Scanned lith print.

 

Mamiya 645 ProTL w/ M-S 120 mm/f4 macro.

Nov 12, 2023.

 

Fomapan 100 @ iso 100, developed in Rodinal 1+100, semistand 1 h.

 

Lith printed on Forte Bromofort BSP 4 FB and developed in Moersch Easy Lith (20A+20B+15D+700H2O).

 

Toned in Se 1+4, 20 sec.

 

PS borders.

 

Night Stilleben Nov 11-12, 2023.

 

My first lith printing test with this old Forte paper. What gems Forte papers were. Warm tone lithable, despite being a bromide dominant paper.

Otter The elusive otter is one of our top predators, feeding mainly on fish (particularly eels and salmonids), waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as 'holts'. Excellent and lithe swimmers, the young are in the water by 10 weeks of age. Otters are well suited to a life on the water as they have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm, and can close their ears and nose when underwater. They require clean rivers, with an abundant source of food and plenty of vegetation to hide their secluded holts.

Damn, damn, damn.

 

Personally, I was blessed to have heard trumpeter Wallace Roney perform on several occasions in the late 1980s/early 1990s, when I worked at the One Step Down in Washington, D.C. He died on 31 March 2020 of complications from COVID-19, at age 59. This hits me hard.

 

▶ "Our collective spirits are taking some serious blows these days. Saying goodbye to one my beloved big brothers is especially hard. May the great Wallace Roney RIP."

— Christian McBride

31 March 2020.

 

*************

▶ "Wallace Roney, Jazz Trumpet Virtuoso, Is Dead at 59

Initially dismissed by many as a clone of Miles Davis, Mr. Roney, who has died of coronavirus complications, emerged as a major musician in his own right."

— New York Times

31 March 2020.

 

*************

▶ "Wallace Roney, a trumpeter and composer who embodied the pugnacious, harmonically restive side of post-bop throughout an illustrious four-decade career, died this morning [31 March 2020] at St. Joseph's University Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. He was 59.

 

The cause was complications from COVID-19, according to his fiancée, Dawn Felice Jones. She said Roney had been admitted to the hospital last Wednesday.

 

Roney first rose to prominence as a sharp young steward of the modern jazz tradition, winning national awards in his early 20s and joining several high-profile bands. But it was a public benediction by his idol and mentor, Miles Davis [at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival], that catapulted him into a rare stratum of jazz celebrity."

— NPR.

 

**************

▶ "A forward-thinking, post-bop trumpeter, Wallace Roney first emerged in the late-'80s as a gifted soloist with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Tony Williams. Blessed with a warm, often plaintive tone and lithe improvisational style, Roney is often regarded as the heir to the modal legacy of Miles Davis, though his playing also evinces the influence of trumpeters like Clifford Brown and Woody Shaw. While many of his albums, like 1989's "The Standard Bearer" and 1997's "The Village", display his talent for swinging and harmonically advanced acoustic jazz [I'd call it post-bop], others, like 2000's "No Room for Argument" and 2016's "In an Ambient Way" with the all-star group Powerhouse, reveal his love of genre-bending, electrified funk, and soul."

— AllMusic.

 

**************

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2023 A New Year's Eve Soliloquy

 

I was asked recently by a friend if I would ever be likely to teach someone what

he/she felt were my skills at pickpocketing.

 

Extremely flattering as the question was, I had never thought of what we do as a skill. Rather than just role play, or taking advantage of a friend’s condition ( like Pissed drunk, or compellingly overwhelmed emotionally) that makes them vulnerable.

 

We had a discussion over this with my brother and our group of friends, concluding that since non of us would ever try to do a lift on a stranger for keeps, the topic of this being an actual skill is pretty much mute.

 

That all being said, if there are professional pickpockets that are adept enough to actively lift jewelry from a victim, then either they are incredibly skilled, or just know how to spot an advantage brewing that would cook up into a victim’s concocting condition as described above.

 

For a clearer example of a concocting condition, let me relate my own experience this past New Year’s Eve.

 

As is our habit, my friends and I celebrated New Year's Eve at our local “The Poet & Peasant Pub”.

 

I was on the decorations committee, so I was there to observe most of the guests coming in.

 

I was at the top of the stairs leading to the upper rooms, placing a party hat on Erik, the skull of the medieval poet who is the pub’s namesake. The macabrely grinning thing sits high on a ledge of the stairs overlooking the pub and its guests (peasants).

 

So I had a great vantage point to take an early drink and watch.

 

A friend(and he knows of whom I speak) had sorta challenged me to make a lift this evening. So it was with a thief’s eye that I tried to look innocent as I watched the partiers coming in.

 

The pub proper is not large, but it has two larger first-floor rooms, one for dance, the other for dart competitions. Since we usually can expect a crowd of two hundred, all three areas come into play.

 

The upstairs rooms are old bedrooms used for various pub-related antics.

 

Now, It’s not supposed to be a dressy affair at this party, but the guests, regulars, and visitors make it one.

 

The gents in suits, and tuxes, the lady’s getting a second chance to show off by wearing an old gown or dress they’ve only worn once.

 

Rhinestones and pearls are the majority of jewels worn with splashy brilliance.

 

This year was no exception.

 

Once it was in full swing one would have thought it was an after-party at a actors' awards show.

 

Use that thought to picture in your mind a quick visual without me going into boring paragraphs of detail.

 

But for a brief idea, I’ll describe what my clique was wearing…

 

Which, since it was one(or more)of us girls that became a victim that evening, it appears appropriate to do so.

 

So, In my role-play thief's mind I observed:

 

First off, myself.

 

I had on a smart ocean blue coloured satin dress with a below-knee length skirt and a slick solid top with a mock turtleneck collar. The sleeves flared out just below my elbows. I was wearing my gold necklace set with diamond Sapphire rhinestones with matching long earrings. Also being worn was my rhinestone cuff bracelet. The same one my brother once nicked from me at the very pub we were now partying at.

I also added two of my real cocktail rings to complete the glittery effect.

 

As far as the type of mark I’d be for a thief? Well if being a twit came in degrees, and I was in my monthly period, I would be certified as a solid brown belt. If I was wearing real jewels, thieves would be able to have a field day lifting the bloody things, as did actually happen to me in a very similar situation as this evening. But it was not done by a real thief, just by an opportunist who took advantage of a victim who had been having herself a pisser.

 

But then, this is not that story.

 

My friend Byrne was wearing an old-fashioned black tux, black vest, black shirt, and blue bow tie, topped off by a black bowler. He had to work late at the Dyfed station that day and said he was wearing the suit he had on. So it was a pleasant surprise to see him dressed up, and I let him know it in no uncertain terms.

 

My brother was dapper in his tawny-colored herringbone vest suit, brown silk shirt, and gold satin necktie. A gold satin handkerchief stuck jauntily out from a vest pocket.

 

Ginny had again poured her lithe figure into the sleek satin Japanese-style Qipao sheath dress she had bought to wear in a play she acted in last spring. It was midnight black with a brite lime green inner lining and tight lime green Lycra pants. The only decoration on the elegant dress was a glittery silver rhinestone Dragon, with green slanted eyes and a red fiery tongue. It was embroidered crawling up one side of the dress, reaching around up towards her bosom.

Ginny was wearing a bib-style necklace of rhinestone emeralds with matching earrings.

 

The necklace she usually wore was still in a police evidence locker at Dyfed ( see my tea party story).

 

Her hair was held up on one side by a glittery clip. She wore no gloves, so her diamond rhinestone cuff bracelet lay on bare skin, as were the 3 cocktail rings she was wearing.

 

Ginny would be a tougher nut for thieves to crack. For she is logical to a fault and witty. She is also a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu.

 

But one really after her jewels, would just have to follow her around to see she is on the wee bit clumsy side. I immediately thought how useful a satin handkerchief could be if employed along the high, partially exposed neckline of her gown to acquire her necklace. And I happened to now know where to obtain one ….

 

Two other two close friends (members of our role-playing troupe) also eventually showed up.

 

Merrick was dashing in a James Bond-styled black tux. The vest he wore had a gold and black calico silk pattern.

 

His Heather enticingly was wearing a very shiny black satin, slightly off shoulders gown with long white lace frills hanging down from the neckline and the gown’s puffy elbow-length sleeves.

 

Her jewellery was a ruby rhinestone necklace with matching earrings. Like Ginny, one side of her hair was pulled back and held by one of her real diamond chip hair clips. She wore black satin gloves, and around one wrist was the wide tennis bracelet Merrick had given her last Valentine’s Day. It was a beauty, two rows of diamonds and a centre row of round rock rubies. She also wore twin ruby cocktail rings.

 

Heather is a timid meek little thing who blushed easily and turn her head away whenever complimented(think of Actress Alison Pill ). Also, those black satin gloves of hers would hinder feelings of lifting from her skin.

  

Mum and Auntie were also in attendance.

 

Mum was wearing a shimmering dress of silvery metallic material. She was wearing a necklace of round diamond rhinestones, with matching earrings and bracelets. They were ones I first “borrowed “, sneaking them out of mum’s day jewel case and started wearing as my twin and I began first exploring our games of thievery.

 

Her personality and looks matched the actress Haley Mills. Her eyes getting delightfully large as she was surprised by something. It would be worth trying for her necklace just to witness that reaction.

 

Father was working the Dyfed station this evening, so my bodyguard-built uncle was the escort of both ladies.

 

Uncle(or the man from U.N.C.L.E . As I thought of him) was a rugby player in his youth and still had the physic for it. The tight tux he wore looked like it was bursting from the seams over his muscular build. But for all his looks he was a pussycat. Though a fierce darts competitor.

 

Auntie was very elegant in a long white silk dress with a red and green flowery print. She was wearing her gleaming set of pearls.

Our Aunt reminded me of the actress Janine Duvitski, in looks, and the way she was insecure, like Janine’s character in the Telly series” Waiting for God.” She was a foil to far too many things in her life and would offer no challenge to a proper thief, which may be her saving grace.

 

Then there was our cousin Michelle(Micke)

 

She has come there with a group of her coworkers but divided her time with us.

 

Micke was enticingly wearing a very sleek, slick brown satin fully off-shoulder number that nicely outlined her petite figure as it poured along it down to her silver high heels.

 

Her Jewels were a sparkling collection that consisted of a wide V-shaped necklace that looked like a falling river of rhinestones, amazingly sparkling chandelier earnings, her favorite diamond-appearing bracelet, and several enticing rings.

 

But the real showpiece was the eye-grabbing broach she had pinned to the gown just at her waistband. It had a sparrow egg-sized diamond at its centre.

 

Now blonde Micke just wears her heart upon her sleeve. Just as gullible as her mum, she has fallen victim to many of our pranks. Micke was easy prey to a compliment or falling into a tight, searching hug.

 

And by now most of the rest of the crowd had entered.

 

I tapped Erick’s boney jaw open so the poor sod of a poet was grinning, then came down from my perch to begin mugging, er, mingling.

 

^^^^^^^^

 

And so the party rambled on, properly behaving like most pub-held New Year’s Eve affairs.

 

I highly recommend going to one if you have never been.

 

Plenty to drink, and eat, games to play dancing to music( ours was live this year) camaraderie, storytelling and jokes, attempts to lite the cigar someone had stuck in Erik’s mouth, etc

 

Oh, And did I mention games?

 

Especially the one I was playing on my own, pretending to be a thief on the prowl.

 

I did miss one early opportunity on me mum’s necklace when I stood behind her in the snack line. She had literally backed into me and was reaching down to snag a small pork pie, exposing her throat and necklaces' clasp. But uncle was in front of her and turned to look as she asked him if he had one for himself.

 

Victims 1 Thief 0

 

But then as the night went by quickly and since I’m not a real thief, I found myself having so much fun I almost forgot I was looking for a further lifting opportunity.

 

Almost…

 

End Acte 1

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^*

Acte 2

 

Almost forgot I had been dared to do a lift, that is until I had l came out of the loo around 11:00 and realized I was on my own.

 

For the first time that evening.

 

Everyone I had been with was split up into small groups now doing their own thing

 

I could either join in, watch, or….

 

And now I thought licking my freshly touched-up lips, time to do something on my own.

 

So like my pretend thief, I decided to have a walk around and seek an opportunity amongst my chosen potential victims.

 

Byrne, Merrick, Uncle, and my brother Craig were we’re still playing darts with another group of men. I had been watching before slipping away to freshen up.

 

Micke and one of her co-workers ( in green taffeta) were amongst a group dancing. I thought of cutting in as a possibility to make a score, for that glittering broach of hers was an enticing calling card.

 

I watched for a minute or so when suddenly an opening appeared that paved my way in. A man had cut in and was dancing with Micke’s girlfriend. His back to Micke. I curled my fingers while licking my lips ready to plunge in and make a lift of a glittery broach.

 

I got no more than two steps in when the music stopped and the dancers headed off the floor in the opposite direction, including my Cousin.

 

I walked away, my heart pounding.

 

Victims 2 Thief 0

 

Our Mum and Auntie were sitting at a side table of the long mahogany bar, chatting away. Mum has an almost empty glass, so I surmised she may need to be making a trip to the ladies' room. I stored away that tidbit.

 

But there, in an opposite corner, underneath Erik’s perch, a makeshift stage was set up. With guests coming up to tell jokes and stories.

 

It was at one of the tables, chairs backed against the stairway, Ginny and Heather sat listening to an Irishman telling one of his drinking stories.

 

Both, in my thief’s eye, were a royal treat to be observed. Two enticingly dressed and deliciously jeweled prospects, very distracted, sitting in a rather vulnerable location.

 

It was all far too tempting, and I felt an overwhelming urge to acquire a piece of jewellery and strted to excitedly tingle from deep within.

 

Ginny’s necklace was beckoning with a flashy invitation. Heather's elegantly gloved hands with the inviting jewelry she wore, also called out to my inner thief with a fiery blazing hot lure.

 

^^^^^

 

The Irishman telling the joke was holding a long cigar as he started, his accent and mannerisms adding much embellishment to the story.

 

(Look up on Utube Mike Dunafon. An Irish drinking joke)

 

“Irishman Paddy O'Brien has moved to a small city in Wales. And as men are won’t to do, looks for a new local. He walks into the first pub he finds, and tells the bartender, "Give me three pints of Guinness."

 

The bartender obediently brings him three pints…..

 

As the story started I had circled over to the empty staircase and snuck up it till I was level with Heather and Ginny’s chairs. Then I sat down.

I earlier decided that my game would be to lift a piece and make it outside to the victim’s car and write gotcha on it, for my thief to win, if I was caught or stopped by anyone, then I lost.

 

The Irishman took a long puff of his cigar and carried on.

 

Paddy proceeds to alternately sip one, then the other, then the third until they're gone. Then he rose, threw coins on the table, winked at the bar mistress, and left.

 

Meanwhile, I was leaning against the rails, my hands reaching out to the back of Ginny’s throat, aiming for the clasp of her emerald-laden necklace. Figuring once the punchline was given, the laughing (if it was as funny as I hoped) would provide the perfect opportunity.

 

The Irishman continues…

 

The next Saturday evening Paddy walks in, hanging his cap, taking a seat, he walks again and orders three more pints.

 

The bartender brings them over, and says, "Sir, you don't have to order three pints at a time. I can keep an eye on one and when you get low, I'll bring you a fresh pint."

 

Paddy responds, "You don't understand. I just moved to wales and I have two brothers, one in Australia and one Canada. We made a vow to each other that every Saturday night we'd still drink together. So right now, me brothers are having three Guinness Stouts and we're drinking together.

 

The bartender thought that it was a wonderful tradition and said as much.

 

Both Ginny and Heather were now leaning back in their chairs. My fingers had been slowly working on pulling Ginny’s necklace down lower on her back so it would dangle. Just then Heather put her arms behind her chair. Her bracelet danced with rippling sparks that just cried out to the thief in me to be taken.

 

So, as the Irishman took a sip of his drink, I moved my hands from Ginny, and moving down a stair reached for Heather’s ruby bracelet. As the next part of the joke was told, I delicately worked at removing it.

  

Now, every week for several years Paddy came in and ordered three pints at a time.

 

Then one Saturday week he came in and ordered only two pints.

 

He solemnly drank them, rose. Put on his cap and went over to pay his tab.

 

The bartender, who had worriedly been watching, said to Paddy, "I know your tradition, and I'd just like to say that I'm sorry that one of your brothers died."

 

Paddy responded, “oh no, both my brothers are just fine Dontchay knows now.”

 

The Bartender, puzzled asked, “then why only two beers now? laddie?”

 

But I never heard the answer, for as Paddy was still drinking his two beers, I had fiendishly slipped off Heather’s glittering ruby bracelet from around her sleekly gloved wrist and had snuck off the staircase and was heading towards the back door.

 

Victims 3 Thief 1

 

I managed to slip past the table where my Aunt sat( mum was gone).

 

Behind me, I hear vigorous laughter and applause at the ending of the Irishman’s joke.

 

I would have to ask later what it was.

 

Then, by the entrance to the dart room, I waited until everyone was watching a dart being thrown before walking past the room.

 

The dance floor was again packed. But I couldn’t spy Micke, so I took a chance and scurried past.

 

I made it to the door, excitedly letting out my breath as I pulled it open and slipped through into the chilly night.

 

A couple was walking in the parking lot, so I ducked into a shadowy side alley and skirted around a fence. Kneeling, I peeked through the pickets.

 

I did not know the couple, but they obviously had been having a great time, though I wondered why they were leaving so soon. The lady was dressed in a blue taffeta gown with prickling rhinestone adornments. Her jewelry also prickled fire in the moonlit evening.

 

In my thief’s eyes, I saw them being approached and held up. The lady is forced to hand over her jewels to a masked female thief. Not me though, the thief I was picturing had bigger boobs.

 

Of course, that would be something only I would find to be that amusing, and let out a giggle.

 

They both heard it and looked around as I slinked back into the shadows.

 

They shrugged it off and got inside the car.

 

I took my eyes off them and soon spotted Merrill and Heather’s black sports car.

 

I rose.

 

Suddenly a male voice snarled sinisterly from behind me...

 

“Who let you out all dressed up looking like a mugger's dream?”

 

I let out a shriek as I jumped up and turned around.

 

Byrne stood there grinning.

 

I playfully pounded his shoulder, my heart thumping as I scolded him between breaths that gave off wisps of vapor into the cold night.

 

“Byrne you rotter. Scared the Jesus out of me you did, and almost peed my undies. And how would that have looked I ask you?!”

 

Byrne held onto my shoulders and laughed.

“Sorry, you looked so mischievous as I saw in the corner of my eye you sneaking out. I followed, then lost you until I heard the giggle. So tell me what you are up to now?”

 

I explained to him my game, that upon the thief’s success, I had come out to write “gotcha” on the car door.

 

“Then what were you gonna after that Ms. Cadence?”

 

“Follow Heather out when she left and give it back …?”

 

Byrne looked thoughtfully at Merrick’s car.

“I have got a better idea. She won’t know who did it.”

  

He led me over to his auto. Goes to the back and pulls a long slender bar from what I call his cop box, in the trunk.

 

We go over to Merrick’s black sports car and Byrne, looking around first, uses the tool to lift the latch on the passenger side.

 

“Now lay her bracelet out on the seat.

 

I did so letting it curl up on the black leather, where it lay sparkling. Then I locked and shut the door.

 

With a smirk, Byrne reminded me not to forget what else I was going to do

 

I nodded and in the dirty side of the door, I traced the word “Gotcha” as Byrne went over to put back his tool.

  

Arm in arm, with a co-conspirator's air, we walked onto the sidewalk, making our way to the front of the pub and went back inside. Innocent as a sparrow…

 

Another gent was getting up on the stage telling a story so we went and joined Ginny and Heather with an air of innocence as we began laughing along with them.

 

An old Irishman, Paddy, is about to go to his eternal reward. He looks at his grieving friend, Mike, and says, "Michael, I have one last request."

 

Ginny’s necklace was still lifted and the backside hanging down. She hadn’t noticed that fact. Nor had giggling Heather noticed her flashy bracelet was now missing.

 

"Anything, Paddy," Mike says. "What is it?"

