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Selge, Pisidia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selge,_Pisidia
Selge (Greek: Σελγη) was an important city in Pisidia, on the southern slope of Mount Taurus, modern Antalya Province, Turkey, at the part where the river Eurymedon River (Turkish: Köprüçay)forces its way through the mountains towards the south.
History[edit]
The town was believed to be a Greek colony, for Strabo[1] states that it was founded by Spartans, but adds the somewhat unintelligible remark that previously it had been founded by Calchas. The acropolis of Selge bore the name of Kesbedion.[2] The district in which the town was situated was extremely fertile, producing abundance of oil and wine, but the town itself was difficult of access, being surrounded by precipices and beds of torrents flowing towards the Eurymedon and Cestrus (today Aksu), and requiring bridges to make them passable. In consequence of its excellent laws and political constitution, Selge rose to the rank of the most powerful and populous city of Pisidia, and at one time was able to send an army of 20,000 men into the field. Owing to these circumstances, and the valour of its inhabitants, for which they were regarded as worthy kinsmen of the Spartans, the Selgians were never subject to any foreign power, but remained in the enjoyment of their own freedom and independence. When Alexander the Great passed through Pisidia (333 BC), Selge sent an embassy to him and gained his favour and friendship.[3] At that time they were at war with Termessos.
The Roman Eurymedon Bridge near Selge
At the period when Achaeus had made himself master of Western Asia, Selge were at war with Pednelissus, which was besieged by them; and Achaeus, on the invitation of Pednelissus, sent a large force against Selge (218 BC). After a long and vigorous siege, the Selgians, being betrayed and despairing of resisting Achaeus any longer, sent deputies to sue for peace, which was granted to them on the following terms: they agreed to pay immediately 400 talents, to restore the prisoners of Pednelissus, and after a time to pay 300 talents in addition.[4] We now have for a long time no particulars about the history of Selge; in the 5th century AD Zosimus[5] calls it indeed a little town, but it was still strong enough to repel a body of Goths. It is strange that Pliny does not notice Selge, for we know from its coins that it was still a flourishing town in the time of Hadrian; and it is also mentioned in Ptolemy[6] and Hierocles. Independently of wine and oil, the country about Selge was rich in timber, and a variety of trees, among which the storax was much valued from its yielding a strong perfume. Selge was also celebrated for an ointment prepared from the iris root.[7]
Remains[edit]
The remains of the city consist mainly of parts of the encircling wall and of the acropolis. A few traces have survived of the gymnasium, the stoa, the stadium and the basilica. There are also the outlines of two temples, but the best conserved monument is the theater, restored in the 3rd century AD. Selge was the seat of a bishop; it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church
Halfway on the road to Selge from the Pamphylian coastal plain, a well-preserved Roman Bridge crosses the deep Eurymedon valley
Eurymedon Bridge (Selge)
Description:
This article has been previously published as a part of book Antalya, Side and Alanya: TAN Travel Guide by Izabela Miszczak
This Roman bridge, beautifully situated over deep Köprülü Canyon, is an irrefutable proof of Roman engineers' ingenuity. The bridge, spanning the cliffs of the canyon, is now called Oluk Köprü (i.e. Gutter Bridge). It still provides the communication link on the route from the Mediterranean coast deep into the Taurus Mountains, to the area of ancient Pisidia.
The bridge stands over Köprüçay River, in ancient times known as Eurymedon. The structure is 14 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. The narrow road on the bridge limits the width of vehicles to 2.5 meters. The bridge consists of a single arch, with a span of 7 meters.
The voussoirs (i.e. wedge-shaped elements) which were used during the construction of the bridge, are 60 cm wide. They were fitted together without the use of mortar. The building technology indicates that the bridge was erected in the 2nd century CE, in the heydey of the city of Selge.
Getting there:
The nearest settlement is Beşkonak village and the most impressive ancient city near the bridge is Selge, situated in Altınkaya village, 11 kilometres away from the bridge. The bridge is 43 km away from the crossroad on D400 route, running along the Mediterranean coast.
By car: the bridge over Eurymedon is located in the Taurus Mountains, at an altitude of about 1,000 meters above sea level. From the Mediterranean coast, you can get there on a decent road. In order to find the proper turn-off, find a signpost on the intersection on D400 route (36.893219, 31.239155), located between the towns of Manavgat (25 km to the east) and Serik (14 km to the west).
From this intersection, the road leads to the north, in the direction of Köprülü Canyon National Park. During the ride, you can enjoy the views of Köprüçay River and its canyon. After 43 km, you reach the bridge, and later you can drive over it and head to the ruins of Selge. They are located 11 km away to the north-west of the bridge
turkisharchaeonews.net/object/eurymedon-bridge-selge
Köprüçay River
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6pr%C3%BC%C3%A7ay_River
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Eurymedon
#AB_FAV_COLOURS_🎨
#AB_FAV_SUMMERTIME_🌞
I brought some home of course, for you to see in detail.
It is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade.
It is the dominant plant in most heathland and moorland in Europe, and in some bog vegetation and acidic pine and oak woodland.
It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves and grouse moors by sheep or cattle grazing.
Heather was put to many practical uses. Where long leggy stems could be harvested it was used for durable thatching.
A yellow dye was derived from it, strong ropes which withstood the effects of seawater were twisted from it, and it was gathered together in bundles to make a variety of besoms and brooms - heather's Latin name Calluna is derived from the Greek kalluna, meaning 'to brush'.
In the Highlands the medicinal properties of an infusion of heather tops were used to treat coughs, consumption and to soothe the nerves, and heather tea and ointments were used to treat arthritis and rheumatism.
Heather honey is a highly valued product in moorland and heathland areas, with many beehives being moved there in late summer.
’Moorland tea' made from heather flowers, was reputed to be a favourite of Robert Burns.
The soporific aroma from the dried flowers was also put to use to make heather mattresses, by packing long lengths of dried, flowering heather together in the bed frame, flowers uppermost and leaning slightly towards the bed head.
In the 16th century James VI's tutor George Buchanan wrote that a heather bed was "... so pleasant, that it may vie in softness with the finest down, while in salubrity it far exceeds it ... and restores strength to fatigue.
Have a wonderful day, filled with love and thank you for your visit, M, (*_*)
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~ Part 11 ~ & ~ Part 13 ~
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“Tom make sure to keep us straight when we get closer! That’s it!”
Antonio barked out orders spurring the crew to action as the Jacqueline veered into the harbor. Aeridian watched as Jaremy and Henrik adjusted the sails, tightened ropes and made ready to unload the previsions. Galdreir brightened up slightly as solid ground was nearing with every passing moment. Aeridian had discarded his Dragon uniform and was given a woolen tunic and trousers, along with a cloak. He pulled the hood over his head and checked his weapons. Even though they posed as simple traders, it was common to be armed in case outlaws or brigands attacked.
The docks were bustling with activity. Fishermen brought their catch to market. Shop keepers and stall owners presented a variety of wares to sell. Dragon soldiers patrolled the streets, causing there to be a hint of tension in the air, but all seemed almost normal. Too normal for Aeridian’s liking.
Jaremy and Henrik weighed anchor, secured the sail and dropped the gangplank. Galdreir quickly pushed past them and ran forward onto the docks.
Aeridian laughed and called out after him. “Slow down! We have to find you a good inn before we unload.”
Before he stepped off the ship himself Antonio stopped him. Aeridian looked down to the cap that he was given and nodded. He ruffled his hair up a bit and put it on to disguise his ears. Dragon soldiers often harassed nonhumans the most to make themselves feel superior.
Durrough’s beach front was lined with numerous shops not a dozen paces away from the docks. After Aeridian found a suitable tavern for Galdreir, he along with Antonio, Demarion and Jaremy browsed the various wares and goods along the pier. Anything from finely woven blankets and fresh fish to leather boots and herbs could be found there.
“Greetings, travelers. My I interest you in some fine herbs or potions?”
Aeridian glanced over to see an elderly man, gray ponytail and beard, wearing a dark red coat. He gestured to several bottles on the table all with different colors of liquid. Antonio grabbed one, held it up to the sun and looked at the contents closely.
“Are you looking for anything in particular, sirs? Perhaps you’d like a healing ointment or maybe a headache antidote?”
Aeridian rolled a small vial around in his hand with a purplish liquid inside. “What’s this?”
“It’s a sleeping potion, a drop of that will put a man to sleep instantly.”
Antonio looked around to make sure that no one else was close to eavesdrop. “We’ve just arrived today and I was looking to sell some special items here. Where might I find a person who’s interested in supplying the rebels?”
The man suddenly became very rigid and hissed at them. “Not here in the open like this! Come back tonight and I’ll tell you what I can.”
Not after he said that a commotion started further down the pier. Aeridian set the potion down and gave a cough. Turning his head he noticed the red and black uniform of two Dragon soldiers approaching.
“I think we should move on, Antonio…”
Catching sight of the soldiers himself Antonio nodded to the shopkeeper and walked away with Aeridian close behind.
“Where what now? Just go back to the tavern and wait till nightfall?”
“Yes. I’m very interested to meet this man. Looks like the queen’s soldiers are more alert than I thought…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night in the cover of darkness Antonio and Aeridian slipped through the quiet streets Durrough. Dragon soldiers made no attempt to shield their lanterns or lower their voices as they patrolled the empty marketplace. Antonio peered around the corner of the shop and waited for a moment. Seeing the coast was clear he motioned to Aeridian to move onto door.
Rapping lightly upon it, the Elf listened for any movement inside. The sea breeze swirled across the docks carrying with it the sound of the waves washing against the docks. Holding up his hand to knock again, the door opened slightly, just enough for the man to catch a glimpse of Aeridian and Antonio.
“Quickly now, come in before anyone sees you.”
The two companions brushed past him into his shop. The room was cozy, with wooden floors, a crackling fire in the corner and a table with four chairs in the middle. Three plates were set out with fish and various vegetables and mugs of water. The man took their cloaks and ushered them to their chairs. After hanging them up he sat down.
“Now tell me, why would you to approach a shop keeper like me in the middle of the day about rebels? With the queen’s soldiers crawling all over the place not much slips by her.”
Aeridian held out his hand. “My name is Aeridian Dal’tori and this is Captain Antonio Travos of the Jacqueline. We’d like to help any rebel effort in Durrough if we could”
The man warmly accepted the Elf’s hand. “I’m Bernard Grimes, herbs and potions specialists. I have contact in the rebels’ ranks who would be very interested in what you have to offer.”
Antonio unbuttoned the small pouch on his belt and pulled out a parchment. “Here is the list of supplies I have onboard my ship, ready to unload.”
Bernard received it and began reading it over. “You have all of this? We might not be able to afford it all at this moment. But you can take as many herbs and potions as you would like and some coin as well. They fetch a good price if you go to the right market for them. Loreos is the best place for that.”
Antonio nodded in agreement. “If you can’t pay the full amount now, I will happily take your goods down south.”
Bernard smiled and rolled up the parchment. “So we have a deal?”
“Yes.”
“How long do you plan to stay in Durrough? I might be able to introduce you to our leader. He would like to know who gave so generously to such a noble cause.”
“Is it alright if we know a little more about you?” Aeridian said. “You have fine food set out, why not enjoy it along with a few stories between us?”
Bernard chuckled. “I’d like that. But where to start? How I trained in the herbs trade or when I was a boy?”
“It’s up to you. Either way, we have the rest of the night to hear about it.”
“Now let’s see, I grew up with two older brothers and a younger sister…”
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Part 12! Yay, this was a fun build. I think it turned out really well for having just made it today. What do you think? I hope you’re enjoying the story still… I’m trying to make it interesting because it’s becoming so long now. :P
Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. Comments, critiques and whatnot are welcomed!
~ Ductus Exemplo ~
-Aeridian
The Himba are Bantu people settled in northern Namibia, mainly in the Kaokoveld. Traditionally Himbas are tinged with red skin ointment made of animal's fat and hematite powder. This ointment protect themselves from the heat of the sun, dry air, insects
In 1904, the Herero peoples to which they belong, and Nama people were victims of the first genocide in history, perpetrated by the Germans settlers in Namibia: 85,000 people were exterminated between 1904 and 1907.
Calakmul is one of the most structure-rich sites within the Maya region. The site contains 117 stelae, the largest total in the region. Most are in paired sets representing rulers and their wives. However, because these carved stelae were produced in soft limestone, most of these stelae have been eroded beyond interpretation.
Also many elaborate murals were discovered at Calakmul. These murals do not represent activities of the elite class.
Rather, they depict elaborate market scenes of people preparing or consuming products such as atole, tamales, or tobacco as an ointment. Also items being sold were textiles and needles. These murals also have glyphs within them describing the actions occurring.
The most prominent figure in these murals is identified as Lady Nine Stone; she appears in many scenes. This brings a world of the Maya marketplace to vibrant life for archaeologists.
Another highly beneficial resource to Maya archaeological understanding at Calakmul is the ceramic remains. The composition of the ceramic materials identifies the region or more specifically the polity that produced them. Ceramics with the snake emblem glyph found at several sites also give more evidence to identify ties or control over that site by Calakmul.
also known as common mullein, great mullein, flannel mullein, velvet dock, flannel leaf, witch's taper, candlestick and other names. Its scientific name is verbascum thapsus.
Mullein is a biennial plant, taking two years to complete its growing cycle and produce seeds.
Mullein tea is used to treat respiratory problems and lung diseases. The dried eaves can be smoked to relieve lung issues.
Salve and ointment made from mullein leaves is used to soothe and heal burns, rashes and more.
Mullein tea is excellent for coughs and colds, bronchitis and other respiratory issues. The leaves contain an immunosuppressant that can soothe mucous membranes.
Mullein leaf tea also soothes irritated skin and sore throats. To use on rashes and irritated skin, use the cooled tea as a wash
To make mullein tea, add a teaspoon of dried mullein leaves to a mug and add one cup of hot water. Let the tea steep for about 30 minutes, then strain out the plant material
Add honey to mullein tea to make cough syrup
The tiny yellow flowers on the flower spikes provide a soothing and cleansing effect for skin problems.
An easy treatment for minor wounds and scrapes is to make mullein tea with the little yellow flowers instead of dried leaves, and use it as a wash on the affected area
Mullein flowers can also be infused in oil and used as a very effective treatment for ear infections.
The oil is made the same way whether you plan to use it in soap making, make a salve or ointment, or use it to treat an ear infection.
In ancient times, the dried plant spike was often used as a torch, giving the plant the nicknames hags taper and torch plant.
In medieval Europe, mullein was thought to protect against the plague, perhaps because it's so useful in supporting and treating the lungs
Mullein plant was also used in Native American folklore as a natural remedy for a variety of ailments including abscesses, bruises, sprains, rashes, and burns
From 'Street Life in London', 1877, by John Thomson and Adolphe Smith
The subject of the accompanying illustration is a vendor of cough lozenges and healing ointment. He was originally a car-driver employed by a firm in the city, but had to leave his situation on account of failing sight. His story, told in his own words, is as follows :-
"First of all I had to leave my place on account of bad sight. It was brought on by exposure to the cold. Inflammation set in the right eye and soon affected the left. The doctors called it ‘atrophy.' I went to St. Thomas's Hospital for nine months, to St. George's Hospital, and to Moorfields Opthalmic Hospital. From St. Thomas's Hospital I was sent to the sea-side at the expense of the Merchant Taylors' Company. No good came of it all, and at last I was so blind that I had to be led about like a child. At that time my wife worked with her needle and her hands to keep things going. She used to do charing during the day and sewing at night, shirt-making for the friend of a woman who worked for a contractor. She got twopence-halfpenny for making a shirt, and by sitting till two or three in the morning could finish three shirts at a stretch. I stood at a street corner in the New Cut selling fish, and had to trust a good deal to the honesty of my Customers, as I could not see.
"At this time I fell in with a gentleman selling ointment, he gave me a box, which I used for my eyes. I used the ointment about a month, and found my sight gradually returning. The gentleman who makes the ointment offered to set me up in business with his goods. I had no money, but he gave me everything on trust. It was a good thing for both of us, because I was a sort of standing advertisement for him and for myself.
"I now make a comfortable living and have a good stock. When the maker of the ointment started he carried a tray; now he has three vans, and more than fifty people selling for him.
"I find the most of my customers in the street, but I am now making a private connexion at home of people from all parts of London. The prices for the Arabian Family Ointment, which can be used for chapped hands, lips, inflamed eyes, cuts, scalds, and sores, are from a penny to half-a-crown a box. Medicated cough lozenges a halfpenny and a penny a packet."
For the full story, and other photographs and commentaries, follow this link and click through to the PDF file at the bottom of the description
Wild Violets
First of all, do not confuse wild violets with African violets. They are not even close to being the same thing. African violets make gorgeous houseplants, but definitely should not be on your list of fun things to throw into your salad. They will make you very sick.
Typically, wild violets have purple flowers and heart shaped leaves. However, they may appear in various shades of purple as well as white. They grow in clumps, only getting about 4 to 6 inches high, though sometimes they get a bit taller.
They are found in zones 3 through 9 and grow in areas of partial sun to partial shade. If you find a nice clump, you can transplant them into your garden if you like, just be aware that they will spread. If you have ever tried to control them, you know they pretty much do whatever they want. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though, if you know how to use them.
Violets as Food
Unlike African violets, wild violets can be on your list of cool things to throw into your salad. The flowers add unexpected color and a sweet flavor to your favorite greens and sandwiches. You can use them to decorate desserts as well. They are also rich in vitamins A and C (more vitamin C by weight than oranges!) as well as other vitamins and minerals.
Violet flowers can be used to make violet vinegar, violet jelly, violet tea, violet syrup and even candied violets (because you know the kids will love that!). Try freezing a few into ice cubes for a festive touch to drinks during a party. Your guests will be impressed for sure.
But it isn’t only the flowers that are edible. The leaves can also be used in your salad mix. You can cook them as well, though they are a bit bland. The leaves are just as full of nutrients as the flowers, so don’t neglect to include them on your list of foods to forage in the spring.
Violets as Medicine
It’s fun to find wild foods to add to the menu, especially if you have kids who can help harvest them, but it’s even better when those foods have health benefits. Wild violets have several notable benefits that make them worth collecting. Spring is often thought of as a time to purify the body after a long winter and gain renewed energy for spring. Violets are perfect for this because they help your body to eliminate waste by stimulating the lymphatic glands to get rid of toxins in the body.
Violets are also known to strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation. Spring is a common time for sore throats, colds, sinus infections and other respiratory conditions. Violets, eaten or as a tea, can help soothe these issues. A poultice from violets has also been used to treat headaches by Native Americans. This may be due to the salicylic acid contained in the flower, which is also found in aspirin.
Because violets also have antiseptic properties, they can also be used in salves or ointments to treat minor scrapes and bruises. A violet tea can also be useful in treating insomnia. But even with so many benefits, try not to get too carried away until your body gets used to violets, because they also act as a mild laxative!
Harvesting
They are most commonly found in May and June in most areas. Gather them up and use them fresh, but also try drying some for use throughout the year. Pay close attention to where you harvest your violets so you don’t gather any that may have been sprayed by pesticides. Mornings are a good time to harvest, when blossoms are fresh and perky.
Two teaspoons on dried leaves and one teaspoon of dried flowers can be steeped in a cup of boiling water for about five minutes to make a restorative tea. Or, you can use two or three teaspoons of fresh flowers. This will give you a more mild tasting tea. Be sure to strain out the flowers and leaves before drinking. For added health benefits, add a bit of honey if desired.
Case Study 113 : Warning, these are the raw, bare unusual occurrences as originally chronicled. Some names, times, places and some facts have been, of course, altered.
Name: Angelica D circa 192__
Subject: an unscrupulous light-fingered body thief
Event: Posh Wedding Reception
Place: Upstate New York
Time: Warm early Autumn Saturday
Angie Being Receptive
Story line:
Angie had heard about the affair, a wedding, from a list of prospective functions provided by a discreetly paid contact. It was being given for the only daughter of a wealthy politician (as if there were any non-wealthy ones!) Angie had happily invited herself to the affair, carefully dressing up in her best for the special occasion!
**
Wedding receptions were by far Angie’s favorite hunting grounds. During the season there could be anywhere from upwards of 20 high end affaires every weekend in the bigger cities, and always 2 or 3 in even the smallest of towns.
Wedding s were usually easy pickings: free food, drink and entertainment, and seldom worn jewelry made for a ready-made mix for Angie to ply her trade. For Angelica D. was a uniquely skilled pickpocket, specializing in the removal for profit of the expensive jewelry worn by the (usually be -gowned) women and young ladies’ who hauntingly dwelt in societies upper crust!
So Weddings, by their nature, were the desirable choice for Angie. One only had to avoid the Bride, her Bridesmaids, and their court, which were usually the major focus of any security present. However, there were plenty of opportunities to be had by employing her special bag of tricks on the outlaying fringe.
Angie had arrived early at the mammoth facility, to scout out the establishment and to scope out who was wearing what. Used to these affairs either being feast or famine, she could quickly tell that in this one there was cooking up a devouring banquet.
**
After Angie had entered the mammoth reception room it did not take her long to spy her first plump prospect, nicely loaded with possibilities. It was a lady, bearing a haughty look, who had been making a b-line through the crowd as way was parted for her. She was wearing a luxuriously long rusty coloured sable fur coat that hid most of her long crimson -red satin gown. What Jewels were visible, ears, fingers and wrist, were all flashing with pricy fire. In tow she held the hand of a young girl, obviously her daughter, wearing actual makeup, which, along with her fetching gown and brite jewelry, made her appear far older than she was. A handsome man , looking like the actor William Powell in a tux, followed behind the pair, husband and father, Angie presumed. She shadowed the little family as they swished their way to a corner table, conveniently located by a rear exit, for a better look over. Her fingers had started with an all too familiar tingle as she took it all in.
**
The husband helped his wife out of the sable, laying it carefully along a bench against the wall. Angie was not disappointed. A silver necklace of large matched diamonds gracefully encircled her throat. A dazzling blood ruby and diamond brooch held up the center of her gown, positioned just below the bust line. Brooches, like this one, were worth a lot once fenced, but its placement required a little more dexterity and skill than she was willing to risk. In actuality, Angie had only attempted twice before to take a brooch pinned to a gown in this fashion. She had only been successful one of those times, only to find out it was a pretty piece of paste.( Years later, as Angie’s talents became more polished, relieving ladies of their dangling brooches, like this blood ruby, became her specialty.. the Eds.) Angie’s eyes moved on. The rest of the snooty lady’s jewels matched her necklace. Long earrings, free clipped, dangling brightly from her earlobe s. A pair of wide ruby bracelets clasped tightly home around elegant red elbow length satin gloves, sparkled devastatingly, matching her brooch. Her long fingers were home to a pair of ruby and diamond rings and a third ring set with a gold band and a vulgarly large solitaire diamond.
**
Angie’s attention turned to the daughter, whom had been helped by her Father , squirming, from the chocolate coloured satin cape that she had been wearing. The youngster, all of about 10, was wearing a cream coloured long puffy sleeved dress with a brown satin sash encircling her waist that matched her Cape. The young lady possessed impossible large bright eyes. The only thing that held more shine than those doe like eyes had been the antique rhinestone diamond necklace that fell dripping ever so invitingly down the front of the precious little imp’s rich glossy gown. The rest of her matching rhinestones (obviously belonging to the child’s mother) consisted of an engaging display of a bracelet, pair of dangling, screwed on clasp earrings, and matching rings encircling a chubby finger one on each hand. It all gleamed brightly, invitingly from her svelte girlish figure. A large round pin held her sash up in place; it sparkled with what looked like a ring consisting of one caret diamonds, as unlikely as it was they could be real.
