made, they realise themselves as such, when they return to their source, their real nature. I cannot make you into what you already are. All I can tell you is the way I travelled and invite you to take it.

 

Q: This does not answer my question. I have in mind the critical and sceptical Westerner who denies the very possibility of higher states of consciousness. Recently drugs have made a breach in his disbelief, without affecting his materialistic outlook. Drugs or no drugs, the body remains the primary fact and the mind is secondary. Beyond the mind, they see nothing. From Buddha onwards the state of self-realisation was described in negative terms, as 'not this, not that'. Is it inevitable? Is it not possible to illustrate it, if not describe. I admit, no verbal description will do, when the state described is beyond words. Yet it is also within words. Poetry is the art of putting into words the inexpressible.

 

M: There is no lack of religious poets. Turn to them for what you want. As far as I am concerned, my teaching is simple: trust me for a while and do what I tell you. If you persevere, you will find that your trust was justified.

 

Q: And what to do with people who are interested, but cannot trust?

 

M: If they could stay with me, they would come to trust me. Once they trust me, they will follow my advice and discover for themselves.

 

Q: It is not for the training that I am asking just now, but for its results. You had both. You are willing to tell us all about the training, but when it comes to results, you refuse to share. Either you tell us that your state is beyond words, or that there is no difference; that where we see a difference, you see none. In both cases we are left without any insight into your state.

 

M: How can you have insight into my state when you are without insight into your own? When the very instrument of insight is lacking, is it not important to find it first? It is like a blind man wanting to learn painting before he regains his eyesight. You want to know my state — but do you know the state of your wife or servant?

 

Q: I am asking for some hints only.

 

M: Well, I gave you a very significant clue — where you see differences, I don't. To me it is enough. If you think it is not enough, I can only repeat; it is enough. Think it out deeply and you will come to see what I see. You seem to want instant insight, forgetting that the instant is always preceded by a long preparation. The fruit falls suddenly, but the ripening takes time. After all, when I talk of trusting me, it is only for a short time, just enough time to start you moving. The more earnest you are, the less belief you need, for soon you will find your faith in me justified. You want me to prove to you that I am trustworthy! How can I and why should l? After all, what I am offering you is the operational approach, so current in Western science. When a scientist describes an experiment and its results, usually you accept his statements on trust and repeat his experiment as he describes it. Once you get the same or similar results, you need not trust him any more; you trust your own experience. Encouraged, you proceed and arrive in the end at substantially identical results.

 

Q: The Indian mind was made ready for metaphysical experiments by culture and nurture. To the Indian words like 'direct perception of the Supreme Reality' make sense and bring out responses from the very depths of his being. They mean little to a Westerner; even when brought up in his own variety of Christianity, he does not think beyond conformity with God's commandments and Christ's injunctions. First-hand knowledge of reality is not only beyond ambition, but also beyond conceiving. Some Indians tell me: 'Hopeless. The Westerner will not, for he cannot. Tell him nothing about self-realisation; let him live a useful life and earn a rebirth in India. Then only will he have a chance'. Some say: 'Reality is for all equally, but not all are equally endowed with the capacity to grasp it. The capacity will come with desire, which will grow into devotion and ultimately into total self-dedication. With integrity and earnestness and iron determination to overcome all obstacles, the Westerner has the same chance as the Oriental man. All he needs is the rousing of interest. To rouse his interest in self-knowledge he needs to be convinced about its advantages.

 

M: You believe it is possible to transmit a personal experience?

 

Q: I do not know. You speak of unity, identity of the seer with the seen. When all is one, communication should be feasible.

 

M: To have the direct experience of a country one must go and live there. Don't ask for the impossible. A man's spiritual victory no doubt benefits mankind, but to benefit another individual, a close personal relation is required. Such relation is not accidental and not everybody can claim it. On the other hand, the scientific approach is for all. 'Trust-test-taste'. What more do you need? Why push the Truth down unwilling throats? It cannot be done, anyhow. Without a receiver what can the giver do?

 

Q: The essence of art is to use the outer form to convey an inner experience. Of course, one must be sensitive to the inner, before the outer can be meaningful. How does one grow in sensitivity?

 

M: Whichever way you put it, it comes to the same. Givers there are many; where are the takers?

Q: Can you not share your own sensitivity?

 

M: Yes, I can, but sharing is a two-way street. Two are needed in sharing. Who is willing to take what I am willing to give?

 

Q: You say we are one. Is this not enough?

 

M: I am one with you. Are you one with me? If you are, you will not ask questions. If you are not, if you do not see what I see, what can I do beyond showing you the way to improve your vision?

 

Q: What you cannot give is not your own.

 

M: I claim nothing as my own. When the 'I' is not, where is the 'mine'?. Two people look at a tree. One sees the fruit hidden among the leaves and the other does not. Otherwise there is no difference between the two. The one that sees knows that with a little attention the other will also see, but the question of sharing does not arise. Believe me, I am not close-fisted, holding back your share of reality. On the contrary, I am all yours, eat me and drink me. But while you repeat verbally: 'give, give', you do nothing to take what is offered. I am showing you a short and easy way to being able to see what I see, but you cling to your old habits of thought, feeling and action and put all the blame on me. I have nothing which you do not have. Self-knowledge is not a piece of property to be offered and accepted. It is a new dimension altogether, where there is nothing to give or take.

 

Q: Give us at least some insight into the content of your mind while you live your daily life. To eat, to drink, to talk, to sleep — how does it feel at your end?

 

M: The common things of life: I experience them just as you do. The difference lies in what I do not experience. I do not experience fear or greed, hate or anger. I ask nothing, refuse nothing, keep nothing. In these matters I do not compromise. Maybe this is the outstanding difference between us. I will not compromise, I am true to myself, while you are afraid of reality.

 

Q: From the Westerner's point of view there is something disturbing in your ways. To sit in a corner all by oneself and keep on repeating: 'I am God, God I am', appears to be plain madness. How to convince a Westerner that such practices lead to supreme sanity?

 

M: The man who claims to be God and the man who doubts it — both are deluded. They talk in their dream.

 

Q: If all is dreaming, what is waking?

 

M: How to describe the waking state in dreamland language? Words do not describe, they are only symbols.

 

Q: Again the same excuse that words cannot convey reality.

 

M: If you want words, I shall give you some of the ancient words of power. Repeat any of them ceaselessly; they can work wonders.

 

Q: Are you serious? Would you tell a Westerner to repeat 'Om' or 'Ram' or 'Hare Krishna' ceaselessly, though he lacks completely the faith and conviction born of the right cultural and religious background. Without confidence and fervour, repeating mechanically the same sounds, will he ever achieve anything?

 

M: Why not? It is the urge, the hidden motive that matters, not the shape it takes. Whatever he does, if he does it for the sake of finding his own real self, will surely bring him to himself.

 

Q: No need of faith in the efficacy of the means?

 

M: No need of faith which is but expectation of results. Here the action only counts. Whatever you do for the sake of truth, will take you to truth. Only be earnest and honest. The shape it takes hardly matters.

Q: Then where is the need of giving expression to one's longing?

 

M: No need. Doing nothing is as good. Mere longing, undiluted by thought and action, pure, concentrated longing, will take you speedily to your goal. It is the true motive that matters, not the manner.

 

Q: Unbelievable! How can dull repetition in boredom verging on despair, be effective?

 

M: The very facts of repetition, of struggling on and on and of endurance and perseverance, in spite of boredom and despair and complete lack of conviction are really crucial. They are not important by themselves, but the sincerity behind them is all-important. There must be a push from within and pull from without.

 

Q: My questions are typical of the West. There people think in terms of cause and effect, means and goals. They do not see what causal connection can there be between a particular word and the Absolute Reality.

 

M: None whatsoever. But there is a connection between the word and its meaning, between the action and its motive. Spiritual practice is will asserted and re-asserted. Who has not the daring will not accept the real even when offered. Unwillingness born out of fear is the only obstacle.

 

Q: What is there to be afraid of?

 

M: The unknown. The not-being, not-knowing, not-doing. The beyond.

 

Q: You mean to say that while you can share the manner of your achievement, you cannot share the fruits?

 

M: Of course I can share the fruits and I am doing so all the time. But mine is a silent language. Learn to listen and understand.

 

Q: I do not see how one can begin without conviction.

 

M: Stay with me for some time, or give your mind to what I say and do and conviction will dawn.

 

Q: Not everybody has the chance of meeting you.

 

M: Meet your own self. Be with your own self, listen to it, obey it, cherish it, keep it in mind ceaselessly. You need no other guide. As long as your urge for truth affects your daily life, all is well with you. Live your life without hurting anybody. Harmlessness is a most powerful form of Yoga and it will take you speedily to your goal. This is what I call nisarga yoga, the Natural yoga. It is the art of living in peace and harmony, in friendliness and love. The fruit of it is happiness, uncaused and endless.

 

Q: Still, all this presupposes some faith.

 

M: Turn within and you will come to trust yourself. In everything else confidence comes with experience.

 

Q: When a man tells me that he knows something I do not know, I have the right to ask: 'what is if that you know, that I do not know?'

 

M: And if he tells you that it cannot be conveyed in words?

 

Q: Then I watch him closely and try to make out.

 

M: And this is exactly what I want you to do! Be interested, give attention, until a current of mutual understanding is established. Then the sharing will be easy. As a matter of fact, all realisation is only sharing. You enter a wider consciousness and share in it. Unwillingness to enter and to share is the only hindrance. I never talk of differences, for to me there are none. You do, so it is up to you to show them to me. By all means, show me the differences. For this you will have to understand me, but then you will no longer talk of differences. Understand one thing well, and you have arrived. What prevents you from knowing is not the lack of opportunity, but the lack of ability to focus in your mind what you want to understand. If you could but keep in mind what you do not know, it would reveal to you its secrets. But if you are shallow and impatient, not earnest enough to look and wait, you are like a child crying for the moon.

 

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

 

Excerpt from I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj

 

I Am That is a compilation of talks on Shiva Advaita (Nondualism) philosophy by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a Hindu spiritual teacher who lived in Mumbai. The English translation of the book from the original Marathi recordings was done by Maurice Frydman.

 

----

 

Illustration: Purusa - Paris, musée Guimet - musée national des Arts asiatiques.

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone who celebrates this special day today!

 

What a mess Flickr was last night! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr this morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared.

 

My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) After that, I have just a few photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nest "gourds".

 

On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I'm not sure if this stretch is called Hawk Alley.

 

We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!

 

nationalbutterflycenter.org/nbc-multi-media/in-the-news/1...

 

"Ten years ago, the North American Butterfly Association broke ground for what has now become the largest native plant botanical garden in the United States. This 100-acre preserve is home to Spike (who thinks he is a butterfly) and the greatest volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies in the nation. In fact, USA Today calls the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, 'the butterfly capitol of the USA'." From the Butterfly Centre's website.

 

The Centre is facing huge challenges, as a result of the "Border Wall". The following information is from the Centre's website.

 

www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/about-nbc/maps-directions...

 

"No permission was requested to enter the property or begin cutting down trees. The center was not notified of any roadwork, nor given the opportunity to review, negotiate or deny the workplan. Same goes for the core sampling of soils on the property, and the surveying and staking of a “clear zone” that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds. The federal government had decided it will do as it pleases with our property, swiftly and secretly, in spite of our property rights and right to due process under the law."

