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His Royal Highness, The Prince of the Garden...
This is a one-handed handheld shot that I took when this small tree frog jumped atop my thumb while I was photographing him in our garden.
Talk about an unexpected photo opportunity....and you should have seen me trying to steady the camera before he jumped off again.
Dating from 1777, Richmond Bridge holds the distinction of being the oldest in London.
Long before Richmond Bridge was built, a ferry was operating at the site - that is from Ferry Hill (now Bridge Street) across to Twickenham Meadows. There were 2 boats: one for passengers and a much larger vessel, the 'horse-boat' for the conveyance of horses, small light carts and bulky goods.Carriages, however, could not be taken on the ferry.
In 1773, Mr Windham, the lessee of the ferry at that time, offered to sell the remainder of his lease to the Crown Commissioners for £6,000 and to use the money for the erection of a bridge. A petition was made to the House of Commons for leave to bring in a Bill.
The local inhabitants, though in favour of a bridge being built, were strongly opposed to Windham's scheme. There were 3 main objections: to the Richmond site (Ferry Hill) which was inconvenient to access and had a very sharp declivity; to the proposed material for the structure - wood; and to the fact that the bridge would be privately owned.
This opposition led Windham to withdraw his Bill. Plans for a stone bridge, to be erected from Water Lane, were put in hand. The cost - £26,000 - was raised on Tontine shares of £100 each. (Under this system each shareholder received a proportion of the bridge tolls until his death, when his shares were added to those of the remaining shareholders. The Tontine could not lapse until the death of the last surviving shareholder).
Counter opposition was to follow, however: from the inhabitants of Water Lane who would have lost their homes in the necessary widening of the Lane; from the lessee of the "Feather Inn", which would also have been demolished; and from the proprietor of Twickenham Farm, where the bridge would end on the Middlesex side of the river.
His Majesty's Commissioners decided, therefore, that the bridge should, after all, be built from Ferry Hill and the Richmond Vestry had no alternative but to follow their decision.
Horace Walpole wrote to Henry Seymour Conway on 23rd June 1774: "...Pray, for the future remain home and build bridges: I wish you were here to expedite ours to Richmond, which they tell me will not be passable these two years. I have done looking so forward!"
The foundation stone of Richmond Bridge was laid on 23rd August 1774 by the Hon. Henry Hobart. The principal architect was James Paine (c.1716-1789), who was also responsible for the bridge at Kew (constructed 1783-89) which preceded the present one (built in 1903).
In March 1758, Paine had been appointed Clerk of the Works at Richmond New Park Lodge. Earlier, in December 1746, he had been appointed Clerk of the Works at Charing Cross Mews - a position which he afterwards exchanged with Kenton Couse for the Clerkship of the Works at Newmarket. It was Couse (1721-1790) who assisted Paine in the building of Richmond Bridge.
The bridge was badly needed as Walpole found out. He wrote to Conway on 27thSeptember 1774, - "It has rained this whole month, and we have got another inundation. The Thames is as broad as your Danube, and all my meadows are under water. Lady Browne and I, coming last Sunday night from Lady Blandford's, were in a piteous plight. The ferry-boat [from Richmond to Twickenham] was turned round by the current, and
carried to Isleworth. Then we ran against the piers of our new bridge, and the horses were frightened. "
The bridge was completed in 1777. The London Magazine (1779) described it as: "a simple, yet elegant structure, and, from its happy situation, ...one of the most beautiful ornaments of the river and the country adjacent. It is built with Portland stone from the design of Mr Payne [sic] of London, a celebrated architect, and the masonry was executed by Mr Carr of Richmond..."
In 1859, the last surviving Tontine shareholder died, so the tolls were discontinued.
The bridge was widened during 1937, and apart from being less 'hump-backed', its original appearance was cleverly preserved.
"We became gentle in the midst of you, as when a nursing mother cherishes
her own children. So, having a tender affection for you, we were well pleased
to impart to you, not only the good news of God, but also our own souls,
because you became beloved to us."
— 1 Thessalonians 2:7,8
As newborn infants, form a longing for the unadulterated milk belonging to the word, that through it you may grow to salvation, provided you have tasted that the Lord is kind." — 1 Peter 2:2,3
God has bestowed upon women and their babies a most beautiful gift, a sublime privilege, and a wonderful experience of tender affection I will cherish forever.
A peasant woman, on her way home from the market, pauses to see to the physical and
the emotional needs of her child. She sits on a wicker bench, one foot placed on an overflowing burlap bag filled with the corn she's carrying home. Her leg thus elevated supports her arm and the baby. For now, they are the only two people in the world.
For thousands of years, breastfeeding has been an open, ordinary part of everyday living, not a taboo activitity hidden behind closed doors, in bathrooms, dark corners, or under blankets and secretive clothing. Even now, women all around the world have no qualms about stopping right when and where they are to nurse their babies, no matter what their surroundings, even in many so-called "industrialized" nations and cultures.
