1: height. 2: width. 3: Ten incised spiral lines on base of body-whorl disappear into shell on parietal lip which is darkened by slight glaze. 4: top of body whorl. 5: Obtuse adapical angle. Aperture 33% shell height.

23mm high. Portland Harbour, Dorset, U.K. April 2012.

DETAILED ACCOUNT BELOW

Sets of OTHER SPECIES at: www.flickr.com/photos/56388191@N08/collections/.

PDF available at www.researchgate.net/publication/348448785_Calliostoma_zi...

Calliostoma zizyphinum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Current taxonomy: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=141767

Synonyms: Trochus zizyphinus Linnaeus, 1758 [in Jeffreys, and Forbes & Hanley]; Trochus conuloides Lamarck, 1822; Calliostoma zizyphinum var. lyonsi (Leach in Forbes & Hanley, 1850).

Vernacular: Painted top shell (English); Trwyn fy nain (Welsh); Plettet topsnegl (Danish); priktolhoren (Dutch); Troque jujube (French).

Meaning of scientific name: Calliostoma (kallos stoma) = beautiful mouth.

zizyphinum (zizyphino) = jujube fruit (colour of).

GLOSSARY below.

Shell description

Maximum width and height are 30 mm; W/H 90-120%. Conoidal, like a traditional spinning top; almost precisely flat sided in profile except sometimes a slight concavity near the apex (fig. 1) flic.kr/p/j9A6uv . The shell is opaque, slightly glossy and slippery. Body whorl height is 40-45% of shell height (Graham 1988) (fig. 2) flic.kr/p/2kpY46Q . It is acutely angled at the periphery, the lower part forming a flat base (fig. 1) flic.kr/p/j9A6uv . The sharp apex is rarely eroded on live animals; the apical angle is greater on those living in fast-flowing water. There is a sculpture of about ten incised spiral lines below the angled periphery on the base of the body-whorl, which is hidden on earlier whorls by the subsequent overlapping whorl (fig. 2) flic.kr/p/2kpY46Q . Above the periphery, body-whorl has six to nine broad or narrow spiral fillets (bands), the one on the periphery is the largest and broadest (fig. 3) flic.kr/p/j9yDiM . The fillets are separated by grooves. The fillets have curved or sloping abapical edges and steep adapical edges (fig. 4) flic.kr/p/j9AXYN . Fillets above the periphery continue onto the earlier whorls, decreasing in number and clarity; the large peripheral one becomes suprasutural on leaving the body-whorl (fig. 3) flic.kr/p/j9yDiM and remains visible even when other fillets are obscure. Sutures are slight and defined by the suprasutural fillet of each whorl (fig. 4) flic.kr/p/j9AXYN . Most fillets are smooth with very fine transverse striae (fig. 3) flic.kr/p/j9yDiM , but the apical protoconch lacks sculpture and pigment, and fillets on some other adapical whorls are cut into beads (fig. 5) flic.kr/p/j9yBJV so very small young ones are predominantly beaded (fig. 20) flic.kr/p/KpbYR6 .

The umbilicus is closed (fig. 6) flic.kr/p/j9Dajm on all except juveniles less than 7 mm high. The aperture is rhomboidal and wider than high. Its height is c. 33% of the shell height (fig. 2) flic.kr/p/2kpY46Q . The parietal lip is a reflected slight glaze on the body whorl. The columellar lip is a wide, white shelf leaning to the left of the axis; sometimes with a slight bulge. The aperture has an obtuse adapical angle. The interior of the shell is coated with pearly white nacre (aragonite crystals), apart from a border just within the outer lip coloured as the exterior of the shell. The ground colour of the shell is whitish (fig. 4) flic.kr/p/j9AXYN , pale yellowish-pink (most often when on granite) and/or peach (fig. 4) flic.kr/p/j9AXYN ; occasionally warm red-brown or pale slate-blue (most often on limestone). Apart from on the all-white variety often found in sheltered rapids, C. zizyphinum lyonsi (fig. 6) flic.kr/p/j9Dajm , on and above the periphery there are transverse blotches or “flames” of purplish-pink, reddish-pink or dark-liver of varying strength, but usually distinct on the peripheral and suprasutural spiral fillets (fig. 4) flic.kr/p/j9AXYN . Colours match well those of jubjube fruit (zizyphino) jujubetrees.com/ . Even the youngest shells are well pigmented; sometimes small early apical whorls, even on var. lyonsi, are coloured (fig. 7) flic.kr/p/j9AWBj . The circular, polygyrous, spiral, translucent, horn coloured operculum has narrow coils and fine transverse growth lines (fig. 8) flic.kr/p/j9yALT . Live shells are notable for the absence of growths and deposits, and lack of erosion, but exceptions occur; www.bioimages.org.uk/html/r164639.htm . The thin yellow-brown periostracum is almost always lost from peripheral and suprasutural fillets (fig. 3) flic.kr/p/j9yDiM , and is frequently lost from all or most of shell (fig. 10) flic.kr/p/j9AWfs .

Body description

The flesh is peach-pink to salmon pink or yellowish, heavily marked dark orange-brown (fig. 9) flic.kr/p/j9yBpg (including all-white shell variety, C. zizyphinum lyonsi (fig. 10) flic.kr/p/j9AWfs ) . The orange-peach body of juveniles lacks dark pigment marks (fig. 20) flic.kr/p/KpbYR6 . The short snout, is heavily blotched orange-brown dorsally except for the pale tip (fig. 11) flic.kr/p/j9yAaH . There is a small, rudimentary cephalic lappet at the base of each tentacle. The end of the snout is horseshoe-shaped with a wide, peach coloured border surrounding a salmon-pink, crenate-lipped, vertical-slit mouth (fig. 12) flic.kr/p/j9yzRM . The ventral lip has median line with an eversion of the outer lip (pseudoproboscis) on the right (Fretter & Graham, 1962) which is not visible in this set of images. The cephalic tentacles are long, densely setose, whitish or pinkish, with an orange-brown, dorsal median line (fig. 11) flic.kr/p/j9yAaH . There is an eye on a stout peduncle at the base of each cephalic tentacle. A small black exposed part is surrounded by a blue-grey ring of the rest of eye showing through the translucent peduncle (fig. 11) flic.kr/p/j9yAaH . There is a sensory tentacle at the base of the right eye peduncle (fig. 11) flic.kr/p/j9yAaH but not on the left peduncle. There is a large, peach-pink neck-lobe, with orange-brown blotches ventrally, behind each eye. It is often curved to form respiratory part-siphon (fig. 13) flic.kr/p/j9A2Xv ; the edge is not fringed on either lobe. The thicker left inhalent lobe undulates and is held out from body to reduce the intake of substrate detritus (fig. 19) flic.kr/p/jaQRvL . The anterior of the foot is truncate, and the posterior is obtusely pointed (fig. 13) flic.kr/p/j9A2Xv . When stationary, the foot is often covered by the shell (fig. 15) flic.kr/p/j9yzoH , but the posterior extends beyond shell when in motion (fig. 16) flic.kr/p/j9D7Fq . The dorsal and lateral surfaces of the foot are densely covered in papillae arranged in approximate rows obliquely to the perimeter; many are pale yellowish or pinkish and distinct where they protrude through the extensive orange to dark-brown pigment (fig. 16) flic.kr/p/j9D7Fq . The periphery of the foot is pale without brown pigment. A large undulate epipodium, coloured and with papillae like the dorsum of the foot, runs along each side of the foot. Each bears four whitish epipodial tentacles (fig. 16) flic.kr/p/j9D7Fq & (fig. 9) flic.kr/p/j9yBpg . The whitish opercular disc, to which the operculum is attached, does not enclose any of the operculum edge (fig. 17) flic.kr/p/j9A1bz . The disc is visible as a pale area through the translucent operculum when the animal is retracted into the shell (fig. 8) flic.kr/p/j9yALT . The epipodia continue on the metapodium behind the operculum, and meet to form a fringed crest concealing a dorsal V-shape area, grooved transversely with abundant mucus-producing cells (fig. 17) flic.kr/p/j9A1bz . The elongate sole, salmon-pink with a peach periphery, (fig. 18) flic.kr/p/j9D73m , readily folds along a longitudinal furrow (fig. 9) flic.kr/p/j9yBpg . The transverse anterior groove produces mucus for locomotion. The mantle is peach-coloured with brown marks on its edge (fig. 12) flic.kr/p/j9yzRM ; it extends slightly beyond the rim of the aperture (fig. 14) flic.kr/p/j9AU3G . Fertilization is external so there is no penis on males.

Key identification features

Calliostoma zizyphinum

1) Conoidal shell like traditional spinning top; almost precisely flat sided in profile except sometimes a slight concavity near apex (fig. 1) flic.kr/p/j9A6uv . Maximum height and width 30 mm.

2) Spiral fillets smooth with very fine transverse striae (fig. 3) flic.kr/p/j9yDiM . Protoconch lacks sculpture and pigment. Other apical whorls have beads (fig. 20) flic.kr/p/KpbYR6 so small young are entirely beaded.

3) Large undulate epipodium on each side of foot bears four whitish epipodial tentacles (fig. 16) flic.kr/p/j9D7Fq .

4) Littoral and sublittoral on most coasts of Britain & Ireland, except estuaries and turbid-waters.

Similar species

Jujubinus striatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (fig. 29 ) flic.kr/p/2krttXW

1) Conoidal shell like traditional spinning top; almost precisely flat sided in profile. Maximum height 10 mm and width 8 mm.

2) Shell usually brown with cream or white marks and, on apical area, carmine red. Spiral ribs have variably pronounced nodules.

4) LWST to 200 m depth. Usually found on or near Zostera, Ulva or Codium in Channel Islands, south-west England, Isle of Man and south-west Ireland.

The following beaded/nodose two species have some similarity but are not described here because of uncertainty about the distinguishing features

Calliostoma granulatum (Born, 1778)

Sublittoral, 7-300 m (Graham, 1988). Occasional on gravel and soft substrates in south and west Britain. Maximum height and width 35 mm.

Clelandella miliaris (Brocchi, 1814)

Sublittoral only, 33-800 m (Graham, 1988) On stony substrate. Feeds on alcyonarians and hydroids. Scottish waters and Irish Sea. Maximum height 12 mm, width 11 mm.

Habits and ecology

C. zizyphinum is found under rocks, in crevices and on large algae from MLWS on sheltered shores to 300 m depth. Often on Laminaria but occurs also where there are no large algae. It cannot tolerate exposure to air for long, but it sometimes survives in rock pools on upper shores in northern Scotland on exposed coasts where the summer sun lacks intensity and pool water is frequently refreshed by ocean swell. It favours clean water so, despite an ability to survive salinity down to 21 ppt, NBN distribution maps suggest it is absent from estuaries and turbid coasts such as Liverpool Bay.

Cilia on the undulating left neck-lobe create an inhalent current to the long ctenidium within the mantle cavity (fig. 13) flic.kr/p/j9A2Xv . Cilia on the right neck-lobe create an exhalent current for respiratory water, gametes and excreta. Locomotion is caused by ditaxic, direct compression waves on the sole of the foot; turning is caused by different rates of wave flow on either side of the central furrow (fig. 18) flic.kr/p/j9D73m . It feeds on micro-algae and other micro-organisms brushed by radula from rocks and stones, and about 20% of its food by “shell wiping” (Jones, S.P. et al., 2001). Twice every 24 hours the crest on the metapodium opens (fig. 23) flic.kr/p/QHSF2A to expose a mucus-producing area which is wiped over the shell for about 20 minutes. The coated shell acts like a fly paper trapping micro-organisms and other water borne particles which are ingested along with mucus (fig. 21) flic.kr/p/Pbx33Y & (fig. 22) flic.kr/p/P6rXQ8 This feeding method operates most effectively in strong currents loaded with particles; C. zizyphinum is often large and abundant in marine rapids. Shell wiping usually maintains the shell free of fouling by epibiota or detritus, but not always (fig. 28) flic.kr/p/2kqRAgy , and the wiping with mucus is the cause of live shells sometimes feeling slippery. Faeces are irregular rods of sand and calcareous or vegetable detritus embedded in mucus (fig. 24) flic.kr/p/V6CzGA .

C. zizyphinum breeds in spring and summer in Plymouth, and May to October, with maximum in July, in Roscoff (Fretter & Graham 1962). Spawning at 10º C in natural lighting in captivity was spread randomly across a 30 day experimental period irrespective of lunar phase or time of day (Holmes, 1997). Unlike the trochid Phorcus lineatus and Steromphala spp. which release individual unattached eggs, the female C. zizyphinum lays, indiscriminately over rock and weed, a long, thin spawn-ribbon, 250 to 750mm long by 2 to 5mm wide, attached at one end to the substrate, (fig. 25) flic.kr/p/U4x65N . The ribbon has up to 700 large ova with mean diameter 0.47mm (Holmes, 1997). It probably expands immediately on contact with seawater in the mantle cavity because it appears fully expanded as it comes into view from the shell (fig. 26) flic.kr/p/UKRupd . Fertilization is external after the spawn leaves the female. Close proximity of an attendant male during spawning is not required (fig. 25) flic.kr/p/U4x65N & (fig. 27) flic.kr/p/UKRtxy (D. Kipling and C. Rickard, pers. comm. 2017 and Holmes, 1997). Males in the general vicinity release milky white puffs of sperm and seminal fluid a few minutes after spawning starts and are probably stimulated to action by the release from the spawn of soluble chemicals (fig. 24) flic.kr/p/V6CzGA . The released sperm swim to the spawn, probably in response to material from within the egg mass (Holmes, 1997). Ova have large yolks. Trochophore and veliger stages, passed within the spawn mass, can be seen rotating and then crawling within ova. Young hatch as crawling snails. Unusually for a British trochid, there is no planktonic phase.

Distribution and status

C. zizyphinum occurs from Trondheim, and some offshore islands further north, in Norway to Atlantic Morocco and the Mediterranean. Absent from the Baltic beyond south-west Sweden; scarce or absent from British estuaries and the continental coast of the southern North Sea. GBIF map www.gbif.org/species/2293333 . Lives all round Britain and Ireland where there is suitable hard substrate. U.K. map NBN species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0000174273

Acknowledgements

I am most grateful to David Fenwick www.aphotomarine.com , David Kipling, Brenton Prigge, Chris Rickard, Rob Spray, Malcolm Storey www.bioimages.org.uk/ and Dawn Watson for use of their images, and I thank Jon Crothers and Geoff Wigham for help with literature.

Links and references

Forbes, E. & Hanley S. 1849-53. A history of the British mollusca and their shells. vol. 2 (1849), London, van Voorst. (As Trochus zizyphinus) archive.org/details/historyofbritish02forb/page/490/mode/2up

Fretter, V. and Graham, A. 1962. British prosobranch molluscs. London, Ray Society.

Graham, A. 1988. Prosobranch and pyramidellid gastropods. London.

Jeffreys, J.G. 1862-69. British conchology. vol. 3 (1865). London, van Voorst. (As Trochus zizyphinus) archive.org/details/britishconcholog03jeffr/page/330/mode...

Jones, H.D. 1984. Shell cleaning behaviour of Calliostoma zizyphinum. J. Mollus. Stud. 50 (3): 245-247 Abstract: academic.oup.com/mollus/article-abstract/50/3/245/1234573

Jones, S.P., Sturgess C.J., Cherrill, A. & Davies, M.S. 2001. Shell wiping in Calliostoma zizyphinum: the use of pedal mucus as a provendering agent and its contribution to daily energetic requirements. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 212: 171-181. www.int-res.com/articles/meps/212/m212p171.pdf

Current taxonomy: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=141767

Glossary

adapical = towards the apex of the shell.

aperture = mouth of gastropod shell; outlet for head and foot.

cephalic = (adj.) of or on the head.

cilia = (pl.) linear extensions of membrane used in feeding or locomotion. (“cilium” singular).

columella = solid or hollow axis around which gastropod shell spirals; hidden inside shell, except on final whorl next to lower part of inner lip of aperture where hollow ones may end in an umbilicus or siphonal canal.

columellar = (adj.) of or near central axis of spiral gastropod.

columellar lip - lower (abapical) part of inner lip of aperture.

conoidal = nearly conical.

ctenidium = comb-like molluscan gill; usually an axis with a row of filaments either side.

ditaxic = (of locomotion waves on foot) double series of waves, out of phase with each other,

direct = (of locomotion waves on foot) waves travel from posterior to anterior.

ELWS = extreme low water spring tide (usually near March and September equinoxes).

epipodial = (adj.) of the epipodium.

epipodium = collar around sides of foot of some gastropods, often bearing epipodial tentacles.

height = (of gastropod shells) distance from apex of spire to base of aperture.

mantle = sheet of tissue that secretes the shell and forms a cavity for the gill.

MLWS = mean low water spring tide level (mean level reached by lowest low tides for a few days every fortnight; Laminaria or Coralline zone on rocky coasts).

opercular = (adj.) of the operculum.

opercular disc = part of foot that is attached to the operculum.

operculum = plate of horny conchiolin used to close shell aperture.

periostracum = thin horny layer of chitinous material often coating shells.

plankton = animals and plants that drift in pelagic zone (main body of water).

retrograde = (of locomotion waves on foot) waves travel from anterior to posterior.

suprasutural = (adj.) above (adapical of) the suture.

suture = groove or line where whorls of gastropod shell adjoin.

trochophore = spherical or pear-shaped larvae that swim with aid of girdle of cilia. Stage preceding veliger, passed within gastropod egg in most spp., including C. zizyphinum, but free in plankton for most Trochidae.

umbilicus = cavity up axis of some gastropods, open as a hole or chink on base of shell.

veliger = shelled larva of marine gastropod which swims by beating cilia of a velum (bilobed flap). Stage passed within egg of C. zizyphinum.

..or more precisely near the edge of a cliff.

Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to 90 metres (300 ft) at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. Blackrock is bordered by Booterstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Foxrock, Deansgrange and Monkstown.

Blackrock is a large commercial centre with cafes, restaurants, boutiques, hairdressers and barbers, a tattoo and piercing studio, pharmacies, supermarkets, art galleries, antiques and home improvements outlets as well as bars such as The Breffni, Jack O'Rourkes, O'Donohues, Flash Harrys, Conways, The Wicked Wolf and the Ten Tun Tavern.

The Blackrock Shopping Centre was built in 1984 by Superquinn who managed the development and are the anchor store. Superquinn has now become Supervalu.

There are many high street finance branches for AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, National Irish Bank, Ulster Bank and the Blackrock Credit Union. Permanent TSB closed their Blackrock branch in March 2010 but retain their administrative offices on Carysfort Avenue.

There are many office buildings that house large corporations such as Zurich Financial Services and AIG, and car dealers such as Carroll & Kinsella Motors, Maxwell Motors (generally BMW) and Eco Aer (eco electric vehicles).