 

"In me kitchen pantry lad, you'll find a bottle of whiskey from the year I was born. When they put me in the ground will you pour it over me grave as a final salute?"

 

"I will, Paddy," Mike says.

 

“Thank you Michael, you have been a true and thoughtful lad.”

 

I nudged Byrne and pointed to my wrist. He looked over and saw that Heather had her hand on the table, with her other gloves hand over it. I was tingling with excitement over how my game had played out.

 

Byrne nudged me back and I shook my head in agreement. He was loving the fact that we had pulled it off. So like a man to take the whole credit now that he had contributed a wee bit to my game.

 

We both turned back to listen to the stories finish.

 

"But Paddy?”

Mike asks earnestly ….

 

“Would you be minding if I be passing it through me kidneys first?"

  

The whole room erupted into laughter as the gent merrily raised his glass.

 

It was then announced that we were only ten minutes away from midnight and everyone should take their places.

 

I gasped inwardly. Blimey had not been keeping track of the time.

 

Byrne helped us out of our chairs, and we followed Ginny and Heather to where my brother was standing next to Merrick.

 

Lights soon dim as the countdown begins

10,9,8,

 

Everyone behind us is prancing around

 

7,6,5

 

We go around hugging. I lift my brother's satin handkerchief from his pocket as I hug him.

 

4,3,2

 

I hug Ginny

Wrapping the handkerchief around Ginny’s throat as we hug. Feeling the clasp of her necklace. Oh so tempting.

 

Victims 4 Thief 1

 

Then 1 was called out at the stroke of midnight.

 

“Happy new years everybody!!!”

 

Lights flicker horns are honked, crackers exploded, and drinks were toasted.

 

As Ginny turns to hug my brother, I grab and hug Heather, seeing Merrick and Byrne hugging.

 

I then pull Bryne from his man crush on Merrick and hug him.

 

Then we spilt up to wish others a Happy New Years.

 

^^^^^^^^^

 

We party for another hour before Merrick and Heather say they must leave.

 

We say our goodbyes and as Byrne and I watch Heather being helped on with her wrap we smirk at each other knowing what she will be finding on her car seat. Love to be a fly on the wall for that.

 

The music was still playing. A series of slow dances now that the party was winding down.

 

As we dance, Byrne, looking over at Ginny, commented:

 

“Damn if Ginny’s necklace isn’t a corker. If I’d been playing your game, I would have had a go for it, though I may have needed a bit of good luck to pull it off.”

 

I smirked and explained I had originally been attempting to lift it but had gone for the bracelet instead…and that in his case luck may have been needed, but it would not have been good.”

  

Then, as we both were watching Ginny, with that lovely necklace just sparking away around her throat, I purred into his ear…

“Say the word, and I’ll get for you, my love.”

 

He shook his head no…

“The scary part is if I said yes you would do it.”

 

I giggled:

“And wear it until she noticed.”

 

Byrne smiled:

“You will play nice here the rest of the party won’t you now?”

 

I nodded as a delighted thought crept into my head.

 

“So if Ginny had been skulking outside would you have snuck up on her luv, maybe had her hand it over?”

 

“And have my arse thrown over the fence. No, think I’ll stick to the easily distracted ones who meltdown in my arms.”

 

“Dream on mister.” I chide him happily.

  

^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Early the next morning as the last of us were kicked out long after the party was officially over, Byrne bundled me into his car, knowing I was too wasted to drive my own self home. I sat there in a mute stupor, hornily replaying the evening's fun.

 

Suddenly Byrne spoke into the windshield.

“Let’s go to the playground.”

 

I perked up, for ideas like that usually came from me.

 

“Your drunk.” I teases

 

“Well, So are you Lass.”

 

“But it’s too cold. Let’s go to your flat and play at burglars…”

 

Byrne, sensing my hot flashy feelings, nudged me…

 

“I knew you would like to role-play since you were playing your games this evening.”

 

I poked him

“You were the one to mention muggers. Steal my jewelry and strip me naked, is that what’s in your head me lad?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Do you have your cuffs?”

That perked him up royally.

 

“Do you want me to use them?”

 

I giggled with a burgeoned horny appetite.

“Yes, laddie. On yourself. So you can do the thieving and stripping of my easily distracted person without using your hands.”

 

I do so enjoy it when one can score by making my Byrne speechless.

  

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

So I would like to think that in real life, once upon a time, there may have been an actual pickpocket attending an actors' award show after a party, with real jewellery being worn, that may have seen what I saw, made observations as I did. and lurked, and waited to take advantage of the situation once it developed.

As I did.

 

Food for thought

 

Fini

  

Mike Dunafon. An Irish drinking joke

 

youtu.be/olQI8rak8c0

 

For more Mayra, click on her album below. (To access her album on your iPhone, click on the information icon at the bottom of this screen; then, when your next screen appears, scroll down just a bit, and you'll see her "album.")

The majestic Collie, thanks to a hundred years as a pop-culture star, is among the world's most recognizable and beloved dog breeds. The full-coated 'rough' Collie is the more familiar variety, but there is also a sleek 'smooth' Collie. The Collie is a large but lithe herder standing anywhere from 22 to 26 inches tall. The rough variety boasts one of the canine kingdom's most impressively showy coats; the smooth coat's charms are subtler but no less satisfying.

At last, a different bear! Leaving the World's Coolest Bear for today, we take a look at a lithe and limber male in his prime. Having long legs can be useful in many ways, which obviously includes bridging streams that other bears cannot. Btw, Ms Cool Bear hates this guy, as he is bigger than her and also a fish thief. But in the struggle to survive, there is no right and wrong - at least among animals - and he is merely using his physical gifts to best advantage.

 

Notes: We had names for each of these bears, but my feeling is that Mel has the copyright on those. She has far more experience with these particular bears than I have, and being able to identify individual bears and have some idea of their behaviour was really helpful from both a photographic and safety standpoint. We had to give some of the bears extra space. Some were to be trusted more than others. Every time a new bear arrived on the beach, I would ask her, "Who is this?" If she said, "Georgina", aka Cool Bear, we knew we could relax, but if it was "Brutus", we'd have to remain alert, as he was the alpha bear that would chase all the other bears off the beach and then turn his attention to us. Very interesting to see them as unique individuals, rather than the generic "bear" of brief roadside or back country encounters!

 

Photographed on the wild coast of British Columbia (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

13th and Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Tea for the Tillerman

Acte 2

 

Tea Party Misadventure

 

One would never have guessed anything out of the ordinary would be occurring at Mum’s soiree that early summer afternoon as we all gathered on the back lawn, surrounded by our gardens.

 

It was a beautiful sunny day, not too warm, with a cooling breeze that hinted, but not yet threatened, rain.

 

The yard and garden look beautiful, trimmed and cleaned up by my father and my twin brother the days before. Neither one would be in attendance, having fled well before the guests' arrival to the sanctuary of our local, the Poet and Peasant Pub.

 

The “boys” were usually pressed into service to help out at Mum’s larger afternoon teas. But this time she was helping out a friend by hiring her cousin’s budding catering service.

 

The story actually began for Ginny and me at the pub when we nipped in for a quick pre-tea drink, catching up with my father and brother.

 

We wanted to show off the outfits that we were wearing to the two of them. There also was an ulterior motive. I was sweet on a lad named Bryon, who was one of the 2nd year Detective Constables under my Father’s command.

 

To my silent congratulations, I had guessed correctly that he would be there

 

Ginny was besotted over my brother, and the pair of lovebirds had already been a couple for some time, she just liked to keep him reminding him as to why.

 

Since Ginny and I were already going out to an evening wedding reception formal do the next evening, we decided on wearing the same outfits to the tea as sort of a trial run.

 

I had on a smart teal-coloured silk dress with the pleated knee-length skirt and a slick solid top with a mock turtleneck collar. The long sleeves flared out just before reaching my wrists. I was wearing my gold mesh necklace with matching semi-long earrings. Also being worn was my rhinestone cuff bracelet. The same one my brother once nicked from me at the very pub we were heading to. And that is another story I promise to tell. I also added two of my real gemstone cocktail rings to complete the glittery effect.

 

Ginny?

Well, our Ginny girl was smashing.

 

She had poured her lithe figure into the sleek satin Japanese style Qipao sheath dress she had bought to wear in a play she acted in last spring. It was midnight black with a brite lime green inner lining and tight lime green Lycra pants. The only decoration on the elegant dress was a glittery silver rhinestone Dragon, with green slanted eyes and a red fiery tongue. It was embroidered crawling up one side of the dress, reaching around up towards her bosom.

 

“Naughty Dragon.”

 

Ginny had green mascara above her eyes, around which she drew lines of black mascara to give them a slanted look. The whole effect looked a lot like Shirley Jackson did in the Michael Caine movie Gambit. Right up to the solid gold headpiece in Gunny’s reddish hair.

 

Ginny also had in her emerald drop earrings, along with her emerald bracelet and a fancy emerald cocktail ring.

 

But it was her necklace that stole the show.

 

The opulently handsome necklace was the estate auction-won long pendant that had neatly set her back a month's wages. We both had opened bids on it at the same time, with me immediately backing off so she would win it.

 

It was a very shimmery piece of jewellery, with its long rhinestone encrusted chain hanging past her breasts, ending with a dangling pendant which held a birds egg size synthetic oval-shaped emerald, surrounded by long rhinestone fringes that resembled the silver beard of the dragon on her dress.

 

It was a very striking effect, especially when it stopped swaying and hung straight down, appearing just out of reach from the grasping front rhinestone claw of the gem greedy dragon.

 

So dressed, the pair of us caused quite a stir as we causally entered the pub that late morning. With a lot of compliments and bugging out eyeballs sent our way.

 

After hanging out at the pub for a bit, my plan was accomplished(judging by the look on Bryon's face). I pried my brother off of Ginny(or was it the other way round?) and we took our leave and headed over to my parent’s house to help mum with any last-minute details for her tea.

 

We located my mum in the kitchen showing the head caterer the location of various items they would be using.

 

Ginny and I politely waited till she was through.

 

Mum then came over, fawning over the way we looked.

 

But my Mum was also looking exceptionally pretty that afternoon.

 

Her long red hair was up in an elegant bun, held by a deep blue rhinestone trimmed satin ribbon.

 

She wore the solid sky blue taffeta dress that shone with a tight sleekness along her still svelte figure. It was the same dress she had worn out earlier that week for my parent's anniversary” Date Night” dinner and show.

 

I loved that dress and relished in its feel as I had tried it on while we were out shopping for dresses. Mum is short and petite, like me so we are nearly the same size. I rather thought it looked good on me and was already planning on borrowing it.

 

The skirt was higher in front(below knees) than in the back where it was just above her ankles. The neckline of the dress was an open low scoop and had wavy ruffles running along its opening, the sleeves went to her elbows, ending in ruffles.

 

Missing were the 3/4 length satin gloves of deep blue she had also worn that anniversary evening.

 

Not missing, however, were the glittery diamonds she had worn out for that evening. Her really good jewels, the ones that everyone always asked for...

 

“They’re not real, right?”

 

But they were, the only real gemstones she owned, given to her by papa over several wedding anniversaries. My parent’s kept them in a safety deposit box in a city bank. Mum had cajoled Papa not to return them until after her tea, yearning to wear them to “show-off,” Just this once Honey” she had winningly purred.

  

The silver diamond set consisted of pierced earrings, set with 1 1/4 carat round stones with a full 2 carat pear-shaped larger stone dangling. The necklace was a silver chain with 5 round 1 1/4 caret diamonds in a v pattern. Hanging from the two end and middle round stones were three 3-carat pear-shaped diamonds, the same size as the ones swinging from her earrings. There was also a 3-carat pear-shaped diamond pinky ring(10 Anniversary gift) which mum was wearing on her right pinky. She also was wearing her diamond engagement and wedding bands.

  

Mum had cheerfully introduced us to the caterers. a small rag-tag crew of six, all girls. The owner, her black-dressed goth daughter, and four of the daughter’s similarly clad school chums.

 

They appeared very wet behind the ears as far as experience, but it was better than Ginny and I being pressed into helping serve, which had sometimes been the case previously.

 

When I was much younger mum actually had me wearing a black satin maids outfit with white frills to serve her guests tea and biscuits.

 

We were there in plenty of enough time to help greet the first arriving guests.

 

Soon Ginny and I were in the thicke of it, mingling in as more and more arrived. I don't think we had been there more than an hour before the tea was in full swing.

 

Now amongst the usual caste of characters, there was a lady(Sharie) from church who had her sister(Clarice) visiting up from London. She had asked if the sister could come, which of course she was more than welcome to attend.

 

Clarice had brought along her daughter, a lovely shy toddler named Claire, all 3 years old. An adorable, precocious blue-eyed imp with long gold tresses of gold hair.

 

Claire’s mum must have been told about how all the guests were dressing.

 

Clarice was wearing a short shiny floral patterned dress, an unadorned scooped neck with layered scalloped sleeves hanging just over her shoulders. Her jewels were a pair of silver chains hanging down from her neck, diamond stud earrings, and a diamond tennis bracelet, along with her pricey-looking engagement and wedding rings.

 

She had her daughter Clair dolled up in a long yellow lacy silk number with a black satin sash that held a round rhinestone pin. Along with a neat black velvet jacket. She wore what appeared to be genuine pearls, consisting of earrings along with a long dainty necklace.

 

The little darling was soon running around unheeded, tripping over herself in excitement to be on the loose.

 

I had always heard first-time mums were always ultra protective of their first born.

 

But not Clarice. She let her young daughter have the run of the place and figured others would keep an eye on the tyke.

 

And there were plenty of mothers in that group who did, at first, before it got old later on.

 

Ginny and I had been talking to Mum, Sharie, and Clarice when little Claire troll-loped back over to her mum.

 

Ginny happily picked up Claire, who was soon playing with my friend’s diamond pendant.

 

“Should ‘ave brought my nieces over to play with you..” Ginny chirped to the happy Lass, who answered by cooing out some words in an unknown toddler language.

 

The older three ladies moved off, leaving us alone, with Ginny still holding the huggy Claire.

 

It was soon after, that this grandmotherly-looking lady wearing glasses with big rose-coloured lenses, approached us.

 

Neither Ginny nor I recognized her.

 

She was wearing this long raw silk muddled brown garment, a long canvas purse over one hooded arm, with wood beads looking like miniature croquet balls, hanging from her neck, and perched on her head, a turban.

 

She seemed out of place with Mum’s crowd. I mean who wears a turban and wood beards to a dress-up tea?

 

She had come up to Ginny and admired our “just darlhing” outfits. Treating us like we were 14-year-olds instead of the twenty-something Ginny and I both were at the time.

Very annoying.

 

Stroking and caressing along my dress with clammy dime store ringed fingers, which she also used to finger my hair, as she bombarded us with questions.

 

Ginny had put down the wriggling Claire and was now politely listening.

 

As she reached up to admire Ginny’s necklace, I saw her beady fox-like eyes darting around.

 

She gushingly told us that we were the prettiest thing ever, and she would not be surprised to find the mother of ones so cute would also be pretty. She looked around.

 

“So which of these lovelies is are your mother’s, my sweethearts?”

 

She drew out her words while asking this in a silky, but still oddly demanding tone of voice.

 

Ginny shook her head, admitting her mum was out of town with her father on a re-election jaunt (Ginny’s mum is a local politician)

 

I obediently began to look around for mum, the whole while explaining she was the hostess. Finally, I saw her and pointed her out.

 

She laughed with a snort, attempting, but failing to produce, a friendly smile.

  

“I would have thought it was that fetching lady over there luv, wearing those pretty rubies...”

 

She said this while digging her fingers into my soft sleeve while pointing out a lady wearing a silvery slinking gown similar to the one I saw worn by the character Ana Steele in the movie Fifty Shades Darker.

 

“That is Mrs. Shannon,” Ginny said, correcting the lady for me, as all three of us looked over in that direction.

 

I noticed that Claire had made her way over to them, so much for us keeping an eye on the child.

 

Next to Mrs. Shannon was her 12-year-old daughter, a shy lass named Gabrielle. She was very pretty wearing a long silky cream dress that looked like a slip. A black velvet bolero jacket completed her look. She was also wearing real rubies like her mom. Though hers were a smaller version.

 

I figured that Claire had recognized a fellow child in Gabrielle and had gone over to play with her.

 

Indeed, Gabrielle had now captured Claire and was holding the toddler.

 

A girl named Estella, Gabrielle’s school chum, stood next to her, teasing Claire.

 

I shuddered.

 

If I had a daughter, Estella would be my last choice of a friend for her.

 

There was just something about that cheekily sly little imp that I just found to be unsettling.

 

But poor awkward Gabrielle had a hard time making friends. And I'm sure that Estella was only pretending to be one to take advantages of her rich classmate. Like being invited to parties like this

 

Gabrielle’s mum was totally clueless about this fact. And I’m sure encouraged the two to be friends.

 

But I do harbor a case in point.

 

Estella had a birthday party last summer. Inviting her like-minded friends, as well as Gabrielle. Gabrielle wore an expensive ring to the affair to compliment her party dress.

 

I was not surprised to hear the ring had been lost at the playground Estella had led them all off to during the party…

 

“Lost my eye.” I thought. “Probably was nicked right off her finger. Stolen during a game that had been specially chosen by the conniving Estella just to provide her with just that opportunity while playing it.

 

Anyway, With her long black hair straight Estella was wearing a black taffeta dress with verticle white stripes. She was wearing an eye-catching wide rhinestone dangling necklace and matching clip earrings. I recognized them as being borrowed from Gabrielle, who had worn them to Mum's tea party last year with her gold taffeta dress.

 

As I watched, Estella coached Claire to leave Gabrielle and come to her.

 

Gabrielle giggled nervously

 

Taking my eyes off them, I finally answered the wood bead lady

 

“Mrs. Shannon? No that’s not my mum. “

I assured her.

 

Mrs. Shannon was wearing some rather nice rubies, which wasn’t surprising seeing her husband is a snobby jeweler. But Mrs. Shannon was raven-haired, whereas I’m a natural redhead, like my mum. So I’m not sure where this wood bead-wearing lady was making a connection. “Wood Bead Lady,” I thought, giving her that name in my mind.

 

Then the lady, looking directly into my eyes, asked a most peculiar question as she massaged my side.

 

“Perhaps you could introduce me?” she asked indicating the group that was fawning over wee Claire…

 

(I will not be using the name given to us by the “Wood Bread Lady” for legal reasons)

 

Seeing we had no choice, we lead the “Wood Bead Lady” over to greet them and make the requested introductions.

 

As the “Wood Bead Lady” began fawning over Mrs. Shannon and the girls, I made an excuse for Ginny and me to leave them and greet newer guests.

 

Neither Ginny nor I gave that experience any more thought as we began to meet, greet and mingle in amongst the other gaily dressed and jewel bedecked females who were now arriving in force.

 

Next up the Acte 3

 

Tea Party Shenanigans

Lifting light vague

 

-This tale is a fairly reasonably accurate description of a true event that occurred during a Welsh wedding reception some time ago...

 

-Mention must be made that the expensive looking attire worn by this particular young lady may have helped falsely enhance her jewelry’s appeal as a tempting target.

 

-Regardless of whether the nicking had been done to tease, or for a hoped for profit !

 

-Which leads us to the story below: the tone of which is deliberately ambiguous.

 

It is a retelling: either from the viewpoint of one sibling playing a trick upon another sibling, or the viewpoint of a scoundrel who seeks out profitable opportunities at fancy dress- up affairs.

 

It is for you, the reader, to guess out....

  

Title :

 

Perils of a Living Doll

  

She was certainly that, a living doll, scurrying about in her fluidly flowing,shiny in the lights, fancy party attire:

 

An eye catching ensemble made up of a rather glistening emerald green button up back thicke satin blouse with a high ruffled neckline with long sleeves ending in matching ruffles. A long flowing pleated black satin skirt quite nicely completed the darling ensemble.

 

But very few dolls ever wore jewelry like her’s:

 

A surprisingly full complement of gleaming white pearls dangle deliciously along her lithe, youthfully curved figure, with her long flowing hair, and a wide eyed doe like curiosity of living life glowing from her pretty face.

