History repeats itself. :) She's irresistible and she knows it. Yup.

A Spiny lizard sunning itself on a rock late one afternoon. It was very cooperative.

nature itself is an art

Image of the Statue of Liberty take from New York Harbor at sunset, the island and statue itself a national monument is under the auspices of the National Park Service from my archives capture back in 2018. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from our French comrades back in 19th Century. The idea in 1865 of a monument for the United States was first proposed by Frenchman Edouard de Laboulaye. It took a decade for that concept to percolate into a real proposal with sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi commissioned to design a sculpture with the target completion 1876, the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. The original proposal for the monuments name was “Liberty Enlightening the World” and would be a joint endeavor between France and the United States. The United States would build the pedestal for the monument but struggled mightily for the capital to build said pedestal. The French had issues raising capital for the statue as well.

Regardless of the financial issues Bartholdi realized the structural integrity of his massive statue was beyond his artisan knowledge, so he sought knowledgeable help and commissioned Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) who designed a massive iron pylon and the metal skeletal secondary framework that would be required to put this massive memorial together. After a final push from newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer that poked directly at the American middle class and the wealthy the necessary funding for the pedestal was raised and the pedestal was finished in the spring of 1886. The statue actually was finished in France in 1884, reduced into 350 individual pieces that arrived in New York Harbor summer of 1885 on French frigate “Isere”. So, in October of 1886, 10 years late for the Declaration of Independence centennial celebration New Jersey’s own United States President Grover Cleveland oversaw the dedication of the completed monument.

The landscape along the river is ever-changing and an ecosystem unique to itself. Between the river and the tree-line of the forest is a different world than either. This is where the River Oats flourish and fallen trees are absorbed back into the soil.

Caught as it was about to make a call this Black Headed Gull looks to have put itself in an unusual position.

Photographed at Old Moor.

My little friend here was chowing down on a pine cone. He then took it and hid it in plain sight on the branch. LOL

I appreciate each and every visit, comment and fave here on my little corner of the world as seen through my lens.

Mount Kailash itself is known in the Tibetan language as Gang Ti-se and informally as Gang Rinpoche ("Precious Snow Mountain"), to the Bon as Yungdrung Gutsek ("Nine stacked Svastikas"). Though only 6714 m high, it stands quite alone like a great white sentinel guarding the main routes into Tibet from India and Nepal in the south and west.

Traditionally a pilgrim undertakes the 52-km trekking cirquit or circumambulation (khorlam) around Mount Kailash commencing at Darchen (4575 m) and crossing the 5630 m Dolma La pass on the second day of the three-day walk. This is followed by a trek of the same duration around the beautiful turquiose Lake Manasarovar known in the Tibetan language as Mapham Yutso མ་ཕམ་གཡུ་མཚོ།

www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet

The Muntjac Deer has established itself as a wild species in the UK. This small deer, not much bigger than a medium sized family dog originate in China but following release from Woburn Park from 1901 onwards the have established themselves in great swathes of central and southern England plus the heartland of Wales. They are deemed a pest by many, but for me, it was. areal pleasure to comer across a new mammal in the UK countryside. This particular one almost caught me by surprise as it dashed across a farmers field near Hickling Broad.

Well, it had to happen, because to complete the proper Victorian aesthetic look in my downstairs office and reading room I had to change the Angle-Poise light I had on my desk, which was a spare from my attic office, up in the roof space.

So I found this lamp instead, which is in the classic Accountants/Banker style, but the shade is in white, instead of green or blue. I loved those colours, but felt that they would be too dominant on the desk itself. [Not that I am fussy or anything]. Also, you can’t see it in this photo, but there is a rather nice white glass ‘tulip-shaped’ lamp to the side, behind the sofa, which has a sort of elegance that I thought this light had on my Victorian desk and would echo in style to match.

Now I sound like some house interior magazine waffling on about design. But, I will be spending a lot of time in here, so I might as well get it right, and that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it!

So here I was working in the evening on the MacBook and using my written notes and reference books in my usual way.

