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Wasn't expecting to see these in Assford today, and these vehicles were on SouthEastern Trains Rail Replacement Service to and from Tonbridge.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw This week!!
It took me a lot longer than I had expected to get these pictures up from last weekend, but it's been hard to find time between my job and volunteering. Taking pictures just has not been the most important thing for me at this point, but nevertheless I will continue squeezing the shutter whenever I can. Hopefully, we will all be able to see dramatic transformation of these areas back into their original beauty, but it is clearly a long road ahead.
If you live in the area and wish to help, please contact me and I will send you a list of volunteer centers throughout Miyagi as well as a list of important equipment to bring with you. If you do decide to volunteer, please go with an organized group and bring the necessary equipment. I don't mean to frighten anyone, but I was notified again today that there still are dangerous areas. Don't go alone, please.
Here is a video that I took of the area the same day I took these pictures:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CazswZd454o
The area that these pictures were taken, was utterly obliterated by the tsunami. After a few hours of hauling items back and forth between my friends' destroyed home, I started to get a headache and feel sick from the fumes. In my last post, I also mentioned that I had heard of people setting off explosions and starting fires from trying to light their cigarettes.
We worked amidst pure devastation for about 5 Hours, however we were only able to salvage a handful of their things. Sometimes it was hard to know what was theirs, since the tsunami had swept a whole city worth of belongings through the first floor of their home.
Surprisingly, the four-year-old house was in pretty good shape despite the fact that it was blown back off of its foundation about 200 feet and sat about 10-15 degrees off of level (in the video I said 60 feet, but I meant to say 60 meters. The distance and angle is still a total guess, but you can judge for yourself in the pictures/video). The structure of house was in such good condition, that we were able to walk up to the second floor and salvage most of the dry, smaller items. Their daughter was just given a brand new bed and desk-set as an elementary graduation present, but we unfortunately could not take it out.
The reason we needed to go and salvage what we could as quickly as possible was because the house, although it did not look like it, was sitting in the middle of a road. The city and self defense force had given them only a few more days to clear out before they would have to bulldoze it down.
I asked the family if they had tsunami insurance, but apparently there is no tsunami insurance. They will receive a small amount of money from the government, but it will not even come close to covering the damage they sustained.
The most dumbfounding part of that day for me was not surreal experience of walking through the total destruction of an entire town, but rather the laughing and smiling that came from a family who just lost everything- everything except each other. Items and worldly possessions are of little value against the people we hold dear. I tried to reciprocate the smiles, laughter, and healthy conversation (especially in light of the children), but it wasn't easy fighting off the grim emotions lurking below the surface.
This last weekend, I was able to volunteer for a short time in Downtown Ishinomaki and also take a few more pictures/video The downtown area seems to be getting a lot more attention, and about half of the roads seem traversable. Downtown also felt incredibly safe during the day time due to the dozens of police and military (both Japanese and US) walking the streets and distributing food and water at the camps. I will post those pictures later this week.
I know my website is in shambles right now (I just have not had time), but I'm hoping to have it looking nicer as soon as possible. I've never really sold anything from my website, but I'm going to donate all of the money I earn from ANY of the pictures I sell (not just the quake photos) to Red Cross Japan for at least the next year. Please take it into consideration. Here is my site:
In addition, I contributed many of my pictures to QUAKEBOOK.org, and if you have never heard this organization, PLEASE check them out as well. All of Quakebook's revenue will also go towards the Red Cross Japan.
Lastly, you can contribute directly to Red Cross Japan here:
www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html
Thank you very much for facing this tragedy with us. With cooperation, strength, and perseverance, we can accomplish anything.
Take care,
Carsten Knoche
While it was expected to be a close battle between Marvel’s intergalactic outlaws, the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (going into their second week of release) and retro cartoon and cult comic book adaptation TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (which opened in the US on Friday), ...