 

Though I had other more pressing business to attend, I kept an eye out on her, relishing each time I caught her in view.

 

Those baiting pearls kept popping up in my mind when she was out of my sight, making it hard to concentrate fully on anything else!

 

It was quite in the realm of possibility that those smooth pearls of Her’s were as valuable as they were pretty!

 

Also knowing the fact that the female in possession of them was quite youthfully gullible, added up to make for an all to tempting target to easily be subtracted from her lustrous possessions !

 

Being a tad bit assured that somebody else may do the math, and might actually happen to make that subtraction was the reason I waited,with baited breath, to again catch a lingering look to see that she still was in possession of all of them !

 

Then at the end of another successful work day, as I slipped away, I caught an unexpected final sighting of the girl.

 

The poor thing had exhausted herself from the busy agendas of her long day looking like a princess,and all that doing so will entail!

 

Dead Asleep now, peacefully snuggled in on a couch corner, quite isolate, however, not quite alone!

 

For a girl whom I knew to be her cousin, sat dozing next her.

 

A girl her age incredibly pretty in a long sleek peach gown, enchantingly wearing what looked like rhinestones, earrings and bracelet, (surprisingly no necklace)! She had now opened her eyes and was looking around incredibly bored.

 

As I watched she rubbed her eyes, then tugged at the sleeping Lass who did not budge. She rose with a visible sigh and skipping off , her pretty peach colored gown winningly fluttering along her eye catching figure!

 

Failing to notice me standing nearby in the shadows as she swished past still rubbing her eyes!

 

Silently I thanked her for being so quite accommodating in leaving her sleeping cousin , and her delectably appealing pearls, quite behind !

 

It was prime time for that mathematical subtracting I had mentioned earlier!

 

But then subtracting had always been my best subject, something I was rather keen at doing!

  

Again on the hunt, I stalked up behind my prey!

I crouched down looked her over from behind.

 

Her reflection showing up Clearly enough in the polished glass vase on the coffee table in front of her as I silently had treaded in from behind!

  

Amazingly it appeared, she had made it though the gauntlets of the day with all her pearls in place.

 

Even when she and her cousin , the girl in peach satin, had startlingly snuck outside to swing on a nearbye schools playground, they had fortunately come back in unscathed!

 

Untouched by the rather dark lurking elements that sometimes will creep in from societies shadowy outer fringe to feed upon the richly dressed unwary!

 

Since I won’t deny my desires probably made me a loosely connected part of that rather unconventional brotherhood at times, I still took a personal interest in making sure she came to no distress .

 

And so I had taken the time to lecture them for taking on such perils , whilst secretly harboring a desire to lift away the very pearls I was scolding her for taking a risk on losing by playing outside!

  

I now, of course gently sat down on the opposite end of the couch, watching her and the surroundings, planning my strategy.

 

For this type of subtracting, the distraction for the victim was her sleep.

 

I only had to make sure my moves along her figure were as nimble as can be and used the lest amount of pressure to work off what I was after!

 

Also a rule was to keep an eye on any subtle changes in her breathing or movement as I worked!

 

This would tip me off that it was time to leave with what jewels of hers I had in hand , regrettably leaving the rest perched in place as she was waking!

 

I saw her cousin quite aways off, she did not appear to be concerned or coming back anytime soon, leaving me a window opened for opportunity!

 

So I gently, with growing anticipation, slowly inched closer, my earlier desires now sharply reawakening!

 

Finally Reaching her sleep warmed figure, I ventured in to gently caress her arm, tingling encased in her emerald satin sleeve with its daintily ruffled end.

 

The young darling did not stir at my cool fingers touch as I eyeballed her wrists bracelet and ringed fingers!

 

Normally I would have gone for her necklace first, followed by her earrings, since in that order they are usually the most valuable of the jewels a lady would wear!

 

A procedure I had observed a thief carry out on two different ladies at the same venue! It was watching his moves that had effectively whetted my appetite for this game!

 

But , in this one’s case, I had an inkling that her bracelets and rings(especially the diamond one on her left pinky) that as a whole, may be the more advantageous route to proceed in case I had to face an early retreat !

  

I moved my fingers tingling down the sleeve of her right arm that lay upon her lap, carefully peeling back the ruffles to reach the pearled bracelet.

 

I then moved that bracelet up over her sleeve before lifting it, than delicately slipping it around until the diamond studded clasp was exposed.

 

Licking my lips I snapped it open, leaving the ends dangle as I moved my hand away and sat looking at her from the corner of my eye!

 

She kept on breathing heavily with no tell tale signs of waking up soon!

 

No one was paying our little corner any heed!

 

I reached over and taking up the bracelets end used the smoothness of her sleeve and her satin skirt between which it was sandwiched, and easily peeled it away !

 

I Let it lay on her lap, drooling over the pretty thing !

 

Then I reached down in again, curling my fingers around hers. Ever so delicately, one by one, slowly slipped off her shimmering rings from along each nuckle, feeling my heart beating with exhlileration, until they each were worked free ,laying them one by one on her black pleated satin clad lap till they all lay in a glittery group together!

 

Her left arm was at her side, and I gingerly grasped it and lifted it limply onto her lap to join her other.

 

I sat back for a minute, she wasn’t stirring, the cousin was still a distance away.

 

I went back to work.

 

Carefully I slipped off her other bracelet, laying it over my growing take. Then I lifted her pinky, where a glittery ring set with 3 dainty diamonds had been sparkling merrily as she had scurried about!

 

I easily worked it off , having it join in with the collection I had already neatly slipped off from her.

 

I took a deep exhale of breath of the air I had been holding, then reaching in, scooped them all up from her downy soft lap inside my cupped hand in one fluid motion.

 

As I pocketed them I watched her necklace do it’s dangly dance.

  

A fine double strand of glistening perfection laying their ever so elegantly up against the sheer front of her lush emerald green satin blouse.

 

Both strands dripping down from beneath her blouses’ elegantly ruffled neckline !

 

The matched strands dangled together just below her heaving chest. Held together by a round diamond set pin about halfway up on the right side.

 

The rich material of her form fitted blouse pleasurably outlined her petite young curves, with the enticingly baiting pearls adding a very nice accent to the overall picture.

 

It almost was a shame to relive her neck of the richly gleaming burden.

 

Almost....

 

Before making my move I delicately reached over and slipping my fingers underneath the strands, feeling her chest rise up and down in its gently moving heaves, lifted them up for the second time that day , I again drooled over them a bit before making my move...

 

I slid in daringly closer, placing my arm so it lay on the couch around behind her back.

 

As I watched around us from the front my fingers worked hidden from behind, locating the jeweled clasp , then prying it open, looking down at her I let the loose ends slither down along her shoulders. The pearls slipped away with an almost silent swish down the front of her slick blouse where they curled up in a dainty nestling pile upon her sleepy shiny lap.

 

I froze, ready to exit, but she did not stir from her dreams!

 

Far too exhausted to be awakened by my practiced subtle extraction of her jewelry !

 

I studied the piled up pearls for a few satisfying seconds,congratulating me on a job well done, well half done actually!

 

Then I reached in and neatly plucked the gleaming double strand free from where they lay nestled in to finish it!

 

As I was doing so I now felt something sharply hard inside her skirt against the back of my hand.

 

I looked it over as I pocketed her pearls and spied a pocket of her own in the side of her skirt, hidden in the pleats .

 

Wondering what it held, I eagerly pried it open and reached inside and surprisingly came away with a glittery rhinestone necklace !

 

“Whats this then luv?” I thought silently questioning her as I admire the pretty sparklers.

 

A necklace as pretty as this belonged around the throat of a girl dressed up fancy, like the one wearing the luxurious peach gown who had been sitting next to her !

 

Looking up at her angelic face I wondered what games of her own this pretty miss had been up to as I pondered vexingly whether to keep or return her sparkling trophy?

 

As I made my decision I saw her earrings peeping out .

 

That was all that was left to take, her pearled earrings with the diamond clasp ! Fortunately her delicate ears were not pierced, which may have been more of a sticky wicket encumbering their removal!

 

But still this might be tricky enough, her long silky soft hair held them for the most part safely inside.

 

I looked around then got up and went behind her and put the mirrored vase to use.

 

Picking up a strand of her hair I watched as I tickled her nose with it. She stirred, and without really waking, pulled her hair back away from her ears Nicely exposing her beautiful twin pearled earrings for an easy lift.

 

With a touch as delicate as any surgeon’s I reached around and gently pulled as I slipped off each one in turn.

 

Amazed at how easily they freely slipped off each slightly sweat glistened earlobe!

  

I cheerfully pocketed them.

 

Then spent some time watching her figure in my safe haven behind her, making good use of the mirror to assure myself nothing of value had been missed or overlooked !

  

Her tightly fitting attire still was glistening shiny, but starkly bear naked now that her gleaming jewels had been all been nicked clean away.

 

This had been almost too easy, not that I was complaining, for it had been a most enjoyably scintillating , guiltily pleasurable, game of it!

 

I looked around, planning my exit.

 

Then I spied something glittering in a far corner!

 

I recognized it as the diamond bracelet being regally worn by her errant cousin! I decided on following in to capture a better last look at the satin peach clad vixen!

 

Perhaps I may have to ‘bump’ into her and take the ‘opportunity’ to, with feeling, compliment her on her fetchingly pretty attire!

  

Toodles I endearingly said in silence to the sleeping doll’s shimmery figure still snuggled into the couch,biding her a fond adieu as I walked away, feeling my pockets nicely weighted down with her still warm purloined pearls!

 

Still finding amazement over the quantity and apparent quality of the jewelry that my victim had been allowed to wear out daringly alone this particular evening !

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

Not much later the girl did stir, stretching and yawning. Then laid her hands back onto her Lap, covered as it was in her midnight black pleated satin skirt.

 

She flexed her fingers along its luxurious length, relishing in the skirts satiny feel.

 

She looked around. Something was not quite right. Where was her cousin?

 

As she thought this she reached up to rub her eyes, than gasped...

 

She was looking at her hands, shocked , her bracelets were gone, and her rings, including her small one set with diamonds!

 

In her bewilderment she still was feeling cobwebbed from sleep as she, with a puzzled frown, reached up and ran her fingers through her long hair...

 

Hold on, where are my bloody earrings. Then she felt at her throat! Her necklace of pearls were no longer there, she felt down the front of her shiny blouse to confirm that the strands we’re no longer dangling down!

 

With a sinking feeling she realized that her pearls, all of them were gone!

 

And she had a pretty good idea of who had the Gaul to have spirited them away like this

  

The wanker she hissed under her breath as she mentally pictured her twin brother who liked to play lifting games and picking off items from her, like her jewelry.

 

He has been up to no good again, even though he had promised he would be in best behaviors after she caught him earlier!

 

For he had already lifted the rhinestone necklace of thier similarly aged girl cousin wearing a pretty gown of peach satin.

 

Taking it as he had danced with her!

  

She had seen him, and demanded he had hand it back to her!

 

Sulking over being caught and scolded out, he had given it to his twin and tasked her to be the one to somehow sneak it back to their cousin!

 

Which she had forgotten to do and her hand darted inside her silky skirts pocket to feel for the rhinestone necklace.

 

Nope it was still there, so she still had that job to do also!!!

 

She actually did not mind his games , rather the opposite actually! Just had felt a bit jealous he had danced with their cousin over her first !

 

And now she believed he had lifted her pearls in retaliation for her scolding him!

 

Of all the bloody Cheek!

  

That her brother had his eyes her pearls, and the downy softness of her sleekly pretty party outfit was no mystery!

 

She knew this because he had kept teasingly prodding her, touching at her pearls, on the long drive here as both had been sitting wedged in the back seat of papa’s small sports car.

 

Though she had also been an antagonist herself, intentionally giving him reasons to grasp her As she squirmed away, knowing full well it was triggering the desires to lift her jewelry that he was trying so hard to suppress with their parents seated up front!

 

Mum had only to tell them once to settle down, turning around to scold them, the diamonds in her earrings glittering as madly as she was only pretending to be at her children!

 

Those earrings were very pretty, too pretty to be kept at home. Papa had to go to a bank to get them, along with my pearls!

 

Thinking the word “bank” made her jump to her feet, as suddenly a cold realization swept over her!

 

The razor thin feelings that divided between the delicious chills of guilty pleasure that her pearls had been nicked and the cold stark reality of the punishment she would get for losing them if the parents saw her first before she got them back!

 

No matter how they had been lost!

 

Now fully wide awake, with a straightening of her glittering long shiny midnight black pleated skirt, she hurried off to call him out !

 

Or at least that is what she down deep hoped that was all she had to do to get them from him!

 

For an unsettling inkling was now forming queasily in her gut that it just conceivably may not have been her brother who had lifted her pearls.

  

For her mum had not really been happy with her insisting to wear them out this evening.

 

Thinking she may be a bit too young to be wearing them without her parents presence!

 

For mum and papa were a part of the bridal party and would not be able to keep close eyes themselves on her and her brother!

 

And it was only with her brothers suspiciously eager promise to keep an eye on her, that she was given permission!

 

Her mum also had not known about the small diamond ring she had smuggled out of the house to put her on finger once when her parents were finally not around!

  

She had been lectured to take great care of her fine jewelry, which of course she hadn’t , playing around like she was back at home and not attending a posh reception!

 

Then she had snuck off to the playground with their cousin, without her brothers knowledge !

 

And her brother had lectured her when she had admitted to him where she had disappeared off too. Probably mad because he would have like to have been included in!

 

And then....

 

Speaking of being scolded...!

 

She suddenly remember the icy stern lady in a red silk dress , whom she had not recognized, but apparently had seen the girls sneaking off outside to play!

 

Chillingly she recalled the penetrating look she her and her girl cousin had receive from that strange lady with severe hair and eyes who had caught them sneaking back in after being outside at the playground!

 

She had admonished them for going off alone dressed like they were!

 

As she scolded she pawed at the slick fabrics of the girls fancy dress attire caressing them over with clammy fingers, then had lifted my pearl necklace up like she was going to take it for safe keeping.

 

She doesn’t of course, but it had been a very unsettling experience for both of the startled doe eyed young girls !

 

But that lady had so unnervingly acted like my pearls belonged with her, she remembered with unsettling clarity!

 

But of course she was being silly, only men would have a desire to take a girl’s jewels, right!?

 

That’s the way it appeared on the telle show they had watched once!

 

But there had been plenty of men there, strangers who had stopped what they were doing and look them over as she and her cousin darted in and out amongst them

In the crowded ballroom.

 

Most had commented how pretty the pair looked, others just turned away with thoughtful looks on their smug mugs.

 

Now with a fast growing bit of nagging anxiety , pensively still feeling her still naked ears and the chillingly bare neckline of her ultra-soft satin blouse for still peskily non existent pearls , she urgently sought out her twin brother.

 

Needing to be assured that he had been indeed up to his tricks and would reunite her with them.

 

And in doing so, to be relived of her new concerns over the worrisome idea someone else may actually have been responsible for her missing bank vault worthy pearls!

 

Some unknown individual whose intentional reasons for nimbly lifting them off as she had slept would probably not involve giving them back to her!!

 

With these uncomfortable swirling thoughts she looked with suspicion through the crowd of handsomely attired guests!

 

Spotting the peach satin gown her cousin was wearing, she quickly swished to catch up and enlist her help!

 

“””””””””””””””””

 

As she did so, the one who had a small cache of guests jewels hidden away in a deep pocket, was watching , with a secret grin, this recent victim’s shiny green and black attired figure’s worried progress from her couch, while standing a reassuringly safe distance away!

 

Watching with a wicked smirk as she was reaching the equally prettily attired young girl clad so elegantly in peach satin .

 

The one who had deserted her cousin from the couch leaving her unguarded as she slept.

 

The one who had turned away blushing,so winningly as the person had so eloquently complimented her while holding her arm to give added meaning to a false sincerity !

 

The one who in a matter of minutes was probably about to realize that her cousin was not the only one to have had several of her jewels mysteriously taken from her elegantly clad person!

 

Smirking at these thoughts, with a rather proud cockiness over this evenings accomplishments, shown in a happily haughty demeanor!

 

The person standing in the shadows slowly moved in , mulling over that in addition to subtracting, there was nothin like a good old fashion game of cat and mouse!

 

Fini

 

Now, not everyone likes an open ending to a story...

 

So If anyone would like to know what the real life solution was to the mystery of who took her jewelry, and whether she got it back , please ask in the comments section and I will privately email the answer

 

The Ed’s...

Seeing is Believing? Look Again -

In the middle of May, a timid termite was scuttling across the streets. He lithely avoided the light traffic but the heavy pounce of predators in ambush he could not. A quadruple against one, the perfect crime is rather easy to commit. With jagged jaws, the carnivores clamped tight for their journey. The play-dough in pain, her screams of murder yelped out its echoes through the dark alley.

 

Enjoying the muse, the queen of the colony buoyed her workers on. “Come on, let’s get home before the sun sink into the sea. Make sure you keep him crying because it means he is alive!”

 

Even the most tragic event can be beautiful if only seen from a different perspective.

 

Is this the inside story behind my picture? No friends, of course not. This capture is a matter of however you want to perceive it. Now tap in to my deviating viewpoint: I was a timely hiker with camera who witnessed everything from A to Z.

 

The truth is after a great deal of climbing, a daredevil reached the top. I watched as he lost balance while admiring the brand-new vista on the tree and succumb to the merciless pull of the underworld. There was no sound after he hit the gritty track loud. By what method he managed to return to breathing, I don’t know. Right away a crowd from nowhere dashed forward to gape at the falling disaster. Not knowing what else to do, they marvel at the colorful pebbles studded into raw wound. Bah… bah… said the first. Chirp… chirp… said the second. The third, and all the others too murmured, “It is better to commit nothing because surely someone else will help.” In the sequel, the invalid was gauze from head to foot in a figure 8 turn by quick hands.

 

To sum up I’m not the hero who bandaged the hapless fellow, nor was it me who sent him to the doctor ready at hand on the right. The paramedic teamwork of four kind Samaritans did. If anyone asked, my role in the scenario was purely a wide-eyed bystander. Abiding by the rest of the onlookers, I simply blessed the victim to enjoy his final piece of peace.

The elusive otter is one of our top predators, feeding mainly on fish (particularly eels and salmonids), waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as 'holts'. Excellent and lithe swimmers, the young are in the water by 10 weeks of age. Otters are well suited to a life on the water as they have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm, and can close their ears and nose when underwater. They require clean rivers, with an abundant source of food and plenty of vegetation to hide their secluded holts.

A boy enjoying a beautiful moment of light and colour

Some exercises with the old New Oriental adding some grain and structure through Lith E Additive

Oriental New Seagull (G4) in fat Master Lith SE5 + LithD+E

  

flat tire

Yep, got out the posing guide again and had a go at some of them. This is a bit of a combo actually as I am not lithe enough to do most of them!!! www.flickr.com/photos/julieb85/46441868894/in/pool-314587...

elprobadordesl.blogspot.nl/2017/12/freckled-fox.html

 

LOCATION: Temple5, at Sweetflower :

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sweetflower/237/27/21

Common Tern

Items will be available at the special price of 35L between 12:00am and 11:59pm on Sunday 13th (SLT)

 

HOZ item(s) :

::HOuSe of ZION:: Owned COuple Pose

(Copy,Mod,NoTrans)

::HOuSe of ZION:: Lithe COuple Pose

(Copy,Mod,NoTrans)

 

Available at the Mainstore for 35$L Sunday 13th

 

Lm- maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Jupiter/163/74/2803

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Follow me on Flickr, I follow back - www.flickr.com/photos/houseofzion/

Cosa hanno le donne di bello: La dolce femminilità, il loro andare flessuoso, i loro lunghi capelli, le dita affusolate che arrivano ovunque con grazia, quando loro fanno la doccia, subito si trasforma in momento intimo, sensuale, il loro sarcasmo, la naturalezza ovunque esse siano. Invidio il loro amore quasi perfetto che resiste anche agli sguardi e alle parole non adeguate, all’intuizione fine e sottile, alla razionalità che sanno collocare in questo pentagramma di note, che è la vita.