**
The two females of the family presented a pretty package indeed. Not one to pass up an invite that alluring, Angie walked by , with the pretext of heading to a back exit behind the table the little family had staked, just so she could get a closer peek.
**
Angie’s practiced eye took in a wealth of information during the few seconds it took her to walk up and pass the group, so involved with themselves they never even looked her way. Her attention focused upon the young mother first scoping head to toe.
**
Angie scrutinized the brooch; it was definitely worth the effort. In her mind’s eye, Angie envisioned the mother as a stumbling drunk “bumping into” Angie. Fingers whisking along the slippery lustrously softness of the gown, as the lady was steadied. Angie would accept the women apologies and the pair would part their ways, Angie from the young mother, and the magnificent brooch from the rich satiny red gown. But then the mother raised her head, looking up past Angie, towards a commotion being made behind her. Typical Angie thought, she doesn’t recognize me, so I don’t exist, like some sort of servant. But it was as she caught the young mother in full profile that she realized this lady looked strikingly similar to another woman who had been wearing an expensive dress of teal charmeuse that Angie had had been having a long conversation with, while relieving the woman’s finger of a costly diamond sapphire ring. It had happened only just last weekend at a formal function, and Angie figured she may have not recognized her in passing, but may if Angie were to use one of her approaches again with the intent of taking some of her jewelry, he memory may be jarred, and she may remember her missing ring. This was why Angie only allowed herself to ply her trade for no more than a month in any given place per year. This was from a lesson she had learned early on in her career. And so, for that reason alone, Angie decided to, at least temporarily, abandon any designs she had on the young mother’s brooch, allowing her devious intentions to evaporate from her mind like smoke on the wind. There were plenty more fish in the sea she told herself.
**
Angie still allowed herself a quick appraisal of the squirming 10 year old. She admired the glossy dress of slippery satin that her mother had conveniently dressed her daughter up in, as it fell spilling down to her black open toed shoes. Angie’s fingers started to tingle; this was a perfect tickling gown. Angie liked to think of any long dress or gown that swept down to a females heels as a” tickling gown”. All it took was a strategically placed foot timed with a well place nudge to send the chosen victim tumbling. During the ensuing diversion, Angie would use her long subtle fingers to swiftly probe along the gowned figure, tickling she like to call it due to the tingling sensation of the usually rich material of the victim’s attire. In this fashion, a pre-targeted piece of valuable jewelry could then be easily acquired, no matter what its placement had been on the unfortunate female. If only the chatty youngster had something on better than rhinestones. It was a crying shame to have a child that young dolled up like an adult, but not wearing adult jewels.
**
Angie continued to walk past, unseen, and went out the door. She found herself in a large serenity garden of roses and shrubs, surrounded by a 10 foot high well-trimmed hedge. The sort of garden one usually found in those days around upscale Churches. The only exit was a gate leading onto the parking lot on the side of the church. Here was positioned a solitary, lonely guard in a neat little guard hut. In the opposite, far corner was a statue of Cupid, arrow drawn, standing above a display of blooming moss roses at the end opposite to the gate. There was always potential in places like these.
**
Angie had started to walk over to the Cupid statue when she heard the exit door open. Turning, she saw the young girl, whose mother’s brooch Angie had been scoping out, looking out the door. She snuck through, running out alone, silky tickling gown swishing out behind her. Her heart leapt to her throat as she watched the girls rhinestones sparkle radiantly. She actually turned to head towards the path the unsuspecting child was running up, flexing her fingers as she contemplating a little warm up practice. Angie watched as the dolled up imps necklace flashed with pinpricks of coloure as it bounced to and fro as she ran happily up the path .Angie turned her back to the girl, waiting to hear the telltale click of her heels come up just behind her. She would then move, bumping into the girl as she passed, tripping her to the ground. After which Angie would help her up, removing the girl’s fancy necklace in the process. Come to Mama Angie whispered under her breath, waiting to make her move as the skipping heels grew ever louder.
**
But then Angie froze, hearing the clicking of the exit door again opening behind her. She checked her stride letting the daughter slither past without a glance. She headed again towards the statue, watching her prize move on ahead. Then she heard the father in the background calling out to his little princess. The youngster turned, and ran back, beaming at Angie as she passed. Angie smiled back, her eyes again traveling to the girls neckline, and the sparkling jewelry the outlined her throat. It had been a silly thought she chided herself, as the girl passed from view. If only the necklace had been real, and the father about ten minutes later in discovering his daughter absence. It would have been an unbelievably easy pluck and she could be out the gate before anyone was the wiser. And the best part was that they would probably believe the scampering girl had just lost it in the garden. And, while the parents were looking about, Angie would have been free to renter to ply her trade again. As it was, it was silly of Angie, risking her opportunity on a child’s bauble worth a mere pittance compared to some of the other offerings so readily being flaunted this evening by her adult counterparts.
**
Angie continued her casual stroll through the Garden, happily playing over in her mind some of the jewels that she would like to see adorning the female guests inside, and the scenarios she may be using to acquire them
**
Finding herself approaching the guard hut, she allowed herself a glance back. Jealously she watched the father, who had caught and was carrying his slippery attired daughter, heading back inside. How Angie wished she had been the one carrying the squirming little imp, it would have been like a smorgasbord, with jewels instead of food. Pity her mother had not put the good stuff on the daughter, she sighed to herself. Tonight she would have to work for her butter. She walked past the bored guard, nodding at him, receiving a rather lecherous look in return. A smile was forming across her cunning face, for now it was time to get down to the real business at hand.
**
The affair turned out to be quite a showcase for the very rich. Who were indiscreetly flaunting their riches, trying to outdo one another, probably for the benefit of the politicians’ attention? Certainly not for the attention of the designer satin gowned and flashy diamonded daughter, whom most of the guests hardly knew, or had ever met.
**
Angie always felt like a little kid in a candy shoppe at these lavish affairs.
She spent the first part of the reception mingling and thoroughly enjoying the show her the reception’s guests were u wittingly putting on. Angie, wearing no jewels herself, was something of an anomaly compared to her fellow guests.
**
There were over a thousand luxuriously coloured, squawking female birds and their young chicks pompously displaying valuable finery, oblivious of the cat amongst them waiting to pounce. Angie patently mingled, watching as the adult guests had their fill of food and drink.
Once their guard began to relax, Angie raised hers’, her probingly skillful fingers now more than prepared to begin and ply her trade. For the more they imbibed, the less guarded they were, both about themselves and their female offspring. Angie would start with the adults, 2 or 3 of the right pieces of jewelry, once acquired, and would mean she could call it a night and have enough to support her for a solid month. If she came up empty in that department, her back up would then center on the female off-spring, daughters and nieces.
Most of said offspring would be by then scattered about, aware that their parents were no longer paying them any heed, exploring and playing, sporting their fancy satin gowns, silken dresses, and their dainty jewelry, ripe for the picking. Giving pickpockets like Angie endless opportunity to ply their trade on them, once they had finished working through the adults. Or if the thieves were beginners, plenty of easy practice while “learning the ropes!”
**
Now, when Angie herself was just starting out as a young pickpocket, she stumbled across a treatise written by a man using the pseudonym “Gaston Monescu”. Written around 1826, entitled the Cutpurse: skilles, artes and Secretes of the Dip, it covered the various tactics and moves used by master pickpockets.
Angie had studied it religiously, especially a ploy called the “Necklace Flimp.” This tactic was primarily used for body thieves working alone. Angie had been surprised to learn that a pickpocket could raise his/her skill level above just acquiring wallets. Having the ability to lift a woman’s necklace amazed her, not to mention the profit that could be realized. With practice, Angie had found that not only was it a good technique for acquiring necklaces, but it worked for other pieces of worn jewelry as well.
It was relatively simple process, but took a long time to master.
First part was to employ psychology and watch the potential victim for the unique movements and quirks in their personality and actions that could provide an opportunity for her skills. Then observe the selected piece the victim wore, for value, type of clasp, make, and accessibility. The second part was to employ a bump, slip, or grasp, and in one motion, flick open the studied clasp and send the piece away from the body by either pulling and palming, or dropping it to the floor or ground for retrieval later. If she was noticed, it was “sorry, miss, very clumsy of me” “here let me get if for you, no harm done?” Then walk away and let the waters settle before trying yet again (sometimes even on the same person!)
Angie had practiced the jewelry flimp until she had the technique totally mastered. Starting out first on specially dressed up mannequins in her apartment, than trying it on small pieces of cheap baubles worn by real women in crowded streets and stores. Then on younger, less guarded, better jewelry wearing young girls attending proms and social dances. Young looking for her age at the time, Angie had fit right in amongst them. Then, finally, she graduated to lifting the better jewels of the older, wealthy women attending society’s finer parties and receptions. And it was this path that led her here today, and would also lead several unlucky females to report missing jewelry to their respective insurance companies.
**
See Album “Angie having a Ball” for additional background on our master thief with the light fingers.
**
Angie now eagerly employed those useful talents learned from monsieur Monescu’s little pamphlet at the wedding reception. She mingled freely, carrying around a drink that never touched her lips. She watched and learned, her trained eyes missing very little. Soon, like that hypothetical kid in a candy shoppe, Angie’s head was spinning from so much to choose from that she really could not make any easy choice. So, she waited and watched patiently, knowing opportunity would knock.
**
Then, like it usually happened with Angie, the first genuine opportunity unexpectedly presented herself. Angie literally was run into a rather awkward, spindly lady in thick glasses clad in a fetchingly expensive costume consisting of a thick silver satin blouse with hanging ruffles down its front, combined with a long rustling tiered skirt that swept down to the top of her open toed silver high heels. Her diamond jewelry shone with exuberant flames as they caught the light from the many chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. The lady expressed frantically her apologies, placing a hand with well ringed fingers on Angie’s shoulder, where they sparkled merrily. No worries Angie said smiling, her eyes taking it all in without appearing to move. She let the frazzled lady leave, allowing her a head start, it was only sporting to do so.
**
Angie shadowed her quarry for a while, seemingly rewarded for her efforts when the lady managed to spill a bit of her drink down on her skirt. In a show of flashing silvery satin and diamonds ,she retreated and disappeared into a nearby powder room, with Angie following eagerly, opportunity knocking.
**
As Angie grabbed onto the closing powder room door, a mid- twenty something girl in a deep green velvet gown came out. Her only jewelry was a wide diamond bracelet wrapped around a wrist of the matching long green gloves she wore. Angie caught it out of the corner of her eye, realizing that it was as expensive as it was bright. But it was her friend, a willowy short haired pretty young thing in a glamorous Chocolate Satin gown that made Angie’s jaw drop. Her jewels, like her friends, were also sparse, but enormously pricy. The long white satin gloves that graced her hands and arms also held matching bracelets, thin, but each one worth the effort. But her real eye catcher was the row of authentic, one caret white diamonds that were rippling exquisite fire along her throat. Angie held the door for them, nodding to as they passed. Noses in the air, they did not appear to notice Angie. Then, with the ladies backs to her, Angie abandoned Miss silver satin and turned to follow. Angie got in behind the two with the intention of getting a closure examination of the clasp of the fiery diamond necklace Miss Chocolate satin was wearing.
**
However, Angie never got her closer look. For at that moment the tossing of the bride’s boutique was announced and Angie was overwhelmed by a mad dash of single ladies heading for the bride. On a lark she allowed herself to be swept along, losing sight of Miss Chocolate satin, but found herself right smack behind Miss Green velvet and her cheerfully sparkling diamond bracelet, a beautifully expensive piece that would have cost someone a king’s ransom. Angie’s fingers began their all too familiar tingling, eager for a chance to acquire jewelry that valuable, but not for any king, just for herself!
**
Though the night was still relatively early, and Angie still had visions of those exquisite rippling diamonds of the pretty Miss in chocolate satin on her mind, she simply could not pass up this opportunity. Angie wedged herself close behind her chosen victim as the multitude of hopeful young women pressed forward to try their luck. As the Bride teased her guests before getting ready to toss her bouquet of white and red roses, Angie expertly scrutinized the bracelet as it dangled from the green velvet glove. When the bride finally turned her back and raised her arms every one of the richly clad single women’s eyes was focused on the bride’s bouquet, Angie’s eyes were fixated on the bracelet. With the music playing loud, the crowd giggling and laughing, and all eyes focused on the gorgeously outfitted young long haired bride, Angie again felt opportunity knocking. Her pulse beating in rhythm with the music, she made ready to seize the chance when it presented itself. The roses flew through the air and all the women raised their hands high, looking all for the world like being involved in a stick-up. Angie timed it perfectly, snapping the clasp, and snatching the bracelet easily away from the gloved wrist of its owner as she raised her arms high to grab at the boutique. In her excitement, shared by everyone, Miss Green velvet ( who did not catch the bouget of roses) never felt a thing. Angie had smirked as she left the giggling group, stowing securely the purloined diamonds, as she imagined what it would have been like to watch that group robbed in a mass stick-up. The money that some enterprising soul could have made from that haul would have been astronomical.
**
She went to the open bar, lighting her first cigarette; she ordered her first real drink of the night. She could feel the coolness of the weighty bracelet in its hiding spot, and Angie, pleased with herself, calmly sipped her drink as she relished in the moment. The toss of the Brides Boutique was, in Angie’s experienced opinion, one of the three common events occurring during a wedding reception that were fertilely prime times for pickpocketing. (Editor’s note.. Miss D. mysteriously never divulged what she considered the other two prime events to be….)
**
She looked about without a worry in the world, coolly watching the antics of some of the younger women on the dance floor. She spied the young miss in the green velvet gown over in a corner talking in an animated fashion with several other women. Green velvet gown’s now bare velvet glove, apparently not noticed by anyone but Angie. One of her group was displaying some bright emeralds peeking through the long silver fur she was wearing, obviously she was leaving, and she was talking excitedly about something to the group formed around her! Nowhere in sight was Miss chocolate satin, too bad, Angie would have loved another peek before leaving.
Angie watched around the room causally, as the cold bracelet pressed expensively against her figure from its hiding spot. She eventually lost track of green velvet and her friends while finishing her drink. Setting down the empty glass, she decided it was time to call it a night. The bracelet now in her possession was easily worth as much as the 2 or 3 separate pieces she usually acquired at functions like these, added together! And, she needed her rest, Angie had a couple of plans the next day, one revolving around the female guests who would be attending an upscale afternoon prom fashion show a, the other, an evening opera performance (invited guests only, and her contact had managed to supply a ticket, at a hefty price!) No rest for the wicked, Angie told herself.
**
On her way out of the main lobby, she found herself leaving behind the very lady in green velvet whose bracelet was now in Angie’s possession. She was with the same gaggle of her similarly dressed friends, including the one exhibiting the emeralds. However, miss chocolate satin was still not visible. They were laughing and joking as they collected their assorted pretty wraps, obviously heading for a nightclub. If she had not already relieved one of them of a bauble, Angie might have invited herself along, if only to have a go at some emeralds. Angie hesitated about leaving withy them, then shrugged, followed the group out the door past the pair of bored rent a cops.
**
She remembered thinking, as she followed the elegant young princesses ,their fluid gowns peeking from under their various furs and wraps, how shallow the very rich could be. She wondered if Miss Green velvets friends had even noticed that she had had diamonds around the wrist of her glove, let alone that they were now missing. She wondered how long it would be before the bracelets loss was discovered. She figured it would be several hours, long enough for its owner not to be sure what place they had been lost. As young Miss Green velvet fancy gown and her friends turned right outside the exit, Angie turned left, heading towards the guard hut at the entrance to the garden.
She decided not to follow them but rather circle around the outside of the garden to give her victim time to leave.
**
That simple decision to make a left turn proved to be a major turning point in Angie’s fortunes that evening.
**
As Angie passed the hut guarding the entrance to the serenity garden, she noticed it was deserted.
It was as she was looking it over, that she heard the sounds of clicking heels moving fast, followed by the sounds of a young girl giggling. On the alert she stole to the backside of the hut, soon spying a splash of something blue and silky between the gaps of a couple of large bushes. Her senses on their highest peak, she began to move cautiously in, hoping the female making the noise would be in need of aid and comfort perhaps.
**
She soon spotted a young lady of about 14 bending over, hands on her knees as she panted heavily. Her back was to Angie, and what pretty back it was. She was nicely attired in a long gown of shiny material dyed deep blue like an afternoon, cloudless summer sky. The gown cascaded down along her petite figure, spilling out on the ground around her feet. Her hair was pulled back, easily displaying a pair of small diamond and sapphire earrings, not rhinestones for this one, but the real McCoy. Around one finger was a gold ring with sapphires, and from her left wrist dangled a thin silver bracelet with a row of diamond chips, both pretty, both valuably real. But it was her last piece of visible jewelry that stole the show. It hung, swinging to and from her neck on a thick braided chain of solid silver. On its end, like a hypnotists prism, was a silver pendent in the shape of a flower, with 1 inch long, pear shaped real diamonds as petals and a fully 2 inch in circumference center stone of deep sea blue. Angie watched it, her eyes following it for a full minute, its expensive fire sealing its own fate as Angie began flexing her fingers. Angie took her eyes off of it and looked around to see why the princess had been running. But all was still as the girl continued to peek through the branches towards the back door leading into the hall. Angie silently approached, and walking up to the pretty miss she bent down and in a friendly tone, asked who she was running from.
**
I played a joke on my sister, and now I’m hiding from her, piped the girl breathlessly, as Angie placed a hand upon the girls shoulder in a conspiratorial fashion, said shoulder made silky soft by the gowns half sleeve.
**
I know a better place where you can hide from her, Angie whispered in the girl’s ear, the dangling earring ever so close to her lips. The girl looked up, smiling, and Angie pointed towards the guard hut, and as the girl looked, Angie’s fingers glided up along the silky shoulder and lifted the thick silver chain up from the back of the gowns’ scooped collar. Come Angie said, and as the girl rose Angie’s fingers nimbly flicked open the chains’ lobster clasp, holding onto the clasp as the other end of the chain slipped down, allowing the pendent to slide free and fall onto the grass at the girls feet, where it lay shimmering. Angie moved her hand to the girls shoulder, squeezing it, while slipping off the braided silver chain with her other hand, whisking it back and away from the guileless young girl. Angie led her princess away from the spot and walked with her to the guard’s hut, still empty, where she had her hide neath the counter.
**
Angie turned and went back to claim the pendent, there still was no sign of any sister. She secured the pendent, joining it with the chain and bracelet, and headed deeper into garden. Her plan was to watch the hut and see which way the girl went after getting bored waiting. But as she skirted the perimeter her plans were changed when, upon rounding a corner of the path at the far end, she saw yet another back belonging to a solitary lady in her late thirties, clad in a long slinky yellow coloured gown of expensively shiny taffeta, bending over to smell the yellow roses on a bush. Instinctively Angie knew two things about her. One was that whatever jewels this lady would be wearing, they would be expensive, and the other was that with an expensive gown like that; the lady would undoubtedly be wearing her jewels. Angie suddenly became aware that her fingers were tingling, as an all too familiar whelming feeling again delightfully washed over her.
**
Angie found herself automatically turning back onto the garden path. She headed around the women and went down to the cupid’s statue, where now out of sight, she carefully hid the purloined bracelet, and still warm fiery pendent and its ‘fancy silvery braided chain..
**
She then headed towards the unsuspecting flower admirer. The ladies’ long brunette hair had fallen, flowing down the backside of her shiny taffeta gown. Angie could see rings and a bracelet gleaming as she was holding up the rose to her face. A long double rope of pearls hung swaying deliciously from her throat. Coming up behind her Angie stood watching; calculating until the lady rose and with a start realized she was not alone.
**
Pretty Angie said, her eyes on the pearls now draping down the front of her marks yellow gown. They are lovely, are they not? The damsel responded thinking Angie was referring to the roses. Just like the ones in the park, my husband and I walked through on our way to catch a cab today. Actually, I meant your dress Angie said complimentary. Thank you the lady practically squealed, I love the way it flows, and she swirled it about to show Angie, who got an eyeful of sparkly jewelry for her efforts. As she continued engaging the women in conversation, Angie decided upon attempting for the woman’s necklace of pearl. Seeing opportunity knocking when Yellow Taffeta pulled her long hair forward so it hang down the front of her gorgeous gown, laying silkily over one shoulder, nicely exposing the pricy necklaces clasp. Angie looked around, they were alone, out of site of the opposite end of the garden where the inside door was, and the guards hut with it’s pretty occupant.
**
Angie, using the marks interest in roses to her advantage, managed to steer the capricious damsel in shiny yellow over to the cupid’s statue. There, she placed a hand upon a silky taffeta covered shoulder, and pointed down to the shrub of moss roses growing at the foot of the statue . When she stooped down to get a closer look, Angie’s fingers whisked from her marks shoulder to the clasp, in a single effort with two fingers, lifted it by the clasp, and snapped it open. At that moment the mark cried “spider” and jumped up, backing into Angie, who watched helplessly as the pearls fell down from the damsel’s throat and slipped along the front of the yellow taffeta gown. They fell with a soft plop unto the ground at their mistress’s feet. Angie tried to lead her away, hoping to come back and reclaim the necklace. But as Angie pointed to another rose bush some distance away, the lady took a step forward, instead of back, planting her feet right onto the pearl necklace. Hey she exclaiming, what’s that, looking down to her high heeled foot? Oh, my pearls the lady squealed again, a glittering hand shooting to feel around her throat. Angie reached down, and reluctantly retrieved them from the base of the rose bush for the squealing lady in yellow . My husband would not have been pleased if I had lost these, she said as Angie held them, feeling their pricey smoothness.
**
She asked if Angie could help her put them on, my maid usually does this sort of thing, you know. Angie reluctantly complied, re- hanging the pearls as the pretty damsel held up her hair, and reluctantly redid the clasp. The Damsel thanked Angie by embracing her in a full hug, her diamond and pearl earring hitting Angie’s cheek. But Angie’s arms were being held by the hugging woman, so Angie was able to only watch the tantalizingly close earring sway free. Angie left yellow-gowned damsel in the garden, getting nothing for her efforts other than the feel of an expensive gown of the likes she could probably never afford to own.
**
With the pretty damsel hovering around the cupid statue, Angie decided to go back into the reception hall until the coast was clear. She carefully looked towards the Guards hut, and seeing that the guard had returned, figured the girl, so fetchingly clad in blue, had been rousted out, so that loose end was probably tied up. She just had to keep a careful eye out. The quite valuable bracelet and pricy necklace with its pendent were well hidden; there was absolutely no danger of someone stumbling over it.
**
Truth was, Angie had found her appetite wetted and once again visions of a lady in chocolate brown satin exhibiting a row of flashy diamonds, teased her thoughts. An accomplished pickpocket like herself had a couple of well-practiced ploys she could utilize to obtain a tight fitting necklace from its mistress. In addition, Angie was now determined to find her and to risk a try. She had really nothing to lose.
