I am not precisely sure when this was taken, sometime around October or November 2021, I think.

Similarly, I am not precisely sure how I get on with this camera, a Rollei 35 S, or whether it needs a little work on its lens. Some shots seem pin sharp, others out to an extent that I find a little hard to credit, even given my occasionally uneven technical skills and handling.

But back to whether I like the camera: it has been helped me produce some of my favourite images since I picked it up for a song a couple of years ago; conversely, it seems utterly unforgiving - a trait I often like - and for all my carrying it about with me, my expectations of myself in using it and uncertainty make me less ... eager to take a shot. Which is, admittedly, a good way of saving film ...

And so, a crop from a 6x4ish image, Blenheim Park, Oxon. Rollei 35 S, Kodak Tri-X @ 400, in ID-11, suffering a little from over-vigorous squeegee work.

Located in Campo dei Frari, more precisely in the San Polo district in Venice, Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, commonly known as just the Frari, is the biggest Church in the city of Venice.

The exterior is deliberately plain in accordance with the Franciscan emphasis on poverty and austerity.

Iberia´s flight IB-6300 inbound from San Juan de Puerto Rico (SJU), operated with this A-330-202 (EC-MKI), precisely named as "Puerto Rico" with a special sticker promoting the city of Madrid.

Press "L" to enlarge the picture.

Especially dedicated to my dear friend Eyal Zarrad, www.flickr.com/photos/eyalzarrad

Wishing you all the best and happy day!

_______________________________

Aproximación final del vuelo IB-6300 desde SJU a MAD, Madrid, España

Vuelo de Iberia IB-6300 procedente de San Juan de Puerto Rico, operado con este A-330-202 (EC-MKI), denominado precisamente como "Puerto Rico" con un vinilo especial promocionando la ciudad de Madrid.

Pulsa "L" para ampliar la imagen.

Especialmente dedicada a mi querido amigo Eyal Zarrad, www.flickr.com/photos/eyalzarrad

¡Te deseo lo mejor y feliz día!

Keeping an eye on the speedometer, CN engineer Andrew eases the WCRA Christmas excursion train back, precisely controlling the slack action on the train. Like Andrew, several other qualified railway engineers donate their time to operate the excursion for the benefit of the society. Having certifications such as an engineers ticket or conductor qualification are assets for the heritage society in order to keep trains running.

Old photo repainted, collaged and processed

“They might not need me; but they might.

I'll let my head be just in sight;

A smile as small as mine might be

Precisely their necessity.”

― Emily Dickinson

On a line not known for seeing loco hauled trains since the 33/1s left in 1988 and the demise of the class 47 hauled inter regional trains I was quite surprised to find no less than 8 locos between Wool and Moreton yesterday. Seen here front to back, or more precisely furthest to nearest 66551, 66545 and 66712. Immediately beneath me was one of two Colas 70s at the end of the line.

New York , New York what you do to me?

"it seems like you had me but i've never had you...

Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past,

stop planning the future,

stop figuring out precisely how we feel,

stop deciding exactly what we want, and just see what happens."

stop the work for now

open the champagne

call your loved ones

A Blessed and Peaceful new year to all!

on explore december 31,2008 #198

Plethora of P’s - This particular photograph took plenty of prior planning. While there are no prohibited pens, pencils, or paper clips in the picture, there is proof of their prior presence. The pastel Post-it has “Plethora” printed on the pale yellow paper with a pen (and underlined with a paper clip impression) to portray all of the “P” words pictured. The background piece of paper is a print of a pen-and-ink drawing highlighted with colored pencil. This pointillism portrait of the proud predator is a profile pose featuring a protruding beak, pink tongue, piercing pupil, and plentiful plumage. The technical pen pieces (plastic cap and purple point), pencil sharpener (with pencil shavings and phillips screw), and pink pencil eraser were precisely placed. I am positive I missed a few P’s, so pipe in if you perceive others. - HMM

Six and a half years ago, the scientists of SETI began receiving garbled and unintelligible communications from points unknown. What they could perceive came out as a series of clicking sounds, but they repeated precisely indicating that some form of intelligence was behind the transmissions, not something randomly generated as was first thought. The top linguists on the globe were brought in to analyze the communications until finally five years after initial contact one Professor Winnefred Littledove from Lichtenstein made a breakthrough and with an army of people and computers behind her, she at long last was able to decipher the clicking into words. Those words were chilling and they read, 'Your planet is in danger, we are here to help.'

The reply was made simple for the sake of expedience and yet took days to form, 'how so?' Littledove pushed the send button herself and silence filled the room as no one even breathed in anticipation.

Two days later came the foreboding reply, 'We have been studying your world and can see that you are nearly at the point of no return in the effects of global warming, soon many thousands of species will cease to exist including yourselves if something isn't done immediately. We have a solution.'