Area I expecting and new parents meet at the Camp Casey Community Activity Center June 2, 2012, for a Baby Shower. Various garrison activities had boothes where they passed out information. Dads-to-be were given a chance to see what it was like to be pregnant with the "empathy belly". Both parents also got the chance to see who could change their "baby's" diaper and try to guess the flavor of baby food. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Troth
Kiev 4A
Jupiter 12 - 35mm f/2.8
Kentmere 400 pushed to 800 ISO
Kodak HC-110 Dil B (1+31)
10 min 20°C
Scan from negative film
On Thursday afternoon, I walked into Lodhi Colony’s posh and sought after Japanese restaurant Guppy. I looked around intrigued, I had really expected it to be a more formal setting. But Guppy’s fun Asian vibe with a homely decor had me the moment I walked through the restaurant.
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Not being a major fan of seafood, I was slightly apprehensive about eating authentic Japanese food.
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The chef probably wanted to ease us in so the first thing we tried was a smoked pumpkin soup with sakura wood and crispy pumpkin seeds. The smoked flavor overpowered the typical pumpkin taste, which worked well. There were also some leaves thrown in to add to the flavor and give some green to the ochre soup.
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Next we sampled a cold smoked Kampachi, a type of fish that was served on a bed of some salad, again, the dish was smoked to perfection. Because of how close it was to the taste and texture, all of us at the table assumed it was salmon. The chef later told us what it was!
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We tried another type of Kampachi, right after this one.
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Next, our server, smile on his face, walked up to our table with two trays of sushi. Before he had put the tray down at our table, I decided I would pass on the sushi. But within seconds, I was talked into eating it. I was told I couldn’t go to Guppy and not have their sushi. I was afraid but I picked up my chopsticks and bit into the sushi, it had almost all the basics from the sushi bar, a couple of types of fish including salmon, vegetables, rice and of course the skin. I can proudly say, I enjoyed it. Sushi and I are now friends.
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After this, we tried a vegetarian starter; tofu and water chestnut in what seamed to be a slightly tomatoey creamy base, it was close to an Indian curry flavor but the water chestnut of course, made all the difference. Within moments, we had gobbled it up and two large helpings of Eel arrived at our table. It had some basic spices and also some eggplant; it was cooked in a semi gravy.
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The flavor of the eggplant, went surprisingly well with the Eel, which I had not anticipated. Along with the Eel, we tried something called Parch man fish, which was close to a grilled fish served with some spices and lemon. This was my favourite.
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The chef was concerned we had had a seafood overdose, so he told us he would bring us a ‘comfort dish’. While I waited for this dish, that I was very intrigued by, I ordered myself a ‘summer hoedown’ which was a beer cocktail with a punch flavour and mint leaves. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Unlike other places, the alcohol content in the cocktail was more than sufficient! I was quite pleased!
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A couple of minutes later, our comfort food arrived, A semi friend chicken curry dish with steamed rice. This felt like home! The flavours were absolutely perfect and I was more than glad to get a break from all the different types of fish.
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To add to this, we also sampled two different types of cold ramen, one being Udon and the other Soba. This was probably my least favourite dish from the selection but others seemed to enjoy it!
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I didn’t stay for dessert, but I hear it was good! I’d give my Guppy experience a 4 on 5. They will definitely be seeing a lot of me!
XOXO
Shivangi
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Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Believe it or not, I had not visited St Augustine's before. Not through want of trying, I had followed the signs from the city centre several times, but they peter out. However, a few months ago, we parked in a different place so I could visit a camera shop, and there was the entrance.
So, a few weeks back, after visiting the Cathedral, we headed to the Abbey. I really did not know what to expect, I have been to other ruined abbeys, but this is on a grander scale than all the others, and it seemed to me, the destruction more complete.
But it was here, in Canterbury, that St Augustine set up his mission, built his church and, in time, was buried.
Looking at the site now, and with the cathedral so close, Canterbury was little else other than church.
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St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England.[2] The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent dismantlement until 1848. Since 1848, part of the site has been used for educational purposes and the abbey ruins have been preserved for their historical value.