**
It took almost an hour of hunting amongst the now well liquored, gaily mingling crowd before Angie could admit to herself that there was absolutely no sign of the willowy lady in the stunning chocolate satin gown. Damn she thought to herself, those diamonds were something special. She shrugged it off, reciting in her mind a wicked little mantra of hers, “Another one who got away, a chance to lose her jewels to Angie on another day!” She strolled about pondering on what her next course of action could be. There had been no sign of the pretty girl in blue whose necklace Angie now had hidden away, and Miss Green Velvet was definitely out of the picture, so she felt that it was still safe to try to pluck one last bird or chick. In her hunt for the brown, Angie had seen several inviting prospects; one lady(purple satin, diamonds), two girls( ivory silk, pearled pin; red satin, gold necklace set with chips of precious stones), and now was weighing the risks.
It was at that point she once again espied the thickly bespectacled awkwardly introverted young lady invitingly wearing the thick silver satin ruffled blouse, which she had been tailing much earlier. And as Angie watched here, she again accepted the invitation. Her prey had appeared on the dance floor, being led around by a rather charming young man. That would make a dandy consolation prize Angie drooled to herself happily as she took in the sparkling show put on by the dancers jewels.
**
Angie looked her over, reacquainting herself with the jewels she so nicely was displaying. A pair of long earrings cascaded down from her earlobes where they precariously held on by antique silver claps. Angie relished the opportunity to “flimp” pairs of earrings like these. Heavily jeweled, each one was worth a tidy sum. Angie mulled this as she continued to study the jewels of her appealingly dressed new target.
**
The girl’s only ring was a solitaire diamond of at least 3 carets on a thick solid gold band worn vulnerably loose on her un-gloved, bare ring finger. A wide silver cuff bracelet with what appeared to be at least seven rows of matching, shimmering diamonds was dangling around her left wrist (she was right handed Angie observed) . The bracelet had a habit of lying over her sleeve, and Angie could see that it was a costly tiffany piece, whose clasp was exceptionally easy to flick open. A diamond pendent hung swinging from her satiny ruffles, held by an extravagantly thick silver chain with a simple , small eye in hook clasp. The Diamonds in the pendent were as shimmery as stars plucked from the night’s sky.
Angie remembered reading that in a poem from a book she had picked up years earlier in a library, while stalking a young mother in a satin dress, wearing an authentic Gruen Watch on one wrist, and a bracelet of diamonds on the other, that had gone into the library in pursuit of her young son running inside. Like that young mother, It was obvious that this lady in silver satin was not accustomed to wearing jewels, and that set probably spent most of their days lying in a safe. Angie licked her lips as she imagined what the other contents of that safe might look like
**
Angie moved in to allow herself a much closer appraisal of her potential victim’s jewels.
The young lady was totally oblivious to anything but the rather surprisingly strikingly handsome man who to all appearances was her Fiancée, who was holding her ever so close. But Angie was able to see enough of what she wanted to. The young Ladies’ thick satin blouse shone richly in the lights, moving like glistening wet liquid silver, while from her waist spilled the long black skirt with satiny tiers that swished and swayed nicely along her figure as she uneasily danced. Her jewels were bursting with colour as they played hide and seek with Angie’s watchful eyes. From all appearances, they were a mismatched couple. He seemed to know everyone and moved with a confident air, she was just the opposite. It made an enticingly intriguing package indeed for someone with Angie’s skills.
**
Silver Satin was the perfect “Gaston Monescu” type of mark, a perfect combination of classic mannerisms, clothing and Jewels worth anyone’s efforts to take. This was the only fly in the ointment that Angie observed. For by the bar she could see that two other sets of eyes were watching the same young lady in shiny satin and blazing diamonds. Angie intuitively knew they were drooling over acquiring jewels she was wearing.
**
She had noticed the pair of young men in loose fitting suits when they had entered a little earlier about the same time as Angie’s reappearance. They were obviously casing the jewels of any woman, young, or old, who walked past them. Angie knew their type, simple thieves, with no real skills outside of holding a knife in a dark alley to the throat of their victim while they unceremoniously searched and stripped them of their treasures. Angie saw that they were whispering amongst themselves and instinctively knew they were watching and waiting for the fetchingly clumsy silver clad lady clad loaded with diamonds, to leave the “establishment”.
**
She is mine Angie whispered, possessively snarling the words under her breath. She looked around as she thought about how best to handle the situation. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a familiar woman waiting by the coat checkroom. Perfect she purred, placing an unlit a cigarette in her mouth and heading over the bar.
**
She sauntered up next to them and ordered a drink, catching their eyes she asked for a light. As they obliged she took a pull and puffed out smoke, asking in a casual tone, “how about my jewels? Boys!” They could see perfectly well that she was not wearing any, and one snarled, “What’s your game, sister?” Angie snarled back in her best cop like manner, “We know what you boys are up to, and we suggest you both call it a night!” “Yer no cop sister”, they challenged, calling her bluff,” what’s your angle!” Angie calmly looked towards the entrance, perfect she mused as she saw their eyes follow hers, “Maybe not” she stated, “but see that lady being helped into the black mink?” “The shiny yellow dame?” one of em asked? “ “yes”, Angie replied taking a puff on her cigarette before going on, “ well that man’s she’s with used to be mine .” “ Now, I aint one to hold a grudge, but, those pearls she’s waltzing around with are worth plenty. And her rings, they are an easy two grand alone.”
**
Angie could tell she had captured their interest, and that they were now paying rapt attention to the lady in the thick yellow taffeta gown whose necklace Angie had almost acquired in the serenity garden. One of them looked at Angie, a suspicious look crossing his mug, “What’s innit for you sister?!” He demanded. Angie looked at him, dripping with sarcastic innocence. “Nothing brother, other than to make sure the jewels of the dame who stole my husband get home safely .” “I just worry,’ Angie went on, “there is a park in front of their residence and that dame in yellow likes to stroll through it to smell the roses after their cab drops them off.” They watched the couple leave, her expensive yellow gown sweeping provocatively at her gold high- heeled shoed feet. Angie looked them in the eyes and said smoothly, “ Gentlemen such as yourselves may want to do a good deed and follow them home to make sure some miscreant doesn’t spot her in those valuable jewels and mink. Not to mention her man’s gold watch and three hundred sawbucks in his wallet!” Angie winked at the pair, “If you catch my drift.” She added.
**
Still not totally convinced about what Angie was selling them, but equally unsure over who Angie was, both men got up and quickly headed towards the main exit as the last slip of an expensive yellow taffeta gown disappeared through the door. Smugly, Angie puffed on her cigarette as she watched them leave.
**
It was then that a hand was placed on Angie’s shoulder from behind.
**
She froze for a split second, before becoming aware of the soft mummer of satin, and of a slender finger was home to a sparkling sapphire ring. Angie smiled and turned around, facing the girl. Pardon me ma’am, she says politely, but do you remember me? Of course dear, Angie gushes while beaming at the forlorn looking miss in the fetching blue gown; I met you in the garden. Yes she confirms, but I lost my necklace somewhere and I was wondering if you remember if I had it on when we met? Angie’s heart leapt, bless this babe in the woods, thinking her necklace had merely been lost, never suspecting that someone like, say, Angie could have been the cause. She absolutely adored the trusting nature of rich girls this age. For that aspect of their purity had allowed Angie, far too easily sometimes, to lift many a jewel from well attired unsuspecting young princesses like this one. Who was now standing before her, miserable, her desirable diamond and sapphire earrings dangling ever so beckoningly, her sad puppy eyes pleading ever so sweetly, and her missing necklace closer than she could ever imagine.
**
No dear, I did not see you with a necklace, Angie lied coolly, as she reached out and stroked the girl tenderly alongside her face, her fingers touching one of the earrings. Angie was looking her fully in the eye, you didn’t lose anything else, and did you dear she asked with a concerned tone. The girl checked her earrings, bracelet and ring (Angie smiled to herself, silently thinking thanks for the info kid!) But when she spoke, it was with hopeful words laced with honey, If you want, I can help you look, my dear. The girl’s eyes lit up for a second, thank you ma’am, I wanted to, but papa said to wait until tomorrow when the light is better.
Angie smiled winningly, don’t worry dear, I’m sure its somewhere in the garden. Someone will find it, she promised, thinking to herself maliciously, and keep it for their own profit!
**
Thank you Ma’am she chirped, at the encouraging words that had been spoken, luckily she could not hear the ones Angie was thinking to herself, and turning moved off, her scrumptious gown swishing pleasantly around her silver heels. Angie watched, as the girl disappeared in the crowd Angie marked her direction.
**
Angie Imagined if the girl had accepted her offer, and she had left with the vulnerable, unguarded princess to search in the garden, and in the process help relieve her of her remaining jewels. There would be enough light with the gas lamps that lined the paths in the garden. Enough light, so that as Angie helped the princess look, her fingers could slip ever so delicately slip in and search along her shiny sky blue gown.
**
Angie licked her lips slowly as she fantasied about the search. The girl bending down to look under a bush, Angie placing her knee sharply in a certain spot below the girl’s armpit, temporarily numbing her upper body. Allowing Angie enough time to pull off both her earrings without feeling it,( this also worked well on working off broaches placed in upper parts of gowns and dresses, not to mention necklaces!) The bracelet would be no problem; it would be the easiest and probably the first, snatched off while the rich girl’s attention was easily diverted away. Since she was not wearing silky gloves, her ring would be the trickiest, but manageable, by either having her walk too close to a water fountain and hopefully having her get her fingers wet, or by simple holding onto her hand and tripping her by stepping on her gowns hem. And just like that, Angie would become that much richer, the rich girl that much poorer. And it all would be done without giving the girl any additional stress, like say she had run into the two muggers Angie had chased off. They may not have been content with just the jewels of a girl dressed as she was that they had found wandering alone in the gardens at night.
**
As Angie excitedly thought about these things, she had trained her focus back upon her original meal ticket, whom for the second time that evening had almost been allowed to slip through Angie’s light fingers. Watching with half lidded eyes, the still dancing couple not unlike a wolf watches lambs, waiting for one to make an ill-fated move away from the flock. The lamb’s fate was sealed, when a vivacious blonde in a long wispy silken dress cut in on the dancing couple. Asking miss silver satin’s fiancé for a dance. He obliged, leaving his shimmering fiancée unaccompanied, nakedly exposed to the wolf that was Angie.
**
More than one way to skin a cat Angie thought, tingling from the thrill of the hunt her prey, now in a reachable situation. She happily headed towards the spot where Miss silver satin had moved off to. A small table, located conveniently by a powder room. One the way she grabbed a half full glass of red wine off a table. Angie circled around young miss silver satin, taking a position up about two table lengths behind her. She casually scoured the area; most of the nearby tables were deserted.
Knowing the band would stop playing soon for the evening; most of the couples were out on the dance floor. All in all, the situation presented the perfect opportunity for some one of Angie’s persuasion.
**
Angie watched as the young lady picked up a glittery silver clutch and opening it, started to search inside. Angie moved swiftly, catching up behind her , tripping intentionally into her, splashing some wine onto the front of the silver satin blouse as the unfortunate lady dropped her purse in surprise. Oh my gosh, I did not see you, miss silver satin pleaded apologetically to Angie, more concerned over Angie’s feelings than her soiled satin blouse. Angie accepted her apology and, producing a lacey silk handkerchief, began to wipe themselves both down.
Angie’s practiced eyes swiftly took it all in. Miss silver satin’s pretty earrings swaying out vulnerably from her long straggly hair as it fell into her face. The clasp of her necklace was also exposed and within easy grasp. A s she reached out for the floor to steady herself, Angie’s eyes took in the sparkling ring on her now wetted finger and then watched the wide bracelet with its’ easily open able clasp slip up glitteringly over her sleeve.
The girl, now thoroughly flustered, started to rise, tripping over her slippery long skirt( with no help from Angie) Angie caught her, taking advantage of the split second opening she had been waiting for and Angie took it, making her selection as she steadied the poor thing with one hand, as the other caressed along a slick silver satin back. Angie’s long supple fingers darted in and deftly did their trick, this time with no spiders interfering. She quickly removed her chosen glittery prize from the distracted lady, who never noticed so much as a prick as Angie removed the expensive piece from her person in the confusion.
**
Angie secreted he shiny jewel as she helped miss silver satin collect herself. Than they rose, and Angie happily accepted miss silver satin profuse and obviously well used, apology. Then, as she fumbled nervously with her thick glasses, Angie laid a calming hand upon her shoulder, her fingers relishing in the richness of her victims sleek ruffled blouse. Miss silver satin was by now so distracted and embarrassed that Angie was all but assured of a clean get away.
However, as an extra measure of caution Angie intentionally jarred silver satin’s elbow of the hand steadying her eye glasses. Thus sending her glasses falling from her face to the floor with a small clatter, then Angie kicked them under a table before the startled lady could react. Angie offered to help, but the lady implored that she was okay, just needed to find her glasses. Angie left as Miss silver satin started to frantically grope around for her glasses, her silver blouse and remaining jewels shimmering brightly along their miserable mistress..
Angie took her leave, knowing that once she found her glasses, Miss silver satin would flee for sanctuary into the ladies powder room, buying her more than enough time for Angie to make her escape. Taking one last look over the dance floor, she blithely saw that miss silver satins fiancé was still in the clutches of the vivacious blonde-haired girl, still safely out of the picture. Angie made her way with purpose to the rear exit leading to the garden that she had used earlier, intending to head out into the serenity garden to collect the hidden bracelet and pendent, adding them to her purloined plunder.
**
As she walked amongst the mostly deserted tables, her mind went to the woman in yellow taffeta and imagined that right about now she would be standing with raised arms and a forlorn look. Ruefully wincing as the man who was holding her mink busily stripped those luscious pearls from the neckline of her tight gown, as the shiny yellow material gleamed in the moonlight! Serves her right for being afraid of spiders, Angie thought unforgivingly.
***
Angie’s mind also went to the poor young princess in blue with the missing necklace. She looked towards the area she had headed, opposite of the back exit to the garden. She reluctantly decided not to push her luck, there was a sister and parents to contend with, and she really had no time left. So she decided to call it a day, a rather successful day, and made her way to retrieve her loot.
**
Angie had now reached the now deserted table by the back exit where the lady in the crimson gown and blood red rubies had been earlier, along with her rhinestone encumbered 10 year old daughter and handsome husband.
**
She paused between the table and the bench, something was not quite right, She eyed the area around the dance floor for any signs of trouble that may be centered on the quite valuable jewels now in her possession. All was quiet, except for a little murmur behind her. Turning she looked at the bench and was shocked to discover the soundly asleep ten year old, using the long rusty sable fur as a blanket. What have we here, Angie thought, licking her lips wickedly?
**
Angie pursed her lips, checking the coast; spotting the young girl’s parents, still on the dance floor, a safe distance away the other side of the room. No sign of miss silver satin. No one else was nearby. Perfect. She went over, bending down so the table hid her. The child looked so vulnerably innocent, sound asleep as she lay on her side, facing Angie. She was clutching an arm of the sable like a warm fuzzy teddy bear, her ring sparkling. Angie gently tugged the mink from the girl’s clasp, and gradually pulled until the fur swished away from along the inert silken figure on the bench, where it fell into a pile on the floor. The child looked very innocent, very vulnerable, like a sleeping princess. An earring lay exposed over one shoulder, her necklace dangled down slightly askew from her slender throat, the pin holding her sash, all of which shone brightly now that it was exposed to the low lights of the ballroom, still called out. Too bad, Angie thought to herself, too bad the mother had not dressed her little doll in real diamonds.
**
Angie again looked to the dance floor; she could see the mother’s jewelry twinkling brightly as the child’s parents danced close, very unaware of anything else but themselves. She looked back over the girl, contemplating. But the song was winding down, Angie stooped to pick up the sable, bird in hand she thought, and placing the rich fur over her arm, stood just as the song ended. Looking at the exit door, so near and yet so far, she started to hasten to it, but checked herself as the band immediately started another, rather slow song that Angie knew quite well.
**
She hesitated, incredibly, everyone was staying on the floor for the final dance, she looked back at the bench, and the sleeping imps exposed jewels still shined, tempting her to come for them. Angie knew that she would only have about four minutes. Always open to new challenges, Angie chose to answer that sweet little invite that the necklace was extending out to her. Checking once again to make sure the parents was still obliviously dancing; she laid the mink down by the door and eased back to the bench. Kneeling down, Angie began to perform the delicate operation.
**
Lifting up the necklace she gently tugged it loose from around the sleeping child’s neck until the clasp appeared. She subtly flicked open the clasp, then shamelessly slipped the necklace from around its perch on the little whelp’s throat. It flickered like some slithering shiny snake, glittering as it came away. Like taking candy from a baby, Angie drooled happily, as she let the necklace run along her fingertips while watching the sleeping princess for a few seconds.
**
Her fitted cream coloured dress shimmered with expensive richness in the shadowy light. The poor thing was so soundly asleep after her long exhausting day that Angie figured she could have peeled the dress off her without causing a stir. This for a pickpocket would be the ultimate test, the pinnacle of her criminal class. But, Angie thought; if she ever had the opportunity to do so, it would have to be worth her while, like a shiny gown, an appealing sky blue gown with half sleeves and scooped collar. And the jewels would be sapphire drop earrings, bracelet and ring, not plain rhinestones. She licked her lips at the enticing thought of such a perfect “coup fera”, than told herself to get back to work, time was money.
**
She slipped her hand along the satin cape being used as a pillow and felt under the girls head until she felt the cold earring she was laying upon. Deftly undoing the screw she pulled it free, watching with delight as it came out from underneath.
**
Angie than, gently lifted, and nimbly stroked back the girl’s ultra-soft hair, exposing her long silvery earring. She pulled the jewel out and laid it out upon the child’s shoulder, where it lay, shimmering vibrantly. Then she reached in with her fingers and began unscrewed its clasp. Pulling it free she added it to her growing collection. She next lifted the hand that had held the warm sable, gently prying open her clenched fingers. The sleeping child never stirred. Angie gently slipped off the glittering ring. She then peeled back a silky sleeve, checking for the bracelet, finding her wrist was bare. The rest of the jewels were hiding securely on the side she was laying upon. Smiling wickedly to herself, an idea popped into Angie’s head.
**
The music was now almost to the halfway point, and Angie thought for a brief second that she should leave . Another quick scan assured her the coast was still clear, and Angie decided to press her luck, eagerly going back to work, putting her idea into motion.
Angie fingers felt along the sleeping child’s waist until she located the brooch. Quickly unfastening the brooch from the chocolate satin sash, she pulled it out. Watching as the diamonds caught fire and burst into vibrant life, unusually vivid for plain rhinestones she thought contemplatively. Angie plopping it in with the growing pile of the sleeping girls purloined baubles. Again reaching in along the warm waist, Angie gradually tugged at the now undone sash. The sleeping girl, unconsciously obliged by turning over on her other side, as the sash was pulled away.
**
Her arm with the ring and bracelet was now exposed. Lifting the arm , and peeling back the puffy sleeve, Angie found and unclasped the bracelet, slipping it away, then allowing it to dangle in triumph before letting it join its purloined mates. Then lifting the child’s hand she pulled at the ring, it was a little tight. Angie licked her fingers, and moistened the girls finger, than began slipping the ring off ever so gently from the along her finger. Almost there, Angie thought, as the ring joined its abducted companions in her pocket.
**
As Angie finished pocketing the last of the girls jewels, her victim whimpers something discernible in her sleep, her small hand feeling to pull up the missing warm sable she had been using as a blanket. Angie quickly looked around, spying a cheap linen coat hanging on a nearby hook, she grasped it and laid it over the stirring girl, stroking her for a precious few seconds. Then rising, calmly Angie snatched a shiny purse from the table, and moved off, unbelieving of her luck. She reclaimed the sable fur, and strolled out the door without looking back.
**
As Angie closed the door she heard the last notes of the song waning from inside. She licked her lip, that was close, but her luck had held. Now all that remained was to visit the Cupid Statue In the garden to reclaim her other prizes. As she reached the statue, Angie realized that she still had the child’s satin sash in her hand.
She smiled as she tied it, blindfolding the cupid statues eyes. Retrieving and pocketing the now stone cold diamond bracelet, and the young Princess in blue’s necklace with its shimmering pendent, she slowly looked around, the cost was clear. Angie coolly made her way to the gate, the bored guard offering to help her with the mink she was carrying. , Angie stopped, and handed it to him. Then turning, allowed him to help her on with it. He puffed out his chest as Angie gave him a sweet smile; she thanked him, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
**
Angie disappeared from view into the foggy evening, relishing the warmth of the sensuous sable. Happily contemplating the small fortune in jewels it had been in contact with earlier that evening, and also the small fortune she had walked out of the reception with in her possession.
**
The guard watched the spot for some time where the pretty lady in the expensive fur had vanished in the mists. He fantasized for a good few minutes, wondered what had been behind the enchantingly secret smile she had given to him.
Excuse me, sir?, a female voice coming from the garden startles him, he had never heard anyone coming.
He turns, catching an eyeful of a long glamourous, brown satin gown, worn fetchingly by a willowy short haired pretty young thing. Diamonds blazed from around her throat, caught by the gas lights, and from around her white satin gloved wrists as she raised her hands in a pleading fashion.
She continues, pointing to a young girl in a smashing blue satin gown, bending over looking for something in the bushes. My sister lost her necklace and pendent while playing around here earlier, did you or anyone find it? She asked in a rather seductive tone of voice9 not a common, it was her regular voice)
No lady, no one turned in a necklace. Thank you sir, and she turns away, her gown flowing out behind her.
He watches for a minute as she and her sister both move elegantly down the path, continuing their search.
He sighed, and turns away, babysitting rich dames he mutters under his breath, what a dismal way to make a living. Why won’t this affair ever end he asked himself, as he reached for his silver pocket watch to check the time. Damnations he said, not finding it nor its chain and fob, must have dropped it in the alley earlier where I had gone for a nipper from his flask. He sauntered off quickly to the alley located in the direction Angie had disappeared, abandoning his post.
Soon after, a pair of dark figures who had been walking on the opposite side of the street, and had stopped to loiter when they spied the guard talking to some posh broad in a shiny brown dress, saw the guard leaving his post. They quickly stole with sinister intent across the road and entered into the gardens, disappearing into the darkness.
*********************************************************************************
This ended up being Angie’s first big score, She got more for the rhinestone set then she had imagined, the small brooch taken off the brown satin sash had proved to have real diamonds in its center! Also the princess in silky sky blue’s pendent and chain had fetched a nice tidy sum. The jewels lifted from the ladies in Green and Silver also realized quite a handsome profit, as did the sable and purse.
if one includes the real diamond ring slipped off the finger of a silky dressed debutante from the prom show and her rather nice haul of a slim pearl necklace and diamond pin from the Opera, the whole weekend was unimaginably successful.
**
From the profit realized, she had been able to spend a pleasant month away in Monte Carlo, even indulging in the purchase of a rich red wine coloured taffeta gown to wear.
Which she pleasantly found that, when paired with her deftly acquired collection of dripping rhinestone diamond jewelry, she attracted wealthy young males with expensive gold watches and fat wallets like honey bee drones to a bright moss rose.
**
She also enticed a long raven haired, Miss, richly clad in emerald silk, to enter into her snare.