After several days and many sleepless nights of translations

a response was hurriedly recorded and in less than an hour SETI sent its one word reply, 'Yes?'

Newly minted corporal Emmit Woodcock awoke the next morning feeling a bit fuzzy from the night before. His squad had taken him out to Galway Bay Pub and eatery where they proceeded to 'tack on' his new stripe, this is accomplished by punching the chevron on with great force to prevent it from ever coming off. Groggily he sat up and put on his slippers and headed for the loo to rid himself of a few ales. Sure enough, and the reason for the slippers, he came across yet another of his 'houseguests' and proceeded to stomp the cockroach with equal parts disgust and pleasure. "Twenty seven!" He proclaimed. No sooner had he finished his business the ancient air raid warning horns warbled on. He'd never heard one with the exception of in the movies, but there was no mistaking the noise. He hurriedly donned his OD's from the night before and dashed for the door, just before turning out the light he called out, "twenty eight!"

The ECM, emergency communication memo, on his phone ordered him to report to coordinates unknown to him and off he went. When he reached the park at Bellingham Bay his world became very surreal. An army, literally, of men were unloading sandbags from ancient deuce and a halfs and piling them to make a wall, a wall halfway around a glowing globe of tremendous size towering above them smoldering from its recent entry into Earth's atmosphere.

"What's going on?!"

Sgt. Jones gave Woodcock a quick glance, "It's an invasion, I hear that these things are landing everywhere, get busy with that wall!"

In between tosses of sandbags Emmit could see 50 cals. being set up left, right and center with infantry between. Yelling to be heard to the man next to him he asked, "what about tanks?"

"Armored is on its way, it's just us right now."

Suddenly all noises and movement ended as an audible mechanism inside of the alien craft whirred up and engaged. The bottom half of the orb opened as five doors swung slowly down and away in an unnatural and creepy movement much like a claw opening. Emmit vaguely heard the order to take cover, but he was transfixed on the otherworldly happenings transpiring before him and was consumed by the feeling of dread and although he was covered in sweat, he felt very cold. Then, through the murky darkness, the new corporal began to perceive movement, a slow, methodic wave of movement. Crawling out of the spacecraft came gigantic spiders, eight legged, multi eyed, hairy spiders and along with the clicking noises that they were making he went from cold to frozen. No one can remember if there was an actual order to fire, but fire they did. After the massacre was over there was much clapping on backs and cheering for their victory, for never was there a more fearsome enemy to overcome. Songs would surely be sung in their honor.

Back at SETI what would become known as the final transmission was finally translated roughly at the same time that the Battle of Bellingham Bay was taking place, it had taken days of work to decipher as it was longer than the rest and it read: "At last, it is so good that we can now communicate for we have so much that we want to impart to you. We have sent word to bring atmospheric condensers and we have the schematics here aboard ship so that when they arrive you will be able to set them up and not a moment too soon, any further delay would have meant a global catastrophe. I will send a team of scientists down now, help is on the way."

The end of the series is coming and this photo is screaming for attention. No, it was not my apartment ;) It's just the model of a living room, "used" by the local fire department. The fire was part of a demonstration and became surprisingly large. As the wind turned to the audience (smoke and heat were heavy in my opinion), some of the viewers got a little panic. Germany 23/09/2018 at 03:19 pm.

About the series (to which the Photo above belongs)

My dear Flickr-Friends, my dear unknown Flickr-User,

First, I would like to mention: “Mettwurst is a strongly flavoured German sausage, made from raw minced pork which is preserved by curing and smoking, often with garlic. The southern German variety is soft and similar to Teewurst.” (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mettwurst)

Second, I want to amplify: During the last years I had my camera very often with me. An immense amount of photos have been shot, most of them rather unplanned on walks through my hometown. With the series I would like to present a few of my personal favorites (most of them are less than one year old). As the subtitle promises: the Photos show undoubtedly/exclusively trivial things.

Fuck you reality, fuck you so much, I want to be cheated!

About the post-processing

For editing I've used the Lightromm plug-in "Silver Efex Pro 2". More precisely: Preset "Film Noir 3" as a basis (nr. 32), but with some modifications. Apart from other small corrections (eg in contrast or exposure) I removed the artificial grain and the frame of the preset and I added a blue toning for all the photos of the series. And: For almost all photos I used a green or blue color filter.

"Listening and watching of a Great Grey Owl".

I watched this Great Grey Owl as it watched but more precisely listened for voles in the meadow.

She would scan and suddenly change her position as she obviously heard something from a completely different direction.

Here she is sitting on a tree overlooking the meadow where I am seated.

NGC 6992 is part of the Veil Nebula in the constellation of Cygnus. It is part of the eastern edge of this supernova remnant. The source supernova exploded some 5,000 to 8,000 years ago, and the remnants have since expanded to cover an area of 3 degrees; about 6 times the size of a full moon. The distance to the nebula is not precisely known, with estimates ranging from 1,400 to 2,600 light-years.