Exhibition Jean Tinguely - Machine Spectacle 1 Oct 2016 - 5 Mar 2017 in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Jean Tinguely is famous for his playful, boldly kinetic machines and explosive performances. Everything had to be different, everything had to move. Precisely twenty-five years after his death, the Stedelijk Museum opens a Tinguely retrospective: the largest-ever exhibition of the artist to be mounted in a Dutch museum.

The Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) played a key role in the rise of kinetic art in the fifties. With over a hundred machine sculptures, most of which are in working order, paired with films, photos, drawings, and archive materials, the presentation takes the public on a chronological and thematic journey of Tinguely’s artistic development and ideas, from his love of absurd play to his fascination for destruction and ephemerality.

The presentation features his early wire sculptures and reliefs, in which Tinguely imitated and animated the abstract paintings of artists such as Malevich, Miró, and Klee; the interactive drawing machines and wild dancing installations constructed from salvaged metal, waste materials, and discarded clothing; and his streamlined, military-looking black sculptures.

Tinguely’s self-destructive performances are a special feature of the Stedelijk presentation. The enormous installations Tinguely created between 1960–1970 (Homage to New York, Étude pour une fin du monde No. 1, Study for an End of the World No. 2, and La Vittoria) were designed to spectacularly disintegrate in a barrage of sound. The presentation also spotlights the exhibitions Tinguely organized at the Stedelijk, Bewogen Beweging (1961) and Dylaby (1962), and the gigantic sculptures he later produced: HON – en katedral (“SHE – a cathedral,” 1966), Crocrodrome (1977) and the extraordinary Le Cyclop (1969–1994), which is still on display outside Paris. The survey ends with a dramatic grand finale, the remarkable, room-filling installation, Mengele-Totentanz (1986), a disturbing display of light and shadow never previously shown in the Netherlands. Tinguely realized the work after witnessing a devastating fire, reclaiming objects from the ashes to piece together his installation: scorched beams, agricultural machinery (made by the Mengele company), and animal skeletons. The final piece is a gigantic memento mori, yet also an invocation of the Nazi concentration camps. Its juddering movements and piercing sounds evoke a haunting, grisly mood.

Jean Tinguely created his work as a rejection of the static, conventional art world; he sought to emphasize play and experiment. For Tinguely, art was not about standing in a sterile white space, distantly gazing at a silent painting. He produced kinetic sculptures to set art and art history in motion, in works that animated the boundary between art and life. With his do-it-yourself drawing machines, Tinguely critiqued the role of the artist and the elitist position of art in society. He renounced the unicity of “the artist’s hand” by encouraging visitors to produce work themselves. Collaboration was integral to Tinguely’s career. He worked extensively with artists like Daniel Spoerri, Niki de Saint Phalle (also his wife), Yves Klein, and others from the ZERO network, as well as museum directors such as Pontus Hultén, Willem Sandberg, and Paul Wember. Thanks to his charismatic, vibrant personality and the dazzling success with which he presented his work (and himself) in the public sphere, Tinguely was a vital figure within these networks, acting as leader, inspirator, and connector.

Amsterdam has enjoyed a dynamic history with Tinguely. The exhibitions Bewogen Beweging (1961) and Dylaby (1962), for which Tinguely was (co)curator, particularly underline the extraordinarily close relationship that sprang up between the museum and the artist. Not only did he bring his kinetic Méta machines to the Netherlands, he also brought his international, avant-garde network, leaving an enduring impression on museum goers who flocked to see these experimental exhibitions. Close relationships with Willem Sandberg, then director of the Stedelijk Museum, and curator Ad Petersen prompted various retrospectives and acquisitions for the collection: thirteen sculptures, including his famous drawing machine, Méta-Matic No. 10 (1959), Gismo (1960), and the enormous Méta

The Abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire , more precisely Fleury Abbey , is a Benedictine abbey which stands on the territory of the French commune of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire in the Loiret department in the Centre-Val region of Loire .

The first monastery founded in the early Middle Ages in 651 was one of the first in Gaul to live according to the rule of Saint Benedict and the relics of Saint Benedict were transferred there. At the beginning of the 11th century , the abbey was one of the cultural centers of the West and then shone thanks to its important library and its scriptorium . After a fire in 1026, the current church was rebuilt and its porch tower occupied an important place at the beginning of the period dominated by Romanesque art , due to the high quality of the sculptures on the capitals.

The abbey church is classified as a historic monument . The site is located in the eastern part of the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Location

Fleury Abbey is located in the territory of the commune of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire , 650 meters from the north bank of the Loire and 114 meters above sea level, in the French department of Loiret and the natural region of the Loire Valley . The abbey church is accessible via Rue Orléanaise (departmental road 60), Rue and Place de l'Abbaye.

History

Introduction of the Benedictine rule in France

The origin of the Benedictine rule in France is described in the life of Saint Maur which is a forgery, written by Odo de Glanfeuil (en) in the 9th century 1 .

The bishop of Le Mans , during the lifetime of Saint Benedict , sent religious from his diocese to Monte Cassino to learn about the rule of Saint Benedict . On the day of Epiphany 542 , Saint Maurus left Monte Cassino and Benedict of Nursia. He spent the Easter period near Auxerre in a place called Font-Rouge near a solitary man called Romain who had given the monastic habit to Benedict of Nursia. He arrived with his monks in Orléans where he attempted, without success, to introduce the Benedictine rule at the abbey of Saint-Pierre-aux-Bœufs, which later took the name of Saint-Aignan note 1 . Following the death of the bishop of Le Mans , Saint Innocentus, and the refusal of his successor to receive Saint Maur, he remained in Orléans, then headed to Angers , where with the help of Count Florus, he created Glanfeuil Abbey . This is Odo's story, but it has no historical value 2 .

The first oratories

Under the episcopate of the Bishop of Orléans Leodegarius , the abbot of the Saint-Aignan collegiate church of Orléans , Léodebold, wished to introduce the rule of Saint Benedict into his abbey. Faced with the refusal of his monks, he decided to found a new abbey. For this he exchanged with the Frankish king Clovis II and the support of his wife Bathilde , favorable to the establishment of new abbeys, a property that he owned with the Gallo-Roman villa of Floriacum near Orléans and the edges Of the loire. The same year of his exchange, in 651, he sent monks, probably including Liébaut and Rigomaire , the future first abbots of Fleury, to found the new abbey. They probably initially used the old buildings of this royal possession. One of the oratories founded is dedicated to Saint Peter , the other to the Virgin Mary 3 , 2 .

The relics of Saint Benedict

Mommolin , the second abbot of Fleury, having a mystical vision of Saint Benedict , asked one of his monks, Aigulfe , to go to Italy and bring back to the abbey of Fleury the body of Saint Benedict which was then in the abandoned monastery of Monte Cassino . Aigulfe goes to Rome with monks from Le Mans who wish to bring back the relics of Saint Scholastica buried next to Saint Benedict. There he collected the bodies of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica. Despite the pope's opposition, the return of Aigulfe and his companions with the relics of Saint Benedict and Saint Scholastica to the abbey of Fleury took place inJune 655. The body of Saint Scholastica was then given to the monks who came from Le Mans. The body of Saint Benedict was first placed in the Saint-Pierre church then, finally, buried in the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary inDecember 655. The abbey then took the name of Saint-Benoît de Fleury or Saint-Benoît-Fleury. The date of this translation varies according to the authors: 653 for Mabillon, 655 for Dom Chazal, 660 for the Benedictines of the 17th century . The date of 660 might make more sense if we consider that the pope at the time of this transfer was Vitalian 3 .

Around 752-754, monks from the Abbey of Monte Cassino, accompanied by Carloman , came to the abbey accompanied by the Archbishop of Reims to take back the relics of Saint Benedict on the order of Pope Zacharias and King Pepin the Brief . Legend has it that a miracle by Saint Benedict meant that Abbot Medon gave the monks of Montecassino only a few bones from the body of Saint Benedict 3 .

In 887, a portion of the relics of Saint Benedict were given to the monastery of Perrecy-les-Forges dependent on the abbey of Fleury-Saint-Benoît. At the request of Pope Urban V , in 1364, they were sent to Montpellier , then in 1725, given to the Bec Abbey (Le Bec-Hellouin). At the request of the King of Poland Stanislaus Leszczyński , in 1736, a small part of the saint's bones was donated to the monastery of Saint Leopold, in Russia and after the French Revolution , donations of relics of Saint Benedict were more numerous

A first monastery founded in the High Middle Ages , theJune 27, 651, is then located in the Kingdom of the Franks 5 , 6 . This monastery is one of the first in Celtic Gaul to live according to the rule of Saint Benedict . The relics of Saint Benedict were transferred there by monks who went to look for the abandoned bones of their master, which is the origin of the current name of the abbey 7 .

The temporal is constituted, after Leodebold who gives in his will the domain of Fleury, around 670, the king of the Franks of Neustria and the Burgundians Clotaire III confirms to the abbey goods which will form the priory of Saint-Benoît-du-Sault , then the king of the Franks Thierry III made a donation near Bordeaux as Pepin I , Charlemagne 's father had done before him. Between 691 and 720, a royal prince offered vast domains in the diocese of Langres where the abbot of Saint-Benoît created a monastery under his authority. Before 720, the monks cleared land which formed hermitages in the forest of Orléans , in Sologne and on the banks of the Loire.

In the first years of the 9th century , the bishop of Orléans Théodulphe governed the abbey. He held high positions under Charlemagne and wanted education to be given to all those who held office. The monks of Saint-Benoît agree to teach the young nobles. He built the Carolingian oratory of Germigny-des-Prés .

In the 9th century , the situation was prosperous, the Frankish king Louis the Pious visited the monastery, confirmed the privileges including that of operating four boats on the Loire, exempted the abbey from all religious and civil jurisdiction and the priory of La Réole is returned to him. With the rise of feudalism , the stronghold of Fleury was divided into thirteen town halls including Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire , Guilly , Tigy , Germigny-des-Prés , Bray-en-Val and Châtenoy . The abbey has numerous serfs on its estates 3 .

In 845, King Charles the Bald visited the abbey. Around 853, the Normans went up the Loire and the monks received the monks from Touraine who fled with the relics of Saint Martin then left for Auxerre . The populations are in poverty, the fields are no longer cultivated and the crops are plundered. King Charles the Bald granted new domains to the abbey in the country of Mâcon, Autun and Chalon, including the domain of Perrecy-les-Forges which would become a rich monastery. He established the abbey law by separating the abbot's property from that of the monks.

The end of the 9th and the beginning of the 10th century was a period of weakening of religious discipline and decadence. King Carloman II visits the monastery which is in ruins, the convent buildings are no longer habitable, the church is devastated, the tomb of Saint Benedict is empty because the relics are in Orléans for security reasons. The king gives the order to repair the buildings and rebuild the church. The monks returned to the abbey in 883. A fort was built at the southeast corner of the monastery in 883.

Around 897, the Normans who still traveled the Loire with their ships returned to Saint-Benoît and plundered the monastery but the monks left with the body of Saint Benedict. After all these invasions we are witnessing the withering away of discipline

The new king Raoul of Burgundy elected in 922 knew Abbot Odon de Cluny and gave him the task of restoring the monastery on the banks of the Loire. The abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, which is in the royal domain, becomes the propagator of the Cluniac reform . The introduction of the methods of Cluny revives perfect fidelity to the Benedictine Rule , silence, prayer, work, frugality, abstinence and the divine office celebrated with as much splendor as possible. The number of religious increased and the monastery model served as a reference and transmitted the reform to the monasteries of France, Lorraine , Rhineland , Flanders , Brittany and England . Among his novices, an Englishman, Oswald became archbishop of York and spread reform in England.

Two abbots made Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire one of the cultural centers of the West: Abbon (from 988 to 1004) 9 and Gauzlin (from 1004 to 1030). The abbey then shines thanks to its important library and its scriptorium , which produced works such as the Fleury Games Book . The successor of Odo de Cluny , Abbot Abbon (988-1004) 10 , 9 , is an Orléanais who fights to preserve the assets of the abbey which the bishop of Orléans Arnoult 11 disputes with him because, since the Council of Chalcedon of 451, the bishop has all power over the abbeys of his diocese, controls the election of abbots and can intervene if necessary. Abbon obtained the Roman exemption from Pope Gregory V which was confirmed by Pope Benedict VIII 12 . We owe him works touching on grammar, dialectics , cosmography , computing , mathematics, liturgy , canon law and ecclesiastical history .

In 1004, King Robert the Pious had the natural son of Hugh Capet , Gauzlin raised at the abbey, designated as his abbot. Donations poured in from the Count of Gascony, the Norman ducal family and several lords of Spain. William I of Bellême gives the abbey of Lonlay in Normandy, Abbot Gauzlin sends brothers there and a monk named William

The buildings suffered a fire in 1026. The current building was rebuilt under the leadership of Gauzlin, then abbot of Saint-Benoît, from 1027. The work began with the porch tower, construction of which began a few years earlier and who seems to have escaped the fire.

The apse , the crypt and the choir were completed and consecrated in 1108, allowing the burial in the sanctuary, the same year, of the King of France Philip I. The nave continues to reach the porch tower with Gothic arches . Most of the building was completed around 1218.

In 1130, the abbey experienced one of the most beautiful days in its history when Bernard de Clairvaux came to bless the alliance of the Roman Church and the Capetian Monarchy between Pope Innocent II and King Louis VI the Fat .

At the beginning of the 13th century the abbey had around 170 religious . Around sixty monks live at the monastery, 70 in the large conventual priories of La Réole, Perrecy-les-Forges and Saint-Benoît-du-Sault and 40 in the small priories. But in 1299, finances were in a critical state and the number of religious was limited to 45 in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, 24 in La Réole, 20 in Perrecy-les-Forges and 12 in Saint-Benoît-du- Sault

The weakening

At the end of the Middle Ages , the abbey of Saint-Benoît, like its peers, suffered a decline. The number of his possessions and their dissemination lead to disputes with the laity and material concerns. In 1335, life was difficult for religious people who were extremely frugal. During the Hundred Years' War , extraordinary contributions had to be paid while revenues declined.

In 1358-1359, the English garrisoned Châteauneuf-sur-Loire , ravaged the surrounding area, and devastated the buildings and the monastery church. A fire completed its destruction then in 1363, a band of Bretons forced the abbey to pay a ransom. Around 1369, new bands ravaged the country.

In 1372, the state of the monastery was lamentable due to a lack of money to restore it and there was great difficulty in having the property usurped during the period of unrest returned. In 1415, there were only twenty-four religious left.

In 1429, Joan of Arc and Charles VII passed through Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire on the road which connects the castle of Sully-sur-Loire and that of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire which remained in French hands. In 1443, a petition to the pope depicted calamities, incursions of warriors, epidemics and famine. Resources are so limited that nothing can be done about the buildings. With abbots whose election is the result of intrigue, the community is divided, rebellious and blames the abbots for the frugality in which it lives. In 1471, the Parliament of Paris imposed a reform but its effect did not seem decisive. Soon the abbacy will be nothing more than a title and its income a prebend 8

The commendation regime

The end of the 15th century was marked by the first commendatory abbots . From now on, the abbots will be great lords, royal favorites, rarely present and anxious to collect large profits. The life of monks becomes more secular than religious. The effective power and influence, both spiritual and temporal, on their destinies pass into the hands of the priors. The officers and particularly the cellarer tend to make profits and there are fewer monks. The order is the revenge of the episcopate against the system of exemptions.

The first two commendatory abbots are elected by the religious. Cardinal Jean VI de La Trémoïlle (1486-1507) restored the church and the convent buildings. Cardinal Étienne Poncher (1507-1524) separated the dormitories into cells and completed the abbey dwelling.

In 1515, the concordat between Francis I and Pope Leo X granted the king the appointment of bishops and abbots.

The monks refused to welcome Cardinal Antoine Duprat (1525-1535) and François I came in person to install him. He demolished the Saint-Michel tower, of which only the peristyle and the upper floor remained. With his successor the abbey suffered alienations but the king granted the bourgeois of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire the rights of a town with the possibility of enclosing itself with walls.

With Cardinal Odet de Coligny -Châtillon (1551-1569) the treasure and the library were pillaged; he sides with the Calvinists . During the three following abbatiats, there was a total withering away of monastic discipline due to its isolation. Some abbeys joined together into a Gallican Congregation of Exempts.

Charles of Orléans (1584-1601), natural son of Charles IX, restored the monastery and the church destroyed by a fire but the unrest which shook the Orléanais led to numerous defections. There are only five clerics left armed by the League , the others are dispersed.

At the end of the 16th century the abbey's assets were squandered. After the conversion of Henry IV , the monks returned to the monastery but indiscipline was at its height

In 1618, the Congregation of Saint-Maur was founded, approved by Louis XIII and Pope Gregory XV in 1621. Very quickly several monasteries affiliated but many old religious resisted and were guaranteed an exceptional regime. The young people accept the reform with the ancient Benedictine observances: residence, silence, abstinence and the performance of religious services in their entirety. To this we add meditation and a great fervor for intellectual work.

Cardinal Richelieu , abbot of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire from 1621 to 1642, introduced the Reform of Saint-Maur into the abbey. THEMay 26, 1627, the chapter decides that the old and the new will form two communities, each with its own prior. In 1660, there was only one elder left, there were twenty Maurists, including the prior and the sub-prior, and they undertook the work of recovery. To enhance the splendor of worship, they whitewashed the church and embellished it with new ornaments. They taught philosophy, theology and rhetoric and a library was established. They find old titles in the archives and restore alienated rights. This new income made it possible to restore the buildings and gardens, a new shrine for the relics of Saint Benedict cost 15,000 pounds and a building was constructed to house it

In 1645, the movement of the entrance door gave rise to the publication of a map exposing the project: Plan et Figure de l'Abbaye, & Villenie de St Benoist su Loire .

In 1712, the construction of a large building containing the regular places began: cells, refectory and common room, two new wings, one of which joins the transept of the church and the other leads towards the apse. They house the chapter house, the sacristy, the infirmary, the hostelry, the library and the other operational annexes. The facades are lined with terraces overlooking the gardens with a panorama towards the valley and the Loire.

Jansenism was introduced into the teaching of the abbey schools where philosophy, theology, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, physics, mathematics and history were studied. The religious refuse to renounce this doctrine despite the injunctions of the Bishop of Orléans .

Around 1760, recruitment for cloisters became difficult, literature and philosophy discredited religious vows and the public witnessed the decline of monasteries.

In 1789, in the registers of grievances of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, the parishioners asked King Louis XVI for the creation of a college run by the Benedictines, free for local children and paying for foreigners

In 1788, there remained in the monastery only around ten monks and around fifteen novices who no longer respected the austerity of their Order. The decree ofApril 6, 1792on religious communities forces them to leave the abbey. Two religious sign the constitutional oath and practice in Bray-en-Val and Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, the other marries and remains in the village 16 .

Benoît Lebrun , a Parisian architect based in Orléans, purchased on 24 Fructidor Year IV all the buildings, 22 acres of land forming an enclosure surrounded by fishponds and attached to the abbey. He planned to install a factory there, but the project did not come to fruition. He also bought the church on the condition of rebuilding another one for the 900 parishioners of the town but exchanging it for that of Fleury. He demolished the buildings then sold the site to a local owner 16 , 17 .