 

"What the Border Wall will do here:

1) Eradicate an enormous amount of native habitat, including host plants for butterflies, breeding and feeding areas for wildlife, and lands set aside for conservation of endangered and threatened species-- including avian species that migrate N/S through this area or over-winter, here, in the tip of the Central US Flyway.

 

2) Create devastating flooding to all property up to 2 miles behind the wall, on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River, here.

 

3) Reduce viable range land for wildlife foraging and mating. This will result in greater competition for resources and a smaller gene pool for healthy species reproduction. Genetic "bottlenecks" can exacerbate blight and disease.

 

IN ADDITION:

 

4) Not all birds can fly over the wall, nor will all butterfly species. For example, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, found on the southern border from Texas to Arizona, only flies about 6 ft in the air. It cannot overcome a 30 ft vertical wall of concrete and steel.

 

5) Nocturnal and crepuscular wildlife, which rely on sunset and sunrise cues to regulate vital activity, will be negatively affected by night time flood lighting of the "control zone" the DHS CBP will establish along the wall and new secondary drag roads. The expansion of these areas to vehicular traffic will increase wildlife roadkill.

 

6) Animals trapped north of the wall will face similar competition for resources, cut off from native habitat in the conservation corridor and from water in the Rio Grande River and adjacent resacas. HUMANS, here, will also be cut off from our only source of fresh water, in this irrigated desert.

This is a converted heavy truck used by militias across africa and the middle east. Often a large anti-air gun or some other sort of heavy weapon will be mounted on to a technical.

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

-Not That Dead-

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

The EMRY 907 pauses at Danforth as the crew attends to a mechanical difficulty.

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

You want this game. Even if you've played it before on the PS2 or Cube, you'll still want to download Alien Hominid on Xbox Live Arcade. There's something about it that makes Alien Hominid not just a fun game, but also an excellent fit for the XBLA. Whether it's the classic level of difficulty, the great sense of humor or the perfect combination of both, we can't say for sure. All we know is that you want this game. We want it.

 

Alien Hominid draws inspiration from its predecessors, most obviously Contra and Metal Slug, but injects a healthy dose of style and originality that gives it an identity all its own. Shooting is the name of the game here. Lots of it. As the title Alien, it's your job to piece together your spaceship and enact revenge for being blasted out of the sky. Blockheaded kids will occasionally give you some handy power-ups, but you'll have to rely on your laser gun for most of the work. There are a few little moves you can perform, such as jumping on an enemy's shoulders and biting his head off or whipping out a knife for close encounter kills, but the main gameplay is pretty straightforward. It's simple, but there are enough quirks thrown in to keep things fresh through the entire game.

 

Those quirks come in the level design, which is spot on. Hopping along the roofs of cars on a speeding highway, riding a snowmobile through an obstacle course while attacking a train, or taking control of a giant yeti; it's all just part of the game. If you've played your share of classic side-scrollers, you'll have passing feelings of dejavu that will last about a second before the difficulty forces you to stop trying to remember where you've seen something like this in the past. It all feels oddly familiar, yet totally fresh.

 

If there can be any harsh criticism leveled at Alien Hominid, it would have to be directed at its difficulty which ranges from insane to impossible. A single shot from an enemy is enough to end your life and those little balls of death hurtling your way can easily be lost in the vibrant backgrounds. There's no way around it -- you will die very regularly and be forced to use nearly all of your continues to finish just a single stage. Occasionally, you'll find yourself in situations where death is the only option. Practice makes perfect, but this game can be brutal even after many hours of playing. A second player can hop in at any time for co-op action (offline only), though it hardly makes anything easier. In fact, we found it harder than ever at times since a second player only adds to the onscreen confusion. Thankfully, you can load any level you've previously reached and begin with a clean set of continues, ensuring that you'll be able to keep progressing through the game in spite of itself.

 

The hand-drawn art looks crisp and better than ever running in HD. This isn't the most technically proficient game ever made, but the inviting art style and quirky humor built into everything from the backgrounds to the animations will make you sit back and wonder why we don't see more 2D shooters these days. All it takes is one look at the little guy's smiling face as he rides in a tank blasting oversized cannonballs at his foes, and any anger you may have had from dying incessantly will instantly melt away.

 

Alongside the 16-stage game are eight minigames to be unlocked, including a massive set of short little platforming stages called PDA games. Some of these games can be played through Xbox Live, but most are a solo affair. Outside of the PDA games, which can be played for hours if you enjoy their simplicity, the minigames aren't much more than a distraction. But, hey, they're still a nice bonus on top of the great campaign.

 

The achievements, like the game, are tough as nails. There are a few that are easy, though this is hardly a game for anyone looking for an easy 200 points. Most are centered on the main game, but you'll have to become an expert in a few minigames to get every achievement.

 

At 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD), deciding whether to download and give Alien Hominid a shot is an easy choice. This game is such an excellent fit for the Xbox Live Arcade that you'll want to try out the demo at the very least, even if shooters aren't your cup of tea. The game oozes style and humor out of every wound the alien leaves in his wake of destruction. It's hardcore on the level that may discourage some, but it has the most important quality a game can have as well: It's fun. Brief quotes from recognizable media outlets often serve as testimonials and really help drive interest in videogames, so here come the one-liners fit to be printed on any box...

 

"Alien Hominid is what Neo Contra should have been."

 

"It's a new Metal Slug with more style."

 

"I like hominids and Cap 'n Crunch!"

 

"This game is so much fun, Ed's brain hemorrhaged while we were playing together and now he's stuck in one those poses that are usually reserved for victims of The Joker."

 

"I used to dream about being a member of the Stargate program. Now I dream of owning a UFO, a tractor beam, and a wood chipper. Thanks, Alien Hominid!"

 

Well, maybe the last few wouldn't be such good descriptors. The point is, Alien Hominid is a great game worthy of a purchase. Unfortunately for us, it's one of twenty great games worthy of purchase this holiday shopping season. Still, it has its place and it has it for a reason.

 

This 2004 shopping season brings us our fair share of platformers, action titles, adventures, flight combat games, sports games, and RPGs, but we lack the precious conventional shooters that serve our memories so well. We lack those games that hearken back to an age when reflex ruled and responsiveness was not to be taken for granted (especially where quarters were concerned). Alien Hominid is that game. It's a side and top down shooter with exquisite style, brilliant art, lots of action, slick animations, interesting boss fights, and innovative gameplay mechanics. For the unfamiliar, Alien Hominid was originally free and for the browser on your computer. In fact, the prototype was first released on Newgrounds.com way back in August of 2002 and has since been downloaded approximately six million times. Only now you're going to pay for it and be happy! Don't fret, though, it's not really the same game. Alien Hominid for consoles features new everything.

 

Let's talk gameplay. You can walk left and right and you can shoot. Enjoy! There's also a jump, a crouch, crouch-walking, a charge shot, multiple weapon types, and multiple grenade types that are dependent on weapon power-ups. Hominid also adds a left or right quick roll, the ability to jump on the heads of enemies to direct them around or throw them, and a burrow maneuver that enables the little yellow protagonist to hide from attacks and pull foes into the ground. These new mechanics play out all the time too, particularly in patterned boss fights that boast such outrageous creatures as the destructive metallic bee, a series of over anxious Soviet bears, and an Area 51 robot that's really, really hungry. It makes this expanded shooting experience quite interesting.

 

The bee fight actually takes place on the tops of cars speeding down the freeway. You have to jump from one exploding car to the next, hit the bee with everything you've got, and then duck into the cars when he lowers his stinger to scrape their roofs. It's a great use of the varying mechanics presented, and it's not the only example. Later on you'll race snowmobiles alongside a speeding train. This involves ducking under and jumping over trackside obstructions while simultaneously contending with the baddies onboard. It's very hectic, but it's just another level for Alien Hominid. Cool!

 

All told, Alien Hominid features about 15 of these insane levels, which means there are roughly 15 boss encounters (all very distinct) and tons of mini-bosses dotted along the way. Even when you're not fighting them, just moving from the beginning of a level to the end is enjoyable.

 

It's an ultra cute, hilarious kind of action that features some of Itchy and Scratchy's explicit cartoon violence. Your little alien (and a friend's alien if you want to play together), are stranded on Earth and you have to kill things...lots of things. It starts with FBI agents but later moves to Soviets and then eventually other aliens. Throughout the killing you're rolling, burrowing, shooting, lobbing grenades, mounting heads, and slicing people in half. And the whole time you're doing it all, your little guy keeps giving off the funniest expressions (I'm especially fond of his face pressed against the glass of the Area 51 walking tank). This makes driving a tank, a car, or a Russian Yeti pretty amusing. When you consider that it's all backed by some truly challenging, frantic gameplay, you can understand the appeal. There are actually only two real faults with the gameplay. 1) It's short, but even then it'll still last for no less than six Neo Contras. And 2) It's sometimes impossible to avoid death. Gamers have always given demanding shooters a certain amount of leeway when it comes to forced deaths, but Alien Hominid is plain unfair at times. Part of this can be attributed to some truly malicious level design (staring up at a massive pudding monster with aerial attacks while soldiers shoot from the sides), but most of it's the result of the game's distinctly cluttered art style.

 

True, Alien Hominid isn't technically the most impressive game around, but it sure looks good. It's all hand animated, but it's the moving parts and incredibly slick explosions (of which there are many varieties) that make Alien Hominid feel like one of the slickest hand animated titles around. Sometimes all of the animations and effects supersede the gameplay, however, which makes avoiding bullets you can't even see a little tough (even if bullets now shimmer and rapidly change colors).

 

That's hardly a serious complaint given the quality of this shooter, though. Dying on occasion as a result of something you have no control over can be a little aggravating when you're going for a high score, but it's not the most terrible thing when you're riding a yeti or moving up a series of beams while circumventing falling barrels, flame spews, and some kind of orbital laser cannon.

 

Again, the game doesn't really last all that long, but then it is just $30 to begin with. And if you do finish you can still enjoy the PDA, which offers around 200 levels of single screen platforming reminiscent of a rudimentary Out of this World or an ultra old school Montezuma's Revenge / Prince of Persia thing. It's presented wonderfully (like the rest of the game) too, and is very addicting. I've personally only reached level 25, but I plan on making my way to at least 100. The game even includes an editor that allows players to create their own mini-game scenarios. Very good stuff. With Alien Hominid everything you need as a shooting fan is right here on the table. It looks good, it's cute and funny, its bosses are interesting, the control is tight, and the game is seriously intense. It's easy to appreciate the aforementioned qualities too, because they're the same ones that have been making games great for the last twenty years. If you're capable of fondly remembering your favorite shooters as attractive, tight, and interesting, the chances are strong that you'll fondly remember this one for the same reasons.

The truth is out there. Believe in the supernatural and buy Alien Hominid. If you're a PC freebie junkie looking for more or if you're just into fun, you can ride a Sasquatch for less than thirty bucks. What do you have to lose?

           

A selection of films about the joys and difficulties of the photographer's profession

⠀

If you are fond of photography, then be sure to watch at least some of the films from my selection. I am sure that after watching you take pictures with excitement!