In 597, Augustine arrived in Anglo-Saxon England, having been sent by the missionary-minded Pope Gregory I to convert the Anglo-Saxons.[4] The King of Kent at this time was Æthelberht or Ethelbert. Although he worshipped in a pagan temple just outside the walls of Canterbury to the east of the city, Ethelbert was married to a Christian, Bertha. According to tradition, the king not only gave his temple and its precincts to St Augustine for a church and monastery,[4] he also ordered that the church to be erected be of "becoming splendour, dedicated to the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and endowed it with a variety of gifts." One purpose of the foundation was to provide a residence for Augustine and his brother monks. As another, both King Ethelbert and Augustine foresaw the abbey as a burial place for abbots, archbishops, and kings of Kent.[5]
William Thorne, the 14th century chronicler of the abbey, records 598 as the year of the foundation.[5] The monastic buildings were most likely wooden in the manner of Saxon construction, so they could be quickly built. However, building a church of solid masonry, like the churches Augustine had known in Rome, took longer.[6] The church was completed and consecrated in 613. Ca. 624 a short distance to the east, Eadbald, son and successor of Ethelbert, founded a second church, dedicated to Saint Mary which also buried Kentish royalty.[7] The abbey became known as St Augustine's after the founder's death.[8]
For two centuries after its founding, St Augustine's was the only important religious house in the kingdom of Kent.[9] The historian G. F. Maclear characterized St Augustine's as being a "missionary school" where "classical knowledge and English learning flourished."[10] Over time, St Augustine's Abbey acquired an extensive library that included both religious and secular holdings. In addition, it had a scriptorium for producing manuscripts.
Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury from 959 to 988, influenced a reorganisation of the abbey to conform to Benedictine rule. Buildings were enlarged and the church rebuilt. Dunstan also revised the dedication of the abbey, from the original Saints Peter and Paul, by adding Saint Augustine in 978.[12] Since then, the abbey has been known as St Augustine's.
The invading Danes not only spared St Augustine's, but in 1027 King Cnut made over all the possessions of Minster-in-Thanet to St Augustine's. These possessions included the preserved body of Saint Mildred. Belief in the miraculous power of this relic had spread throughout Europe, and it brought many pilgrims to St Augustine's, whose gifts enriched the abbey.
Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, William the Conqueror confiscated landed estates, but he respected Church property.[15] At St Augustine's Abbey, the Anglo-Saxon buildings were completely reconstructed in the form of a typical Norman Benedictine monastery.[8] By 1100, all the original buildings had disappeared under a Romanesque edifice. There was further rebuilding as a result of the great fire in 1168.[16] The fire's destruction accounts for the paucity of historical records for the preceding period.[17]
From about 1250 onwards was a period of wealth in which "building succeeded building."[18] Boggis' history calls this period a time of "worldly magnificence," marked by "lavish expenditures" on new buildings, royal visits, and banquets with thousands of guests. In addition, the papacy imposed many levies on the abbey. The large debt that was incurred by these expenditures might have swamped the abbey had it not been for generous benefactors who came to the rescue.[19]
The cloister, frater (refectory) and kitchen were totally rebuilt. A new abbot's lodging and a great hall were added. In the early 14th century, land was acquired for a cellarer's range (living and working quarters for the cellarer who was responsible for provisioning the abbey's cellarium), a brewhouse, a bakehouse, and a new walled vineyard. A Lady chapel was built to the east of the church.
The abbey gatehouse was rebuilt from 1301 to 1309 by Abbot Fyndon. It has since been known as the Fyndon Gate or the Great Gate. The chamber above the entrance was the state bed-chamber of the Monastery. In 1625, Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta Maria slept in this chamber, following their marriage in Canterbury Cathedral.[20] In 1660, after the Restoration, Charles II and his brothers, the Dukes of York and Gloucester, stayed in the gatehouse on their way to London.[21]
Fyndon's gate suffered such damage by German bombs during the Second World War that it had to be rebuilt.[20] The gate faces a small square known since the reign of Charles I as Lady Wootton's Green."[21] Statues of Æthelberht of Kent and Queen Bertha stand on the green.