Miella Naduci

  

What do women beautiful: The sweet femininity, their lithe go, their long hair, long fingers that reach anywhere with grace, when they are in the shower, immediately becomes intimate moment, sensual, their sarcasm, naturally wherever they are. I envy their love can survive almost perfect to looks and words are not adequate, fine and subtle intuition, rationality who know how to put this pentagram of notes, that is life.

Miella Naduci

For more Mayra, click on her album below. (To access her album on your iPhone, click on the information icon at the bottom of this screen; then, when your next screen appears, scroll down just a bit, and you'll see her "album.")

A Curious Vigilance

Part One of Two

 

A Watchman Cometh

  

“If you can’t take the heat, don’t be tickling dragons !”

 

Acte 1

 

Ginny and I had, several weeks ago, received invitations to a fellow student's upscale, formal evening wedding.

 

Since we both love to get dressed up, it was a no-brainer to accept. Even though we really weren’t players in her circle.

 

Probably just wanted the gifts. The git.

 

So I borrowed my twin brothers antique roadster, drove up the road a short way, and picked up Ginny.

 

As she walked up to the car I couldn’t help but think how we both were dressed for the kill.

 

I had on my smart purple silk dress with the long pleated slinky knee-length skirt and spaghetti straps. The dress came with a cuffed long-sleeved, waist-length, black satin jacket with rhinestone buttons.

 

I had put in a diamond pin on one side of the jacket. It was in the shape of a bursting star, giving off a pleasing shimmer.

 

My other jewels consisted of my silver v shaped necklace. The v was set with small round rhinestones with 3 kite shaped sapphires set hanging down the center of the V. I also had in the necklaces’s matching semi-long earrings. Also worn was my diamond tennis bracelet on my right wrist, while gracing my left was a wide rhinestone bracelet. One ring, diamonds surrounding a gold rose(my best ring) gracing the ring finger on my left hand, completed the look.

 

Ginny?

Well, our Ginny girl was smashing.

 

She had poured her lithe figure into the sleek satin high shoulder sleeve sheath dress she had bought to wear in a play she acted in last spring. It was midnight black with a brite lime green inner lining and tight lime green Lycra pants. The only decoration on the elegant dress was a glittery silver rhinestone Dragon, with green slanted eyes and a red fiery tongue. It was embroidered crawling up one side of the dress, grasping claws reaching around up towards her bosom.

 

“Naughty Dragon.”

 

Ginny had green mascara above her eyes, around which she drew lines of black mascara to give them a slanted look. The whole effect looked a lot like Shirley Jackson did in the Michael Caine movie Gambit. Right up to the solid gold headpiece in Gunny’s reddish hair.

 

Ginny also had in her emerald drop earrings, along with her wide emerald bracelet loosely dangling along an otherwise bare left wrist, and a fancy emerald cocktail ring flashing from the pinkie on her left hand.

 

But it was her necklace that stole the show.

 

The opulently handsome necklace was the estate auction won, long pendant that had neatly set her back a month's wages. We both had opened bids on it at the same time, with me immediately backing off so she would win it.

 

It was a very shimmery piece of jewellery, with its long rhinestone encrusted chain hanging past her breasts, ending with a dangling pendant which held a birds egg size synthetic oval-shaped emerald, surrounded by long rhinestone fringes that resembled the silver beard of the dragon on her dress.

 

It was a very striking effect, especially when it stopped swaying and hung straight down, appearing just out of reach from the grasping front rhinestone claw of the gem greedy dragon.

 

^^^^^^^^

 

The church and reception hall was only about a 60-minute drive away green m our village.

 

We arrived in the city where it was located early and stopped at a pub for a glass of wine, which we drank outside at a garden table.

 

We then left, arriving at the church with plenty of time to walk around and soak in the surroundings.

 

Acte 2

 

The wedding Proper was pretty normal, with the usual pomp, circumstance, and rigid schedule only the upper class seem to achieve with nothing atoll coming close to being original and new.

 

The reception was more of the same. Ginny, per normal, snagged more time on the dance floor than me. Though I was

by no means being ignored. The bar was free, so we made good use of that.

 

By around 7:30 we were a pair of happily well-fed, well-partied, and well-liquored-up young ladies.

 

The reception for the most part was the usual fun and the usual routine flow that goes on at such affairs.

 

There was only one incident of note, well actually I guess, two, that have a bearing on my story.

 

The first was this:

 

A young girl was wearing what must have been a previously worn, hideously yellow, satin bridesmaid gown. She also was wearing a nice set of real diamonds. Ginny was really impressed with the jewelry she was wearing. As the party went, and the more we drank, the more Ginny prattled on over different ways someone could try lifting some of those diamonds from the lady.

 

Sensing there may be trouble soon brewing, I was getting tired of holding Ginny back from her obsession, that I suggested we should be heading out.

 

Then I was asked to dance, and lost track of her. When I found her, she was chatting up the lady in yellow satin and diamonds. The lady was holding up Ginny’s shimmery pendant, and I saw that Ginny had a hand placed lightly on the lady’s wrist, next to her diamond bracelet

 

Telling myself:

“Enough of that missy!”

I went up and pried Ginny away.

 

“Don’t be tickling that Dragon, even if you were thinking of doing it as a prank.”

I scolded.

 

My twin brother is always saying “If you are not prepared to take the heat, don’t tickle a dragon!” In other words, don’t invite trouble if you are not sure you would welcome the outcome.

 

I started suggesting to her we might be heading home soon.

 

“Stop at our pub(The Poet & Peasant),” I suggested.

 

Ginny said we should do one better…

 

We could stop at the old cemetery where we liked to role-play various games of both pickpockets, and jewel thievery. Sometimes combining the two. There she could nick my jewels to her heart’s content.

 

I admitted that sounded promising.

 

Then came the second incident on the heels of her suggestion.

 

Ginny said pleasantly, if we’re not doing the pub, then we should take something to drink with us. That way we don’t need a pub.

 

Suspiciously, I asked my grinning childhood friend.

“What’s you on about? “

 

“I mean Cade, nick a bottle while I distract the bartender. He’s working over there alone for a few minutes.”

 

I sighed, but it may be fun, so game on….

 

We pulled it off. It was far easier than it should have been.

 

As Ginny flirted with the young man tending the open bar, so I kept moving till his back was to me, and I ended up sitting on the far end.

 

I took a deep breath, scurried around and grabbed a bottle from the supply bin on the floor, and walked straight out the nearest exit.

 

I circled around the building to the lot and found Ginny at the roadster waiting.

 

She had placed her black beaded purse, opened, on the bonnet of the car and was bending over to put lipstick on using the car's outside mirror.

 

“What did you snag luv?”

 

Breathless, I looked at the bottle for the first time. It was a bottle of Penderyn.

 

Slightly disappointed, I would have preferred wine over a single malt. But it would do.

 

Meanwhile, I was standing between Ginny and the roadsters’ bonnet.

 

I handed the bottle to her, and as she looked I reached out behind me and dipping my fingers into her purse pulled out her wallet.

 

Holding it behind, suppressing a desire to laugh, I circled around to the right side and got into the driver's seat.

 

Ginny put her lipstick inside her purse and snapped it close with one hand still holding the bottle. Then picking up the purse and got inside the passenger’s seat.

 

She never noticed her wallet was gone, and by then I had it inside my own purse.

 

Still totally clueless, Ginny asked as we drove away :

 

“Do you think we should include your brother in with us?”

 

I said he was practicing darts with Brian(my boyfriend) and their friend, teammate, and one of our fellow players, Derrick.

 

Ginny giggled, hoisting up the bottle.

“More for us then.”

 

Acte 3

 

We arrived at the cemetery with plenty of light left in the evening. Parking in the open lot, we made our way past the open wrought iron gates.

 

The almost 40 Hectares square-shaped cemetery is no longer in use, its main gates are permanently opened to the public, but besides us, only very few ever visit it. Judging by the dates on the gravestones, the last burial was not too long after the Victorian age officially ended. No way of truly establishing when its first burial was.

 

It lays along a lane called Abbots Chase.

 

Where a highwayman by the name of Craig Abbot used to roam several hundred years ago. It is said he is buried here in this very cemetery. Though most of the old stones are so blackened the names are not legible.

 

My dad is a direct descendant of Craig Abbot, and much to the chagrin of my mum’s Irish catholic family, my twin brother was named after him. Destiny?

 

The other end off Abbots Chase lane, west of the cemetery goes past the large old manor house some 5 kilometers away from the cemetery. The manor is now a private men’s seminary college.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^

 

We hung out at the cemetery and its interior, and surrounding woods, as kids, walking the 2 Kilometers along from the east end of the lane, where the local village was.

 

Both Ginny and I grew up in houses located on the opposite side of the village.

 

We use this private cemetery for our role-playing game adventures. We had the run of the area. Not only because of its solitude, and lack of visitors, but also because there were no roads in it. Only narrow overgrown horse-drawn cart paths. And a few cobblestone footpaths. Both of which are blocked by fallen gravestones.

 

The games have evolved. But they mostly are based on pickpocketing and other forms of thievery. Mainly related to lifting or the nicking of jewels that the one portraying the victim is wearing. We take turns being one or the other.

 

Originally there were just the 3 of us, Ginny, my twin brother, and myself. We would bring various costumes, play jewelry, and other various items. Backpacking them in from our homes.

 

We have since added four more “players” to our group, though only a few times have we all met here in force.

 

There are also times as we grew older that we have stopped to play after being somewhere dressed up. The motivation can be anything from too much to drink, or something that evening triggered the idea.

 

Like tonight, with Ginny taking a fancy to a young lady’s diamonds.

  

Acte 4

 

Ginny and I entered through the main gate and walked the 75 meters up to the marble pagoda sitting on a small hill.

 

In years long past, this pagoda would have served as the last service area for the deceased being buried here.

 

There is a set of steps leading up to the platform which is eye level. On the ground, flanking the steps are a pair of long marble benches. With old wrought iron ones scattered about surrounding the octagonal platform.

 

As per normal, no sign that anyone had been here in a while. Though we did have a bit of a jump when a fox ran out from underneath the pagoda, giving us the evil green eye before slipping off into some tall grass.

 

I had brought a blanket which we laid on the stairs. We put down our purses on one of the marble benches.

 

Sitting on the stairs, Ginny opened the bottle and took a small sip. Followed by a bigger one.

 

“Whew, that burns going down.”

She exclaimed passing it to me.

 

It smelled strong.

“Should have brought some water to cut it.”

I said taking a hit, feeling it burn warmly.

 

We each took several more sips before getting down to business.

 

I place a hand on Ginny’s arm, looking her in the eyes.

 

She starts to giggle. As do I also, both of us falling into each other’s arms, hugging as our figures are being racked by our uncontrollable laughter.

 

Meanwhile, I was busy. My hand running down her arm, I reached her her emerald bracelet and nimbly opened the clasp, easily pulling it off and cuffing it in my fist, moving that hand to her backside, using it to hold her quivering figure close.

 

Finally, we broke away, settling down. As I stroked her sleek backside with my hand, I say:

“Ok lass, are you ready to lift some of my diamonds?”

 

Taking a belt from the bottle ( it was not a sip, nor a gulp, somewhere in between)

Ginny nodded her head, earrings sparkling with intensity, like the look in her eyes just before she said:

 

“Let’s dance.”

  

Acte 5

 

I went over and pulled the cell from my purse, seeing a text from my brother asking if:

“Us girls were having fun?”

 

I sent one back:

“Smashing fun, wish you could be here, now I have to go and see a lady about doing a lift on some jewels she is wearing…”

 

That should make him stop in his tracks and ponder. I would imagine his own game now being off all of a sudden.

 

Giggling mischievously, I laid the cell in front of my purse on the marble seat, I selected “And we danced” by the Hooters.

 

Ginny was already on the platform, strutting her stuff. I went to the stairs, grabbed the bottle, took a swig, and ran up to join her.

 

She bumped into me with her hip, then went behind me, her hands running along my figure, then pulling me against her she ran her hands down along the satin sleeve of my jacket. I only felt it because I knew it was coming. After all, as her hand slipped along my wrist, she expertly whisked off my diamond bracelet.

 

I pushed her away using my hinney, then turned and began dancing close to her, wriggling up against and away from her figure. Her eyes had been opened quite wide, from the thrill of the bracelet lift, but she closed them as I rubbed my figure up along hers.

 

I had been eyeing her dazzling dripping jeweled pendant. My arms went up behind her back. Pulling down the clasp I unhooked it and reaching my hands up, pulled it away from her gown’s rhinestone dragon’s clutches

 

I had it pocketed before she reopened her eyes.

 

The music ended, and arm in arm we went back to the stairs, passing the bottle to each other.

 

We were becoming quite happily intoxicated by now, giggling at everything.

  

Acte 6

 

Ginny sets down the bottle, then stares at her bare wrist.

“I don’t suppose this bracelet fell off on its own?”

 

I chuckled, looking at where her necklace should have been dangling, picking up the bottle.

“No, it had a bit of help, I felt inside my pocket and pulled it out, replacing it as Ginny held up the bottle and asked:

 

“Another round?”

 

We both took several swigs before I decided it was time to have a bit more role play.

 

I place a hand on Ginny’s chest...

“Give me a lead luv…”

 

Ginny thinks a minute, long enough for us to take another swig each from the fast becoming 3/4 full bottle.

 

Looking me over, she tells me.

“Take a walk..”

I stand (maybe a little wobbly), and manage to do so, taking the path around the pagoda.

 

She comes up behind me, putting her hands over my eyes.

 

“Guess who Abigail?”

 

I answered...

I’m not Abigail?”

 

The voice behind me, as the hands are lifted from my eyes and reach down to my chest..”

 

“I’m so sorry, of course, your not, my bad.”

 

I turn around to face Ginny…

 

Placing a hand on my chest( lifting off my broach from the lapel of the jacket) Ginny says:

 

“I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I made a mistake like that. “

 

I feel her placing the broach in my pocket, as I say(thinking that counted as two lifts)

“That’s ok luv, we all make mistakes.’

 

Quite pleased with herself Ginny went back to the steps.

 

She thought I was following as she talked to me.

 

I did not, rather I hid in the bushes and watched her.

 

Ginny picked up the bottle and took a swig, handing it to me…

 

It was then she realized I wasn’t there.

 

“Where are you, you silly ninny?”

She called out, then began to walk back the way she had come.

 

I jump out of the bushes behind her my hand in the satin jacket's pocket( I can feel the cold necklace inside. I point my fingers In the pocket like I am ‘ packing heat’.

 

Prodding my finger in her back I say

“Stick 'em up, pretty lady!”

 

Ginny giggles,

 

“Speaking of sticks. Is that one or are you just happy to see me?

 

“Funny lady, now turn around. “

 

She did and gave a fake gasp, hand to her mouth, ring sparkly.

 

“There you go, now be a good Lass and hand over those jewels around your wrist and finger. ”

 

She lifted her wrist and undid the bracelet, then slips off her ring. As she hands them to me:

 

“My this bracelet is popular with thieves this evening.”

 

She then pulls out her gold hairpiece, shaking down her hair as I take it:

“Here thief. The thing was starting to pull on my hair and bothering me anyways.”

 

I smirk:

“Thanks, lady !”

 

We both have a laugh over this latest sequence of events, while I give her back the bracelet and ring.

 

I lead her, as her laughing satin clad figure leans into me, over to the steps.

 

But as we approach, Ginny stops and grabs my arm, her, heavily mascara’d eyes suddenly bugging out, placing a hand to her mouth, she really Gasped.

 

“Cade,Look, over by the gate!”

 

I did, feeling the hairs on my scalp rise by what I saw!

 

To be Continued…

The Nakai series (foreground) consists of deep, and very deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in mixed alluvium and eolian deposits derived mainly from sandstone and shale. Nakai soils are on river terraces, sand sheets on structural benches, cuestas, fans and broad valleys and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 54 degrees F.

 

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids

 

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. The potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, dropseed, snakeweed, Mormon-tea, and Russian thistle.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. The series is extensive, about 225,000 acres.

 

For a detailed soil description, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/N/NAKAI.html

 

For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:

casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#nakai

 

Midground: Hoskinnini soils and Rock outcrop. The Hoskinnini series consists of shallow, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone and shale. Hoskinnini soils are on dissected pediments and have slopes of 1 to 12 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 55 degrees F.

 

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplargids

 

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for livestock grazing. The potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, dropseed, snakeweed, Mormon-tea, and Russian thistle.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. The series is moderately extensive, about 75,000 acres.

 

For a detailed soil description, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/H/HOSKINNINI.html

 

For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:

casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/

 

Rock outcrop are miscellaneous areas that have little or no identifiable soil and thus supports little or no vegetation without major reclamation. They are exposures of bare bedrock. If needed, map units can be named according to the kind of rock, e.g., “Rock outcrop, chalk,” “Rock outcrop, limestone,” and “Rock outcrop, gypsum.”

 

Background: Lithic or Typic Torriorthents and Rock outcrop. These are the dry Orthents of cool to hot, arid regions. They have an aridic (or torric) moisture regime and a temperature regime warmer than cryic. Generally, they are neutral or calcareous and are on moderate to very steep slopes. A few are on gentle slopes. Many of the gently sloping soils are on rock pediments, are very shallow, have a sandy-skeletal particle-size class, or are salty. Others are on fans where sediments are recent but have little organic carbon. The vegetation on Torriorthents commonly is sparse and consists mostly of xerophytic shrubs and ephemeral grasses and forbs. The vegetation on a few of the soils is saltgrass. Torriorthents are used mainly for grazing. They are extensive in the Western United States.

 

Lithic Torriorthents have a lithic contact within 50 cm of the soil surface.

 

For additional information about soil classification using Soil Taxonomy, visit:

sites.google.com/site/dinpuithai/Home

 

For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_052523...

 

For more information about describing soils using the USDA-Soil Survey Manual, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/ref/?cid=n...

   

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hengistbury_Head

  

Hengistbury Head /ˈhɛŋɡəstbri/ is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Mudeford in the English county of Dorset. It is a site of international importance in terms of its archaeology and is scheduled as an Ancient Monument.[1] Declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990, the head and its surroundings form part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2] It is also a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, an Environmentally Sensitive Area and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest.[3] The name "Hengistbury Head" refers to the immediate area; the elevated portion is called Warren Hill.

 

There has been human activity on the site since the Upper Palaeolithic; during the Victorian era, it was heavily quarried, and in recent years tourism has become significant – it receives over a million visitors annually. The various habitats on the Head provide a home for many plants, birds and insects, some of them rare and critically endangered. Erosion remains a threat to the site, although long-term projects are intended to secure it for the future.

  

Location

  

After the counties were redesignated in 1974, the site has been considered part of Dorset. The isolated building near the centre of the image (labelled "Summer House") is the thatched barn still at the Head. The barn forms part of the new visitor centre.

Hengistbury Head is a sandstone headland forming part of Southbourne, which is a suburb of the town of Bournemouth to the west; the nearest major settlement is Christchurch to the north. It is the most easterly part of the Borough of Bournemouth, and marks the most easterly point of Poole Bay. Historically part of Hampshire, the Local Government Act 1972 designated the area a part of Dorset. The northern slope of the hill tailing off towards the sea forms Mudeford spit, the sand bar closing Christchurch Harbour from the south.