⠀

📌 The window into the yard (1954)

📌 Blow-up (1966)

📌 Photographer (1998)

📌 One hour photo (2002)

📌 City Of God (2002)

📌 Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diana Arbus (2006)

📌 Unforgettable moments (2008)

📌 Crazy Club (2010)

📌 Photographer from Mauthausen (2018)

📌 The Great (2020)

⠀

If you know any other interesting 😍 films about photography, write about them in the comments 🙏

⠀

Ph: @safronoviv_photo

Loc: @shansbio

⠀

#blackandwhite #carnivore #companiondog #dog #dogbreed #flashphotography #leg #standing #style #whiskers #sportsphotography #businessphotography #businessphotograph #beautifulphotosession #NikonD850 #safronoviv_photo

 

Accumulating financial difficulties for several months, the government of Brian Cowen has resigned under pressure from European leaders, to accept financial assistance from the IMF-led European Union. This "bailout" in the form of a loan of 85 billion euros at the rate of 6.7%, is widely criticized by the population because of its prohibitive cost and the austerity plan associated with it. It is expected a decrease in the minimum wage by 12% and large tax increases on households (3000 euros increase per household per year on average).

 

These challenges present an enormous challenge for the people and the Irish government.

 

>>> Follow me on Facebook | Google+

Facing difficulty in picking the right strategy or the areas of focus for digital marketing in 2015? Here is an inspiring collection of the marketing experts revealing the most significant changes and important trends in 2015.

Somewhere in Chandigarh

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

The difficulties of looking through a snorkeling mask, a camera bag, and a viewfinder, while floating, in a pool full of moving water... the split doesn't always come out perfect. The angle of the camera lens is greatly exaggerated because of the level of the water and the magnification involved. Solution - take lots of pictures and hope for the one that works. I din't get enough. Taken with a Nikon D90 in a Dicapac underwater camera bag.

As a kid, I had a lot of difficulties. I went to a school with a lot of kids, and my class consisted mostly of bullies. Unfortunately for me, I was made the victim. It wasn't really all that hard either. A chubby kid with glasses, a thing for computers, who didn't play soccer or handball or any other kind of activity? I played the piano. I was fine with that. But everyone else was obviously not.

 

Then, a few years later, I got into martial arts. What happened? I don't know. But I knew martial arts was the thing for me. I had the interest, I loved the uniforms, learning to kick, to punch, to be able to beat the living hell out of someone. The first time I put on my uniform and tied the white belt around my waist was incredible. I looked myself in the mirror. A white uniform with the word TAEKWONDO plastered on the front and back. The brand new white belt hanging down. Needless to say, I was thrilled with what I had just done.

 

Again, though, I was struck by bad luck. The martial arts school I had signed up for was a McDojo. A belt factory. Where money mattered more than the welfare of the students. So, I quit, vowing that I would never practice taekwondo again. I did, however. Six months later I joined a school that seemed more classy. They knew what they were doing. They didn't charge 250 dollars for a black belt testing. I was right. It all began. I slowly found my self respect. My confidence. My passion. My one true love.

 

And all of a sudden, I felt good being me. I felt good about being the chubby guy with the glasses and the thing for computers. I felt good about what I did and how I did it, and if anyone had a problem with that, I really didn't care. 'Cause I loved it. And then, in January, 2006. I finally got the chance. I finally got to test for my black belt. I kicked. I punched. I beat the living hell out of my opponents. And at the end of the day, they called my name at the ceremony. I got up and walked up to one of the master instructors as everyone applauded me. He reached his hands out to congratulate me. And he gave me the one thing I had worked so hard for for seven years. And as I tied that belt around my waist a few minutes later, I found myself crying. Nearly sobbing.

 

But none the less, I had done it.

 

And now I find myself sitting here, writing this. I've visualized these exact words a million times. But I really haven't found a way of expressing them.

 

But this is me. My love. My passion. My confidence. Me.

 

This is me.

Urbex Benelux -

 

The difficulty of a location differs quite a bit. At one location you walk in with two fingers in your nose, while another location takes months to prepare. In particular, try to visit urban exploring locations that are not too difficult and that have often been photographed. That way you get a slow experience and you know how to act in various situations. It is also interesting to read a little in advance in the history of the location. This makes it more fun to walk around the site and recognize things. It is useful to have an (offline) satellite image of the location and the environment.

Schweiz / Wallis - Edelweissweg

 

Höhbalmen

 

View Back

 

Rückblick

 

Every mountain hiker dreams of spotting edelweiss in the alpine pastures. Here that dream comes true. Along this trail, walkers even spot these beautiful flowers at eye level. The walk leads to one of the finest vantage points in the Zermatt region.

 

Type Mountain trail

Difficulty hard

Duration 7,30 h

Distance 20,7 km

Ascent 1195 m

Descent 1195 m

Lowest point 1605 m

Highest point 2745 m

 

Description

 

The edelweiss can be admired at a variety of habitats in the Zermatt mountains. It won’t grow on ground formed of crystalline rock, but it flourishes on calcareous sediments – despite the often harsh conditions. The fleecy hairs help protect the flowers from solar radiation, frost and aridity. The seeds require exposure to frost before they can germinate the following year.

 

Hikers on this trail experience a magical moment on the climb up to Trift as the pinnacle of the Matterhorn emerges unexpectedly from behind a hilltop. Who’ll spot it first? The path then continues to one of Zermatt’s finest viewpoints, at Höhbalmen. The panorama is breathtaking: the north face of the Matterhorn with the Zmuttgrat ridge, the Breithorn, Liskamm and the Monte Rosa massif.

 

Edelweiss: a protected plant

Information panels about the plants along the way

Between the Gasthaus Edelweiss and the Berggasthaus Trift hotels: edelweiss at eye level (right-hand side)

Unusual view of the Monte Rosa massif

Possible encounters with Valais Blacknose sheep and Valais Blackneck goats

 

(zermatt.ch)

 

The Dom is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located between Randa and Saas-Fee in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. With a height of 4,546 m (14,915 ft), it is the seventh highest summit in the Alps, overall. Based on prominence, it can be regarded as the third highest mountain in the Alps, and the second highest in Switzerland, after Monte Rosa. The Dom is the main summit of the Mischabel group (German: Mischabelhörner), which is the highest massif lying entirely in Switzerland.

 

The Dom is noteworthy for its 'normal route' of ascent having the greatest vertical height gain of all the alpine 4000 metre peaks, and none of that route's 3,100 metres of height can be achieved using mechanical means.

 

Although Dom is a German cognate for 'dome', it can also mean 'cathedral' and the mountain is named after Canon Berchtold of Sitten cathedral, the first person to survey the vicinity.

 

The former name Mischabel comes from an ancient German dialect term for pitchfork, as the highest peaks of the massif stand close to each other.

 

Geographical setting

 

The Dom is the culminating point of a chain running from the Schwarzberghorn on the south, at the intersection with the main chain of the Alps (Alpine watershed), to the Distelhorn on the north and ending above the town of Stalden. The chain lies entirely in the district of Visp.

 

The two valleys separated by the range are the Mattertal on the west and the Saastal on the east. The towns of Randa and Saas-Fee lie both six kilometres from the summit (to the west and the east, respectively). The elevation difference between the summit and the valley floor is 3,150 metres on the west side (Randa) and 3,000 metres on the east side (Saas-Grund). On the Mattertal side, the Dom faces the almost equally high Weisshorn and, on the Saastal side, it faces the Weissmies. The Dom is the highest point of the Saastal and the second highest mountain of the Mattertal after Monte Rosa.

 

Since the Dom is not on the main Alpine chain, the rivers flowing on both the west and east side of the massif end up in the same major river, the Rhone, through the Mattervispa and the Saaservispa. The Dom is the highest mountain in the Alps with this peculiarity.

 

The Mischabel group includes many subsidiary summits above 4,000 metres. To the north lies the Nadelgrat, composed of the Lenzspitze, the Nadelhorn, the Stecknadelhorn, the Hohberghorn and the Dürrenhorn. The Nadelgrat is easily visible from the north and gives the massif its characteristic pitchfork appearance. The second highest peak of the massif, the Täschhorn to the south, culminates at 4,491 metres, and south of it, is the characteristically flat summit of the Alphubel. In total, eight summits above 4,000 metres make up the Mischabel massif. Other important peaks of the massif are the Ulrichshorn and the Balfrin. The Dom has a western shoulder (4,479 m) and an eastern shoulder (4,468 m).

 

Generally, areas above 3,000 metres are covered by glaciers, the two largest being the Ried Glacier situated at the foot of the Nadelgrat and the Fee Glacier, at the foot of the Dom itself, below the east face.

 

Geology

 

The massif is almost entirely composed of gneiss from the Siviez-Mischabel nappe. The latter is part of the Briançonnais microcontinent and is located in the Penninic nappes.

 

Climbing history

 

The first ascent of the Dom was made on 11 September 1858. It was reached via the Festigrat (north-west ridge) by John Llewelyn Davies with guides Johann Zumtaugwald, Johann Krönig and Hieronymous Brantschen. Davies published an account of his ascent in Peaks, Passes and Glaciers.

 

The first ascent of the western ridge (above the Festikinlücke) was made in 1879 by two parties. One comprised Mrs E. P. Jackson with her guides Aloys Pollinger, Peter Josef Truffer and Josef Biner. The second consisted of Percy Thomas with Josef Imboden and Josef Lengen. They bypassed the upper section and traversed the west face to join the upper part of the Festigrat before arriving to the summit. The first complete ascent on the entire western ridge was made later in 1882 by Paul Güssfeldt and guides Alexander Burgener and Benedict Venetz.

 

The direct route on the west face (50° ice slope, TD-) was first ascended in 1962.

 

The 1000-metre-high east face above Saas-Fee was climbed in 1875 by Johann Petrus, along with his clients Alfred and Walter Puckle, and a local hunter, Lorenz Noti.

 

A route on the south face was first made in August 1906 by Geoffrey Winthrop Young and R. G. Major, with the guides Josef Knubel and Gabriel Lochmatter of St. Niklaus in the canton Valais. According to Young it was more dangerous than the south-west face of the nearby Täschhorn, which they had climbed two weeks earlier.

 

On 18 June 1917, Arnold Lunn, a pioneer ski mountaineer, and Josef Knubel of St. Niklaus in the canton Valais made the first ski ascent of the Dom, by the Hohberg Glacier (north flank).

 

Climbing routes and huts

 

Climbing the Dom by its normal route is a relatively straightforward, but nevertheless long and somewhat arduous 3,100-metre ascent on foot from the valley, and taking 6 hours to the summit from the Dom Hut. The route is graded as PD- on the French adjectival climbing scale. This route has been described in the mountaineering literature as "something of a snow trudge". The only mechanical means of access is located in the Saas-Fee area, on the east side of the mountain, from which all the routes to the Dom are much harder.

 

The easiest way to the summit starts from Randa, where there is a railway station (1,407 m) served by the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn. From Randa a trail leads to the Dom Hut (2,940 m), which also crosses the Europaweg near the Europa Hut. Climbing the mountain requires an overnight stay at the Dom Hut. The normal route starts from the hut and goes on the Festigletscher glacier towards the Festijoch (3,720 m). It then follows the Hohberggletscher glacier to the summit above the north face.

 

An alternative route is provided by the Festigrat, which is the Dom's north-western ridge. It goes directly from the Festijoch to the summit, and is preferred by climbers who wish to avoid the long slopes of the north flank. In good conditions it is graded at PD/PD+. However, its upper section can be treacherous in icy conditions, in which case the north flank approach is better.