This is for a part of a series that I am going to show on my website and Flickr, depending how it all goes, and as to what goes where, I will sort it out as it goes along. Actually there has been quite a lot of work that I have been organising over the past few months. I have had one of those patches where the writing flowed and I just wanted to keep going. A lot of it has ended up in a series, well, four of them so far, rather than just singles because the photographs were either taken on the same day in roughly the same location yet each seems has something to say, or they go together as a group because the weather was similar over a period of time. But seeing them as a series together just gives them more power. Whether this will work on Flickr I am not sure, as the format is a bit restricting, but on my website I can place them all up on a page of their own. On Flickr I might just choose a few examples to tempt you to go and look at it on my website, designed with the poem to go with it. The important thing for me is that they appear together somewhere. But then I will also be printing them out as well…

I know that on Flickr many just scroll through…perhaps not even reading the text that goes with it, or the poem, but lately I have been thinking about this and have decided that I am not going to concern myself with this behaviour anymore. It is there if people wish to engage with it more fully. Because I used to produce creative work for a living you got used to keeping a copy for yourself. And by that I mean a physical, printed copy. Nothing beats it, because you feel as though you have actually done something, and for me that is important to show that you have a body of work. Social media, and even websites can lose information, shut down, or be sold off to the highest bidder…and your work might be lost if you haven’t backed it up, not to mention the subscription fees..which keep going up.

I think that if you are serious about your work, you need to treat it seriously, and lately I am thinking that perhaps the body of work I leave might be of use in the future. I have been encouraged by the reaction to it on Flickr and elsewhere, and that has really helped me to continue producing it. But I have also been thinking about my own well-being and what I enjoy doing. And that is going out with my camera and being inspired to write poetry to go with it. In this way, the joy of producing that work will continue to shine through the work itself as long as I get the balance right.

And for those of you who are itching to know what those piles of books are in the image..don’t worry, there is going to be more about that later. Books should be shared and collections loved, and I have been collecting all my life…

The time seems to be going by faster. A lot has happened since my last upload, both on the world stage and personally, because of various power-cuts, another water-leak in my home, and other matters I am behind in my own schedule for about a month. This winter has been tough. I have had to also block some people on here, as I did not like their controlling behaviour; that is just not acceptable. If you do not like my work then just move on, but also perversely, those that do like it but want to invade my life and use either my work or my empathetic nature for their own benefit can also remove themselves from my presence. You have missed the point entirely of my work.

I am here to share my own journey of the soul, and to help you with yours if you want me to, through art and conversation. Perhaps as creative people we can all find an equilibrium in this, as it is something we can do, that we can rely on to help us through the turbulent years in our lives. I know for myself that this is true, as my work has helped me to remain relatively sane in difficult times. It is also good to share, not just in challenging times, but also in the good times.

The creative arts have always had a place in shaping history too, it can be very powerful. And it can also be quietly consoling.

As well as producing work for my own portfolio it has always been my intention to provide a gallery on Flickr and a website that shows my work in such a way that it can be a constructive help. I wanted both of them to be a calm space, a place you can go to when you need to think, or settle your mind. I wanted these works to provide an understanding of the human condition, of the difficulties of keeping your faith, whatever God you follow, and also the joy that spiritual faith can provide.

And most of all, I wanted my work to offer hope in any dark times you might be going through.

Thank you all for your support and I hope to keep sharing my work and enjoying the wonderful images that you all share on Flickr. In our own way, perhaps we can make the world a better place. It is a privilege to be in the Flickr community and those who care not only about their own work, but also each other.

And If you would like to see more of my work, have a look at my website at:

www.shelleyturnerpoetpix.com

Update..

Thank you to all those who have responded to this Explored image...and a special thank you to those who read the accompanying text...as that was what this image was for, just to keep people in the loop as to what I am up to. But maybe the algorithm fancied a read today, who knows? At least, for the moment, it is more benign than Kubrick's "Hal"...

"Open the door Hal...open the door Hal..."