TS 80mm Triplet

TS 2" FF

Canon 550D modified

Astronomik CLS and UHC filters

27 x 720sec and 2 x 600sec subs

Totalling 5hrs44mins

Processed using Pixinsight and Photoshop.

If people would accept each other as they were, this world would be such a better place. Goes for humans toward their dogs too, so many get discarded because they are not "normal", whatever that means. Our crew is composed of mainly unusual little beings and this is precisely why we love them so much.

Happy pride month!

Two rivers flowing from two different valleys in the heart of Costa Rica meeting just down a road bridge.

Unfortunately, I just can't remember where it was precisely, which is what happens when you sleep in the car.

The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.

t is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, which grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices.

Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city in the 4th century AD.

The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes, eventually led to the downfall of the city which was ultimately abandoned.

Petra is also known as the rose-red city, a name it gets from the wonderful colour of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved.

The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs that were cut out of the mountain sides and the city also had temples, a theater, and following the Roman annexation and later the Byzantine influence, a colonnaded street and churches.

In addition to the magnificent remains of the Nabataean city, human settlement and land use for over 10,000 years can be traced in Petra, where great natural, cultural, archaeological and geological features merge.

On December 6, 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.

When you believe and trust yourself about your aims, precisely at that moment your way is going to be shining between the darkness in front of your feet as in this photo! Your future is in front of you, not on your back! If you turn your back, you will see the dark shadow of you..

Become a Patron!

It's the warm yet cloudy morning of 20.06.2024 and TEM2-123 of the sand mine Kotlarnia is slowly making its way through the spruce forests of Racibórz (Lasy Raciborskie) together with TEM2-043 as a pusher engine and a loaded sand train to Zabrze Maciejów Pn.

Having left Kotlarnia roughly 30 minutes before, the next post on the way is the junction Elektrownia Rybnik EZ (the Rybnik power station's Western outpost).

The latest few days have been some of the most intense and action-packed days of my life, all thanks to an extremely unique event occuring in Southern Poland - more precisely Silesia.

There is an unusual lot of things to talk about here, and most of them start with the phrase "One of the first trains after X years", with X corresponding to an integer value between 1 and 25. Others on the other hand start with "One of the last...". And so I will split the whole information aswell as personal experiences up into many posts so as not to overload the first one with all of the stuff I want to talk about.

The whole story starts on last Monday's morning with me receiving a text from Wojtek. As if nothing terribly interesting was to happen, he had asked me if I wanted to come to Silesia, as there was going to be an event with a steam locomotive in Rybnik. "Oh, by the way, tommorow and on Thursday there is going to be a sand train running from Kotlarnia to Zabrze."

With the way the information was presented to me, I was uninterested and reluctant at first, but decided to give it a go, as I had no other plans for the week. As it later turned out, I would not be disappointed!

The last hindrance was getting an accomodation - luckily enough, just that Monday, my family had come back from their camping trip earlier than planned and could provide a warm bed for me in Silesia for the duration of the following days.

We continue on Tuesday, 18.06, at 4:30 in the morning. Having woken up, I make my way to Gliwice's central bus station, which had been designated as our team's meeting point. The rest of the story in a future post!

Photo by Piotrek/Toprus

È proprio negli alti e bassi della vita che si ritrova l'equilibrio (Susan Randall)

It is precisely in the ups and downs of life that is found the balance (Susan Randall)

The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct and one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula. It is located in Spain and is the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms.

The Monostor Fortress - the largest modern fortress in Central Europe - was built between 1850 and 1871. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the neoclassical military monument is a fascinating sight with its huge walls of precisely hewn stone, the 3-4 metre thick earthen ramparts covering the defences and its network of underground passages (kazamata) several kilometres long.

Its monumental dimensions are evidenced by the following figures: The fortress covers 25 hectares, the total area including the firing ranges is 70 hectares, the floor area of the buildings is 25 680 m2 and the number of rooms is 640.

After the fortress was built, it served generations of soldiers of the Hungarian Defence Forces. Its tasks included the defence of the central fortress (North - Komárom) and the control of shipping on the Danube. It was never used in combat and served mainly as a training centre and weapons depot. During the First World War it was used as a conscription and training centre. During the Second World War, the 22nd Infantry Regiment had its headquarters at Fort Monostor, and the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments were stationed there. After the Second World War.

Between 1945 and 1990, the Red Army's Army Group South set up the largest ammunition depot in Central Europe in the fort. With their withdrawal, the military function of the fortress ended forever.