 

Domgrat

 

The summit of the Dom can also be reached from the south by the classic and exposed 'Täsch-Dom traverse'. This is a very long, committing and challenging mountaineering route which has been described as "one of the most demanding ridge grandes courses in the Alps". This route (via the south ridge or Domgrat), first requires an ascent of the adjacent Täschhorn - most easily attained from the Mischabel Bivouac Hut perched on Mishabeljoch. From there, an ascent of the Täschhorn's south-southeast ridge (Mischabelgrat, grade AD, III) is made in 4 to 5 hours. The descent from the Täschhorn to the Domjoch (4,282m) is on steep, slabby and sometimes icy rock, taking 2–3 hours, followed by a further 2–3 hours ascent of the rocky crest of the Domgrat (Grade D, III+) before the Dom's summit cross is finally reached after some 8 to 11 hours of sustained climbing in total, followed by a long but simple descent of the 'normal route' to reach the Dom Hut.

 

Highest flowering plant in Europe

 

In the late 1970s, mountain guide brothers Pierre and Grégoire Nicollier discovered a Two-flowered Stonecrop (Saxifraga biflora) about a hundred meters below the summit, on the southern ridge of the Dom. This caused a sensation as scientists believed it to be the highest flowering plant ever found in Europe. However, in subsequent climbs of the southerly Taeschhorn-Dom-Ridge, the plant could no longer be located, but a new record holder was found: an opposite-leaved saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), which thrived and bloomed on the same ridge, about 40 meters below the summit. Mountain guide Jürg Anderegg documented this with pictures in 2011, and botanist Christian Körner from the University of Basel published it in the specialist journal Alpine Botany.

 

Since the location is difficult to access, documentation remained scarce, and the condition of the plant was uncertain. As part of an art project, Swiss artist Sandro Steudler, together with mountain guide Alexander Kleinheinz and alpine photographer Caroline Fink, set out in July 2023 to search for the plant. Despite challenging conditions and snow on the ridge, Alexander Kleinheinz succeeded in finding the plant and placing a temperature sensor beneath it, which had been given to them beforehand by Christian Körner; Caroline Fink documented the location photographically. The sensor will record the temperature under the stonecrop until 2026. It is believed that this saxifrage grows in the coldest location in the world where a flowering plant has been found so far.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The Täschhorn (4,491 metres (14,734 ft)) is a mountain in the Pennine range of the Alps in Switzerland. There are no easy mountaineering routes to its summit, and it is regarded as being among the top ten 4,000-metre mountains in the Alps for difficulty, and "one of the highest, finest and least accessible 4000m mountains". It lies immediately north of the Alphubel, and south of the Dom within the Mischabel range, and is very similar in shape to the Dom when seen from the upper Zermatt valley.

 

History

 

The first ascent of the mountain was by John Llewelyn Davies and J. W. Hayward with guides Stefan and Johann Zumtaugwald and Peter-Josef Summermatter on 30 July 1862. They climbed via the north-west (Kin Face) route, with a midnight start from the valley settlement of Randa.

 

Climbing routes

 

Mischabelgrat (south-south-east-ridge)

 

The Täschhorn is normally climbed via its south-south-east ridge, known as the Mischabelgrat. The ascent route starts from the relatively innaccessible bivouac hut situated at its base on the Mischabeljoch. The route follows the exposed and often corniced crest of the ridge from the hut. It is graded AD and can take 4 to 5 hours to the summit. If not continuing to the Dom, descent from the Täschhorn's summit to the Mischabeljoch can take a further 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

 

The continuation route to the Dom (known as the Täschhorn–Dom traverse) has been described by alpine guide, Martin Moran, as a "magnificent traverse" and "one of the most demanding of the grandes courses in the Alps". With no easy way off, and because of its high altitude, the route can easily be affected by ice and snow in bad weather. In normal conditions, and in good weather, a climber can take between 4 and 6 hours to descend from the Täschhorn's summit to the Domjoch, and then to ascend the Dom's south ridge (Domgrat) to the latter's summit.

 

Kin Face (north-west face)

 

The Täschhorn can also be climbed via the obvious glacier tongue that descends from the summit on its north-west face (Kin Face). The route, graded AD+, is a classic expedition on snow and ice. Nevertheless, access to the route is not easy because of awkward terrain on the lower Kin Glacier. However, the installation of a via ferrata on the Kinfelsen ridge offers and alternative route and some security to climbers from the Kin Hut, and has nowadays replaced the long, traditional approach from the Dom Hut, which has become complicated and risky. The route should still only be attempted when there is good quality snow cover on the upper face.

 

South-west face

 

Climbed only very rarely, the ascent of the south west face is an extremely serious undertaking on broken mixed ground, and has been compared to the north face of the Matterhorn. It is graded TD+. It was first climbed on 11 August 1906 by the 19 year old guide, Franz Lochmatter and his brother Josef, together with their regular client, Valentine John Eustace Ryan. Also involved in the ascent party were Geoffrey Winthrop Young and Josef Knubel. Together, they faced many difficulties and number of falls on very committing and fragile, unprotectable mixed ground and very steep final rock pitch, and their efforts became one of the most 'epic adventures' in the history of Alpine mountaineering. It was not repeated until 37 years later. By the end of summer 1956, the face had only been climbed six times.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The Alphubel (4,206 m) is a mountain of the Swiss Pennine Alps, located between the valleys of Zermatt and Saas in the canton of Valais. It is part of the Allalin Group, a subgroup of the Mischabel Group, which culminates at the Dom (4,545 m). The summit of the Alphubel consists of a large ice-covered plateau, part of the Fee Glacier on its east side. The west side of the mountain is more rocky and much steeper. It overlooks the Weingartensee.

 

The nearest settlements are Täsch (north of Zermatt) and Saas-Fee.

 

Geography

 

North of the Alphubel is the higher Täschhorn, the southernmost top of the Mischabel, from which it is separated by the saddle of Mischabeljoch (3,847 m), while the ridge to the south is less prominent running via the Alphubeljoch (3,771 m) to the Feechopf (3,888 m) and Allalinhorn. While the terrain drops steeply into the Mattertal valley to the west, the east side is flat and, compared to its neighbours, almost smooth. The characteristically flat summit of the Alphubel is mostly covered with firn and has, in addition to the main summit, a northern top of 4,188 m, which barely rises above the flat summit area.

 

From the Alphubel a prominent, ice-free, rocky arête, the Rotgrat, strikes westwards down to the Täsch Hut (Täschhütte, 2,701 m), while the main, north-south, ridge and an unnamed arête running northeast are largely covered by ice. Due to its considerable height and relatively low gradient of its slopes, there are several glaciers in the summit area of the Alphubel: To the northwest and west of the summit is the Weingarten Glacier, which has now disintegrated into three ice masses, reaching down to about 3,100 m in front of which is Lake Weingarten (Weingartensee). The entire eastern flank is taken up by the Fee Glacier, one of the larger glaciers of the region, which extends over several square kilometres and still almost reaches the valley basin near Saas-Fee. The Alphubel Glacier, the smallest glacier on the summit, lies in the south-west.

 

Climbing history

 

The first ascent of the mountain was by Leslie Stephen and T. W. Hinchliff with guides Melchior Anderegg and Peter Perren on 9 August 1860, starting at Täsch and via the south-east ridge and the Alphubeljoch.

 

Routes

 

The morphology of the Alphubel and its proximity to the Saas-Fee funicular make the Alphubel one of the comparatively easier four-thousanders of the Swiss Alps to climb. Nevertheless, all the ascents have the character of a high mountain tour with all the typical dangers of such a tour.

 

The normal route leads from Berghaus Längflue (2,867 m) above Saas-Fee over the flat but crevassed Fee Glacier to the summit. The ascent takes 4-5 hours and is rated PD or WS ("wenig schwierig / a little difficult") on the Swiss Alpine Club's high tour scale.

 

Another option with Saas-Fee as the base is a high-level tour from Mittelallalin (3,457 m), which can be easily reached via the Metro Alpin funicular. From there, the ascent, partly over rock, leads via the Feejoch (3826 m), Feechopf and Alphubeljoch to the summit (also WS, 4 hrs).

 

From the west, the best known route leads from Täsch via Täschalp and the Täschhütte and from there over the Alphubel Glacier via the Alphubeljoch over the main south-south-east running ridge (Eisnase) to the summit. This route takes about 5 hours and is also rated WS.

 

Huts

 

Täsch Hut

Britannia Hut, via Mittelallalin

Kin Hut (Kinhütte)

Mischabeljochbiwak, a refuge hut on the eponymous saddle between the Alphubel and Täschhorn

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Einmal im Leben ein Edelweiss in der Bergwiese sehen, davon träumt jeder Berggänger. Hier wird der Traum wahr. Die Edelweiss leuchten, auf diesem Weg manchmal gar auf Augenhöhe! Die Wanderung führt zu einem der schönsten Aussichtspunkte im Gebiet von Zermatt.

 

Typ Bergwanderweg

Schwierigkeit schwer

Dauer 7,30 h

Länge 20,7 km

Aufstieg 1195 m

Abstieg 1195 m

Niedrigster Punkt 1605 m

Höchster Punkt 2745 m

 

Beschreibung

 

Das Edelweiss ist in den Zermatter Bergen in verschiedenen Gebieten anzutreffen. Einfach nie da, wo kristallines Gestein den Untergrund bildet, wohl aber bei den Sedimenten, im Kalkgestein. Hier trotzt es den Unbilden der Natur. Die flauschigen Härchen dienen dem Schutz vor starker Sonneneinstrahlung, Frost und Austrockung. Das Edelweiss ist ein Frostkeimer: Die Samen müssen zuerst gefrieren, bevor sie im darauffolgenden Jahr wachsen.

 

Die Wanderung bietet einen speziellen Moment. Beim Aufstieg vom Trift taucht unverhofft der mächtige Spitz des Matterhorns hinter dem Hügel auf. Wer entdeckt es zuerst? Danach führt der Weg zu einem der schönsten Aussichtspunkte von Zermatt, auf Höhbalmen. Der Blick ist einmalig: Matterhorn mit Nordwand und Zmutt-Grat, Breithorn, Liskamm und Monte Rosa-Massiv.

 

Edelweiss: geschützte Pflanze

Informationstafeln über die Pflanzen am Weg

zwischen Gasthaus Edelweiss und dem Berggasthaus Trift: Edelweiss auf Augenhöhe (rechter Hand)

ungewohnte Aussicht auf das Monte Rosa-Massiv

Eventuell Schwarznasenschafe und Schwarzhalsziegen

 

(zermatt.ch)

 

Der Dom in den Walliser Alpen ist mit einer Höhe von 4546 m ü. M. der höchste Berg, der mit seiner kompletten Basis innerhalb der Schweiz liegt.

 

Lage und Umgebung

 

Der Dom gehört zur Mischabelgruppe, nach dem Monte Rosa das zweithöchste Gebirgsmassiv der Schweiz. Benannt wurde er zu Ehren des Domherrn von Sitten, Josef Anton Berchtold. Zum Teil ist auch überliefert, dass Berchtold im Zuge der Vermessungsarbeiten (1833), die er selbst vorgenommen hatte, die ganze Mischabel „Dom“ genannt habe. Ob dies allerdings zu Ehren seines eigenen Standes geschah, erscheint zweifelhaft.