Breastfeeding also is such a deep and tender expression of self-sacrificing love, Christ's Apostles readily used this powerful image in their inspired letters to reach all the hearts in the early Christian congregations-- of men, women, and children. If not yet parents, all had at least watched their mothers nurse their younger siblings, their aunts breastfeed their cousins, and their neighbors nurse their playmates. Some of them may have even remembered being breastfed by their own mothers.
What the Bible writers were referring to was a commonplace, but warmly emotional vitally human experience. It is ever so heart-warming to know that the God I worship, in whose image I too, as a woman, am made, has these same, tender, even feminine, qualities and feelings himself. How else could he have created such a precious arrangement in the first place?
It was with these thoughts in mind, that I fell in love with this Capodimonte piece when I was nursing my own little one, Kristin, which I did for a good long time. It is significant to me, therefore, that this baby is definitely a toddler with arms and legs all over the place. How true to life this statue is.
I bought this 10" tall statue from a little shop on Main Street in Babylon Village for $190. A good decade later, I saw a much smaller version of the same statue for much more than that. I sometimes wonder out of curiosity how much it's worth now, though I would never part with it voluntarily.
Photographed and uploaded for the Utata Imitates Life project.
Large on black is even better.
See this photograph on Utata's project page.
This photograph finally made it to Explore #182 on August 18, 2007 !!
Interested in acquiring a print of this photograph? Then please see my profile.
Multi colour and rich textural clouds, from my window on July 4th. I didnt even cared to put my hand a little more out of window to capture the scene correctly...and i overexposed it :(
Used Picasa's Focal B/w effect. Took about 50 shots and got about 10 good ones! :( A 1-5 but still good! :)
Every time I see these chairs it reminds me of Tetris. I just imagine seeing them falling down into place to clear my lines.
near Altlandsberg, Brandenburg, Germany
View this picture large on black (recommended) | Look my best pictures as slideshow
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © 2006 Dietrich Bojko, All rights reserved.
I will start from the beginning. Only a few weeks ago I received an email from a mother who has a 10 year old daughter ‘Pearl’, who since grade 3 started to lose her hair. She now suffers totally with Alopecia.
All Fran, her mother, wanted was to find someone that could paint her head and find a photographer to take a couple of portrait images to make Pearl feel beautiful.
Without giving it a second thought I volunteered immediately.
I contacted Fran and assured her that I would put my feelers out to find a facepainter that would oblige to give their time as well.
This did not take long at all. My very first enquiry to Nikki The Clown at Trinity Beach had the immediate response. Of course she would be delighted to be part of making Pearl’s special surprise pre-Christmas day and make her feel beautiful.
Well today was the day ....
The scene was set at my home and everything was arranged. I had the good fortune to have two of my photography buddies come over for support and take some images as well. I must thank Joy Melchiori for being my second shooter (could not have done it without you) and thank you to Yvonne Rein for being our assistant, with reflectors and just being plain good fun.
We marveled at Nikki how she created sheer magic. What a privilege it was to watch her painting skills and watching Pearl with the glint in her eyes and the broadest of smiles.
Between us we will be able to present Pearl the most memorable wonderful slideshow to keep forever. Let alone some incredible images to be printed out to adorn her walls.
Pearl is the most remarkable stunning girl. Her smile will light up any room and she has the most wonderful good nature and personality to match. What a darling.
We hope that just for a moment we spread Christmas cheer all around.
We know that Fran and Pearl will never forget it and there was not a dry eye in the house at times.
With heartfelt thanks for letting us share this moving beautiful day with you Pearl.
From Your Guardian Angels Joy, Jolly, Flash and Nikki.
We feel blessed to have met someone so brave and special.
Now someone pay it forward. This is what Christmas is all about.
Here is the show which we will give Pearl for Christmas. I have modified it slightly since this one, but you can still enjoy version 1 :-)
vimeo.com/80544243 Turn up the sound.
And Pearl made Front Page of our Cairns Post Newspaper
www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/joy-as-pearl-sees-im-beau...
A fledgling that wandered over to our campsite during a recent visit to Lake Ray Roberts in North Texas....
He was covered with ants and chirping in pain and so we picked him up and cleaned all the ants off him. I have read an article recently that said that moving a fledgling out of danger is a good thing to do.....so we relocated him to some deep grass.
Woke up at 4:30 to get to this spot to watch the sun rise. Taken on the cliff walk at Prout's Neck - Scarborough, ME.
Rievaulx Abbey was founded in 1132 by 12 monks. It was the first monastery of the reforming Cistercian order in the North of England. The abbey grew to be one of the most powerful and spiritually renowned centres of monasticism in Britain. The abbey was closed on 3 Dec 1538 during the suppression by Henry VIII.
Best viewed "Large".
Rievaulx Abbey
This is HDR.
Here's some more Squity! This time he's swimming in the pond in our backyard. This is the last month he can take a peaceful swim until the Canada Geese come back. They don't let nobody else swim in 'their' pond.
A few details:
1. Taken with a Canon 100mm F/2.8 Macro Lens
2. Handheld at Magnification 1:1
3. Used a flash (Canon 580EX) as the scene was dark
4. The bug the ladybird is feasting on is an Aphid
View Large
This is the bridge which kickstarted by interest in London Bridges.