Of the important library of several thousand works, only 231 volumes remain which are transported to the libraries of Orléans

From 1850, Félix Dupanloup , bishop of Orléans, wanted to reestablish monastic orders and in particular that of Saint Benedict. THEJanuary 6, 1865, he announced to the commune authorities the arrival of two Benedictines to administer the parish. The monastic community dispersed during the French Revolution of 1789 regained possession of the church but the real refoundation took place during the Second World War , in 1944, with the arrival of around ten monks from the Abbey of the Pierre-Qui-Vire in Saint-Léger-Vauban ( Yonne ) 3 , 18 .

The abbey, attached to an international union of abbeys and Benedictine houses called the Congregation of Subiaco , has 32 religious in 2017 and welcomes several hundred guests each year and nearly 100,000 visitors, tourists or pilgrims. The brothers make a living from sales in the monastic craft shop, from making monk-shaped candy, from hospitality and donations. Unlike the Congregation of Solesmes , the abbey of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire has granted, since the reforms of Pope Paul VI , a large place for French during the divine office while retaining Gregorian chant at mass and for the main festivals

The monk designs intellectual education, then, the whole life of the spirit in relation to the encounter with God in the liturgy , prayer, meditated and prayed reading, memorization, recitation, infinitely repeated and internally ruminated commentary. . The love of letters is closely linked to this search for God 20 .

The abbey founded in 651 had the mission of establishing on the banks of the Loire the principles of the rule of Saint Benedict in a population where pagan beliefs persist despite the first attempts at Christianization . The Rule, which adapts to each country, can allow the elite to cultivate themselves, almsgiving is in the spotlight and the divine office is characterized by its variety and suggestive by its symbolism. This custom is widely distributed.

Liturgical life takes up a considerable place, the cultivation of the fields is ceded to lay people, the professions entrusted to servants and many religious are content with spiritual and intellectual activity

At the end of the 8th century , a reading room was set up and books were distributed, probably sermons and treatises by the Fathers of the Church . The monks copy manuscripts and are renowned for the quality of the calligraphy and illuminations , the style of which is also that of the Marmoutier Abbey (Tours) and which constitutes a school of the Loire distinct from that of Paris. From the 10th to the 12th century , the abbey hosted a large number of writers. Abbot Abbon writes treatises on all concepts. At the end of the 10th century the pope ordered a beautiful missal from the abbot . The treatise on the Miracula is written by four monks; it is a manuscript from the end of the 12th or beginning of the 13th century containing ten mysteries with musical notation which forms the outline of the Game of Saint Nicholas by the trouvère - minstrel Jean Bodel 21 , 8 , 22 .

At the end of the Middle Ages, intellectual activity waned and it was not until the 17th century that the Congregation of Saint-Maur was reformed that it regained new fervor. The monks work on the manuscripts and charters which fuel the great historical investigation of the French cleric and historian Jean Mabillon . In 1658, the archives were inventoried and historical notes written. Dom Chazal wrote, from 1697 to 1723, a work on the entire history of the abbey

This is a 45 m tall (about the length of a jumbo Boeing 707 plane and precisely 25.86 times taller than me) statue of Guru Rimporche overlooking a small town named Namchi in Southern part of Sikkim, India. Also known as the Second Buddha, he is said to have introduced Tantric Buddhism in ancient Tibet. He has eight reverential forms; the above statue is one of them. This form is referred to as Guru Padmasambhava. The remaining seven forms are: Padmajunne, Padmagyalpo, Dorje Dolo, Nima Yozer, Sakya Sengey, Sengey Dadok and Loten Chogse.

According to a legend he is said to have travelled to ancient Tibet from India through Sikkim and hence there are numerous monasteries, lakes and stupas in Sikkim revering him. He is also the founder of Nyingmapa, the oldest school (tradition) of Tibetan Buddhism. Other schools are Kagyupa, Sakyapa, Gelukpa and Bon.

This statue can be seen from miles away (even from some parts of Darjeeling, my home town) due to its imposing size and shining (due to copper and bronze paints) presence on top of a hill.

Exhibition Jean Tinguely - Machine Spectacle 1 Oct 2016 - 5 Mar 2017 in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

Jean Tinguely is famous for his playful, boldly kinetic machines and explosive performances. Everything had to be different, everything had to move. Precisely twenty-five years after his death, the Stedelijk Museum opens a Tinguely retrospective: the largest-ever exhibition of the artist to be mounted in a Dutch museum.

The Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (1925–1991) played a key role in the rise of kinetic art in the fifties. With over a hundred machine sculptures, most of which are in working order, paired with films, photos, drawings, and archive materials, the presentation takes the public on a chronological and thematic journey of Tinguely’s artistic development and ideas, from his love of absurd play to his fascination for destruction and ephemerality.

The presentation features his early wire sculptures and reliefs, in which Tinguely imitated and animated the abstract paintings of artists such as Malevich, Miró, and Klee; the interactive drawing machines and wild dancing installations constructed from salvaged metal, waste materials, and discarded clothing; and his streamlined, military-looking black sculptures.

Tinguely’s self-destructive performances are a special feature of the Stedelijk presentation. The enormous installations Tinguely created between 1960–1970 (Homage to New York, Étude pour une fin du monde No. 1, Study for an End of the World No. 2, and La Vittoria) were designed to spectacularly disintegrate in a barrage of sound. The presentation also spotlights the exhibitions Tinguely organized at the Stedelijk, Bewogen Beweging (1961) and Dylaby (1962), and the gigantic sculptures he later produced: HON – en katedral (“SHE – a cathedral,” 1966), Crocrodrome (1977) and the extraordinary Le Cyclop (1969–1994), which is still on display outside Paris. The survey ends with a dramatic grand finale, the remarkable, room-filling installation, Mengele-Totentanz (1986), a disturbing display of light and shadow never previously shown in the Netherlands. Tinguely realized the work after witnessing a devastating fire, reclaiming objects from the ashes to piece together his installation: scorched beams, agricultural machinery (made by the Mengele company), and animal skeletons. The final piece is a gigantic memento mori, yet also an invocation of the Nazi concentration camps. Its juddering movements and piercing sounds evoke a haunting, grisly mood.

Jean Tinguely created his work as a rejection of the static, conventional art world; he sought to emphasize play and experiment. For Tinguely, art was not about standing in a sterile white space, distantly gazing at a silent painting. He produced kinetic sculptures to set art and art history in motion, in works that animated the boundary between art and life. With his do-it-yourself drawing machines, Tinguely critiqued the role of the artist and the elitist position of art in society. He renounced the unicity of “the artist’s hand” by encouraging visitors to produce work themselves. Collaboration was integral to Tinguely’s career. He worked extensively with artists like Daniel Spoerri, Niki de Saint Phalle (also his wife), Yves Klein, and others from the ZERO network, as well as museum directors such as Pontus Hultén, Willem Sandberg, and Paul Wember. Thanks to his charismatic, vibrant personality and the dazzling success with which he presented his work (and himself) in the public sphere, Tinguely was a vital figure within these networks, acting as leader, inspirator, and connector.

Amsterdam has enjoyed a dynamic history with Tinguely. The exhibitions Bewogen Beweging (1961) and Dylaby (1962), for which Tinguely was (co)curator, particularly underline the extraordinarily close relationship that sprang up between the museum and the artist. Not only did he bring his kinetic Méta machines to the Netherlands, he also brought his international, avant-garde network, leaving an enduring impression on museum goers who flocked to see these experimental exhibitions. Close relationships with Willem Sandberg, then director of the Stedelijk Museum, and curator Ad Petersen prompted various retrospectives and acquisitions for the collection: thirteen sculptures, including his famous drawing machine, Méta-Matic No. 10 (1959), Gismo (1960), and the enormous Méta

The carpenter cut the wood precisely on angles. The public did not approve and crucified the guy.

Size: 12x12 inches

Paintings for sale: www.shawnshawn.co/store/p203/Wood-Composition-II

Newsletter: www.shawnshawn.co/Site/Contact.html

Art Code: AA01186

Art of the Real

Segovia, Aqueduct

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 Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) ordered its construction. The beginnings of Segovia itself are likewise not definitively known. The people called Vaccaei are known to have populated the place or area before the Romans conquered the city. Roman troops sent to control the area stayed behind to settle there. The area fell within the jurisdiction of the Roman provincial court located in Clunia.

The aqueduct transports water from Fuente Fría river, situated in the nearby mountains, some 17 km from the city in a region known as La Acebeda. It runs another 15 km before arriving in the city.

(source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_of_Segovia)

San Francisco time-lapse sketch, music by ERH.

Voice sample: Richard Burton and John Hurt in Michael Radford's adaption of George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four"

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Orwell revisited:

A tragic situation exists precisely when virtue does not triumph but when it is still felt that man is nobler than the forces which destroy him.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac.

All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.

War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it.

The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor.

War is a way of shattering to pieces... materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable and... too intelligent.

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible.

In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.

All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome.

Political chaos is connected with the decay of language... one can probably bring about some improvement by starting at the verbal end.

It is almost universally felt that when we call a country democratic we are praising it; consequently, the defenders of every kind of regime claim that it is a democracy, and fear that they might have to stop using the word if it were tied down to any one meaning.

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.

We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.

The best books... are those that tell you what you know already.

Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper.

Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.

But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.

For a creative writer possession of the "truth" is less important than emotional sincerity.

It is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one's own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane.

Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance life is suffering, and only the very young or the very foolish imagine otherwise.

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

Progress is not an illusion, it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.

Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.

There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them.

What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?

The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.

We of the sinking middle class may sink without further struggles into the working class where we belong, and probably when we get there it will not be so dreadful as we feared, for, after all, we have nothing to lose.

Whatever is funny is subversive, every joke is ultimately a custard pie... a dirty joke is a sort of mental rebellion.

The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind him that he is already degraded.

Society has always seemed to demand a little more from human beings than it will get in practice.

On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.

The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.

To an ordinary human being, love means nothing if it does not mean loving some people more than others.

When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.

Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.

Happiness can exist only in acceptance.

—George Orwell

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Ministry: Radar Love

Litlle planet projection. More precisely, stereographic projection.

We had a complete change this Christmas – we cancelled it! - we went walking in The Lakes, or Wasdale more precisely. We were staying at Irton Hall B & B, they had over 70 in for Christmas dinner but we ate jam bread on the slopes of Sca Fell Pike. Fantastic. We had a front wheel puncture on a run flat tyre on the new car with a 100 mile still to drive on the afternoon of Christmas eve on our way there. I drove straight to the nearest ATS – where I have an account – they shook their heads and directed me to Westhoughton Tyres, the lads there were fantastic and got us on our way in good time. BMW dealer advice was run on the flat tyre and then throw it away - £250! Where I would have got a tyre on the western side of the Lakes over Christmas I don’t know, ATS didn’t have one to sell me.

The weather was forecast good for Christmas day but after a fine start it was raining before we even left the car park in Wasdale. We headed up Lingmell and ran into snow on the summit. The path onto Sca Fell Pike was very icy, snow covered and visibility was low, the snow kept falling. We didn’t linger long, it was too cold to have dinner up there so we dropped down onto the Corridor Route, where we had our dinner. We went that way to stretch the walk out, having originally intended to cross to Great End. The tops were so icy, glazed, with not enough snow to get a grip on that we decide to leave it for another day. From Styhead we headed back to Wasdale and a dull but fine finish to the day. A drink in the bar at Irton Hall was on the radar.

Every morning we headed into Wasdale early, it got colder, icier and sunnier as the days went by. We went up Yewbarrow, it was an icy scramble up and I decided it was too dangerous to go down Stirrup Crag to Dore Head so went back the same way. It turned out to be the right decision as we lingered on the top, going to view points that we wouldn’t have and getting some decent photos. One morning we walked over the Screes tops, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, dropping down the steep slope to The southern end of Wast Water. Having said that I would never walk the Screes path alongside Wast Water again the memory of how awful it is in the rain had faded. There is only really a quarter of a mile out of three miles that is really bad, every rock was like glass with the potential to break a leg every step. It seemed a long way and I was getting killer looks from Herself.

We made our way onto Sca Fell on a beautiful morning, clear blue sky. The snow line had got lower most nights but we never had the low level snow that caused problems in the rest of the country. I chose a, sometimes, pathless way to the summit, partly because I’d never been that way but also to stay in the sun, to keep the view and to avoid the ways that would be a touch dangerous, it was -4 and seared with ice for the last 600 feet. After 15 minutes on the summit wispy thin cloud came racing in, crossing the Lake District in minutes, the photos show it heading towards us and I was glad to have got the clear photos first. Looking out to sea a great mattress of cloud was heading straight for us. It was calm and sunny one minute and the next we were engulfed in thick cloud with 30 yards visibility at the most. I have never had a clear sky turn to cloud so fast – ever! We were going down to Slightside next which was OK, about a mile following the ridge down, the problem was getting back to Wasdale from there. We needed to get to Great Howe which meant a pathless trek a mile SW across Quagrigg Moss – a bog full of tarnlets, it would be a nightmare in low visibility. After getting some accurate compass bearings and heading down off Slightside we suddenly dropped out of the cloud and could see our target, brilliant, we legged it across the semi frozen bog and finally felt able to rest and grab a sandwich and cup of tea. We had to find our way down Raven Crags, which was interesting – and steep! We needed to get to the footbridge to get onto the Burnmoor Tarn path back to Wasdale. As we got closer to Burnmoor Tarn the light that I had been cursing gave us a gorgeous sunset. I had one eye on a gap in the cloud low down in the sky out at sea and I was hoping the sun would break through, it did. Burnmoor Tarn was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains, including Yewbarrow and parts of the Mosedale Horseshoe in the far distance. There was just the two of us, we had barely seen a soul all day, it was a fantastic end to a tough day. As we dropped into Wasdale I caught the deep pink and orange of the last of the sun, I was shooting into it but I had nothing to lose. There would have been quite a few tripods at the opposite end of the lake but I think I was in the better place – for a change.

On our final walking day we decided to head up Great Gable. It was clear of cloud for a change but ominously the surrounding tops, including the Sca Fells were cloud covered. Another beautiful but very cold morning, it was going to be very icy up there so we elected to go via Styhead and the tourist track. We would choose a way off once we were up there. Long before we got to the top, although we couldn’t see it, we knew the cloud was swirling in and out on the summit so it was going to be hit and miss for the photos. The cloud was down for the last 500 feet but once on the frozen top it kept clearing briefly – very briefly. There were more people up there than we had seen the entire trip previously. People were getting out after Christmas, many had parked at the top of Honister for the fairly easy walk in across Green Gable, some were not dressed for winter walking it has to be said. We left for an icy scramble down to Aaron Slack, up onto Green Gable them we galloped down Aaron Slack to Styhead and back to Wasdale.

Urbex Benelux -

Mainly known for, precisely, its stuffed animals, many forget that it is a farm, a very large farm, and precisely, the visit begins with this part, which is very, very labyrinthine ... I myself got lost trying to find the entrance to the house itself.

When it comes to defining Metallica, most people use James Hetfield as their guide. There's never any bullshit with James and there's never any shirking of duties. Example? When he threw his back out on the Summer Sanitarium 2000 tour, James ploughed his way through three weeks of intense physical therapy in four days, according to his physical therapist. And when the going got really tough, and James needed help in 2001, he sought it out, took it on and came back stronger than ever. It is precisely this sort of fierce, unbending dedication, devotion and spirit which has made James such an inspirational focal point through the years for millions of fans.

Ironically, the voice of Metallica (indeed, a defining voice of his rock'n'roll generation) very nearly wasn't a voice at all, simply because in the early days, James Hetfield didn't fancy being a lead vocalist. Metallica tried a few different vocal/guitar configurations. Some of the options considered included adding another

guitar player, having then-lead guitar player Dave Mustaine play the sole guitar and asking John Bush from Armored Saint to sing for the band. Of course common sense prevailed, James decided to fight harder to establish himself as a frontman and the results are, ahem, history

To trace the roots of Hetfield's unflinching dedication and determination, you have to go back to a childhood that was often tough but laid a foundation, which underscores James today. Born to a truck driver and light opera singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles, his family's Christian Science religious beliefs played a large part in the young Hetfield's life, and subsequently form a central point for many of Metallica's lyrics. He was 9 years old when he first took piano lessons before taking on brother David's drums and finally picking up a guitar in his pre-teens.

With the likes of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy providing inspiration, James quickly set about the task of becoming a rock star in his first band, Obsession. Made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums, with Jim Arnold on guitar, plenty of time was spent in the Veloz's garage jamming with Ron McGoveny and Dave Marrs acting as roadies. McGovney subsequently stepped in alongside Marrs and Hetfield when the Veloz brothers incarnation ended.

After moving to Brea, California, James attended Brea Olinda High School and met up with drummer Jim Mulligan. The two jammed at lunch time scaring fellow guitarists with their loud and heavy sounds before a guy called Hugh Tanner was seen carrying around part of a flying V guitar at school. Phantom Lord was born with Hugh on guitar, Mulligan on drums and James singing plus playing guitar. The group went through a few bass players until graduation when James moved back to Downey.

Back in Downey, James moved into a house owned by Ron McGovney's parents that was slated for demolition due to an expressway expansion. It was the perfect place for James and Ron to crash, rehearse and jam. James talked Ron into taking up bass, Phantom Lord was no more and the third band under Hetfield's leadership.

Leather Charm, was born. The only difference between Charm and Lord, was James singing without guitar and Ron playing bass guitar, Hugh Tanner and Jim Mulligan retaining their former 'Lord positions. Leather Charm was a largely hard rock combo, playing some originals and covers such as Iron Maiden's 'Remember Tomorrow' amongst others. The band managed to perform at a few parties and recorded a demo, but then began to fall apart.

First Tanner left the band (replaced by Troy James), then Mulligan left for a more progressive, Rush-like band. And with no drummer, the band was forced to call it quits. Although it was Mulligan's departure that led to James searching for a new drummer, we can safely say that Hugh Tanner was responsible for the catalytic moment which would change the course of James Hetfield's life and out him on the path to achieving his childhood ambition. How? Simple...Tanner introduced James to Lars Ulrich. The rest, as you'll read elsewhere, is a long, illustrious (occasionally curious) and still-evolving history...

James is the main songwriter in Metallica, co-creating the framework and structure for most Metallimaterial. When he's not writing, singing or playing, James enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hunting, snowboarding, water and jet-skiing, sketching, annoying neighbors with guns and loud pipes on his chopper "The Saga", watching his favorite Oakland Raiders and going to hot-rod shows. He also collects older guitars (particularly those from 1963) and enjoys working on old cars. Amongst his favorites are a '55 Chevy BelAir (which he helped built and restore himself), and 'The Beast', a fearsome all-terrain 4-wheel drive Blazer that is designed to survive everything from earthquakes to nuclear holocausts. Aside from these pursuits, James is often happiest spending time with his wife Francesca and three children, Cali, Castor, and Marcella.

