Get it? A Cute Exposure?? Oh well, at least I amuse myself. 😉

 

By the way, this photo marks the beginning of a new era on these pages. In past photos like this, Daisy typically has a strained expression on her face...or at best, uncertain. Seems she's a bit self conscious about such things so perhaps it feels awkward for her. But as I have tired of trying to coax a cheerful expression out of her in such circumstances....I am now demanding it. So when the situation calls for it in my estimation, and I tell Daisy to expose whatever to my camera....it had better be with a cheerful, excited expression on her pretty face. Hey, she doesn't have to feel it....she just has to show it! 😍💖💖

Hmmm....not a bad first effort. If she's faking it, it sure doesn't show. 😉

The Veil Nebula is a large supernova remnant in the constellation Cygnus. The supernova which created the nebula occured between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago, and the remnant has since expanded to cover an area of approximately 3 degrees. Estimations for its distance range from 1,400 to 2,600 light years. The brightest sections, designated NGC 6992 and NGC 6995, form the eastern part of the main loop. It features a filamentary structure which is visible in big telescopes and in this photograph. When higly resolved, some parts appear to be rope-like filaments, caused by thin shock waves viewed edge-on. This rendition is a combination of LRGB and Ha & OIII narrowband with the narrowband infused in both RGB and L separately.

 

Telescope: 16″ f3.75 Dream Scope

Camera: FLI ML16803

Mount: ASA DDM85

Exposure: 11 hours (31x300s L + 3x7x300s RGB + 40x300s Ha + 40x300s OIII)

Date: July 2019

Location: Southern Alps, France

 

more on delsaert.com/

The news was that Jools' cough was little better. She got a mail back from the surgery on Friday saying her (non-urgent) appointment with the doctor was on December 14th. But as we were going to Tesco, she would have a chat with the pharmasist and see about some of the behind the counter stuff.

 

Winter has arrived, though no snow as yet, but the wind is set in the east, its cloudy and feels raw outside.

 

I would spend part of the day churchcrawling.

 

After shopping.

 

We go to Tesco, Jools really only coming so she could get something for her cough.

 

With a few bottles of tripel and cider we managed to spend £140. A bag of rice, not white easy cook rice I'll admit, but that's £4.50 now.

 

Wow.

 

Back home with the shopping and a bottle of serious cough syrup, we put the shopping away and have breakfast.

 

No surprise then that Jools wasn't coming out with me, she wanted to get the cough under control, would only take the new syrup when needed as it can make you drowsy.

 

I had a list of churches, and first up was our local one, St Margaret.

 

They were having a craft day. I thought it might be a fayre, but was a kid's craft day. Anyway, the church would be open and I could take shots of the memorials and windows.

 

There were pagan heads at the top of each column, and as corbel stones. The more I looked, the more pagan heads, even at the top of two of the columns, but not all.

 

No real ancient glass, but good quality Victorian.

 

The church itself is the triumph, being an early Norman and well preserved.

 

Although, sadly, the tower is in poor repair and needs reroofing, which is why it is currently encased in scaffolding.

 

I am sure when we called in at Barham last week, a sign said there was a craft fayre on, so would be open. I would go back, and get some shots, I thought.

 

Its a half hour drive, if that out of Dover down the A2 and off at the Wingham turning, down the valley and parking outside the church, its spire pointing to heaven.

 

Inside the church there was no fayre again, just a warden showing a lady round. We all said "hello", and I went about getting shots.

 

I have been here at least three times, but now take the big lens to get details of the windows and memorials high up, so there are always new details to reveal.

 

Star item is the window of St George and the dragon, though is hidden in the north-west corner, and best viewed from the stairs to the belltower.

 

After 20 minutes, the visitor left and the warden turned off the lights, forgetting I was there, but I had my shots.

 

From Barham its a short drive to Bridge, then along the Nailbourne to Patrixbourne, where I see the door was open, but I had another target: Bekesbourne, the next village along, crossing the dry bed of the bourne, stopping on the lane outside the church. I look left to the Old Palace, but there were no cars parked there, so no point of even knocking, I drove on.

 

Instead of turning left back to Bridge, I turn right towards Littlebourne, no real idea where I was going.

 

Littlebourne could wait for another time, I only went back there in 2020, I went to Wingham, driving on towards Sandwich.

 

I thought, it's a long time since I was at Woodnesborough, I could cut through Ash and go there.

 

Which is what I did.

 

I could have stopped at Ash too, that's usually open, but there'll be other times. I have been there twice and got good shots last time for sure.

 

From Ash, the road climbs, leading to Woodnesborough, Woden's Hill, where there was a hill fort in antiquity. The church is on the highest point, overlooking the marshes of the old Wantsum Channel, and on to Sandwich which when the Channel was still flooded, was on a spit of land.

 

The church is a marker for miles around due to its cupola, something is shares with Ringwould near to home.

 

Inside it was so dark, I thought I would need to find the lights, but I could not find them. So, I hoped the camera would cope without.

 

It did.

 

But again, I was here really to record the windows, which were rich in detail. I took 215 shots here, 560 in a morning at three churches.

 

Not bad.

 

But I was done, what light there was, was fading, even though it was only just after one. I would go home.

 

Once home I got busy.

 

I have a taste for beans. Not baked beans, but Boston Beans. I had a recipe, and we got the ingredients that morning, so went about making a huge panful. Three tins of haricot beans, tomatoes, stock, spices, bacon, pork belly, mustard, and black treacle.

 

Cooked on the hob for an hour, then cooked long and low in the oven for four hours.

 

What came out looked and tasted like fine Boston Beans. We will be eating these for weeks.

 

At the same time I make fritters.

 

The plan was to be all cooked and eaten before the football began at three.

 

I did it with half an hour to spare, the leftover wine drunk too, meaning I would struggle to stay awake for Holland v USA game. Netherlands win pretty comfortably.

 

And in the evening, with a soundtrack of funk and soul thanks to Craig, I watch Argentine v Australia, which was a stunning game.

 

Even better, I sat on the sofa to watch, Cleo eyed me as if to say how dare you take my chosen sleeping place. But she came over, paced around, then lay between the arm of the sofa and my leg. Scully lay on the other side. I had 50% of the household cats.

 

Happier than I have been for ages.

 

Best of all was that the syrup worked, stopped the coughing, and Jools fell asleep right off.

 

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

 

A morning out, revisiting some familiar fairly local churches.

 

Final visit was to Woodnesborough, aka Woden's Hill, near to Sandwich.

 

It was open, but no light switch that could be found meant that the church was dark, but the camera coped well.

 

Woodnesborough sits on the highest point near to the coast, its cupola marking the spot, and visible for miles in all directions.

 

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The tower makes this church one of the easiest in Kent to identify. It is capped by a little cupola and wooden balustrade of eighteenth-century date that replaced a medieval spire. During the Middle Ages the church was owned by Leeds Priory which invested heavily in the structure, and was no doubt responsible for the excellent sedilia built in about 1350. The canopy is supported by a quadripartite vault in turn supported by angry little heads. Above the sedilia is the cut-off end of a prickett beam. The east window, of Decorated style stonework, has a thirteenth-century hangover in the form of a shafted rere-arch. There are two excellent modern stained glass windows designed by F.W Cole, which show the Creation (1980) and St Francis (1992). The good altar rails are of Queen Anne's reign, as are the splendid Royal Arms.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Woodnesborough

 

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WOODNESBOROUGH,

¶OR Winsborough, as it is usually called, lies the next parish northward from Eastry, being written in the survey of Domesday, Wanesberge. It took its name according to Verstegan, from the Saxon idol Woden, (and it is spelt by some Wodensborough) whose place of worship was in it; however that may be, the termination of the word berge, or borough, shews it to be of high antiquity.

 

art of this parish, over which the manor of Boxley claims, is within the jurisdiction of the justices of the town and port of Sandwich, and liberty of the cinque ports; and the residue is in the hundred of Eastry, and jurisdiction of the county of Kent.

 

There are three boroughs in this parish, viz. Cold Friday, Hamwold, and Marshborough; the borsholders of which are chosen at the petty sessions of the justices, acting at Wingham, for the east division of the lath of St. Augustine.

 

THIS PARISH is large, being two miles and an half one way, and upwards of a mile and an half the other. The church stands nearly in the centre of it, on high ground. At a small distance from the church is Woodnesborough hill, both of which are sea marks. This hill is a very high mount, seemingly thrown up by art, and consisting of a sandy earth, it has been thought by some to have been the place on which the idol Woden from whom this place is supposed to have taken its name) was worshipped in the time of the Saxons; by others to be the burial place of Vortimer, the Saxon king, who died in 457, whilst others suppose this mount was raised over those who fell in the battle fought between Ceoldred, king of Mercia, and Ina, king of the West Saxons, in the year 715, at Woodnesbeorb, according to the Saxon chronicle, which name Dr. Plot supposes to be Woodnesborough. Vortimer, as our historians tell us, at his death, desired to be buried near the place where the Saxons used to land, being persuaded that his bones would deter them from any attempt in future. Though authors differ much on the place of his burial, yet this mount at Woodnesborough is as probable, or more so, perhaps, than any other, for it was near to, and was cast up so high as to be plainly seen from the Portus Rutupinus, which at that time was the general landing place of the Saxon fleets. Some years ago there were found upon the top of it sundry sepulchral remains, viz. a glass vessel (engraved by the Rev. Mr. Douglas, in his Nænia;) a fibula, (engraved by Mr. Eoys, in his collections for Sandwich;) the head of a spear, and some fragments of Roman vessels. Much of the earth of sand has been lately removed round the sides of it, but nothing further has been found.

 

At a small distance northward from hence, at the bottom of a short steep hill, lies the village called Woodnesborough-street, and sometimes Cold Fridaystreet, containing thirty four houses. The vicaragehouse is situated in the middle of it, being a new handsome building; almost contiguous to it is a handsome sashed house, belonging to the Jull family, now made use of as a poor-house; through this street the road leads to Sandwich. West ward of the street stands the parsonage-house, late the seat of Oliver Stephens, esq. deceased, and now of his window, as will be further noticed hereafter. Besides the manors and estates in this parish, particularly described, in the western parts of it there are several hamlets, as Somerfield, Barnsole, Coombe, with New-street, Great and Little Flemings, Ringlemere, and the farm of Christians Court.

 

In the north east part of the parish, the road from Eastry, by the parsonage of Woodnesborough northwestward, divides; one road, which in antient deeds is called Lovekys-street, going towards Ash-street; the other through the hamlet of Marshborough, formerly called Marshborough, alias Stipins, to Each End and Sandwich, the two windmills close to the entrance of which are with in the bounds of this parish. Each, Upper Each, called antiently Upriche, and Each End, antiently called Netheriche, were both formerly accounted manors, and are mentioned as such in the marriage settlement of Henry Whyte, esq. in the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign. After the Whytes, these manors passed in like manner as Grove, in this parish, to the James's. Upper Each, or Upriche, has for many years belonged to the family of Abbot, of Ramsgate, and is now the property of John Abbot, esq. of Canterbury. Each End, or Netheriche, belongs, one moiety to the heirs or devisees of the late earl of Strafford, and the other moiety to John Matson, esq. of Sandwich.