Boggis describes the early 16th century leading up to the Dissolution of the Monasteries as "days of decadence". Although the abbey owned estates throughout Kent amounting to 19,862 acres, Boggis holds that "historical evidence proves conclusively that even if Henry VIII. had never dissolved them, the English monasteries were already doomed." The "extortionate exactions" of the Papacy would lead to bankruptcy.[22]
However, the English Reformation accompanied by the Dissolution of the Monasteries happened before bankruptcy. The Reformation replaced the Pope (a cleric) with a Monarch (a layman). Actions by the Parliament's House of Commons strengthened the power of the laity versus the power of the clergy. These actions were part of the English Reformation’s "great transfer" of power, both economic and religious, from Ecclesiastical to Secular authorities.[23]
As part of the "great transfer," Parliament gave King Henry VIII authority to dissolve the monasteries and confiscate the property for the Crown. The rationale given was "that the religious houses had ceased to apply their property to the specific religious uses for which it was originally given."[15]
On 30 July 1538, the King's Commissioners arrived to take the surrender of St Augustine's Abbey. The last abbot and monks complied and left the abbey. The abbey, with its site, its goods, buildings, lands and all other possessions, became the property of the Crown. This dissolution ended over 940 years of monastic presence.
During the rest of Henry's reign, St Augustine's Abbey was held by the Crown with some of its buildings converted into a royal residence. However, in other parts of the abbey dismantling and sale of material began in 1541.[25] Some of the stone was used in the fortifications of the Pale of Calais, but more of it was sold locally. The library, containing two thousand manuscripts, was destroyed and the treasure plundered.[26]
The royal residence was used occasionally by the royal family as late as the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, during which the buildings were leased to a succession of noblemen.[25][26] In 1558, Elizabeth leased the palace to Henry Lord Cobham. During Lord Cobham’s possession, the Queen kept her court here while on one of her royal progresses.[27] Lord Cobham was a resident of Kent who had served her faithfully as a diplomat and parliamentarian.[28] On the attainder of Lord Cobham for treason in 1603 under the reign of James I, the residence was granted to Robert Cecil, Lord Essenden.[27]
After Cecil died in 1612, the residence passed to Edward, Lord Wootton of Marley (sometimes spelled "Wotton").[29] Lord Wootton employed John Tradescant the elder to lay out formal gardens. Wootton died in 1626, but Lady Wootton lived on in her palace until her death in 1658. The open space before the gateway is still known as Lady Wootton's Green.[30]
Sir Edward Hales (1626–1684) took possession of the property after Lady Wooton’s death, to be followed by his son Sir Edward Hales (1645–1695). Rather than conserving the property, these new owners dismantled the buildings and carried used stones to build a new house at Hales Place.[29]
From then on until 1844, the desolation continued until it had engulfed the church, cloister, kitchen and refectory.[31] Other parts of the site suffered degradation. From 1770 to 1844, the Alfred Beer & Company brewery operated within the abbey precincts.[32] In 1804, a portion of the site was divided into lots and sold. The Great Court was used as a bowling green and skittle ground. Ethelbert's Tower, the remaining tower of the Norman abbey, was taken down in 1822.[26] Robert Ewell, in his Guide to St. Augustine’s Monastery and Missionary College wrote that in the first half of the 19th century, the abbey "reached its lowest point of degradation".
The condition of the abbey did not go unnoticed. In 1844 a rich young landowner, member of parliament, and generous churchman, Alexander James Beresford Hope, visited the ruins, found them deplorable, and bought them. Inspired by the missionary zeal of the Reverend Edward Coleridge, Hope and other donors gave additional money to restore and construct buildings for the establishment of a college to train young men as missionaries in the British colonies.[26] They envisioned a dual purpose for the college: (a) to educate missionaries and (b) to excavate and preserve the abbey remains.[33] St Augustine's Missionary College remained in existence until 1947.[34] However, on the night of 31 May 1942, its buildings were so badly damaged by a German blitz that the College ceased operations.[35]
English Heritage entrance on Longport to St Augustine's Abbey ruins[1]
From 1952 to 1967, the Missionary College buildings were used as The Central College of the Anglican Communion.[36]
Since 1976, the college buildings (plus some new ones) have been used by the King's School, Canterbury, for boarding houses and the School Library. This part of the St Augustine's Abbey site was purchased by the School in 1994.[37]
The ruins of the abbey are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site[38] in the care of English Heritage.