Today the fort is a popular destination with a military history exhibition, Cold War vehicles, a bread museum, a boat exhibition and numerous events.

www.iranykomarom.hu/en/fort-monostor-en

[polski opis niżej]

It's kinda experiment, maybe even a joke, but definitely something unusual. Being with my wife on a short trip in Bieszczady, we decided to take a walk allong the Ukrainian border to see the very beginning (source) of San river, located precisely on Ukrainian-Polish border, near the southernmost tip of Poland. As I've read before about the very scenic Ukrainian railroad through Uzhok Pass (Ужоцький перевал) passing by on Ukrainian side, just 200-500 meters East of the Polish tourist path. There's a nice viewpoint on the station Сянкі with tens of VL8 (ВЛ8) electric double locomotives left alone on couple of tracks. From the same viewpoint a spotter may see heavy freight trains slowly and loudly reaching the top of the Uzhok Pass. And so we have here: VL11 (ВЛ11) electric double locomotive in a new UZ livery climbs the pass on a last steep part. After a couple of minutes the train will reach Сянкі station, pass it and continues towards the next station on the route - Соколики.

This picture was not granted for free. To reach this viewpoint man has to walk 10 kms from the parking located in the end of a public road (if your car is low-slung you will not reach even the parking, as the "road" is not what you expect from this term). To make the matter even more painful, it rained almost all the day (what, I suppose, you may see in the picture). However spotting the train was a nice add-on to the trip.

The train was supported by second locomotive of the same class, at the rear, pushing the train in the mountain area. Later on, this helping locomotive was traveling back, after completing the job as a pusher.

A thing definitely worth seeing! August 21, 2025.

Photo by Jarek / Chester

Ta fotka to taki eksperyment, trochę beka, ale z pewnością o niecodziennym charakterze. Będąc na krótkim wypadzie w Bieszczadach z żoną, postanowiliśmy, że jeden dzień poświęcimy na wycieczkę do umownego źródła Sanu. Miejsce to jest zlokalizowane niemal na samym poołudniowo-wschodnim cyplu kraju, niedaleko najbardziej na południe wysuniętego punktu Polski, oczywiście przy granicy ukraińskiej. Wzdłuż trasy 11-kilometrowego spaceru biegnie, już za granicą, jedna z bardziej malowniczych linii kolejowych na Ukrainie, pokonująca tu Przełęcz Użocką (889 m n.p.m.). Na trasie wędrówki jest specjalny punkt widokowy na przełęcz, któa formalnie znajduje się 200 metrów za granicą, oraz miejscowość Sianki (Сянкі), ze stacją kolejową na pierwszym planie i dziesiątkami odstawionych starych elektrowozów WŁ8 na kilku torach. Z tego samego punktu widokowego można zobaczyć pociągi wspinające się na przełęcz, jak ten na zdjęciu - z elektrowozem WŁ11 w nowym malowaniu UZ (drugi taki elektrowóz znajdował się na końcu składu). Pociąg minął Sianki i skierował się do następnej stacji - Sokoliki. Lokomotywa popychająca po jakimś czasie wróciła luzem w dół przełęczy.

Zrobienie takiego zdjęcia niemało kosztuje. Najpierw trzeba tu dojść - około 10 kilometrów z parkingu Bukowiec, do którego samochód o niskim zawieszeniu nawet nie dotrze, gdyż prtowadząca do niego "droga" już dawno przestała wyrażać to określenie. Dodatkowo mieliśmy deszcz podczas prawie całej wędrówki, co poczyniło koszty tej fotografii jeszcze wyższe, ale wspomneinia trwalsze. No, ale zdecydowanie było warto. 21 sierpnia 2025 roku.

PS. Fragmenty tej linii oraz stacje Sianki i Sokoliki można zobaczyć z bieszczadzkich szczytów Halicza i Rozsypańca (ale to już naprawdę duże odległości - zalecany sokoli wzrok i dobra widoczność przez atmosferę).

Fot. Jarek / Chester

Here you see one of the photos from Bangkok that I'm particularly happy about.

You're looking at the Grand Palace, and more precisely, at a shrine in honor of the king, to the right of its entrance.

During peak times, like on weekends, people constantly stream past, either wanting to enter the palace or having just left. But during my visit on a weekday, shortly before the gates closed, I was able to observe and capture this beautiful scene.

A woman in traditional Thai clothing stands before the shrine and seems completely absorbed in prayer. In all the hustle and bustle of this metropolis, this scene radiated so much peace and tranquility.

Hier seht Ihr eine der Aufnahmen aus Bangkok, über die ich mich besonders freue.

Ihr blickt hier auf den Großen Palast und um genauer zu sein auf einen Schrein zu Ehren des Königs, rechts von dessen Eingang.

In Hochzeiten, wie am Wochenende strömen hier ununterbrochen Menschen vorbei, die entweder in den Palast wollen oder diesen gerade verlassen haben. Doch bei meinem Besuch an einem Wochentag, kurz vor Schließung der Tore, konnte ich diese wunderschöne Szene beobachten und auch festhalten.