 

¶It cannot but occur to the reader how much this parish abounds with Saxon names, besides the name of Wodens borough, the street of Cold Friday, mentioned before, is certainly derived from the Saxon words, Cola, and Friga, which latter was the name of a goddess, worshipped by the Saxons, and her day Frige-deag, from whence our day of Friday is derived; other places in this parish, mentioned before likewise, claim, surely, their original from the same language.

 

This parish contains about 3000 acres, the whole rents of it being about 3373l. yearly value. It is very bare of coppice wood; the Old Wood, so called, in Ringleton, being the only one in it. The soil of this parish is very rich and fertile, equal to those the most so in this neighbourhood, particularly as to the plantations of hops, which have much increased within these few years past. The middle of the parish is high ground, and is in general a flat open country of arable common fields. West and south-westward the lands are more inclosed with hedges. North and north-westward of the parsonage, towards Sandwich, they are low and wet, consisting of a large level of marsh land, the nearness of which makes the other parts of this parish rather unhealthy, which is not otherwise very pleasant in any part of it. There was a fair held here yearly, on Holy Thursday, but it has been for some time disused.

 

In Ringleton field, in this parish, there was found about the year 1514, a fine gold coin, weighing about twelve shillings, with a loop of the same metal to hang it by; on one side was the figure of a young man in armour, a helmet on his head, and a spear over his right shoulder; on the reverse, the figure of Victory, with a sword in her hand, the point downwards.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, consists of a nave, and two isles, having a square tower steeple at the west end, with a modern wooden turret and vane at the top of it, in which are five bells, made in 1676. It had a high spire on the tower, which was taken down some years ago. At the east end of the chancel is a marble tablet for John Cason, esq. of this place, justice of the peace, obt. 1718; John Cason, esq. his son, obt. 1755; arms,Argent, a chevron, sable, between three wolves heads, erased, gules, on an escutcheon of pretence, sable, a chevron, between three fleurs de lis, of the field; another for Thomas Blechenden, of the antient family of that name, of Aldington, in Kent, obt. 1661; arms, Azure, a fess nebulee, argent, between three lions heads erased, or, attired, gules, impalingBoys. On the south side, an antient altar monument with gothic pillars and arches, having had shields and arms, now obliterated. Against the wall, under the canopy, two brass plates, which have been removed to this place, from two grave-stones in the chancel; the first for Sir John Parcar, late vicar of this church, who died the v.day of May, a°o dni m° v° xiij° on the second are Latin verses to the memory of Nichs Spencer, esq. obt. 1593. In the middle of the chancel, a gravestone for William Docksey, esq. of Snellston, in Derbyshire, a justice of the peace, obt. 1760; Sarah his wife, youngest daughter of John Cason, esq. obt. 1774; arms,Or, a lion rampant, azure, surmounted of a bend, argent. On a gravestone on the north side of the chancel, on a brass plate, On a chevron, three quatersoils, between three annulets, quartering other coats, now obliterated, for Master Myghell Heyre, sumtyme vicar of this churche, who dyed the xxii day of July, m° v° xxviii. In the north isle are several memorials for the family of Gillow, arms, A lion rampant, in chief, three fleurs de lis. At the entrance into the chancel, on a grave-stone, on a brass plate, John Hill, gent. of the parish of Nassall, in Staffordshire, obt. 1605. A mural monument for William Gibbs, of this parish, obt. 1777; arms,Argent, three battle axes, in fess, sable. In the church-yard are altar tombs to the memory of the Julls, and for Sladden; one for John Verall, gent. sometime mayor of Sandwich, obt. 1610; and another for John Benchkin, of Pouton, obt. 1639.

 

There were formerly painted in the windows of this church,Or, a chief indented, azure, for John de Sandwich. Several coats of arms, among which were those of Valence and St. Leger,Argent, three leaves in sinster bend, their points downward, proper.— On a canton, azure, three crescents, or, for Grove.— Argent, three escallops in chief, or, in base a crescent, gules, for Helpestone, usually called Hilpurton, bailiff of Sandwich, in 1299. A shield, being Helpeston's badge, another On a fess engrailed, three cinquefoils, between three garbs, for John Hill, of Nasall, in Staffordshire, who lies buried in this church. —A fess engrailed, three lions rampant, in chief, on the fess, a crescent for difference, for Spencer, customer, of Sandwich. — Quarterly, four coats; first, On a chevron, three quaterfoils; second, Per pale, ermine and argent; third, A cross, between four pomegranates, slipped; sourth,Three bars, wavy, for Michael Heyre, vicar here in 1520.

 

The church of Woodnesborough was given, in the reign of king Henry I. by a religious woman, one Ascelina de Wodensberg, to the priory of Ledes, soon after the foundation of it; to which deed was witness Robert de Crevequer, founder of the priory, Elias his son, and others; which gift was confirmed by the said Robert, who by his charter, released to the priory all his right and title to it. It was likewise confirmed by archbishop Theobald, and several of his successors, and by king Henry III. by his charter of inspeximus in his 41st year.

 

Archbishop William Corboil, who came to the see of Canterbury, three years after the foundation of Ledes priory, at the instance and petition of Ascelina above mentioned, who resigned this church into his hands for this purpose, appropriated it to the prior and convent, for the finding of necessary cloaths, for the canons there; and a vicarage was accordingly endowed in it.

 

There was a controversy between the prior and convent, and Adam, vicar of this church, in 1627, anno 14 Henry II. concerning the great tithes arising from the crofts and curtilages within this parish, which was referred to the prior of Rochester, who was the pope's delegate for this purpose, who determined that the prior and convent of Ledes, as rectors of this church, should receive, without any exception, all the great tithes of wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, and of every fort of corn arising, or to arise from all lands, crofts, curtilages, or other places whatever, situated within the bounds, of this parish; and that the prior and convent should yearly pay to the said vicar, and his successors, half a seam of barley, and half a seam of beans, at the nativity of our Lord. (fn. 10)

 

¶After which, this parsonage appropriate,(which appears to have been esteemed as a manor) together with the advowson of the vicarage, remained with the prior and convent of Ledes, till its dissolution in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it was, with all its lands and possessions, surrendered into the king's hands, who by his dotation charter, in his 33d year, settled both parsonage and advowson on his new-founded dean and chapter of Rochester, with whom they remain at this time. On the dissolution of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. this parsonage was surveyed in 1649, when is appeared that the manor or parsonage of Woodnesborough, with the scite thereof, and all manner of tithes belonging to it, with a garden and orchard of one acre, was valued all together at 300l. that the lessee was to repair the premises, and the chancel of the church; that the vicarage was worth fifty pounds per annum. The then incumbent was under sequestration, and there was none to serve the cure; and that the church was then quite ruinated, and in great decay. (fn. 11)

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol10/pp121-144

  

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A long and light church, best viewed from the south. Like nearby Ickham it is cruciform in plan, with a west rather than central, tower. Sometimes this is the result of a later tower being added, but here it is an early feature indeed, at least the same age (if not earlier) than the body of the church. Lord Kitchener lived in the parish, so his name appears on the War Memorial. At the west end of the south aisle, tucked out of the way, is the memorial to Sir Basil Dixwell (d 1750). There are two twentieth century windows by Martin Travers. The 1925 east window shows Our Lady and Child beneath the typical Travers Baroque Canopy. Under the tower, affixed to the wall, are some Flemish tiles, purchased under the will of John Digge who died in 1375. His memorial brass survives in the Vestry.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Barham

 

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Many churches in Kent are well known for their yew trees but St. John the Baptist at Barham is noteworthy for its magnificent beech trees.

 

The Church guide suggests that there has been a Church here since the 9th Century but the present structure was probably started in the 12th Century although Syms, in his book about Kent Country Churches, states that there is a hint of possible Norman construction at the base of the present tower. The bulk of the Church covers the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular periods of building. Many of the huge roof beams, ties and posts are original 14th Century as are the three arches leading into the aisle..

 

In the Northwest corner is a small 13th Century window containing modern glass depicting St. George slaying the dragon and dedicated to the 23rd Signal Company. The Church also contains a White Ensign which was presented to it by Viscount Broome, a local resident. The Ensign was from 'H.M.S. Raglan' which was also commanded by Viscount Broome. The ship was sunk in January, 1918 by the German light cruiser 'Breslau'.

 

The walls contain various mural tablets. Hanging high on the west wall is a helmet said to have belonged to Sir Basil Dixwell of Broome Park. The helmet probably never saw action but was carried at his funeral.

 

The floor in the north transept is uneven because some years ago three brasses were found there. According to popular medieval custom engraved metal cut-outs were sunk into indented stone slabs and secured with rivets and pitch. In order to save them from further damage the brasses were lifted and placed on the walls. The oldest dates from about 1370 is of a civilian but very mutilated. The other two are in good condition and dated about 1460. One is of a woman wearing the dress of a widow which was similar to a nun. The other is of a bare headed man in plate armour. These are believed to be of John Digges and his wife Joan.

 

At the west end of the church is a list of Rectors and Priests-in-Charge - the first being Otho Caputh in 1280. Notice should be made of Richard Hooker (1594), the author of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The tiles incorporated into the wall were originally in place in the Chancel about 1375. They were left by John Digges whose Will instructed that he was to be buried in the Chancel and "my executors are to buy Flanders tiles to pave the said Chancel".

 

The 14th century font is large enough to submerse a baby - as would have been the custom of the time. The bowl is octagonal representing the first day of the new week, the day of Christ's resurrection. The cover is Jacobean.

 

The Millennium Window in the South Transept was designed and constructed by Alexandra Le Rossignol and was dedicated in July 2001. The cost of the project (approximately £6,500) was raised locally with the first donation being made by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey.

 

The porch contains two wooden plaques listing the names of men from the village who were killed in the Great Wars - among them being Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of Broome Park.

 

www.barham-kent.org.uk/landmark_church.htm

 

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ANTIENTLY written Bereham, lies the next parish eastward. There are five boroughs in it, viz. of Buxton, Outelmeston, Derrington, Breach, and Shelving. The manor of Bishopsborne claims over almost the whole of this parish, at the court of which the four latter borsholders are chosen, and the manors of Reculver and Adisham over a small part of it.

 

BARHAM is situated at the confines of that beautiful country heretofore described, the same Nailbourne valley running through it, near which, in like manner the land is very fertile, but all the rest of it is a chalky barren soil. On the rise of the hill northward from it, is the village called Barham-street, with the church, and just beyond the summit of it, on the further side Barham court, having its front towards the downs, over part of which this parish extends, and gives name to them. At the foot of the same hill, further eastward, is the mansion of Brome, with its adjoining plantatious, a conspicuous object from the downs, to which by inclosing a part of them, the grounds extend as far as the Dover road, close to Denne-hill, and a costly entrance has been erected into them there. By the corner of Brome house the road leads to the left through Denton-street, close up to which this parish extends, towards Folkestone; and to the right, towards Eleham and Hythe. One this road, within the bounds of this parish, in a chalky and stony country, of poor barren land, there is a large waste of pasture, called Breach down, on which there are a number of tumuli, or barrows. By the road side there have been found several skeletons, one of which had round its neck a string of beads, of various forms and sizes, from a pidgeon's egg to a pea, and by it a sword, dagger, and spear; the others lay in good order, without any particular thing to distinguish them. (fn. 1)

 

In the Nailbourne valley, near the stream, are the two hamlets of Derrington and South Barham; from thence the hills, on the opposite side of it to those already mentioned, rise southward pretty high, the tops of them being covered with woods, one of them being that large one called Covert wood, a manor belonging to the archbishop, and partly in this parish, being the beginning of a poor hilly country, covered with stones, and enveloped with frequent woods.