Nai Shwe Marma, 30, is an expecting mother who lives with her husband, Hohda Mong Marma, and their ten-year old son in Thowaigya Para, Kuhalong Union, Bandarban. Her husband is a day laborer and works in Jhum land allotted by the Karbari, or village head.
Nai Shwe became a SAPLING participant in May 2017 as a member of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) group. As of September 2017, she had attended four courtyard sessions facilitated by SAPLING’s Community Health Services Worker (CHSW) Prue May Marma. Nai Shwe said she learned a lot about health and nutrition and talked about how she knows more now about nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating mothers, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for babies up to six months and complementary feeding after than, as well as the importance of dietary diversity and handwashing. “I learned that, during pregnancy, it is necessary to monitor my weight regularly as it represents my baby’s growth”, said Nai Shwe.
Nai Shwe tells how one night a few weeks ago, in the sixth month of her pregnancy, she began to have severe pain in her womb and started bleeding prematurely. “Being afraid, my husband and I consulted with Prue May. She advised me to drink plenty of water and assured me that she would help me get to the Community Clinic in the morning”, Nai Swe recalls. “The next morning, I went to the Community Clinic. They registered me, provided me with medicine and referred me to Smiling Sun Clinic for ultrasonography”, she added. Everything was okay, but Nai Shwe was grateful to have someone who could assist her to find help.
Nai Shwe has had three antenatal check-ups since then. She is expecting the baby to be born in November 2017. “This is my second child. My first son was born in my house with the assistance of a Traditional Birth Attendant in our village. I am afraid of convulsion during delivery, but the doctor told me that the position of my infant is pretty good now. I am very happy,” said Nai Shwe. She is taking folic acid and calcium tablets prescribed by the clinic regularly.
“I want to deliver my baby in hospital this time, because I do not want to take any risk”, said Nai Swe. “Also, I will eat nutritious food soon after my delivery that I didn’t eat during my first childbirth due to traditional beliefs”, she added.
Nai Shwe is also a member of a SAPLING Integrated Enhanced Homestead Food Production (IEHFP) group where she received training on homestead food production and initial input support in the form of two seeds distributions. They planted the summer seeds in their jhum land. Their crops were partially damaged by the excessive rainfall and landslides that occurred this year, but they consumed the vegetables that survived from the disaster. Nai Shwe just recently received the second seed packet and looks forward to sowing them and having a good harvest this winter.
This year, SAPLING supported 5,774 pregnant and lactating women like Nai Shwe, educating them on health and nutrition and supplying better seeds to promote uptake of improved technologies and nutritional habits.
Expecting and nursing mothers require social protection but workers in the informal economy are often not covered. Maternity protection has been a primary concern of the ILO since its creation in 1919. Workplace support for mothers who are breastfeeding has been a basic provision of maternity protection.
The Philippines expanded maternity leave benefits in 2019 to align with international labour standards. The ILO also promoted exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace to advance women’s rights to maternity protection and to improve nutrition security for Filipino children. Know more: www.ilo.org/manila/projects/WCMS_379090/lang--en/index.htm
Photo ©ILO / E. Tuyay
November 2011
Manila, Philippines
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 IGO License. To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/igo/deed.en_US.
The children expected to do household chores and help relatives when they went on holiday. As one girl explained: "When they go for work, you sweep their house and wash plates." Children cared for grandparents, newborn babies, and sick relatives during holidays. They took pride in their ability to contribute.
Bwalya, Maureen's son, drew himself helping his grandparents with the farming during a school holiday.
**This drawing is part of the Children as Caregivers art gallery.
Learn more about the Children as Caregivers project in Jean Hunleth's book, Children as Caregivers: The Global Fight against Tuberculosis and HIV in Zambia.
Didn't expect to see an " Air Berlin " plane again given their demise in 2017, now operating for Eurowings & yet to be painted out of AB colors, it brought back some memories.
Operating now for Eurowings as flight EW9395 from Dublin to Dusseldorf 29th April 2019, Airbus 320 D-ABZI
Take my breath away.