But Angie did not make an entirely clean get away. For the last jewel to be taken was the girl’s brooch , and before Angie could hide it with the rest, the girl spotted its’ glitter in Angie’s hand, and with a gasp had looked down on her dress at the now vacant spot where it had been dangling ever so provocatively for Angie all evening.. Angie smiled at the girl as she had looked up in confusion. The girl had placed a hand to her throat, startled when feeling it bare of her necklace. She looked at Angie in hurt confusion, her eyes wide with fright. Angie placed a finger to the girl’s lips, hushing any fuss she may have been thinking of making over her missing jewelry, and turning her back to the forlorn miss, Angie left, not looking back….
**
But that was a story for another day, so we were promised by Angie, giving us an all too familiar look of devious satisfaction at making us wait.
.************************************************************************************
Editor’s Notes:
Our Thanks to Mr. J. Gardner for pointing out the existence of Mr. Monescu’s 1826 guide
If you enjoyed our little story, please like and leave a comment.
And if you wish, describe what intrigued you the most about it…
Thank You
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There are lots of cool things in the General Store in Memory Lane Village. Last I remember, the cod liver oil I was given as a child was NOT tasteless....LOL
I checked the label and the Nerve Food is Vitamin B1 and B12.....a good product!
On 9/22/10 I had to get surgery to remove a tumor to have it biopsied. I had to go under full anesthesia of propofol and lidocaine for a local anesthetic. It took about 7 days for me to get the biopsy results at my recheck appointment and it was determined that it was a benign tumor called a fibroadenoma. It was slightly painful and more painful than I originally thought but this was mainly because my body had reacted to the absorbable sutures and bandage, I was also quite nauseous because of the anesthesia, but that was minimal and at times when I forced me self to do things. I made three attempts to go to work and one attempt to go to class but as soon as I get to work/class I felt so sick and painful I had to leave.
I have absorbable sutures and they can take up to 4 months to fully absorb. At my recheck appointment the surgeon told me that he didn't like how the surgery incision looked because it was more raised then he would have liked, mainly because my body had reacted to the sutures. He then advised me simply to put an antibiotic ointment on the site, which I have been doing. I only wear a bra when I am going out into public, i.e going to the mall, and these only cause my site to get more inflamed and puss filled. About three days ago I had to wear a bra to class only to come home to a puss filled, inflamed incision. This then needed to be cleaned and scrubbed. Myself, along with my boyfriend, are keeping an eye on it and thoroughly taking care to reduce infection.
In times like this I am really thankful I have someone like Adam to take care of me when I feel and look like shit, this experience has made me fall even more in love with him.
I've had this tumor for about 6 months and I went for a ultrasound of it in February, and the doctor wrote on the report that he did not see anything on the ultrasound. Which of course couldn't be more false and if this tumor did come back to be cancerous I'm sure I would've gone a route of malpractice lawsuit against this doctor. This doctor was very ignorant to me and couldn't seemingly care less about my case. He stated to me at my appointment that "I was fine, and could go home" so of course having a doctor say this to me I was relieved but still skeptical about his actual report. Thus then about 6 months later at my OB/GYN visit I informed my OB again and she immediately referred me to a breast specialist and surgeon of Dr. David May. Dr. David May was a wonderful doctor and he made me feel completely comfortable. Dr. May preformed another ultrasound on me and then it was determined that I needed surgery, and thus I had surgery!
So that's my story, summed up as much as I can.
late 2002 at an ointment event at Clynfyw John Sharkey showed a collection of research material and notebook covering the period from 1970 to 2002. He burnt most of it on site - I saved two books.
Eurymedon Bridge (Selge) Small Roman Bridge
It is located 650m South of the Big Roman bridge.
Description:
This article has been previously published as a part of book Antalya, Side and Alanya: TAN Travel Guide by Izabela Miszczak
This Roman bridge, beautifully situated over deep Köprülü Canyon, is an irrefutable proof of Roman engineers' ingenuity. The bridge, spanning the cliffs of the canyon, is now called Oluk Köprü (i.e. Gutter Bridge). It still provides the communication link on the route from the Mediterranean coast deep into the Taurus Mountains, to the area of ancient Pisidia.
The bridge stands over Köprüçay River, in ancient times known as Eurymedon. The structure is 14 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. The narrow road on the bridge limits the width of vehicles to 2.5 meters. The bridge consists of a single arch, with a span of 7 meters.
The voussoirs (i.e. wedge-shaped elements) which were used during the construction of the bridge, are 60 cm wide. They were fitted together without the use of mortar. The building technology indicates that the bridge was erected in the 2nd century CE, in the heydey of the city of Selge.
Getting there:
The nearest settlement is Beşkonak village and the most impressive ancient city near the bridge is Selge, situated in Altınkaya village, 11 kilometres away from the bridge. The bridge is 43 km away from the crossroad on D400 route, running along the Mediterranean coast.
By car: the bridge over Eurymedon is located in the Taurus Mountains, at an altitude of about 1,000 meters above sea level. From the Mediterranean coast, you can get there on a decent road. In order to find the proper turn-off, find a signpost on the intersection on D400 route (36.893219, 31.239155), located between the towns of Manavgat (25 km to the east) and Serik (14 km to the west).
From this intersection, the road leads to the north, in the direction of Köprülü Canyon National Park. During the ride, you can enjoy the views of Köprüçay River and its canyon. After 43 km, you reach the bridge, and later you can drive over it and head to the ruins of Selge. They are located 11 km away to the north-west of the bridge
turkisharchaeonews.net/object/eurymedon-bridge-selge
Köprüçay River
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6pr%C3%BC%C3%A7ay_River
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Eurymedon
Selge, Pisidia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selge,_Pisidia
Selge (Greek: Σελγη) was an important city in Pisidia, on the southern slope of Mount Taurus, modern Antalya Province, Turkey, at the part where the river Eurymedon River (Turkish: Köprüçay)forces its way through the mountains towards the south.
History[edit]
The town was believed to be a Greek colony, for Strabo[1] states that it was founded by Spartans, but adds the somewhat unintelligible remark that previously it had been founded by Calchas. The acropolis of Selge bore the name of Kesbedion.[2] The district in which the town was situated was extremely fertile, producing abundance of oil and wine, but the town itself was difficult of access, being surrounded by precipices and beds of torrents flowing towards the Eurymedon and Cestrus (today Aksu), and requiring bridges to make them passable. In consequence of its excellent laws and political constitution, Selge rose to the rank of the most powerful and populous city of Pisidia, and at one time was able to send an army of 20,000 men into the field. Owing to these circumstances, and the valour of its inhabitants, for which they were regarded as worthy kinsmen of the Spartans, the Selgians were never subject to any foreign power, but remained in the enjoyment of their own freedom and independence. When Alexander the Great passed through Pisidia (333 BC), Selge sent an embassy to him and gained his favour and friendship.[3] At that time they were at war with Termessos.
The Roman Eurymedon Bridge near Selge
At the period when Achaeus had made himself master of Western Asia, Selge were at war with Pednelissus, which was besieged by them; and Achaeus, on the invitation of Pednelissus, sent a large force against Selge (218 BC). After a long and vigorous siege, the Selgians, being betrayed and despairing of resisting Achaeus any longer, sent deputies to sue for peace, which was granted to them on the following terms: they agreed to pay immediately 400 talents, to restore the prisoners of Pednelissus, and after a time to pay 300 talents in addition.[4] We now have for a long time no particulars about the history of Selge; in the 5th century AD Zosimus[5] calls it indeed a little town, but it was still strong enough to repel a body of Goths. It is strange that Pliny does not notice Selge, for we know from its coins that it was still a flourishing town in the time of Hadrian; and it is also mentioned in Ptolemy[6] and Hierocles. Independently of wine and oil, the country about Selge was rich in timber, and a variety of trees, among which the storax was much valued from its yielding a strong perfume. Selge was also celebrated for an ointment prepared from the iris root.[7]
Remains[edit]
The remains of the city consist mainly of parts of the encircling wall and of the acropolis. A few traces have survived of the gymnasium, the stoa, the stadium and the basilica. There are also the outlines of two temples, but the best conserved monument is the theater, restored in the 3rd century AD. Selge was the seat of a bishop; it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church
Halfway on the road to Selge from the Pamphylian coastal plain, a well-preserved Roman Bridge crosses the deep Eurymedon valley
Not that it was requested, but I was inspired by the inimitable Fubuki to come up with my very own "100 Things About Me" List.
Here goes:
I once had a dream where I hugged a girl who subsequently purred like a cat. It was wonderful.
I wish someone would put in a pill what makes dogs so happy.
That being said, I think most prescription drugs are over prescribed.
I was a DJ at an African-American radio station when I was 16.
I think lemurs are cute.
It wouldn’t surprise me if science proves one day in the future that some forms of cancer are caused by boredom.
I’ve never known a red-headed guy I liked and fear having a child with a woman who grows up to be a red-headed guy I don’t like.
I had a cat named Figment who I named before I knew what the word meant. I saw the name on a little plush toy dragon at a friend’s place when I was young. I found out years later that it was a Disney character. My poor cat. I think Disney cartoons are the worst, except Ducktales.
I think the Coen Brothers are highly overrated, but I liked Clooney’s performance in 2 of their movies. Okay, the Hudsucker Proxy was great for the first 45 minutes. And I've really only seen John Turturro's excellent entrance in the Big Lebowski. And I loved Tom Hanks in the Ladykillers. Alright, I've changed my mind about the Coen brothers.
I love summer, hate fall and winter, but when it gets cold, I love a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder with loads of black pepper after I’ve spent a long time in the cold.
I believe women are masters of indulging their spirit, i.e. pampering themselves with a massage, manicure, day spa, and men would be wise to learn from this and treat themselves well for the sole purpose of feeling good.
I like cats about 5 to 10 percent more than dogs, but love them both for different reasons.
I believe that growth, fear, and courage are inextricably intertwined.
I’m spiritual and not agnostic. Agnostic means that “the ultimate cause, or God, is not knowable with human knowledge.” Who says? Maybe I’ll have that ultimate epiphany. I may get there yet.
I believe that if you say you definitely believe in any one thing or way of thought, you cut yourself off from many enlightening streams of new thought you would never have had access to had you not remained open.
I’m a second-class intellectual.
The scent of vanilla calms me greatly. When women wear it, it’s intoxicating.
My neck is somewhat long, and in elementary school, a classmate called me E.T. a couple times.
If common sense were so common, then everyone would have it. I like to think I have uncommon sense.
I looked like Wil Wheaton up until I was about 12.
I believe racial prejudice is a non-issue. I was over it long ago. “Equality for everyone!” Now move on. Please.
That being said, in the world in which we currently reside, I think that being a decent-looking white male can be a useful genetic camouflage at times.
I’m glad I was born a man, so I may love women. But, guys gross me out physically and I wish sometimes I were prettier.
I appreciate how much goes into a woman’s physical presentation, but it sometimes seems like a nasty obsession.
I like that women’s handwriting is cute.
I graduated from trucking school, but never used my CDL.
I learned how to line dance once and enjoyed the dancing far more than the country music I was dancing to.
I think Eddie Murphy’s last funny moment was Boomerang in ’92. He hasn’t made me laugh since.
Any restaurant that serves breakfast at all times of the day makes me smile. I love soft waffles and light and fluffy pancakes.
I believe in having role models and mentors even as an adult.
I think that being boring is the 8th deadly sin.
I think that the remix of Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation” is one of his best songs ever.
I think Prince is one of the best guitarists ever.
I think Frank Zappa is an underrated guitar god.
I have no fear of death, but I absolutely dread chronic pain in my later years.
I’m a breast man.
I believe tripods hamper a photographer’s creativity when not used for macros. And, should be treated like a loaded gun around your family: used rarely and judiciously : )
If I really like a song, I can listen to it over and over again for well over an hour.
I believe vegetarianism makes little sense outside of preventing the undue pain of animals. Plant LIFE. Animal LIFE. Both are alive. The deal I struck from the time I was born was this: Something must die so that I might live to die another day.
I don’t believe in animal testing. Period.
I believe in absolute freedom of speech and thought. But please try to be nice.
I think George Carlin is one of the best stand-up comedians of all time and has only grown better with age.
I think Henry Rollins is an underrated stand-up comic. Seriously!
I think Dave Chappelle’s Rick James sketch is the best piece of sketch comedy I’ve ever seen.
My favourite outgoing phone mail message went like this: (delivered in a hyped up salesman tone) “You have reached the drug dealer of FUN! If you wanna have FUN, you come to me, and I’ll give you a HIT!” It generated more laugh messages than anything else I’ve ever done. It makes me smile just thinking about it, and always made me feel good when I’d check my messages and hear strangers or H&R Block reps laugh at it. Cool.
I think prisons should actually rehabilitate and that we should ask how the people inhabiting those prisons got there. And, that those who use drugs aren’t criminals. However, my view doesn’t abdicate personal responsibility.
I think the jury system is in need of reform. Read “Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds” by Andrew Tobias.
I believe right & wrong go out the window when it comes to survival, and if there ever was a time not to judge, it’s in those moments.
I believe that going into any conversation with the intent of making one person right and one wrong is futile. Unless it’s really funny.
I committed an entire year to trading stocks in an attempt to escape the rat race. I came out about even. I was very bored most of the time, but wanted out so badly. I still wonder if I could make it work.
I killed a bird when I was young. I was idly throwing rocks at a flock of birds and didn’t think I’d actually hit one. I did. It died instantly. It was a sparrow. I felt terrible.
I think old school rap is the best and that Dr. Dre’s The Chronic was the catalyst for rap’s downfall. Oh, and I can’t stand Eminem.
My sense of humour offends many people, along with my views on the world.
I’m an underachiever, but believe I’m capable of great things.
Haagen-Dazs’ Bailey’s Irish Cream ice-cream may be my all-time favourite ice-cream. I also really like Chubby Hubby and mint chocolate chip. Oh, and peppermint ice-cream too!
I love mangos.
I prefer fruit pies over cream pies.
I love Yankee Candles, both for their scents and the pretty pictures on the front.
I want to travel the world with anyone with as much of a voracious appetite for travel as I do.
I want to learn how to speed read and read an entire encyclopedia.
I sometimes feel I’m the super-confident actor in a movie I recently saw. It feels good. I’ve actually used it as a tool in certain situations.
I love interviewing for jobs more than having a job. I can be anyone for 5 minutes and find it amusing.
It concerns me that I rely on an employer to make my living.
I believe in Karma.
I have the same razor (different blades, of course) and telephone that I had when I was 16.
I can be too logical and am trying to purge this from myself in favor of intuition.
I exercise regularly.
I can’t spend a whole day in my apartment.
I want to tie up Lucky (of Lucky Charms) and Lady Luck, throw them in my trunk, and force them to pick lottery numbers for me at gunpoint.
I have a decent talent for writing.
I have a list of funny names I’d like to give cats: Baby Swiss, Toilet Brush, Petronius the Arbiter (Heinlein reference).
I have a list of things that go well together in pairs: drinkin’ and smokin’, bitchin’ and moanin’, chocolate and peanut butter, etc.
My earliest masturbation memories are from about the age of 3 to 5. Not sure exactly.
Nike Air running shoes are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I hope they’re not made in a sweatshop, but if they are, I’d still wear them and implore Nike to stop that business practice. I’ll pay more.
I love thunderstorms when I’m in bed at night, especially if it’s really explosive and raining hard.
Blue is my favourite colour. I wear it well.
I’d rather it be 110 degrees than 65.
I’m attracted to the desert.
When the shirt’s off, I like soft, swollen nipples. When the shirt’s on, I like them hard.
I don’t usually like people who were born in the same month as me.
I’m terrible at oral storytelling, but would love to get good at it.
I have a beautiful Fender Stratocaster I’ve tried to learn to play 3 times, but it still hasn’t taken.
I have good-looking hands. No one’s ever complimented me on them, but I think they’re smashing!
I love the night and what it does to me.
I love an early morning walk.
I’ve always wanted to see the pyramids of Egypt.
I want to go skydiving.
I want to go for a hot air balloon ride.
When I was 17, I came close to drowning in a river and a very peaceful feeling came over me. It may have been at that point that I no longer had a fear of death.
I believe it’s unreasonable to expect that any one person will be everything for you. That’s too much pressure for anyone.
I think that a forehead massage before I go to sleep is very relaxing. Even if it’s administered by myself.
I hate using public transportation. I’m very grateful to have a car.
I never got into the Beatles.
When I travel, I prefer to stay at a Motel 6.
The Beastie Boys are the only relevant white rappers consistently making good music, but Kid Rock was good for a couple albums.
I feel pretentious carrying around a tripod in public.
I feel incessant use of cell phones, palm pilots, and iPods is unhealthy.
My left eye sees colour just a little different from my right eye.
I’m a little over 5’11” and wish I would have hit 6 feet. I never lie and say I’m six feet tall.
I once saw my doppelganger on a light rail who looked a lot like me, but 5 years younger.
I love the smell of marshmallows.
I recently totaled my 2005 Toyota Corolla and was overjoyed that I no longer had to make payments on it. I bought my next car outright.
I wrote a funny poem about my penis.
I have a story idea for a children’s book about a scab that fell off a boy’s elbow after using “Hurry Heal” brand ointment and gives the boy helpful advice.
I have another story idea for a children’s book about a boy who saves his village from utter destruction by pouring Pepto-Bismol into a nearby active volcano.
I once had the job of recruiting random people on the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon to come and work for a temp agency on a cold morning. I discovered that you can judge a book by its cover 90% of the time and be right. The other 10% will surprise you. I also discovered that the strange women I approached on the street were much nicer and more receptive than I would have expected. The men were almost exactly how I expected them to be.
My hair looks better when I use gel. It’s dark and shiny!
Asian women have the softest and most flawless skin I’ve ever seen.
Ajo, Arizona is the prettiest small town I’ve ever seen.
I don’t have many great stories about myself, except for the night I spent in an amazingly cheap hotel near Death Valley.
I carve a killer pumpkin.
I still have the Milli Vanilli album and listened to it recently. I still like a few tracks.
I like to stroke the back of my head after I get a haircut. It feels so soft.
I love the smell of hot-buttered, movie theatre popcorn.
I love the energy of the crowd at a sporting event, but hate all sports except boxing.
I came up with a list of humorous porn video titles. My favourite being: “Snuggle My Dumper”
I love the presentation of food. Especially a well-crafted dessert. I’ll go into a pastry shop or chocolaterie just to admire the beauty of it all.
I love my thesaurus.
Click to view in Lightbox.
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In Persia the parasol is repeatedly found in the carved work of Persepolis [...]. In some sculptures, the figure of a king appears attended by a servant, who carries over his head an umbrella, with stretchers and runner complete.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella
Carved reliefs also decorated the stone jambs of doorways. The subjects depicted on these jambs include the king fighting lions, servants bringing towels and ointments to the king, and attendants shielding the king with umbrellas and flywhisks. A number of the stone doorways are still standing. The Palace of Xerxes, The Hadish, was nearly twice the size of the Palace of Darius and had similar carved reliefs on stairways and doorframes.
www.flickr.com/photos/samsays/sets/72157623660116288/
Thanks for the visit and have a great Tuesday!
Fol-201v Die trauernde hl Magdalena mit Salbgefäß im Garten 1bs - Jean Bourdichon
****************************************************************
Horae ad usum Romanum, dites Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne
Jean Bourdichon (1457? - 1521) Enlumineur
Source: BNF Latin 9474 - gallica.bnf.fr
gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52500984v/f58.item
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grandes_Heures_d%27Anne_de_Bre...
Man thinks about a little baby girls and a baby boys
Man makes them happy 'cause man makes them toys
And after man has made everything, everything he can
You know that man makes money to buy from other man
For sale: www.hangart.com/art/artist_directory/specifics.cfm?Artwor...
Edwin Georgi Artist (1896 - 1964)
Circa ?
Case Study 113 : Warning, these are the raw, bare unusual occurrences as originally chronicled. Some names, times, places and some facts have been, of course, altered.
Name: Angelica D circa 192__
Subject: an unscrupulous light-fingered body thief
Event: Posh Wedding Reception
Place: Upstate New York
Time: Warm early Autumn Saturday
Angie Being Receptive
Story line:
Angie had heard about the affair, a wedding, from a list of prospective functions provided by a discreetly paid contact. It was being given for the only daughter of a wealthy politician (as if there were any non-wealthy ones!) Angie had happily invited herself to the affair, carefully dressing up in her best for the special occasion!
**
Wedding receptions were by far Angie’s favorite hunting grounds. During the season there could be anywhere from upwards of 20 high end affaires every weekend in the bigger cities, and always 2 or 3 in even the smallest of towns.
Wedding s were usually easy pickings: free food, drink and entertainment, and seldom worn jewelry made for a ready-made mix for Angie to ply her trade. For Angelica D. was a uniquely skilled pickpocket, specializing in the removal for profit of the expensive jewelry worn by the (usually be -gowned) women and young ladies’ who hauntingly dwelt in societies upper crust!
So Weddings, by their nature, were the desirable choice for Angie. One only had to avoid the Bride, her Bridesmaids, and their court, which were usually the major focus of any security present. However, there were plenty of opportunities to be had by employing her special bag of tricks on the outlaying fringe.
Angie had arrived early at the mammoth facility, to scout out the establishment and to scope out who was wearing what. Used to these affairs either being feast or famine, she could quickly tell that in this one there was cooking up a devouring banquet.
**
After Angie had entered the mammoth reception room it did not take her long to spy her first plump prospect, nicely loaded with possibilities. It was a lady, bearing a haughty look, who had been making a b-line through the crowd as way was parted for her. She was wearing a luxuriously long rusty coloured sable fur coat that hid most of her long crimson -red satin gown. What Jewels were visible, ears, fingers and wrist, were all flashing with pricy fire. In tow she held the hand of a young girl, obviously her daughter, wearing actual makeup, which, along with her fetching gown and brite jewelry, made her appear far older than she was. A handsome man , looking like the actor William Powell in a tux, followed behind the pair, husband and father, Angie presumed. She shadowed the little family as they swished their way to a corner table, conveniently located by a rear exit, for a better look over. Her fingers had started with an all too familiar tingle as she took it all in.
**
The husband helped his wife out of the sable, laying it carefully along a bench against the wall. Angie was not disappointed. A silver necklace of large matched diamonds gracefully encircled her throat. A dazzling blood ruby and diamond brooch held up the center of her gown, positioned just below the bust line. Brooches, like this one, were worth a lot once fenced, but its placement required a little more dexterity and skill than she was willing to risk. In actuality, Angie had only attempted twice before to take a brooch pinned to a gown in this fashion. She had only been successful one of those times, only to find out it was a pretty piece of paste.( Years later, as Angie’s talents became more polished, relieving ladies of their dangling brooches, like this blood ruby, became her specialty.. the Eds.) Angie’s eyes moved on. The rest of the snooty lady’s jewels matched her necklace. Long earrings, free clipped, dangling brightly from her earlobe s. A pair of wide ruby bracelets clasped tightly home around elegant red elbow length satin gloves, sparkled devastatingly, matching her brooch. Her long fingers were home to a pair of ruby and diamond rings and a third ring set with a gold band and a vulgarly large solitaire diamond.
**
Angie’s attention turned to the daughter, whom had been helped by her Father , squirming, from the chocolate coloured satin cape that she had been wearing. The youngster, all of about 10, was wearing a cream coloured long puffy sleeved dress with a brown satin sash encircling her waist that matched her Cape. The young lady possessed impossible large bright eyes. The only thing that held more shine than those doe like eyes had been the antique rhinestone diamond necklace that fell dripping ever so invitingly down the front of the precious little imp’s rich glossy gown. The rest of her matching rhinestones (obviously belonging to the child’s mother) consisted of an engaging display of a bracelet, pair of dangling, screwed on clasp earrings, and matching rings encircling a chubby finger one on each hand. It all gleamed brightly, invitingly from her svelte girlish figure. A large round pin held her sash up in place; it sparkled with what looked like a ring consisting of one caret diamonds, as unlikely as it was they could be real.