 

Besteigung

 

Zum ersten Mal bestiegen wurde der Dom am 11. September 1858 von J. Llewellyn Davies, Johannes Zumtaugwald, Johann Kronig und Hieronymous Brantschen über den Nordwestgrat.

 

Die Normalroute führt von Randa (1407 m ü. M.) im Mattertal zunächst über Wanderwege und versicherte Steige zur Domhütte (2940 m ü. M.). Dort beginnt dann die eigentliche Hochtour. Über den Festigletscher erreicht man das Festijoch, von wo aus der ziemlich schwierige Festigrat zum Gipfel führt. Der Normalanstieg erfolgt jedoch über die technisch einfachere, objektiv aber gefährlichere (Gletscherspalten) Route über den Hohberggletscher. Beide Anstiege führen über einen schmalen, ausgesetzten Firngrat zum Gipfel.

 

Der Dom ist auch ein Skiberg, die erste Skibesteigung gelang bereits am 18. Juli 1917 dem Briten Sir Arnold Lunn mit dem Führer Joseph Knubel.

 

Höchstgelegene Blütenpflanze Europas

 

Ende der 1970er Jahre entdeckten die Bergführer-Brüder Pierre und Grégoire Nicollier rund hundert Meter unterhalb des Gipfels, am Südgrat des Dom, einen Zweiblütigen Steinbrech (Saxifraga biflora). Dies sorgte für Aufsehen, da es sich laut Wissenschaftern um die höchstgelegene je gefundene Blütenpflanze Europas handeln musste. Bei späteren Begehungen konnte die Pflanze jedoch nicht mehr aufgefunden werden, allerdings wurde ein neuer Rekordhalter gefunden: ein Gegenblättriger Steinbrech (Saxifraga oppositifolia), der am selben Grat – rund 40 Meter unter dem Gipfel – gedieh und blühte. Bergführer Jürg Anderegg dokumentierte diesen 2011 mit Bildern; der Botaniker Christian Körner der Universität Basel publizierte dazu im Fachmagazin Alpine Botany.

 

Da der Standort schwer zugänglich ist, blieb die Dokumentation jedoch dünn und der Zustand der Pflanze ungewiss. Im Rahmen eines Kunstprojekts machte sich der Schweizer Künstler Sandro Steudler im Juli 2023 gemeinsam mit Bergführer Alexander Kleinheinz und Alpin-Fotografin Caroline Fink auf die Suche nach der Pflanze. Trotz schwierigen Bedingungen und Schnee am Grat gelang es Alexander Kleinheinz, die Pflanze zu finden und eine Temperatur-Sonde unter der Pflanze zu deponieren; Caroline Fink dokumentierte den Standort fotografisch. Der Sensor wird bis 2026 die Temperatur unter dem Steinbrech aufzeichnen. Es wird angenommen, dass dieser Steinbrech am kältesten Standort der Welt wächst, an dem bislang eine Blütenpflanze gefunden wurde.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Das Täschhorn liegt in den Walliser Alpen und hat eine Höhe von 4491 m.

 

Das Täschhorn ist der zweithöchste Gipfel der Mischabelgruppe, nach dem Monte Rosa das zweithöchste Gebirgsmassiv der Schweiz. Das Täschhorn gehört zu den schwer zu ersteigenden Viertausendern des Wallis. Aufgrund des anspruchsvollen Normalwegs (Mischabelgrat) wird dieser Gipfel relativ selten begangen.

 

Die Erstbesteigung des Täschhorns erfolgte am 30. Juli 1862 durch Stefan und Johannes Zumtaugwald, J. Llewelyn Davies, J.W. Hayward und Peter-Josef Summermatter über die NW-Flanke (Kinflanke) direkt von Randa aus.

 

Routen

 

Nordwestflanke (Kinflanke)

 

Schwierigkeit: ZS, II (Frz. Skala: AD; mit II. UIAA-Grad Felskletterei)

Zeitaufwand: 6 Stunden

Ausgangspunkt: Domhütte (2940 m ü. M.) oder Kinhütte (2584 m ü. M.)

Talort: Randa (1407 m ü. M.)

 

Mischabeljoch

 

Schwierigkeit: ZS-, II (Frz. Skala: AD-; mit II. UIAA-Grad Felskletterei)

Zeitaufwand: 4 Stunden

Ausgangspunkt: Täschhütte (2701 m ü. M.)

Talort: Täsch (1450 m ü. M.)

Mischabelgrat

 

Schwierigkeit: ZS, III (Frz. Skala: AD; mit III. UIAA-Grad Felskletterei)

Zeitaufwand: 4 Stunden

Ausgangsort: Mischabeljochbiwak (3847 m ü. M.)

Talort: Täsch (1450 m ü. M.)

 

Westsüdwestgrat (Teufelsgrat)

 

Schwierigkeit: S+, IV (Frz. Skala: D+; mit IV. UIAA-Grad Felskletterei)

Zeitaufwand: 12–14 Stunden

Ausgangspunkt: Täschhütte

Talort: Täsch

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Alphubel ist ein 4206 m ü. M. hoher Berg in den Walliser Alpen in der Schweiz. Der zur Allalingruppe gehörende Berg liegt südlich der Mischabel auf dem Grat zwischen dem Mattertal und dem Saastal auf Boden der Gemeinden Täsch und Saas-Fee.

 

Geographie

 

Nördlich des Alphubels liegt das höhere Täschhorn, der südlichste Gipfel der Mischabel, von dem es durch das Mischabeljoch (3847 m) getrennt ist, während der Grat im Süden weniger deutlich via Alphubeljoch (3770 m) zum Feechopf (3888 m) und Allalinhorn verläuft. Während das Terrain nach Westen zum Teil recht schroff ins Mattertal abfällt, ist die Ostseite flach und verglichen mit seinen Nachbarn geradezu lieblich. Der charakteristisch flache Gipfel des Alphubels ist mehrheitlich firnbedeckt und besitzt neben dem Hauptgipfel einen nördlichen Gipfel mit einer Höhe von 4188 m, der sich aber kaum von der flachen Kuppe absetzt.

 

Der Alphubel entsendet nach Westen einen deutlichen, eisfreien Felsgrat, den Rotgrat, bis hinunter zur Täschhütte (2701 m), während der Nord-Süd-Hauptgrat und ein namenloser nordöstlich verlaufender Grat weitgehend eisbedeckt sind. Aufgrund seiner beträchtlichen Höhe und der relativ geringen Neigung seiner Hänge befinden sich im Gipfelgebiet des Alphubels mehrere Gletscher: Nordwestlich bzw. westlich des Gipfels liegt der inzwischen in drei Eismassen zerfallene Weingartengletscher, der bis ca. 3100 m hinunterreicht und in dessen Gletschervorfeld sich der gleichnamige Weingartensee befindet. Die ganze Ostflanke wird vom Feegletscher eingenommen, einem der grösseren Gletscher der Region, der sich über mehrere Quadratkilometer erstreckt und immer noch fast den Talkessel bei Saas-Fee erreicht. Im Südwesten liegt mit dem Alphubelgletscher der kleinste Gletscher des Gipfels.

 

Besteigungsgeschichte

 

Die Erstbesteigung fand am 9. August 1860 durch T.W. Hinchliff und Leslie Stephen mit den Führern Melchior Anderegg, Peter Perren und Franz Andenmatten statt.

 

Routen

Die Morphologie des Alphubels und seine Nähe zu den Bergbahnen von Saas-Fee machen den Alphubel zu einem der vergleichsweise leicht besteigbaren Viertausender der Schweizer Alpen. Dennoch haben sämtliche Anstiege den Charakter einer Hochtour mit allen objektiven Gefahren einer solchen.

 

Die Normalroute führt vom Berghaus Längflue (2867 m) oberhalb von Saas-Fee über den flachen, aber spaltenreichen Feegletscher auf den Gipfel. Der Aufstieg nimmt 4–5 Stunden in Anspruch und wird in der SAC-Hochtourenskala mit WS gewertet.

 

Eine weitere Möglichkeit mit Talort Saas-Fee besteht in einer Hochtour vom Mittelallalin (3457 m) aus, der sich bequem mit der Metro Alpin erreichen lässt. Von dort führt der Aufstieg, z. T. über Fels, via Feejoch (3826 m), Feechopf und Alphubeljoch zum Gipfel (ebenfalls WS, 4h).

 

Von Westen führt die bekannteste Route von Täsch via Täschalp und Täschhütte und von dort über den Alphubelgletscher und das Alphubeljoch über den südsüdöstlich verlaufenden Hauptgrat ("Eisnase") zum Gipfel. Diese Route dauert ca. 5 h und wird ebenfalls mit WS bewertet.

 

Hütten und Biwaks

 

Täschhütte

Berghaus Längflue

Britanniahütte, via Mittelallalin

ggf. Kinhütte

Mischabeljochbiwak auf dem namensgebenden Joch zw. Alphubel und Täschhorn

 

(Wikipedia)

Assassin's Creed® Origins

This is a converted heavy truck used by militias across africa and the middle east. Often a large anti-air gun or some other sort of heavy weapon will be mounted on to a technical.

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

-Not That Dead-

 

This time last year, in 2019, according to Australian Art Sales Digest, $71 million dollars worth of art were sold at auction in Australia. To date, it is $43 million.

 

However, in something of a stupendous comeback from the difficulties of lockdowns and amidst great success in auction sales, the high estimates of the offerings among the last fine art auctions of the year add up to another $46 million dollars in art to be sold before the end of 2020.

 

Whilst there has been a dearth of million dollar plus paintings sales, there are two paintings with record potential appearing in the next two weeks. One is Deutscher + Hackett's Russell Drysdale "Going to the Pictures" on 11 November with expectations of $2.5 million to $3.5 million.

 

The other is a Brett Whiteley, offered with Menzies in stand-alone auction on 26 November, a week after their regular summer sale of 162 lots on 19 November.

 

The highest sale price for a painting sold at auction in Australia is currently held by Sidney Nolan's "First Class Marksman" sold by Menzies for $5.4 million in 2010. Understandably, "Henri's Armchair" is causing much excitement with its $5 million to $7 million estimates and speculation of a new highest ever auction result achieved on our shores.

 

Meanwhile, there is an exceptional and varied art offering in the last of the major auctions with Menzies' final sale of the year scheduled on 19 November in Sydney, and at every price point.

 

This includes Tom Roberts' important oil on panel of Milson's Point from 1888 estimated at $500,000-700,000 and traditional works by Will Ashton, Penleigh Boyd, Rupert Bunny, Arthur Streeton, Bessie Davidson and Janet Cumbrae-Stewart, and a good selection of mid to lat 20th century works by Arthur Boyd, Sidney Nolan, John Olsen, Brett Whiteley, Jeffrey Smart and Emily Kngwarreye. Contemporaries include a great choice, among them a number of Noel McKenna's quirky works in various media, Ben Quilty, Michael Zavros, Anne Zahalka and Guan Weiu.

 

You can view all artworks in Melbourne from 5 to 8 November at the Menzies Gallery in 1 Darling Street, South Yarra.

 

In Sydney, you can view the offering from 12 to 18 November at the Menzies premises at 12 Todman Avenue, Kensington.

 

The auction takes place on 19 November 2020, 6.30 pm at 12 Todman Avenue.

 

The entire auction catalogue can also be viewed at the Menzies website.