We were expecting to get around 600 bales from our field. However, it turned out to be around 1000 bales.... We are moving these with my little trailer which holds 35 bales at a time....
We are very thankful to my very fit neighbour, who can just about be seen standing in front of Mike, who treated this like a workout & tossed the bales on top of the trailer.
We have moved around 300 bails today - only another 700 to go.....
Camel live at the Barbican Centre, London, 28 October 2013. Something I'd long hoped for, but never expected might happen again after Andy Latimer's long battle with ill heath ... and they played the whole of the classic Snow Goose as the first half of a wonderful double set. Probably the most moving concert I've ever been to and that's saying something! They were perhaps the first prog band I saw live and certainly one of my earliest gigs of any kind, at Bradford University around 1978. For a great article and review about the Camel re-formation and Barbican concert see: astoundedbysound.blogspot.co.uk.
My friends Jason and Mandi are having a baby sooner than they had expected. We had talked about doing some pregnancy shots a while ago and we finally got a chance to take a few pictures at our cookout at Buckeye Lake. I can't take credit for the hands shaped like a heart idea, but it is pretty neat.
strobist info:
flash camera right through a white umbrella at 1/4 power.
This photo made it into Explore on August 3rd 2008. It reached as high as #122.
I expected to encounter Wilson's Snipes when I arrived at Burnaby Lake early during October. What I didn't expect was FOG.
I could see the Snipes through the fog and have been able to eliminate the fog using Photoshop, but the resolution of the photos was significantly lessened.
The sun was breaking through for the final photos, but then the Snipes flew off.
Not what you expect to see when you pop your head out the front door. This requires some further investigation (as all good Flickerites would).
I find out later that the crane was delivering materials into the garden of house. The gardens are very long on this houses. Not sure what the items being delivered were, but all lifts come with risk - especially that that low angle and extension. Another risk is the crane being hit by passing traffic.
The oldest Buddha carved into the rocks in Japan. Unfortunately, no photography allowed inside the cave...
However, you can see the carved Buddhas here: blog-imgs-51.fc2.com/m/o/m/momococks0505/SCAN0001.jpg and blog-imgs-51.fc2.com/m/o/m/momococks0505/SCAN0002.jpg
(Since I did not expect to go anywhere that day, I only had my phone with me)
Wasn't expecting to see this in Dover today!, and this vehicle is newly aquired by J.D. Smiths Coaching of Challock near Assford, with this Rare Porto? Coach aquired from Carr's Coaches of Pluckley also near Assford, and had brought School Groups to Dover Castle which is now open again daily except Mondays.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Very Recently!!
Area I expecting and new parents meet at the Camp Casey Community Activity Center June 2, 2012, for a Baby Shower. Various garrison activities had boothes where they passed out information. Dads-to-be were given a chance to see what it was like to be pregnant with the "empathy belly". Both parents also got the chance to see who could change their "baby's" diaper and try to guess the flavor of baby food. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Troth
The sun rising over Jordan Lake in North Carolina. We went down for a family gathering on Labor Day weekend. On the morning we were to head back home, I decided to sneak out early to catch the sun rise. I'd seen this lake on the map and thought it might make for a nice spot. I had never been here before and neither had the person working the front desk at the hotel, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found this spot entirely by chance. The lake itself looked like a really interesting area. By the spot I parked there was a trail that seemed to go around the lake.
I wasn't expecting to find this lurking in the dark end of this eerily lit chamber within the monument. One of the most awesome spaces I've ever been in, the surreal natural light seeping in through slits above with a dark Soviet star embossed, deep into the concrete.
Actress Freida Pinto is expecting her first child with fiance Cory Tran. The actress took to social media to announce the news and shared a post on Instagram.
www.indulgexpress.com/entertainment/celebs/2021/jun/29/fr...