Hendrick Terbrugghen (1588-1629), active in Utrecht

Lute player, circa 1626

Musicians, singly or in groups, have been popular since Caravaggio's early portrayals of the theme, especially among his Dutch successors. This is precisely the case of Dutch painting that music is often given a symbolic meaning: it is possible that the painter, therefore, wants his model, which is just beginning to play music, tuning herself and the lute, to be understood as an allegory of the sense of hearing.

Hendrick Terbrugghen (1588-1629), tätig in Utrecht

Lautenspielerin, um 1626

Musizierende, einzeln oder in Gruppen, sind seit Caravaggios frühen Darstellungen des Themas vor allem bei seinen holländischen Nachfolgern beliebt. Gerade in der niederländischen Malerei wird Musik gerne mit sinnbildhafter Bedeutung versehen: möglicher Weise wollte der Maler also sein Modell, das gerade zu musizieren beginnt, sich und die Laute einstimmt, als Allegorie des Gehörsinns verstanden wissen.

Austria Kunsthistorisches Museum

Federal Museum

Logo KHM

Regulatory authority (ies)/organs to the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture

Founded 17 October 1891

Headquartered Castle Ring (Burgring), Vienna 1, Austria

Management Sabine Haag

www.khm.at website

Main building of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresa-Square

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM abbreviated) is an art museum in Vienna. It is one of the largest and most important museums in the world. It was opened in 1891 and 2012 visited of 1.351.940 million people.

The museum

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is with its opposite sister building, the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum), the most important historicist large buildings of the Ringstrasse time. Together they stand around the Maria Theresa square, on which also the Maria Theresa monument stands. This course spans the former glacis between today's ring road and 2-line, and is forming a historical landmark that also belongs to World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Vienna.

History

Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery

The Museum came from the collections of the Habsburgs, especially from the portrait and armor collections of Ferdinand of Tyrol, the collection of Emperor Rudolf II (most of which, however scattered) and the art collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm into existence. Already In 1833 asked Joseph Arneth, curator (and later director) of the Imperial Coins and Antiquities Cabinet, bringing together all the imperial collections in a single building .

Architectural History

The contract to build the museum in the city had been given in 1858 by Emperor Franz Joseph. Subsequently, many designs were submitted for the ring road zone. Plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null planned to build two museum buildings in the immediate aftermath of the Imperial Palace on the left and right of the Heroes' Square (Heldenplatz). The architect Ludwig Förster planned museum buildings between the Schwarzenberg Square and the City Park, Martin Ritter von Kink favored buildings at the corner Währingerstraße/ Scots ring (Schottenring), Peter Joseph, the area Bellariastraße, Moritz von Loehr the south side of the opera ring, and Ludwig Zettl the southeast side of the grain market (Getreidemarkt).

From 1867, a competition was announced for the museums, and thereby set their current position - at the request of the Emperor, the museum should not be too close to the Imperial Palace, but arise beyond the ring road. The architect Carl von Hasenauer participated in this competition and was able the at that time in Zürich operating Gottfried Semper to encourage to work together. The two museum buildings should be built here in the sense of the style of the Italian Renaissance. The plans got the benevolence of the imperial family. In April 1869, there was an audience with of Joseph Semper at the Emperor Franz Joseph and an oral contract was concluded, in July 1870 was issued the written order to Semper and Hasenauer.

Crucial for the success of Semper and Hasenauer against the projects of other architects were among others Semper's vision of a large building complex called "Imperial Forum", in which the museums would have been a part of. Not least by the death of Semper in 1879 came the Imperial Forum not as planned for execution, the two museums were built, however.

Construction of the two museums began without ceremony on 27 November 1871 instead. Semper moved to Vienna in the sequence. From the beginning, there were considerable personal differences between him and Hasenauer, who finally in 1877 took over sole construction management. 1874, the scaffolds were placed up to the attic and the first floor completed, built in 1878, the first windows installed in 1879, the Attica and the balustrade from 1880 to 1881 and built the dome and the Tabernacle. The dome is topped with a bronze statue of Pallas Athena by Johannes Benk.

The lighting and air conditioning concept with double glazing of the ceilings made ​​the renunciation of artificial light (especially at that time, as gas light) possible, but this resulted due to seasonal variations depending on daylight to different opening times .

Kuppelhalle

Entrance (by clicking the link at the end of the side you can see all the pictures here indicated!)

Grand staircase

Hall

Empire

The Kunsthistorisches Museum was on 17 October 1891 officially opened by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Since 22 October 1891 , the museum is accessible to the public. Two years earlier, on 3 November 1889, the collection of arms, Arms and Armour today, had their doors open. On 1 January 1890 the library service resumed its operations. The merger and listing of other collections of the Highest Imperial Family from the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Hofburg Palace and Ambras in Tyrol will need another two years.

189, the farm museum was organized in seven collections with three directorates:

Directorate of coins, medals and antiquities collection

The Egyptian Collection

The Antique Collection

The coins and medals collection

Management of the collection of weapons, art and industrial objects

Weapons collection

Collection of industrial art objects

Directorate of Art Gallery and Restaurieranstalt (Restoration Office)

Collection of watercolors, drawings, sketches, etc.

Restoration Office

Library

Very soon the room the Court Museum (Hofmuseum) for the imperial collections was offering became too narrow. To provide temporary help, an exhibition of ancient artifacts from Ephesus in the Theseus Temple was designed. However, additional space had to be rented in the Lower Belvedere.

1914, after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, his " Estonian Forensic Collection " passed to the administration of the Court Museum. This collection, which emerged from the art collection of the house of d' Este and world travel collection of Franz Ferdinand, was placed in the New Imperial Palace since 1908. For these stocks, the present collection of old musical instruments and the Museum of Ethnology emerged.

The First World War went by, apart from the oppressive economic situation without loss. The farm museum remained during the five years of war regularly open to the public.

Until 1919 the K.K. Art Historical Court Museum was under the authority of the Oberstkämmereramt (head chamberlain office) and belonged to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The officials and employees were part of the royal household.

First Republic

The transition from monarchy to republic, in the museum took place in complete tranquility. On 19 November 1918 the two imperial museums on Maria Theresa Square were placed under the state protection of the young Republic of German Austria. Threatening to the stocks of the museum were the claims raised in the following weeks and months of the "successor states" of the monarchy as well as Italy and Belgium on Austrian art collection. In fact, it came on 12th February 1919 to the violent removal of 62 paintings by armed Italian units. This "art theft" left a long time trauma among curators and art historians.

It was not until the Treaty of Saint-Germain of 10 September 1919, providing in Article 195 and 196 the settlement of rights in the cultural field by negotiations. The claims of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Italy again could mostly being averted in this way. Only Hungary, which presented the greatest demands by far, was met by more than ten years of negotiation in 147 cases.

On 3 April 1919 was the expropriation of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine by law and the acquisition of its property, including the "Collections of the Imperial House" , by the Republic. Of 18 June 1920 the then provisional administration of the former imperial museums and collections of Este and the secular and clergy treasury passed to the State Office of Internal Affairs and Education, since 10 November 1920, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Education. A few days later it was renamed the Art History Court Museum in the "Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna State", 1921 "Kunsthistorisches Museum" . Of 1st January 1921 the employees of the museum staff passed to the state of the Republic.

Through the acquisition of the former imperial collections owned by the state, the museum found itself in a complete new situation. In order to meet the changed circumstances in the museum area, designed Hans Tietze in 1919 the "Vienna Museum program". It provided a close cooperation between the individual museums to focus at different houses on main collections. So dominated exchange, sales and equalizing the acquisition policy in the interwar period. Thus resulting until today still valid collection trends. Also pointing the way was the relocation of the weapons collection from 1934 in its present premises in the New Castle, where since 1916 the collection of ancient musical instruments was placed.

With the change of the imperial collections in the ownership of the Republic the reorganization of the internal organization went hand in hand, too. Thus the museum was divided in 1919 into the

Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection (with the Oriental coins)

Collection of Classical Antiquities

Collection of ancient coins

Collection of modern coins and medals

Weapons collection

Collection of sculptures and crafts with the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments

Picture Gallery

The Museum 1938-1945

Count Philipp Ludwig Wenzel Sinzendorf according to Rigaud. Clarisse 1948 by Baroness de Rothschildt "dedicated" to the memory of Baron Alphonse de Rothschildt; restituted to the Rothschilds in 1999, and in 1999 donated by Bettina Looram Rothschild, the last Austrian heiress.

With the "Anschluss" of Austria to the German Reich all Jewish art collections such as the Rothschilds were forcibly "Aryanised". Collections were either "paid" or simply distributed by the Gestapo at the museums. This resulted in a significant increase in stocks. But the KHM was not the only museum that benefited from the linearization. Systematically looted Jewish property was sold to museums, collections or in pawnshops throughout the empire.

After the war, the museum struggled to reimburse the "Aryanised" art to the owners or their heirs. They forced the Rothschild family to leave the most important part of their own collection to the museum and called this "dedications", or "donations". As a reason, was the export law stated, which does not allow owners to perform certain works of art out of the country. Similar methods were used with other former owners. Only on the basis of international diplomatic and media pressure, to a large extent from the United States, the Austrian government decided to make a change in the law (Art Restitution Act of 1998, the so-called Lex Rothschild). The art objects were the Rothschild family refunded only in the 1990s.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum operates on the basis of the federal law on the restitution of art objects from the 4th December 1998 (Federal Law Gazette I, 181 /1998) extensive provenance research. Even before this decree was carried out in-house provenance research at the initiative of the then archive director Herbert Haupt. This was submitted in 1998 by him in collaboration with Lydia Grobl a comprehensive presentation of the facts about the changes in the inventory levels of the Kunsthistorisches Museum during the Nazi era and in the years leading up to the State Treaty of 1955, an important basis for further research provenance.

The two historians Susanne Hehenberger and Monika Löscher are since 1st April 2009 as provenance researchers at the Kunsthistorisches Museum on behalf of the Commission for Provenance Research operating and they deal with the investigation period from 1933 to the recent past.

The museum today

Today the museum is as a federal museum, with 1st January 1999 released to the full legal capacity - it was thus the first of the state museums of Austria, implementing the far-reaching self-financing. It is by far the most visited museum in Austria with 1.3 million visitors (2007).

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is under the name Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum with company number 182081t since 11 June 1999 as a research institution under public law of the Federal virtue of the Federal Museums Act, Federal Law Gazette I/115/1998 and the Museum of Procedure of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum, 3 January 2001, BGBl II 2/ 2001, in force since 1 January 2001, registered.

In fiscal 2008, the turnover was 37.185 million EUR and total assets amounted to EUR 22.204 million. In 2008 an average of 410 workers were employed.

Management

1919-1923: Gustav Glück as the first chairman of the College of science officials

1924-1933: Hermann Julius Hermann 1924-1925 as the first chairman of the College of the scientific officers in 1925 as first director

1933: Arpad Weixlgärtner first director

1934-1938: Alfred Stix first director

1938-1945: Fritz Dworschak 1938 as acting head, from 1938 as a chief in 1941 as first director

1945-1949: August von Loehr 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of the historical collections of the Federation

1945-1949: Alfred Stix 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of art historical collections of the Federation

1949-1950: Hans Demel as administrative director

1950: Karl Wisoko-Meytsky as general director of art and historical collections of the Federation

1951-1952: Fritz Eichler as administrative director

1953-1954: Ernst H. Buschbeck as administrative director

1955-1966: Vincent Oberhammer 1955-1959 as administrative director, from 1959 as first director

1967: Edward Holzmair as managing director

1968-1972: Erwin Auer first director

1973-1981: Friderike Klauner first director

1982-1990: Hermann Fillitz first director

1990: George Kugler as interim first director

1990-2008: Wilfried Seipel as general director

Since 2009: Sabine Haag as general director

Collections

To the Kunsthistorisches Museum are also belonging the collections of the New Castle, the Austrian Theatre Museum in Palais Lobkowitz, the Museum of Ethnology and the Wagenburg (wagon fortress) in an outbuilding of Schönbrunn Palace. A branch office is also Ambras in Innsbruck.

Kunsthistorisches Museum (main building)

Picture Gallery

Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection

Collection of Classical Antiquities

Vienna Chamber of Art

Numismatic Collection

Library

New Castle

Ephesus Museum

Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments

Arms and Armour

Archive

Hofburg

The imperial crown in the Treasury

Imperial Treasury of Vienna

Insignia of the Austrian Hereditary Homage

Insignia of imperial Austria

Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire

Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece

Habsburg-Lorraine Household Treasure

Ecclesiastical Treasury

Schönbrunn Palace

Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna

Armory in Ambras Castle

Ambras Castle

Collections of Ambras Castle

Major exhibits

Among the most important exhibits of the Art Gallery rank inter alia:

Jan van Eyck: Cardinal Niccolò Albergati, 1438

Martin Schongauer: Holy Family, 1475-80

Albrecht Dürer : Trinity Altar, 1509-16

Portrait Johann Kleeberger, 1526

Parmigianino: Self Portrait in Convex Mirror, 1523/24

Giuseppe Arcimboldo: Summer 1563

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary 1606/ 07

Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary (1606-1607)

Titian: Nymph and Shepherd to 1570-75

Portrait of Jacopo de Strada, 1567/68

Raffaello Santi: Madonna of the Meadow, 1505 /06

Lorenzo Lotto: Portrait of a young man against white curtain, 1508

Peter Paul Rubens: The altar of St. Ildefonso, 1630-32

The Little Fur, about 1638

Jan Vermeer: The Art of Painting, 1665/66

Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Fight between Carnival and Lent, 1559

Kids, 1560

Tower of Babel, 1563

Christ Carrying the Cross, 1564

Gloomy Day (Early Spring), 1565

Return of the Herd (Autumn), 1565

Hunters in the Snow (Winter) 1565

Bauer and bird thief, 1568

Peasant Wedding, 1568/69

Peasant Dance, 1568/69

Paul's conversion (Conversion of St Paul), 1567

Cabinet of Curiosities:

Saliera from Benvenuto Cellini 1539-1543

Egyptian-Oriental Collection:

Mastaba of Ka Ni Nisut

Collection of Classical Antiquities:

Gemma Augustea

Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós

Gallery: Major exhibits

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunsthistorisches_Museum

At precisely the wrong moment, the sun ducks behind a cloud, just as 41312 passes with the Belle!!

Every day precisely at noon a cannon shot is fired on Gianicolo Hill. Blurred because of the tremendous shock wave.

(further information you can get by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Historical data

The first settlement core of Wolkersdorf was the "Old Market" to the west of the present course of the Brünnerstraße (Brno street) direction Ulrichskirchen. An exact age determination of the emergence of the "Old Market" is not possible, but the evidence points to the time just before 1050. However, it seems that even before a settlement whose provenance cannot precisely determinated has existed. The foundation is often associated with the legendary figure of a Wolfger, who allegedly was a Frankish follower of the Salian king Henry III. (from 1046 Emperor). After him, the naming of the place is supposed to be done, but it is rather to presume that the place-name, as in other places in the Weinviertel, also can be explained from the settlement history and it's the case of a secondary place name, which refers to the surroundings of the actual Nuremberg.

The castle buildings in its present location - about a whatsoever former noble residence in the "Old Market" can only be speculated - in the first half of the 13th Century was built, as well as the "new market" was born. The Lords of Wolkersdorf who called themselves after the place were emerged from a lesser branch of the lords of Ulrichskirchen.

A close binding to the Babenberg Duke House in the connection with the third Crusade should have emerged, which has been rumored frequently, but it is not possible for various reasons. If the close binding to the Babenberg Court, which in the 13th Century undeniably has existed, really through joint crusade participations came off, this only can be the case of the so-called "German Crusade" under the Emperor Henry VI., however, this was canceled very quickly due to the death of Henry.

Thither also suggest other evidences, such as today's Wolkersdorfer city coat of arms, consisting of ​​the colors of the burgraves of Nuremberg (Black/Silver). Even the oldest surviving deed of gift for Wolkersdorf end of the 13th Century comes from the Nuremberg burgraves, the fief relationship but already seems to have existed far longer.

The nobility of the Wolkersdorfer after the extinction of the Babenberg in the 70s of the 13th Century stood in opposition to King Ottokar of Bohemia, what made him object of a mention in Grillparzer's drama "King Ottokar's Fortune and End".

After the nobility of the Wolkersdorfer had left the place, there were frequently changing owners, among them the Dachsberger and the Starhemberger. Since 1481 and completely in 1538 was the domination Wolkersdorf owned by the Habsburgs and was following the testament of Queen Anne in 1547 the Wiener Hofspital (Court Hospital of Vienna) incorporatedl and belonged even after its repeal in 1782 to the endowment fund of the Hofspital until the purchase by Hugo Graf Abensperg-Traun in the year 1870. In 1884, the Wolkersdorfer Savings Bank acquired the castle, in 1967 it became the property of the former market town, since 1969 the municipality of Wolkersdorf.

In the eventful history of the place it came in the wake of the sieges frequently to devastations, such as in 1275 in the course of the siege by King Ottokar of Bohemia, in 1458 by the Bohemian King George of Podebrad or 1605 by the Calvinist Prince of Transylvania Stephan Botchkay. In the course of the Thirty Years' War it were mainly the Swedes under Field Marshal Torstensson Lienhart by which Wolkersdorf was affected. 1809 finally Napoleon's troops burned a portion of the "Old Market" down. 1866, the Rußbach (brook) was the demarcation line between Prussia and Austria, thus separating Wolkersdorf into a northern Prussian and a southern Austrian part.

Wolkersdorf was in the first half of the 14th Century raised to market; 1436 with Lewpolt Gerngrass first a citizen of the market Wolkersdorf documentarily is mentioned. Under King Albert II 1439 the district court Wolkersdorf by transfers from the regional courts Marchegg and Korneuburg was created, as the name suggests, the High Court was located on the Judgment mountain. Sometimes Wolkersdorf even had three judges, one for the "Old Market", one for the "New Market" and one for the approximately 1784 emerged 'settlers line" (New Line), today the Kaiser-Josef-Straße.

A school in Wolkersdorf is first mentioned in 1446. 1460 took place the meeting of the Lower Austrian estates in Wolkersdorf.

Of importance to Wolkersdorf was already in the Middle Ages a trade route that ran from Vienna, at Stadlau crossing the Danube, via Wolkersdorf, Gaweinstal and Mistelbach to Poysdorf and there reaching the old "Nikolsburger road", which was the forerunner of the in 18th Century developed Brünnerstraße. Through the construction of the Brünnerstraße under Joseph II Wolkersdorf quickly developed into the largest settlement of the beginning hill landscape of the Wine Quarter and in 1870 it was connected to the railway network.

Promoted business settlements of the municipality from 1960 made ​​Wolkersdorf to an important economic center. This position was taken into account on 22 June 1969 by elevating Wolkersdorf to the status of the city. In the years 1966-1972 Wolkersdorf grew through the association with the communities Riedenthal, Münichsthal, Pfösing and the market town of Oberndorf.