**
The two females of the family presented a pretty package indeed. Not one to pass up an invite that alluring, Angie walked by , with the pretext of heading to a back exit behind the table the little family had staked, just so she could get a closer peek.
**
Angie’s practiced eye took in a wealth of information during the few seconds it took her to walk up and pass the group, so involved with themselves they never even looked her way. Her attention focused upon the young mother first scoping head to toe.
**
Angie scrutinized the brooch; it was definitely worth the effort. In her mind’s eye, Angie envisioned the mother as a stumbling drunk “bumping into” Angie. Fingers whisking along the slippery lustrously softness of the gown, as the lady was steadied. Angie would accept the women apologies and the pair would part their ways, Angie from the young mother, and the magnificent brooch from the rich satiny red gown. But then the mother raised her head, looking up past Angie, towards a commotion being made behind her. Typical Angie thought, she doesn’t recognize me, so I don’t exist, like some sort of servant. But it was as she caught the young mother in full profile that she realized this lady looked strikingly similar to another woman who had been wearing an expensive dress of teal charmeuse that Angie had had been having a long conversation with, while relieving the woman’s finger of a costly diamond sapphire ring. It had happened only just last weekend at a formal function, and Angie figured she may have not recognized her in passing, but may if Angie were to use one of her approaches again with the intent of taking some of her jewelry, he memory may be jarred, and she may remember her missing ring. This was why Angie only allowed herself to ply her trade for no more than a month in any given place per year. This was from a lesson she had learned early on in her career. And so, for that reason alone, Angie decided to, at least temporarily, abandon any designs she had on the young mother’s brooch, allowing her devious intentions to evaporate from her mind like smoke on the wind. There were plenty more fish in the sea she told herself.
**
Angie still allowed herself a quick appraisal of the squirming 10 year old. She admired the glossy dress of slippery satin that her mother had conveniently dressed her daughter up in, as it fell spilling down to her black open toed shoes. Angie’s fingers started to tingle; this was a perfect tickling gown. Angie liked to think of any long dress or gown that swept down to a females heels as a” tickling gown”. All it took was a strategically placed foot timed with a well place nudge to send the chosen victim tumbling. During the ensuing diversion, Angie would use her long subtle fingers to swiftly probe along the gowned figure, tickling she like to call it due to the tingling sensation of the usually rich material of the victim’s attire. In this fashion, a pre-targeted piece of valuable jewelry could then be easily acquired, no matter what its placement had been on the unfortunate female. If only the chatty youngster had something on better than rhinestones. It was a crying shame to have a child that young dolled up like an adult, but not wearing adult jewels.
**
Angie continued to walk past, unseen, and went out the door. She found herself in a large serenity garden of roses and shrubs, surrounded by a 10 foot high well-trimmed hedge. The sort of garden one usually found in those days around upscale Churches. The only exit was a gate leading onto the parking lot on the side of the church. Here was positioned a solitary, lonely guard in a neat little guard hut. In the opposite, far corner was a statue of Cupid, arrow drawn, standing above a display of blooming moss roses at the end opposite to the gate. There was always potential in places like these.
**
Angie had started to walk over to the Cupid statue when she heard the exit door open. Turning, she saw the young girl, whose mother’s brooch Angie had been scoping out, looking out the door. She snuck through, running out alone, silky tickling gown swishing out behind her. Her heart leapt to her throat as she watched the girls rhinestones sparkle radiantly. She actually turned to head towards the path the unsuspecting child was running up, flexing her fingers as she contemplating a little warm up practice. Angie watched as the dolled up imps necklace flashed with pinpricks of coloure as it bounced to and fro as she ran happily up the path .Angie turned her back to the girl, waiting to hear the telltale click of her heels come up just behind her. She would then move, bumping into the girl as she passed, tripping her to the ground. After which Angie would help her up, removing the girl’s fancy necklace in the process. Come to Mama Angie whispered under her breath, waiting to make her move as the skipping heels grew ever louder.
**
But then Angie froze, hearing the clicking of the exit door again opening behind her. She checked her stride letting the daughter slither past without a glance. She headed again towards the statue, watching her prize move on ahead. Then she heard the father in the background calling out to his little princess. The youngster turned, and ran back, beaming at Angie as she passed. Angie smiled back, her eyes again traveling to the girls neckline, and the sparkling jewelry the outlined her throat. It had been a silly thought she chided herself, as the girl passed from view. If only the necklace had been real, and the father about ten minutes later in discovering his daughter absence. It would have been an unbelievably easy pluck and she could be out the gate before anyone was the wiser. And the best part was that they would probably believe the scampering girl had just lost it in the garden. And, while the parents were looking about, Angie would have been free to renter to ply her trade again. As it was, it was silly of Angie, risking her opportunity on a child’s bauble worth a mere pittance compared to some of the other offerings so readily being flaunted this evening by her adult counterparts.
**
Angie continued her casual stroll through the Garden, happily playing over in her mind some of the jewels that she would like to see adorning the female guests inside, and the scenarios she may be using to acquire them
**
Finding herself approaching the guard hut, she allowed herself a glance back. Jealously she watched the father, who had caught and was carrying his slippery attired daughter, heading back inside. How Angie wished she had been the one carrying the squirming little imp, it would have been like a smorgasbord, with jewels instead of food. Pity her mother had not put the good stuff on the daughter, she sighed to herself. Tonight she would have to work for her butter. She walked past the bored guard, nodding at him, receiving a rather lecherous look in return. A smile was forming across her cunning face, for now it was time to get down to the real business at hand.
**
The affair turned out to be quite a showcase for the very rich. Who were indiscreetly flaunting their riches, trying to outdo one another, probably for the benefit of the politicians’ attention? Certainly not for the attention of the designer satin gowned and flashy diamonded daughter, whom most of the guests hardly knew, or had ever met.
**
Angie always felt like a little kid in a candy shoppe at these lavish affairs.
She spent the first part of the reception mingling and thoroughly enjoying the show her the reception’s guests were u wittingly putting on. Angie, wearing no jewels herself, was something of an anomaly compared to her fellow guests.
**
There were over a thousand luxuriously coloured, squawking female birds and their young chicks pompously displaying valuable finery, oblivious of the cat amongst them waiting to pounce. Angie patently mingled, watching as the adult guests had their fill of food and drink.
Once their guard began to relax, Angie raised hers’, her probingly skillful fingers now more than prepared to begin and ply her trade. For the more they imbibed, the less guarded they were, both about themselves and their female offspring. Angie would start with the adults, 2 or 3 of the right pieces of jewelry, once acquired, and would mean she could call it a night and have enough to support her for a solid month. If she came up empty in that department, her back up would then center on the female off-spring, daughters and nieces.
Most of said offspring would be by then scattered about, aware that their parents were no longer paying them any heed, exploring and playing, sporting their fancy satin gowns, silken dresses, and their dainty jewelry, ripe for the picking. Giving pickpockets like Angie endless opportunity to ply their trade on them, once they had finished working through the adults. Or if the thieves were beginners, plenty of easy practice while “learning the ropes!”
**
Now, when Angie herself was just starting out as a young pickpocket, she stumbled across a treatise written by a man using the pseudonym “Gaston Monescu”. Written around 1826, entitled the Cutpurse: skilles, artes and Secretes of the Dip, it covered the various tactics and moves used by master pickpockets.
Angie had studied it religiously, especially a ploy called the “Necklace Flimp.” This tactic was primarily used for body thieves working alone. Angie had been surprised to learn that a pickpocket could raise his/her skill level above just acquiring wallets. Having the ability to lift a woman’s necklace amazed her, not to mention the profit that could be realized. With practice, Angie had found that not only was it a good technique for acquiring necklaces, but it worked for other pieces of worn jewelry as well.
It was relatively simple process, but took a long time to master.
First part was to employ psychology and watch the potential victim for the unique movements and quirks in their personality and actions that could provide an opportunity for her skills. Then observe the selected piece the victim wore, for value, type of clasp, make, and accessibility. The second part was to employ a bump, slip, or grasp, and in one motion, flick open the studied clasp and send the piece away from the body by either pulling and palming, or dropping it to the floor or ground for retrieval later. If she was noticed, it was “sorry, miss, very clumsy of me” “here let me get if for you, no harm done?” Then walk away and let the waters settle before trying yet again (sometimes even on the same person!)
Angie had practiced the jewelry flimp until she had the technique totally mastered. Starting out first on specially dressed up mannequins in her apartment, than trying it on small pieces of cheap baubles worn by real women in crowded streets and stores. Then on younger, less guarded, better jewelry wearing young girls attending proms and social dances. Young looking for her age at the time, Angie had fit right in amongst them. Then, finally, she graduated to lifting the better jewels of the older, wealthy women attending society’s finer parties and receptions. And it was this path that led her here today, and would also lead several unlucky females to report missing jewelry to their respective insurance companies.
**
See Album “Angie having a Ball” for additional background on our master thief with the light fingers.
**
Angie now eagerly employed those useful talents learned from monsieur Monescu’s little pamphlet at the wedding reception. She mingled freely, carrying around a drink that never touched her lips. She watched and learned, her trained eyes missing very little. Soon, like that hypothetical kid in a candy shoppe, Angie’s head was spinning from so much to choose from that she really could not make any easy choice. So, she waited and watched patiently, knowing opportunity would knock.
**
Then, like it usually happened with Angie, the first genuine opportunity unexpectedly presented herself. Angie literally was run into a rather awkward, spindly lady in thick glasses clad in a fetchingly expensive costume consisting of a thick silver satin blouse with hanging ruffles down its front, combined with a long rustling tiered skirt that swept down to the top of her open toed silver high heels. Her diamond jewelry shone with exuberant flames as they caught the light from the many chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. The lady expressed frantically her apologies, placing a hand with well ringed fingers on Angie’s shoulder, where they sparkled merrily. No worries Angie said smiling, her eyes taking it all in without appearing to move. She let the frazzled lady leave, allowing her a head start, it was only sporting to do so.
**
Angie shadowed her quarry for a while, seemingly rewarded for her efforts when the lady managed to spill a bit of her drink down on her skirt. In a show of flashing silvery satin and diamonds ,she retreated and disappeared into a nearby powder room, with Angie following eagerly, opportunity knocking.
**
As Angie grabbed onto the closing powder room door, a mid- twenty something girl in a deep green velvet gown came out. Her only jewelry was a wide diamond bracelet wrapped around a wrist of the matching long green gloves she wore. Angie caught it out of the corner of her eye, realizing that it was as expensive as it was bright. But it was her friend, a willowy short haired pretty young thing in a glamorous Chocolate Satin gown that made Angie’s jaw drop. Her jewels, like her friends, were also sparse, but enormously pricy. The long white satin gloves that graced her hands and arms also held matching bracelets, thin, but each one worth the effort. But her real eye catcher was the row of authentic, one caret white diamonds that were rippling exquisite fire along her throat. Angie held the door for them, nodding to as they passed. Noses in the air, they did not appear to notice Angie. Then, with the ladies backs to her, Angie abandoned Miss silver satin and turned to follow. Angie got in behind the two with the intention of getting a closure examination of the clasp of the fiery diamond necklace Miss Chocolate satin was wearing.
**
However, Angie never got her closer look. For at that moment the tossing of the bride’s boutique was announced and Angie was overwhelmed by a mad dash of single ladies heading for the bride. On a lark she allowed herself to be swept along, losing sight of Miss Chocolate satin, but found herself right smack behind Miss Green velvet and her cheerfully sparkling diamond bracelet, a beautifully expensive piece that would have cost someone a king’s ransom. Angie’s fingers began their all too familiar tingling, eager for a chance to acquire jewelry that valuable, but not for any king, just for herself!
**
Though the night was still relatively early, and Angie still had visions of those exquisite rippling diamonds of the pretty Miss in chocolate satin on her mind, she simply could not pass up this opportunity. Angie wedged herself close behind her chosen victim as the multitude of hopeful young women pressed forward to try their luck. As the Bride teased her guests before getting ready to toss her bouquet of white and red roses, Angie expertly scrutinized the bracelet as it dangled from the green velvet glove. When the bride finally turned her back and raised her arms every one of the richly clad single women’s eyes was focused on the bride’s bouquet, Angie’s eyes were fixated on the bracelet. With the music playing loud, the crowd giggling and laughing, and all eyes focused on the gorgeously outfitted young long haired bride, Angie again felt opportunity knocking. Her pulse beating in rhythm with the music, she made ready to seize the chance when it presented itself. The roses flew through the air and all the women raised their hands high, looking all for the world like being involved in a stick-up. Angie timed it perfectly, snapping the clasp, and snatching the bracelet easily away from the gloved wrist of its owner as she raised her arms high to grab at the boutique. In her excitement, shared by everyone, Miss Green velvet ( who did not catch the bouget of roses) never felt a thing. Angie had smirked as she left the giggling group, stowing securely the purloined diamonds, as she imagined what it would have been like to watch that group robbed in a mass stick-up. The money that some enterprising soul could have made from that haul would have been astronomical.
**
She went to the open bar, lighting her first cigarette; she ordered her first real drink of the night. She could feel the coolness of the weighty bracelet in its hiding spot, and Angie, pleased with herself, calmly sipped her drink as she relished in the moment. The toss of the Brides Boutique was, in Angie’s experienced opinion, one of the three common events occurring during a wedding reception that were fertilely prime times for pickpocketing. (Editor’s note.. Miss D. mysteriously never divulged what she considered the other two prime events to be….)
**
She looked about without a worry in the world, coolly watching the antics of some of the younger women on the dance floor. She spied the young miss in the green velvet gown over in a corner talking in an animated fashion with several other women. Green velvet gown’s now bare velvet glove, apparently not noticed by anyone but Angie. One of her group was displaying some bright emeralds peeking through the long silver fur she was wearing, obviously she was leaving, and she was talking excitedly about something to the group formed around her! Nowhere in sight was Miss chocolate satin, too bad, Angie would have loved another peek before leaving.
Angie watched around the room causally, as the cold bracelet pressed expensively against her figure from its hiding spot. She eventually lost track of green velvet and her friends while finishing her drink. Setting down the empty glass, she decided it was time to call it a night. The bracelet now in her possession was easily worth as much as the 2 or 3 separate pieces she usually acquired at functions like these, added together! And, she needed her rest, Angie had a couple of plans the next day, one revolving around the female guests who would be attending an upscale afternoon prom fashion show a, the other, an evening opera performance (invited guests only, and her contact had managed to supply a ticket, at a hefty price!) No rest for the wicked, Angie told herself.
**
On her way out of the main lobby, she found herself leaving behind the very lady in green velvet whose bracelet was now in Angie’s possession. She was with the same gaggle of her similarly dressed friends, including the one exhibiting the emeralds. However, miss chocolate satin was still not visible. They were laughing and joking as they collected their assorted pretty wraps, obviously heading for a nightclub. If she had not already relieved one of them of a bauble, Angie might have invited herself along, if only to have a go at some emeralds. Angie hesitated about leaving withy them, then shrugged, followed the group out the door past the pair of bored rent a cops.
**
She remembered thinking, as she followed the elegant young princesses ,their fluid gowns peeking from under their various furs and wraps, how shallow the very rich could be. She wondered if Miss Green velvets friends had even noticed that she had had diamonds around the wrist of her glove, let alone that they were now missing. She wondered how long it would be before the bracelets loss was discovered. She figured it would be several hours, long enough for its owner not to be sure what place they had been lost. As young Miss Green velvet fancy gown and her friends turned right outside the exit, Angie turned left, heading towards the guard hut at the entrance to the garden.
She decided not to follow them but rather circle around the outside of the garden to give her victim time to leave.
**
That simple decision to make a left turn proved to be a major turning point in Angie’s fortunes that evening.
**
As Angie passed the hut guarding the entrance to the serenity garden, she noticed it was deserted.
It was as she was looking it over, that she heard the sounds of clicking heels moving fast, followed by the sounds of a young girl giggling. On the alert she stole to the backside of the hut, soon spying a splash of something blue and silky between the gaps of a couple of large bushes. Her senses on their highest peak, she began to move cautiously in, hoping the female making the noise would be in need of aid and comfort perhaps.
**
She soon spotted a young lady of about 14 bending over, hands on her knees as she panted heavily. Her back was to Angie, and what pretty back it was. She was nicely attired in a long gown of shiny material dyed deep blue like an afternoon, cloudless summer sky. The gown cascaded down along her petite figure, spilling out on the ground around her feet. Her hair was pulled back, easily displaying a pair of small diamond and sapphire earrings, not rhinestones for this one, but the real McCoy. Around one finger was a gold ring with sapphires, and from her left wrist dangled a thin silver bracelet with a row of diamond chips, both pretty, both valuably real. But it was her last piece of visible jewelry that stole the show. It hung, swinging to and from her neck on a thick braided chain of solid silver. On its end, like a hypnotists prism, was a silver pendent in the shape of a flower, with 1 inch long, pear shaped real diamonds as petals and a fully 2 inch in circumference center stone of deep sea blue. Angie watched it, her eyes following it for a full minute, its expensive fire sealing its own fate as Angie began flexing her fingers. Angie took her eyes off of it and looked around to see why the princess had been running. But all was still as the girl continued to peek through the branches towards the back door leading into the hall. Angie silently approached, and walking up to the pretty miss she bent down and in a friendly tone, asked who she was running from.
**
I played a joke on my sister, and now I’m hiding from her, piped the girl breathlessly, as Angie placed a hand upon the girls shoulder in a conspiratorial fashion, said shoulder made silky soft by the gowns half sleeve.
**
I know a better place where you can hide from her, Angie whispered in the girl’s ear, the dangling earring ever so close to her lips. The girl looked up, smiling, and Angie pointed towards the guard hut, and as the girl looked, Angie’s fingers glided up along the silky shoulder and lifted the thick silver chain up from the back of the gowns’ scooped collar. Come Angie said, and as the girl rose Angie’s fingers nimbly flicked open the chains’ lobster clasp, holding onto the clasp as the other end of the chain slipped down, allowing the pendent to slide free and fall onto the grass at the girls feet, where it lay shimmering. Angie moved her hand to the girls shoulder, squeezing it, while slipping off the braided silver chain with her other hand, whisking it back and away from the guileless young girl. Angie led her princess away from the spot and walked with her to the guard’s hut, still empty, where she had her hide neath the counter.
**
Angie turned and went back to claim the pendent, there still was no sign of any sister. She secured the pendent, joining it with the chain and bracelet, and headed deeper into garden. Her plan was to watch the hut and see which way the girl went after getting bored waiting. But as she skirted the perimeter her plans were changed when, upon rounding a corner of the path at the far end, she saw yet another back belonging to a solitary lady in her late thirties, clad in a long slinky yellow coloured gown of expensively shiny taffeta, bending over to smell the yellow roses on a bush. Instinctively Angie knew two things about her. One was that whatever jewels this lady would be wearing, they would be expensive, and the other was that with an expensive gown like that; the lady would undoubtedly be wearing her jewels. Angie suddenly became aware that her fingers were tingling, as an all too familiar whelming feeling again delightfully washed over her.
**
Angie found herself automatically turning back onto the garden path. She headed around the women and went down to the cupid’s statue, where now out of sight, she carefully hid the purloined bracelet, and still warm fiery pendent and its ‘fancy silvery braided chain..
**
She then headed towards the unsuspecting flower admirer. The ladies’ long brunette hair had fallen, flowing down the backside of her shiny taffeta gown. Angie could see rings and a bracelet gleaming as she was holding up the rose to her face. A long double rope of pearls hung swaying deliciously from her throat. Coming up behind her Angie stood watching; calculating until the lady rose and with a start realized she was not alone.
**
Pretty Angie said, her eyes on the pearls now draping down the front of her marks yellow gown. They are lovely, are they not? The damsel responded thinking Angie was referring to the roses. Just like the ones in the park, my husband and I walked through on our way to catch a cab today. Actually, I meant your dress Angie said complimentary. Thank you the lady practically squealed, I love the way it flows, and she swirled it about to show Angie, who got an eyeful of sparkly jewelry for her efforts. As she continued engaging the women in conversation, Angie decided upon attempting for the woman’s necklace of pearl. Seeing opportunity knocking when Yellow Taffeta pulled her long hair forward so it hang down the front of her gorgeous gown, laying silkily over one shoulder, nicely exposing the pricy necklaces clasp. Angie looked around, they were alone, out of site of the opposite end of the garden where the inside door was, and the guards hut with it’s pretty occupant.
**
Angie, using the marks interest in roses to her advantage, managed to steer the capricious damsel in shiny yellow over to the cupid’s statue. There, she placed a hand upon a silky taffeta covered shoulder, and pointed down to the shrub of moss roses growing at the foot of the statue . When she stooped down to get a closer look, Angie’s fingers whisked from her marks shoulder to the clasp, in a single effort with two fingers, lifted it by the clasp, and snapped it open. At that moment the mark cried “spider” and jumped up, backing into Angie, who watched helplessly as the pearls fell down from the damsel’s throat and slipped along the front of the yellow taffeta gown. They fell with a soft plop unto the ground at their mistress’s feet. Angie tried to lead her away, hoping to come back and reclaim the necklace. But as Angie pointed to another rose bush some distance away, the lady took a step forward, instead of back, planting her feet right onto the pearl necklace. Hey she exclaiming, what’s that, looking down to her high heeled foot? Oh, my pearls the lady squealed again, a glittering hand shooting to feel around her throat. Angie reached down, and reluctantly retrieved them from the base of the rose bush for the squealing lady in yellow . My husband would not have been pleased if I had lost these, she said as Angie held them, feeling their pricey smoothness.
**
She asked if Angie could help her put them on, my maid usually does this sort of thing, you know. Angie reluctantly complied, re- hanging the pearls as the pretty damsel held up her hair, and reluctantly redid the clasp. The Damsel thanked Angie by embracing her in a full hug, her diamond and pearl earring hitting Angie’s cheek. But Angie’s arms were being held by the hugging woman, so Angie was able to only watch the tantalizingly close earring sway free. Angie left yellow-gowned damsel in the garden, getting nothing for her efforts other than the feel of an expensive gown of the likes she could probably never afford to own.
**
With the pretty damsel hovering around the cupid statue, Angie decided to go back into the reception hall until the coast was clear. She carefully looked towards the Guards hut, and seeing that the guard had returned, figured the girl, so fetchingly clad in blue, had been rousted out, so that loose end was probably tied up. She just had to keep a careful eye out. The quite valuable bracelet and pricy necklace with its pendent were well hidden; there was absolutely no danger of someone stumbling over it.
**
Truth was, Angie had found her appetite wetted and once again visions of a lady in chocolate brown satin exhibiting a row of flashy diamonds, teased her thoughts. An accomplished pickpocket like herself had a couple of well-practiced ploys she could utilize to obtain a tight fitting necklace from its mistress. In addition, Angie was now determined to find her and to risk a try. She had really nothing to lose.