My monthly walk guided by Roy Hazel & accompanied by Keith Hughes & Bramble. Today the walk was about 12 Hazel miles in weather much better than expected from the forecast. It did start off dismally at Coombe Hill NT carpark about 8.30am but the amazing pollarded trees and bluebells here soon put us in high spirits. Heading South through High Scrub & Dunsmore, turning West eventually at Cobblershill Farm passing along a cunningly hidden path into Hampdenleaf Wood, at the far side briefly stopping for Sheila's bread pudding & a hot drink while enjoying the peaceful vale ahead, gradually being bathed in sunlight, revealing a Brown Hare standing still in the middle of a field of wheat. Across the valley we encountered an odd structure, part church, part medieval building, Little Hampden Church. Over the west side of this ridge and through a bluebell swathed copse across the Prestwood to Askett road & up across wheat and pine wood (passing a large Wellingtonia) to Hampden House in bright sunshine greeted by the sounds of demented barking from beyond a tall Laurel hedge. Giving the house HAHA a slight birth we turned north west up the tree lined avenue & then diagonally across a very stunted & dry field of wheat towards Barnes Grove where realised we should turn NE along Grim@s Dyke & the edge Kingsfield Wood & on into Knighton's Hill Wood, then around Green Hailey Farm leading into the steep descent of Whiteleaf Hill, still in brilliant sunshine, to the welcoming sign of The Red Lion for a refreshing pint of Aylesbury Pale Ale taken outside as we watched a steady stream of AT Bikers struggling past with a clicking of cogs & a lot of puffing. we all agreed one pint was adequate & off we set again across a cricket pitch where members of the team were praying to Mohammed before play, then through a pristine golf course and eventually up the long slog through Grangelands & Rifle Range BBOWLT nature reserve to the foot of Pulpit Hill where a quick bite was taken sat amongst the prickles of a cleared Blacthorn scrub. It was a long & winding plod through Pulpit & Pond Woods down in sight of Chequers through more stunning masses of Bluebells down to across the same road crossed earlier and through yet another field of wheat (this looked much healthier) up to Buckmoorland & up a never-ending sunken lane in dappled sun up to Goodmerhill Wood & on through Fugsdon Wood, eventually regaining the trail that we had descended 7 or so hours earlier. The scene had changed since 8.30am, now heaving with cars, children and dogs. Ditching our rucksacks we staggered a few hundred yards to The Monument to wonder at the view and how far we could see across several counties, even to Kings Wood on the Greensand Ridge. So safe home very weary but all agreed a great walk, certainly the best so far this year. My thanks already given to Roy & Keith, I should like to add thanks to Sheila for her sustaining bread pudding and to Bramble for all her encouragement as I staggered at the rear when every 10 minutes or so she would rush down to find where I was and after a swift pat rushed back to inspect the trail ahead. :)
My sister is expecting a boy in May. We decided to take some shots for the baby book. This is my favorite, only editing I did was softened the picture a bit.
Sunday.
Last day of 12 days off, and a day in which we were expected to have heavy thundery showers all afternoon, so had better do something in the morning.
And after breakfast that something was to go to Sandwich Bay, because of Lizard Orchids and check on the Marsh helleborines.
Jools wanted to go swimming, so I said I'd drop her off at the pool on the way, as Sandwich is a 15 minute blast away, so the plan was set.
It was a cloudy start, so there'd be no butterflies or dragonflies, and Jools had found my pass for the estate which I had to exchange for a sticker, meaning free entry all year as long as I park at the observatory.
There was the Women's Open Gold tournament on, so for a while I thought I might not be able to get across the course, but turned out that was at the other links course.
Yay.
I walked over the meadow and past the ringing area, and into the area of dune slacks at the Helleborines grow in. And at first I saw none, then once I got my orchid eye in, I saw hundreds of rosettes all around, some putting up a spike in the usual helleborine way.
There were dozens of Southern Marsh around to, which I learned this week, along with the Northern Marsh, have had their species status downgraded to sub-species, that of Broad Leaved Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis).
Confusing.
Anyway, from there I took the path across the three fairways of the golf course, dodging flying balls and dressed in ridiculous clothes of pastel shades, heading for the safety of the gate onto the Strand.
On the way there were several Lizard spikes, and so more on the dunes beside the road. I snap many, but after a while was happy, so turned back for the car.