Eine Frau, in traditioneller thailändischer Kleidung steht vor dem Schrein und schein ganz im Gebet vertieft zu sein. In all dem Trubel dieser Metropole strahlte diese Szene so viel Ruhe und Frieden aus.

Every time I encounter an uncommon bird, I wonder why it was there, in that place and at that precise moment, when it could be anywhere else in this vast world and my own movements and coverage are very limited. The answer may seem simple, for example, it nests in the area, there is the food it consumes, but the way this happens is much less obvious and sometimes very sudden.

I remember that recently, in a forest on the border between Uganda and the DR Congo, after a superb day of observation which had allowed us to find some rare and sought-after birds, the excellent national park ranger who had accompanied us remarked that some of the species seen that day had not been seen for a month in that precise location, in the complete absence of rain during that period. It turned out that the rain had fallen only the day before our visit, and that the birds had returned.

This time in the forest northwest of Quito, part of the Andean Choco, it was this little parrot that appeared to us right at the edge of the trail, even though the species is only irregularly observed in this fairly frequented reserve. The reason for its presence at that moment was actually due to the sudden and brief appearance of a certain fruit that it favors and came to consume (and the traces of which can be seen on its beak), precisely in response to the onset of the rainy season in the region. Since the fruiting lasts only two or three days at most, the chances of the bird showing up at the same time as me at the edge of this trail were quite low, and I find that fascinating.

Overall, birds react very quickly to changes in their environment, as also evidenced by the ability of some shorebirds to move to water points to nest only a few days after they appear in the arid inland areas of Australia, following heavy rains and while they had been far away some time before.

Thus, for me, the people capable of observing the most birds are those who manage to interpret the current conditions and be there at the right moment, which is also true for photography, and I have a lot of admiration for those people !

Blue-fronted Parrotlet Touit dilectissimus (in french : Toui à front bleu), taken in Mashpi-Amagusa Reserve, Pichincha province Ecuador.

Photo taken somewhere between Ardmore SD and Gillette WY on BN's Butte or Black Hills Sub, but the adjacent slides don't help me pinpoint the location any more precisely than that.

This was on a jaunt from Alliance to Glendive to view a total eclipse, so the date would have been Feb 24 or 25, 1979. My vehicle at the time was a ragtop Jeep CJ7, and it was a memorably frigid trip.

197903.1-05 (19-05)

The picture was taken in Venice, or to be more precisely in Giudecca which is in the south of Venice.

ENG: On the streets of Berlin! More precisely, on Axel-Springer-Street in the direction of Leipziger Street with a view through the canyons of houses to the television tower.

•

GER: Unterwegs auf den Straßen Berlins! Genauer gesagt auf der Axel-Springer-Straße in Richtung Leipziger Straße mit Blick durch die Häuserschluchten auf den Fernsehturm.

Explore Date: Apr. 09, 2023

Ranking: 154

Work by the street artist Luca Vallese, well known as Zentequerente.

For more informations:

thewalla.it/zentequerente/

On the left, a whirlwind of symbols and meanings linked to ancient iconographies, such as fire and the triangle, express the first spiritual and then archetypal dimension of the demiurge. On the right, man is dominated by habits and attachments until, suddenly, an epiphany: "Destiny as a choice", precisely the title of the painting, is an encouragement to become aware of oneself and of what surrounds us, to rise upwards and descend into the deepest parts of our inner world.

A unique phenomenon observable only just before noon and precisely on top of the rubbish bins in a very particular location. Was I privileged to see this? My educated guess is that just by "seeing" I did in fact "create" the phenomenon. You may have heard about the strange findings in particle research, namely that the observation of particles triggers a change in their behaviour. In this case, they lit up creating a kind a halo. Remarkable. Leica M8, Elmar (collapsible) 50/2.8 wide-open.

This picture was taken on precisely that day she passed away.

“The Desert Fathers believed that the wilderness had been created supremely valuable in the eyes of God precisely because it had no value to men. The wasteland was the land that could never be wasted by men because it offered them nothing. There was nothing to attract them. There was nothing to exploit. The desert was the region in which the Chosen People had wandered for forty years, cared for by God alone. They could have reached the Promised Land in a few months if they had traveled directly to it. God's plan was that they should learn to love Him in the wilderness and that they should always look back on the time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone. The desert was created simply to be itself, not to be transformed by men into something else.”

— Thomas Merton

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Massachusetts Bay

Trying to photograph a whale breaching the surface can be very challenging. First, you don't know precisely when and where they will do this. On this account, you don't know whether you will be zooming in or zooming out. By the time you find the whale, get it in your frame and focus, it can be practiically all over. And then add to this the rocking of the boat! (Look closely and you can see the whale's eye.)