 

For astute pre-purchase advice and in-depths due diligence reports for any lots in the last of major 2020 auctions, contact us on 0466 313 095 or email info@bhfineart.com. We would be delighted to assist you also in securing that special artwork on the night with experienced bidding.

 

Dave's Faves for the Menzies auction on 19 November are:

 

[caption id="attachment_6466" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 2 - Will Ashton, Ketch in Sydney Harbour, 47.5 x 65 cm, est. $5,000-8,000. Ketch Me If You Can[/caption]

   

[caption id="attachment_6467" align="alignnone" width="300"] Lot 8 - Arthur Boyd, Irrigation Lake, Wimmera 1950, 21.5 x 34.5 cm, est. $40,000-60,000. I went straight to this one ... as the crow flies[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6468" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 14 - Alexander McKenzie, The Topiarist, 2006, 122 x 122 cm, est. $18,000-24,000. Escape to the Country[/caption]

     

[caption id="attachment_6469" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 18 - Tim Storrier, The Night Blaze, 2009, 61.5 x 122.5 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Starry Starry Night[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6470" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 28 - Tom Roberts, North Shore (Study for An Autumn Morning, Milson's Point, Sydney), 1888, 26 x 34.5 cm, est. $500,000-700,000. Surely will leave a Lasting Impression[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6471" align="alignleft" width="205"] Lot 29 - Fred Williams, Gum Leaves in Landscape III, 1969, 63.5 x 43.5 cm, est. $180,000-240,000. The Finest Of Lines[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6472" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 31 - William Robinson, The Sacred Rock, Carnarvon, 2006, 122 x 183 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. Bill Rocks My World[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6473" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 32 - Jeffrey Smart, The Steps, Palma 1965, 63.5 x 79 cm, est. $500,000-600,000. Time To Step Up[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6474" align="alignleft" width="214"] Lot 38 - Del Kathryn Barton, Untitled Girl 2005, 120 x 86 cm, est. $55,000-75,000. You Might Want To Tweet This[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6475" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 39 - The Billboards II, 1969-70, 60 x 80 cm, est. $250,000-350,000. The Eyes Have It[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6476" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 43 - Tim Storrier, Evening Blaze, 106.5 x 198 cm, est. $80,000-100,000. Stoked by Storrier[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6477" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 51 - John Coburn, Perfumed Garden 1976, 97 x 195 cm, est $50,000-70,000. Time to Smell the Roses[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6478" align="alignleft" width="262"] Lot 52 - Michael Johnson, Celtic Spell, 2005, 243.5 x 214 cm, est. $40,000-50,000. Magic Johnson Casts His Spell[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6479" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 67 - Anne Zahalka, Cole Classic II - The Second Wave, 2000, 115 x 145 cm, est. $7,500-9,500. Our Kind of Blue Wave[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6480" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 71 - David Moore, Migrants Arriving in Sydney, 1966, 68 x 98 cm, est. $14,000-18,000. Moore Migrants Please[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6481" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 81 - Arthur Streeton, Morning Mist on the Thames 1904, 37 x 54 cm, est. $12,000-18,000. Buy now or see at the now open "Streeton" at the AGNSW[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6482" align="alignleft" width="253"] Lot 84 - Bessie Davidson, Still Life with Books and Candlestick, 1959, 70 x 60 cm, est. $35,000-45,000. Bessie at her Best[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6483" align="alignleft" width="233"] Lot 96 - Emily Kngwarreye, Wild Potato, 1995, 120 x 91 cm, est. $10,000-15,000. I Dig This Potato[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6484" align="alignleft" width="220"] Lot 107 - Tony Tuckson, Untitled (Portrait of a Seated Woman), c1955, 50 x 37 cm, est. $9,000-12,000. I Am Woman, See Me Soar[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6485" align="alignleft" width="224"] Lot 116 - Jan Nelson, Walking in Tall Grass (Charlotte #2), 2004, 92 x 69 cm, est. $9,000-12,000. Very Happy, Jan[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6486" align="alignleft" width="277"] Lot 125 - Noel McKenna, Sleeping Man, 2000, 20 cm high, est. $1,500-2,000. Somewhere for the Moonshine[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6487" align="alignleft" width="298"] Lot 129 - Noel McKenna, Big Merino, Goulburn, NSW, Clear Day, 2003, 38.5 x 38.5 cm, est. $1,800-2,600. Where's Woolly?[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6488" align="alignleft" width="137"] Lot 152 - Lenton Parr, Skyros, 2001, 91 cm high, est. $6,500-8,500. Parr for the Course[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6489" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 153 - Pablo Picasso, Déménagement, ou Charrette Révolutionnaire (from Series 347), 1968, 28.1 x 38.8 cm, est. $8,000-12,000. Pick up a Picasso[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_6490" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lot 159 - Brett Whiteley, Woman under the Shower, 1976, 40 x 48.5 cm, est. $6,000-8,000. Power Shower[/caption]

 

Menzies Auction 19 November 2020 was first published on: BH Fine Art Consultants

 

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Puolustusvoimat’s (Finnish Defense Force) “Ilves” is an indigenous battle tank design, tailored to fulfill the requirement for a lighter, more mobile modern tank than the Finnish Army’s standard MBT (the Leopard 2 of German origin) that can effectively operate in woodland and water-rich regions where the heavier MBTs might have difficulties traversing. Patria started the design for the new XA-2000 ‘Ilves’ (Lynx) tank when the Finnish Army started negotiations to procure Leopard 2A4 MBTs from Germany in the late 1990ies. 100 of these battle tanks were eventually ordered and delivered between 2002 and 2004, but it was clear that these large and heavy tanks – most suited for long-range battle in open field situations – would leave a tactical gap between them and the Finnish Army’s armed infantry fighting vehicles, which were lighter and more compact, so that they could operate more flexibly in the Finnish forests. However, these light vehicles did not offer the armament to fight enemy tanks at medium to long range, and the XA-2000 was to fill this gap.

 

From the outset, the XA-2000 was designed to be capable of being airlifted to improve its export chances, but it was not designed to be amphibious, due to the heavy turret which would raise the vehicle’s center of gravity and make any naval operations unsafe. The new third generation tank was expected to be much more mobile than typical main battle tanks, due to its light weight and high power/weight ratio. Power came from an electronically controlled 1,000 hp (746 kW) diesel engine, with hydro-mechanical fully automatic transmission. The tank is also capable of neutral steering and featured a hydro-pneumatic suspension.

 

The Ilves’ main armament was a fully stabilized Rheinmetall Rh-105-30 rifled gun, a modernized version of the famous Royal Ordnance L7 gun with reduced recoil for use in lighter vehicles. This proven weapon offered an effective firing range of 3 km and was compatible with all standard NATO 105 mm tank ammunition. The ammunition selections included APFSDS, HEAT and HE (High explosive) rounds. APFSDS and HEAT rounds were used against enemy armor while HE rounds were used against enemy infantry positions, light/non-armored vehicles, buildings, and field fortifications. The APFSDS projectiles were capable of penetrating 500 mm (20 in) of armored steel at 2,000 meters (1.2 mi), even though this was not considered sufficient to penetrate the front armor of modern main battle tanks such as the T-90. The sustained fire rate was supported by a bustle-mounted autoloader system, which reduced the crew to 3 and helped keeping the vehicle’s dimensions limited. The spent cases were ejected automatically via a hatch at the turret rear. The XA-1200 could hold a total of 38 various 105 mm shells, stored in the turret bustle for improved safety; the ammunition was retrieved from a tail autoloader with blowout panels.

Secondary armament included a 7.62 mm KVKK 62 coaxial machine gun of Finnish origin, and a remote-controlled weapon station mounted on the turret roof, operated by the commander, which was fitted with a 40 mm M203 automatic grenade launcher and a 12.7 mm RSKK 2005 (Browning M2) heavy machine gun.

 

The XA-2000 featured modern sensory and fire control systems, including laser rangefinder, advanced ballistic computer, meteorological sensors, gunner thermal imaging sight, millimeter-wave radar, and commander's panoramic sight. The fire control system supported automatic target tracking, hunter-killer capabilities, and commander takeover. Other equipment included air conditioning system, oxygen-production equipment for the crew, command and control equipment, battlefield management system, and navigation suite fitted with both inertial navigation system (INS) and satellite navigation system.

 

The XA-2000 featured two sets of armor packages providing different tactical mobility. Standard armor package featured classic steel armor protection with additional layers of advanced composite armor panels covering the tank turret, hull, and flanks, with additional lightweight explosive reactive armor blocks protecting the front hull. The enhanced package featured thicker explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks, in addition to the composite armor panels underneath, covering the whole tank turret and hull. ERA mounted armor-skirt and slat armor could also be mounted on the side and rear side of the tank hull for additional protection. The enhanced armor set was designed for open area battle under heavy defensive conditions, but only intended as a tactical option.

 

As additional protective measure the XA-2000 was fitted with a 360° laser warning sensor system to detect incoming range-finding and anti-tank missiles, mounted at the turret’s corners, and the tank could automatically deploy smoke grenades in dischargers if the tank was being illuminated by enemy laser beams. Other protective features included chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) protection, and a fire suppression system.

 

The first XA-2000 prototype was ready for tests in 2009, but it took five more years until the design was finalized and cleared for serial production. In late 2015 the first serial production tanks were delivered to the Finnish Army. A total of 100 XA-2000 had been ordered, but this was soon cut down to just seventy vehicles when the Finnish Army bought more Leopard 2A4 tanks in 2009 and launched an upgrade program for them. In January 2014, Finland agreed with the Netherlands to purchase 100 used Leopard 2A6NL tanks for approximately €200 million. This prevented more XA-2000 orders, even though there were still plans to procure 80 more of these light tanks until 2020. With the more modern tanks from the Netherlands available, most of the Finnish Leopard 2A4s were moved into reserve in 2015, with some converted into Marksman AA vehicles, bridge-laying, and mine-clearing tanks with Israeli-made Urdan mine rollers.

 

Even though the XA-2000 had been offered since 2016 for export its very specific design and limited firepower did not attract any buyers. Austria had shown early interest, as a potential replacement for the indigenous Kürassier anti-tank SPG, but eventually decided to procure more Leopard 2 tanks. Other countries which had been identified as potential users were Sweden, Canada, and Brazil, but despite successful demonstrations, no export deals have been closed yet.

  

Specifications:

Crew: Three (commander, gunner and driver)

Weight: 33 tons standard

36 tons with external armor package

Length: 9.2 meters (30.18 ft) overall

7.5 meters (24.61 ft) hull only

Width: 3.3 meters (10.83 ft)

Height: 2.5 meters (8.20 ft)

Ground clearance: Up to 17 in (430 mm)

Suspension: Hydropneumatic

Fuel capacity: 570 l (150 US gal, 120 imp gal)

 

Armor:

Standard steel armor protection with additional advanced composite armor

and/or explosive reactive armor package

 

Performance:

Maximum road speed: 70 km/h (43 mph)

Operational range: 480 km (300 mi)

Power/weight: 30.30 hp/ton

27.8 hp/ton with enhanced armor package installed

 

Engine & transmission:

Electronically controlled Patria 8V132 diesel engine with fully-automatic transmission, 1000 hp (746 kW)

 

Armament:

1× 105mm Rheinmetall Rh-105-30 rifled gun (with 38 rounds in an autoloader)

1× 7.62 mm KVKK 62 light machine gun, co-axial with the main gun, 4.500 rounds

Remote-controlled weapon station on the turret roof with co-axial…

1× 40 mm M203 automatic grenade launcher with 80 rounds

1× 12.7 mm RSKK 2005 (Browning M2) heavy machine gun with 600 rounds

  

The kit and its assembly:

The fictional Finnish XA-2000 tank model was a submission for the 2023 “1 Week Group Build” at whatifmodlellers.com – I had tackled a more complex project, but since I knew that the weekends were already blocked and the week in between quite busy, I decided to embark upon a more modest project – also because my usual “building routine” includes a background story and scenic pictures or a model, which take some time beyond the building phase.