On the way back I saw another plant I had been looking for, Grass vetchling, a tall, willowy plant with a single pink pea-shaped flower, and being a windless day, was able to get a good shot of the flower.
Back then to the observatory, and as the sun had come out, a few butterflies were seen: Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Small tortoiseshell, and a single Dainty damsel having ventured far from her pond.
I went inside to get a drink, and met with John who helped arrange our trip to Svalbard, and we swapped news of things I saw on the trip after the one he did. We were very lucky, as we saw seven bears, his cruise saw just the one, and no Beluga.
Time was slipping, so I bid him farewell, and drove back to Whitfield where Jools was having a coffee in Subway.
I found three orchids she said, so we went to look, and three tall CSO spikes were growing in the formal border in front of the self-storage place.
We had to rush home, as Jen was back home, and back with Sylv, and we had been invited for Sunday dinner at one. So, we had to dash home so Jools could change, then drive to Whitfield to be on time.
Once there we admired the new skylight Mike had installed because the old one leaked, and we swapped news of things we have done. We regaled them with tales of the frozen north, of course.
Dinner was roast lamb, which was welcome, even if it was very hot in the house with both ovens going. We ate well, drank wine and made merry.
After eating, we could hear the rain falling, and we had left washing out on the line, so we made our excuses and went home.
The storm radar showed storms over Normandy, slowly drifting north and east, but slowly due to the light winds. We heard rumbles, but no storm arrived, though the rain did fall for hours.
We had butter fried asparagus for supper, before I watched yet more football: Spain v Croatia. Which isn't the last game of last season, as England play on Monday. And for those asking when the new season starts, I believe that to be Saturday when the preliminary rounds of the Champion's League start.
sigh.
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This plant has grass like, pointed leaves and small, crimson flowers, 8 to 18 mm, either single or two together, borne on a long, slender stalk.
Leaves reduced to a single grass-like blade.
I don't know what I expected when I rolled into Stanford. Another interesting but halfway abandoned town, I suppose. Boy was I wrong. What I observed was easily one of the most beautiful and charming towns I have ever seen! Think "perfect, classic small town". This charming place is clean and bustling, with cute little storefronts and the town has a lovely color scheme of flowers in all planters and hanging baskets. Big kudos to the town of Stanford, they keep everything ship shape and so cute! Another big plus is it's located in the middle of sprawling, beautiful prairie yet surrounded on the skyline by mountains. This is probably one of the top 5 places in Montana I would love to live. Maybe some day :)
"Stanford is a county seat of Judith Basin. In 1880 Calvin and Edward Bower came here with a thousand head of sheep and acquired 100,000 acres. The Bowers named the settlement for their old home, Standfordville, in Duchess County, New York. Stanford was a station on the Fort Benton-Billings stage route and a meeting place for cowboys from the Judith Basin Pool and other cattle companies who stock grazed the rich Judith Basin before homesteaders and sheepmen arrived.
The Judith Basin County Museum was opened in 1967. The museum has many old time articles, old pictures and some history books. It also contains a collection of 2,082 sets of salt and pepper shakers; a collection of 50,000 buttons; an Indian artifacts display, and many more items. Charles M. Russell, a famous Western artist, lived and painted many of his paintings in the area. There is a display of some of his paintings at the museum.
For years stories of white wolves of prodigious strength and cunning grew and multiplied among folk living in the Judith. One particularly huge wolf known as Old Snowdrift became a legendary outlaw.(from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company) Between Stanford and the Little Belt mountains, ranged the Judith Basin area's notorious White Wolf. There he reigned supreme for over fifteen years, preying on calves and eluding the cattlemen trying to track him down. As his fame grew, hunters from all over the United States came to try their luck at hunting the legendary White Wolf. When the White Wolf was finally captured, locals found that he was as large as had been reported, weighing 83 pounds and measuring, including the tail, six feet long.
Recreation opportunities abound in the nearby Lewis and Clark National Forest, Judith River Wildlife Management Area and Ackley Lake State Park. The Judith River Wildlife Management Area, at the edge of the Little Belt Mountains is a good place to view large elk herds in late fall and winter." -centralmontana.com