  

Buildings

  

The spit is home to more 300 privately owned beach-huts, one of which in 2012 became one of the UK's most expensive, selling for £170,000 just two days after being put on the market.[4] The hut measures a little over five by three metres, has no running water, and the occupants may only stay overnight from March to October. Despite the relative lack of amenities, the area has become one of the UK's most desirable; huts are rented out for up to £600 a week.[5]

 

The Black House, a local landmark, stands at the end of the spit, opposite Mudeford Quay, site of the Battle of Mudeford in 1784. Built in 1848, it was once a boat-builders' house, but is now rented out to holidaymakers.[6] It has served a variety of functions over the years, and is commonly associated with the area's smuggling past.[7]

  

Toponymy

  

Mentioned as Hednesburia in a church deed of the early 12th century, and referred to as Hynesbury Head in the 17th, Hengistbury only took on its current spelling in the 19th century, during a period of what archaeologist Barry Cunliffe calls "antiquarian romanticism".[8] Many prehistoric sites around this time were renamed to link them with historical figures.[8] It was thought at the time that the legendary Anglo-Saxon leader Hengist could be buried here, as he was said to have been laid to rest in an unlocated mound. Twentieth-century excavations have established that the tumuli at Hengistbury Head date to the Bronze Age however.[9]

  

History

  

Hengistbury Head is home to a plethora of nationally and internationally significant archaeological sites, with features dating from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Roman settlement of Britain, earning the site Scheduled Ancient Monument status.[10] Interest in the site declined throughout the Dark Ages, until extensive development took place in Christchurch around 890 AD, when the Head may have been used as a lookout post. The area was heavily quarried during the Victorian period and nowadays receives over a million visitors annually.[11]

  

Stone Age

  

Several archaeological digs have revealed that the site was occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic.[12] There is evidence of an open settlement of the Creswellian culture on the hill in the middle of the headland dating to around 14,100 years ago. With over 13,000 lithic artefacts it is probably the largest site of the period.[13][14] Most interesting were several blades typically found at Upper Paleolithic sites across Europe, but rarely seen outside of caves in the UK, where open air sites of this age are extremely rare.[15] People at the Head were heavily involved with the production of blades, further excavations identified 649 tools, dominated by backed blades, endscrapers and burins.[16]

 

At the time the Warren Hill would have overlooked a large river valley that was to become the English Channel. Once the sea had inundated the surrounding valley, Mesolithic hunter gatherers exploited the site. Pollen analysis of peat from the Solent bed suggest a lightly wooded headland free of close-knit undergrowth during this period, an ideal habitat for game.[17]

  

Bronze Age

  

In Bronze Age Britain this was an important seaport.[18] Eleven Bronze Age Britain round barrows sit on the promontory with two more a little further inland. Eleven of the round barrows were excavated; three by Bushe Fox in 1911–12 and eight by Harold St George Gray in 1919 and 1922.[9][19] Two appear to be undisturbed. Numerous finds including Early Bronze Age axes and cremation urns were recovered from these tumuli, which have been consistently found to be between 3500 and 4000 years old.[9]

 

One of the barrows (south of where the thatched barn now stands)[20] contained a high status cremation of a woman of about twenty years in age, accompanied by an incense cup, a halberd-style pendant made from amber and copper alloy, and two gold cones that would have covered buttons of an organic material.[21] The burial-goods recovered are similar to those of the Wessex culture, the Wilsford and Dorset Ridgeway series in particular.[20] An urn from one of the barrows likely to have been made between 1700 and 1500 B.C., has been identified as Trevisker ware, a type widely found throughout Devon and Cornwall which was transported east in lesser amounts, this find being one of the easternmost discovered.[22]

  

Iron Age

  

In Iron Age Britain around 700 BC, a settlement on the Head was established;[23] also around this time, the headland was cut off from the mainland by the construction of two banks and ditches called the Double Dykes, similar to those found at Maiden Castle.[24] The earthworks consisted of an inner bank three metres high, with a ditch three and a half metres deep. An outer ditch six metres wide and two metres in depth is now obscured due to wind-blown deposits of sand and a gradual silting process.[25] These defences turned Hengistbury Head into a fortified settlement area which seems to have grown over succeeding centuries until it became an important port.[26] The Iron Age port at Hengistbury Head forms a final site in a small chain of fortified earthworks, starting from Hambledon Hill, and also including Hod Hill, Spetisbury Rings, Buzbury Rings, Badbury Rings and Dudsbury Camp.[27]

 

John Lavender of the local Red House Museum noted evidence of small iron-ore smelting hearths on Warren Hill, while green vitreous slag has been also found on the Head.[28] In his 1911 to 1912 excavations, Bushe-Fox found evidence for working of lead, copper and silver; two ingots discovered at this time revealed that raw materials would have been imported to the area.[28] One ingot was of nearly pure copper, while the other, which weighed 8.6 kg, was roughly 50/50 copper-silver alloy with around one percent gold.[29] Argentiferous (i.e. silver-bearing) copper was refined to produce silver at the Head.[29] There are also indications that gold was worked at Hengistbury.[30] One excavation produced part of a torc, twisted together with a small gold bracelet and another fragment in a manner suggesting it was scrap; a different site produced a streaked touchstone indicating use in gold testing.[30]

 

Thousands of bronze coins have been found from the pre-Roman period, the vast majority having been struck by the Durotriges.[31] The abundance of coins, together with various hearths and smelting artefacts found within a close proximity suggest that the Durotrigan finds were minted here.[32]

  

International trade centre

  

The advanced level of metallurgy in the area, coupled with its ease of access from the Continent, meant that Hengistbury Head became a significant Late-Iron Age port; trading worked metal of iron, silver, and bronze in return for figs, glass, tools and other goods. Armorican coins and pottery uncovered here show links to the Brittany peninsula.[33] Amphorae used for the transportation of North Italian wine have been found in such quantities (more than all other sites in the south of England put together), that it is clear that the Head was a main port of entry into the country.[34] However, no similar amphorae have been unearthed in Armorica, hinting at a more direct trade route between Hengistbury Head and Italy.[34] Most of these vessels date from before 50 B.C., while later styles are absent despite being common in other parts of Britain, indicating the wine trade seems to have declined at about the time Caesar began his Gaulish campaigns.[35]

  

Roman occupation to Medieval period

  

After the Roman conquest, the south-east of England started to develop into a more urban economy, while the socio-economic system of the south-west remained little changed.[36] Hengistbury would still have served as an important hub for the Dumnonii of Cornwall and Devon, and the Durotriges of Wiltshire and Dorset; since transport by water was more efficient at the time, and the Head offered both a coastal route, and freshwater options via the Stour and Avon rivers.[36]

 

No evidence of Saxon use has been found at the Head.[37] The area was not substantially reoccupied until Alfred the Great decided to rebuild the harbour as a defence against raiders. He built the town that later became Christchurch, on the north side of the harbour. Access to Salisbury up the River Avon made this a more strategic place. The Head may have been used for harbour defence at this time. In the 11th century, some of the iron-ore rich stones found at the Head were used in the construction of Christchurch Castle. These reddish-coloured stones can still be seen in the base of the now ruined castle.[38]

  

17th, 18th and 19th centuries

  

In the late 1600s, Andrew Yarranton (with backing from the Earl of Clarendon) commenced a scheme to improve the harbour. In 1693 a channel was cut out to sea, whilst ironstone boulders from the head were used to create a pier.[39] The plans proved ineffective; the pier was poorly positioned and subsequent storms (including the Great Storm of 1703) soon undid most of the work although parts of the pier known as "Clarendon's Jetty" or the "Long Rocks" are still visible today.[40] Many tons may have been removed from the beach and the head itself to make the jetty.[41]

  

In 1733 a new Excise and Customs Bill was introduced, restricting imports and raising taxes on many luxury items. Christchurch rapidly became a hot-bed for smugglers, where they were known as "freetraders", and much of the town was involved in the trade. The "Double Dykes" are said to have been used to hide contraband,[42] while Mudeford spit is rumoured to have been used in the construction of "Guinea boats" (cheaply built galleys sometimes capable of outrunning the day's steamships).[43][44] One apocryphal story is that the black house acquired its distinctive black colour when customs officers tried to smoke out some holed-up smugglers by lighting fires around the base.[43] The house was constructed in 1848 and used by shipwrights as a dwelling and workshop, smuggling was in decline with the introduction of a free trade policy and more effective measures being implemented by the Coast Guard by this time, so the house may not in fact have had much involvement in smuggling. The spit has a long association with shipbuilding with two large ships being built in the mid 19th century, the "Viscountess Canning" of 193 tons and the "Enterprise" 253 tons.[6]

 

From 1848 to 1872, the Hengistbury Mining Company – formed by a Christchurch-based merchant, John E. Holloway – extracted many more ironstone boulders through quarrying. Holloway brought coal from Southampton, and took the ironstone as ballast for the return journey.[45] These boulders, known as Iron Doggers, were prized for their high quantity of iron ore (up to 30%).[46] They form the base of Hengistbury Head, and the removal of a substantial amount of doggers over the years has weakened the headland. These and earlier excavations resulted in a loss of up to a third of the Head, caused mainly by erosion after the quarry's closure. The silt being washed down also threatened the ecology of the saltmarsh below. This has been reduced by the building of a dam, in 1976, to create a pool. Many "doggers" can still be seen lining the route of the land-train and at the quarry.[46]

  

UK's first airshow

  

In 1910 the first international aviation meeting ever held in Britain took place on a specially laid out aerodrome consisting of a mile of grassland between the "Double Dykes" and the nearby village of Tuckton. About twenty pioneer aviators from around the world participated in various competitions including spot landing, altitude tests and speed trials (both for the fastest and slowest circuit).[47]

 

On the second day of the meeting, co-founder of Rolls-Royce and pioneer aviator Charles Rolls was thrown from his plane, which disintegrated beneath him. Despite the fact that the first-ever powered flight had occurred only seven years previously, Rolls had been attempting a precision landing. He died from his injuries shortly after his fall.[48] The event was Britain's earliest fatal flying accident involving a powered aircraft.[47]

  

20th century

  

There were a number of development schemes for the head including a major railway and docks scheme proposed in 1885, proposals for housing and a golf course were also put forward before World War I, though none of these schemes came to fruition.[49] In 1919 the head was sold by Sir George Meyrick to Harry Gordon Selfridge with plans to construct a grand house. These plans also came to nothing, apart from the establishment of a nursery garden.[50] Bournemouth Borough Council purchased the head in 1930 for £25,200;[51] although plans for housing existed west of double dykes, the head itself was to be kept as public open space. During World War II the head was closed to the public and was occupied by the army, becoming home to a number of installations including a radar station. The area was also extensively mined. The Head was finally cleared of the military defences by the 1950s.[52]

  

Present day

  

Hengistbury Head Local Nature Reserve is currently owned and managed by Bournemouth Borough Council. In 1990, the land was declared a Local Nature Reserve, as a commitment by the town of Bournemouth to conserve and enhance the environment.[53] The heathland forms part of the Dorset Heaths and is internationally protected as a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. Nearby, the upper reaches of Christchurch Harbour (including the meadows at Wick) are recognised as an Environmentally Sensitive Area.[53]

 

The head today is used for a variety of reasons. Firstly it is a tourist spot where country walks can be taken all over the head due to the well defined gravel paths, some of which form part of the Bournemouth Coast Path.[54] In 2008, many paths were resurfaced, making more (though not all) parts of the Head wheelchair accessible. For example, it is now possible to gain wheelchair access to Quarry Pool. Regular field trips to the site are made by students of all ages and there are occasional guided tours or meetings around the Head covering a wide variety of subjects.[3]

 

There is a cafe at the bottom of the Head on the Bournemouth side. Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education centre is located near here on the south shore of the harbour. Run by Brockenhurst College, the centre offers a variety of water and outdoor activities.[55] A scenic land train (known as "the Noddy train") makes regular journeys from the cafe to the end of the spit, a journey of ten or so minutes.[56] On the head itself is a H. M. Coastguard radio relay station, a nature reserve and a triangulation pillar, shown on Ordnance Survey maps as 36 metres above sea level. Ample parking (subject to charges) can be found near the cafe, but the Head is also within walking distance of Southbourne and parts of Christchurch.

 

The Quarry Pool is now a significant part of the nature reserve features of the Head. While it was very acidic in the early years, since 1990 it has allowed the growth of a significant number of plant and insect species, as well as mallard and little grebe. The insects provide valuable food for migrating sand martins and swallows.[57]

  

Visitor centre

  

A new visitor centre for Hengistbury Head is scheduled to open by the end of 2013. Developments are currently underway on the thatched barn, which is being made in an eco-friendly way.[58] the new addition will cost over a million pounds with funding provided by developer contributions, the Heritage Lottery Fund and £300,000 from landfill tax.[58]

 

The centre will house a new display area concerning the site's archaeology, ecology and geology,[59] while work space will be created for volunteers and other community groups such as the Hengistbury Head Supporters Group, Residents' Association and Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group.[3] The public will have the chance to scrutinise a selection of the finds discovered at Hengistbury Head in the last century, and to interact with experienced staff, as well as providing them with the opportunity to become actively involved in the administration of the nature reserve.[59]

 

The surrounding area will be extensively landscaped to create outdoor learning areas and a wildlife garden.[60] Energy-saving features will include photovoltaic panels for electricity and ground source heat pump for heating. A green roof (a living roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium), will be used to absorb rainfall and provide insulation.[58] The centre will be constructed using timber-frame walls insulated with straw bales.[58]

  

Geography

  

According to Ian West of Southampton University, "Hengistbury Head is the best part of the Bournemouth coast for geology and geomorphology .... [and] is geologically important for the unusual nodules of sideritic ironstone [found] in Middle Eocene strata."[61] The exposed and relatively untouched cliff face at the Head perfectly lends itself to students of stratigraphy. Warren Hill itself is composed of Tertiary Bracklesham Beds,[62] a mixture of clays and marls with overlying sandy and lignitic beds.

  

Erosion

  

One serious threat to the future of the Head is erosion of the exposed southern cliff face from wind and rain, as well as erosion caused by the sea primarily through the process of Longshore drift. A comparison of Ordnance Survey maps reveals that 25 metres of cliff was washed away from 1915 to 1962,[62] a process accelerated by the Bournemouth cliff's concreted promenade and groynes, construction of which started in the early 20th century. It is thought that in the last 200 years around 150 metres of land has been lost from the Head.[62] The first attempt to counteract erosion came in the 1930s when Bournemouth Council constructed a breakwater now known as "the Long Groyne".[63] Since then, a gabion revetment has been constructed to secure the weakest point at the eastern end of the Head.[38] In a long-term project to secure the Head's future, from 2005 to 2008 Poole Bay was replenished with 1.8 million cubic metres of beach material,[64] drawing ire from some surfers and beach lovers owing to the increase in sharp stones on Southbourne beach in particular.[65] The project's organizers, the Poole Bay Partnership, state that: "The resulting wide beaches have been a success in terms of their function as a coast protection structure and for the enjoyment they provide to the area's residents and visitors."[64]

  

Flora and fauna

  

Hengistbury Head forms part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and in May 1990 was declared a Local Nature Reserve.[66] The Head supports 500 plant species (a quarter of the national flora), including eight red data book species, 14 nationally scarce, and 39 locally rare species. The main nature reserve area faces Christchurch Harbour, and is contiguous with the reed beds of Wick Fields. The Head contains a large variety of habitats from the heathland on Warren Hill to freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and salt marshes. The woodland (known as Withybed Wood) is home to English oak and silver birch amongst many other trees, and is of particular interest, as it is the only such area to be shown on an 1811 O.S. map of the Bournemouth/Christchurch area.[66] In 2002, cattle-grazing commenced in a field near the new visitor centre known as "Barn Field". This, combined with gorse eradication, has assisted in the restoration of this habitat to its ancient character.[67]

 

Present on the site is Sea knotgrass (Polygonum maritimum), the rarest of the knotgrasses in Britain,[68] and currently listed as a "schedule 8 species" under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Such plants are afforded greater than usual protection against damaging activities – such as "cutting, picking, destroying or selling."[69] The heathland is both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, part of a network of the best wildlife sites in Europe.[66]

  

The various habitats provide homes to numerous species of insects. There are 700 moth species recorded in the nature reserve, again a quarter of the national total. At different spots across the site butterflies (including the green hairstreak),[70] damselflies (like the large red), and dragonflies (such as the hairy dragonfly) can be observed.[3][66][71] The exceedingly rare thirteen-spotted ladybird (Hippodamia 13-punctata), was recently observed at the Head, the first recorded UK sighting since 1952.[66]

 

Over 300 bird species have been recorded in the area,[72] making Hengistbury Head an important migratory point. The Balearic shearwater, considered critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN and seldom sighted in the UK, has been seen in the area.[72] Other rare birds spotted here include the purple heron, the pink-footed goose, the European honey buzzard and the melodious warbler.[73] The fields and reserved areas near the car park provide an ideal spot to watch and listen to a significant population of skylarks during the summer months.

 

In 1989 a project commenced to re-introduce the country's rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad, to Hengistbury Head. The natterjack was last recorded on the headland in the 1950s before its extinction, probably as the result of a lack of suitable ponds.[74] The project has been a great success and today there are thriving populations at various locations.[74] The ideal time to witness their mating rituals is in May as dusk approaches, when the distinctive call of the natterjack can be heard for miles around.

 

V-TWINS - RAILEY EXCLUSIVE RELEASE! Avaiable at SWANK Event from August August 7th - 31st maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Swank%20Events/41/31/24 Railey is a Leather outfit which comes with Top and skirt in 12 colors and 3 different metal editable via HUD *FITS mesh bodies Maitreya, Legacy (Classic & Perky), Reborn, Erika and Kupra

 

Available at Swank Event August 7th - 31st.

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Swank%20Events/41/31/24

 

See more about Railey here.

www.flickr.com/photos/155239259@N03/53048214323/in/datepo...

 

More Links.

Ahlure/V-Twins Mainstore

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/TerraVillage/89/76/23

 

V-Twins Marketplace.

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Thank you everyone who supports my work. I would also like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kind words, faves and awards. I truly mean it. I appreciate the love you give my photos. And I thank each and every one of you. Hugs Megs x

    

Don't be fooled into thinking that the kitten is interested in anything but the cake. Also, I know it looks like I'm going to be all athletic and go for a run or whatever, but uhhhh, yeah, only to the local cafe to get my morning espresso... and some macarons... and cake...maybe some more macarons. Yeah. That's exercise!

 

Kitten: Half-Deer - Kitty Galore

Head: Genesis Lab - Sofie Bento (The Epiphany April 2017)

Skin: Soul - Fala Albino (H2)

Cosmetics: Lithe Silhouette - Fantasy Warm; Genesis Lab - HD Lipstick Retro Vintage

Hair: Magika - Hunter

Ears: Logo Expressive Ears

Hair Accessory: Lode - Morning Glory

Nails: Hello Dave - Nonconformist

Clothing: Seul - Flame Decal Hoodie; Dead Dollz - Smash Tennis Dress

Food: BunBun - Sweet Cafe (The Epiphany April 2017)

 

Museo Civico di Cabras

 

Mont’e Prama

 

La necropoli di Monti Prama si trova alla base del colle omonimo. La prima campagna di scavo fu condotta nel 1975 (scavo A. Bedini) e consentì di individuare una decina di sepolture a cista litica quadrangolare e altre a pozzetto circolare.

Le tombe scavate con il secondo intervento erano del tutto prive di corredo, ad eccezione di una che ha restituito uno scaraboide egittizzante di incerta attribuzione. Queste erano ricoperte da un accumulo di materiali scultorei in cui erano compresi 5178 frammenti di statue maschili e di altri elementi scultorei in calcare arenaceo. Tali materiali, recentemente restaurati nel Centro di Conservazione e Restauro di Li Punti (Sassari), sono pertinenti a statue maschili, modelli di nuraghe e betili. Le 28 statue finora identificate, tutte frammentarie, rappresentano 16 pugilatori, 5 arcieri e 5 guerrieri.

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

The necropolis of Monte Prama is located at the base of the hill that bears the same name. The first excavation was conducted in 1975 (under the direction of A. Bedini) and identified a dozen graves consisting of lithic cists (small stone-built coffin-like box) with square and circular pits.

During the second excavation project no funeral goods were found, except for an Egyptian style scaraboide of uncertain attribution.

When they were discovered, the graves were covered by an accumulation of sculptural materials including over 5000 fragments of male statues and other sculptural elements, including models of nuraghe and betili made of arenaceous limestone. Thank to the recent restoration of these sculptural fragments at the Center of Conservation and Restoration of Li Punti (Sassari), 28 statues (all fragmentary) have been identified so far, representing 16 boxers, 5 archers, and 5 warriors.