Love to all, Shell xx

Style & Decor Card at SLooK4U BLOG

Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Northcote, Victoria

Swimming pools in Victoria and elsewhere in Australia have been closed during the pandemic. There is apparently some evidence that, because of the treatment of the water in public pools, there is a very low risk of infection from swimming itself however they are places of gathering and no doubt social distancing would be difficult especially on a warm day.

The lone crow was cawing loudly and at times moving around to balance itself on the thin branch of the tallest tree in our yard. A squirrel joined in from its lofty perch in a nearby pine tree, giving its "kuk-kuk-kuk" sounds in unison with the crow. Although I didn't see anything, I think the consensus from the crow and the squirrel seemed to be that a predatory hawk or perhaps a sneaky cat was nearby. This went on for about five minutes, until the perceived danger by both "garden sentinels" was deemed to be gone. The crow flew away and the squirrel went back to eating the provisions that I had just refilled earlier.

The winter in the Black Forest showed itself from the most beautiful side.

A new year with hopes, wishes and dreams lies ahead of us.... let's get it on and make this year a good one!

Happy New Year, my dear friends!

Inspired by… Bing Crosby - Winter Wonderland

youtu.be/GP5_dJUd3BY

open.spotify.com/track/2IuUMx3uxxJAHcH41aYtn0?si=8688014d...

#RonnyRocketFlickPlaylist

open.spotify.com/playlist/6wAoGeGj1AF78JfQhgQQWu

"joy is less of a reward and more of a frequency," exploring a new breathtaking sim inspired by joy itself.

Sei Fiore,

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Frozen%20Star/166/140/25

Having worked a engineers to Eastleigh the previous day with sister 66554(on rear of locos), Freightliners 66413"Lest We Forget" finds itself working GBs 6Y48 09.01 Eastleigh to Hoo Jnct. engineers,and also in the consist are GBs own 66793+66778,seen passing Basingstoke on 07/Feb/22.Having not actually gone here for this due to known shadow issues if on time,I was fortunate in a late running allowing said shadows to disappear where it mattered.

Eyes on the prize and beaks at the ready, it's every Pelican for itself as the fish are flung overboard and into the air.

Going into the Sainsburys store where I work I noticed this single maple leaf had managed to find its way in! The nearest trees are a little distance away actually and sometimes young children like to pick them up…!

Glancing through my gallery you might think that we have an abundance of insect life in our surroundings. Nothing could be further from the truth and I struggle to find much at all day to day, especially at the moment during our anticyclonic gloom. One species that does seem to have done OK is the mother of pearl moth - patania ruralis. As I go around the garden watering with the hose, I inevitably disturb one or two moths and this one flew out yesterday and secreted itself amongst the Japanese azalea leaves. Usually these moths in flight travel fast and disappear before I can pinpoint their position. But I managed to spot this one's hiding place and got a snap or two, even with our dark, grey skies overhead. These mother of pearl moths have emerged from a clump of nettles which we grew in a container pot. Quite often they have flapped back into the nettles which have kindly stung me as I strive for a snap or two. This time however, there were no such hazards.

This is the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, built in 1870, on the western most part of the Oregon Coast, 256 feet above sea level.

Photographed 05-05-19 at around 3:45 pm, the sky isn't really this dark. I just lowered the luminance and applied darker levels to the sky when processing to illuminate the lighthouse itself.

explore 27june2009 #341

young little bittern (cannot fly yet) shows itself on the water lilies (De Gavers Harelbeke, Belgium)

That's a place that I really love in Franken, the castle itself is beautiful as an association exists that takes care of this landmark and the state of Bavaria is giving funding too to obtain the castle. View to the whole surrounding is great and from the overlook view to the castle itself is great too - at least in my view!

Here I did a really extreme wide angle composition. This picture was stitched together from 6 single shots which have been done using the 2,8/15 Distagon at the Nikon D800E.

The motel itself is at 112 McArthur St. The big sign is on Route 66 at 1009 E Santa Fe Ave. The motel is one block over.