Belatuk Dada Merah, Orange-backed Woodpecker, Reinwardtipicus validus

This is a woodpecker or more precisely Orange-backed Woodpecker (Reinwardtipicus validus), found throughout Malaysia. Perhaps this is the easiest woodpecker seen because it is not afraid of humans and dare to look for food in the trees near the residence. The two birds on the lower part are male woodpecker while the upper one is a female. Somehow these three appeared simultaneously while I was lurking for birds of other species. My lens nozzle changed direction to shot this drama of nature on a dead tree trunk as a stage.

Exif: 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 500, focal lenght 400mm, Cik Canon EOS 50D

Ini adalah burung belatuk atau lebih tepat lagi Orange-backed Woodpecker ( Reinwardtipicus validus ), terdapat di Semenanjung dan juga di Sabah dan Sarawak. Mungkin inilah burung belatuk yang paling mudah dilihat kerana sifatnya yang tidak takut manusia dan berani datang mencari makan di pokok-pokok berdekatan kediaman. Yang dua ekor di bawah adalah belatuk jantan sementara yang seekor di atas adalah belatuk betina. Entah kenapa tiga ekor ini muncul serentak semasa saya sedang mengendap burung spesis lain. Maka muncung lens berubah hala ke batang pokok mati yang menjadi pentas drama tiga ekor belatuk ini buat seketika.

I don't know where this is precisely, the photo was taken from an airplane window.

It was somewhere in the Nevada Basin-and-Range country, where there's another mountain range every few miles.

Nevada. March, 2023, after an unusually snowy winter.

The Aqueduct of Segovia (or more precisely, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct and one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula. It is located in Spain and is the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms.

ink, collage and watercolor on paper Fabriano

cm 27x38

It is simple to make a collage, and it can be

done quickly. It is fun to make a collage and

at the same time it is considered suspicious

because too simple, too fast. It seems not re-

spectable enough or immature. This is why

collages are mostly a playful and silly children's

activity. But a collage is resistant; it escapes

control even of the one who made it. Making

a collage always has to do with headlessness.

There is no means of exprssion with such

a great explosive power. A collage is charged

and always remains explosive. I often stand

dumbstruck before it, and precisely, as an

artist, it is a matter of enduring this ' looking

dumb'

Thomas Hirschhorn

Here, I've explored a fusion of macro and soft focus by precisely focusing on the heart of the flower. The shallow depth of field, created with an f/3.8 aperture, contributes to the gentle aesthetic. Importantly, this photograph is the result of traditional techniques, without any AI enhancement.

Relieves murales. Historias en piedra

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De: www.worldhistory.org/trans/es/1-12950/angkor-wat/

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Angkor Wat está diseñado para representar el monte Meru, el nexo espiritual y físico en el hinduismo que es el centro de toda la realidad. Los cinco picos del Monte Meru están representados por las cinco agujas del templo. Se creía que Brahma y los Devas (semidioses) vivían en el monte Meru y es famosa la referencia que se hace en el Mahabharata cuando Yudhishthira y sus hermanos viajan a las puertas del cielo. Los hermanos van muriendo uno a uno hasta que solo quedan Yudhishthira y su fiel perro. Cuando llegan a la frontera del cielo, el guardián de la puerta le dice a Yudhishthira que puede entrar por la vida digna que vivió, pero que no se admiten perros en el cielo. Yudhishthira rechaza cualquier paraíso que no incluya a los perros y se aleja, pero el guardián lo detiene y se revela como Vishnú, que solo lo estaba probando una última vez antes de permitirle la entrada.

Historias como esta se cuentan por todo el templo, donde se encuentran escenas de las obras clásicas de la literatura religiosa hindú, como el Ramayana y el Bhagavad-Gita. La gran batalla de Kurukshetra del Gita se representa con claridad, al igual que la batalla de Lanka del Ramayana. Como la mayoría de la gente no sabía leer en el siglo XII d. C., Angkor Wat sirvió como un gigantesco libro en el que se podían relatar visualmente los importantes relatos religiosos y culturales.

El templo se erige hacia arriba a través de una serie de galerías, lo que daba un amplio espacio a los diseñadores para explorar la historia cultural, religiosa y temporal del pueblo. La galería exterior del templo se extiende a lo largo de más de 600 m cubiertos por estos relieves. Angkor Wat fue diseñado para representar el mundo, con las cuatro esquinas del muro exterior ancladas en las cuatro esquinas de la tierra y el foso que representa los océanos circundantes. Escenas de la vida cotidiana, relatos mitológicos, iconografía religiosa y procesiones reales se enroscan en la fachada.