 

BARHAM, which, as appears by the survey of Domesday, formerly lay in a hundred of its own name, was given anno 809, by the estimation of seven ploughlands, by Cenulph, king of Kent, to archbishop Wlfred, free from all secular demands, except the trinoda necessitas, but this was for the use of his church; for the archbishop, anno 824, gave the monks lands in Egelhorne and Langeduna, in exchange for it. After which it came into the possession of archbishop Stigand, but, as appears by Domesday, not in right of his archbishopric, at the taking of which survey, it was become part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, under the title of whose lands it is thus entered in it:

 

In Berham hundred, Fulbert holds of the bishop Berham. It was taxed at six sulings. The arable land is thirty two carucates. In demesne there are three carucates, and fifty two villeins, with twenty cottagers having eighteen carucates. There is a church, and one mill of twenty shillings and four pence. There are twentlyfive fisheries of thirty-five shillings all four pence. Of average, that is service, sixty shilling. Of herbage twenty six shillings, and twenty acres of meadow Of pannage sufficient for one hundred and fifty hogs. Of this manor the bishop gave one berewic to Herbert, the son of Ivo, which is called Hugham, and there be has one carucate in demesne, and twelve villeins, with nine carucates, and twenty acres of meadow. Of the same manor the bisoop gave to Osberne Paisforere one suling and two mills of fifty sbillings, and there is in demesne one carucate, and four villeins with one carucate. The whole of Barbam, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was worth forty pounds, when be received it the like, and yet it yielded to him one hundred pounds, now Berhem of itself is worth forty pounds, and Hucham ten pounds, and this which Osberne bas six pounds, and the land of one Ralph, a knight, is worth forty shillings. This manor Stigand, the archbishop held, but it was not of the archbishopric, but was of the demesne ferm of king Edward.

 

On the bishop's disgrace four years afterwards, and his estates being confiscated to the crown, the seignory of this parish most probably returned to the see of Canterbury, with which it has ever since continued. The estate mentioned above in Domesday to have been held of the bishop by Fulbert, comprehended, in all likelihood, the several manors and other estates in this parish, now held of the manor of Bishopsborne, one of these was THE MANOR AND SEAT OF BARHAM-COURT, situated near the church, which probably was originally the court-lodge of the manor of Barham in very early times, before it became united to that of Bishopsborne, and in king Henry II.'s time was held of the archbishop by knight's service, by Sir Randal Fitzurse, who was one of the four knights belonging to the king's houshould, who murdered archbishop Becket anno 1170; after perpetrating which, Sir Randal fled into Ireland, and changed his name to Mac-Mahon, and one of his relations took possession of this estate, and assumed the name of Berham from it; and accordingly, his descendant Warin de Berham is recorded in the return made by the sheriff anno 12 and 13 king John, among others of the archbishop's tenants by knight's service, as holding lands in Berham of him, in whose posterity it continued till Thomas Barham, esq. in the very beginning of king James I.'s reign, alienated it to the Rev. Charles Fotherbye, dean of Canterbury, who died possessed of it in 1619. He was eldest son of Martin Fotherby, of Great Grimsby, in Lincolnshire, and eldest brother of Martin Fotherby, bishop of Salisbury. He had a grant of arms, Gules, a cross of lozenges flory, or, assigned to him and Martin his brother, by Camden, clarencieux, in 1605. (fn. 2) His only surviving son Sir John Fotherbye, of Barham-court, died in 1666, and was buried in that cathedral with his father. At length his grandson Charles, who died in 1720, leaving two daughters his coheirs; Mary, the eldest, inherited this manor by her father's will, and afterwards married Henry Mompesson, esq. of Wiltshire, (fn. 3) who resided at Barhamcourt, and died in 1732, s. p. and she again carried this manor in marriage to Sir Edward Dering, bart. of Surrenden, whose second wife she was. (fn. 4) He lest her surviving, and three children by her, Charles Dering, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Farnaby, bart. since deceased, by whom he has an only surviving daughter, married to George Dering, esq. of Rolling, the youngest son of the late Sir Edw. Dering, bart. and her first cousin; Mary married Sir Robert Hilyard, bart. and Thomas Dering, esq. of London. Lady Dering died in 1775, and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles Dering, esq. afterwards of Barhamcourt, the present owner of it. It is at present occupied by Gen. Sir Charles Grey, bart. K. B. commanderin chief of the southern district of this kingdom.

 

THE MANORS OF BROME and OUTELMESTONE, alias DIGGS COURT, are situated in this parish; the latter in the valley, at the western boundary of it, was the first residence in this county of the eminent family of Digg, or, as they were asterwards called, Diggs, whence it gained its name of Diggs-court. John, son of Roger de Mildenhall, otherwise called Digg, the first-mentioned in the pedigrees of this family, lived in king Henry III.'s reign, at which time he, or one of this family of the same name, was possessed of the aldermanry of Newingate, in Canterbury, as part of their inheritance. His descendants continued to reside at Diggs-court, and bore for their arms, Gules, on a cross argent, five eagles with two heads displayed, sable, One of whom, James Diggs, of Diggs-court, died in 1535. At his death he gave the manor and seat of Outelmeston, alias Diggs-court, to his eldest son (by his first wife) John, and the manor of Brome to his youngest son, (by his second wife) Leonard, whose descendants were of Chilham castle. (fn. 5) John Diggs, esq. was of Diggs-court, whose descendant Thomas Posthumus Diggs, esq. about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign, alienated this manor, with Diggs-place, to Capt. Halsey, of London, and he sold it to Sir Tho. Somes, alderman of London, who again parted with it to Sir B. Dixwell, bart. and he passed it away to Sir Thomas Williams, bart. whose heir Sir John Williams, bart. conveyed it, about the year 1706, to Daniel and Nathaniel Matson, and on the death of the former, the latter became wholly possessed of it, and his descendant Henry Matson, about the year 1730, gave it by will to the trustees for the repair of Dover harbour, in whom it continues at this time vested for that purpose.

 

BUT THE MANOR OF BROME, which came to Leonard Diggs, esq. by his father's will as above-mentioned, was sold by him to Basil Dixwell, esq. second son of Cha. Dixwell, esq. of Coton, in Warwickshire, then of Tevlingham, in Folkestone, who having built a handsome mansion for his residence on this manor, removed to it in 1622. In the second year of king Charles I. he served the office of sheriff with much honour and hospitality; after which he was knighted, and cveated a baronet. He died unmarried in 1641, having devised this manor and seat, with the rest of his estates, to his nephew Mark Dixwell, son of his elder brother William, of Coton above-mentioned, who afterwards resided at Brome, whose son Basil Dixwell, esq. of Brome, was anno 12 Charles II. created a baronet. He bore for his arms, Argent, a chevron, gules, between three sleurs de lis, sable. His only son Sir Basil Dixwell, bart. of Brome, died at Brome,s. p. in 1750, and devised this, among the rest of his estates, to his kinsman George Oxenden, esq. second son of Sir Geo. Oxenden, bart. of Dean, in Wingham, with an injunction for him to take the name and arms of Dixwell, for which an act passed anno 25 George II. but he died soon afterwards, unmarried, having devised this manor and seat to his father Sir George Oxenden, who settled it on his eldest and only surviving son, now Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. who is the present owner of it. He resides at Brome, which he has, as well as the grounds about it, much altered and improved for these many years successively.

 

SHELVING is a manor, situated in the borough of its own name, at the eastern boundary of this parish, which was so called from a family who were in antient times the possessors of it. John de Shelving resided here in king Edward I.'s reign, and married Helen, daughter and heir of John de Bourne, by whom he had Waretius de Shelving, whose son, J. de Shelving, of Shelvingborne, married Benedicta de Hougham, and died possessed of this manor anno 4 Edward III. After which it descended to their daughter Benedicta, who carried it in marriage to Sir Edmund de Haut, of Petham, in whose descendants, in like manner as Shelvington, alias Hautsborne, above-described, it continued down to Sir William Haut, of Hautsborne, in king Henry VIII's reign, whose eldest daughter and coheir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Tho. Colepeper, esq. of Bedgbury, who in the beginning of king Edward VI.'s reign passed it away to Walter Mantle, whose window carried it by a second marriage to Christopher Carlell, gent. who bore for his arms, Or, a cross flory, gules; one of whose descendants sold it to Stephen Hobday, in whose name it continued till Hester, daughter of Hills Hobday, carried it in marriage to J. Lade, esq. of Boughton, and he having obtained an act for the purpose, alienated it to E. Bridges, esq. of Wootton-court, who passed away part of it to Sir George Oxenden, bart. whose son Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. of Brome, now owns it; but Mr. Bridges died possessed of the remaining part in 1780, and his eldest son the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, is the present possessor of it.

 

MAY DEACON, as it has been for many years past both called and written, is a seat in the southern part of this parish, adjoining to Denton-street, in which parish part of it is situated. Its original and true name was Madekin, being so called from a family who were owners of it, and continued so, as appears by the deeds of it, till king Henry VI's reign, in the beginning of which it passed from that name to Sydnor, in which it continued till king Henry VIII.'s reign, when Paul Sydnor, who upon his obtaining from the king a grant of Brenchley manor, removed thither, and alienated this seat to James Brooker, who resided here, and his sole daughter and heir carried it in marriage, in queen Elizabeth's reign, to Sir Henry Oxenden, of Dene, in Wingham, whose grandson Sir Henry Oxenden, bart. sold it in 1664, to Edward Adye, esq. the second son of John Adye, esq. of Doddington, one of whose daughters and coheirs, Rosamond, entitled her husband George Elcock, esq. afterwards of Madekin, to it, and his daughter and heir Elizabeth carried it in marriage to Capt. Charles Fotherby, whose eldest daughter and coheir Mary, entitled her two successive husbands, Henry Mompesson, esq. and Sir Edward Dering, bart. to the possession of it, and Charles Dering, esq. of Barham-court, eldest son of the latter, by her, is at this time the owner of it. The seat is now inhabited by Henry Oxenden, esq.

 

There are no parochial charities. The poor constantly maintained are about forty, casually fifteen.