These clump of green trees is the new beginning of a forest trying to regenerate itself. That windswept look to them tells a story of struggling to survive the elements. Enjoy a Tree- mendous Tuesday.

Showing itself now in the wild for a few precious months!

The wonderful, edible “weed”!

(What’s a weed? A plant in the wrong place!)

"Red protects itself. No color is as territorial. It stakes a claim, is on the alert against the spectrum."

Michael Derek Elworthy, English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author

In Greek mythology, Phoebe is one of the original Titans, the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. The word itself means bright and radiant. So what does this have to do with how the eastern phoebe and its kin got their name? Absolutely nothing.

Instead, the name comes from the call these birds make: FEE-BEE. Unromantic, but descriptively accurate. Sort of like the killdeer, which in no way is capable of killing anything the size of a deer but makes the sound KILL-DEER.

Scientifically, the eastern phoebe is known as Sayornis phoebe, and is a member of Tyrannidae, the tyrant flycatcher family. It's the largest and most diverse bird families in the world, with members found in almost all of the Western Hemisphere.

Eastern phoebes are mostly migratory birds, breeding during the summer in Canada's far north and most of the eastern United States, traveling south into Florida, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean to spend the winter. They are found year-round in the Southeast north of Florida; in recent decades there have been a few eastern phoebes found nesting in Florida as far south as Everglades National Park.

Most, however, arrive here in September and October, and return north in March and April.

I found this one along Joe Overstreet Road in Osceola County, Florida.

Exploring, the beauty of the past, all else is left to Imagination.

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[opis po polsku jest niżej]

So the story continues. If you came here for more than the picture itself, please check part 1 and part 2 of this story.

Apart of the locomotives painted green again, coming back to depots after overhauls, there was a number of locomotives that got their green heads independently. The reasons could be different but I think most common was some kind of commitment of railway fans that were PKP workshops employees that time. Sometimes it could be the head of the depot or other closer to top that could order repainting the heads. Anyway, this caused far more greenheaded mainline locomotives appearing on tracks, that it would come only after overhauls. And the locomotives painted in depots usually resembled more the look before yellow fronts era.

And the picture: EU07-173 with D-train 83100 "Krakowianka" from Kołobrzeg to Kraków Płaszów, leaves Budzyń station. The locomotive, despite overhauled in 2001, got its green front at Kraków Prokocim depot in the winter 2002, together with several other EU06/EU07 class locomotives. May 2, 2003.

Photo by Jarek / Chester

Kontynuujemy opowieść o początkach końca żółtych czół (albo początkach powrotu zielonych) na polskiej kolei w 2002 roku. Jeżeli interesucie Ciebie ta historia, przeczytaj jej część pierwszą oraz drugą, niedawno zamieszczone.

Dziś o nieco odmiennym podejściu do tematu. Oprócz lokomotyw wychodzących z napraw okresowych, przy których dokonywano odnowienia malatury, pojawiło się kilkadziesiąt egzemplarzy woluntarystycznie przemalowanych w lokomotywowniach. Chyba najczęstszą motywacją takich prac była chęć odtworzenia wyglądu lokomotyw sprzed ery żółtego, przez miłośników kolei pracujących w warsztatach czy mających moc decyzyjną w takich sprawach.

Jednym z ośrodków takich działąń była szopa Kraków Prokocim, skąd zielonoczelne lokomotywy EU06 i EU07 zaczęły wyjeżdżać już kilka dni po ogłoszeniu odstąpienia od obowiązku mallowania na żółto. I właśnie na zdjęciu krakowska lokomotywa po przemalowaniu czoła - EU07-173 z pociągiem pospiesznym 83100 "Krakowianka" opuszczającym Budzyń. 2 maja 2003 roku.

Fot. Jarek / Chester

I'm not able to find enough time to follow my eyes! Everywhere I go I see something, but especially when is calm and relaxing like Maldives. The white sand itself gave me a lot of inspirational thoughts..