 

ITA

www.museocabras.it/esposizione/mont-e-prama/

 

ENG

www.museocabras.it/en/the-exposure/monte-prama/

The Australian Kelpie is a lithe, active dog, capable of untiring work. He is extremely intelligent, alert, and eager with unlimited energy. As a herding dog, the Australian Kelpie is intensely loyal and devoted to duty. He has a natural instinct and aptitude for working in sheep, whether it be in open fields or enclosed yards. This breed originated from Collie type dogs imported from Scotland, but was developed to withstand the harsh heat and dry conditions of the vast open spaces of Australia.

Otters are one of our top predators, feeding mainly on fish, waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as a 'holt'. Excellent and lithe swimmers, the young are in the water by 10 weeks of age. Otters are well suited to a life on the water as they have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm and can close their ears and nose when underwater. For the best chances of seeing an otter in the wild, try the west coast of Scotland, the Shetland Islands or some parts of Wales, northern England and East Anglia.

Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). The elusive otter is one of our top predators, feeding mainly on fish (particularly eels and salmonids), waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as 'holts'. Excellent and lithe swimmers, the young are in the water by 10 weeks of age. Otters are well suited to a life on the water as they have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm, and can close their ears and nose when underwater. They require clean rivers, with an abundant source of food and plenty of vegetation to hide their secluded holts.

Photo by Nick Dobbs, River Stour, Bournemouth 06-02-21

Photo Copyright 2012, dynamo.photography.

All rights reserved, no use without license

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Hong kong)

 

Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.

 

Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]

 

Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.

 

Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]

 

Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]

Contents

 

1 Etymology

2 History

2.1 Prehistory

2.2 Imperial China

2.3 British Crown Colony: 1842–1941

2.4 Japanese occupation: 1941–45

2.5 Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97

2.6 Handover and Special Administrative Region status

3 Governance

3.1 Structure of government

3.2 Electoral and political reforms

3.3 Legal system and judiciary

3.4 Foreign relations

3.5 Human rights

3.6 Regions and districts

3.7 Military

4 Geography and climate

5 Economy

5.1 Financial centre

5.2 International trading

5.3 Tourism and expatriation

5.4 Policy

5.5 Infrastructure

6 Demographics

6.1 Languages

6.2 Religion

6.3 Personal income

6.4 Education

6.5 Health

7 Culture

7.1 Sports

7.2 Architecture

7.3 Cityscape

7.4 Symbols

8 See also

9 Notes

10 References

10.1 Citations

10.2 Sources

11 Further reading

12 External links

 

Etymology

 

Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]

 

The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]

 

Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]

 

Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]

 

The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

 

As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.

 

Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".

History

Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong

 

Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]

 

Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]

Imperial China

Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China

 

In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]

 

After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]

 

From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.

 

From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.

European discovery

 

The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.

 

Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]

British Crown Colony: 1842–1941

A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London

Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)

 

In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]

 

The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]

 

Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.

 

In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]

 

Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.

File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media

Hong Kong filmed in 1937

 

In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).

 

Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]

 

In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.

Japanese occupation: 1941–45

Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]

 

As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]

 

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]

Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97

Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong

Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997

 

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.

Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953

 

In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.

 

Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.

A sky view of Hong Kong Island

An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986

 

To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]

 

In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]

The Hong Kong question

 

In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.

 

The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.

 

It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.

Handover and Special Administrative Region status

Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong

Transfer of sovereignty

Golden Bauhinia Square

 

On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.

 

Structure of government

 

Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]

 

Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.

 

Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]

 

The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]

 

In 1997, seating of the Legislative Council (also public services and election franchises) of Hong Kong modelled on the British system: Urban Council (Hong Kong and Kowloon) and District Council (New Territories and Outlying Islands). In 1999, this system has been reformed into 18 directly elected District Offices across 5 Legislative Council constituencies: Hong Kong Island (East/West), Kowloon and New Territories (East/West); the remaining outlying islands are divided across the aforementioned regions.

 

Hong Kong's Civil Service, created by the British colonial government, is a politically neutral body that implements government policies and provides public services. Senior civil servants are appointed based on meritocracy. The territory's police, firefighting and customs forces, as well as clerical officers across various government departments, make up the civil service.[101][102]

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Basavanna Temple, Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh, is the Gigantic Nandi (Bull) in couchant posture is a sculpture of a huge granite rock.. It faces west and looking towards the Nagalinga located behind the Veerbhadra Temple. It is 10metre in length and 6 metre in height. It was sculpted in 16th century during the period of Vijayanagara Empire.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hengistbury_Head

  

Hengistbury Head /ˈhɛŋɡəstbri/ is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Mudeford in the English county of Dorset. It is a site of international importance in terms of its archaeology and is scheduled as an Ancient Monument.[1] Declared a Local Nature Reserve in 1990, the head and its surroundings form part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2] It is also a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, an Environmentally Sensitive Area and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest.[3] The name "Hengistbury Head" refers to the immediate area; the elevated portion is called Warren Hill.

 

There has been human activity on the site since the Upper Palaeolithic; during the Victorian era, it was heavily quarried, and in recent years tourism has become significant – it receives over a million visitors annually. The various habitats on the Head provide a home for many plants, birds and insects, some of them rare and critically endangered. Erosion remains a threat to the site, although long-term projects are intended to secure it for the future.

  

Location

  

After the counties were redesignated in 1974, the site has been considered part of Dorset. The isolated building near the centre of the image (labelled "Summer House") is the thatched barn still at the Head. The barn forms part of the new visitor centre.

Hengistbury Head is a sandstone headland forming part of Southbourne, which is a suburb of the town of Bournemouth to the west; the nearest major settlement is Christchurch to the north. It is the most easterly part of the Borough of Bournemouth, and marks the most easterly point of Poole Bay. Historically part of Hampshire, the Local Government Act 1972 designated the area a part of Dorset. The northern slope of the hill tailing off towards the sea forms Mudeford spit, the sand bar closing Christchurch Harbour from the south.

  

Buildings

  

The spit is home to more 300 privately owned beach-huts, one of which in 2012 became one of the UK's most expensive, selling for £170,000 just two days after being put on the market.[4] The hut measures a little over five by three metres, has no running water, and the occupants may only stay overnight from March to October. Despite the relative lack of amenities, the area has become one of the UK's most desirable; huts are rented out for up to £600 a week.[5]

 

The Black House, a local landmark, stands at the end of the spit, opposite Mudeford Quay, site of the Battle of Mudeford in 1784. Built in 1848, it was once a boat-builders' house, but is now rented out to holidaymakers.[6] It has served a variety of functions over the years, and is commonly associated with the area's smuggling past.[7]

  

Toponymy

  

Mentioned as Hednesburia in a church deed of the early 12th century, and referred to as Hynesbury Head in the 17th, Hengistbury only took on its current spelling in the 19th century, during a period of what archaeologist Barry Cunliffe calls "antiquarian romanticism".[8] Many prehistoric sites around this time were renamed to link them with historical figures.[8] It was thought at the time that the legendary Anglo-Saxon leader Hengist could be buried here, as he was said to have been laid to rest in an unlocated mound. Twentieth-century excavations have established that the tumuli at Hengistbury Head date to the Bronze Age however.[9]

  

History

  

Hengistbury Head is home to a plethora of nationally and internationally significant archaeological sites, with features dating from the Late Upper Palaeolithic to the Roman settlement of Britain, earning the site Scheduled Ancient Monument status.[10] Interest in the site declined throughout the Dark Ages, until extensive development took place in Christchurch around 890 AD, when the Head may have been used as a lookout post. The area was heavily quarried during the Victorian period and nowadays receives over a million visitors annually.[11]

  

Stone Age

  

Several archaeological digs have revealed that the site was occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic.[12] There is evidence of an open settlement of the Creswellian culture on the hill in the middle of the headland dating to around 14,100 years ago. With over 13,000 lithic artefacts it is probably the largest site of the period.[13][14] Most interesting were several blades typically found at Upper Paleolithic sites across Europe, but rarely seen outside of caves in the UK, where open air sites of this age are extremely rare.[15] People at the Head were heavily involved with the production of blades, further excavations identified 649 tools, dominated by backed blades, endscrapers and burins.[16]

 

At the time the Warren Hill would have overlooked a large river valley that was to become the English Channel. Once the sea had inundated the surrounding valley, Mesolithic hunter gatherers exploited the site. Pollen analysis of peat from the Solent bed suggest a lightly wooded headland free of close-knit undergrowth during this period, an ideal habitat for game.[17]

  

Bronze Age

  

In Bronze Age Britain this was an important seaport.[18] Eleven Bronze Age Britain round barrows sit on the promontory with two more a little further inland. Eleven of the round barrows were excavated; three by Bushe Fox in 1911–12 and eight by Harold St George Gray in 1919 and 1922.[9][19] Two appear to be undisturbed. Numerous finds including Early Bronze Age axes and cremation urns were recovered from these tumuli, which have been consistently found to be between 3500 and 4000 years old.[9]

 

One of the barrows (south of where the thatched barn now stands)[20] contained a high status cremation of a woman of about twenty years in age, accompanied by an incense cup, a halberd-style pendant made from amber and copper alloy, and two gold cones that would have covered buttons of an organic material.[21] The burial-goods recovered are similar to those of the Wessex culture, the Wilsford and Dorset Ridgeway series in particular.[20] An urn from one of the barrows likely to have been made between 1700 and 1500 B.C., has been identified as Trevisker ware, a type widely found throughout Devon and Cornwall which was transported east in lesser amounts, this find being one of the easternmost discovered.[22]

  

Iron Age

  

In Iron Age Britain around 700 BC, a settlement on the Head was established;[23] also around this time, the headland was cut off from the mainland by the construction of two banks and ditches called the Double Dykes, similar to those found at Maiden Castle.[24] The earthworks consisted of an inner bank three metres high, with a ditch three and a half metres deep. An outer ditch six metres wide and two metres in depth is now obscured due to wind-blown deposits of sand and a gradual silting process.[25] These defences turned Hengistbury Head into a fortified settlement area which seems to have grown over succeeding centuries until it became an important port.[26] The Iron Age port at Hengistbury Head forms a final site in a small chain of fortified earthworks, starting from Hambledon Hill, and also including Hod Hill, Spetisbury Rings, Buzbury Rings, Badbury Rings and Dudsbury Camp.[27]

 

John Lavender of the local Red House Museum noted evidence of small iron-ore smelting hearths on Warren Hill, while green vitreous slag has been also found on the Head.[28] In his 1911 to 1912 excavations, Bushe-Fox found evidence for working of lead, copper and silver; two ingots discovered at this time revealed that raw materials would have been imported to the area.[28] One ingot was of nearly pure copper, while the other, which weighed 8.6 kg, was roughly 50/50 copper-silver alloy with around one percent gold.[29] Argentiferous (i.e. silver-bearing) copper was refined to produce silver at the Head.[29] There are also indications that gold was worked at Hengistbury.[30] One excavation produced part of a torc, twisted together with a small gold bracelet and another fragment in a manner suggesting it was scrap; a different site produced a streaked touchstone indicating use in gold testing.[30]

 

Thousands of bronze coins have been found from the pre-Roman period, the vast majority having been struck by the Durotriges.[31] The abundance of coins, together with various hearths and smelting artefacts found within a close proximity suggest that the Durotrigan finds were minted here.[32]

  

International trade centre

  

The advanced level of metallurgy in the area, coupled with its ease of access from the Continent, meant that Hengistbury Head became a significant Late-Iron Age port; trading worked metal of iron, silver, and bronze in return for figs, glass, tools and other goods. Armorican coins and pottery uncovered here show links to the Brittany peninsula.[33] Amphorae used for the transportation of North Italian wine have been found in such quantities (more than all other sites in the south of England put together), that it is clear that the Head was a main port of entry into the country.[34] However, no similar amphorae have been unearthed in Armorica, hinting at a more direct trade route between Hengistbury Head and Italy.[34] Most of these vessels date from before 50 B.C., while later styles are absent despite being common in other parts of Britain, indicating the wine trade seems to have declined at about the time Caesar began his Gaulish campaigns.[35]

  

Roman occupation to Medieval period

  

After the Roman conquest, the south-east of England started to develop into a more urban economy, while the socio-economic system of the south-west remained little changed.[36] Hengistbury would still have served as an important hub for the Dumnonii of Cornwall and Devon, and the Durotriges of Wiltshire and Dorset; since transport by water was more efficient at the time, and the Head offered both a coastal route, and freshwater options via the Stour and Avon rivers.[36]

 

No evidence of Saxon use has been found at the Head.[37] The area was not substantially reoccupied until Alfred the Great decided to rebuild the harbour as a defence against raiders. He built the town that later became Christchurch, on the north side of the harbour. Access to Salisbury up the River Avon made this a more strategic place. The Head may have been used for harbour defence at this time. In the 11th century, some of the iron-ore rich stones found at the Head were used in the construction of Christchurch Castle. These reddish-coloured stones can still be seen in the base of the now ruined castle.[38]

  

17th, 18th and 19th centuries

  

In the late 1600s, Andrew Yarranton (with backing from the Earl of Clarendon) commenced a scheme to improve the harbour. In 1693 a channel was cut out to sea, whilst ironstone boulders from the head were used to create a pier.[39] The plans proved ineffective; the pier was poorly positioned and subsequent storms (including the Great Storm of 1703) soon undid most of the work although parts of the pier known as "Clarendon's Jetty" or the "Long Rocks" are still visible today.[40] Many tons may have been removed from the beach and the head itself to make the jetty.[41]

  

In 1733 a new Excise and Customs Bill was introduced, restricting imports and raising taxes on many luxury items. Christchurch rapidly became a hot-bed for smugglers, where they were known as "freetraders", and much of the town was involved in the trade. The "Double Dykes" are said to have been used to hide contraband,[42] while Mudeford spit is rumoured to have been used in the construction of "Guinea boats" (cheaply built galleys sometimes capable of outrunning the day's steamships).[43][44] One apocryphal story is that the black house acquired its distinctive black colour when customs officers tried to smoke out some holed-up smugglers by lighting fires around the base.[43] The house was constructed in 1848 and used by shipwrights as a dwelling and workshop, smuggling was in decline with the introduction of a free trade policy and more effective measures being implemented by the Coast Guard by this time, so the house may not in fact have had much involvement in smuggling. The spit has a long association with shipbuilding with two large ships being built in the mid 19th century, the "Viscountess Canning" of 193 tons and the "Enterprise" 253 tons.[6]

 

From 1848 to 1872, the Hengistbury Mining Company – formed by a Christchurch-based merchant, John E. Holloway – extracted many more ironstone boulders through quarrying. Holloway brought coal from Southampton, and took the ironstone as ballast for the return journey.[45] These boulders, known as Iron Doggers, were prized for their high quantity of iron ore (up to 30%).[46] They form the base of Hengistbury Head, and the removal of a substantial amount of doggers over the years has weakened the headland. These and earlier excavations resulted in a loss of up to a third of the Head, caused mainly by erosion after the quarry's closure. The silt being washed down also threatened the ecology of the saltmarsh below. This has been reduced by the building of a dam, in 1976, to create a pool. Many "doggers" can still be seen lining the route of the land-train and at the quarry.[46]

  

UK's first airshow

  

In 1910 the first international aviation meeting ever held in Britain took place on a specially laid out aerodrome consisting of a mile of grassland between the "Double Dykes" and the nearby village of Tuckton. About twenty pioneer aviators from around the world participated in various competitions including spot landing, altitude tests and speed trials (both for the fastest and slowest circuit).[47]

 

On the second day of the meeting, co-founder of Rolls-Royce and pioneer aviator Charles Rolls was thrown from his plane, which disintegrated beneath him. Despite the fact that the first-ever powered flight had occurred only seven years previously, Rolls had been attempting a precision landing. He died from his injuries shortly after his fall.[48] The event was Britain's earliest fatal flying accident involving a powered aircraft.[47]

  

20th century

  

There were a number of development schemes for the head including a major railway and docks scheme proposed in 1885, proposals for housing and a golf course were also put forward before World War I, though none of these schemes came to fruition.[49] In 1919 the head was sold by Sir George Meyrick to Harry Gordon Selfridge with plans to construct a grand house. These plans also came to nothing, apart from the establishment of a nursery garden.[50] Bournemouth Borough Council purchased the head in 1930 for £25,200;[51] although plans for housing existed west of double dykes, the head itself was to be kept as public open space. During World War II the head was closed to the public and was occupied by the army, becoming home to a number of installations including a radar station. The area was also extensively mined. The Head was finally cleared of the military defences by the 1950s.[52]

  

Present day

  

Hengistbury Head Local Nature Reserve is currently owned and managed by Bournemouth Borough Council. In 1990, the land was declared a Local Nature Reserve, as a commitment by the town of Bournemouth to conserve and enhance the environment.[53] The heathland forms part of the Dorset Heaths and is internationally protected as a Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. Nearby, the upper reaches of Christchurch Harbour (including the meadows at Wick) are recognised as an Environmentally Sensitive Area.[53]

 

The head today is used for a variety of reasons. Firstly it is a tourist spot where country walks can be taken all over the head due to the well defined gravel paths, some of which form part of the Bournemouth Coast Path.[54] In 2008, many paths were resurfaced, making more (though not all) parts of the Head wheelchair accessible. For example, it is now possible to gain wheelchair access to Quarry Pool. Regular field trips to the site are made by students of all ages and there are occasional guided tours or meetings around the Head covering a wide variety of subjects.[3]

 

There is a cafe at the bottom of the Head on the Bournemouth side. Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education centre is located near here on the south shore of the harbour. Run by Brockenhurst College, the centre offers a variety of water and outdoor activities.[55] A scenic land train (known as "the Noddy train") makes regular journeys from the cafe to the end of the spit, a journey of ten or so minutes.[56] On the head itself is a H. M. Coastguard radio relay station, a nature reserve and a triangulation pillar, shown on Ordnance Survey maps as 36 metres above sea level. Ample parking (subject to charges) can be found near the cafe, but the Head is also within walking distance of Southbourne and parts of Christchurch.

 

The Quarry Pool is now a significant part of the nature reserve features of the Head. While it was very acidic in the early years, since 1990 it has allowed the growth of a significant number of plant and insect species, as well as mallard and little grebe. The insects provide valuable food for migrating sand martins and swallows.[57]

  

Visitor centre

  

A new visitor centre for Hengistbury Head is scheduled to open by the end of 2013. Developments are currently underway on the thatched barn, which is being made in an eco-friendly way.[58] the new addition will cost over a million pounds with funding provided by developer contributions, the Heritage Lottery Fund and £300,000 from landfill tax.[58]

 

The centre will house a new display area concerning the site's archaeology, ecology and geology,[59] while work space will be created for volunteers and other community groups such as the Hengistbury Head Supporters Group, Residents' Association and Christchurch Harbour Ornithological Group.[3] The public will have the chance to scrutinise a selection of the finds discovered at Hengistbury Head in the last century, and to interact with experienced staff, as well as providing them with the opportunity to become actively involved in the administration of the nature reserve.[59]

 

The surrounding area will be extensively landscaped to create outdoor learning areas and a wildlife garden.[60] Energy-saving features will include photovoltaic panels for electricity and ground source heat pump for heating. A green roof (a living roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium), will be used to absorb rainfall and provide insulation.[58] The centre will be constructed using timber-frame walls insulated with straw bales.[58]

  

Geography

  

According to Ian West of Southampton University, "Hengistbury Head is the best part of the Bournemouth coast for geology and geomorphology .... [and] is geologically important for the unusual nodules of sideritic ironstone [found] in Middle Eocene strata."[61] The exposed and relatively untouched cliff face at the Head perfectly lends itself to students of stratigraphy. Warren Hill itself is composed of Tertiary Bracklesham Beds,[62] a mixture of clays and marls with overlying sandy and lignitic beds.