 

THIS PARISH is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanryof Bridge.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. John Baptist, is a handsome building, consisting of a body and side isle, a cross or sept, and a high chancel, having a slim tall spire at the west end, in which are four bells. In the chancel are memorials for George Elcock, esq. of Madeacon, obt. 1703, and for his wife and children; for Charles Bean, A. M. rector, obt. 1731. A monument for William Barne, gent. son of the Rev. Miles Barne. His grandfather was Sir William Barne, of Woolwich, obt. 1706; arms, Azure, three leopards faces, argent. Several memorials for the Nethersoles, of this parish. In the south sept is a magnificent pyramid of marble for the family of Dixwell, who lie buried in a vault underneath, and inscriptions for them. In the north sept is a monument for the Fotherbys. On the pavement, on a gravestone, are the figures of an armed knight (his feet on a greyhound) and his wife; arms, A cross, quartering six lozenges, three and three. In the east window these arms, Gules, three crowns, or—Gules, three lions passant in pale, or. This chapel was dedicated to St. Giles, and some of the family of Diggs were buried in it; and there are memorials for several of the Legrands. There are three tombs of the Lades in the church-yard, the inscriptions obliterated, but the dates remaining are 1603, 1625, and 1660. There were formerly in the windows of this church these arms, Ermine, a chief, quarterly, or, and gules, and underneath, Jacobus Peccam. Another coat, Bruine and Rocheleyquartered; and another, Gules, a fess between three lions heads, erased, argent, and underneath,Orate p ais Roberti Baptford & Johe ux; which family resided at Barham, the last of whom, Sir John Baptford, lest an only daughter and heir, married to John Earde, of Denton.

 

¶The church of Barham has always been accounted as a chapel to the church of Bishopsborne, and as such is included in the valuation of it in the king's books. In 1588 here were communicants one hundred and eighty; in 1640 there were two hundred and fifty.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp350-358

Inside the city walls (after paying a small entrance fee of 5 Türkish Lira (less then 2 Euros), a large area reveils to your eyes. The terrain is rough and it takes a couple of hours to see the whole site. The beauty of Ani is not only because of the magnificent buildings on the site, but also the overwhelming environment, giving you a true feeling of being in a complete empty world. The ravines on the border with Armenia contrast beautifully with the Armenian mountains behind and despite the emptiness you're surrounded by large quantities of birds providing the site with some natural sound from times to times. It's truly magic!

 

Follow me...

 

In the estimation of the Landmarks Foundation (a non-profit organization established for the protection of sacred sites) this ancient city...

 

"needs to be protected regardless of whose jurisdiction it falls under. Earthquakes in 1319, 1832, and 1988, Army Target practice and general neglect all have had devastating effects on the architecture of the city. The city of Ani is a sacred place which needs ongoing protection".

 

Jerusalem, Israel: A young boy, not older, in my estimation, than about eight, or nine, apparently challenging himself, to sidle precariously along a narrow ledge surrounding a park… (1/2)

the intrepid camera

fujinon W 210mm f/5,6

retropan 320 soft

hc-110, 1+150, 1h stand development

 

After a walk through the forest and getting to the edge of the mine, I realized that I laft the light meter in the car. Wouldn't be a big problem normally, but the light on that day was really strange, it was overcast but still rather bright, also quite hazy. A mobile light meter app came to the rescue, it supported my estimation.

 

I really wanted to get rid of the rest of this Retropan so I shot it on that day, even though with it's low contrast it certainly wasn't the best choice. Also, I decided to try stand development to reduce the monstrous grain of this film a bit, thus farther reducing the contrast. I think it worked. It is still very grainy but better. And I boosted the contrast a bit in Lightroom.

There is a laundry list of things that plaque the Flickr experience. We could start with broken server albeit not completely broken it’s is by anyone’s estimation indeed still broken. Makes you wonder who’s manning the site? Is there any quality control or oversite at all in any sector?

 

The fact that administrators of groups can dictate just how many groups a person can add their images is obnoxious. It’s not a matter of too much exposure, but rather fewer images the administrators have to govern/proof. The members are here for the sole purpose of exposure. Exposure here on Flickr is how I got published. It was images I have in my photo stream that journalists, publishers, needed as a visual in a piece that is going to print soon. e.g. magazines, journals, essays, state or federal handbooks, etc...The imagines of mine that I made a profit on were found right here on Flickr when they did a search on Google. Flickr is a platform for those who wish to exhibit their photographic work for any one of a hundred reasons and they are all deserving of and add influence to the body of work that this platform offers. That fact that there supposedly was a vote on the idea of placing limits on any particular image is to say everyone thinks the same and wants the same thing and and everyone will settle for less. Opting in on placing walls and closed doors is the same as stifling a persons talent, their profession, their ability to be paid for their work, clouding the dream of an ambitious young photographer or perhaps aspiring to be one. Because the scope of the reasons is so vast makes it even more difficult to fathom that the vast majority of the members would intentionally vote to place limits on exposure. I say this assuming there was a fair vote because I heard that indeed a site wide vote had taken place. If the vote was site wide but limited to only administrators then there you have it. The administrators are clearly governing the whole Flickr site and that’s power shifted to them during turbulent financial times at Yahoo/Flickr. When they ban you from a group it is 98% of the time without a reason and a block will be put in place so there will be further discussion. Which is to say the member is not deserving of a proper reason is silenced not to be heard of or seen again. That’s the kind of behavior a person who wishes to be in a position of power over another will eventually exhibit. The end result will be silence that’s what cowards do...it’s an easy out for those who have power over another.

Caspar David Friedrich (1774 - 1840)

Abtei im Eichwald | The Abbey in the Oakwood (1809-1810)

Alte Nationalgalerie - Berlin

 

With Monk by the Sea (1808-1810) and The Abbey in the Oakwood (1809-1810) by Caspar David Friedrich, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin is the custodian of perhaps the most famous pair of paintings from the period of German Romanticism. Since Heinrich von Kleist’s first essay, the paintings have inspired many different interpretations, and to this day are one of the central attractions on the Museumsinsel.

 

Technical aspects and the condition of the paintings

Caspar David Friedrich uses a very fine, primed canvas for both paintings with several layers of ground. The paint was applied in one to two very thin layers. Because of this, the paintings were immediately exceptionally prone to damage, affecting the paintwork as well as mechanical damage and the results of ageing. The condition of the paintings had already deteriorated considerably by 1900. From 1906, they were subjected to intensive restoration work of varying quality. The loss of the original substance of the paintings was considerable. Large, discoloured patches of retouching, overpainting and extremely discoloured layers of varnish detracted from the appearance of the paintings as well as further damage caused by transport and lining.

 

Conservation and restoration project

In 2013 it finally became possible to realise our long-term goal of restoring and conserving both works through the generous support of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung. The paintings underwent comprehensive analyses and examinations. The technical research on Caspar David Friedrich’s painting techniques in particular delivered fascinating and important information on the materials he used and how they have changed, providing a basis for rethinking the colour compositions. The signatures on both works also led to new and astonishing findings. A detailed conservation and restoration plan was devised from the findings of these analyses. The objectives of these measures were to secure what remains of the original substance, to make the closest possible estimation of the paintings’ original state and to subsequently reconstruct the legibility of the artworks. Upon the completion of this work in January 2016, the restored works were put on display along with the technical and conservational findings as part of the exhibition The Monk Has Returned (22.1. – 24.07.2016) in the Caspar David Friedrich Hall of the Alte Nationalgalerie. In January 2017, a catalogue was published with the same title.

 

Source: www.smb.museum/en/museums-institutions/alte-nationalgaler...

if I had tried to make an exposure estimation I would have missed the shot .

This has from the looks of things a purple throat.. If this is the Black-Chinned Hummingbird it is way out of it's range. It how ever likes the kind of environment that we have around here. i wish I had gotten a better shot but things unfold so fast sometime, if you blink you miss them.

Scanned slide, Nov. 1991

 

It was planned as a cathedral-fortress, its apse being one of the turrets of the city walls. It is not known exactly when the construction of the Cathedral began, estimations are between the 11th to 12th century. Already in the 15th century the cathedral was completed.

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81vila_Cathedral

I felt nostalgic so I had to upload this.

 

ooooh, when we first got Daisy...she was too precious! She has grown up to be such a fiesty, vocal, and hyper girlie.

  

I now realized that I was off on my estimations of Daisy's age...she is most likely a few months younger but I don't think it matters too much.

Matt standing in front of, by my estimation, at least one gallon of water.

Westelijke Merwedekanaaldijk 13/05/2023 12h16

A happy mural on the pilars of the Amsterdamse Brug carrying the Zuiderzeeweg connecting Amsterdam Oost (East) with Zeeburgereiland (island).

 

A photo especially taken and uploaded for the

Wednesday Walls Group.

 

Artist: NIALL.OL | .P.T.C.

Year: 2022 (estimation made by Google Streetview)

Pike Place Market area. About a 1 hour wait to get in the door....................worth it in my estimation !

"Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as the swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch. Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits. And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land."

~Chief Seattle~

(leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes)

photo rights reserved by B℮n

 

Uthai Thani is a province in the northwest of Thailand. It is a region known for its natural beauty, historical sites and cultural heritage. One of the notable features of Uthai Thani is the presence of several national parks that protect the beautiful flora and fauna of the region. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary: This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest protected areas in Thailand. It is home to a diverse flora and fauna, including rare and endangered species such as the Indochinese tiger, Asian elephant and Malayan bear. Tum Chang Cave National Park is a national park known for its impressive limestone caves and formations. These national parks in Uthai Thani offer a range of activities including trekking, bird watching and admiring Thailand's natural beauty. An impressive and majestic tree, which is native especially to this part of Thailand, is Tualang tree, scientifically known as Koompassia excelsa. The Tualang tree is known for its exceptionally tall height. The Tualang tree often plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, as it provides an important source of food and shelter for various animals, including honey bees. Beekeepers sometimes place beehives high in the branches of the Tualang tree to promote the production of Tualang honey, which is considered one of the most unique and high-quality honeys. The conservation and protection of such trees is often of great importance for maintaining biodiversity and ecological balance in the region.

 

There is a giant Tualang tree (Koompassia excelsa) found east of Ban Rai in Uthai Thani province. This impressive Tualang is located on private property in the middle of a forest, but the owner is happy to welcome visitors. On one side of the tree are claw marks from a bear that tried to knock down a honey bee nest. The local population, descendants of Laotian settlers brought here two hundred years ago during conflicts with Burma, inhabit this area. The circumference of the tree is approximately 97 meters, including the buttress roots that reach from branches to the ground to support the tree. The age of the tree is estimated at 400 years, and its height exceeds 50 meters. This majestic tree sprang up around the year 1621. Visitors are encouraged to touch and feel the ancient tree. The skin of the tree still feels very healthy and vibrant. Let's hope this giant tree continues to thrive forever. It is truly a wonderful spectacle.

 

Uthai Thani is een provincie in het noordwesten van Thailand. Eén van de opmerkelijke kenmerken van Uthai Thani is de aanwezigheid van diverse nationale parken die de prachtige flora en fauna van de regio beschermen. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary: Dit is een UNESCO-werelderfgoed en één van de grootste beschermde gebieden in Thailand. Het herbergt een diverse flora en fauna, waaronder zeldzame en bedreigde diersoorten zoals de Indochinese tijger, Aziatische olifant en Maleise beer. Een indrukwekkende en majestueuze boom, die inheems is met name in dit deel van Thailand, is Tualang-boom. Deze boom staat bekend om zijn buitengewoon grote hoogte. De Tualang-boom speelt vaak een cruciale rol in het ecosysteem, omdat het een belangrijke bron van voedsel en onderdak biedt aan verschillende dieren, waaronder honingbijen. Het behoud en de bescherming van dergelijke bomen zijn vaak van groot belang voor het behoud van biodiversiteit en ecologisch evenwicht in de regio. Er is een gigantische Tualang-boom te vinden ten oosten van Ban Rai in de provincie Uthai Thani. Deze indrukwekkende Tualang bevindt zich op privéterrein midden in een bos, maar de eigenaar verwelkomt graag bezoekers. Aan de ene kant van de boom zijn klauwafdrukken te zien van een beer die probeerde een honingbijennest omver te werpen. De lokale bevolking, afstammelingen van Laotiaanse kolonisten die hier tweehonderd jaar geleden werden gebracht tijdens conflicten met Birma, bewoont dit gebied. De omtrek van de boom is ongeveer 97 meter, inclusief de steunwortels die van takken tot aan de grond reiken om de boom te ondersteunen. De leeftijd van de boom wordt geschat op 400 jaar, en de hoogte overschrijdt de 50 meter. Deze majestueuze boom ontsproot rond het jaar 1621. Bezoekers worden aangemoedigd de oude boom aan te raken en te voelen. De huid van de boom voelt nog steeds erg gezond en levendig aan. Laten we hopen dat deze gigantische boom voor altijd zal blijven gedijen. Het is werkelijk een wonderbaarlijk schouwspel.