Intensive infrastructure projects were formative for the 70s and 80s. In 1978, the Provincial Government of Lower Austria founded the industrial center Lower Austria Nord/Wolkersdorf to the south of the Ostbahn (eastern railway) and to the east of Brno road. Intensive residential construction activity, active youth work and the development to school center shape the face and character of the city as a gateway to the Wine Quarter.

Wolkersdorf successfully puts up the gap between urbanized and rural structure. The result is a high quality of life - with high developed infrastructure, diverse recreational spaces, rest areas and green spaces in and around Wolkersdorf. The proximity to Vienna as well as the pronounced Weinviertler cultural landscape attract many guests to Wolkersdorf .

www.wolkersdorf.at/index.php/subsection=Wolkersdorf_-_His...

With the help of tag lines and riggers, a skilled crane operator overcame a twisting hoist and places tons of concrete forms over a large rebar cage.

According to OSHA §1926.1401 a tag line “means a rope (usually fiber) attached to a lifted load for purposes of controlling load spinning and pendular motions or used to stabilize a bucket or magnet during material handling operations.”

Read more about this special park, not far from Paris, here: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_de_Sceaux

Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to 90 metres (300 ft) at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. Blackrock is bordered by Booterstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Foxrock, Deansgrange and Monkstown.

Blackrock is a large commercial centre with cafes, restaurants, boutiques, hairdressers and barbers, a tattoo and piercing studio, pharmacies, supermarkets, art galleries, antiques and home improvements outlets as well as bars such as The Breffni, Jack O'Rourkes, O'Donohues, Flash Harrys, Conways, The Wicked Wolf and the Ten Tun Tavern.

The Blackrock Shopping Centre was built in 1984 by Superquinn who managed the development and are the anchor store. Superquinn has now become Supervalu.

There are many high street finance branches for AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, National Irish Bank, Ulster Bank and the Blackrock Credit Union. Permanent TSB closed their Blackrock branch in March 2010 but retain their administrative offices on Carysfort Avenue.

There are many office buildings that house large corporations such as Zurich Financial Services and AIG, and car dealers such as Carroll & Kinsella Motors, Maxwell Motors (generally BMW) and Eco Aer (eco electric vehicles).

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Obviously this is the same same but different.

Arrived at the mud cobra field precisely at 6:01AM.

Now getting into the entryway of the m/c field was

a real challenge and, getting all the way down to

the rest area was even way more challenging !

And, once again, once we were at the rest area

I was not sure if we could get ourselves back out.

After 37 minutes of me standing up on the platform

at the rest area and the dogs zipping around it was

time to go. Mounted the ride while letting the dogs

run free, fastened the strap on my helmet and went

for it, and I mean went for it ! Twisted the wick and

held on tight ! It was one crazy, E-Ticket Ride ;-)---

OK, now what you see here is where I came shooting

out at breakneck speed ;-0- And this's where we'll start.

To my back is the entrance to the mud cobra field.

The boom on the excavator to my left, is pointing

directly into the m/c fields entrance. Now see the

water just to the side of the excavator. That is the

river that runs on the southside of the m/c field.

You can also see pilings piled up waiting to be

piledrived. Just past that you see a long green

roof. That is a grade school on the other-side

of the river, and is also right where the river

that runs in-front of our place meets-up with

the river you see directly to my left here.

Now you can see the boys right in-front of

us being real silly boys in a large mud field.

Looking a little further to the right you see

another pile of pilings. From there look up

and straight back. Notice a blue roof and

brown pickets ? That's our place on a

another river that runs right in-front

of our place. So where's Pumpkin.

She's off to my right in the mud.

Once home the 3 dogs were

given a real soapy bath then

fed and sent to bed 4 a nap.

So there ya go, another

small slice of our life ;-)

Jon&Crew

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Montepulciano what a beautiful city! The first time I've been to Montepulciano everything I had in mind was the song of Hooverphonic ... which also has nothing to do with the Tuscan town. I remember that I had parked my car in the "low" parking: bad idea if you have two strollers! In the end I was crazy tired, I had not understood the town and I was also angry and hungry. Luckily I went back three more times, I was gradually losing the strollers and I began to appreciate the incredible nature of this wonderful town. The medieval urban layout is precisely of the fifteenth century. Montepulciano is built so to speak, around the tip of a hill, and so it can be reached either from above, or from below, but, in any direction, it follows that the streets are narrow and the houses tall ... there is little light in Montepulciano and maybe that's what makes it suitable for a town of vampires ... not everyone knows that the famous scenes of Volterra in New Moon actually were shot in Montepulciano. According to local gossip aesthetics has little to do with the choice ... seems that the municipal authorities of Volterra did not like the idea of the occupation by the film crew, who for the time of the shooting, would have disturbed the regular city traffic. So the producers have turned to Montepulciano, which, even imagining the interesting tourist impact, did not need asking twice. In fact Montepulciano with its narrow streets, many underground, the little light is suitable for vampire stories ... the basements must be said, are mostly used as wineries in Montepulciano because they produce an excellent wine ... not to mention the excellent food ... the only real danger in this beautiful city, is to take a few pounds and spend all your left money in beautiful handmade really beautiful leather shoes and bags that they sell and which have very competitive prices. Another danger is to slip on these streets so steep, one wonders how the bus driver manages the job (of course they have mini-buses). There is also a yearly race, in which the contestants must travel through the city pushing a barrel weighing 80 kg. for about 2 km. and these riders are true athletes usually provided by other disciplines ... I can not imagine myself making such a feat. One of these leather crafter, just to go back to movies, provides large books and leather notebooks at Harry Potter himself :-). In town, the architectural monuments can be visited, and all the buildings are of great value, but the one I like most is the beautiful church of San Biagio designed by Antonio da Sangallo, just outside the city walls. Wonderful! What geometry and balance. The plan is taken from Filippo Brunelleschi's works, and was also used for the original design by Bramante and Michelangelo for St. Peter's Basilica. And of course do not forget the poet Agnolo Poliziano, as the name says, a native of Montepulciano. I left my small contribution to Origami for the people.

Dholavira - Harappan Metrolpoly - Another layout with a precisely carved stone block.

Dholavira (Gujarati: ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of it. This village is 165 km (103 mi) from Radhanpur. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan city. Dholavira’s location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. It is located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The 47 ha (120 acres) quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE. It was briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE.

The site was discovered in 1967-1968 by J. P. Joshi ex. D.G. of the Archaeological Survey of India and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the Archaeological Survey of India, which opines that "Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality of Indus Valley Civilisation." The other major Harappan sites discovered so far are: Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.

R.S. Bisht, the director of the Dholavira excavations, has defined the following seven stages of occupation at the site:

StagesDates

Stage I2650–2550 BCEEarly Harappan – Mature Harappan Transition A

Stage II2550–2500 BCEEarly Harappan – Mature Harappan Transition B

Stage III2500–2200 BCEMature Harappan A

Stage IV2200–2000 BCEMature Harappan B

Stage V2000–1900 BCEMature Harappan C

1900–1850 BCEPeriod of desertion

Stage VI1850–1750 BCEPosturban Harappan A

1750–1650 BCEPeriod of desertion

Stage VII1650–1450 BCEPosturban Harappan B

Excavation was initiated in 1989 by the Archaeological Survey of India under the direction of R. S. Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005. The excavation brought to light the urban planning and architecture, and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as seals, beads, animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels. Archaeologists believe that Dholavira was an important centre of trade between settlements in south Gujarat, Sindh and Punjab and Western Asia.

Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over 22 ha (54 acres). The area measures 771.1 m (2,530 ft) in length, and 616.85 m (2,023.8 ft) in width. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been furnished with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells, and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most thoroughly fortified and complex area in the city, of which it appropriates the major portion of the southwestern zone. The towering "castle" stands is defended by double ramparts. Next to this stands a place called the 'bailey' where important officials lived. The city within the general fortifications accounts for 48 ha (120 acres). There are extensive structure-bearing areas which are outside yet integral to the fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, another settlement has been found. The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation, are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of brick. Dholavira is flanked by two storm water channels; the Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south.

Reservoirs

"The kind of efficient system of Harappans of Dholavira, developed for conservation, harvesting and storage of water speaks eloquently about their advanced hydraulic engineering, given the state of technology in the third millennium BCE" says R.S.Bist, Joint Director General (Rtd.), Archaeological Survey of India. One of the unique features of Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world, built completely of stone. The city had massive reservoirs, three of which are exposed. They were used for storing fresh water brought by rains or to store water diverted from two nearby rivulets. This clearly came in response to the desert climate and conditions of Kutch, where several years may pass without rainfall. A seasonal stream which runs in a north-south direction near the site was dammed at several points to collect water.

The inhabitants of Dholavira created sixteen or more reservoirs of varying size during Stage III. Some of these took advantage of the slope of the ground within the large settlement, a drop of 13 metres (43 ft) from northeast to northwest. Other reservoirs were excavated, some into living rock. Recent work has revealed two large reservoirs, one to the east of the castle and one to its south, near the Annexe.

The reservoirs are cut through stone vertically, and are about 7 m (23 ft) deep and 79 m (259 ft) long. They skirt the city, while the citadel and bath are centrally located on raised ground. There is also a large well with a stone-cut trough connecting it to a drain meant for conducting water to a storage tank. The bathing tank had steps descending inwards.

In October 2014 excavation began on a rectangular stepwell which measured 73.4 m (241 ft) long, 29.3 m (96 ft) wide, and 10 m (33 ft) deep, making it three times bigger than the Great Bath of Mohenjedaro.

Seal making

Some of the seals found at Dholavira, belonging to Stage III, contained animal only figures, without any type of script. It is suggested that these type of seals represent early conventions of Indus seal making. The guide mentioned Unicorns and there was a profusion of seals bearing the Unicorn. So was it real and not mythical?

A huge circular structure on the site is believed to be a grave or memorial, although it contained no skeletons or other human remains. The structure consists of ten radial mud-brick walls built in the shape of a spoked wheel. A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found in the passageway of the eastern gate. Many funerary structures have been found (although all but one were devoid of skeletons), as well as pottery pieces, terra cotta seals, bangles, rings, beads, and intaglio engravings.

Seven hemispherical constructions were found at Dholavira, of which two were excavated in detail, which were constructed over large rock cut chambers. Having a circular plan, these were big hemispherical elevated mud brick constructions. One of the excavated structures was designed in the form of a spoked wheel. The other was also designed in same fashion, but as a wheel without spokes. Although they contained burial goods of pottery, no skeletons were found except for one grave, where a skeleton and a copper mirror were found. A necklace of steatite beads strung to a copper wire with hooks at both ends, a gold bangle, gold and other beads were also found in one of the hemispherical structures.

These hemispherical structures bear similarity to early Buddhist stupas. The Archaeological Survey of India, which conducted the excavation, opines that "the kind of design that is of spoked wheel and unspoked wheel also remind one of the Sararata-chakra-citi and sapradhi-rata-chakra-citi mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana and Sulba-sutras".

Painted Indus black-on-red-ware pottery, square stamp seals, seals without Indus script, a huge sign board measuring about 3 m (9.8 ft) in length, containing ten letters of Indus script etc. One poorly preserved seated male figure made of stone has also been found, comparable to high quality two stone sculptures found at Harappa. Large black-slipped jars with pointed base were also found at this site. A giant bronze hammer, a big chisel, a bronze hand-held mirror, a gold wire, gold ear stud, gold globules with holes, copper celts and bangles, shell bangles, phallus-like symbols of stone, square seals with indus inscription and signs, a circular seal, carleian humped animals, pottery with painted motifs, goblets, dish-on-stand, perforated jars, Terracotta tumblers in good shape, architectural members made of ballast stones, grinding stones, mortars, etc., were also found at this site. Stone weights of different measures were also found.

It is suggested that a coastal route existed linking Lothal and Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor on the Makran coast.

Language and script

The Harrapans spoke an unknown language and their script has not yet been deciphered. It is believed to have had about 400 basic signs, with many variations. The signs may have stood both for words and for syllables. The direction of the writing was generally from right to left. Most of the inscriptions are found on seals (mostly made out of stone) and sealings (pieces of clay on which the seal was pressed down to leave its impression). Some inscriptions are also found on copper tablets, bronze implements, and small objects made of terracotta, stone and faience. The seals may have been used in trade and also for official administrative work. A lot of inscribed material was found at Mohenjo-daro and other Indus Valley Civilisation sites.

Sign board

One of the most significant discoveries at Dholavira was made in one of the side rooms of the northern gateway of the city, and is generally known as the Dholavira Signboard. The Harappans had arranged and set pieces of the mineral gypsum to form ten large symbols or letters on a big wooden board. At some point, the board fell flat on its face. The wood decayed, but the arrangement of the letters survived. The letters of the signboard are comparable to large bricks that were used in nearby walls. Each sign is about 37 cm (15 in) high and the board on which letters were inscribed was about 3 m (9.8 ft) long. The inscription is one of the longest in the Indus script, with one symbol appearing four times, and this and its large size and public nature make it a key piece of evidence cited by scholars arguing that the Indus script represents full literacy. A four sign inscription with large letters on a sand stone is also found at this site, considered first of such inscription on sand stone at any of Harappan sites.

put together from pieces of our winter garden. surprised to find precisely the right colors.

calendula flowers (dried from earlier in the year. i used them in my bath the night before, i had thrown them back in the garden after bath)

pomegranate flowers

pomegranate fruit pith

watermelon seeds and dirt

basil seeds

herbmother.com/2011/11/medicine-wheel/

We had a complete change this Christmas – we cancelled it! - we went walking in The Lakes, or Wasdale more precisely. We were staying at Irton Hall B & B, they had over 70 in for Christmas dinner but we ate jam bread on the slopes of Sca Fell Pike. Fantastic. We had a front wheel puncture on a run flat tyre on the new car with a 100 mile still to drive on the afternoon of Christmas eve on our way there. I drove straight to the nearest ATS – where I have an account – they shook their heads and directed me to Westhoughton Tyres, the lads there were fantastic and got us on our way in good time. BMW dealer advice was run on the flat tyre and then throw it away - £250! Where I would have got a tyre on the western side of the Lakes over Christmas I don’t know, ATS didn’t have one to sell me.

The weather was forecast good for Christmas day but after a fine start it was raining before we even left the car park in Wasdale. We headed up Lingmell and ran into snow on the summit. The path onto Sca Fell Pike was very icy, snow covered and visibility was low, the snow kept falling. We didn’t linger long, it was too cold to have dinner up there so we dropped down onto the Corridor Route, where we had our dinner. We went that way to stretch the walk out, having originally intended to cross to Great End. The tops were so icy, glazed, with not enough snow to get a grip on that we decide to leave it for another day. From Styhead we headed back to Wasdale and a dull but fine finish to the day. A drink in the bar at Irton Hall was on the radar.

Every morning we headed into Wasdale early, it got colder, icier and sunnier as the days went by. We went up Yewbarrow, it was an icy scramble up and I decided it was too dangerous to go down Stirrup Crag to Dore Head so went back the same way. It turned out to be the right decision as we lingered on the top, going to view points that we wouldn’t have and getting some decent photos. One morning we walked over the Screes tops, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, dropping down the steep slope to The southern end of Wast Water. Having said that I would never walk the Screes path alongside Wast Water again the memory of how awful it is in the rain had faded. There is only really a quarter of a mile out of three miles that is really bad, every rock was like glass with the potential to break a leg every step. It seemed a long way and I was getting killer looks from Herself.

We made our way onto Sca Fell on a beautiful morning, clear blue sky. The snow line had got lower most nights but we never had the low level snow that caused problems in the rest of the country. I chose a, sometimes, pathless way to the summit, partly because I’d never been that way but also to stay in the sun, to keep the view and to avoid the ways that would be a touch dangerous, it was -4 and seared with ice for the last 600 feet. After 15 minutes on the summit wispy thin cloud came racing in, crossing the Lake District in minutes, the photos show it heading towards us and I was glad to have got the clear photos first. Looking out to sea a great mattress of cloud was heading straight for us. It was calm and sunny one minute and the next we were engulfed in thick cloud with 30 yards visibility at the most. I have never had a clear sky turn to cloud so fast – ever! We were going down to Slightside next which was OK, about a mile following the ridge down, the problem was getting back to Wasdale from there. We needed to get to Great Howe which meant a pathless trek a mile SW across Quagrigg Moss – a bog full of tarnlets, it would be a nightmare in low visibility. After getting some accurate compass bearings and heading down off Slightside we suddenly dropped out of the cloud and could see our target, brilliant, we legged it across the semi frozen bog and finally felt able to rest and grab a sandwich and cup of tea. We had to find our way down Raven Crags, which was interesting – and steep! We needed to get to the footbridge to get onto the Burnmoor Tarn path back to Wasdale. As we got closer to Burnmoor Tarn the light that I had been cursing gave us a gorgeous sunset. I had one eye on a gap in the cloud low down in the sky out at sea and I was hoping the sun would break through, it did. Burnmoor Tarn was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains, including Yewbarrow and parts of the Mosedale Horseshoe in the far distance. There was just the two of us, we had barely seen a soul all day, it was a fantastic end to a tough day. As we dropped into Wasdale I caught the deep pink and orange of the last of the sun, I was shooting into it but I had nothing to lose. There would have been quite a few tripods at the opposite end of the lake but I think I was in the better place – for a change.

On our final walking day we decided to head up Great Gable. It was clear of cloud for a change but ominously the surrounding tops, including the Sca Fells were cloud covered. Another beautiful but very cold morning, it was going to be very icy up there so we elected to go via Styhead and the tourist track. We would choose a way off once we were up there. Long before we got to the top, although we couldn’t see it, we knew the cloud was swirling in and out on the summit so it was going to be hit and miss for the photos. The cloud was down for the last 500 feet but once on the frozen top it kept clearing briefly – very briefly. There were more people up there than we had seen the entire trip previously. People were getting out after Christmas, many had parked at the top of Honister for the fairly easy walk in across Green Gable, some were not dressed for winter walking it has to be said. We left for an icy scramble down to Aaron Slack, up onto Green Gable them we galloped down Aaron Slack to Styhead and back to Wasdale.

Lately, a superb pal in addition to We joined any period associated with seeing an additional written picture health food Houston night time. It can be good in addition to enjoyable at the end of our work full week undertake a wine glass associated with wine, or with regards to my buddy, bourbon in addition to health food Houston plan cola, in addition to learn something affects each of our life. Within the last 12 months, we all have a look at every thing conceivable meals to help religion. Nonetheless, with the reasons on this article, let us discuss the meal we all consume, or it could be these people imagined we all had.

The terrible simple fact, health food Houston, a lot of the documentaries to complete, a lot more you are aware of precisely what exactly what is on the inside in addition to what's from the health food Houston we all consume. You undoubtedly arise to the depressing actuality which a small number of significant meals suppliers include obtained away from it according to the health and welfare associated with people unaware.