I visited it for the first time over 10 years ago but lost track of it until I went in search of it last year and in the process, took pictures of various London Bridges. Some of these bridges I have put online.
This was shot handheld with my 30mm Prime Lens because it is my only lens with a Polarizing Filter. It was meant to be "test shot" for exposure but I liked how it turned out anyway.
I hope to revisit this work but with a Tripod.
From WikiPedia :
"The Albert Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Thames from Chelsea to Battersea in London, England, named in memory of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria.
Although authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1864, construction did not commence until 1870, delayed by work on the Chelsea Embankment. The bridge opened first on the 31st December 1872, soon thereafter closing to re-open on 23 August 1873. The designer was Rowland Mason Ordish, who conceived a rigid suspension bridge with a length of 710 feet, width of 41ft. and a centre span of 400ft. Construction costs are estimated at £90,000.
The Albert Bridge Company also owned the adjacent Battersea Bridge, but neither bridge generated sufficient toll income to cover their maintenance costs. In 1878, both were purchased by the Metropolitan Board of Works and both ceased to be toll bridges the following year.
In 1884 Sir Joseph Bazalgette strengthened and modernised Albert Bridge, rendering it more like a conventional suspension bridge.
The bridge came close to being replaced after World War II, but a concerted campaign led by, among others, Sir John Betjeman led to its conservation. In the 1970s, central supports were added by the Greater London Council to save the strcture from collapse. Weight restrictions have been in place since Bazalgette's time, as have notices urging soldiers from nearby Chelsea Barracks to break step when marching over the bridge for fear that vibrations caused by marching might damage the structure."
Two katydid nymphs on one of the roses in our garden.
This was taken with a Sigma 105mm macro lens coupled with a Nikon D70.
Glacier National Park, August 2006
Some of the stunning alpine scenery we passed as we drove along the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Portrait taken on the children's day (kodomo no hi) at Senso-ji in Asakusa (Tokyo, Japan)
Blog: neuigkeiten aus japan
An earlier viewpoint of the bridge I posted two weeks ago
I haven't taken any new pictures since last Friday ... too busy at work to find inspiration and the London weather is depressing as well ... it's raining as I type this.
* * *
Battersea Bridge is a road bridge crossing of the River Thames in south-west London, linking Battersea south of the river with Chelsea to the north. Its 40 foot width makes it London's narrowest road vehicle bridge.
Until the late 18th century, a ferry service had operated across the river at this location, but an Act of Parliament in 1766 authorised construction of a toll bridge. A group of fifteen investors financed this first bridge, at a cost of £15,000. Designed by a Henry Holland, the bridge was composed of 19 narrow wooden spans, making it difficult for river traffic to pass through. The ceremonial opening was in November 1771, but regular traffic first moved across the bridge in 1772. In 1795, some of the wooden spans were replaced by iron girder sections, creating spans almost double the size of the wooden ones. The bridge was the subject of paintings by Whistler and J.M.W. Turner.
Like other London toll bridges, Battersea Bridge was eventually bought by the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW), closed in 1883 and subsequently demolished in 1885, to be replaced by the current bridge. This was designed by MBW chief engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, constructed by John Mowlem & Co. from 1886, and opened by on 31 July 1890 by Lord Rosebery. It is composed of five wrought iron and steel cantilever spans supported on granite piers.
"Delicatessen"
To view my interestig picture go to interestingby.isaias.com.mx/pm.php?id=84745314@N00
"This 2-1/2 story frame Georgian house facing the Potomac River was the long-time home of George Washington (1732-1799), Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary forces and 1st President of the United States (1789-97). Washington returned to Mount Vernon after his term as President, and lived here in retirement until his death." (Source: National Historic Landmarks Program)
I took this photo at an amazing place called Noah's Ark located in Locust Grove, Georgia. It is a place that takes in injured and unwanted animals and gives them a wonderful haven to live out the rest of their lives. And if this were not already a big enough job, Noah's Ark also takes in abused and unwanted children through a Foster Care program. The children are encouraged to help with the animals and through the unconditional love that animals give, the children will hopefully learn to love and trust, again. It really is an amazing place and, Jama, the exceptional lady who started Noah's Ark has some amazing stories to tell on how she got started through prayer and faith. This place is truly a miracle! You can visit the site at: www.noahs-ark.org/
June 9, 2006
Yesterday, I went to the closest Shoppers' Drugmart to get Diet Pepsi 6 packs. On my way in, I was approaching the automatic door, and a woman in her 20s stopped short of the door, smiled and said, go ahead. I was taken aback, because it's usually me letting others go first. Initially, I was a bit embarrassed, but, I was in a lot of pain, limping with my cast on, so I smiled, and said thank you. I grabbed a cart, got my pop, went to my car, and was pushing the cart back to the store, when the girl came running over to me, waving her arm, smiling, and said, I'll take it back for you. Wow. I told her I appreciated it, and that she was very kind. Who does that? Well, TBH, I do, but, I don't expect it from others. It put a smile in my heart. So, thank you, stranger, for you thoughtfulness, and kindness.