En la entrada occidental, una gran estatua de Vishnú con ocho brazos se ha colocado en la actualidad para recibir a los visitantes que depositan ofrendas a sus pies en señal de súplica o en agradecimiento por las oraciones atendidas. El santuario central del templo está alineado de norte a sur con el eje de la tierra, y la estatua de Vishnú se situaba en el centro, dejando claro que Vishnú estaba en el centro de todos los acontecimientos terrenales y divinos. Las galerías, según algunos estudiosos, se utilizaban para las observaciones astronómicas y se construyeron específicamente con ese fin para que los astrónomos pudieran ver claramente la rotación de los cielos en el cielo nocturno. No cabe duda de que el lugar estaba vinculado a las observaciones astronómicas, ya que está colocado con precisión para reflejar la constelación de Draco, el dragón, que representa la eternidad porque nunca se pone.

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Wall reliefs.- Stories in Stone

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From: www.worldhistory.org/Angkor_Wat/

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Angkor Wat is designed to represent Mount Meru, the spiritual and physical nexus in Hinduism which is the center of all reality. The five peaks of Mount Meru are represented by the five spires of the temple. Brahma and the Devas (demigods) were thought to live on Mount Meru and it is famously referenced in The Mahabharata when Yudhishthira and his brothers travel to the gates of heaven. One by one the brothers die until only Yudhishthira and his faithful dog are left. When they reach the border of heaven, the gatekeeper tells Yudhishthira that he may enter for the worthy life he lived but that dogs are not allowed in heaven. Yudhishthira rejects any paradise which does not include dogs and turns away, but the gatekeeper stops him and reveals himself as Vishnu who was only testing him one last time before allowing him entrance.

Stories such as this are told all over the temple where one finds scenes from the classic works of Hindu religious literature such as the Ramayana and Bhagavad-Gita. The great Battle of Kurukshetra from the Gita is depicted clearly as is the Battle of Lanka from the Ramayana. As most people could not read in the 12th century CE, Angkor Wat served as a gigantic book on which the important religious and cultural tales could be related visually.

The temple was galleried – meaning it progresses upwards through a series of galleries - giving ample room for the designers to explore the cultural, religious, and temporal history of the people. The outer gallery of the temple stretches for over 1,960 feet (600 m) covered in these reliefs. Angkor Wat was designed to represent the world with the four corners of the outer wall anchored at the four corners of the earth and the moat representing the surrounding oceans. Scenes from everyday life, mythological tales, religious iconography, and royal processions all wind themselves around the façade.

At the western entrance, a large statue of eight-armed Vishnu has been placed in the present day to receive visitors who place offerings at his feet in supplication or in gratitude for prayers answered. The central sanctuary of the temple is aligned north-south to the axis of the earth, and the Vishnu statue once stood in the center, making clear that Vishnu was at the heart of all earthly and divine occurrences. The galleries, according to some scholars, were used for astronomical observations and were built specifically for that purpose so that astronomers could clearly view the rotation of the heavens in the night sky. There is no doubt the site was linked to astronomical observances as it is precisely positioned to mirror the constellation of Draco, the dragon, which represents eternity because it never sets.

*Working Towards a Better World group

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears. - Edgar Allen Poe

There is certainly no absolute standard of beauty. That precisely is what makes its pursuit so interesting. -

John Kenneth Galbraith

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. - Jawaharlal Nehru

If eyes were made for seeing, then Beauty is it's own excuse for being. -

Ralph Waldo Emerson

People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. -

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful. -

Alice Walker

It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever. - Jimmy Carter

I know the world is filled with troubles and many injustices. But reality is as beautiful as it is ugly. I think it is just as important to sing about beautiful mornings as it is to talk about slums. I just couldn't write anything without hope in it. - Oscar Hammerstein

Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! xo💜💜 💕💕💕

Pedieos is the longest river in Cyprus that flows from north-eastern hillsides of the Troodos Mountain to the Mesaoria plain. It’s the river that crosses Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. The presence of the river is intense in the history of the city, it’s the source of life in the plains and the raison d'etre of the Engomi harbour from where copper was exported. Many of the settlements built in antiquity and the development of Ledra - one of the ten kingdoms of ancient Cyprus – are also due to the water of this river. Most importantly, Nicosia was chosen as the capital and administrative centre by the Byzantines precisely for the rich waters of Pedieos; paradoxical for an island having a capital inland instead of the coast!

The photo was taken at Machairas forest right after an intense rainfall event at the source of Pedieos River. The waterfall is well hidden and it’s accessible after a pretty risky hike. I came across this location in 2013 and this year I rediscovered it with a couple of friends.

For those interested in technical details, this is a single shot captured with Nikon D850 and Nikon 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens. Framed at 24mm and exposure for 2.5s, f/7.1 and ISO 100. I used the Lee SW150 circular polarising filter to cancel out some of the reflections on the wet stones and to enhance the saturation of the autumn colours that dominated the scene.