  

Erosion

  

One serious threat to the future of the Head is erosion of the exposed southern cliff face from wind and rain, as well as erosion caused by the sea primarily through the process of Longshore drift. A comparison of Ordnance Survey maps reveals that 25 metres of cliff was washed away from 1915 to 1962,[62] a process accelerated by the Bournemouth cliff's concreted promenade and groynes, construction of which started in the early 20th century. It is thought that in the last 200 years around 150 metres of land has been lost from the Head.[62] The first attempt to counteract erosion came in the 1930s when Bournemouth Council constructed a breakwater now known as "the Long Groyne".[63] Since then, a gabion revetment has been constructed to secure the weakest point at the eastern end of the Head.[38] In a long-term project to secure the Head's future, from 2005 to 2008 Poole Bay was replenished with 1.8 million cubic metres of beach material,[64] drawing ire from some surfers and beach lovers owing to the increase in sharp stones on Southbourne beach in particular.[65] The project's organizers, the Poole Bay Partnership, state that: "The resulting wide beaches have been a success in terms of their function as a coast protection structure and for the enjoyment they provide to the area's residents and visitors."[64]

  

Flora and fauna

  

Hengistbury Head forms part of the Christchurch Harbour Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and in May 1990 was declared a Local Nature Reserve.[66] The Head supports 500 plant species (a quarter of the national flora), including eight red data book species, 14 nationally scarce, and 39 locally rare species. The main nature reserve area faces Christchurch Harbour, and is contiguous with the reed beds of Wick Fields. The Head contains a large variety of habitats from the heathland on Warren Hill to freshwater ponds, sand dunes, and salt marshes. The woodland (known as Withybed Wood) is home to English oak and silver birch amongst many other trees, and is of particular interest, as it is the only such area to be shown on an 1811 O.S. map of the Bournemouth/Christchurch area.[66] In 2002, cattle-grazing commenced in a field near the new visitor centre known as "Barn Field". This, combined with gorse eradication, has assisted in the restoration of this habitat to its ancient character.[67]

 

Present on the site is Sea knotgrass (Polygonum maritimum), the rarest of the knotgrasses in Britain,[68] and currently listed as a "schedule 8 species" under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Such plants are afforded greater than usual protection against damaging activities – such as "cutting, picking, destroying or selling."[69] The heathland is both a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area, part of a network of the best wildlife sites in Europe.[66]

  

The various habitats provide homes to numerous species of insects. There are 700 moth species recorded in the nature reserve, again a quarter of the national total. At different spots across the site butterflies (including the green hairstreak),[70] damselflies (like the large red), and dragonflies (such as the hairy dragonfly) can be observed.[3][66][71] The exceedingly rare thirteen-spotted ladybird (Hippodamia 13-punctata), was recently observed at the Head, the first recorded UK sighting since 1952.[66]

 

Over 300 bird species have been recorded in the area,[72] making Hengistbury Head an important migratory point. The Balearic shearwater, considered critically endangered with extinction by the IUCN and seldom sighted in the UK, has been seen in the area.[72] Other rare birds spotted here include the purple heron, the pink-footed goose, the European honey buzzard and the melodious warbler.[73] The fields and reserved areas near the car park provide an ideal spot to watch and listen to a significant population of skylarks during the summer months.

 

In 1989 a project commenced to re-introduce the country's rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad, to Hengistbury Head. The natterjack was last recorded on the headland in the 1950s before its extinction, probably as the result of a lack of suitable ponds.[74] The project has been a great success and today there are thriving populations at various locations.[74] The ideal time to witness their mating rituals is in May as dusk approaches, when the distinctive call of the natterjack can be heard for miles around.

 

power babes

I like trying to write poetry but it is far more time consuming than processing photos. I have been spoiled by the immediacy of post processing. My poetry is just a way of exploring concepts. It is very unfinished!

 

December 1974

by John R. Williams

 

I

 

He

shouldered a red basket woven from switch-like limbs

bent red winter boughs into a domed frame

chipped his serrated blades from obsidian shards

ripped shreds of sage fiber from twisted trunks

braided them into sagebrush bindings

cinched arched willows together

bound bundles of brown tules

lapped the bundles over the frame

wedged the wickiup, pond side, among saplings

 

cut a yard long green timber from a Juniper bole

shaped staves and curved and recurved a bow

glued on sinew backing

trimmed young aspens into blunt bird arrows

split Pintail wing feathers for fletching

moved deft hands and fingers, lithe arms to each task in turn

 

then crawled through the small hide door

strung bow, notched arrow

waited crosslegged under a feather shawl

knew where the heron would light

the dabblers and teals would come skidding in

 

II

 

So mused the migrant Angeleno in ’74

(entering the valley of the long gone Paiutes)

secretly steering from a right side driver’s seat

an auctioned International Harvester mail-wagon.

Blackie the lab sitting alert on her lawn chair,

the apparent driver.

Rooftop, a bundle of ten long lodge poles

secured to front and back bumpers

a canvas home folded in back.

Oh how I was drawn to the cloudscapes —

an ever unraveling scroll of undecipherable

scripture — so I told myself. No one was around.

I could see across half the county.

There was a 30 mile timbered ridge dressed with snow

and desert mountains to the east

(with wild horses like in Hombre).

I was naive. I was romantic. I was impractical.

Something about that time was all very foolish and yet very good.

Good, pure, innocent, free but fatefully untempered.

And so the story goes. No one can see the future

Yet old country is for no men.

 

III

 

Let’s revisit my patient Paiute looking out on the pond.

He has waited for hours but it is too calm and warm for birds.

Just two flying swans.

Oh well he is thinking of the future as men do.

He knows in 7 more notches the sun

Will inch its way back up the ridge.

A.D. 1843 means nothing to him and

He has no idea

Cannibals will nurse the mutineer Melville back to health.

That it would be 8 years till Moby-Dick

And 20 or more until Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Yet perhaps his instincts are well tuned.

Maybe he dozes off and dreams:

 

A Pathfinder is lost and mired in deep snow.

He will aspire someday to be a great chief.

He looks at a little man in buckskin with hair like a fox,

To where he is pointing and then back to

The flat round stone with a magic moving arrow.

The evil Klamaths have skulked back to the big lake.

He tells his men to kill a horse and start a fire.

 

He is coming. The little fox man will lead them down

out of blowing snows into the valley of birds.

Here his men will squeeze the valley through little holes.

The mountains and mesas will be flattened.

The Lakes and rivers will freeze forever.

They will roll the earth up and

Slide it into a quiver. The Paiutes will become

As plumes of dust.

 

IV

 

Excerpt from Fremont’s Journal entry for Dec. 16, 1843:

 

“At our feet–more than a thousand feet below–we looked into a green prairie country, in which a beautiful lake, some twenty miles in length, was spread along the foot of the mountains, its shores bordered with green grass. Just then the sun broke out among the clouds, and illuminated the country below; while around us the storm raged fiercely. Not a particle of ice was to be seen on the lake, or snow on its borders, and all was like summer or spring. The glow of the sun in the valley below brightened up our hearts with sudden pleasure; and we made the woods ring with joyful shouts to those behind; and gradually, as each came up, he stopped to enjoy the unexpected scene. Shivering on snow three feet deep, and stiffening in a cold north wind, we exclaimed at once that the names of Summer Lake and Winter Ridge should be applied to these two proximate places of such sudden and violent contrast.”

  

The next read Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, bought yesterday

 

review www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/09/shuggie-bain-by-dou...

 

display fabric a charity shop find

 

if you have any book recommendations a discussion page www.flickr.com/groups/a_personal_viewpoint/discuss/721577...has been posted by tong www.flickr.com/photos/tongkm/

Hyenas or hyaenas (from Greek ὕαινα hýaina) are any feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae /haɪˈɛnɪdiː/. With only four extant species (in three genera), it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.

 

Although phylogenetically they are closer to felines and viverrids, and belong to the feliform category, hyenas are behaviourally and morphologically similar to canines in several elements of convergent evolution; both hyenas and canines are non-arboreal, cursorial hunters that catch prey with their teeth rather than claws. Both eat food quickly and may store it, and their calloused feet with large, blunt, nonretractable claws are adapted for running and making sharp turns. However, the hyenas' grooming, scent marking, defecating habits, mating and parental behaviour are consistent with the behaviour of other feliforms.

 

Spotted hyenas may kill as many as 95% of the animals they eat, while striped hyenas are largely scavengers. Generally, hyenas are known to drive off larger predators, like lions, from their kills, despite having a reputation in popular culture for being cowardly. Hyenas are primarily nocturnal animals, but sometimes venture from their lairs in the early-morning hours. With the exception of the highly social spotted hyena, hyenas are generally not gregarious animals, though they may live in family groups and congregate at kills.

 

Hyenas first arose in Eurasia during the Miocene period from viverrid-like ancestors, and diversified into two distinct types: lightly built dog-like hyenas and robust bone-crushing hyenas. Although the dog-like hyenas thrived 15 million years ago (with one taxon having colonised North America), they became extinct after a change in climate along with the arrival of canids into Eurasia. Of the dog-like hyena lineage, only the insectivorous aardwolf survived, while the bone-crushing hyenas (including the extant spotted, brown and striped hyenas) became the undisputed top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa.

 

Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures that live alongside them. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children. Other cultures associate them with witchcraft, using their body parts in traditional African medicine.

 

Hyenas originated in the jungles of Miocene Eurasia 22 million years ago, when most early feliform species were still largely arboreal. The first ancestral hyenas were likely similar to the modern banded palm civet; one of the earliest hyena species described, Plioviverrops, was a lithe, civet-like animal that inhabited Eurasia 20–22 million years ago, and is identifiable as a hyaenid by the structure of the middle ear and dentition. The lineage of Plioviverrops prospered, and gave rise to descendants with longer legs and more pointed jaws, a direction similar to that taken by canids in North America.

 

The descendants of Plioviverrops reached their peak 15 million years ago, with more than 30 species having been identified. Unlike most modern hyena species, which are specialised bone-crushers, these dog-like hyenas were nimble-bodied, wolfish animals; one species among them was Ictitherium viverrinum, which was similar to a jackal. The dog-like hyenas were very numerous; in some Miocene fossil sites, the remains of Ictitherium and other dog-like hyenas outnumber those of all other carnivores combined. The decline of the dog-like hyenas began 5–7 million years ago during a period of climate change, which was exacerbated when canids crossed the Bering land bridge to Eurasia. One species, Chasmaporthetes ossifragus, managed to cross the land bridge into North America, being the only hyena to do so. Chasmopothertes managed to survive for some time in North America by deviating from the cursorial and bone-crushing niches monopolised by canids, and developing into a cheetah-like sprinter. Most of the dog-like hyenas had died off by 1.5 million years ago.

The Holga comes always along with me on remote trips, even risking the loss (this one is specially recalcitrant and destroyed 3 films, but I may pardon her anyway) of some views of places I probably will not visit again, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  

silver gelatine print - no textures or the like, all palpable ...

 

Retro 400s in SLD

 

@PA

Lith on Brovira BH112 in a late brew which produces nice grain, but difficult to compensate for infectious development (really hard one, I wasted 10 sheets, all with [unwanted] artifacts). BH112 + Lith E is sth. for the dust bin or camera work

For more Mayra, click on her album below. (To access her album on your iPhone, click on the information icon at the bottom of this screen; then, when your next screen appears, scroll down just a bit, and you'll see her "album.")

 

Psionics is the alleged psychic effects of telepathy, psychokinesis, pyrokinesis and others. Karaaka is the Toa of Psionics, a powerful, wise and lithe Toa that lives alone in the heart of Voya Nui. He is the only remaining member of a long lost team, and his power is rivalled by none.

+++++ from Wikipedia +++++

 

Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian is a Chinese Taoist deity popular in Jinhua 金華, Zhejiang 浙江 and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (Chinese: 黃初平; c. 328 – c. 386), a Taoist hermit from Zhejiang.[2]

 

Contents

 

1 Legend

2 Establishment

2.1 Construction

3 Transition

4 Influence

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

 

Legend

 

According to the text Self-Description of Chisongzi (赤松子自述; "Master Red Pine") kept at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin was born Huang Chuping (Wong Cho Ping in Cantonese) in 328 in Lanxi, Jinhua, Zhejiang province.[3] Western sources have him listed at c. 284 to 364 CE.[2]

 

Wong Cho Ping is said to have experienced poverty and hunger, becoming a shepherd when he was eight years old.[4] He began practising Taoism at the age of fifteen after meeting an immortal or saintly person on Red Pine Mountain in his hometown. Legend has it that he was able to transform stones into sheep forty years later.[4] Wong Tai Sin later became known as the Red Pine Immortal (赤松仙子), after the mountain where he had his hermitage, and his birthday is celebrated on the 23rd of the eighth lunar month.[3]

Establishment

 

In the early 20th century, Leung Renyan (梁仁菴) spread the devotion to Wong Tai Sin from Xiqiao Mountain (西樵山) in Nanhai County, Guangdong to Wan Chai in Colonial Hong Kong. Leung arrived in Hong Kong in 1915 [5] and upon renting an apartment in Wan Chai 灣仔, set up an altar to Wong Tai Sin in his apartment. He later opened an herbal medicine shop nearby and moved the altar to the back of the shop, where customers could pray to Wong Tai Sin and seek advice for their ailments. Leung would then fill their prescriptions, and the popularity of Wong Tai Sin grew probably due to several successful cures. Leung's shop was destroyed by fire in 1918.

Construction

Wong Tai Sin Temple, a popular place of worship in Hong Kong

 

In 1921, Leung said that he received a message from Wong Tai Sin instructing him to build a new shrine. Leung and some Taoist priests were told to walk 3,000 paces northwards from Kowloon City Pier, eventually stopping at Chuk Yuen Village (竹園村). They marked the place with a piece of bamboo in the ground, and using Fu Ji (扶乩) to consult Wong Tai Sin, were told that it was an auspicious site. Wong Tai Sin taught them to determine the would-be centre of the temple by three Chinese feet (approximately 1m) on the right and three Chinese feet backwards of the bamboo mark and the would-be temple was named as "Chik Chung Sin Shrine" (赤松仙館) (Red Pine Immortal Shrine). The Taoist god of literature, Wenchang Dijun (文昌帝君), told the priests, again via Fu Ji, to begin construction of the shrine on 24th of the sixth lunar month.

 

Eventually, the shrine was completed and was dedicated on the 20th of the seventh lunar month, and the gods communicated several name changes over the next few years through Fu Ji. In the same year, during the celebration of the birthday of Wong Tai Sin on the 23rd of the eighth lunar month, the altar was named "Pu Yi Tan" (普宜壇) by the Jade Emperor (玉帝). Later on, Wenchang Dijun gave the name of the premises as "Sik Sik Yuen" (嗇色園) and the managing body was established.[6] In 1925, the shrine was renamed "Chik Chung Wong Sin Hall" (赤松黃仙祠) (Red Pine Wong Immortal Hall) by the god Lü Ju (呂祖), and it has been in use since then.

 

Sik Sik Yuen was once restricted to Taoists and their family members until 1934, when it formally applied to the government to have the temple open to the public during every 1st lunar month. The temple was finally opened to the general public in 1956.

Transition

 

The revival of venerating Wong Cho Ping as Wong Tai Sin occurred at the end of the 19th century. Prior to 1911, the Emperor of China was the primary divine religious symbol,[2] often stretching the Mandate of Heaven into religious terms. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, a replacement symbol was needed, and Leung Renyan arrived in Hong Kong in 1915 with a portrait of the god; it is thus disputed whether the success of Wong Tai Sin Temple is due to the timing of his worship's revival and historical circumstance.

Influence

 

The Wong Tai Sin area and Wong Tai Sin districts are named after the deity. Today, Sik Sik Yuen is an educational and charitable foundation that, true to Leung's origins as a healer, runs a free clinic. In Hong Kong, there is one MTR station named after Wong Tai Sin and there is a Wong Tai Sin Temple. Many tourists from all over the world visit Wong Tai Sin Temple every day.

  

Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.

 

Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]

 

Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.

 

Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]

 

Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]

Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]

 

The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]

 

Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]

 

Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]

 

The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

 

As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.

 

Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".

History

Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong

 

Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]

 

Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]

Imperial China

Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China

 

In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]

 

After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]

 

From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.

 

From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.

European discovery

 

The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.

 

Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]

British Crown Colony: 1842–1941

A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London

Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)

 

In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]

 

The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]

 

Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.

 

In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]

 

Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.

File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media

Hong Kong filmed in 1937

 

In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).

 

Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]

 

In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.

Japanese occupation: 1941–45

Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]

 

As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]

 

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]

Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97

Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong

Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997

 

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.

Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953

 

In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.

 

Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.

A sky view of Hong Kong Island

An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986

 

To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]

 

In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]

The Hong Kong question

 

In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.

 

The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.

 

It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.

Handover and Special Administrative Region status

Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong

Transfer of sovereignty

Golden Bauhinia Square

 

On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.

 

Structure of government

 

Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]

 

Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.

 

Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]

 

The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]

+++++ from Wikipedia +++++

 

Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian is a Chinese Taoist deity popular in Jinhua 金華, Zhejiang 浙江 and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (Chinese: 黃初平; c. 328 – c. 386), a Taoist hermit from Zhejiang.[2]

 

Contents

 

1 Legend

2 Establishment

2.1 Construction

3 Transition

4 Influence

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

 

Legend

 

According to the text Self-Description of Chisongzi (赤松子自述; "Master Red Pine") kept at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin was born Huang Chuping (Wong Cho Ping in Cantonese) in 328 in Lanxi, Jinhua, Zhejiang province.[3] Western sources have him listed at c. 284 to 364 CE.[2]

 

Wong Cho Ping is said to have experienced poverty and hunger, becoming a shepherd when he was eight years old.[4] He began practising Taoism at the age of fifteen after meeting an immortal or saintly person on Red Pine Mountain in his hometown. Legend has it that he was able to transform stones into sheep forty years later.[4] Wong Tai Sin later became known as the Red Pine Immortal (赤松仙子), after the mountain where he had his hermitage, and his birthday is celebrated on the 23rd of the eighth lunar month.[3]

Establishment

 

In the early 20th century, Leung Renyan (梁仁菴) spread the devotion to Wong Tai Sin from Xiqiao Mountain (西樵山) in Nanhai County, Guangdong to Wan Chai in Colonial Hong Kong. Leung arrived in Hong Kong in 1915 [5] and upon renting an apartment in Wan Chai 灣仔, set up an altar to Wong Tai Sin in his apartment. He later opened an herbal medicine shop nearby and moved the altar to the back of the shop, where customers could pray to Wong Tai Sin and seek advice for their ailments. Leung would then fill their prescriptions, and the popularity of Wong Tai Sin grew probably due to several successful cures. Leung's shop was destroyed by fire in 1918.

Construction

Wong Tai Sin Temple, a popular place of worship in Hong Kong

 

In 1921, Leung said that he received a message from Wong Tai Sin instructing him to build a new shrine. Leung and some Taoist priests were told to walk 3,000 paces northwards from Kowloon City Pier, eventually stopping at Chuk Yuen Village (竹園村). They marked the place with a piece of bamboo in the ground, and using Fu Ji (扶乩) to consult Wong Tai Sin, were told that it was an auspicious site. Wong Tai Sin taught them to determine the would-be centre of the temple by three Chinese feet (approximately 1m) on the right and three Chinese feet backwards of the bamboo mark and the would-be temple was named as "Chik Chung Sin Shrine" (赤松仙館) (Red Pine Immortal Shrine). The Taoist god of literature, Wenchang Dijun (文昌帝君), told the priests, again via Fu Ji, to begin construction of the shrine on 24th of the sixth lunar month.

 

Eventually, the shrine was completed and was dedicated on the 20th of the seventh lunar month, and the gods communicated several name changes over the next few years through Fu Ji. In the same year, during the celebration of the birthday of Wong Tai Sin on the 23rd of the eighth lunar month, the altar was named "Pu Yi Tan" (普宜壇) by the Jade Emperor (玉帝). Later on, Wenchang Dijun gave the name of the premises as "Sik Sik Yuen" (嗇色園) and the managing body was established.[6] In 1925, the shrine was renamed "Chik Chung Wong Sin Hall" (赤松黃仙祠) (Red Pine Wong Immortal Hall) by the god Lü Ju (呂祖), and it has been in use since then.

 

Sik Sik Yuen was once restricted to Taoists and their family members until 1934, when it formally applied to the government to have the temple open to the public during every 1st lunar month. The temple was finally opened to the general public in 1956.