Without great patrons you don’t have great restaurants and bars. This is Michael William Duvett from a 2017 portrait, a loyal McSorley’s customer for the past 63 years, and in his estimation that meant coming in 3 times a week, and drinking 6-8 beers each time. That means he may have consumed about 60k mugs of their famous ale. He was there as a loyal customer, and seemed happy as any man you’d hope to meet and share a pint of beer with, at a 163 year old Manhattan pub.

Wahkotowin...

A human under a blanket below the Mill Creek Bridge this morning. There is a Cree word called 'Wahkotowin'. It means something like kinship or 'we are all related'. The idea behind that word makes the issue of the unhoused more personal, to me. Scenes like this are painful to witness and, in my estimation, growing worse. The roots of this are complex. It's mess of economics and politics, yet it's also a blatant moral failure because this is a place that's as cold as a freezer.

 

Pentax

IMG1111

Le calmar géant ou calamar géant (Architeuthis dux) est une espèce de céphalopodes décapodes, seul représentant de son genre (Architeuthis) et de sa famille (Architeuthidae).

Il peut atteindre de grandes dimensions : selon des estimations récentes, les femelles mesurent jusqu'à 13 mètres tandis que les mâles atteignent 10 mètres des nageoires postérieures à la pointe des deux longs tentacules. Le manteau mesure environ 2 mètres de long, et la longueur du calmar en excluant ses tentacules dépasse rarement 5 mètres. Les observations de spécimens mesurant 20 mètres ou plus ne sont scientifiquement pas documentées.

Le nombre d'espèces différentes de calmar géant fut longtemps débattu, mais des recherches en biologie moléculaire ont suggéré qu'une seule espèce existe.

 

The giant squid or squid (Architeuthis dux) is a species of decapod cephalopods, the only representative of its kind (Architeuthis) and his family (Architeuthidae).

It can reach large dimensions: according to recent estimates, females measure up to 13 meters while males reach 10 meters from the fins after the tip of the two long tentacles. The mantle is about 2 meters long, and the length of the squid excluding its tentacles rarely exceeds 5 meters. Observations of specimens measuring 20 meters or more are not scientifically documented.

The number of different species of giant squid has long been debated, but research in molecular biology has suggested that only one species exists.

Early morning sun on the Gharibwal branch. Train R474, the 07:10 off Malakwal, gallops across the Jelhum plain with 0-6-0 SGS number 2470 and crew in charge.

It was a gamble to come out here, mornings usually dawned with cloud which would soon burn off. This was generated by the proximity of the Salt Range hills seen rising behind in the not too far off distance, and this particular stretch offered relatively clear views over the flat landscape in an area covered by semi arid and often dense scrub.

The evening prior had given a cloudless sunset so I made the decision to come out here the next morning. It was a very early start to catch a train out to Haranpur Junction and to then walk along the line to this position from there, and my memories are of the push I gave to myself to get up early enough, and then the wait here during the sunrise, the hope and then then joy of the sun as it warmed the air against my back. This increased with the joy of the smoke trail, without which the picture would just not have been the same. The exhaust perhaps was the most important element in steam railway photography, today it is either ignored by people who are unfamiliar with steam locomotive photography, it is approached in the way same as a diesel, or for guaranteed success it is laid on by request, perhaps with repeated runpasts, or you get lucky!

The estimation as to where it may occur has been carried over into my present day efforts with the diesel as there is no doubt it adds animation and drama to a photograph. The environmental credentials of black smoke are not great of course, this is an internal struggle I have always been aware off, and battled internally with, but the trains are here and I love them, in that my heart rules over my head!

So no, I won't chop a tree down because its in the way of my photo, but I will happily climb it if possible for a better view!

 

December the 19th 1995.

For my video; youtu.be/dpMf3yC447Q,

 

Propane powered,

Zion Lodge, Utah, United States

 

Zion National Park operates 30 National Park Service owned propane-powered shuttle buses and 21 accompanying trailers. In its first year of operation, the 30-foot Eldorado shuttle buses carried more than 1.5 million passengers. A recent estimation shows that 75 percent of the Park’s annual 2.5 million visitors catch a ride on a propane-powered Zion Canyon shuttle service. The Park hopes to retire the fleet buses within the next 12-15 years and replace them with new models of dedicated propane shuttle buses.

Every winter my good friends Paul and Jodie propose at least one visit to the Snowy Owl haunts of eastern Ontario, a trip that has had varying results in the bird department - but the trips are always perfect because of the great company and the end point - hot dogs and poutine at Landriault casse-croute. This time the birds were amazing - relaxed Snowies that were not concerned about people as they hunted/rested in the morning sun, several Bald Eagles that were very active, and some other surprises.

 

Often found in small groups in mixed flocks with Snow Buntings and Horned Larks, the Lapland Longspur is not unusual to find at this time of the year; this group, hovering near the entrance to a barn at a very isolated farm, was, in Paul's estimation, the largest flock of Longspurs (44 I think we settled on) he has seen in decades of birding in eastern Ontario.

I use to think I really, really need to get to the Quinault Rainforest trail to the Enchanted Forest, land of 10,000 waterfalls, in Washington State. This last weekend I made it to Eagle Creek and saw so many gorgeous spills and seasonal falls along with some major ones; it was outstanding in my estimation. Who needs Quinault when you have Eagle Creek.... but I still will get to Quinault someday.

 

I'm rambling; both in this post and I'm still on that trail hypnotized. I love this trail. I can't wait to return during the ice and snow.

 

Eagle Creek

Columbia River Gorge

Oregon

Vøringsfossen is one of the most visited waterfalls in Norway. The falls are 183 m (about 600 ft.) high. The falls are located in Eidfjord, not far from Highway 7, which connects Oslo with Bergen.

 

Bjoreia, the small river that flows into Vøringsfossen, has a hydroelectric dam in the Sysendalen valley above the falls, reducing the flow of water. In summer, the flow is increased to 12 m3/s, above its natural rate, not least to benefit the tourist trade. The Bjoreia also feeds the Tyssvikjo falls. When arriving at the viewing point, most people mistake the Tyssvikjo falls for the Vøringsfossen. The Tyssvikjo falls are higher but much smaller. The flowing rate of the Vøringsfossen is much higher.

 

The name (Old Norse *Vyrðingr) is derived from the verb vyrða 'esteem, revere'. The last element fossen, the finite form of foss 'waterfall', is a later addition.

 

The Vøringsfossen were in 1821 only known to the people who lived in the area. One of the first visitors from 'far away' was professor Christopher Hansteen (1784-1873) from Oslo, who visited the falls around 1821 and wrote about it. In the summer of 1821 he traveled across the Hardangervidda and arrived in Eidfjord. It was pointed out to him by his local guide that there was a gigantic waterfall nearby, much larger than all the small falls he found incredible at that time. Hansteen measured the height by throwing stones over the edge and measuring the time in which the stones reached the bottom. His estimation was 280 metres. He was fascinated by the sudden change of the 'flat' Hardangervidda into the steep and wild river valley. Back in Oslo, he wrote a very good article in Budstikken, making the Vøringsfossen a tourist attraction since then.

 

Every year 650.000 people visit the falls, and, according to the Norwegian Bureau of Tourism it is the second best visited natural attraction.

 

There are two good viewing points: at the Fossetromme, besides Highway 7 in Måbødalen. The best viewing point is at the Fossli Hotel. This photo is taken from the latter. The Vøringsfossen are the falls on the left, the falls on the right are the Tyssvikjo Fossen.

Châssis n°WP0ZZZ95ZJS905011

 

Estimation : 1.500.000 - 2.000.000 €

 

Vendu 1.960.000 €

Vente aux enchères "Made in Urban" chez ArtCurial le mardi 25 octobre 2016

Alias PA_1030 - 2013

Estimation : 250000 - 350000 €

 

See what it looks like in his real place, ie in the street HERE

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffon_vulture

  

The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the Eurasian griffon. It is not to be confused with a different species, Rüppell's griffon vulture (Gyps rueppellii). It is closely related to the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus).

  

Description

  

The griffon vulture is 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh 6.2 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb) and females typically weigh 6.5 to 11.3 kg (14 to 25 lb), while in the Indian subspecies (G. f. fulvescens), the vultures average 7.1 kg (16 lb). Extreme adult weights have been reported from 4.5 to 15 kg (9.9 to 33.1 lb), the latter likely a weight attained in captivity.[2][3] Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a very white head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers.

  

Behaviour

  

Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks. It establishes nesting colonies in cliffs that are undisturbed by humans while coverage of open areas and availability of dead animals within dozens of kilometres of these cliffs is high.[4][5] It grunts and hisses at roosts or when feeding on carrion.

 

The maximum recorded lifespan of the griffon vulture is 41.4 years for an individual in captivity.[6]

 

It breeds on crags in mountains in southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia, laying one egg. Griffon vultures may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident. Juveniles and immature individuals may migrate far or embark on long-distance movements.

  

Status in Europe and Asia

  

In Italy, the species managed to survive only in the island of Sardinia, but a few attempts at reintroducing the griffon in the peninsula have been recently made, too. As a result, several specimens have been spotted again in August 2006 on the Gran Sasso massif (central Italy). Populations in Italy are thought to be undergoing a vigorous increase, thanks to reintroduction schemes in neighbouring countries taking effect, and a ban on hunting the species.

 

In Croatia, a colony of griffon vultures can be found near the town of Beli on the island of Cres.[9] There they breed at lower elevations, with some nests just 10 m (33 ft) above sea level. Therefore, contact with people is common. The population makes frequent incursions in the Slovenian territory, especially in the mountain Stol above Kobarid. The bird is protected in an area called Kuntrep on the Croatian island of Krk [10]

 

In the United Kingdom, griffon vultures were made extinct at some point before the 1600s. Occasional vagrants appear in the UK,[citation needed] and in 2000 a vulture took up residence on the Channel Island of Guernsey.[11]

 

In Cyprus, there is an unsustainable colony of fewer than 30 birds (2016) at Episkopi, in the south of the island.[citation needed]

Colonies of griffon vultures can be found in northern Israel and in the Golan Heights, where a large colony breeds in the Carmel Mountains, the Negev desert and especially at Gamla, where reintroduction projects are being carried out at breeding centers in the Carmel and Negev.