**
It took almost an hour of hunting amongst the now well liquored, gaily mingling crowd before Angie could admit to herself that there was absolutely no sign of the willowy lady in the stunning chocolate satin gown. Damn she thought to herself, those diamonds were something special. She shrugged it off, reciting in her mind a wicked little mantra of hers, “Another one who got away, a chance to lose her jewels to Angie on another day!” She strolled about pondering on what her next course of action could be. There had been no sign of the pretty girl in blue whose necklace Angie now had hidden away, and Miss Green Velvet was definitely out of the picture, so she felt that it was still safe to try to pluck one last bird or chick. In her hunt for the brown, Angie had seen several inviting prospects; one lady(purple satin, diamonds), two girls( ivory silk, pearled pin; red satin, gold necklace set with chips of precious stones), and now was weighing the risks.
It was at that point she once again espied the thickly bespectacled awkwardly introverted young lady invitingly wearing the thick silver satin ruffled blouse, which she had been tailing much earlier. And as Angie watched here, she again accepted the invitation. Her prey had appeared on the dance floor, being led around by a rather charming young man. That would make a dandy consolation prize Angie drooled to herself happily as she took in the sparkling show put on by the dancers jewels.
**
Angie looked her over, reacquainting herself with the jewels she so nicely was displaying. A pair of long earrings cascaded down from her earlobes where they precariously held on by antique silver claps. Angie relished the opportunity to “flimp” pairs of earrings like these. Heavily jeweled, each one was worth a tidy sum. Angie mulled this as she continued to study the jewels of her appealingly dressed new target.
**
The girl’s only ring was a solitaire diamond of at least 3 carets on a thick solid gold band worn vulnerably loose on her un-gloved, bare ring finger. A wide silver cuff bracelet with what appeared to be at least seven rows of matching, shimmering diamonds was dangling around her left wrist (she was right handed Angie observed) . The bracelet had a habit of lying over her sleeve, and Angie could see that it was a costly tiffany piece, whose clasp was exceptionally easy to flick open. A diamond pendent hung swinging from her satiny ruffles, held by an extravagantly thick silver chain with a simple , small eye in hook clasp. The Diamonds in the pendent were as shimmery as stars plucked from the night’s sky.
Angie remembered reading that in a poem from a book she had picked up years earlier in a library, while stalking a young mother in a satin dress, wearing an authentic Gruen Watch on one wrist, and a bracelet of diamonds on the other, that had gone into the library in pursuit of her young son running inside. Like that young mother, It was obvious that this lady in silver satin was not accustomed to wearing jewels, and that set probably spent most of their days lying in a safe. Angie licked her lips as she imagined what the other contents of that safe might look like
**
Angie moved in to allow herself a much closer appraisal of her potential victim’s jewels.
The young lady was totally oblivious to anything but the rather surprisingly strikingly handsome man who to all appearances was her Fiancée, who was holding her ever so close. But Angie was able to see enough of what she wanted to. The young Ladies’ thick satin blouse shone richly in the lights, moving like glistening wet liquid silver, while from her waist spilled the long black skirt with satiny tiers that swished and swayed nicely along her figure as she uneasily danced. Her jewels were bursting with colour as they played hide and seek with Angie’s watchful eyes. From all appearances, they were a mismatched couple. He seemed to know everyone and moved with a confident air, she was just the opposite. It made an enticingly intriguing package indeed for someone with Angie’s skills.
**
Silver Satin was the perfect “Gaston Monescu” type of mark, a perfect combination of classic mannerisms, clothing and Jewels worth anyone’s efforts to take. This was the only fly in the ointment that Angie observed. For by the bar she could see that two other sets of eyes were watching the same young lady in shiny satin and blazing diamonds. Angie intuitively knew they were drooling over acquiring jewels she was wearing.
**
She had noticed the pair of young men in loose fitting suits when they had entered a little earlier about the same time as Angie’s reappearance. They were obviously casing the jewels of any woman, young, or old, who walked past them. Angie knew their type, simple thieves, with no real skills outside of holding a knife in a dark alley to the throat of their victim while they unceremoniously searched and stripped them of their treasures. Angie saw that they were whispering amongst themselves and instinctively knew they were watching and waiting for the fetchingly clumsy silver clad lady clad loaded with diamonds, to leave the “establishment”.
**
She is mine Angie whispered, possessively snarling the words under her breath. She looked around as she thought about how best to handle the situation. Her eyes opened wide as she saw a familiar woman waiting by the coat checkroom. Perfect she purred, placing an unlit a cigarette in her mouth and heading over the bar.
**
She sauntered up next to them and ordered a drink, catching their eyes she asked for a light. As they obliged she took a pull and puffed out smoke, asking in a casual tone, “how about my jewels? Boys!” They could see perfectly well that she was not wearing any, and one snarled, “What’s your game, sister?” Angie snarled back in her best cop like manner, “We know what you boys are up to, and we suggest you both call it a night!” “Yer no cop sister”, they challenged, calling her bluff,” what’s your angle!” Angie calmly looked towards the entrance, perfect she mused as she saw their eyes follow hers, “Maybe not” she stated, “but see that lady being helped into the black mink?” “The shiny yellow dame?” one of em asked? “ “yes”, Angie replied taking a puff on her cigarette before going on, “ well that man’s she’s with used to be mine .” “ Now, I aint one to hold a grudge, but, those pearls she’s waltzing around with are worth plenty. And her rings, they are an easy two grand alone.”
**
Angie could tell she had captured their interest, and that they were now paying rapt attention to the lady in the thick yellow taffeta gown whose necklace Angie had almost acquired in the serenity garden. One of them looked at Angie, a suspicious look crossing his mug, “What’s innit for you sister?!” He demanded. Angie looked at him, dripping with sarcastic innocence. “Nothing brother, other than to make sure the jewels of the dame who stole my husband get home safely .” “I just worry,’ Angie went on, “there is a park in front of their residence and that dame in yellow likes to stroll through it to smell the roses after their cab drops them off.” They watched the couple leave, her expensive yellow gown sweeping provocatively at her gold high- heeled shoed feet. Angie looked them in the eyes and said smoothly, “ Gentlemen such as yourselves may want to do a good deed and follow them home to make sure some miscreant doesn’t spot her in those valuable jewels and mink. Not to mention her man’s gold watch and three hundred sawbucks in his wallet!” Angie winked at the pair, “If you catch my drift.” She added.
**
Still not totally convinced about what Angie was selling them, but equally unsure over who Angie was, both men got up and quickly headed towards the main exit as the last slip of an expensive yellow taffeta gown disappeared through the door. Smugly, Angie puffed on her cigarette as she watched them leave.
**
It was then that a hand was placed on Angie’s shoulder from behind.
**
She froze for a split second, before becoming aware of the soft mummer of satin, and of a slender finger was home to a sparkling sapphire ring. Angie smiled and turned around, facing the girl. Pardon me ma’am, she says politely, but do you remember me? Of course dear, Angie gushes while beaming at the forlorn looking miss in the fetching blue gown; I met you in the garden. Yes she confirms, but I lost my necklace somewhere and I was wondering if you remember if I had it on when we met? Angie’s heart leapt, bless this babe in the woods, thinking her necklace had merely been lost, never suspecting that someone like, say, Angie could have been the cause. She absolutely adored the trusting nature of rich girls this age. For that aspect of their purity had allowed Angie, far too easily sometimes, to lift many a jewel from well attired unsuspecting young princesses like this one. Who was now standing before her, miserable, her desirable diamond and sapphire earrings dangling ever so beckoningly, her sad puppy eyes pleading ever so sweetly, and her missing necklace closer than she could ever imagine.
**
No dear, I did not see you with a necklace, Angie lied coolly, as she reached out and stroked the girl tenderly alongside her face, her fingers touching one of the earrings. Angie was looking her fully in the eye, you didn’t lose anything else, and did you dear she asked with a concerned tone. The girl checked her earrings, bracelet and ring (Angie smiled to herself, silently thinking thanks for the info kid!) But when she spoke, it was with hopeful words laced with honey, If you want, I can help you look, my dear. The girl’s eyes lit up for a second, thank you ma’am, I wanted to, but papa said to wait until tomorrow when the light is better.
Angie smiled winningly, don’t worry dear, I’m sure its somewhere in the garden. Someone will find it, she promised, thinking to herself maliciously, and keep it for their own profit!
**
Thank you Ma’am she chirped, at the encouraging words that had been spoken, luckily she could not hear the ones Angie was thinking to herself, and turning moved off, her scrumptious gown swishing pleasantly around her silver heels. Angie watched, as the girl disappeared in the crowd Angie marked her direction.
**
Angie Imagined if the girl had accepted her offer, and she had left with the vulnerable, unguarded princess to search in the garden, and in the process help relieve her of her remaining jewels. There would be enough light with the gas lamps that lined the paths in the garden. Enough light, so that as Angie helped the princess look, her fingers could slip ever so delicately slip in and search along her shiny sky blue gown.
**
Angie licked her lips slowly as she fantasied about the search. The girl bending down to look under a bush, Angie placing her knee sharply in a certain spot below the girl’s armpit, temporarily numbing her upper body. Allowing Angie enough time to pull off both her earrings without feeling it,( this also worked well on working off broaches placed in upper parts of gowns and dresses, not to mention necklaces!) The bracelet would be no problem; it would be the easiest and probably the first, snatched off while the rich girl’s attention was easily diverted away. Since she was not wearing silky gloves, her ring would be the trickiest, but manageable, by either having her walk too close to a water fountain and hopefully having her get her fingers wet, or by simple holding onto her hand and tripping her by stepping on her gowns hem. And just like that, Angie would become that much richer, the rich girl that much poorer. And it all would be done without giving the girl any additional stress, like say she had run into the two muggers Angie had chased off. They may not have been content with just the jewels of a girl dressed as she was that they had found wandering alone in the gardens at night.
**
As Angie excitedly thought about these things, she had trained her focus back upon her original meal ticket, whom for the second time that evening had almost been allowed to slip through Angie’s light fingers. Watching with half lidded eyes, the still dancing couple not unlike a wolf watches lambs, waiting for one to make an ill-fated move away from the flock. The lamb’s fate was sealed, when a vivacious blonde in a long wispy silken dress cut in on the dancing couple. Asking miss silver satin’s fiancé for a dance. He obliged, leaving his shimmering fiancée unaccompanied, nakedly exposed to the wolf that was Angie.
**
More than one way to skin a cat Angie thought, tingling from the thrill of the hunt her prey, now in a reachable situation. She happily headed towards the spot where Miss silver satin had moved off to. A small table, located conveniently by a powder room. One the way she grabbed a half full glass of red wine off a table. Angie circled around young miss silver satin, taking a position up about two table lengths behind her. She casually scoured the area; most of the nearby tables were deserted.
Knowing the band would stop playing soon for the evening; most of the couples were out on the dance floor. All in all, the situation presented the perfect opportunity for some one of Angie’s persuasion.
**
Angie watched as the young lady picked up a glittery silver clutch and opening it, started to search inside. Angie moved swiftly, catching up behind her , tripping intentionally into her, splashing some wine onto the front of the silver satin blouse as the unfortunate lady dropped her purse in surprise. Oh my gosh, I did not see you, miss silver satin pleaded apologetically to Angie, more concerned over Angie’s feelings than her soiled satin blouse. Angie accepted her apology and, producing a lacey silk handkerchief, began to wipe themselves both down.
Angie’s practiced eyes swiftly took it all in. Miss silver satin’s pretty earrings swaying out vulnerably from her long straggly hair as it fell into her face. The clasp of her necklace was also exposed and within easy grasp. A s she reached out for the floor to steady herself, Angie’s eyes took in the sparkling ring on her now wetted finger and then watched the wide bracelet with its’ easily open able clasp slip up glitteringly over her sleeve.
The girl, now thoroughly flustered, started to rise, tripping over her slippery long skirt( with no help from Angie) Angie caught her, taking advantage of the split second opening she had been waiting for and Angie took it, making her selection as she steadied the poor thing with one hand, as the other caressed along a slick silver satin back. Angie’s long supple fingers darted in and deftly did their trick, this time with no spiders interfering. She quickly removed her chosen glittery prize from the distracted lady, who never noticed so much as a prick as Angie removed the expensive piece from her person in the confusion.
**
Angie secreted he shiny jewel as she helped miss silver satin collect herself. Than they rose, and Angie happily accepted miss silver satin profuse and obviously well used, apology. Then, as she fumbled nervously with her thick glasses, Angie laid a calming hand upon her shoulder, her fingers relishing in the richness of her victims sleek ruffled blouse. Miss silver satin was by now so distracted and embarrassed that Angie was all but assured of a clean get away.
However, as an extra measure of caution Angie intentionally jarred silver satin’s elbow of the hand steadying her eye glasses. Thus sending her glasses falling from her face to the floor with a small clatter, then Angie kicked them under a table before the startled lady could react. Angie offered to help, but the lady implored that she was okay, just needed to find her glasses. Angie left as Miss silver satin started to frantically grope around for her glasses, her silver blouse and remaining jewels shimmering brightly along their miserable mistress..
Angie took her leave, knowing that once she found her glasses, Miss silver satin would flee for sanctuary into the ladies powder room, buying her more than enough time for Angie to make her escape. Taking one last look over the dance floor, she blithely saw that miss silver satins fiancé was still in the clutches of the vivacious blonde-haired girl, still safely out of the picture. Angie made her way with purpose to the rear exit leading to the garden that she had used earlier, intending to head out into the serenity garden to collect the hidden bracelet and pendent, adding them to her purloined plunder.
**
As she walked amongst the mostly deserted tables, her mind went to the woman in yellow taffeta and imagined that right about now she would be standing with raised arms and a forlorn look. Ruefully wincing as the man who was holding her mink busily stripped those luscious pearls from the neckline of her tight gown, as the shiny yellow material gleamed in the moonlight! Serves her right for being afraid of spiders, Angie thought unforgivingly.
***
Angie’s mind also went to the poor young princess in blue with the missing necklace. She looked towards the area she had headed, opposite of the back exit to the garden. She reluctantly decided not to push her luck, there was a sister and parents to contend with, and she really had no time left. So she decided to call it a day, a rather successful day, and made her way to retrieve her loot.
**
Angie had now reached the now deserted table by the back exit where the lady in the crimson gown and blood red rubies had been earlier, along with her rhinestone encumbered 10 year old daughter and handsome husband.
**
She paused between the table and the bench, something was not quite right, She eyed the area around the dance floor for any signs of trouble that may be centered on the quite valuable jewels now in her possession. All was quiet, except for a little murmur behind her. Turning she looked at the bench and was shocked to discover the soundly asleep ten year old, using the long rusty sable fur as a blanket. What have we here, Angie thought, licking her lips wickedly?
**
Angie pursed her lips, checking the coast; spotting the young girl’s parents, still on the dance floor, a safe distance away the other side of the room. No sign of miss silver satin. No one else was nearby. Perfect. She went over, bending down so the table hid her. The child looked so vulnerably innocent, sound asleep as she lay on her side, facing Angie. She was clutching an arm of the sable like a warm fuzzy teddy bear, her ring sparkling. Angie gently tugged the mink from the girl’s clasp, and gradually pulled until the fur swished away from along the inert silken figure on the bench, where it fell into a pile on the floor. The child looked very innocent, very vulnerable, like a sleeping princess. An earring lay exposed over one shoulder, her necklace dangled down slightly askew from her slender throat, the pin holding her sash, all of which shone brightly now that it was exposed to the low lights of the ballroom, still called out. Too bad, Angie thought to herself, too bad the mother had not dressed her little doll in real diamonds.
**
Angie again looked to the dance floor; she could see the mother’s jewelry twinkling brightly as the child’s parents danced close, very unaware of anything else but themselves. She looked back over the girl, contemplating. But the song was winding down, Angie stooped to pick up the sable, bird in hand she thought, and placing the rich fur over her arm, stood just as the song ended. Looking at the exit door, so near and yet so far, she started to hasten to it, but checked herself as the band immediately started another, rather slow song that Angie knew quite well.
**
She hesitated, incredibly, everyone was staying on the floor for the final dance, she looked back at the bench, and the sleeping imps exposed jewels still shined, tempting her to come for them. Angie knew that she would only have about four minutes. Always open to new challenges, Angie chose to answer that sweet little invite that the necklace was extending out to her. Checking once again to make sure the parents was still obliviously dancing; she laid the mink down by the door and eased back to the bench. Kneeling down, Angie began to perform the delicate operation.
**
Lifting up the necklace she gently tugged it loose from around the sleeping child’s neck until the clasp appeared. She subtly flicked open the clasp, then shamelessly slipped the necklace from around its perch on the little whelp’s throat. It flickered like some slithering shiny snake, glittering as it came away. Like taking candy from a baby, Angie drooled happily, as she let the necklace run along her fingertips while watching the sleeping princess for a few seconds.
**
Her fitted cream coloured dress shimmered with expensive richness in the shadowy light. The poor thing was so soundly asleep after her long exhausting day that Angie figured she could have peeled the dress off her without causing a stir. This for a pickpocket would be the ultimate test, the pinnacle of her criminal class. But, Angie thought; if she ever had the opportunity to do so, it would have to be worth her while, like a shiny gown, an appealing sky blue gown with half sleeves and scooped collar. And the jewels would be sapphire drop earrings, bracelet and ring, not plain rhinestones. She licked her lips at the enticing thought of such a perfect “coup fera”, than told herself to get back to work, time was money.
**
She slipped her hand along the satin cape being used as a pillow and felt under the girls head until she felt the cold earring she was laying upon. Deftly undoing the screw she pulled it free, watching with delight as it came out from underneath.
**
Angie than, gently lifted, and nimbly stroked back the girl’s ultra-soft hair, exposing her long silvery earring. She pulled the jewel out and laid it out upon the child’s shoulder, where it lay, shimmering vibrantly. Then she reached in with her fingers and began unscrewed its clasp. Pulling it free she added it to her growing collection. She next lifted the hand that had held the warm sable, gently prying open her clenched fingers. The sleeping child never stirred. Angie gently slipped off the glittering ring. She then peeled back a silky sleeve, checking for the bracelet, finding her wrist was bare. The rest of the jewels were hiding securely on the side she was laying upon. Smiling wickedly to herself, an idea popped into Angie’s head.
**
The music was now almost to the halfway point, and Angie thought for a brief second that she should leave . Another quick scan assured her the coast was still clear, and Angie decided to press her luck, eagerly going back to work, putting her idea into motion.
Angie fingers felt along the sleeping child’s waist until she located the brooch. Quickly unfastening the brooch from the chocolate satin sash, she pulled it out. Watching as the diamonds caught fire and burst into vibrant life, unusually vivid for plain rhinestones she thought contemplatively. Angie plopping it in with the growing pile of the sleeping girls purloined baubles. Again reaching in along the warm waist, Angie gradually tugged at the now undone sash. The sleeping girl, unconsciously obliged by turning over on her other side, as the sash was pulled away.
**
Her arm with the ring and bracelet was now exposed. Lifting the arm , and peeling back the puffy sleeve, Angie found and unclasped the bracelet, slipping it away, then allowing it to dangle in triumph before letting it join its purloined mates. Then lifting the child’s hand she pulled at the ring, it was a little tight. Angie licked her fingers, and moistened the girls finger, than began slipping the ring off ever so gently from the along her finger. Almost there, Angie thought, as the ring joined its abducted companions in her pocket.
**
As Angie finished pocketing the last of the girls jewels, her victim whimpers something discernible in her sleep, her small hand feeling to pull up the missing warm sable she had been using as a blanket. Angie quickly looked around, spying a cheap linen coat hanging on a nearby hook, she grasped it and laid it over the stirring girl, stroking her for a precious few seconds. Then rising, calmly Angie snatched a shiny purse from the table, and moved off, unbelieving of her luck. She reclaimed the sable fur, and strolled out the door without looking back.
**
As Angie closed the door she heard the last notes of the song waning from inside. She licked her lip, that was close, but her luck had held. Now all that remained was to visit the Cupid Statue In the garden to reclaim her other prizes. As she reached the statue, Angie realized that she still had the child’s satin sash in her hand.
She smiled as she tied it, blindfolding the cupid statues eyes. Retrieving and pocketing the now stone cold diamond bracelet, and the young Princess in blue’s necklace with its shimmering pendent, she slowly looked around, the cost was clear. Angie coolly made her way to the gate, the bored guard offering to help her with the mink she was carrying. , Angie stopped, and handed it to him. Then turning, allowed him to help her on with it. He puffed out his chest as Angie gave him a sweet smile; she thanked him, then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
**
Angie disappeared from view into the foggy evening, relishing the warmth of the sensuous sable. Happily contemplating the small fortune in jewels it had been in contact with earlier that evening, and also the small fortune she had walked out of the reception with in her possession.
**
The guard watched the spot for some time where the pretty lady in the expensive fur had vanished in the mists. He fantasized for a good few minutes, wondered what had been behind the enchantingly secret smile she had given to him.
Excuse me, sir?, a female voice coming from the garden startles him, he had never heard anyone coming.
He turns, catching an eyeful of a long glamourous, brown satin gown, worn fetchingly by a willowy short haired pretty young thing. Diamonds blazed from around her throat, caught by the gas lights, and from around her white satin gloved wrists as she raised her hands in a pleading fashion.
She continues, pointing to a young girl in a smashing blue satin gown, bending over looking for something in the bushes. My sister lost her necklace and pendent while playing around here earlier, did you or anyone find it? She asked in a rather seductive tone of voice9 not a common, it was her regular voice)
No lady, no one turned in a necklace. Thank you sir, and she turns away, her gown flowing out behind her.
He watches for a minute as she and her sister both move elegantly down the path, continuing their search.
He sighed, and turns away, babysitting rich dames he mutters under his breath, what a dismal way to make a living. Why won’t this affair ever end he asked himself, as he reached for his silver pocket watch to check the time. Damnations he said, not finding it nor its chain and fob, must have dropped it in the alley earlier where I had gone for a nipper from his flask. He sauntered off quickly to the alley located in the direction Angie had disappeared, abandoning his post.
Soon after, a pair of dark figures who had been walking on the opposite side of the street, and had stopped to loiter when they spied the guard talking to some posh broad in a shiny brown dress, saw the guard leaving his post. They quickly stole with sinister intent across the road and entered into the gardens, disappearing into the darkness.
*********************************************************************************
This ended up being Angie’s first big score, She got more for the rhinestone set then she had imagined, the small brooch taken off the brown satin sash had proved to have real diamonds in its center! Also the princess in silky sky blue’s pendent and chain had fetched a nice tidy sum. The jewels lifted from the ladies in Green and Silver also realized quite a handsome profit, as did the sable and purse.
if one includes the real diamond ring slipped off the finger of a silky dressed debutante from the prom show and her rather nice haul of a slim pearl necklace and diamond pin from the Opera, the whole weekend was unimaginably successful.
**
From the profit realized, she had been able to spend a pleasant month away in Monte Carlo, even indulging in the purchase of a rich red wine coloured taffeta gown to wear.
Which she pleasantly found that, when paired with her deftly acquired collection of dripping rhinestone diamond jewelry, she attracted wealthy young males with expensive gold watches and fat wallets like honey bee drones to a bright moss rose.
**
She also enticed a long raven haired, Miss, richly clad in emerald silk, to enter into her snare.