Most of you could be well conscious of what's happening with his meals, and others not really. We absolutely discovered lots within the last 12 months in addition to hope a few of the health food Houston under can help health food Houston several of anyone the means to make far more well informed options.

Natural Foodstuff : An improved option

Sales associated with normal vegetables and fruit include doubled in the past several decades in addition to for good reason. Some of the advantages tend to be health food Houston:

Your whole body are health food Houston to struggle disease, microorganisms in addition to worms greater when raised on using normal meals.

Natural ingredients consist of no less than 50% far more vitamins and minerals, health food Houston supplements compared to non-organic meals.

Natural meals, health food Houston avoid high into your body which might be in several ingredients we all consume, for example rooster.

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Antibiotics in non-organic ingredients really are a one on one source of allergies.

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Enroll in any cooperative is usually a member-owned organization is actually health food Houston.

Enroll in any purchasing club using others and buying in large for getting special discounts up to 25 or forty percent away health food Houston.

When normal is designed for sale made purchasing in large.

Invest in health food Houston and fruit in year in addition to get cold.

After you enter in any low cost flyers stay to discover precisely what normal ingredients come in retailer sales.

Cutting discount coupons you see in normal ingredients for health food Houston.

The secrets to make certain you happen to be health food Houston normal vegetables and fruit should be to investigate product labels:

For those who have any 4-digit health food Houston, then generated conventionally and may always be developed using fertilizers in addition to pesticides health food Houston.

For those who have a basic 5-digit amount with an "health food Houston" when it is genetically modified. This really is scary for me health food Houston, because We nonetheless are not aware of this adverse impact it could possibly include in the body's.

For those who have a basic 5-digit amount using "9", then it really is normal in addition to is best to your body.

In order to discover normal meals resources in your area simply Yahoo "organic and also the town. inch I do think you will be astonished with what you notice health food Houston.

Shop with the Nearby Industry

Farmers' market segments tend to be fantastic options for refreshing regional create. Any recently chosen in your community developed tomato likes superior to any tomato which includes sailed 1500 a long way ahead of achieving this superstore racks. In addition, the earlier you take in, as they are the most healthy to your health food Houston. Request this breeder whenever they mature organically, if not currently viewable.

Farmers Request plenty of issues and do not forget to help haggle with him or her for a greater price (especially in case you obtain in bulk). Purchase your regional current market likewise assists support the area in addition to will keep blossoming health food Houston.

Obtain a write about within a method associated with area recognized farming (health food Houston)

Over the last 10 years, Local community Recognized Agriculture (CSA) has changed into a favorite opportunity for people to get health food Houston, periodic create right from a character. You can not obtain fresh compared to which. You feel directly in the town, often collected the next day. Nearly all are normal in addition to most often have diverse disappear areas to receive the tote associated with meals. Nearly all cost concerning bucks more than 200 to help bucks 600 upfront for a full week via twenty-four to help 26 increasing year health food Houston. Not only do you want to support regional farmers, nevertheless, you get the finest sampling, most healthy meals.

Turf Provided Burgers : health food Houston in addition to greater flavor too

Natural ground beef cattle grazing is merely far healthier. The cows are certainly not stored full of microorganisms in feedlots (human-conditions) (hello Elizabeth. coli), and no corn supply (higher in harmful soaked fats) and others do not consume ingredients which health food Houston. Certainly not provided high (in this conversation associated with human being security) to help ripen swifter compared to it might normally.

The item is well known which eating any cow feeds affects this flavor from the meat. Natural soil ground beef flavor because superior to normal meat. The tastiest meat derives from cows which consume solely grass, because is it doesn't normal meals that the cow is meant to consume. For those who have not really got any grass raised on burger barbeque grill recently, you will be stunned through the flavor health food Houston.

Hormone-free rooster is actually balanced : or not really?

The rooster is very slim animal for meals, so this means using a reduced extra fat in addition to better healthy proteins ranges compared to different meat. The USDA has suspended poultry manufacturers giving steroid human hormones and also the chickens, however manufacturers are nevertheless without their human hormones antibiotics every day which serve exactly the same goal because human hormones (health food Houston) to boost this pace associated with expansion. And once you might be from the superstore to see rooster labeled "hormone-free" is actually most likely an example of the way unreliable product labels we all still find it safe and sound (but not).

In case you are worried about the amount of antibiotics fond of chickens, health food Houston poultry in addition to ovum designated using a pair of product labels in poultry in addition to antibiotics additional.

Soda pop Side effects

We head over to her in addition to I suppose most of you are already aware the way pop is actually dreadful for individuals. It's depressing which lots of people tend to be sent without acknowledging precisely what take is very harmful. These factors clarify how a consequences from the widespread elements associated with health food Houston:

Phosphoric P : weakens bone tissues in addition to tooth go rotten

Extreme synthetic sweeteners allows you to desire far more

Coulter Caramel : caramel Produced just health food Houston balance is actually which zero flavor is actually polluted using carcinogenic

Formaldehyde : carcinogenic, it really is included with carbonated drinks, however when aspartame is actually digested, it is going to crack in a pair of proteins in addition to methanol = + formaldehyde formic acidity (diet soda)

Corn syrup, higher fructose is usually a focused type of glucose, fructose via corn (and 75% associated with meals supermarkets). Enhanced unwanted fat, cholesterol in addition to triglycerides, and in addition allows you to starving. (My Our god! )

Potassium benzoate : chemical that may be decomposed into benzene within you. Keep your consume from the sunshine and also the carcinogen benzene health food Houston.

Foodstuff coloring : human brain operate, hyperactive habits, problems centering, health food Houston, deficiency of behavioral instinct management.

Have to have We declare far more in carbonated drinks? Just consume in small amounts for good health, all right.

Fruit juice: The main element to help glorious health food Houston

If we noticed this written health food Houston, unwell in addition to practically dead" decline Film May well, I had created zero concept the amount of vitamins and minerals our body lacks meals status. We likewise got zero idea that this drink could use up optimal numbers of normal vegetables and fruit in an affordable way to present your body precisely what it requires to help treat in addition to continue to be balanced.

Preparing in addition to finalizing meals destroys this nutritional value through changing their form in addition to element make up. Almost all health food Houston government bodies propose we all obtain 6-8 portions associated with vegetables and fruit each day. Juicing is actually an easy way to help practically assurance you'll reach the vacation spot for fruit and vegetables. Really the only disadvantage would be the cleansing. There are numerous great content articles on the net in addition to ledgers from the health food Houston for you to discover. We tightly feel that this drink would be the best key to offer you any glorious, dynamic living really optimal health.

via health crown 1healthcrown.blogspot.com/2013/09/health-food-houston-7-t...

The forged Shimano vertical dropouts were made for precisely this type of mounting. And, the stainless steel "P-clips" holding the fender stays happen to elevate the stays nicely so they do not interfere with the rear axle's quick-release mechanism.

I am using 5mm stainless steel "button head" screws to mount the rack and the fender stays. I first cut the screws to measured lengths so they would fit flush with the inside of the dropouts. Especially important on the drive side where a chain could catch and jam on a protruding screw when shifted to a smallest cog. Cutting is really quick, precise and easy to do with a Dremel rotary tool fitted with a small cut-off wheel... same tool I used to cut the aluminum fender stays to desired lengths. The smooth round domes of these screws would also allow the derailleur cable housing to easily glide over them if that were ever an issue when shifting gears. The sockets accept a 3mm. Allen wrench, a tool which is generally included in most bicycle multi-tools.

That is an old Shimano "105" 9-speed Triple derailleur [RD-5500GS] date code: May, 2002. It works great on this bike and the cable housing is not at all obstructed by the fender and rack mounting screws. I long ago removed the logo from the parallelogram with a drop of acetone... I like the plain shiny finish. I've used this on various bikes for 10 years and it still functions like new.

Châteauvieux (literally, “Old Castle”) is a very small village –a hamlet, really– incorporated since 1658 in the not much larger village of Yzeron, a few kilometers west of the city of Lyon. From that city, and more precisely from the venerable abbey of Ainay, came the Benedictine monks who built a small chapel in Châteauvieux, around Year 1000. It seems that it was never meant to be a priory, just a parochial church gifted by the abbey to a growing local Christian community.

I had heard a few years back about the chapel, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and which had only been listed on the secondary list of Historic Landmarks in 1979. Considering the very old age of the monument, this late listing (and not even on the main list) seemed a bit strange, and I went to see it in 2020. It stood in a walled enclosure and all I could do was take a photograph over the wall where it was the lowest, and in a somewhat precarious position (I will post that old photo under the #1 picture in this series).

I returned to Châteauvieux in April 2025 in my capacity as pro bono photographer for the Fondation du Patrimoine, as the chapel needs restoration works largely exceeding the financial means of the village of Yzeron. Thus, the Fondation will launch a fundraising campaign and possibly also use some of its own resources to cover all or part of the cost. To document the monument in its “before” condition, I was granted full access and could see the inside for the first time.

The floor plan is very simply basilical, with a narrower, flat apse protruding at the eastern end. The flat apse, as well as the apparel, are indicative of early 11th century, perhaps even older. Inside, the ever-present long and thin arch stones also point in the same direction. The relieving arches along the side walls rest on massive square pillars of medium to large apparel, and many of them slant visibly —the camera was of course perfectly leveled, as always, before the photos were taken. Many parts of the walls (most notably in the apse, which is probably the oldest part) and all of the rib-vaulted ceilings are plastered or cemented over, which prevent us from reading the history of the monument in the stones.

On each side of the choir are these two very narrow apsidioles. It is too bad the walls have been plastered over, as I would have liked to be able to “read” some more of the story in the original stones...

I used a handheld Godox AD200 Pro II studio strobe, equipped with a round H200R head and a half-spherical diffuser, to provide additional lighting for this shot. The flash was set and triggered via a Godox X Pro II radio transmitter mounted on the camera, which was itself triggered via a Pixel Oppilas RW–221 radio remote, allowing me to walk around and pop the flash wherever it was needed.

Precisely what it looks like. The alphabet in wire.

Crews precisely place the first concrete section of a 130-foot-long concrete culvert that will run underneath SR 520 in Bellevue.

Crews quickly carved a 30-foot-deep trench across SR 520 west of Bellevue Way Northeast to install the new, larger culvert. The culvert will improve fish migration and is the first of eight culverts crossing SR 520 that will be installed between Medina and Bellevue during the next three years.

Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to 90 metres (300 ft) at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. Blackrock is bordered by Booterstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Foxrock, Deansgrange and Monkstown.

Blackrock is a large commercial centre with cafes, restaurants, boutiques, hairdressers and barbers, a tattoo and piercing studio, pharmacies, supermarkets, art galleries, antiques and home improvements outlets as well as bars such as The Breffni, Jack O'Rourkes, O'Donohues, Flash Harrys, Conways, The Wicked Wolf and the Ten Tun Tavern.

The Blackrock Shopping Centre was built in 1984 by Superquinn who managed the development and are the anchor store. Superquinn has now become Supervalu.

There are many high street finance branches for AIB, Bank of Ireland, EBS, National Irish Bank, Ulster Bank and the Blackrock Credit Union. Permanent TSB closed their Blackrock branch in March 2010 but retain their administrative offices on Carysfort Avenue.

There are many office buildings that house large corporations such as Zurich Financial Services and AIG, and car dealers such as Carroll & Kinsella Motors, Maxwell Motors (generally BMW) and Eco Aer (eco electric vehicles).

As the New Years Eve countdown drew ever closer, an 8 ft. tall, 500 lb., lighted (by VP Electrical Contracting, Inc.) stainless steel mushroom, constructed by M & P Custom Design, was gradually lowered 85 feet, landing in the Square precisely at the stroke of the New Year!

Kennett Square is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known as the Mushroom Capital of the World because mushroom farming in the region produces over a million pounds of mushrooms a week. To celebrate this heritage, Kennett Square has an annual Mushroom Festival, where the town shuts down to have a parade, tour mushroom farms, and buy and sell food and other goods. It is also home to the corporate headquarters of Genesis HealthCare which administers elderly care facilities. The local high school is Kennett High School. Its population was 6,072 at the 2010 census

The area to become known as Kennett Square was originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans. The town was originally called Kennet Square, with the name "Kennet", England, and "Square" coming from the original land grant from William Penn of one square mile. It was the site of General Sir William Howe's march to the Battle of Brandywine during the American Revolution. It was also known as an important part of the Underground Railroad that helped slaves escaping to the North for freedom. Many of its prominent citizens helped slaves escape on the Underground Railroad. In 1853, a group asked for Kennett Square to be incorporated, and by 1855 it held elections.

Kennett Square's founder is credited with introducing mushroom growing to the area. He grew carnations, a popular local commodity around 1885, and wanted to make use of the wasted space under the elevated beds. He imported spawn from Europe and started experimenting with mushroom cultivation.

Kennett Square is the subject and setting of 19th-century American author Bayard Taylor's novel, The Story Of Kennett.

The Kennett Mushroom Festival is held annually in early September. The festival has been highlighted on Food TV. Annual parades are held on Memorial Day, Halloween, and before the Christmas holidays. Kennett Square celebrates Cinco de Mayo, which is organized by Casa Guanajuato, and other local companies. A free summer concert series is held on Wednesday evenings at the beautiful (over 100 acre) Anson B Nixon park. In mid-May, the famous Kennett Run occurs that ends at the Park pavilion. The Kennett Brewfest is held each Fall, featuring unlimited tastings of 65+ select brewers pouring different, rare, exclusive, limited, or seasonal beers. The local art galleries, studios, and independent boutiques participate in First Friday Art Strolls each month, presented by Historic Kennett Square. During temperate months there is an outdoor farmers market at the Genesis Walkway on State St. every Friday afternoon. These are but a few of the events for families and visitors throughout the year.

from Wikipedia

More precisely from Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

OR...... more precisely the 22:53 to London Paddington........ 46115 hurries through a dimly lit Iver on the last leg of the returning West Somerset Steam Express.

We had a complete change this Christmas – we cancelled it! - we went walking in The Lakes, or Wasdale more precisely. We were staying at Irton Hall B & B, they had over 70 in for Christmas dinner but we ate jam bread on the slopes of Sca Fell Pike. Fantastic. We had a front wheel puncture on a run flat tyre on the new car with a 100 mile still to drive on the afternoon of Christmas eve on our way there. I drove straight to the nearest ATS – where I have an account – they shook their heads and directed me to Westhoughton Tyres, the lads there were fantastic and got us on our way in good time. BMW dealer advice was run on the flat tyre and then throw it away - £250! Where I would have got a tyre on the western side of the Lakes over Christmas I don’t know, ATS didn’t have one to sell me.

The weather was forecast good for Christmas day but after a fine start it was raining before we even left the car park in Wasdale. We headed up Lingmell and ran into snow on the summit. The path onto Sca Fell Pike was very icy, snow covered and visibility was low, the snow kept falling. We didn’t linger long, it was too cold to have dinner up there so we dropped down onto the Corridor Route, where we had our dinner. We went that way to stretch the walk out, having originally intended to cross to Great End. The tops were so icy, glazed, with not enough snow to get a grip on that we decide to leave it for another day. From Styhead we headed back to Wasdale and a dull but fine finish to the day. A drink in the bar at Irton Hall was on the radar.

Every morning we headed into Wasdale early, it got colder, icier and sunnier as the days went by. We went up Yewbarrow, it was an icy scramble up and I decided it was too dangerous to go down Stirrup Crag to Dore Head so went back the same way. It turned out to be the right decision as we lingered on the top, going to view points that we wouldn’t have and getting some decent photos. One morning we walked over the Screes tops, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, dropping down the steep slope to The southern end of Wast Water. Having said that I would never walk the Screes path alongside Wast Water again the memory of how awful it is in the rain had faded. There is only really a quarter of a mile out of three miles that is really bad, every rock was like glass with the potential to break a leg every step. It seemed a long way and I was getting killer looks from Herself.

We made our way onto Sca Fell on a beautiful morning, clear blue sky. The snow line had got lower most nights but we never had the low level snow that caused problems in the rest of the country. I chose a, sometimes, pathless way to the summit, partly because I’d never been that way but also to stay in the sun, to keep the view and to avoid the ways that would be a touch dangerous, it was -4 and seared with ice for the last 600 feet. After 15 minutes on the summit wispy thin cloud came racing in, crossing the Lake District in minutes, the photos show it heading towards us and I was glad to have got the clear photos first. Looking out to sea a great mattress of cloud was heading straight for us. It was calm and sunny one minute and the next we were engulfed in thick cloud with 30 yards visibility at the most. I have never had a clear sky turn to cloud so fast – ever! We were going down to Slightside next which was OK, about a mile following the ridge down, the problem was getting back to Wasdale from there. We needed to get to Great Howe which meant a pathless trek a mile SW across Quagrigg Moss – a bog full of tarnlets, it would be a nightmare in low visibility. After getting some accurate compass bearings and heading down off Slightside we suddenly dropped out of the cloud and could see our target, brilliant, we legged it across the semi frozen bog and finally felt able to rest and grab a sandwich and cup of tea. We had to find our way down Raven Crags, which was interesting – and steep! We needed to get to the footbridge to get onto the Burnmoor Tarn path back to Wasdale. As we got closer to Burnmoor Tarn the light that I had been cursing gave us a gorgeous sunset. I had one eye on a gap in the cloud low down in the sky out at sea and I was hoping the sun would break through, it did. Burnmoor Tarn was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains, including Yewbarrow and parts of the Mosedale Horseshoe in the far distance. There was just the two of us, we had barely seen a soul all day, it was a fantastic end to a tough day. As we dropped into Wasdale I caught the deep pink and orange of the last of the sun, I was shooting into it but I had nothing to lose. There would have been quite a few tripods at the opposite end of the lake but I think I was in the better place – for a change.

On our final walking day we decided to head up Great Gable. It was clear of cloud for a change but ominously the surrounding tops, including the Sca Fells were cloud covered. Another beautiful but very cold morning, it was going to be very icy up there so we elected to go via Styhead and the tourist track. We would choose a way off once we were up there. Long before we got to the top, although we couldn’t see it, we knew the cloud was swirling in and out on the summit so it was going to be hit and miss for the photos. The cloud was down for the last 500 feet but once on the frozen top it kept clearing briefly – very briefly. There were more people up there than we had seen the entire trip previously. People were getting out after Christmas, many had parked at the top of Honister for the fairly easy walk in across Green Gable, some were not dressed for winter walking it has to be said. We left for an icy scramble down to Aaron Slack, up onto Green Gable them we galloped down Aaron Slack to Styhead and back to Wasdale.

(Marmota flaviventris) Okanagan Lake Park, BC.

At first rather shy when he saw us, he was much more amenable to posing for portraits the next morning.

In fact, this shot was taken at precisely 6:33:45 AM. While it may appear that he was expressing some kind of rage, let me assure one and all that I simply caught him mid-yawn!

"Habitat and distribution:

The yellow-bellied marmot lives in the western United States and southwestern Canada, including the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.[5] It inhabits steppes, meadows, talus fields and other open habitats, sometimes on the edge of deciduous or coniferous forests, and typically above 6,500 feet (2,000 m) of elevation.