 

In Greece, there are nearly 1000 birds[citation needed]. On Crete they can be found in most mountainous areas, sometimes in groups of up to 20.

Griffon vultures have been reintroduced successfully into the Massif Central in France; about 500 are now found there. Griffon vultures are regularly spotted over the Millau bridge.

 

In Belgium and the Netherlands, around 100 birds were present in the summer of 2007. These were vagrants from the Pyrenees population (see below).[12]

 

In Germany, the species died out in the mid-18th century. Some 200 vagrant birds, probably from the Pyrenees, were sighted in 2006,[13] and several dozen of the vagrants sighted in Belgium the following year crossed into Germany in search for food.[14] There are plans to reintroduce the species in the Alps. In September 2008, pieces of a griffon vulture bone, about 35,000 years old, were excavated from Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany, which are believed to form a flute.[15][16]

 

In Serbia, there are around 60–65 pairs of griffon vultures in the western parts of the country, around Zlatar mountain and also 35 birds in the canyon of the Trešnjica river.[17] They are under legal protection from hunting.[18]

 

In Switzerland, there is a population of several dozen birds.

 

In Austria, there is a remnant population around Salzburg Zoo, and vagrants from the Balkans are often seen.

 

In Spain and France, in 2008, there were 25.000 birds, from a low of a few thousand around 1980. Spain has the biggest colony of Griffon vultures in all Europe. It is located at Hoces del Río Duratón Natural Park (Province of Segovia).

The Pyrenees population has apparently been affected by an EC ruling that due to danger of BSE transmission, no carcasses must be left on the fields for the time being. This has critically lowered food availability, and consequently, carrying capacity. Although the griffon vulture does not normally attack larger living prey, there are reports of Spanish griffon vultures killing weak, young or unhealthy living animals as they do not find enough carrion to eat.[19] In May 2013, a 52-year-old woman who was hiking in the Pyrenees and had fallen off a cliff to her death was eaten by griffon vultures before rescue workers were able to recover her body, leaving only her clothes and a few of her bones. Due to her being the first human to be documented being eaten by griffon vultures, the story brought worldwide attention to the griffon vulture problems in Southern Europe.[20]

 

In Armenia there are 46-54 pairs according to last estimation of population; the trend demonstrates slight increasing.[21]

The main cause of the rapid decline in the griffon vulture population is the consumption of poisoned baits set out by people. Wildlife conservation efforts have attempted to increase awareness of the lethal consequences of using illegally poisoned baits through education about the issue

  

Physiology

  

Griffon vultures have been used as model organisms for the study of soaring and thermoregulation. The energy costs of level flight tend to be high, prompting alternatives to flapping in larger birds. Vultures in particular utilize more efficient flying methods such as soaring. Compared to other birds, which elevate their metabolic rate to upwards of 16 times their basal metabolic rate in flight,[23] soaring griffon vultures expend about 1.43 times their basal metabolic rate in flight. Griffon vultures are also efficient flyers in their ability to return to a resting heart rate after flight within ten minutes.[24]

 

As large scavengers, griffon vultures have not been observed to seek shelter for thermoregulation. Vultures use their bald heads as a means to thermoregulate in both extreme cold and hot temperatures. Changes in posture can increase bare skin exposure from 7% to 32%. This change allows for the more than doubling of convective heat loss in still air.[25] Griffon vultures have also been found to tolerate increased body temperatures as a response to high ambient temperatures. By allowing their internal body temperature to change independently of their metabolic rate, griffon vultures minimize their loss of water and energy in thermoregulating.[26] One study in particular (Bahat 1995) found that these adaptations have allowed the Griffon vulture to have one of the widest thermal neutral zones of any bird.[27]

  

Intraspecific competition

  

In respect to varying age ranges, the griffon vultures evidently show no difference in feeding rates. Inevitably, as resource availability increases, feeding rates tend to follow the same pattern. Upon studying the reintroduction of this species and its impact on the intraspecific competition, old adults are more inclined to display aggressive behavior and signs of dominance in comparison to the other age ranges. In terms of comparing the male and female sexes, there are no observed differences in competitive behaviors. Lastly, the reintroduced individuals of the species and the wild-bred do not differ in dominance or feeding rate despite the differences in upbringing.

though we will not forage any because the Solent is by our easy estimation dirty and we won't risk it !

Ce pont piétonnier était surchargé de cadenas d'amour mis par des touristes. Mais il y en avait tellement que le poids des cadenas (estimé à 45 tonnes !) était devenu un risque pour la structure du pont.

La municipalité de Paris a donc décidé de les retirer en juin dernier.

 

Nous verrons plein d'autres cadenas d'amour dans notre balade.

__________________________

The Pont des Arts (Arts Bridge)

 

This pedestrian bridge was overloaded by lovelocks placed by tourists. But there were so many that the weight of the padlocks (estimation of 45 tons !) had become a risk for the structure of the bridge. . .

So, Paris municipality decided to remove them last June.

 

We will see plenty of other lovelocks in our stroll.

 

__________________________

Paris

 

“I will have no man in my boat,” said Starbuck, “who is not afraid of a whale.” By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.”

 

― Herman Melville, MOBY-DICK, OR, THE WHALE

Châssis n°WAUZZZ85ZEA905077

 

Estimation : 330.000 - 400.000 €

 

Invendu

After a good winter in Mexico, the numbers of monarchs in our area appears to be good this summer. At least one generation has already bread here; this one being the second by my estimation. Female seen here ovipositing on some Common Milkweed in my pollinator garden.

Growing stock

Growing stock has formed part of global forest resources assessments since the first report. In addition to providing information on existing wood resources, growing stock estimates constitute the basis for estimation of biomass and carbon stocks for most countries.

Country information on total growing stock and forest area was used to estimate growing stock per hectare as an indicator of how well or poorly stocked the forests are. FRA 2005 has also collected country information on commercial growing stock. Chapter 5 (Productive functions of forest resources) presents results for this indicator, as well as a more detailed discussion of total growing stock.

Information availability

Of the 229 countries and territories covered by FRA 2005, 150 countries, representing 88 percent of the world’s forest area, reported on growing stock for 2005. Oceania was the only region for which information was available for only a small portion of forest area (15 percent), given that Australia did not provide information on this variable. With a few exceptions, reporting countries gave information for all three reporting years (see Figure 5.6 in Chapter 5).

Although many countries provided information on growing stock, the quality of the information is variable. A few countries with repeated national forest assessments have very reliable information, but many countries do not have good inventory data to support growing stock estimates and changes in growing stock over time.

Status

In order to obtain consistent global, regional and subregional estimates of total growing stock, growing stock per hectare was estimated for each region/subregion for those countries providing information. These estimates were then multiplied by the total forest area of each region and subregion. Table 5.7 in Chapter 5 shows the status of growing stock in 2005 and its distribution by region and subregion.

Total growing stock is estimated at 434 billion m3, of which some 30 percent is found in South America.

The five countries with the greatest total growing stock account for almost 261 billion m3, which corresponds to 60 percent of the global total. Of these, Brazil has the largest growing stock, with 81 billion m3 or 19 percent of the total.

The global average for growing stock per hectare is 110 m3/ha. The countries with the highest growing stock per hectare are found in central Europe and in some tropical countries.

Trends

Based on data from the 147 countries that reported growing stock figures for all three reporting years, total growing stock shows a slight decreasing tendency at the global level (see Table 5.9 in Chapter 5). There are some regional tendencies: Africa, Asia and South America show a slight decrease, while Europe and North and Central America show a slight increase.

As regards growing stock per hectare, changes at the global level are not significant. At regional and subregional levels, however, there are more significant changes. For example, Europe, excluding the Russian Federation, shows a net increase of 0.3 percent (or 1.2 m3 per hectare) annually for the last 15-year period, while South and Southeast Asia show a net decrease of 1.0 percent (or 1.0 m3 per hectare) annually, mainly due to a decrease in growing stock per hectare in Indonesia.

Changes in total growing stock reflect the combined effects of changes in forest area and in growing stock per hectare. However, for many countries, changes in growing stock reflect only the changes in forest area, because their estimates of growing stock are based on a single figure per hectare determined at one point in time (see Chapter 5). Thus the actual trends may be more pronounced than those in this analysis.

Biomass and Carbon

At a casual glance, the amounts of biomass and carbon seem simply to reflect the extent of forests and their growing stock. A more meaningful understanding emerges in the context of the global carbon cycle, climate change and related international agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Since half the dry weight of biomass is carbon (IPCC, 2003), the following analysis addresses biomass implicitly. For data related to biomass stock in forest and other wooded land, refer to Table 13 in Annex 3.

Forests, like other ecosystems, are affected by climate change, be it a sea-level rise that threatens coastal forests or changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. In some places, impacts may be negative, while in others they may be positive. However, forests also influence climate and the climate change process. They absorb carbon in wood, leaves and soil and release it into the atmosphere when burned, for example during forest fires or the clearing of forest land.

The Kyoto Protocol entered into force in the same year that this assessment was carried out. The protocol and the UNFCCC oblige all member countries to regularly assess and report national greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions and removals of carbon reflected as stock changes in forests. To that end, IPCC has created guidelines, methods and default values for all parameters needed to assess carbon stocks and their changes in forests (IPCC, 2003). It has thus furnished all countries with the means of estimating and reporting carbon stocks, greenhouse gas emissions and removals, irrespective of the availability of country-specific data. Striving for synergies and for streamlined country reporting to international organizations, FAO incorporated the IPCC guidelines on assessment of carbon stocks in forests into its guidelines for country reporting for FRA 2005.

Reporting on carbon stocks in forests under the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and to FAO may overlap, but are not necessarily identical. For FRA 2005, countries reported carbon stocks for the years 1990, 2000 and 2005. The UNFCCC mandates reporting carbon stock changes. However, in one of its methods, IPCC estimates net emissions of carbon as the difference between periodic carbon stocks.

In a further difference, UNFCCC members report on ‘managed forests’ only. The convention does not define ‘forest’ or managed forest. However, IPCC considers managed forests as “all forests under direct human influence” or “forests subject to the process of planning and implementing practices for stewardship and use aimed at fulfilling relevant ecological, economic and social functions” (IPCC, 2003). Given this broad definition, many countries may classify all their forests as managed forests. However, only by assuming both a steady state of biomass in ‘unmanaged forests’ and identical definitions of ‘forest’ will carbon stock changes be the same under the two reporting systems. Even in this case, estimates of the total carbon stock may still differ, depending on whether all forests are included or not in reporting under the UNFCCC.

Quantifying the substantial roles of forests as carbon stores, as sources of carbon emissions and as carbon sinks has become one of the keys to understanding and modifying the global carbon cycle. Global forest resources assessments have the potential to contribute to or substantiate estimates of the magnitude of stocks and flows by scientific bodies such as IPCC. Simultaneously, they complement and facilitate international reporting by countries on greenhouse gas emissions and removals under the UNFCCC.

Information availability

By integrating IPCC guidance into the guidelines for country reporting for FRA 2005, FAO sought to facilitate complete reporting on biomass and carbon pools by all countries. Yet many of the 229 countries and territories had difficulty in providing complete information for all pools of carbon, i.e. above- and below-ground biomass, dead wood, litter and soil carbon to a depth of 30 cm.