But Angie did not make an entirely clean get away. For the last jewel to be taken was the girl’s brooch , and before Angie could hide it with the rest, the girl spotted its’ glitter in Angie’s hand, and with a gasp had looked down on her dress at the now vacant spot where it had been dangling ever so provocatively for Angie all evening.. Angie smiled at the girl as she had looked up in confusion. The girl had placed a hand to her throat, startled when feeling it bare of her necklace. She looked at Angie in hurt confusion, her eyes wide with fright. Angie placed a finger to the girl’s lips, hushing any fuss she may have been thinking of making over her missing jewelry, and turning her back to the forlorn miss, Angie left, not looking back….
**
But that was a story for another day, so we were promised by Angie, giving us an all too familiar look of devious satisfaction at making us wait.
.************************************************************************************
Editor’s Notes:
Our Thanks to Mr. J. Gardner for pointing out the existence of Mr. Monescu’s 1826 guide
If you enjoyed our little story, please like and leave a comment.
And if you wish, describe what intrigued you the most about it…
Thank You
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These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.
As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment only, and should never be attemp
I brought some home of course, for you to see in detail.
It is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade.
It is the dominant plant in most heathland and moorland in Europe, and in some bog vegetation and acidic pine and oak woodland.
It is tolerant of grazing and regenerates following occasional burning, and is often managed in nature reserves and grouse moors by sheep or cattle grazing.
Heather was put to many practical uses. Where long leggy stems could be harvested it was used for durable thatching.
A yellow dye was derived from it, strong ropes which withstood the effects of seawater were twisted from it, and it was gathered together in bundles to make a variety of besoms and brooms - heather's Latin name Calluna is derived from the Greek kalluna, meaning 'to brush'.
In the Highlands the medicinal properties of an infusion of heather tops were used to treat coughs, consumption and to soothe the nerves, and heather tea and ointments were used to treat arthritis and rheumatism.
Heather honey is a highly valued product in moorland and heathland areas, with many beehives being moved there in late summer.
’Moorland tea' made from heather flowers, was reputed to be a favourite of Robert Burns.
The soporific aroma from the dried flowers was also put to use to make heather mattresses, by packing long lengths of dried, flowering heather together in the bed frame, flowers uppermost and leaning slightly towards the bed head.
In the 16th century James VI's tutor George Buchanan wrote that a heather bed was "... so pleasant, that it may vie in softness with the finest down, while in salubrity it far exceeds it ... and restores strength to fatigue.
Have a wonderful day, filled with love and thanx for your visit, M, (*_*)
For more of my other work visit here: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Kreuzigungsgruppe, als Tiroler Holzschnitzerei aus Lärchenholz von Ferdinand Demetz (1842-1902) aus St. Ulrich im Grödnertal. Darauf dargestellt sind neben dem gekreuzigten Christus, seine stehende Mutter Maria und der Apostel Johannes. Am Kreuzstamm kniet betend Maria Magdalena mit dem Salbgefäß.
Crucifixion group, a Tyrolean woodcarving made of larch wood by Ferdinand Demetz (1842-1902) from St. Ulrich (Ortisei)in Val Gardena, at the time Austria, now Italy. It depicts the crucified Christ, his standing mother Mary and the apostle John. Mary Magdalene kneels praying at the trunk of the cross with the ointment jar.
Die Pfarrkirche St. Marien ist ein rechteckiges einschiffiges Backsteingebäude. Sie entstand aus den Überresten der Burgkapelle des Fürsten Nikolaus I. aus der Zeit vor 1225, die innerhalb der nicht mehr existierenden, am höchsten Punkt der Stadt angelegten Warener Burg der Herren zu Werle war. Erhalten geblieben sind der rechteckige Feldsteinchor und die Sakristei vom Beginn des 13. Jahrhunderts im romanischen Stil. Dieser Teil der Kirche ist das älteste erhalten gebliebene Bauwerk der Stadt Waren. Zu Beginn des 14. Jahrhunderts wurde diese Kapelle den Erfordernissen der wachsenden Stadt angepasst. An dem Chor wurde ein gotisches dreischiffiges Langhaus angefügt. Während des Dreißigjährigen Krieges im Jahr 1637 stürzte nach einem Großbrand die Decke ein und die Kirche brannte aus. Über 100 Jahre blieb das Gebäude eine Ruine, bevor es 1739 ein neues Dach bekam. Ein grundlegender Wiederaufbau erfolgte 1790–1792 nach den Plänen des Hofbaumeisters Johann Joachim Busch im klassizistischen Stil. Dabei wurde aus der dreischiffigen Hallenkirche durch die Entfernung der Gewölbepfeiler eine einschiffige Saalkirche. Das äußere Erscheinungsbild blieb unverändert. Am 26. August 1792 erfolgte die erneute Weihe des Gotteshauses. Sieben Jahre später wurde die steile Turmhaube mit Laterne im spätbarocken Stil auf die Reste des mittelalterlichen Turmes gebaut. Aus akustischen Gründen wurde die Kanzel im Jahr 1909 vom Chorraum an den heutigen Standort umgesetzt. Weiterhin wurden die Kreuzigungsgruppe für den Chorraum angeschafft und der Chorbogen farblich mit einem Wandgemälde gestaltet.
Quelle: Wikipedia
The parish church of St. Mary is a rectangular single-nave brick building. It was built from the remains of the castle chapel of Prince Nicholas I from the time before 1225, which was within the no longer existing Waren castle of the Lords of Werle, built at the highest point of the town. The rectangular fieldstone choir and the sacristy from the beginning of the 13th century in the Romanesque style have been preserved. This part of the church is the oldest preserved building in the town of Waren. At the beginning of the 14th century, this chapel was adapted to the requirements of the growing town. A Gothic three-nave hall was added to the choir. During the Thirty Years' War in 1637, the ceiling collapsed after a major fire and the church burnt out. The building remained in ruins for over 100 years before it was given a new roof in 1739. A fundamental reconstruction took place in 1790-1792 in the Neo-Classical style. In the process, the three-nave hall church was transformed into a single-nave hall church by removing the vaulted pillars. The outer appearance remained unchanged. The church was consecrated again on 26 August 1792. Seven years later, the steep tower dome with lantern was built in late Baroque style on the remains of the medieval tower. For acoustic reasons, the pulpit was moved from the chancel to its present location in 1909. Furthermore, the crucifixion group was purchased for the choir room and the choir arch was colourfully decorated with a mural.
Source: Wikipedia
Might be a bit too waspy. Not sure, but I don't know any good wasp songs so it's a fly until I hear different
The funerary stele shows two figures standing one in front of the other. They are an athlete, the deceased young, and his attendant. The bust of the athlete is represented in three-quarters, his head in profile. The features and the anatomy of the young are rendered with great precision despite the relief is really very low. The right arm is lowered at the waist while the left arm is raised up to the shoulder and the palm turned towards the observer. The head of the young athlete is bent downward. His melancholy gaze is directed towards the attendant. The youth is standing in front of him, holding two typical tools form athletes: an aryballos containing ointment and a strigil.
Greek funerary stele
Pantelic Marble, H. 205 cm – W. 70.5 cm
About 430 BC
From Greece
Vatican City State, Vatican Museums, Museo Gregoriano Profano
yesterday we vent to vet to check his eyes, because in the last few days we saw that his eyes were swollen.
Vet. performed a microscopic examination of scrapings of the eye for cell identification, checked eye pressure, etc..
He has a conjunctivitis and blepharitis. Vet think the cause cand be herpes virus or allergy (she thinks this is most probable because of his cough and itchiness)
We have to treat him for a week with a ointment 3 times a day, we have to put that oinment in the eyes and on the eyelids.
poor baby, he doesn't love this treatment and try immediatly to clean his eyes with his paw.
The problem is that allergy has completely different treatment than herpes virus. We hope to solve eyes problem, than leo will start a hypoallergenic diet for two months to try to see if he has an alimentary allergy.
I hope he will get well soon!
Gall Wasp in the Finglandrigg Wood Nature Reserve, 19 December 15.
This specimen was found on a wooden fencepost under an oak tree and was initially misidentified as an ant, presumed to be a queen due to its size (judged to be about 6-7m in length, but not measured). Many thanks to rockwolf for pointing out that it's actually a wingless gall wasp! Biorhiza (or Biorrhiza) pallida, ie the Oak Apple Gall Causer, would appear to be a good fit from both the physical and behavioural point of view, as it's known to be active around oaks on warmer winter days. The only fly in the ointment is that there are currently no Cumbrian records for this species in the NBN Gateway database - which, of course, proves nothing!
In my defence, another observer also described this species as "an ant-like insect":
www.ispotnature.org/node/11225
The main purpose of this afternoon's visit was - of course! - to carry on with my relentless search for Forest Bug nymphs. A total of 12 second-instars were found during a 90-minute fencepost survey, under unusually mild conditions for the time of year (15 deg C, according to the forecast). Although seven were photographed, I couldn't in all conscience post any more shots of this species this year - hence the above photo!
Hercules and Lichas
Hercules sent his young servant Lichas to Eraclea Trachinia to recover a prodigious lion's fur.
Lica got the fur from Deianira. The woman, jealous of Iole, had soaked the fur of Nessus's blood, thinking it was a powerful love potion, as the dying Nessus himself had told her,
It was actually a very powerful poison.
Deianira realized the deception belatedly when she saw a drop of the ointment fall to the ground, thus failing to warn her beloved Hercules of the imminent danger in time.
The ointment that was soaked in the robe was poisoned with the blood of the monster Hydra of Lerna.
After Hercules put on the robe he was overwhelmed by an unbearable pain, which would then accompany him until his death, and he thought that the young Lica had poisoned him.
the furious Hercules grabbed Lica and threw him into the Aegean sea, where he was turned into stone (giving rise to the Licadian islands).
Antonio Canova (1795-1815)
White marble - Height 335 cm
Galleria nazionale d'Arte Moderna - Roma
Hypericum androsaemum
Sweet-amber / Tutsan --- Blut-Johanniskraut / Mannsblut --- Androsemo / Sanalotodo
In the past, the leaves of this plant were used for wound ointments. Nowadays, the plant is known as a mood enhancer and its active ingredient is contained in many antidepressants and tranquilizers. The berries turn from white/green, to red, to black and are poisonous.
Aus den Blättern des Blut-Johanniskrautes wurden früher Wundsalben hergestellt. Heute ist die Pflanze als medizinischer Stimmungsaufheller bekannt. Der Wirkstoff der Pflanze ist in vielen Präparaten enthalten, die nervenstärkende und beruhigende Wirkung haben. Die Farbe der Beeren wechselt von weiß/grün auf rot und schwarz, und die Beeren sind giftig.
En el pasado, las hojas de esta planta se usaban para preparar una pomada para heridas. Hoy, la planta es conocida como un mejorador del estado de ánimo y el ingrediente activo de la planta se usa en muchos antidepresivos y sedantes. Las bayas se convierten desde el blanco/verde, al rojo, y negro y son toxicas.
[Source / Quelle / Fuente: Wikipedia]
Disa is getting old. She has so much white fur on her snout. But she's still a very good guard dog. When I took these shots, she had an ear infection and I was treating her with ointment against mycosis. Her ear infections come and go all the time. At the moment it is only the left ear, which was always worse. We're having good results with Oridermyl, but we have to be patient too.
... sur les épaules de son époux, tandis que celui-ci s'appuie contre le dossier de sa chaise.
La reine porte une couronne à plumes arborant le disque solaire et le roi le triple couronne "atef". Un grand collier de pétales repose sur la petite desserte située derrière la reine
ENGLISH :
The scene that adorns the back is a relic of the religion (and art) Amarna, popular under Akhenaten. The royal couple receives life from the hands of the solar disk Aten. The Queen Ankhesenamun is represented standing applying an ointment onto the shoulders of her husband, while the latter rests against the back of his chair.
The Queen wears a crown with feathers sporting the solar disk and the king a triple crown "Atef". A great necklace of petals rests on the small table behind the queen.
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been here...hay hirap maghike just to see this but it's worth it. there are 3 falls but i was not able to see the 3rd one because i dont think i can hike pa....hay i bought alaxan capsules and alaxan ointment para lang makapasok sa work after this trip lols = P
Kawasan Falls are where a river falls steeply down the hills above the town of Matatinao, just south of Badian. It is actually a series of waterfalls, of which the first is the biggest, however the scenery gets wilder and more impressive the further up you go.
How to get there
Some 115 km (or 2,5 -3 hours drive) south-west of Cebu you'll find Kawasan Falls. From the parking area you'll have to walk more or less 15 to 30 minutes along a very rocky and narrow path, but even though it is a bit humbling bumbling it is worth it, just take it easy and enjoy the walk along the beautiful river. Look at all the different kind of tropical plants -it is not every day you'll have that many beautiful impressions.
You'll have to cross 3 small bridges before reaching the falls, even though you might feel for passing them very fast, try to stop at the middle of number 3 and look upstream, your camera will jump for pleasure if you allow it to take a few shots and you will have a forever lasting picture of what might have been, or- is Paradise.
The term Anunnaki is often used in ancient texts as referring to a group of gods. The name is a derivative of the names heaven and earth, Anu and Ki but is also translated by some as “those of royal blood” and also “princely offspring”.The name is variously written “a-nuna”, “a-nuna-ke-ne”, or “a-nun-na”, meaning “princely offspring” or “offspring of Anu”. Some even believe the Anunnaki are sons and daughters of the gods, heaven, and earth.ANUNNAKI: DNA Code. They are said to have created or come from the Mesopotamian culture. There are others who believe they are a form of extra-terrestrial beings (reptilian or serpent race) from outer space or sometimes more specifically from the planet Nibiru/Planet X that at one time lived on this planet or still do on another plane of existence. The Anunnaki were served by the Igigi until the Igigi revolted, forcing the Anunnaki to create Mankind. These servants were not slaves; they were held in high regard, and they were created only to relieve the gods of their labour. In the beginning, Mankind had no set lifespan, and so the gods could only control overpopulation via flood, plague, and famine. During the final deluge, the gods wept at the suffering of Mankind, and so Man was given a set lifespan. It is during this deluge that Ziusudra (Noah) survived with his wife on the ark. The story of the final flood can be found in Atra-Hasis and the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the first myth of the relationship between ENKI- ANU.This is called the Sky God and Earth Mother myth, which illustrates the relationship between the Sky and Earth. There is also a deity called Enlil that controls and watches of the sky as his kingdom. Another counter argument for the Anunnaki theory is the question of “Looking for Gold” and trying to dig gold from planet Earth. If applied to the technology of the Cosmic Era, the idea of looking for gold is ridiculous and absurd since already in the modern era, transmutation has been very possible by using energy from the Vacuum, also known as Luminous Aether. The technology comes from electricity, and is very based on Cosmic technology, meaning that the Anunnaki would’ve already known how to make gold through transmutation of cheap metals, therefore why would they look for gold, in fact they are already a cosmic civilization and missing this key fact that they can perform transmutation from radiant energy, it would demoralize them in the face of the cosmos.The Anunnaki are a race of beings that traveled across into the depths of space. They’ve settled on a planet called Earth. The Anunnaki ruled the race called “Igigi” who worked for the Anunnaki. But after 2500 years of labor, the Igigi rebelled against the Anunnaki. Enki suggested creating a new race. The Anunnaki observed the possibilities, and in a place called Eden, they have created the Human race, mixing clay with the flesh and blood of an Anunnaki so that the new race could have the divine wisdom. Nintu put the dollop into “shells” and nine months later, humankind was born. In the end, the humans proved to be a good workforce. The Annunaki deities were worshiped by the Ancient Sumerians. In the Sumerian religion, they were forbidden to show the Annunaki Gods in their true form, so instead, the Sumerians depicted them as anthropomorphic animals in place of their true form. Later on the Sumerian ethnic group has been replaced by Akkadians then later Babylonians until they’ve been converted to monotheistic religions such as Zoroastrianism and Christianity. The Anunnaki have no defined appearance, although according to the fertile crescent mythology, the Anunnaki are most likely to look like humans in their original forms, but in larger height. The Anunnaki are a shape-shifting race and can mold themselves into many shapes and sizes. According to certain conspiracy theorists, the Sumerian language appears to be the language taught to the humans by the Annunaki, since it’s assumed to be the first language ever written. It has been said that the language of the Annunaki is considered to be pre-Sumerian. If this is true, the closest language to the Annunaki could be Hungarian since, in pre-modern history, many linguists have found many similarities between the Hungarian language and the Sumerian language. The Hungarians are believed to be the exiled remains of the Sumerians, and many legends from ancient Hungarian culture relates to the Annunaki myth. The Manysi and the Khanty ethnic group, like the Hungarians are classified in the “Ugaric” language family and one individual converted to shamanism, into believing the Mansi to be descendants of Sumerians. However, linguistic affinities are also being found between Hebrew, hinting the another link of Sumerian with the Semitic languages, in which biblical scriptures were originally written in. Akkadian was a Semitic language once used often with Sumerian, during the arrival of Akkadians into Iraq. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria. The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases, determines the information available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.
‘Alien’ DNA Strands Discovered in Human Genome
Science has already successfully mapped the human genome and identified the functions of specific genes in hereditary characteristics, such as skin color. But few people know that some of the DNA strands in the human genome are not even human in origin, making them quite “alien.” A recent research paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed that the human genome contains at least nineteen pieces of ancient viral DNA. More so, complete genetic strands of the viruses were found in two percent of the people who were tested.The ancient genetic fragments from viruses found in our genome are known as human endogenous retroviruses, or HERVs. The study examined the genome of 2,500 people across the globe and found genetic markers for HERVs. Approximately eight percent of the DNA in the human body is from viral genetic fragments. These are the DNA strands that became integrated with the human genome and passed on to several generations. Darwin’s theory of evolution has given a very big struggle with the views thought from the world’s religions. The Anunnaki play a key role as a point of Evolutionists, Creationists and Ancient historians meet. The Anunnaki version of creationism was based on ancient excavations of ancient documents and artifacts that support the evidence of ancient civilizations being helped by extraterrestrials. In ancient manuscripts, there are several accounts that imply ancient civilizations having knowledge in advanced science that we humans have just learned in the modern era. The double helix model of the DNA is sometimes linked with the double-helix snake on a road symbol, found commonly among medical symbols. This has been linked to the fact that the snake symbol is based on the DNA model, which is some evidence of ancient historians having knowledge about the DNA genome model. The ancient liturgical texts of Mesopotamia was linked with different passages in the Hebrew Bible, for example, the Epic of Gilgamesh parallels the Noah’s Ark story, and the Genesis in the Torah parallels to the Sumerian creation myth, involving the Annunaki. In Modern Conspiracy Theory, which revolves around subjects like the Illuminati and the secret plans of the world elite such as the NWO, the Anunnaki have gained much interest from conspiracy theorists. The Annunaki are thought to be linked to Reptilians, and have been continuously said to be the same species; however, there is no evidence to support that argument. Humans would be reptilian in nature and most of our world religions would have reptiles rather than giant humans such as seen in the Sumerian tablets of the humanoid Anunnaki. Other than that, there are statements saying the world elite are directly related to the Annunaki, now secretly collaborating a doomsday plot to rid or enslave humanity once again. Humans directly related to the superior Anunnaki have claimed to be the first to discover humanity’s purpose near our creation. The Anunnaki creation myth is annotated to have different views, for instance, some claiming it’s great evidence supporting creationism, and others claiming negative views of the creation myth, viewing the Anunnaki as a malevolent race, wanting to make mankind complete slaves.
www.matrixdisclosure.com/anunnaki-dna-code/
Did Giant humans roam Ancient America in the past? Did the Native American’s have a royal class of giant rulers entombed in massive burial mounds?The historical record certainly seems to support this reality. Over a two hundred year period, more than 1000 accounts of seven-foot and taller skeletons have been reported unearthed from ancient burial sites in North America. Newspaper accounts, town and county histories, letters, scientific journals, diaries, photos and Smithsonian ethnology reports have carefully documented this. These skeletons have been reported from coast to coast in burial chambers, stone crypts, caves, ancient battlefields and massive mounds. Strange anatomic anomalies such as double rows of teeth, jawbones so large as to be fit over the face of the finder, and elongated skulls, were documented in virtually every state. Smithsonian scientists identified at least 17 skeletons that stood at over seven feet in their annual reports, including one example that was 8 feet tall, and a skull with a 36-inch circumference (an average human skull has a circumference of about 20 inches). The Smithsonian Institution is mentioned dozens more times as the recipient of enormous skeletons from across the United States. In late 2014, an article from a satirical website claimed that a Supreme Court ruling forced the Smithsonian Institution to admit to the historic destruction of giant skeletons. It was published not long after our Search for the Lost Giants TV show that aired on History Channel. The headline read: “Smithsonian Admits to Destruction of Thousands of Giant Human Skeletons in Early 1900s.” 2 The article was convincing, and this apparent exposé of the National Museum hit a chord with people. Right away, we were inundated with emails from people believing the story was real. In reality, if such a story were true, it would surely be front-page worldwide news. However, when an Internet post is mentioning a startling find and not verifying any of the professionals involved, or real organizations or institutions they belong to, one can quickly conclude that it is a misrepresentation of facts or an outright lie. Maybe someday, however, the Smithsonian will admit to the irony of this story.
The over-willingness to believe seems to be the culprit for such stories gaining life. This is the reality we have had to deal with when researching the strange case of the North American giants, as hoaxes and exaggerations were often reported as truth. This is further complicated by the lack of physical evidence, and the moral and ethical implications of investigating human remains. When the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was passed in 1990, any remaining giant skeletons and bones were removed from public display and buried according to the traditions of individual tribes. We often get asked: “where are the bones?” and we reply: “ask the Smithsonian and the Native Americans.” Even with these obstacles, we have done our best to chase down every account to the end and to be as impartial as possible. The book Giants on Record, is not trying to be a long scientific paper but rather an assemblage of data and documents that have been hidden in libraries and local historical societies, and quietly shunned by orthodox anthropology and archaeology for over a century. The following accounts are part of this forgotten legacy, which carry implications that may someday shake the foundations of American academia. Most of the reports we have uncovered are from well-known newspapers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, but we begin our analysis with this account from The Worthington Advance (November 18, 1897, pg.3) that describes the ethnological work of the Smithsonian Institution’s Division of Eastern Mounds, and quotes the Director of the Bureau of Ethnology at the time, John Wesley Powell. The image below accompanies the news report, “It is officially recorded that agents of the Bureau of Ethnology have explored more than 2,000 of these mounds. Among the objects found in them were pearls in great numbers and some of very large size… It is a matter of official record that in digging through a mound in Iowa the scientists found the skeleton of a giant, who, judging from actual measurement, must have stood seven feet six inches tall when alive. The bones crumbled to dust when exposed to the air. Around the neck was a collar of bear’s teeth and across the thighs were dozens of small copper beads, which may have once adorned a hunting skirt.” As part of the Search for the Lost Giants show, Jim and fellow researcher James Clary investigated the following account that had this heading:
“An Ancient Ozark Giant Dug Up Near Steelville: Strange discovery made by a boy looking for arrowheads, gives this Missouri Town an absorbing mystery to ponder.” Highlights of the lengthy report from The Steelville Ledger (June 11, 1933) are given: “…he turned up the complete skeleton of an 8 foot giant. The grisly find was brought to Dr. R. C. Parker here and stretched out to its enormous length in a hallway of his office where it has since remained the most startling exhibit Steelville has ever had on public view… An appeal to Dr. Aleš Hrdlička, anthropologist of the National Museum in Washington and celebrated authority on primitive races is expected to help. Dr. Parker has written to him, offering to forward the skull or the whole skeleton, if necessary for scientific study.” Jim and James Clary found the exact location where the 8-foot skeleton was removed, which was from along the north wall of a cave. They met with several relatives of Billy Harmon, who all professed to the legitimacy of the find. They also found where R. C. Parker’s office once was, and ran into an old timer, who was Dr. Parker’s patient in his youth. While reading through the microfilm at the Steelville library, three reports of the find where uncovered, including the photo that shows Les Eaton, a 6-foot man laid out next to the 8-foot skeleton in Dr. Parkers office (see image below).