"Are you doing a late one?" Katie stood at my office door in her coat, signalling that it was time to go. It's the first time she's worn a coat in months, which tells a story in itself. Ever since Lockdown started in the UK, or at least so it seems, the weather has been unusually good. Even in March, when we were first instructed to work from home it was nice enough to sit outside without a coat on. March is usually a bitter and blustery month in the UK. April is often only marginally better for that matter. But apart from a below average June, the summer has seemed longer this year. Until today it has at any rate.

"No, I'm coming with you," I replied. It was already nearly 6pm. I wasn't in the middle of anything and our boss had already left, so there was nobody to look heroically pious in front of. I switched off my computer and followed her out of the building. We look after each other like that as left unchecked we're both likely to carry on working until the caretakers throw us out during the crazy autumn term. Sometimes I think someone should bash our heads together and knock some sense into us - all this unpaid overtime doesn't impress anyone, although it does just about keep our heads above water.

Today had started wet, then been bright, and rained again before the evening sun filtered through the clouds - a recipe for the soft grainy warm yellow light that I saw on the slopes of Carn Brea as I drove home. Although it was just about an hour until sunset, I knew there was time to change quickly, hoping that everything was in the bag and head to Wheal Coates, the nearest coastal focal point on the map. I arrived to a blast of a distinctly chilly onshore breeze coming in from the north and immediately put my raincoat on over the one I was already wearing and tried to reconcile the conditions to the sweltering heat that had found me switching on the office fan just two days earlier. Still, when you can stand and gaze all the way along the coast down to St Ives and beyond just an hour after leaving work, a bit of fresh weather seems a small price to pay.

In my last post I talked about my routine of planning and preparing a shot, often waiting happily for an hour or more before even reaching for the camera. Today there was no time to reach for the unwritten textbook in my head as I hastily assembled the camera on the tripod to catch the yellow path over the sea reach the sunbeams bursting from low cloud on the horizon. Things weren't helped when it dawned on me that I'd left my glasses in the car, bringing instead my Ray Bans. Right now I was up there with Stevie Wonder in the looking cool stakes, but I only had a very small advantage over him in discerning what was happening on the three inch screen in front of me. It's not the first time I've done this when I've been in a bit of a hurry to get to a location.

Normally I stay well after sunset, most of the way through the blue hour watching the light fall and the colours fade into the darkness, but this evening it was too cold to hang around and gaze at nature's beauty. I headed home, to soon be passed by an escaped horse running in the direction of St Agnes, followed at a judicious distance by a conscientious driver with her hazard lights on. When I got home I phoned the police for the first time in my life to report the antics of our equine friend. They already knew and were on the way. Hope they got there in time to lead it to safety.

#2 in Flickr Explore July 24, 2023

* * *

"When you go on a road trip, the trip itself becomes part of the story.”

Steve Rushin

* * *

The Grossglockner Alpine Road, opened in 1935, is still one of the most popular attractions in the Alps.

This scenic and dramatic 48 km route is a breakneck serpentine of 36 hairpin bends.

The road is included in the list of the most dangerous and spectacular roads in the world.

The road leads into the heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park and winds its way through the unique mountain landscape.

* * *

Grossglockner Alpine Road, Austria

* * *

See my new photos in the "My Travels" album:

This has transplanted itself from elsewhere on the property and has taken over part of what used to be lawn. In the background are the leaves of Campanula persicifolia which will flower in a few weeks. This self-seeds and tends to grow where not much else will- at least in this garden.

IC 1318 (IC 1318A et IC 1318B), également appelée la nébuleuse du Papillon (en anglais Butterfly Nebula) est une nébuleuse en émission dans la constellation du Cygne.

Énorme nébuleuse en émission assez brillante et distincte, en forme d'accent circonflexe, assez difficile à voir, mais qui apparaît facilement sur les photographies. Elle possède en son centre une nébuleuse obscure (LDN 889). Elle se déploie autour de la brillante étoile Sadr (γ Cygni). Elle est située dans la Voie lactée, donc sur un fond riche en étoiles.

The Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318) in the Sadr Region (Gamma Cygni Nebula) is the diffuse emission nebula surrounding Sadr (γ Cygni) at the center of Cygnus's cross. It contains many dark nebulae (LDN889) in addition to the emission diffuse nebulae.

Sadr itself has approximately a magnitude of 2.2. The nebulous regions around the region are also fairly bright.

(Source: wikipedia)

= Acquisition =

William Optics Zenithstar 73ii (FL 430mm)

Risingcam IMX571 OSC

iOptron CEM26

WO UniGuide 50/200 + Touptek GPM462M

NINA & PHD2

= Séances photos =

@Astrobox 2.0 -- St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec -- Bortle 9

5, 6, 9 et 10 septembre 2024 : Filtre IDAS-NBZ -- 180sec x 120 (6h03)

= Traitement/processing =

Siril, Starnet++ & Affinity Photo 2

Temps d'exposition post-traitement : 5h12

AstroM1

Poker, in itself, may be considered dangerous to one's financial status but this hand goes a step further. James Butler ("Wild Bill") Hickok (May27, 1837-August 2, 1876) was a folk legend of the American Old West. He was fatally shot in the back while playing poker in Deadwood, Dakota Territory (Present-day South Dakota). He is alleged to have been holding 2 pairs (Aces and Eights) at the time of the event. The hand became known as "The Dead Man's Hand" and to the superstitious has been considered bad luck and even dangerous. Such was certainly true for Wild Bill. Alternate image: flic.kr/p/2gr4iLY

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower, in 2012, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The clock is a striking clock, with five bells.

The tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in a Perpendicular Gothic Revival style and was completed in 1859. It is elaborately decorated with stone carvings and features symbols related to the four nations of the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Welsh Tudor dynasty. A Latin inscription celebrates Queen Victoria, in whose reign the palace was built. The tower stands 316 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 40 feet (12 m) on each side. The dials of the clock are 22.5 feet (6.9 m) in diameter.

The clock uses its original mechanism and was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming clock in the world upon its completion. It was designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, and constructed by Edward John Dent and Frederick Dent. It is known for its reliability, and can be adjusted by adding or removing pre-decimal pennies from the pendulum. The Great Bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and weighs 13.5 long tons (13.7 tonnes; 15.1 short tons). Its nickname is derived from that of Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw its installation, although it is sometimes attributed to heavyweight boxing champion Benjamin Caunt. There are four quarter bells, which chime on the quarter hours.

Big Ben is a British cultural icon. It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and parliamentary democracy, and it is often used in the establishing shot of films set in London. The clock tower has been part of a Grade I listed building since 1970 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The clock and tower were renovated between 2017 and 2021, during which the bells remained silent with few exceptions.

The street itself suggests interesting shots, the key is to have a camera in your hand.

When I was coming home, I saw this person on a bicycle at the last minute. A quick shot, and I can show it to you today.

In a cold November evening in the lion's castle,

to the Siebengebirge near Bonn / Germany. The miraculous ones

Colours originate only from the cold. The look directs

itself in the Rhine Valley, as well as the Eifel.

You Constantly good light....

Novemberabend

An einem kalten Novemberabend auf der Löwenburg, über

dem Siebengebirge bei Bonn/Deutschland. Die wunderbaren

Farben entstehen erst durch die Kälte. Der Blick richtet

sich in das Rheintal, sowie die Eifel.

Euch Allzeit gutes Licht....

This cutie was cleaning itself, and I got this shot of it. I thought its great to start over again.

Thank you for stopping by, your kind comments, and faves.

Giordano Bruno

For some reason, I find this beautiful...perhaps the textures or the lure of it seeding itself for next year....

Life is an offering to itself....some does offer it to self only, while some other offer it selflessly....

These women were singing song while preparing community food for the devotees who would be visiting temple on that auspicious day of Uttarayan....the service they offer gives immense pleasure to them....it was a nice opportunity for me to experience it.

Taken in Orchha, Madhyapradesh, India