With few exceptions, countries that reported growing stock also successfully transformed this data into above- and below-ground biomass and then to carbon stock in forest biomass (Figure 2.11). Many countries based the conversion from growing stock to biomass on the IPCC good practice guidance factors (IPCC, 2003), reflecting a lack of country-specific biomass expansion factors.

Of the 151 countries that reported on forest biomass:

87 have used the IPCC good practice guidance biomass expansion factors exclusively;

41 have used the IPCC factors in combination with factors from other sources;

13 have used national data – either direct estimates or national expansion factors;

5 have used factors/models from FAO and FAO/UNECE publications;

5 are based on expert estimates.

Response rates for carbon pools other than forest biomass decreased steeply, to merely 20 percent of the countries, representing 51 percent of the total forest area for soil carbon.

It is clear that many countries do not possess country-specific information on the parameters necessary for calculating all carbon pools. However, perhaps blanks in the reporting tables also reflect political concerns, institutional and human capacity for reporting, or difficulties with the IPCC guidelines. Response rates for carbon in biomass were high from developing countries in all subregions except the Caribbean, while some large industrialized countries in North America and Oceania did not report biomass and carbon data at all or only incompletely, because they are currently in the process of finalizing their overall carbon inventories.

Overall, this report assesses carbon in all pools based on a fairly representative fraction of over half the global forest area for all components and more than 80 percent of total forest area for carbon in forest biomass.

Although countries were asked to provide information on carbon in forest soils in the top 30 cm, some countries used other threshold values. In these cases, the figures were adjusted to the common threshold of 30 cm.

Status

Carbon stock per hectare. Table 2.8 provides forest-area-weighted average carbon stocks per hectare for biomass, dead wood, litter and soils by region for the year 2005. Biomass and dead wood account for 44 and 6 percent of total forest ecosystem carbon respectively, while soils to a depth of 30 cm and litter contribute approximately 46 and 4 percent respectively.

Carbon stocks in forest biomass reach the highest values per hectare in Central and South America and Western and Central Africa, while East Asia, Northern Africa and Western and Central Asia report the lowest values.

IPCC (2000) estimated an average carbon stock of 86 tonnes per hectare in the vegetation of the world’s forests for the mid-1990s. The corresponding carbon in biomass and dead wood in forests reported here amounts to 82 tonnes per hectare for the year 1990 and to 81 tonnes per hectare for the year 2005.

Each cubic metre of growing stock equals different amounts of biomass and carbon in biomass in the regions. Table 2.9 provides average conversion factors compiled from country submissions. Globally, each cubic metre of growing stock equals, on average, 1 tonne of above-ground biomass, 1.3 tonnes of total biomass and 0.7 tonnes of carbon in biomass.

Total carbon stock. As a consequence of missing data, it is not possible to sum country data to obtain complete regional or global totals for carbon in any pool. Yet, in the context of climate change, these totals and their changes over the years are beyond mere academic interest. Figure 2.12 shows estimated total carbon stock for all pools by region. The figures were obtained by expanding reported data through the use of subregional estimates of carbon per hectare of forest, multiplied by the total forest area for each subregion.

The country reports indicate that global forest vegetation stores 283 Gt of carbon in its biomass, and an additional 38 Gt in dead wood, for a total of 321 Gt. A prior estimate by IPCC (2000) assumed 359 Gt of carbon in these pools. An assumed amount in FRA 2005 of only 10 tonnes per hectare of carbon in dead wood, on average, probably represents an underestimate and might be one reason for the discrepancy between the IPCC and country reports. Another may be exclusion of the biomass of undergrowth by some countries.

Soils (down to 30 cm) and litter contain 317 Gt of carbon according to country estimates in this assessment. There are large data gaps for major boreal forests with typically large amounts of soil carbon; thus the figures are likely underestimates.

The total carbon content of forest ecosystems for the year 2005 is, therefore, 638 Gt of carbon, which is more than the amount of carbon in the entire atmosphere. Roughly half of total carbon is found in forest biomass and dead wood combined, and half in soils and litter combined.

Trends

From 1990 to 2005, carbon in biomass decreased in Africa, Asia and South America, remained approximately constant in Oceania and increased in Europe and in North and Central America. Not all subregions followed this trend. Thus total biomass carbon stocks increased in East Asia and in Western and Central Asia, and decreased in Central America (Table 2.10). The decrease in overall biomass carbon stocks since 1990 was driven by South and Southeast Asia (33 percent decrease), Western and Central Africa (7 percent) and South America (6 percent).

If an average change of total biomass carbon stocks of at least 0.5 percent per year is defined as significant, then of a total of 146 countries and territories, 42 reported decreases, 55 increases and 49 reported no significant change in total carbon stocks within forest biomass.

In interpreting the reliability and meaning of these results, it is helpful to examine carbon stocks per hectare concurrently. Based on the same significance level, 99 countries reported no substantial change of carbon stock per hectare for the 1990–2005 period, 11 countries reported a decrease and 36 countries an increase.

Of the 42 countries communicating significant declines in total carbon stocks in forest biomass, only 17 percent also described lower levels of carbon stocks per hectare. In contrast, 78 percent – overwhelmingly developing countries – presumed virtually identical carbon stocks per hectare at the beginning and end of the 15-year period. In these countries, therefore, a reduction in total carbon stock in forest biomass reflects a net loss of forest area. Of the 20 countries reporting the highest absolute reduction in carbon stock, 15 did not report decreases in carbon stock per hectare. Essentially all the carbon stock reduction, therefore, is due to a net loss of forest area. Of the two countries with the highest decrease in carbon stocks, Brazil and Indonesia, only Indonesia recorded a significantly lower level of carbon per hectare in 2005, indicating that not only the forest area but also the biomass and carbon stock per hectare had decreased.

In contrast, of all countries reporting significant total carbon stock increases (mainly Chile, China, many European countries, India, Japan and the United States), 67 percent also documented substantially higher levels of carbon stock per hectare, indicating a higher likelihood that stocks were actually assessed more than once. For 25 percent of these countries, carbon stocks per hectare remained essentially the same, pointing to an increase in forest area as the main reason for increased total stocks.

www.greenfacts.org/en/forests/l-3/3-climate-change.htm#0p0

I just scanned my last roll of color film from France last night. Now I only have about five rolls of black and white to go and that whole trip will be completely scanned and mostly edited. It won't be long now before I start sharing those images with you in some fashion or another. This realization sparked another; I have barely shown you any of my trip to Maui. That in itself is kind of an interesting thing. I made plenty of beautiful images that I was/am happy with, so why so few of them put up here? I have my guesses. I think if you asked a lot of people who know my photography they would classify me as a landscape photographer. Which isn't an inaccurate estimation of the work I do, especially considering that like 80% of the images I post are landscapes of one type or another. But if you asked me, it is not the label I would give myself. See, I like landscapes. I love being outdoors and hiking. I love getting lost in forests and hanging out with sand in my shoes on beaches. So it is natural that I make lots of photographs in these places, but I wouldn't say it is my passion (though I do get excited by it more often than not). If I had to pin my passion down to a single subject matter I would probably surprise a lot of people and say I am more of a cityscape photographer at heart. I love cities and the populations in them. That is why the last few years have seen me travel to Edinburgh and Paris and London and back to Paris and Avignon. Give me an old city with history and culture and I will pick that over a beach at sunset 7 times out of 10.

 

I remember being in Maui and having tons of fun and exposing tons of film. The island was so beautiful. You could close your eyes and drop your camera and make wonderful images there. But by the end of our week there I was itching and eager to get off that island and be on my way to Paris. I yearned to be in those gritty streets surrounded by buildings that predated my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. To wander amongst crowds and see the spirit of the place... and of course to photograph it.

 

So maybe that is part of it. Maui was beautiful. No argument there. And I made some photos of it that I think are quite beautiful. And I enjoyed myself most thoroughly doing so. But some part of me was definitely looking beyond Maui to the streets of Paris and I think that same part of me is still at work here.

These spur gears – seen here with a euro cent coin for scale – have been produced in stainless steel to a space standard of quality using nothing more than an off-the-shelf desktop 3D printer.

 

ESA-supported startup TIWARI Scientific Instruments in Germany has developed a technique allowing low cost 3D printing using a variety of metals and ceramics. Ordinarily producing precision parts in such high-performance materials would be costly in both time and money, but the company can instead shape them using standard 3D printing techniques.

 

TIWARI’s ‘Fused Filament Fabrication’ (FFF) print process uses thermoplastic filaments that are embedded with particles of the metal or ceramic the part is to be made from. Once the printing is finished, the part – known as a ‘green body’ – is put through a thermal treatment to eliminate the plastic, leaving behind a metal or ceramic item.

 

“Once this plastic-containing body goes through this treatment then what is left behind is pure metal or ceramic,” explains ESA non-metallic materials and processes engineer Ugo Lafont. “The result is high-quality parts with very good physical properties. So this cheap, simple technique can offer us additional part manufacturing capability for space applications with an expanded pallet of materials.”

 

Test parts made using the FFF process in stainless steel and titanium metals, as well as aluminia and silicon carbide ceramics underwent a full-scale campaign of non-destructive and destructive testing at the Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory of ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands, assessing their added value and suitability for space.

 

One surprise has been that the parts possess enhanced mechanical performance compared to their conventionally made equivalents – for instance, stainless steel can be elongated to a previously unachievable 100% without breaking.

 

TIWARI is a startup hosted at ESA’s Business Incubation Centre Hessen & Baden-Württemberg in Germany, specialising in instruments for thermal characterisation of materials as well as 3D printing of high-performance metals and ceramics.

 

“Desktop 3D printers have become cheaper and cheaper in recent years and there’s been a lot of interest in mixing in materials with traditional print stock,” explains company founder Siddharth Tiwari. “But our company’s particular focus has really been on understanding the process thoroughly and investigating the kind of thermal and mechanical properties we can achieve.

 

“So this test campaign with ESA was part of our strategic planning from the start, to help commercialise the technology. At a time when other companies are still speculating about the properties achievable with 3D printed parts we have tested and qualified not one but four separate materials.

 

“This means we’ve ended up with a database no other company possesses, thanks to being able to make use of ESA resources – which otherwise would have cost many tens of thousands of euros. And the fact that our parts make the grade for space helps us in terrestrial markets too.”

 

The collaboration between the ESA and TIWARI on the testing and evaluation of the 3D printed parts has been facilitated by ESA’s Technology Transfer and Patent Office.

 

“We hope to offer an affordable solution to a market often put off by the high prices associated with additive manufacturing,” adds Siddharth Tiwari. “Our company offers one of the best price-to-performance ratio in the market, and we have launched an online estimation tool allowing customers to check how much the customised parts they require will cost.”

 

Credits: TIWARI Scientific Instruments

Two pictures actually taken by yours truly! The model A (now confirmed to be a replica), taken at a local cruise night (under overcast skies) on Friday, May 26th and the historic gas station (on a bright sunny morning) taken around 10:30 AM on Wednesday, May 23rd in Odell, Illinois. Of course all this is pretty much irrelevant information………but hey, this is what I excel at - “irrelevant information”.