The Smithsonian Institution is continually linked to giant skeletons, or at least the lack of them. Most of the reports end in something like this: “The bones were shipped to the Smithsonian Institution for further study.” This ongoing problem of the “missing bones” has become a matter of legend, as there are dozens of reports of the Smithsonian receiving artifacts and giant skeletons. Today, however, they deny their existence. We investigate this thoroughly in our book, and conclude that a cover-up may have been instigated in the late 1800s because it did not fit in with their new ideologies of ‘Manifest Destiny’ and ‘Evolution.’ Although the giants were sidelined in the early stages of scientific discovery, they were, thanks to earlier explorers of America, already in the written record. ;As far back as the 1500s when the Spanish navigators were exploring the coast of the Americas, sightings of live giants were being recorded. Three captains of Spanish ships reported these taller-than-average native people on their expeditions to America, as well as Sir Francis Drake, Captain John Smith, a Smithsonian professor, and several other notable eyewitnesses. In 1519, Spanish explorer Alonzo Álvarez de Pineda was mapping the coastline of the Gulf Coast, marking the various rivers, bays, landmarks, and potential ports, declaring that they belonged to the king of Spain. Not far from where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico he “found a large town, and on both sides of its banks, for a distance of six leagues up its course, some forty native villages.”3 He also noted that other than giants, the tribes also had a race of tiny pygmies. Pineda described the tribes that settled near the Mississippi river as: “A race of giants, from ten to eleven palms in height and a race of pigmies only five or six palms high.” (Webster’s Dictionary defines a palm used as a unit of measurement to range from seven to ten inches, so the giants were at least 6 feet 7 inches to 8 feet tall). On his return from Tampico to the Mississippi, Pineda unknowingly sailed right past a tribe of equally huge Texas Indians.3 A report on the Karankawas, John R. Swanton, of the Bureau of American Ethnology, describes the men as being: “…very tall and well formed…Head-flattening and tattooing were practiced to a considerable extent.” However it was also recorded that they:
“…do not eat men, but roast them only, on account of the cruelties first enacted against their ancestors by the Spanish.”
So that’s OK then! A few years later in 1523, as the Spanish fleet discovered, dominated, and overran the Caribbean Islands, a strange report came forth via historian Peter Martyr who assisted at the Council of the Indies. The account was originally shared by a native who was Christianized and taken to Spain: “The report ran that the natives were white and their king and queen giants, whose bones, while babies, had been softened with an ointment of strange herbs, then kneaded and stretched like wax by masters of the art, leaving the poor objects of their magic half dead, until after repeated manipulations they finally attained their great size.” In early 1521, Francisco Gordillo and Pedro de Quejo undertook a secret voyage from Spain. They sailed over to America and along the Carolina coast to capture Native American slaves, and to scout out potential locations for new Spanish colonies. They managed to capture seventy members of the Chicora tribe to bring back to their homeland: “The chiefs of the province of Chicora, a portion of what is now South Carolina, were famous for their height, which was supposed to prove their royal blood.” While Gordillo and Quejo treated the enigmatic Chicora Indians with treachery, their relationships with the Duhare peoples were much more gentlemanly. This was probably because the inhabitants of Duhare were described as looking European, with red or brown hair, tanned skin and gray eyes. Strangely, for this part of the world, the men had full beards and towered over the Spanish. They did not appear to be Native American. He visited with many of the Native American tribes in the area and recorded their customs, rituals and ways of living. The report on the Duhare stated: “Ayllon says the natives are white men, and his testimony is confirmed by Francisco Chicorana. Their hair is brown and hangs to their heels. They are governed by a king of gigantic size, called Datha, whose wife is as large as himself. They have five children. In place of horses, the king is carried on the shoulders of strong young men, who run with him to the different places he wishes to visit.” The Spanish describe Datha as being the largest man they had ever seen. He had a wife as tall as him. He wore brightly colored paint or tattoos on his skin that distinguished him from the commoners. This was all happening at the same time that the Patagonian giants (pictured below with Dr. Frederick A. Cook in 1898) were being witnessed on the southern tip of South America. For “Giants” became fashionable in the 1500s. In the summer of 1579, just north of San Francisco, Sir Francis Drake recounted his witnessing of living giants in his diary. In 1602, the California Channel Islands were ‘discovered’ by the Spanish, an area that has become a mecca for giantologists. Over 3,000 skeletons were discovered on the islands in the early 1900s, some being between 8 and 9 feet tall. Numerous mysterious reports of skulls containing ‘double rows of teeth’ were also reported on the neighboring islands.Hundreds of skeletal exhumation reports across the United States have demonstrated some very unusual anatomical features. These include macrocephalic (large) skulls, elongated craniums, enormous jaws that were fit over the face of the finders, and double rows of teeth. They come from official Smithsonian reports (with one account describing a third set of teeth), newspaper articles, and letters and journals from doctors and respected members of the local community. The ‘double row of teeth’ phenomenon is what we will briefly look at here, as it has been described in multiple accounts with evidence going as far back as 6,000 years, from the area of the Canadian Great Lakes.
The scene on the backrest depicts the king relaxing on his throne with his feet resting on a low stool with cushions. He is wearing a short wig surmounted by a composite crown and the typical pleated robe of the time, which left his prominent stomach uncovered, a feature typical of the Amarna period.
Ankhesenamun stands in front of the king, rubbing ointment on the left shoulder of her young consort. The queen is leaning slightly forward and in her left hand she holds the cup containing the unguent. She is wearing a wig cut diagonally at the back and surmounted by a crown featuring the emblem of the goddess Hathor (a diadem of uraei on which a solar disc rests, enclosed within a pair of horns, and from which two tall plumes project). The queen's pleated robe in silver features a subtle play of transparencies around her legs.
Behind the queen is a small table with long legs on which a necklace has been placed. The entire scene is enclosed within an elaborate frame of floral motifs, open in the upper centre section where the Aten solar disc is situated.
18th dynasty
Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Tutankhamun, KV62
JE 62028
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
This proto-corinthian lekythos exhibits a conical body with the rare decoration of grazing deers. This vase was recovered together with numerous proto-corinthian aryballoi - ointment jars - in the northern necropolis of Cumae, tomb Gabrici VI.
The vase has a trilobate mouth with a tricorn lid, a high cylindrical neck, a conical body with a flat base, and a ribbon handle.
Concentric lines are painted on the lid. Groups of four horizontal lines divide the neck of the lekythos in three registers decorated with geometric motifs: upper register, chain of oblique "S"; middle register, series of staggered vertical lines alternating with dots lines; lower register, series of oblique segments. On the shoulder, a serpent with a triangular head and a sinuous body surrounded by dots and quadripartite lozenges with dots inside each compartment; below, groups of "S" between pairs of lines.
On the body, a frieze with the rare representation of grazing deers.
Source: Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei – Vol. 1 – Cuma
Protocorinthian lekythos
Height 21.5 cm; diameter 17 cm
Late 8th century BC
Cumae - Northern Necropolis, tomb (Gabrici VI)
Museo Archeologico dei Campi Flegrei - Baia Castle – Inv. no. 128370
Film of trip here :
youtu.be/opAWJnD0Jro
As Wish Lists go, a wild camp on top of one of Scotland’s finest viewpoints has always been near the top for me. Skye is one of my favourite locations and the viewpoint from Sgurr na Stri was meant to be one of the best places to observe the majesty of the Cuillin.
Previously I had climbed to near Sgurr Hain from Elgol, and also made it to Druim Hain from Sligachan in years gone by, but I had yet to reach the summit of Sgurr na Stri… Years passed and this adventure remained stuck to the top of the Bucket List ….. until now. The stars had lined up perfectly……
1-A green light from the wife to have two days in the mountains…
2-Fitness almost back at 100% post knee surgery….
3-The urge to wild camp (it had been months since the last outing)…
4-Maybe most importantly- a strong easterly breeze….
Another long work week and I was sure to get an early night on Friday to ready me for an early morning start on the Saturday – wrong! 02.00am and I finally got to sleep for the alarm to wake me 3.5hrs later- maybe it was the excitement and trepidation of what lay ahead!
The next obstacle was the conditions- heavy snow greeted me north of Perth and care was required, past Pitlochry and things started to look up and fall into place….
Glen Shiel greeted me with white peaks and blue skies and these conditions remained until Kilmarie… Skye was stunning – all the peaks, Red and Black, had white hats on and the skies were providing them with a suitable crystal blue backdrop… The only fly in the ointment was the wind speeds were forecast to be gusting up to 45mph at Munro level (although I wasn’t headed that high I was still concerned about the gusts on top of the exposed Sgurr na Stri!!).
I was walking by 11.30 and around mid-day I arrived at my first viewpoint – Am Mam! What a view! Sgurr na Stri had a White Cuillin backdrop which in turn had a dark cloud behind offering amazing contrast! The views were astounding and they only got better. I dropped down to Camasunary Bay (feels like a second home due to copies framed photos of this area at home!) and relaxed and spent time capturing still and film footage. The wind was slight down here and the sun was out, I could’ve stayed forever. However I had a mission to take this adventure off the Bucket List! The tide was out so I managed to cross the Abhainn Camas Fhiooairigh pretty easily. I then headed (slowly!) up the southern side of the corrie. I was feeling it now and the tiredness and big back pack were starting to take their toll! However the views that greeted me as I emerged at the Bealach soon had me forgetting about these woes!! Absolutely stunning – a white capped Black Cuillin Ridge was spread before me! My work wasn’t done yet and I still had a rocky climb to get to the summit, but I had a spring in my step and reached the summit by 15.30. All I can say is the views were bloody brilliant at 11.30 and they only got better and better. The film and photos don’t do it justice, you just have to go and experience it.
I now had to find a pitch for the tent and I think the one I found maybe the best pitch I have ever had. Views not only to the Cuillin, but to Eigg and Rum and across Loch Scavaig. The other way and Blaven ad Marsco filled the horizon… is this the best view point in Britain?????
After getting set up (took a while to get water! As everything was frozen and not enough snow t melt!) I relaxed and had tea. Darkness soon filled the sky and I spent my time taking pictures and trying to steady the tripod. I was sheltered but there was still a stiff breeze – not as bad as forecast though!
I eventually turned in around 22.30 and slept ok – it was cold but I’ve been out in colder… Woke – excited – at 0615 and was soon out watching as the first glimpses of dawn appeared in the east. I watched a couple of climbers head torches make their way across the ridge, a winter traverse of the Cuillin Ridge- amazing. They kept me captivated for too long and I soon realised I needed to head to the summit for some sunrise shots. I dropped just off the top and found a nice location where I snapped away watching the sun rise and slowly eat the shadows on the Ridge.
It was a little breezy and I nearly lost all my footage as my tripod fell over in a gust whilst I was pre occupied. Luckily it didn’t end up in Loch Coruisk as that was the next stop had it slipped another 2cm!! A broken LCD screen and dented sun shade! Not too bothered as I thought I was saying good bye to my photos and film footage!!
Anyway the time finally came and I packed up and headed back the way I came. Left the summit about 0930 and returned to the car around 12.30 and a 4.5hr drive home…..
One less item on the Bucket List….
Big Buddha, located at the village of Ngong Ping on Lantau Island, in the Island District, Hong Kong.
Officially known as The Tian Tan Buddha, is a large bronze statue of Buddha Shakyamuni. The statue is sited near Po Lin Monastery and symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith and is a major centre of Buddhism.
The statue's base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. One of the five large Buddha statues in China, it is enthroned on a lotus on top of a three-platform altar. Surrounding it are six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering of the Six Devas" that are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. These symbolise the Six Perfections of generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom, all of which are necessary for enlightenment.
The statue is 34 metres tall, weighs over 250 metric tons and was constructed from 202 bronze pieces. In addition to the exterior components, there is a strong steel framework inside to support the heavy load.
Visitors must climb 268 steps to reach the Buddha, though the site also features a small winding road for vehicles to accommodate the handicapped. The Buddha's right hand is raised, representing the removal of affliction, while the left rests open on his lap in a gesture of generosity. He faces north, which is unique among the great Buddha statues, as all others face south.
There are also three floors beneath the statue: the halls of the Universe, of Benevolent Merit and of Remembrance. One of the most renowned features inside is a relic of Gautama Buddha, consisting of some of his alleged cremated remains. Only visitors who purchase an offering for the Buddha can see the relic, entering to leave it there. There is a huge carved bell inscribed with images of Buddhas in the show room. It was designed to ring every seven minutes, 108 times a day, symbolising the release of 108 kinds of human vexations.
The Big Buddha was constructed beginning in 1990, and was finished in 1993, which the Chinese recognise as the day of the Buddha's enlightenment. When the statue was completed, monks from around the world were invited to the opening ceremony.
Information Source:
French postcard by Editions du Globe, Paris, no. 451. Photo: Sam Lévin.
French stage actress Geneviève Kervine (1931-1989) appeared in some 30 films during the 1950s and 1960s. Although she was good-looking and chosen as most promising actress of 1955 in France, most of her films proved to be not very memorable.
Geneviève Kervine was born as Genevieve Marie Antoinette Kervingant in Dakar, Senegal in 1931. Her father was a physician-Colonel in the army, who assigned in Senegal. Later, she made her stage debut at the Opera Hanoi in Vietnam, where his father was stationed then. At the end of the 1940s, she returned to France. She studied drama with Charles Dullin, and in the meanwhile she played small roles in operettas, which were very popular at the time, including Phi-Phi at the Bouffes-Parisiens. After her stage training, she had her first engagements in theater and cabaret. In 1952, she made her film debut in the crime film Cent francs par seconde/Hundred Francs Every Second (Jean Boyer, 1952) with Philippe Lemaire. It was followed by supporting parts in films like the comedy Belle mentalité/Wonderful Mentality (André Berthomieu, 1953) starring Jean Richard, Une vie de garcon/A Boy’s Life (Jean Boyer, 1954), and Ma petite folie/My little madness (Maurice Labro, 1954) starring actor-singer Jean Bretonnière. Bretonnière and Kervine fell in love, and would stay and work together for the rest of their lives. The following year they starred together in La villa Sans-Souci/ The Villa Sans-Souci (Maurice Labro, 1955). Meanwhile Kervine appeared with Noël-Noël and Suzy Delair in Le fil à la patte/Fly in the Ointment (Guy Lefranc, 1954), based on the popular farce by Georges Feydeau. She played opposite Jean-Paul Aumont in Dix-huit heures d'escale/Eighteen Hours of Call/ (René Jolivet, 1955). In 1955, she won the prestigious Prix Suzanne Bianchetti, a French award for the most promising young actress. She appeared in dozens of films in this period, but none of them seems to be very remarkable. In 1957 she appeared in the comedy Cinq millions comptant/ Five million cash (André Berthomieu, 1957) starring Jane Sourza. A year later she appeared opposite the great Michel Simon in a not so great drama Un certain Monsieur Jo/A Certain Mr. Jo (René Jolivet, 1958) – the IMDb voters gave it less than five stars.
During the 1960s, Geneviève Kervine made less and less films. However, she often had leading parts, such as in La nuit des suspectes/Night of the Suspicious (Victor Merenda, 1960), which was later remade by François Ozon as 8 Femmes/8 Women (2002) with Virginie Ledoyen in the Kervine role. In the thriller Callaghan remet ça/Callaghan did it again (Willy Rozier, 1961), she had the female lead opposite Tony Wright as private eye Slim Callaghan, hero of a series of popular crime novels by Peter Cheyney. In Germany she played in the Eurospy film Es muß nicht immer Kaviar sein/Operation Caviar (Géza von Radványi, 1961) starring O.W. Fischer. The success of this comic thriller lead to a sequel, Diesmal muß es Kaviar sein/It’s Always Caviar (Géza von Radványi, 1961). Her next film, the comedy of errors C'est pas moi, c'est l'autre/ It's not me, the other (Jean Boyer, 1962), was also her last. Kervine and Jean Bretonnière often appeared together in stage plays. They married in 1967. With the company of Herbert-Karsenty, the pair did numerous tours through the provinces of France. Incidentally Kervine could be seen on French TV. In 1977 she appeared in the mini-series Histoire de la grandeur et de la décadence de César Birotteau/ History of the grandeur and decadence of Cesar Birotteau (René Lucot, 1977), based on a novel by Honoré de Balzac. Her final TV appearance was in the TV play Peau de vache/Cow-Hide (Pierre Sabbagh, 1980) with Jean Bretonnière and Sophie Desmarets. Geneviève Kervine died in 1989 in Paris, following a ruptured aneurysm. She was survived by Jean Bretonnière who died in 2001. Their son, Marc Bretonnière is also an actor.
Sources: Wikipedia (French), and IMDb.
Selge, Pisidia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selge,_Pisidia
Selge (Greek: Σελγη) was an important city in Pisidia, on the southern slope of Mount Taurus, modern Antalya Province, Turkey, at the part where the river Eurymedon River (Turkish: Köprüçay)forces its way through the mountains towards the south.
History[edit]
The town was believed to be a Greek colony, for Strabo[1] states that it was founded by Spartans, but adds the somewhat unintelligible remark that previously it had been founded by Calchas. The acropolis of Selge bore the name of Kesbedion.[2] The district in which the town was situated was extremely fertile, producing abundance of oil and wine, but the town itself was difficult of access, being surrounded by precipices and beds of torrents flowing towards the Eurymedon and Cestrus (today Aksu), and requiring bridges to make them passable. In consequence of its excellent laws and political constitution, Selge rose to the rank of the most powerful and populous city of Pisidia, and at one time was able to send an army of 20,000 men into the field. Owing to these circumstances, and the valour of its inhabitants, for which they were regarded as worthy kinsmen of the Spartans, the Selgians were never subject to any foreign power, but remained in the enjoyment of their own freedom and independence. When Alexander the Great passed through Pisidia (333 BC), Selge sent an embassy to him and gained his favour and friendship.[3] At that time they were at war with Termessos.
The Roman Eurymedon Bridge near Selge
At the period when Achaeus had made himself master of Western Asia, Selge were at war with Pednelissus, which was besieged by them; and Achaeus, on the invitation of Pednelissus, sent a large force against Selge (218 BC). After a long and vigorous siege, the Selgians, being betrayed and despairing of resisting Achaeus any longer, sent deputies to sue for peace, which was granted to them on the following terms: they agreed to pay immediately 400 talents, to restore the prisoners of Pednelissus, and after a time to pay 300 talents in addition.[4] We now have for a long time no particulars about the history of Selge; in the 5th century AD Zosimus[5] calls it indeed a little town, but it was still strong enough to repel a body of Goths. It is strange that Pliny does not notice Selge, for we know from its coins that it was still a flourishing town in the time of Hadrian; and it is also mentioned in Ptolemy[6] and Hierocles. Independently of wine and oil, the country about Selge was rich in timber, and a variety of trees, among which the storax was much valued from its yielding a strong perfume. Selge was also celebrated for an ointment prepared from the iris root.[7]
Remains[edit]
The remains of the city consist mainly of parts of the encircling wall and of the acropolis. A few traces have survived of the gymnasium, the stoa, the stadium and the basilica. There are also the outlines of two temples, but the best conserved monument is the theater, restored in the 3rd century AD. Selge was the seat of a bishop; it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church
Halfway on the road to Selge from the Pamphylian coastal plain, a well-preserved Roman Bridge crosses the deep Eurymedon valley
Eurymedon Bridge (Selge)
Description:
This article has been previously published as a part of book Antalya, Side and Alanya: TAN Travel Guide by Izabela Miszczak
This Roman bridge, beautifully situated over deep Köprülü Canyon, is an irrefutable proof of Roman engineers' ingenuity. The bridge, spanning the cliffs of the canyon, is now called Oluk Köprü (i.e. Gutter Bridge). It still provides the communication link on the route from the Mediterranean coast deep into the Taurus Mountains, to the area of ancient Pisidia.
The bridge stands over Köprüçay River, in ancient times known as Eurymedon. The structure is 14 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. The narrow road on the bridge limits the width of vehicles to 2.5 meters. The bridge consists of a single arch, with a span of 7 meters.
The voussoirs (i.e. wedge-shaped elements) which were used during the construction of the bridge, are 60 cm wide. They were fitted together without the use of mortar. The building technology indicates that the bridge was erected in the 2nd century CE, in the heydey of the city of Selge.
Getting there:
The nearest settlement is Beşkonak village and the most impressive ancient city near the bridge is Selge, situated in Altınkaya village, 11 kilometres away from the bridge. The bridge is 43 km away from the crossroad on D400 route, running along the Mediterranean coast.
By car: the bridge over Eurymedon is located in the Taurus Mountains, at an altitude of about 1,000 meters above sea level. From the Mediterranean coast, you can get there on a decent road. In order to find the proper turn-off, find a signpost on the intersection on D400 route (36.893219, 31.239155), located between the towns of Manavgat (25 km to the east) and Serik (14 km to the west).
From this intersection, the road leads to the north, in the direction of Köprülü Canyon National Park. During the ride, you can enjoy the views of Köprüçay River and its canyon. After 43 km, you reach the bridge, and later you can drive over it and head to the ruins of Selge. They are located 11 km away to the north-west of the bridge
turkisharchaeonews.net/object/eurymedon-bridge-selge
Köprüçay River
Medicinal use of Climbing Bittersweet: Climbing bittersweet was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes, though it is scarcely used in modern herbalism. The root is diaphoretic, diuretic and emetic. It is a folk remedy for chronic liver and skin ailments (including skin cancer), rheumatism, leucorrhoea, dysentery and suppressed menses. A strong compound infusion, usually combined with raspberry leaf tea, has been used to reduce the pain of childbirth. A poultice of the boiled root has been used to treat obstinate sores, skin eruptions etc. Externally, the bark is used as an ointment on burns, scrapes and skin eruptions. Extracts of the bark are thought to be cardioactive. Many plants in this genus contain compounds of interest for their antitumour activity.
This plant is also attractive to birds who can eat this plant without any complications. Humans and other animals can become very sick by ingesting this plant. The amount of the ingested fruit is proportional to how sick one becomes.( fatalities have occurred but are not common ).
“I have come home at last!
This is my real country!
I belong here.
This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...
Come further up, come further in!”
(From "The Last Battle" by C.S. Lewis)
In Varanasi (Benaras) there is a temple between Scindia ghat and Manikarnika ghat which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
This temple doesn’t look like any other in the city because of its amazing sculptures with angels which are all around the shrine.
Those angels are musicians and they all play a different instrument.
Each time I come, there is no one, then I am alone in this dreamy atmosphere.
I know it is a kind of gate to after death as just nearby funeral pyres burn day and night at the cremation ghat which is underneath.
However this is not the reason why there are angels here.
I became close to the priest and his family who are keeping this sanctuary, sometimes he is making a puja for me and each time we meet he applies a refreshing ointment on my forehead made of eucalyptus and turmeric...
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