Transition

 

The revival of venerating Wong Cho Ping as Wong Tai Sin occurred at the end of the 19th century. Prior to 1911, the Emperor of China was the primary divine religious symbol,[2] often stretching the Mandate of Heaven into religious terms. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, a replacement symbol was needed, and Leung Renyan arrived in Hong Kong in 1915 with a portrait of the god; it is thus disputed whether the success of Wong Tai Sin Temple is due to the timing of his worship's revival and historical circumstance.

Influence

 

The Wong Tai Sin area and Wong Tai Sin districts are named after the deity. Today, Sik Sik Yuen is an educational and charitable foundation that, true to Leung's origins as a healer, runs a free clinic. In Hong Kong, there is one MTR station named after Wong Tai Sin and there is a Wong Tai Sin Temple. Many tourists from all over the world visit Wong Tai Sin Temple every day.

  

Hong Kong, officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, is an autonomous territory south to Mainland China and east to Macao in East Asia. With around 7.2 million Hong Kongers of various nationalities[note 2] in a territory of 1,104 km2, Hong Kong is the world's fourth most densely populated country or territory.

 

Hong Kong used to be a British colony with the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island from the Qing Empire after the First Opium War (1839–42). The colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 and acquired a 99-year lease of the New Territories from 1898. Hong Kong was later occupied by Japan during the Second World War until British control resumed in 1945. The Sino-British Joint Declaration signed between the United Kingdom and China in 1984 paved way for the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, when it became a special administrative region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China with a high degree of autonomy.[15]

 

Under the principle of "one country, two systems",[16][17] Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic system from China. Except in military defence and foreign affairs, Hong Kong maintains its independent executive, legislative and judiciary powers.[18] In addition, Hong Kong develops relations directly with foreign states and international organisations in a broad range of "appropriate fields".[19] Hong Kong involves in international organizations, such as the WTO[20] and the APEC [21], actively and independently.

 

Hong Kong is one of the world's most significant financial centres, with the highest Financial Development Index score and consistently ranks as the world's most competitive and freest economic entity.[22][23] As the world's 8th largest trading entity,[24] its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the world's 13th most traded currency.[25] As the world's most visited city,[26][27] Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised by competitive simple taxation and supported by its independent judiciary system.[28] Even with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, it suffers from severe income inequality.[29]

 

Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong is renowned for its deep natural harbour, which boasts the world's fifth busiest port with ready access by cargo ships, and its impressive skyline, with the most skyscrapers in the world.[30][31] It has a very high Human Development Index ranking and the world's longest life expectancy.[32][33] Over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation.[34][35] Seasonal air pollution with origins from neighbouring industrial areas of Mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.[36][37][38]

Hong Kong was officially recorded in the 1842 Treaty of Nanking to encompass the entirety of the island.[39]

 

The source of the romanised name "Hong Kong" is not known, but it is generally believed to be an early imprecise phonetic rendering of the pronunciation in spoken Cantonese 香港 (Cantonese Yale: Hēung Góng), which means "Fragrant Harbour" or "Incense Harbour".[13][14][40] Before 1842, the name referred to a small inlet—now Aberdeen Harbour (Chinese: 香港仔; Cantonese Yale: Hēunggóng jái), literally means "Little Hong Kong"—between Aberdeen Island and the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. Aberdeen was an initial point of contact between British sailors and local fishermen.[41]

 

Another theory is that the name would have been taken from Hong Kong's early inhabitants, the Tankas (水上人); it is equally probable that romanisation was done with a faithful execution of their speeches, i.e. hōng, not hēung in Cantonese.[42] Detailed and accurate romanisation systems for Cantonese were available and in use at the time.[43]

 

Fragrance may refer to the sweet taste of the harbour's fresh water estuarine influx of the Pearl River or to the incense from factories lining the coast of northern Kowloon. The incense was stored near Aberdeen Harbour for export before Hong Kong developed Victoria Harbour.[40]

 

The name had often been written as the single word Hongkong until the government adopted the current form in 1926.[44] Nevertheless, a number of century-old institutions still retain the single-word form, such as the Hongkong Post, Hongkong Electric and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

 

As of 1997, its official name is the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China". This is the official title as mentioned in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Hong Kong Government's website;[45] however, "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" and "Hong Kong" are widely accepted.

 

Hong Kong has carried many nicknames. The most famous among those is the "Pearl of the Orient", which reflected the impressive nightscape of the city's light decorations on the skyscrapers along both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The territory is also known as "Asia's World City".

History

Main articles: History of Hong Kong and History of China

Prehistory

Main article: Prehistoric Hong Kong

 

Archaeological studies support human presence in the Chek Lap Kok area (now Hong Kong International Airport) from 35,000 to 39,000 years ago and on Sai Kung Peninsula from 6,000 years ago.[46][47][48]

 

Wong Tei Tung and Three Fathoms Cove are the earliest sites of human habitation in Hong Kong during the Paleolithic Period. It is believed that the Three Fathom Cove was a river-valley settlement and Wong Tei Tung was a lithic manufacturing site. Excavated Neolithic artefacts suggested cultural differences from the Longshan culture of northern China and settlement by the Che people, prior to the migration of the Baiyue to Hong Kong.[49][50] Eight petroglyphs, which dated to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC – 1066 BC) in China, were discovered on the surrounding islands.[51]

Imperial China

Main article: History of Hong Kong under Imperial China

 

In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a centralised China, conquered the Baiyue tribes in Jiaozhi (modern-day Liangguang region and Vietnam) and incorporated the area of Hong Kong into his imperial China for the first time. Hong Kong proper was assigned to the Nanhai commandery (modern-day Nanhai District), near the commandery's capital city Panyu.[52][53][54]

 

After a brief period of centralisation and collapse of the Qin dynasty, the area of Hong Kong was consolidated under the Kingdom of Nanyue, founded by general Zhao Tuo in 204 BC.[55] When Nanyue lost the Han-Nanyue War in 111 BC, Hong Kong came under the Jiaozhi commandery of the Han dynasty. Archaeological evidence indicates an increase of population and flourish of salt production. The Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb on the Kowloon Peninsula is believed to have been built as a burial site during the Han dynasty.[56]

 

From the Han dynasty to the early Tang dynasty, Hong Kong was a part of Bao'an County. In the Tang dynasty, modern-day Guangzhou (Canton) flourished as an international trading centre. In 736, the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established a military stronghold in Tuen Mun to strengthen defence of the coastal area.[57] The nearby Lantau Island was a salt production centre and salt smuggler riots occasionally broke out against the government. In c. 1075, The first village school, Li Ying College, was established around 1075 AD in modern-day New Territories by the Northern Song dynasty.[58] During their war against the Mongols, the imperial court of Southern Song was briefly stationed at modern-day Kowloon City (the Sung Wong Toi site) before their ultimate defeat by the Mongols at the Battle of Yamen in 1279.[59] The Mongols then established their dynastic court and governed Hong Kong for 97 years.

 

From the mid-Tang dynasty to the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Hong Kong was a part of Dongguan County. During the Ming dynasty, the area was transferred to Xin'an County. The indigenous inhabitants at that time consisted of several ethnicities such as Punti, Hakka, Tanka and Hoklo.

European discovery

 

The earliest European visitor on record was Jorge Álvares, a Portuguese explorer, who arrived in 1513.[60][61] Having established a trading post in a site they called "Tamão" in Hong Kong waters, Portuguese merchants commenced with regular trading in southern China. Subsequent military clashes between China and Portugal, however, led to the expulsion of all Portuguese merchants from southern China.

 

Since the 14th century, the Ming court had enforced the maritime prohibition laws that strictly forbade all private maritime activities in order to prevent contact with foreigners by sea.[62] When the Manchu Qing dynasty took over China, Hong Kong was directly affected by the Great Clearance decree of the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Guangdong from 1661 to 1669. Over 16,000 inhabitants of Xin'an County including those in Hong Kong were forced to migrate inland; only 1,648 of those who had evacuated subsequently returned.[63][64]

British Crown Colony: 1842–1941

A painter at work. John Thomson. Hong Kong, 1871. The Wellcome Collection, London

Main articles: British Hong Kong and History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)

 

In 1839, threats by the imperial court of Qing to sanction opium imports caused diplomatic friction with the British Empire. Tensions escalated into the First Opium War. The Qing admitted defeat when British forces captured Hong Kong Island on 20 January 1841. The island was initially ceded under the Convention of Chuenpi as part of a ceasefire agreement between Captain Charles Elliot and Governor Qishan. A dispute between high-ranking officials of both countries, however, led to the failure of the treaty's ratification. On 29 August 1842, Hong Kong Island was formally ceded in perpetuity to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Treaty of Nanking.[65] The British officially established a Crown colony and founded the City of Victoria in the following year.[66]

 

The population of Hong Kong Island was 7,450 when the Union Flag raised over Possession Point on 26 January 1841. It mostly consisted of Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners, whose settlements scattered along several coastal hamlets. In the 1850s, a large number of Chinese immigrants crossed the then-free border to escape from the Taiping Rebellion. Other natural disasters, such as flooding, typhoons and famine in mainland China would play a role in establishing Hong Kong as a place for safe shelter.[67][68]

 

Further conflicts over the opium trade between Britain and Qing quickly escalated into the Second Opium War. Following the Anglo-French victory, the Crown Colony was expanded to include Kowloon Peninsula (south of Boundary Street) and Stonecutter's Island, both of which were ceded to the British in perpetuity under the Convention of Beijing in 1860.

 

In 1898, Britain obtained a 99-year lease from Qing under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, in which Hong Kong obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island, the area north of Boundary Street in Kowloon up to Shenzhen River and over 200 other outlying islands.[69][70][71]

 

Hong Kong soon became a major entrepôt thanks to its free port status, attracting new immigrants to settle from both China and Europe. The society, however, remained racially segregated and polarised under early British colonial policies. Despite the rise of a British-educated Chinese upper-class by the late-19th century, race laws such as the Peak Reservation Ordinance prevented ethnic Chinese in Hong Kong from acquiring houses in reserved areas such as Victoria Peak. At this time, the majority of the Chinese population in Hong Kong had no political representation in the British colonial government. The British governors did rely, however, on a small number of Chinese elites, including Sir Kai Ho and Robert Hotung, who served as ambassadors and mediators between the government and local population.

File:1937 Hong Kong VP8.webmPlay media

Hong Kong filmed in 1937

 

In 1904, the United Kingdom established the world's first border and immigration control; all residents of Hong Kong were given citizenship as Citizens of United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC).

 

Hong Kong continued to experience modest growth during the first half of the 20th century. The University of Hong Kong was established in 1911 as the territory's first higher education institute. While there had been an exodus of 60,000 residents for fear of a German attack on the British colony during the First World War, Hong Kong remained unscathed. Its population increased from 530,000 in 1916 to 725,000 in 1925 and reached 1.6 million by 1941.[72]

 

In 1925, Cecil Clementi became the 17th Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in Cantonese and without a need for translator, Clementi introduced the first ethnic Chinese, Shouson Chow, into the Executive Council as an unofficial member. Under Clementi's tenure, Kai Tak Airport entered operation as RAF Kai Tak and several aviation clubs. In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out when the Japanese Empire expanded its territories from northeastern China into the mainland proper. To safeguard Hong Kong as a freeport, Governor Geoffry Northcote declared the Crown Colony as a neutral zone.

Japanese occupation: 1941–45

Main article: Japanese occupation of Hong Kong

The Cenotaph in Hong Kong commemorates those who died in service in the First World War and the Second World War.[73]

 

As part of its military campaign in Southeast Asia during Second World War, the Japanese army moved south from Guangzhou of mainland China and attacked Hong Kong in on 8 December 1941.[74] Crossing the border at Shenzhen River on 8 December, the Battle of Hong Kong lasted for 18 days when British and Canadian forces held onto Hong Kong Island. Unable to defend against intensifying Japanese air and land bombardments, they eventually surrendered control of Hong Kong on 25 December 1941. The Governor of Hong Kong was captured and taken as a prisoner of war. This day is regarded by the locals as "Black Christmas".[75]

 

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the Japanese army committed atrocities against civilians and POWs, such as the St. Stephen's College massacre. Local residents also suffered widespread food shortages, limited rationing and hyper-inflation arising from the forced exchange of currency from Hong Kong dollars to Japanese military banknotes. The initial ratio of 2:1 was gradually devalued to 4:1 and ownership of Hong Kong dollars was declared illegal and punishable by harsh torture. Due to starvation and forced deportation for slave labour to mainland China, the population of Hong Kong had dwindled from 1.6 million in 1941 to 600,000 in 1945, when the United Kingdom resumed control of the colony on 2 September 1945.[76]

Resumption of British rule and industrialisation: 1945–97

Main articles: British Hong Kong, 1950s in Hong Kong, 1960s in Hong Kong, 1970s in Hong Kong, 1980s in Hong Kong, and 1990s in Hong Kong

Flag of British Hong Kong from 1959 to 1997

 

Hong Kong's population recovered quickly after the war, as a wave of skilled migrants from the Republic of China moved in to seek refuge from the Chinese Civil War. When the Communist Party eventually took full control of mainland China in 1949, even more skilled migrants fled across the open border for fear of persecution.[69] Many newcomers, especially those who had been based in the major port cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou, established corporations and small- to medium-sized businesses and shifted their base operations to British Hong Kong.[69] The establishment of a socialist state in China (People's Republic of China) on 1 October 1949 caused the British colonial government to reconsider Hong Kong's open border to mainland China. In 1951, a boundary zone was demarked as a buffer zone against potential military attacks from communist China. Border posts along the north of Hong Kong began operation in 1953 to regulate the movement of people and goods into and out of the territory.

Stamp with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, 1953

 

In the 1950s, Hong Kong became the first of the Four Asian Tiger economies under rapid industrialisation driven by textile exports, manufacturing industries and re-exports of goods to China. As the population grew, with labour costs remaining low, living standards began to rise steadily.[77] The construction of the Shek Kip Mei Estate in 1953 marked the beginning of the public housing estate programme to provide shelter for the less privileged and to cope with the influx of immigrants.

 

Under Sir Murray MacLehose, 25th Governor of Hong Kong (1971–82), a series of reforms improved the public services, environment, housing, welfare, education and infrastructure of Hong Kong. MacLehose was British Hong Kong's longest-serving governor and, by the end of his tenure, had become one of the most popular and well-known figures in the Crown Colony. MacLehose laid the foundation for Hong Kong to establish itself as a key global city in the 1980s and early 1990s.

A sky view of Hong Kong Island

An aerial view of the northern shore of Hong Kong Island in 1986

 

To resolve traffic congestion and to provide a more reliable means of crossing the Victoria Harbour, a rapid transit railway system (metro), the MTR, was planned from the 1970s onwards. The Island Line (Hong Kong Island), Kwun Tong Line (Kowloon Peninsula and East Kowloon) and Tsuen Wan Line (Kowloon and urban New Territories) opened in the early 1980s.[78]

 

In 1983, the Hong Kong dollar left its 16:1 peg with the Pound sterling and switched to the current US-HK Dollar peg. Hong Kong's competitiveness in manufacturing gradually declined due to rising labour and property costs, as well as new development in southern China under the Open Door Policy introduced in 1978 which opened up China to foreign business. Nevertheless, towards the early 1990s, Hong Kong had established itself as a global financial centre along with London and New York City, a regional hub for logistics and freight, one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and the world's exemplar of Laissez-faire market policy.[79]

The Hong Kong question

 

In 1971, the Republic of China (Taiwan)'s permanent seat on the United Nations was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong's status as a recognised colony became terminated in 1972 under the request of PRC. Facing the uncertain future of Hong Kong and expiry of land lease of New Territories beyond 1997, Governor MacLehose raised the question in the late 1970s.

 

The British Nationality Act 1981 reclassified Hong Kong into a British Dependent Territory amid the reorganisation of global territories of the British Empire. All residents of Hong Kong became British Dependent Territory Citizens (BDTC). Diplomatic negotiations began with China and eventually concluded with the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Both countries agreed to transfer Hong Kong's sovereignty to China on 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong would remain autonomous as a special administrative region and be able to retain its free-market economy, British common law through the Hong Kong Basic Law, independent representation in international organisations (e.g. WTO and WHO), treaty arrangements and policy-making except foreign diplomacy and military defence.

 

It stipulated that Hong Kong would retain its laws and be guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for at least 50 years after the transfer. The Hong Kong Basic Law, based on English law, would serve as the constitutional document after the transfer. It was ratified in 1990.[69] The expiry of the 1898 lease on the New Territories in 1997 created problems for business contracts, property leases and confidence among foreign investors.

Handover and Special Administrative Region status

Main articles: Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong and 2000s in Hong Kong

Transfer of sovereignty

Golden Bauhinia Square

 

On 1 July 1997, the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China took place, officially marking the end of Hong Kong's 156 years under British colonial governance. As the largest remaining colony of the United Kingdom, the loss of Hong Kong effectively represented the end of the British Empire. This transfer of sovereignty made Hong Kong the first special administrative region of China. Tung Chee-Hwa, a pro-Beijing business tycoon, was elected Hong Kong's first Chief Executive by a selected electorate of 800 in a televised programme.

 

Structure of government

 

Hong Kong's current structure of governance inherits from the British model of colonial administration set up in the 1850s. The 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration states that "Hong Kong should enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all areas except defence and foreign affairs" with reference to the underlying principle of one country, two systems.[note 3] This Declaration stipulates that Hong Kong maintains her capitalist economic system and guarantees the rights and freedoms of her people for at least 50 years after the 1997 handover. [note 4] Such guarantees are enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document, which outlines the system of governance after 1997, albeit subject to interpretation by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC).[95][96]

 

Hong Kong's most senior leader, Chief Executive, is elected by a committee of 1,200 selected members (600 in 1997) and nominally appointed by the Government of China. The primary pillars of government are the Executive Council, Legislative Council, civil service and Judiciary.

 

Policy-making is initially discussed in the Executive Council, presided by the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, before passing to the Legislative Council for bill adoption. The Executive Council consists of 30 official/unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive and one member among them acts as the convenor.[97][98]

 

The Legislative Council, set up in 1843, debates policies and motions before voting to adopt or rejecting bills. It has 70 members (originally 60) and 40 (originally 30) among them are directly elected by universal suffrage; the other 30 members are "functional constituencies" (indirectly) elected by a smaller electorate of corporate bodies or representatives of stipulated economic sectors as defined by the government. The Legislative Council is chaired by a president who acts as the speaker.[99][100]

There is a Vulcan and a Lithic Heart at the centre of the images depending which two are meeting in the middle. The Vulcan Heart is a Vulcanised Tyre Heart and the Lithic Heart is made by the Stones coming together. The reflections bring about some excellent wyrd wonders.

 

There is a Grass Heart and Shadow Heart too. Everyone needs Picnic Heart and a Calm Heart. Well at least I think that we all need a Picnic Heart and a Calm Heart.

 

[Oh yes and there is a Shadow Dove flying along the centre too, that is it is a Shadow Dove unless you see it as a young cow in which there is a Shadow Coo in the centre grazing not ascending.]

 

Final point to be made is a suggestion that the metal balance in some of the pictures looks very Dragon Like. Please note Dragon Like, not a Dragon, just an echo calling and falling through the seasons and over the years. Once seen the Dragon Like resemblance is an image to reflect upon especially so with Dragon Lore mentioning the sleepy long slumbers of such mythic beast. In those legendary snooze times surely there might be a little flaking and descaling as fresh ‘solid feathers’, not squalid fetters, regrow, well I am happy to suggest so.

 

From out the earth it came and return back into it is going.

 

© PHH Sykes 2024

phhsykes@gmail.com

  

Westray Heritage Centre

westrayheritage.co.uk/

 

I took this photo several years ago, but didn't get around to doing anything with it. Quite happy with how this lithed, though next session, I'm going to add quite a bit more old brown.

 

Nikon F80, Fuji Acros 100 @ 100, Rodinal 1+100 Semi-Stand

 

Moresch Easy Lith 40+40+1000+30 (A+B+Water+Old Brown), Fomatone MG Classic 132, 2nd print in

I'm finally warming up to the FR2 body! It's lithe and elegant and has wonderful articulation!