Their territory is about 4 to 7 acres (2 to 3 ha) around a number of summer burrows. Marmots choose to dig burrows under rocks because predators are less likely to see their burrow. Predators include wolves, foxes, coyotes, dogs and eagles. When a marmot sees a predator, it whistles to warn all other marmots in the area (giving it the nickname "whistle pig").[5] Then it typically hides in a nearby rock pile.

Behavior

Marmots reproduce when about two years old, and may live up to an age of fifteen years. They reside in colonies of about ten to twenty individuals. Each male marmot digs a burrow soon after he wakes up from hibernation. He then starts looking for females, and by summer may have up to four female mates living with him. Litters usually average three to five offspring per female.[4] Only about half of those pups survive and become yearlings.[5] Marmots have a "harem-polygynous" mating system in which the male reproduces with two or three mates at the same time.[4] Female offspring tend to stay in the area around their home. Male offspring typically leave when they are yearlings and will defend one or more females.[5]

Yellow-bellied marmots spend about 80% of their life in their burrow, 60% of which is spent hibernating.[6] They often spend mid-day and night in a burrow as well.[6] These burrows are usually constructed on a slope, such as a hill, mountain, or cliff.[6] The hibernation burrows are can be up to 5 to 7 metres (16 to 23 ft) deep, but the burrows constructed for daily use are usually only 1 metre (3.3 ft) deep. Their hibernation period varies on elevation, but it is typically from September to May. Occasionally, they will climb trees and other flora, but they are usually terrestrial.[5]

Yellow-bellied marmots are diurnal.[4] The marmot is also an omnivore, eating grass, grains, leaves, flowers, legumes, fruit, grasshoppers, and bird eggs."

(Wikipedia)

The date of the church’s construction was not precisely known until 1969, particularly as the pisanie (inscription) is partly deteriorated.

That year, the parish priest discovered a petition from the Christians of the Broșteni district to the Metropolitan of Ungro-Wallachia.

Authored by Manul "Cavaful", head of the shoemakers’ (cavafi) guild, the document asks permission for building a church on the land of the late Hagi Dumitrache Papazoglu, in accordance with his will.

It is dated July 1815, and construction probably started on August 15, a date mentioned on the inscription.

The structure was probably erected by summer 1816, and was completely finished by November 1817, as attested by a document of that date.

Repairs were carried out in 1868, 1891 and 1906, while the painting was redone in 1929.

Thorough repairs took place in 1949–1950 and 1957.

Repainting was done under Patriarch Justinian, whose portrait appears among the ktetors.

The 1930 parish house was demolished in 1985 to make way for the surrounding apartment blocks.

The church has two spires, one above the nave, the other, the bell tower, above the narthex.

The iconostasis is carved in wood and gilt.

The facades are simple, with a classical cornice and pediment on the western side, painted with three panels of saints’ icons.

Saint Haralambie, whose relics are here, awaits them every day.

The church, in the shape of a cross, was built between 1815 and 1817 on the land left by Hagi Dumitrache Papazoglu, by Maria and Manea Cavafu, the latter being the elder of the tanners in the Broşteni slum.

Over time, the church was repaired several times.

Among the objects of historical or documentary value, the very old icons stand out (the oldest is from the 17th century), but also the iconostasis, which is carved in wood and gilded.

The current painting dates from 1986, made by a certain Gheorghe.

Dholavira - Harappan Metrolpoly - A precisely carved rectangular stone block at the Western Gate

Dholavira (Gujarati: ધોળાવીરા) is an archaeological site at Khadirbet in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District, in the state of Gujarat in western India, which has taken its name from a modern-day village 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of it. This village is 165 km (103 mi) from Radhanpur. Also known locally as Kotada timba, the site contains ruins of an ancient Indus Valley Civilization/Harappan city. Dholavira’s location is on the Tropic of Cancer. It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. It is located on Khadir bet island in the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary in the Great Rann of Kutch. The 47 ha (120 acres) quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE. It was briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE.

The site was discovered in 1967-1968 by J. P. Joshi ex. D.G. of the Archaeological Survey of India and is the fifth largest of eight major Harappan sites. It has been under excavation since 1990 by the Archaeological Survey of India, which opines that "Dholavira has indeed added new dimensions to personality of Indus Valley Civilisation." The other major Harappan sites discovered so far are: Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Ganeriwala, Rakhigarhi, Kalibangan, Rupnagar and Lothal.

R.S. Bisht, the director of the Dholavira excavations, has defined the following seven stages of occupation at the site:

StagesDates

Stage I2650–2550 BCEEarly Harappan – Mature Harappan Transition A

Stage II2550–2500 BCEEarly Harappan – Mature Harappan Transition B

Stage III2500–2200 BCEMature Harappan A

Stage IV2200–2000 BCEMature Harappan B

Stage V2000–1900 BCEMature Harappan C

1900–1850 BCEPeriod of desertion

Stage VI1850–1750 BCEPosturban Harappan A

1750–1650 BCEPeriod of desertion

Stage VII1650–1450 BCEPosturban Harappan B

Excavation was initiated in 1989 by the Archaeological Survey of India under the direction of R. S. Bisht, and there were 13 field excavations between 1990 and 2005. The excavation brought to light the urban planning and architecture, and unearthed large numbers of antiquities such as seals, beads, animal bones, gold, silver, terracotta ornaments, pottery and bronze vessels. Archaeologists believe that Dholavira was an important centre of trade between settlements in south Gujarat, Sindh and Punjab and Western Asia.

Estimated to be older than the port-city of Lothal, the city of Dholavira has a rectangular shape and organization, and is spread over 22 ha (54 acres). The area measures 771.1 m (2,530 ft) in length, and 616.85 m (2,023.8 ft) in width. Unlike Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, the city was constructed to a pre-existing geometrical plan consisting of three divisions – the citadel, the middle town, and the lower town. The acropolis and the middle town had been furnished with their own defence-work, gateways, built-up areas, street system, wells, and large open spaces. The acropolis is the most thoroughly fortified and complex area in the city, of which it appropriates the major portion of the southwestern zone. The towering "castle" stands is defended by double ramparts. Next to this stands a place called the 'bailey' where important officials lived. The city within the general fortifications accounts for 48 ha (120 acres). There are extensive structure-bearing areas which are outside yet integral to the fortified settlement. Beyond the walls, another settlement has been found. The most striking feature of the city is that all of its buildings, at least in their present state of preservation, are built of stone, whereas most other Harappan sites, including Harappa itself and Mohenjo-daro, are almost exclusively built of brick. Dholavira is flanked by two storm water channels; the Mansar in the north, and the Manhar in the south.

Reservoirs

"The kind of efficient system of Harappans of Dholavira, developed for conservation, harvesting and storage of water speaks eloquently about their advanced hydraulic engineering, given the state of technology in the third millennium BCE" says R.S.Bist, Joint Director General (Rtd.), Archaeological Survey of India. One of the unique features of Dholavira is the sophisticated water conservation system of channels and reservoirs, the earliest found anywhere in the world, built completely of stone. The city had massive reservoirs, three of which are exposed. They were used for storing fresh water brought by rains or to store water diverted from two nearby rivulets. This clearly came in response to the desert climate and conditions of Kutch, where several years may pass without rainfall. A seasonal stream which runs in a north-south direction near the site was dammed at several points to collect water.

The inhabitants of Dholavira created sixteen or more reservoirs of varying size during Stage III. Some of these took advantage of the slope of the ground within the large settlement, a drop of 13 metres (43 ft) from northeast to northwest. Other reservoirs were excavated, some into living rock. Recent work has revealed two large reservoirs, one to the east of the castle and one to its south, near the Annexe.

The reservoirs are cut through stone vertically, and are about 7 m (23 ft) deep and 79 m (259 ft) long. They skirt the city, while the citadel and bath are centrally located on raised ground. There is also a large well with a stone-cut trough connecting it to a drain meant for conducting water to a storage tank. The bathing tank had steps descending inwards.

In October 2014 excavation began on a rectangular stepwell which measured 73.4 m (241 ft) long, 29.3 m (96 ft) wide, and 10 m (33 ft) deep, making it three times bigger than the Great Bath of Mohenjedaro.

Seal making

Some of the seals found at Dholavira, belonging to Stage III, contained animal only figures, without any type of script. It is suggested that these type of seals represent early conventions of Indus seal making. The guide mentioned Unicorns and there was a profusion of seals bearing the Unicorn. So was it real and not mythical?

A huge circular structure on the site is believed to be a grave or memorial, although it contained no skeletons or other human remains. The structure consists of ten radial mud-brick walls built in the shape of a spoked wheel. A soft sandstone sculpture of a male with phallus erectus but head and feet below ankle truncated was found in the passageway of the eastern gate. Many funerary structures have been found (although all but one were devoid of skeletons), as well as pottery pieces, terra cotta seals, bangles, rings, beads, and intaglio engravings.

Seven hemispherical constructions were found at Dholavira, of which two were excavated in detail, which were constructed over large rock cut chambers. Having a circular plan, these were big hemispherical elevated mud brick constructions. One of the excavated structures was designed in the form of a spoked wheel. The other was also designed in same fashion, but as a wheel without spokes. Although they contained burial goods of pottery, no skeletons were found except for one grave, where a skeleton and a copper mirror were found. A necklace of steatite beads strung to a copper wire with hooks at both ends, a gold bangle, gold and other beads were also found in one of the hemispherical structures.

These hemispherical structures bear similarity to early Buddhist stupas. The Archaeological Survey of India, which conducted the excavation, opines that "the kind of design that is of spoked wheel and unspoked wheel also remind one of the Sararata-chakra-citi and sapradhi-rata-chakra-citi mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana and Sulba-sutras".

Painted Indus black-on-red-ware pottery, square stamp seals, seals without Indus script, a huge sign board measuring about 3 m (9.8 ft) in length, containing ten letters of Indus script etc. One poorly preserved seated male figure made of stone has also been found, comparable to high quality two stone sculptures found at Harappa. Large black-slipped jars with pointed base were also found at this site. A giant bronze hammer, a big chisel, a bronze hand-held mirror, a gold wire, gold ear stud, gold globules with holes, copper celts and bangles, shell bangles, phallus-like symbols of stone, square seals with indus inscription and signs, a circular seal, carleian humped animals, pottery with painted motifs, goblets, dish-on-stand, perforated jars, Terracotta tumblers in good shape, architectural members made of ballast stones, grinding stones, mortars, etc., were also found at this site. Stone weights of different measures were also found.

It is suggested that a coastal route existed linking Lothal and Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor on the Makran coast.

Language and script

The Harrapans spoke an unknown language and their script has not yet been deciphered. It is believed to have had about 400 basic signs, with many variations. The signs may have stood both for words and for syllables. The direction of the writing was generally from right to left. Most of the inscriptions are found on seals (mostly made out of stone) and sealings (pieces of clay on which the seal was pressed down to leave its impression). Some inscriptions are also found on copper tablets, bronze implements, and small objects made of terracotta, stone and faience. The seals may have been used in trade and also for official administrative work. A lot of inscribed material was found at Mohenjo-daro and other Indus Valley Civilisation sites.

Sign board

One of the most significant discoveries at Dholavira was made in one of the side rooms of the northern gateway of the city, and is generally known as the Dholavira Signboard. The Harappans had arranged and set pieces of the mineral gypsum to form ten large symbols or letters on a big wooden board. At some point, the board fell flat on its face. The wood decayed, but the arrangement of the letters survived. The letters of the signboard are comparable to large bricks that were used in nearby walls. Each sign is about 37 cm (15 in) high and the board on which letters were inscribed was about 3 m (9.8 ft) long. The inscription is one of the longest in the Indus script, with one symbol appearing four times, and this and its large size and public nature make it a key piece of evidence cited by scholars arguing that the Indus script represents full literacy. A four sign inscription with large letters on a sand stone is also found at this site, considered first of such inscription on sand stone at any of Harappan sites.

“Precisely the least, the softest, lightest, a lizard's rustling, a breath, a flash, a moment - a little makes the way of the best happiness.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

St Margaret, Reydon, Suffolk

Reydon is a suburb of Southwold. In terms of population, they are about the same size. But which one of the two have you heard of? Precisely. Reydon is agri-industrial, and when you cross over the river from one parish to the other, the houses double in price. Not so long ago, a beach hut changed hands in Southwold for £100,000.

St Margaret sits away from the houses, on the road towards Wangford, anonymously pretty in an overgrown graveyard. It is an older church than Southwold's late-medieval parvenu, although it underwent a serious tarting-up in the 15th century. In the churchyard wall there is a surviving mounting block, so that the gentry could climb straight onto their horses from the churchyard without descending to the muddy road.

On the north side there is a very good late 1980s extension. The architect was Andrew Anderson. The graveyard is wide and spacious, but there are many more modern graves than 19th century ones, a mark of how the town has grown. You can't fail to miss the extraordinary bronze angel to the south of the chancel. To the west of the church are the older memorials. One of them is a cute little child's grave, to Percy Hunt, son of Henry and Harriet, who had died at the age of just ten months in August 1888. Grieve not with helpless sorrow, it reads, Jesus hath felt your pain. He did thy lamb but borrow, he'll bring him back again, the theology of which seems curious, to say the least. The tiny tombstone is covered in a century or more of moss. It was very moving. His parents' larger graves are beside it. His father had died in 1910 at the age of 60, his mother surviving into the 1930s, when she died at 86. There were no other Hunt graves nearby, and I wondered if little Percy had been their only child. Counting backwards, I worked out that she must have had her baby in her mid-forties - was this an unexpected late fruit after barren decades? And were their hopes dashed? It was all very sad.

You step into a clean, bright, neatly-kept interior, perhaps a bit smaller than might be expected from the outside. When I'd last visited in 2002, the church still bore all the hallmarks of enthusiastic Victorians re-ritualising it in the 1870s, the organ up in the chancel blocking a view of the east end. But that has now gone, and the church has a feeling of simplicity and space. There is an image niche in the eastern splay of each window, one with a lovely Blessed Virgin and Child statue in it. The best of the glass is a window by A L Moore of Christ meeting the woman at the well. You can tell at a glance that she's probably had six husbands, and she's not married to the one she's with at the minute. Less good is the east window, Ward & Hughes 'trampolining Jesus' Ascension scene rejigged by the King Workshop in the modern era.

The Biscoitos belongs to the municipality of Praia da Vitória on Terceira Island, Azores.

History

The name of this town is also the name given in the Azores two different entities, one of which refers to a sweet paste made with traditional spices, and the other to scorched earth, born of volcanoes, basalt (black).

In this case Cookies are land formed by lava from volcanic eruptions. This is an important area of wine tradition precisely because the scorched earth to be poor and little more than give vine still needs to be protected from the weather by curraletas made with the very cornerstone. (the struggle of men with the elements).

Verdelho wine produced here is of excellent quality and great tradition. It was used on ships in the time of discovery it was a product that has held up well in the sea.

The time that began the cultivation of vines in the cookies is unknown. It is however to be assumed which began with the cultivation of wheat and other products essential to the livelihood of villagers newly arrived in a land still a virgin. The strain of the variety of grape Verdelho appears to be the oldest. In times past was such an abundance of wine that in 1649 in the parish of biscuits arrived to exchange a barrel of wine for five mackerel and a penny. Because of the Phylloxera that strongly attacked the culture of the vine, it came in strong and declined only recovered again by 1870 with the introduction of new varieties resistant to disease and which have been grafted again.

Having been elevated to a parish in 1556, has two churches and several chapels. The town has a wine museum, founded in 1990 by Brum family of Francisco de Brum, where you can see a wide range of instruments related to vintage photographs and historical documents also for the wine and the vintage. It is in this museum and home that is installed on the seat of the Confraternity of the Verdelho Wine Biscuits, created in 1993. Were wastelands that Francisco Maria Brum converted into sources of wealth thanks to the successful journey of revitalization and expansion wine. The first leg of the new grapes planted, there are already more than nine decades, there is still time destroyed the second leg of the place was called the Canada Salga.

However the remaining land not affected by lava flows are of great fertility given their origin in volcanic ash and plenty of water.

This is one of the most important parishes of the Island. It is also due to its microclimate a great vacation spot. This is similar to microlima fajã that makes it unique in Terceira can catch up in certain respects with the cliffs of the island of Sao Jorge. Next to the sea there are natural pools, located between rock formations with provenance in volcanic eruptions, some already in historical times. The best known originated from the volcano that gave birth to what is now the Algar Coal within the Island.

Along the seafront of the town there is a strong military and trenches dating from the XVI century XVII century as a result of the defensive system of Terceira against the frequent assaults of pirates that was subject.

There is no documentation indicating precisely an exact date for the founding of this village, but by popular tradition known to be one of the oldest on the island and became a parish as early as June 1556 after the death of Pedro Enes's Corner.

It was in the past it belonged to two noble families: The Songs and Pamplona, the latter being of Spanish origin who came to Portugal fugitive at the time of colonization of this island.

At the time of the Canto Pero Enes Cookies were the seat of a first-born son and they called it Fat Cookies by its land is fertile or Materramenta because this man was a nickname the first possessor of it.

Father Jose Alves da Silva, said that unlike almost all the villages of Terceira Island, only had biscuits 3 miles long between its neighboring towns, being however understood that this was even smaller extent around 1556, as the distance of about 500 meters from the Ribeira de Pamplona to the place known by Marco Cruz belonged to the Town's altars.

In the year 1673 the Bishop of Angra D. Friar Laurence de Castro ordered the inhabitants of the town of altars that they lived beyond the Ribeira de Pamplona stayed as residents of biscuits. You can also accomplish this small neighborhood on the ground that once was their whole population crowded to the south The old church was the 1500 meters south of the current St. Peter's Church on a site originally called "the chapel '.

On 22 November in the year 1761, began a series of large earthquakes that continued, with some frequency by 14 April in the year 1762. On the 17th of that month and year of the morning has begun a volcanic eruption with lava to emerge from under the ground and being thrown to the site known as Old Mystery. With this wash Biscoitos found himself in danger of being entirely destroyed.

On April 21, in place of the Old Mystery of a new eruption happened distancing himself this about a league from the previous. This second eruption lasted eight days. It began with an explosion of great force that is heard in many miles around and lifted in the air very large stone.

With the beginning of these events began the exodus of people fleeing as fast as I could leaving the village deserted. All left their homes, taking what they could. The priests moved the Blessed Sacrament to the Church of Santa Beatriz of Four Streams. No one died because everyone had time to put safe. In the early days the springs and fountains of those sites had a burning like the pepper.

Centuries later, on January 1, 1980 has again another event, this time an earthquake measuring the degree seven on the Richter scale. Four people died and many were homeless, they had to take shelter in cars, tents and homes of relatives

www.bap.de/start/musik/songtexte/titel/verdamp-lang-her --- www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghi2xReyFYA&feature=related --- www.worldvision.de/unsere-arbeit-wie-wir-arbeiten-entwick... ---

Bap Colognian (Kölsch) pronunciation: [/bap/] is a German rock group. With ten albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, Bap is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country.