 

Antique automotive aficionados will probably notice a couple of, or a few inconsistencies in respect to this Ford Model A…….. which I believe is either a 1928 or 1929 model (I never can tell the difference between a ’28 or ’29 Ford).

 

I did spend a fair amount of time attempting to match the ambient lighting conditions which may be evident………but I hope not. Although Photoshop does incorporate a “gizmo” called, “Match Color” (Image > Adjustments > Match Color) but not only do you have to hunt forever to find this adjustment, after finding it and trying to use it, I have never gotten the results which it is intended to produce. A useless menu option in my estimation.

 

The gas station was built in 1932 along old U.S. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in the United States, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).

 

In 1997, the station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and then, due to the collaborative efforts of the Illinois Route 66 Association, the Village of Odell, Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, and Hampton Inn Landmarks, it was restored to its former glory.

 

So there you have it folks - more information (much more) I suspect than you ever needed.

 

Hope you enjoy …………..

Quite quiet on a Bank Holiday Monday, I expect Coal Drops Yard will become a very popular destination. In my opinion it has the feel that Covent Garden had when it opened in the early 1980’s. This spectacular display of flowers was only one of a series in the area. By my estimation it is made up of at least 20 x 9 tubs (180)

By estimating the length of their trails in this image (around 8cm) and taking account of the exposure (1/110 th second) it works out at approximately 8.8 metres/second

Three icons of Dubai - Burj al Arab hotel (left), Jumeirah Beach Hotel (mid), and the Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) in the background. As a rough estimation of how big it is - the Burj Dubai (the world's tallest building) is about 7 miles (about 11.5 km) away from the Burj al Arab (the world's tallest hotel).

A hair off, in my estimation. Ideally would either want her head held a bit higher, bit prouder, or have those shoulders relax a bit, show her at ease.

 

Feels caught in between two different feelings, so doesn't really evoke either one. Almost too still?

boottocht op de Bosporus

Boğazda tekne turu

boat trip on the Bosphorus

 

Kanlıca is een wijk aan de Aziatische kant van de Bosporus, in de wijk Beykoz in Istanbul. Kanlica staat bekend om zijn populaire specialiteit, yoghurt gegarneerd met basterdsuiker, aangeboden in lokale restaurants en cafés.

Tijdens het Ottomaanse tijdperk was Kanlıca een luxe plaats, waar nobele en rijke mensen herenhuizen aan het water bouwden (Turks: Yalı). Momenteel is het een van de zeldzame kustplaatsen aan de Aziatische kant van de Bosporus met de meest historische houten herenhuizen aan het water.

Volgens Ottomaanse schattingen van 1882 had het district Kanlica een totale bevolking van 9.891, bestaande uit 6.095 moslims, 3.043 Grieken, 708 Armeniërs, 41 katholieken en 4 Latijnen.

 

Kanlıca, İstanbul'un Beykoz ilçesinde, Boğaz'ın Anadolu yakasında bir mahalledir. Kanlıca, yerel restoran ve kafelerde sunulan pudra şekeri serpilmiş yoğurduyla ünlüdür.

Osmanlı döneminde Kanlıca, soylu ve varlıklı kişilerin deniz kıyısında konaklar (Türkçe: Yalı) inşa ettiği lüks bir yerleşim yeri olmuştur. Halihazırda Boğaziçi'nin Anadolu yakasında en tarihi ahşap yalılara sahip ender sahil yerlerinden biridir.

1882 Osmanlı tahminlerine göre Kanlıca kazasının 6.095'i Müslüman, 3.043'ü Rum, 708'i Ermeni, 41'i Katolik ve 4'ü Latin olmak üzere toplam nüfusu 9.891'dir.

 

Kanlıca is a neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus strait, in the Beykoz district of Istanbul. Kanlica is known for its popular specialty, yogurt topped with caster sugar, offered in local restaurants and cafés.

During the Ottoman era, Kanlıca has been an upscale locality, where noble and wealthy people constructed waterfront mansions (Turkish: Yalı). Currently, it is one of the rare seaside places on the Asian side of the Bosphorus with the most historic wooden waterfront mansions.

According to Ottoman estimations of 1882, the district of Kanlica had a total population of 9.891, consisting of 6.095 Muslims, 3.043 Greeks, 708 Armenians, 41 Catholics and 4 Latins.

 

The Uplistsikhe cave complex with a 9th/10th century, Georgia

 

One of the most famous cave constructions - tow - column hall - comes out in a central square situated at the end of the main street. It belongs to the group of the oldest Uplistsikhe complexes. It is notable for its size, technical perfection, elegance of architectural forms and the quality of rock treatment. For this reason later, this hall was called "Hall of Queen Tamar".

The complex consists of a large hall and next to it of the rooms from three sides, which are united with semicircular arches. Complex includes also a yard situated in front of the hall, which has irregular outline. The ceiling of the hall is dismembered by the flat decorative elements imitating the wooden constructions. The hall had two octahedron foundations that are almost destroyed today; still on the ceiling, the tracks of capitols are left.

Foundations could hardly have the constructive meaning because centuries have passed after their destruction, while the ceiling still stays undamaged. There is a cylindrical manhole left in the ceiling to let light in and let smoke out. It resembles us the similar one used in wood architecture.

The front façade of the hall is crumbled and the flotsams are situated in the yard.

There was a rather wide door in the centre of façade, on each side of which there were two arched windows, which looked on the yard. It was surrounded with a high wall built with cobblestones. They belong to the late medieval period. The presence of the open yard gives us grounds to think that the Hall of Queen Tamar appears a version of Uplistsikhe architectural theme where only one of its main spaces - volume elements is absent, namely, an arched portico. Hence, there is no doubt, that this construction also was a temple. This estimation is proved by the existence of large round deepening in the center of the yard, which certainly had a ritual purpose.

  

На центральную площадь, расположенную в конце главной улицы городища выходит одно из самых выдающихся его пещерных сооружений - двухколонный зал, который относится к числу древнейших комплексов Уплисцихе. Он выделяется своими размерами, совершенством технического исполнения, изяществом архитектурных форм и высоким качеством обработки скалы. Именно поэтому этот зал спустя века был назван залом царицы Тамар.

Комплекс состоит из большого зала и примыкающих к нему с трех сторон помещений, которые соединяются между собой полукруглыми арками. В комплекс входит также расположенный перед залом двор, имеющий иррегулярное очертание. Потолок зала расчленен плоскими декоративными элементами, имитирующими деревянные конструкции. Зал имел два восьмигранных устоя, от которых ныне сохранились лишь остатки баз, а на потолке-следы капителей. Устои вряд ли могли иметь конструктивное значение, ибо со времени их разрушения прошло уже несколько веков, а потолок здания по-прежнему остается неповрежденным. Обращает на себя внимание цилиндрическое свето-дымовое отверстие, прорубленное в потолке зала, являющееся также реминисценцией аналогичного проема, применяемого в деревянном зодчестве. Передний фасад зала обвален, и его обломки в виде громадных глыб лежат во дворе. В центре фасада имелась довольно широкая дверь, по сторонам которой были помещены два арочных окна. Они выходят во двор, который в настоящее время огорожен высокой стеной, выстроенной из булыжника, и относится к позднему средневековью. Наличие открытого двора дает нам право считать зал Тамары вариантом главной архитектурной темы Уплисцихе, в котором отсутствует только один из ее основных пространственно-объемных элементов.сводчатый портик. Следовательно, нет сомнения в том, что и это сооружение было храмом. Это предположение подтверждается наличием в центре двора широкого круглого углубления, которое явно имело ритуальное назначение.

On the ascent to Mount Blinnenhorn (Corno Cieco), 3374 m asl, border Canton of Valais, Switzerland and Italy. Roziann is estimation the remaining time to the summit (actually, approx. twenty minutes)

Kailasa Temple, Ellora, Maharashtra, India

 

Kailasa Temple has been dubbed as ‘Cave 16’ of the Ellora Caves, and is notable for being the largest monolithic structure in the world that was carved out of a single piece of rock. Apart from the temple’s impressive size, it is also remarkable for its sculptures, as well as for the fine workmanship of its other architectural elements. The Kailasa Temple [known also as the Kailasanatha (which translates as ‘Lord of Kailasa’) Temple] is an ancient Hindu temple located in the western Indian region of Maharashtra.

 

A UNESCO World Heritage, this temple is part of the Ellora Caves, a religious complex consisting of 34 rock-cut monasteries and temples. This temple derives its name from Mount Kailasa, the Himalayan abode of the Hindu god Shiva. It is generally believed that this temple was constructed in the 8th century AD, during the reign of Krishna I, a ruler of the Rashtrakuta Empire. As the Kailasa Temple is supposed to represent the sacred mountain of Shiva, this temple was dedicated to this particular Hindu god. The construction of the Kailasa Temple is thought to have taken place between 757 and 783 AD. It has been commonly estimated that over this period of about two and a half decades, a total of 200,000 (other estimations range from 150,000 to 400,000) tons of rock were excavated out of a vertical basalt cliff in the Charanandri Hills to form the magnificent temple. It may be added that the temple was carved from top to bottom with only simple hammers and chisels.

My first attempt at a moonrise, was hoping for it to rise behind Kelston Roundhill but its 250m above sea level so my estimation was out. Also too much cloud.

Rise of the Vast and Patient Moon

 

On the quiet evening of December 4, 2025 at 5:49 PM, I waited beneath the solemn silhouettes of young saguaros in Saguaro National Park West, guided only by instinct and faith in the sky. My Seestar S50 struggled to find its anchor—no stars yet to lock onto, only the dimming blue hour and my hopeful estimation of where the Moon would break the horizon. I framed the scene by heart, imagining its ascent behind the low ridges where the saguaros stood like small guardians.

 

Then it happened—the Cold Supermoon, immense and commanding, rose through threads of thin, wispy clouds. A single exposure was all it took, for the Moon itself carried enough radiance to paint the desert with quiet grandeur. It appeared large because it was a Supermoon, occurring when the Moon approaches its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it seem brighter, larger, and more intimate to our eyes.

 

In that fleeting rise, I felt the lesson of the sky: sometimes the universe reveals its wonders not to precision, but to patience; not to perfect alignment, but to trust in the horizon itself. And so this image carries both the struggle and the reward—an offering of light from Earth’s oldest companion.

quatre-vingt dix-sept [97] de trois six cinq.

hah i'm so behind with my 365 at the moment. i think i'm missing three pictures? but i took this yesterday with melanie and i have another trippy one to upload from this day. just have to edit and it's going to take forever... plus i'm sort of super busy this week so should be fun!

 

oh and i thought i was gonna get my braces off sooooon but guess what, that mofo of an orthodontist says in a month he'll give an estimation of the date and it should be a few more appointments before then. in other words, not for a while.

Lilacs are the most sensuous of flowers in my estimation. The fragrance, the colors the voluptuousness. They are just starting to peak in my cool garden in the woods. I brought in a bouquet yesterday and the fragrance filled the house. I felt like I was sketching under the influence.

"You provide the will, and the Häkke Zarinaea-D provides the way."

 

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A simple near-exact recreation of the Häkke Zarinaea-D auto rifle from Destiny: TTK. The stock is an estimation since there's no side view picture of the weapon yet to my knowledge and the reference image doesn't give a clear view of it either.

 

Reference image: prntscr.com/7uj922