Thanks a lot for stopping by, your likes and comments are very much appreciated!

In the Appenzell Alpstein, more precisely on the Schwägalp, a path with many small lanterns leads through the forest during the cold and dark season. This is of course beautiful when there is also snow.

We have completed the path shortly after the sun has set. The golden and the blue hour, but also afterwards in the darkness showed great moods. Fortunately, the trail is not too long, because it was freezing cold. This was good for the quality of the pictures, but was at the expense of cold fingers :-)

Thanks for your criticism and as always, favs, likes and comments are gratefully appreciated!

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Common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)

Hainbuche (Carpinus betulus)

In the pause to take a photograph perhaps we might have the thought that these living things are doing precisely what we do. Breathing, consuming, gathering, defending and breeding. But all so quietly.

Photo Dejan Dukic.

From november, filming viking 872.

Goder is described in the sagas as the religious and political leader or chief of his district who was called godord (goðorð). In Iceland, every ninth farmer had a duty to accompany his property to the Althing if the estate demanded it, and whoever escaped had to pay the courtier's costs. At the parliament, the most important men met for a discussion and the parliament was the most important hub in Norse society. In addition to court proceedings and judging between right and wrong, the youth held competitions in sports and beer parties were held for friends and relatives, news was told and connections were made and alliances formed. Poets and storytellers contributed to the entertainment.

Goden was the chief of his district and those under him were his courtiers. The relationship between them was free. The magistrate promised good support and he in turn guaranteed his magistrates protection. If they did not agree, the magistrate could choose another good one. The area of ​​goods, good words, was thus not precisely delimited. The good words were hereditary, but could also be sold.

Before Christianity in Iceland in the year 1000, the good was the one who led the bare on the head, and the head was connected to the good's own house and property. Archeology has not found its own, independent courts like the church is the house of Christianity.

Cats have extraordinarily strong olfactory systems and use pheromones so richly and precisely that, in a metaphorical sense, they function as “poets” of chemical communication. Their world is layered with scented messages for territory, mood, sex, safety, and social bonds that humans cannot directly perceive.

Domestic cats have on the order of 45–200 million odor‑sensitive cells, versus roughly 5–10 million in humans, giving them a sense of smell estimated around 9–16 (often quoted ~14) times stronger than ours.

The *olfactory* membrane in cats is much larger than in humans (about 20 cm² and roughly 4:1 in area), feeding a proportionally enlarged olfactory lobe in the brain that devotes serious processing to scent.

Cats run a dual chemosensory system: standard olfactory epithelium in the nasal passages for general odors, and a vomeronasal organ (Jacobson’s organ) in the roof of the mouth specialized for pheromones and other subtle chemical cues.

When a scent is especially “interesting,” they perform the Flehmen response—mouth slightly open, lip curled—pulling molecules into the vomeronasal organ for deeper analysis,

Cats release pheromones from glands in the cheeks, lips, forehead, paws, base of tail, and around the teats, effectively “writing” layered messages on objects, paths, and other animals.

Through these chemical verses they mark territory, advertise sexual readiness, greet familiars, soothe kittens, and maintain social distance, allowing avoidance of conflict and coordination of mating and kin recognition over space and time.

Head‑rubbing and cheek‑rubbing on furniture or humans is contentment and familiarity mark, depositing facial pheromones that turn a space into a personally edited anthology of safety.

Urine marking, scratching with paw glands, and body rubbing create overlapping scent trails that other cats can “read” later, extracting identity, sex, status, and emotional state from what, to humans, is just a faint smell.insightful

Cats can detect food and other odors at tens of meters, and males may detect a female in heat via pheromones at distances exceeding a kilometre, turning the landscape into a low‑frequency but information‑dense chemical broadcast.schnuzzle

Damage to the vomeronasal organ disrupts this nuanced channel and is associated with increased aggression, suggesting that much of feline social subtlety depends on this silent, pheromonal “literature.”

Voigtlănder Bessa-Rangefinder

HELIAR 10.5cm F3.5

NEOPAN ACROS 100

lab developed, scanned from print

Although this photo was taken in April second, atmosphere in this nature was precisely March.

F16, 1/25 ISO100.

Nessuno sa con precisione dove si trovano gli angeli, se nell'aria, nel vuoto, o nei pianeti: Dio non ha voluto che ne fossimo edotti

Nobody knows precisely where the angels are,

whether in the air, in the void, or in the planets:

God did not want us to be educated..

(Voltaire)

Víti (Icelandic: víti="hell") is a volcanic lake, more precisely a maar, on Iceland's central volcano, Krafla. It was formed in 1724 by a steam explosion at the beginning of a series of approximately five-year eruptions known as the Mývatn Fires, which lasted until 1729. The lake measures 320 m in diameter and is about 33 m deep.

In the background: the Krafla volcano.