 

I had this project on my agenda for some time, and also had already stashed away the kit, a Meng 1:72 ZTQ-15 light battle tank, a relatively new kit from 2021. The plan was simple: build the ZTQ-15 OOB and just apply a fictional paint scheme, to save time and reduce the risk of unexpected complexities through conversions.

And that’s what happened: the ZTQ-15 went together surprisingly well, with little trouble. Fit is very good, just the attachment points to the sprues are a bit weird, because they reach into gluing surfaces, calling for thorough cleaning. The benefit, though, is that there are no marks on the model’s visible surfaces.

Esp. the turret consists of a zillion small bits and pieces, but if you follow the instructions everything finds its place. Surface detail is also very good, just the weapons in the remote-controlled barbette look somewhat heavy-handed, detail fetishists might want to replace them with something more delicate.

The tracks are also nice; these are IP parts, and a little thick, but each track only consists of four segments (one upper and lower section, plus two very short rounded segments for the drive sprocket and the idler wheel) which are very easy to mount onto the wheels.

 

The only real change I made to the kit are different side skirts – instead of the OOB parts I implanted parts from a Leopard I tank (Revell kit), which had a similar length and offered thanks to their wavy lower edge, a slightly different look. To change the overall impression away from a PLA/Russian tank I omitted the auxiliary drum barrels on the rear, as well as the log for self-freeing and the protected replacement barrels at the turret’s rear.

Another mod is the open commander’s hatch with a figure; the hatch was a separate piece, so that no cutting was necessary, the figure was puzzled together from torso, arms and head from an 1:72 aftermarket set.

  

Painting and markings:

The ZTQ-15 was a good canvas to apply a modern Finnish Army camouflage paint scheme, which consists of three colors in a splinter pattern. Reliable information about the tones was not available, though, so I consulted a multitude of pictures of a wide range of vehicles under different light and weather conditions, and I eventually settled for a dirty black, a yellowish light green and a rather bluish dark green. The basic colors I used were Revell 06 (Tar Black, RAL 7021), a mix of 2 parts Humbrol 80 (Grass Green) and 1 part 159 (Khaki Drab), and Humbrol 195 (Chrome Oxide Green, RAL 6020), and in combination they look very good – even though Finnish real-world tanks look lees colorful due to sun-bleached paint.

 

The pattern was adapted from real Finnish Army T-72 tanks, even though slightly modified to take into account the much bigger turret and the wider hull that covers the tracks. The rubber side skirts and the running surface on the wheels were painted with Revell 09 (Anthracite); the open hatch and the turret interior in Humbrol 41 (Ivory). The commander figure’s suit was painted in an overall olive drab (Revell 46, NATO olive), with a dirty black helmet, light grey gloves and green-grey belts for the weapon holster – with a picture of a real-world Finnish tank commander as benchmark.

 

The model received a light overall washing with a mix of black ink and umbra and sienna watercolors, the markings/decals were puzzled together. The small Finnish roundels came from a 1:144 Mark I Decals aftermarket sheet (actually for aircraft), the tactical codes on the turret flanks were puzzled together from single, relatively narrow white digits, IIRC from a Roden IS-3 kit’s sheet. This kind of markings is not normally carried on Finnish Army vehicles, but without them, I found the model to look a I bit bleak? The “registration plates” on front and back – normally the only tactical marking on Finnish Army vehicles – came from an IDF Merkava, just trimmed down on their right side and a with a small “P” added to the left to simulate a typical Finnish registration.

As a colorful peacetime detail I added warning stripes on the rear mudguards, composed from a base decal stripe in fluorescent orange with sloping clear-and-yellow stripes on top of that. Looks very good!

 

The model was sealed overall with matt acrylic varnish and some finishing touches were made, including antennae made from heated black sprue material, glass blocks in the commander und driver cupolas (made with gloss black paint) and various lights (with clear paint over a silver base). Finally, some more mud and dust residue around the running gear was simulated with umbra watercolor.

 

Well, this build was intended to be completed in a week, but the model itself was already finished in one and a half day! The additional scenic pics with editing took almost the same time, though. However, the simple travesty of a modern Chinese tank into a Finnish Army vehicle went well, the package looks IMHO very plausible. The three-tone splinter cammo even makes it look quite attractive – the idea and building plan worked out well. :D

Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately 3 miles (5 kilometres) south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 407 years becoming one of the wealthiest monasteries in England until its dissolution in 1539 under the order of Henry VIII.

 

The abbey is a Grade I listed building owned by the National Trust and part of the designated Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Foundation

 

After a dispute and riot in 1132 at the Benedictine house of St Mary's Abbey, in York, 13 monks were expelled (among them Saint Robert of Newminster) and, after unsuccessful attempts to form a new monastery were taken under the protection of Thurstan, Archbishop of York. He provided them with land in the valley of the River Skell, a tributary of the Ure. The enclosed valley had all the natural features needed for the creation of a monastery, providing shelter from the weather, stone and timber for building, and a supply of running water. After enduring a harsh winter in 1133, the monks applied to join the Cistercian order which since the end of the previous century was a fast-growing reform movement that by the beginning of the 13th century was to have over 500 houses. So it was that in 1135, Fountains became the second Cistercian house in northern England, after Rievaulx. The Fountains monks became subject to Clairvaux Abbey, in Burgundy which was under the rule of St Bernard. Under the guidance of Geoffrey of Ainai, a monk sent from Clairvaux, the group learned how to celebrate the seven Canonical Hours according to Cistercian usage and were shown how to construct wooden buildings in accordance with Cistercian practice.

 

Consolidation

 

After Henry Murdac was elected abbot in 1143, the small stone church and timber claustral buildings were replaced. Within three years, an aisled nave had been added to the stone church, and the first permanent claustral buildings built in stone and roofed in tile had been completed.

In 1146 an angry mob, annoyed at Murdac for his role in opposing the election of William FitzHerbert as archbishop of York, attacked the abbey and burnt down all but the church and some surrounding buildings.The community recovered swiftly from the attack and founded four daughter houses. Henry Murdac resigned as abbot in 1147 upon becoming the Archbishop of York and was replaced first by Maurice, Abbot of Rievaulx then, on the resignation of Maurice, by Thorald. Thorald was forced by Henry Murdac to resign after two years in office. The next abbot, Richard, held the post until his death in 1170 and restored the abbey's stability and prosperity. In 20 years as abbot, he supervised a huge building programme which involved completing repairs to the damaged church and building more accommodation for the increasing number of recruits. Only the chapter house was completed before he died and the work was ably continued by his successor, Robert of Pipewell, under whose rule the abbey gained a reputation for caring for the needy.

 

The next abbot was William, who presided over the abbey from 1180 to 1190 and he was succeeded by Ralph Haget, who had entered Fountains at the age of 30 as a novice, after pursuing a military career. During the European famine of 1194 Haget ordered the construction of shelters in the vicinity of the abbey and provided daily food rations to the poor enhancing the abbey's reputation for caring for the poor and attracting more grants from wealthy benefactors.

In the first half of the 13th century Fountains increased in reputation and prosperity under the next three abbots, John of York (1203–1211), John of Hessle (1211–1220) and John of Kent (1220–1247). They were burdened with an inordinate amount of administrative duties and increasing demands for money in taxation and levies but managed to complete another massive expansion of the abbey's buildings. This included enlarging the church and building an infirmary.

 

Difficulties

 

In the second half of the 13th century the abbey was in more straitened circumstances. It was presided over by eleven abbots, and became financially unstable largely due to forward selling its wool crop, and the abbey was criticised for its dire material and physical state when it was visited by Archbishop John le Romeyn in 1294. The run of disasters that befell the community continued into the early 14th century when northern England was invaded by the Scots and there were further demands for taxes. The culmination of these misfortunes was the Black Death of 1348–1349. The loss of manpower and income due to the ravages of the plague was almost ruinous.

A further complication arose as a result of the Papal Schism of 1378–1409. Fountains Abbey along with other English Cistercian houses was told to break off any contact with the mother house of Citeaux, which supported a rival pope. This resulted in the abbots forming their own chapter to rule the order in England and consequently they became increasingly involved in internecine politics. In 1410, following the death of Abbot Burley of Fountains, the community was riven by several years of turmoil over the election of his successor. Contending candidates John Ripon, Abbot of Meaux, and Roger Frank, a monk of Fountains were locked in conflict until 1415 when Ripon was finally appointed, ruling until his death in 1434. Under abbots John Greenwell (1442–1471), Thomas Swinton (1471–8), John Darnton (1478–95), who undertook some much needed restoration of the fabric of the abbey, including notable work on the church, and Marmaduke Huby (1495–1526) Fountains regained stability and prosperity.

At Abbot Huby's death he was succeeded by William Thirsk who was accused by the royal commissioners of immorality and inadequacy and was dismissed as abbot. He was replaced by Marmaduke Bradley, a monk of the abbey who had reported Thirsk's supposed offences, testified against him and offered the authorities six hundred marks for the post of abbot. In 1539 it was Bradley who surrendered the abbey when its seizure was ordered under Henry VIII at the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

 

The abbey precinct covered 70 acres (28 ha) surrounded by an 11-foot (3.4 m) wall built in the 13th century, some parts of which are visible to the south and west of the abbey. The area consists of three concentric zones cut by the River Skell flowing from west to east across the site. The church and claustral buildings stand at the centre of the precinct north of the Skell, the inner court containing the domestic buildings stretches down to the river and the outer court housing the industrial and agricultural buildings lies on the river's south bank. The early abbey buildings were added to and altered over time, causing deviations from the strict Cistercian type. Outside the walls were the abbey's granges.[citation needed]

The original abbey church was built of wood and "was probably" two stories high; it was, however, quickly replaced in stone. The church was damaged in the attack on the abbey in 1146 and was rebuilt, in a larger scale, on the same site. Building work was completed c.1170.[11] This structure, completed around 1170, was 300 ft (91 m) long and had 11 bays in the side aisles. A lantern tower was added at the crossing of the church in the late 12th century. The presbytery at the eastern end of the church was much altered in the 13th century. The church's greatly lengthened choir, commenced by Abbot John of York, 1203–11, and carried on by his successor terminates, like that of Durham Cathedral, in an eastern transept, the work of Abbot John of Kent, 1220–47. The 160-foot-tall (49 m) tower, which was added not long before the dissolution, by Abbot Huby, 1494–1526, is in an unusual position at the northern end of the north transept and bears Huby's motto 'Soli Deo Honor et Gloria'. The sacristry adjoined the south transept.

The cloister, which had arcading of black marble from Nidderdale and white sandstone, is in the centre of the precinct and to the south of the church. The three-aisled chapter-house and parlour open from the eastern walk of the cloister and the refectory, with the kitchen and buttery attached, are at right angles to its southern walk. Parallel with the western walk is an immense vaulted substructure serving as cellars and store-rooms, which supported the dormitory of the conversi (lay brothers) above. This building extended across the river and at its south-west corner were the latrines, built above the swiftly flowing stream. The monks' dormitory was in its usual position above the chapter-house, to the south of the transept. Peculiarities of this arrangement include the position of the kitchen, between the refectory and calefactory, and of the infirmary above the river to the west, adjoining the guest-houses.

 

The abbot's house, one of the largest in all of England,is located to the east of the latrine block, where portions of it are suspended on arches over the River Skell.It was built in the mid-twelfth century as a modest single-storey structure, then, from the fourteenth century, underwent extensive expansion and remodelling to end up in the 16th century as a grand dwelling with fine bay windows and grand fireplaces. The great hall was an expansive room 52 by 21 metres (171 by 69 ft).

Among other apartments, for the designation of which see the ground-plan, was a domestic oratory or chapel,

 

1/2-by-23-foot (14 by 7 m), and a kitchen, 50-by-38-foot (15 by 12 m)

 

Medieval monasteries were sustained by landed estates that were given to them as endowments and from which they derived an income from rents. They were the gifts of the founder and subsequent patrons, but some were purchased from cash revenues. At the outset, the Cistercian order rejected gifts of mills and rents, churches with tithes and feudal manors as they did not accord with their belief in monastic purity, because they involved contact with laymen. When Archbishop Thurstan founded the abbey he gave the community 260 acres (110 ha) of land at Sutton north of the abbey and 200 acres (81 ha) at Herleshowe to provide support while the abbey became established. In the early years the abbey struggled to maintain itself because further gifts were not forthcoming and Thurstan could not help further because the lands he administered were not his own, but part of the diocesan estate. After a few years of impoverished struggle to establish the abbey, the monks were joined by Hugh, a former dean of York Minster, a rich man who brought a considerable fortune as well as furniture and books to start the library.

By 1135 the monks had acquired only another 260 acres (110 ha) at Cayton, given by Eustace fitzJohn of Knaresborough "for the building of the abbey". Shortly after the fire of 1146, the monks had established granges at Sutton, Cayton, Cowton Moor, Warsill, Dacre and Aldburgh all within 6 mi (10 km) of Fountains. In the 1140s the water mill was built on the abbey site making it possible for the grain from the granges to be brought to the abbey for milling.Tannery waste from this time has been excavated on the site.

Further estates were assembled in two phases, between 1140 and 1160 then 1174 and 1175, from piecemeal acquisitions of land. Some of the lands were grants from benefactors but others were purchased from gifts of money to the abbey. Roger de Mowbray granted vast areas of Nidderdale and William de Percy and his tenants granted substantial estates in Craven which included Malham Moor and the fishery in Malham Tarn. After 1203 the abbots consolidated the abbey's lands by renting out more distant areas that the monks could not easily farm themselves, and exchanging and purchasing lands that complemented their existing estates. Fountains' holdings both in Yorkshire and beyond had reached their maximum extent by 1265, when they were an efficient and very profitable estate. Their estates were linked in a network of individual granges which provided staging posts to the most distant ones. They had urban properties in York, Yarm, Grimsby, Scarborough and Boston from which to conduct export and market trading and their other commercial interests included mining, quarrying, iron-smelting, fishing and milling.

The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 was a factor that led to a downturn in the prosperity of the abbey in the early fourteenth century. Areas of the north of England as far south as York were looted by the Scots. Then the number of lay-brothers being recruited to the order reduced considerably. The abbey chose to take advantage of the relaxation of the edict on leasing property that had been enacted by the General Chapter of the order in 1208 and leased some of their properties. Others were staffed by hired labour and remained in hand under the supervision of bailiffs. In 1535 Fountains had an interest in 138 vills and the total taxable income of the Fountains estate was £1,115, making it the richest Cistercian monastery in England.

After the Dissolution

 

The Gresham family crest

The Abbey buildings and over 500 acres (200 ha) of land were sold by the Crown, on 1 October 1540, to Sir Richard Gresham, at the time a Member of Parliament and former Lord Mayor of London, the father of Sir Thomas Gresham. It was Richard Gresham who had supplied Cardinal Wolsey with the tapestries for his new house of Hampton Court and who paid for the Cardinal's funeral.

Gresham sold some of the fabric of the site, stone, timber, lead, as building materials to help to defray the cost of purchase. The site was acquired in 1597 by Sir Stephen Proctor, who used stone from the monastic complex to build Fountains Hall. Between 1627 and 1767 the estate was owned by the Messenger family who sold it to William Aislaby who was responsible for combining it with the Studley Royal Estate.

 

Burials

 

Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray

John de Mowbray, 2nd Baron Mowbray

Abbot Marmaduke Huby (d. 1526)

Rose (daughter of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester), wife of Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray

Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy

William II de Percy, 3rd feudal baron of Topcliffe

Becoming a World Heritage Site

The archaeological excavation of the site was begun under the supervision of John Richard Walbran, a Ripon antiquary who, in 1846, had published a paper On the Necessity of clearing out the Conventual Church of Fountains.In 1966 the Abbey was placed in the guardianship of the Department of the Environment and the estate was purchased by the West Riding County Council who transferred ownership to the North Yorkshire County Council in 1974. The National Trust bought the 674-acre (273 ha) Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal estate from North Yorkshire County Council in 1983. In 1986 the parkland in which the abbey is situated and the abbey was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was recognised for fulfilling the criteria of being a masterpiece of human creative genius, and an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history. Fountains Abbey is owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage. The trust owns Studley Royal Park, Fountains Hall, to which there is partial public access, and St Mary's Church, designed by William Burges and built around 1873, all of which are significant features of the World Heritage Site.

The Porter's Lodge, which was once the gatehouse to the abbey, houses a modern exhibition area with displays about the history of Fountains Abbey and how the monks lived.

In January 2010, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal became two of the first National Trust properties to be included in Google Street View, using the Google Trike.

 

Film location

 

Fountains Abbey was used as a film location by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for their single "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" during the cold winter of December 1981. In 1980, Hollywood also came to the site to film the final scenes to the film Omen III: The Final Conflict.Other productions filmed on location at the abbey are the films Life at the Top, The Secret Garden, The History Boys, TV series Flambards, A History of Britain, Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, Cathedral, Antiques Roadshow and the game show Treasure Hunt. The BBC Television series 'Gunpowder' (2017) used Fountains Abbey as a location.

Group

 

Buena Fotografía!!! www.flickr.com/groups/2153540@N22/

 

The theme of this month. "Sculpture". It was a difficulty to me.

 

And the theme of August. Sensenkyokyo. I pray that is not difficult.

Due to difficulty getting a new large hangar to house jetliners, in recent years the Museum of Flight had to build a plastic & aluminum shield to stop the corrosion assaulting this Comet's wings. The unique Comet's window was inspired by nautical design.

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Here's my photo of the Museum of Flight Restoration Center's de Havilland D.H. 106 Comet Mk. 4C. This one, formerly XA-NAR of Mexicana, has quite the history and even was a star of a PBS documentary.

 

I've decided to post-process these photos into Kodachrome because Kodachrome is what would have been used to record XA-NAR when it first flew. After all, I'll let everybody else record living history with 2010s tech while I dial the clock back to October 31, 1959 when XA-NAR first flew...

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...

The true believers neither become so happy with life's successes that they forget Allah, nor do they become so depressed with life's difficulties and failures that they lose hope in Allah. Instead, they trust in His decisions.

Dr. Bilal Philips

Lesnes Abbey (pronounced /ˈlɛsnɨs/) is a former abbey, now ruined, in Abbey Wood, in the London Borough of Bexley. It is a scheduled ancient monument and the adjacent park and heath are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The ruins are adjacent to Lesnes Abbey Woods.

 

After the Norman Conquest in 1066 the area of Lesnes, close to the town of Erith passed into the possession of Bishop Odo and is mentioned in the Domesday Survey. The year 1178 saw the foundation of the Abbey of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr at Lesnes.

 

Lesnes Abbey, as it is known, was founded by Richard de Luci, Chief Justiciar of England, in 1178. It is speculated, this may have been in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket, in which he was involved. In 1179, de Luci resigned his office and retired to the Abbey, where he died three months later. He was buried in the chapter house.

 

The abbey is situated in the suburbs of south east London, in the north of an ancient but long-managed Lesnes Abbey Woods that are named after it, where the land rises above what would originally have been marshland.

 

In 1381 Abel Ker of Erith led a local uprising linked to the famous Peasants' Revolt. It actually began in Essex but a mob from Erith burst in to nearby Lesnes Abbey and forced the abbot to swear an oath to support them. After this they marched to Maidstone to join the main body of men led by Wat Tyler.

 

The Abbott of Lesnes Abbey was an important local landlord, and took a leading part in draining the marshland. However, this and the cost of maintaining river embankments was one of the reasons given for the Abbey's chronic financial difficulties. It never became a large community, and was closed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525, under a licence to suppress monasteries of less than seven inmates. It was one of the first monasteries to be closed after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1524, and the monastic buildings were all pulled down, except for the Abbott's Lodging. Henry Cooke acquired the site in 1541 and it eventually passed to Sir John Hippersley who salvaged building materials, before selling the property to Thomas Hawes of London in 1632. It was then bequeathed to Christ's Hospital in 1633. Some of the stone is said to have been used in the construction of Hall Place in nearby Bexley.

 

The abbey was effectively lost and the area became farmland with the abbots house forming part of a farmhouse. It has been restored to show some of the walls and the entire outline of the abbey is visible giving a good idea of the size and atmosphere of the original place. It is on the Green Chain Walk and well worth a visit as it is surrounded by good parkland and an ornamental garden. There is a cafe and a small exhibition of the abbey and also toilet facilities for visitors. The is a low, leaning tree at the Northern side of the abbey, and this is reputed to be a mulberry tree.

 

The site was excavated by Woolwich & District Antiquarian Society in 1909-1910 approx. . Some archaeological finds from the Abbey's site are displayed in Plumstead Museum at 232 Plumstead High Street, others are further east in the museum above Erith Library in Walnut Tree Road. The "Missale de Lesnes" is in the library of the Victoria & Albert Museum in Exhibition Road, London.

 

The former London County Council purchased the site of the ruins in 1930, which were opened to the public as a park in 1931. Since 1986, the site has been the property of the London Borough of Bexley. A branch of the Green Chain Walk passes the ruins on its way from Oxleas Wood to Thamesmead riverside.

this picture is a selfie, the biggest difficulty is to find a way to enlighten myself

As I had difficulty finding a location with an unobstructed view I missed the arrival of the winner at the finish line by about ten minutes. In case you don't know here are the results:

 

Geoffrey Ndungu won the Dublin City Marathon for the second year running in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 9 seconds. The time was outside last year's course record time of 2:08.33.

 

Paul Pollock from Belfast was the first Irish man home in ninth place in 2:16.30, ahead of Sean Hehir who finished in 2:17.50.

 

Magdalene Mukunzi was the first woman home in a time of 2:30.46 which was outside the course record of 2:26.13. Maria McCambridge was the first Irish woman through the finishing line in 2:35.28.

 

Luke Jones from Wales won the wheelchair section.

A total of 14,300 people registered for this year's race which was without a major sponsor for the first time in 20 years.

 

MORE PHOTOGRAPHS ...