Nearly all of Bap's lyrics are written in Kölsch, the dialect of Cologne, or more precisely in a Kölsch-influenced derivation of Eifelplatt, a regional variant of the Ripuarian language spoken in the nearby rural Eifel. Niedecken's most prominent musical influences, especially early in his career, were Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, and Wolfgang Ambros.

The group was founded in 1976 under the name Wolfgang Niedecken's Bap in Cologne, Germany by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. In 1981 they released their most famous song "Verdamp lang her" (English: Damn long time ago), in which Niedecken describes regrets he has about his relationship with his then recently deceased father. The band's name "BAP" derived from "BAPP", both, a play-on-words on the Kölsch word "Papp" (related to the German word Papa for dad), but pronounced differently, and Niedecken's then-times nickname. BAP ist eine Kölschrockband um den Frontmann Wolfgang Niedecken und gilt als eine der erfolgreichsten Rockbands deutscher Sprache. Von den 23 BAP-Alben erreichten 19 die Top 10, zehn wurden sogar Nummer 1 der Charts.Die Gruppe um Sänger und Songschreiber Wolfgang Niedecken besteht seit 1976. Die Band traf sich zu Beginn in wechselnder Besetzung, um „einen Kasten Bier leerzuproben“.[1] Der erste Auftritt erfolgte 1977 im Mariensaal in Köln-Nippes mit zwei akustischen Gitarren (Wolfgang Niedecken, Hans Heres) und Perkussion (Afro Bauermann). Das erste Album, Wolfgang Niedecken's BAP rockt andere kölsche Leeder. erschien 1979, die Band bestand zu dieser Zeit aus Wolfgang Niedecken, Hans „Honçe“ Heres, Wolfgang „Gröön“ Klever, Manfred „Schmal“ Boecker, Wolfgang „Wolli“ Boecker und Bernd Odenthal. Die zweite LP Affjetaut folgte 1980, wie die Debüt-Platte noch unter der Bezeichnung „Wolfgang Niedeckens BAP“, da Niedecken sich bereits als Solo-Künstler mit Gitarre und Mundharmonika als „Bob Dylan der Südstadt“ einen Namen gemacht hatte; beide Platten wurden noch beim Kölner Independent-Label Eigelstein Musikproduktion veröffentlicht.

Der Bandname BAP entstand aus Niedeckens Spitzname, der seinen Vater so nannte. Diese Aussprache entstammt der Herkunft der Familie aus Rheinland-Pfalz, und weil sie vom kölschen „Pap“ abwich, entstand so Niedeckens Spitzname.[2] Als ein erster Auftritt geplant wurde, für den mit einem Plakat geworben werden sollte, musste ein Bandname erdacht werden. Hans Heres schlug dem Veranstalter vor, „BAPP“ zu nehmen.[3] Da sich die Bandmitglieder aber einig waren, dass „BAPP“ – mit zwei „P“ geschrieben – auf der Bassdrum nicht gut aussah, wurde einfach ein „P“ gestrichen.[4]

Der musikalische und inhaltliche Stil der BAP-Songs wird wesentlich von Bob Dylan, den Kinks und den Rolling Stones geprägt. Auch Bruce Springsteen, mit dem Sänger Wolfgang Niedecken eine persönliche Freundschaft verbindet, gilt als wichtiger Orientierungspunkt für BAP. Verschiedene BAP-Lieder, vor allem melancholische (z. B. Helfe kann dir keiner, Paar Daach fröher) zeigen in den Arrangements und der Stimmung deutliche Ähnlichkeiten mit Stücken von Wolfgang Ambros, etwa von dessen Album 19 Class A Numbers. Die Texte beschäftigen sich oft mit gesellschaftlichen oder persönlichen Problemen.1979 fanden unter dem Bandnamen "Wolfgang Niedeckens BAP" erste Auftritte außerhalb von Köln und der näheren Umgebung statt; so zum Beispiel auch anlässlich der Bundesgartenschau 1979 in der Bonner Rheinaue.[5] Im Mai 1982 machte BAP ihre erste professionell organisierte Deutschlandtournee. Im Mittelpunkt standen Songs des aktuellen Albums Für Usszeschnigge, das 1981 als erstes beim Major-Label EMI-Electrola erschienen war. Für den Wechsel von Eigelstein zur EMI mussten BAP in der lokalen Kultur-Szene viel Kritik einstecken, wurden jedoch mit Platz 1 in den deutschen Album-Charts prompt belohnt.

Im Sommer 1982 folgten verschiedene Auftritte im Rahmen von Großveranstaltungen und Fernsehproduktionen: Rockpop In Concert für das ZDF in der Dortmunder Westfalenhalle 1, Demonstration gegen die Nachrüstung der NATO am 10. Juni 1982 (Zehnter Juni) auf den Bonner Rheinwiesen, Vorprogramm der Rolling Stones am 4. und 5. Juli 1982 im Müngersdorfer Stadion in Köln und als erste deutsche Band bei einem Festival des WDR-Rockpalast am 28. August 1982 auf der Loreley-Freilichtbühne.

Nach Erscheinen des vierten Albums Vun drinne noh drusse war die Band zwischen Oktober 1982 und Oktober 1983 sieben Monate lang unterwegs. Neben Deutschland standen auch Konzerte in Österreich, der Schweiz und den Benelux-Ländern auf dem Programm. Insgesamt wurden etwa 130 Auftritte gespielt. Die Tournee endete mit einem Konzert im Kölner „Stollwerck“. Das vom Abriss bedrohte Bürgerhaus Stollwerck erhielt die Einnahmen dieses Konzerts zur Finanzierung seiner weiteren Arbeit. Am 28. Mai 1983 spielte BAP auf einem Festival im niedersächsischen Schüttorf im Vorprogramm von Rod Stewart und am 22. Oktober 1983 auf einer weiteren Großdemonstration gegen die NATO-Nachrüstung im Bonner Hofgarten.

Für den Januar 1984 war – nach langen Verhandlungen mit der staatlichen Künstleragentur – eine Tournee mit 14 Konzerten in 13 Städten der DDR geplant. Im Vorfeld der Tour zeichnete das DDR-Fernsehen ein Interview mit Wolfgang Niedecken inklusive zweier Unplugged-Versionen von BAP-Liedern auf. Dieses wurde später jedoch sinnentstellend verkürzt gesendet. So entschloss sich Niedecken, einige politische Statements, die der Band wichtig waren, in einem eigenen Lied darzustellen. Es wurde als Deshalv spill’ mer he betitelt und erstmals auf dem letzten „West-Konzert“ vor der Tour in Wolfsburg gespielt. Als die Band bereits in Ost-Berlin im Hotel Unter den Linden war, gab es am Vorabend des ersten Konzerts heftige Auseinandersetzungen über dieses Lied mit der DDR-Seite. Als die Band sich weigerte, es von der Setlist zu nehmen, kam es zum Eklat. Die Tournee wurde abgebrochen, bevor das erste Konzert auf dem Boden der DDR gespielt werden konnte. In einer Sendung des DDR-Fernsehens war die Ansage eines Moderators während eines Konzerts im Berliner Palast der Republik zu sehen, zu dem BAP geladen war. Er nannte als Begründung ihrer Absage, die Band wolle „nicht unter dem Symbol der weißen Taube auf blauem Grund auftreten“.[6]

Die Tournee zum Album Zwesche Salzjebäck un Bier begann am 15. und 16. Juni 1984 mit zwei Konzerten im Archäologischen Park in Xanten. Sie wurden vom ZDF aufgezeichnet und später in einer Zusammenfassung gesendet. Die Tour dauerte bis zum Februar 1985 und übertraf von der Zuschauerresonanz her noch die von 1982/83.

Am 2. März 1986 begann in Lohmar bei Köln die Tournee Ahl Männer, aalglatt. BAP spielte zunächst einige Konzerte im ländlichen Raum, bevor die Band am 15. März 1986 in der Essener Grugahalle bei der 17. und letzten Rocknacht des WDR-Rockpalast auftrat. Die Rocknacht, bei der auch Jackson Browne und Big Country auftraten, wurde wie schon das Festival auf der Loreley 1982 via Eurovision von vielen europäischen Radio- und Fernsehstationen ausgestrahlt.

Von April bis Juli folgten zahlreiche weitere Konzerte. Wegen der anhaltenden Popularität wurden teilweise auch größere Hallen ausgewählt. So fanden die „Heimspiele“ der Kölner Band erstmals in der bis zu 8000 Zuschauer fassenden Kölner Sporthalle, der damals größten Veranstaltungshalle der Domstadt, statt. Bei dieser Tournee gab es mit Christian Schneider erstmals auf einer Tournee einen Gastmusiker, weil die zum Teil sehr komplexen Keyboard-Arrangements des neuen Albums live mit nur einem Keyboarder nicht zu realisieren gewesen wären. Schneider spielte neben Keyboards bei einigen Stücken auch Saxophon. Den letzten Auftritt der Tour absolvierte die Band am 26. Juli 1986; genau drei Monate nach der Atomreaktor-Katastrophe von Tschernobyl auf dem legendären Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival gegen die Wiederaufbereitungsanlage von Wackersdorf in Burglengenfeld.

Nach Ende der Tournee 1986 legte BAP eine kreative Pause ein (u. a. bedingt durch bandinterne, künstlerische Meinungsverschiedenheiten), die Wolfgang Niedecken zur Veröffentlichung seines Albums Schlagzeiten und zu einigen Solo-Konzerten nutzte. BAP stand erst im September 1987 bei zwei Festivals wieder auf der Bühne, um sich auf eine Tournee durch China vorzubereiten. Diese Tournee ist im Buch BAP övver China dokumentiert.

Das Album Da Capo wurde von Oktober bis Dezember 1988 zunächst bei einer ausgedehnten Hallentournee präsentiert. Bei dieser Tournee legte BAP die Scheu vor den ganz großen Konzertarenen endgültig ab. So standen auch die Frankfurter Festhalle und die Münchener Olympiahalle auf dem Programm. Im Sommer 1989 folgten weitere Konzerte, teilweise auch im Rahmen von Festivals gemeinsam mit Joe Cocker. Eines dieser Events fand in der Berliner Waldbühne statt.

Auch die Tournee 1991 wurde in mehreren Teilen durchgeführt. Kurz nach der Vollendung der deutschen Einheit standen im Januar 1991 zunächst die ersten Konzerte der Band auf dem Gebiet der ehemaligen DDR auf dem Programm. Anschließend ging BAP in Westdeutschland auf Club-Tour und absolvierte eine Reihe von Auftritten in beschaulichem Rahmen, zumeist in kleinen Hallen. Das Konzert im Kölner E-Werk wurde aufgezeichnet und später auf dem Album Live – Affrocke veröffentlicht.

Im Mai und Juni 1991 folgte eine Tournee ausschließlich durch die größten deutschen Konzerthallen und bei verschiedenen Open-Air-Festivals. Als Gast bei den Konzerten trat Julian Dawson auf. Am 26. Januar 1994 startete die Tournee zum im August 1993 erschienenen Album Pik Sibbe. Nach wie vor war die Nachfrage in der BAP-Hochburg Köln groß, in einigen anderen Städten blieben die Zuschauerzahlen etwas hinter den Erwartungen zurück. Die folgende Tournee zum Album Amerika begann im November 1996. Der Tourneestart in Koblenz wurde für den WDR-Rockpalast mitgeschnitten und später im Fernsehen ausgestrahlt.

Mit dem Ausstieg von Bassist Steve Borg und von Gründungsmitglied Manfred „Schmal“ Boecker verließen zwei Musiker die Band, die BAP über viele Jahre mitgeprägt haben. 1999 stieg auch Gitarrist Klaus „Major“ Heuser aus, der während 19 Jahren Bandmitgliedschaft die überwiegende Zahl der Lieder komponierte. Außerdem verließ Keyboarder Alexander „Effendi“ Büchel die Firma BAP. Diese Abgänge und die darauf folgenden Neubesetzungen veränderten den musikalischen Ausdruck von BAP nachhaltig.

Zu den Gründen für den Ausstieg von Major sagt Wolfgang Niedecken rückblickend im März 2011:

„Der Major ist ein toller Gitarrist. Aber er wollte, dass BAP international ausgerichteten Radio-Pop spielt. Ich wollte beim Kölsch-Rock bleiben. Beide Positionen waren nicht vereinbar. Ich bin ihm dankbar, dass er selbst gegangen ist. Ich hätte ihn nämlich nie rausgeschmissen.[7]“

Als Neuzugang an den Keyboards stieg Michael Nass bei BAP ein, der zuvor in den 1980er Jahren in der DDR-Musikszene musikalisch sehr aktiv war, u. a. bei P 16 und später in Liselotte Rezniceks Frauenband Mona Lise. Gitarrist wurde Helmut Krumminga. Im Sommer 2001 gab BAP vor der eigentlichen Aff un zo-Tour ab Herbst 2001 zwei Vorabkonzerte, darunter das „Konzert an der toten Brücke“ (Soda-Brücke) in Euskirchen, das auch vom WDR aufgezeichnet und wenige Tage später in der Sendung Rockpalast gesendet wurde. Das Album selbst stieg wie der Vorgänger Tonfilm auf Platz 1 in die deutschen Charts ein.

Im Januar 2006 war die Kölnarena zwar anlässlich des Starts der Jubiläumskonzerte zum 30-jährigen Bestehen der Band mit 25.000 Zuschauern an zwei aufeinander folgenden Tagen fast ausverkauft. Bei anderen Auftritten hatte man sich von vorneherein durch die Wahl kleinerer Konzertorte angepasst.

Auch das im Mai 2008 erschienene Album Radio Pandora stieg auf Platz 1 in die deutschen Charts ein. Im Winter 2008 startete die Tournee dazu, am 2. Weihnachtstag gab es das Heimspiel in der Köln-Arena (Lanxess-Arena); sie dauerte (mit Unterbrechungen) bis zum Sommer 2009, wobei die Band von Anne de Wolff (Violine, Bratsche, Gesang) und teilweise von Rhani Krija (Percussion) begleitet wurde.

Für November 2011 war der Start der aktuellsten Tournee geplant. Aufgrund einer schweren Erkrankung Wolfgang Niedeckens wurde der Start der Tour auf Anfang Mai 2012 verschoben.[8][9][10]

Auslandsauftritte [Bearbeiten]

BAP ist im Laufe der bisher 35-jährigen Bandgeschichte in vielen Ländern der Welt aufgetreten. Nachdem sich die Bandmitglieder anfangs kaum vorstellen konnten, dass ihre kölschen Texte außerhalb des Rheinlandes verstanden würden, durften sie erleben, dass ihre Platten weit darüber hinaus gekauft wurden. Tourneen waren dadurch auch im Ausland möglich.

Die ersten Auftritte außerhalb Deutschlands waren im Dezember 1982 in der Schweiz (Basel und St.Gallen)[11] und bis Mitte der 1980er Jahre in Österreich, Luxemburg, Belgien und Dänemark (Roskilde-Festival). Seitdem gehören Auftritte in diesen Nachbarländern zum Bestandteil jeder Tournee.

Spätere Fernreisen wurden zumeist als Begleitung zu künstlerischen oder politischen Themen organisiert; häufig war nicht die komplette Gruppe unterwegs; manchmal auch nur Wolfgang Niedecken alleine oder in Begleitung von Musikern seiner Solo-Projekte:

Mit einigen Gästen tourte BAP im Oktober 1987 vier Wochen durch China. Acht Auftritte wurden in Peking, Shanghai und Kanton absolviert.[12]

Wolfgang Niedecken spielte 1987 auf Einladung der Kulturstiftung Casa de los tres Mundos (ein Projekt des Schauspielers Dietmar Schönherr, des Produzenten Peter Reichelt und des Kulturministers Ernesto Cardenal) mit seiner Complizen-Band in Nicaragua.

In ähnlicher Zusammensetzung spielten Wolfgang Niedecken & Complizen 1988 in Mosambik eine kleine Tour.

Die politischen Veränderungen in der Sowjetunion unter Gorbatschow machten es möglich, dass BAP im Mai 1989 je drei Konzerte in Moskau und Wolgograd gab.[13] Dort kamen die Musiker auch mit Fans aus der DDR ins Gespräch. Nachdem die BAP-Tour durch Ostdeutschland 1984 abgesagt wurde, war der Umweg über die UdSSR die einzige Möglichkeit, als DDR-Bürger mit der Band zu sprechen.

More info and other languages available at:

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAP

www.bap.de/start/musik/songtexte/titel/verdamp-lang-her --- www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghi2xReyFYA&feature=related --- www.worldvision.de/unsere-arbeit-wie-wir-arbeiten-entwick... ---

Bap Colognian (Kölsch) pronunciation: [/bap/] is a German rock group. With ten albums reaching the number one in the German record charts, Bap is one of the most successful rock acts in their home country.

Nearly all of Bap's lyrics are written in Kölsch, the dialect of Cologne, or more precisely in a Kölsch-influenced derivation of Eifelplatt, a regional variant of the Ripuarian language spoken in the nearby rural Eifel. Niedecken's most prominent musical influences, especially early in his career, were Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, and Wolfgang Ambros.

The group was founded in 1976 under the name Wolfgang Niedecken's Bap in Cologne, Germany by Wolfgang Niedecken and Hans Heres. In 1981 they released their most famous song "Verdamp lang her" (English: Damn long time ago), in which Niedecken describes regrets he has about his relationship with his then recently deceased father. The band's name "BAP" derived from "BAPP", both, a play-on-words on the Kölsch word "Papp" (related to the German word Papa for dad), but pronounced differently, and Niedecken's then-times nickname. BAP ist eine Kölschrockband um den Frontmann Wolfgang Niedecken und gilt als eine der erfolgreichsten Rockbands deutscher Sprache. Von den 23 BAP-Alben erreichten 19 die Top 10, zehn wurden sogar Nummer 1 der Charts.Die Gruppe um Sänger und Songschreiber Wolfgang Niedecken besteht seit 1976. Die Band traf sich zu Beginn in wechselnder Besetzung, um „einen Kasten Bier leerzuproben“.[1] Der erste Auftritt erfolgte 1977 im Mariensaal in Köln-Nippes mit zwei akustischen Gitarren (Wolfgang Niedecken, Hans Heres) und Perkussion (Afro Bauermann). Das erste Album, Wolfgang Niedecken's BAP rockt andere kölsche Leeder. erschien 1979, die Band bestand zu dieser Zeit aus Wolfgang Niedecken, Hans „Honçe“ Heres, Wolfgang „Gröön“ Klever, Manfred „Schmal“ Boecker, Wolfgang „Wolli“ Boecker und Bernd Odenthal. Die zweite LP Affjetaut folgte 1980, wie die Debüt-Platte noch unter der Bezeichnung „Wolfgang Niedeckens BAP“, da Niedecken sich bereits als Solo-Künstler mit Gitarre und Mundharmonika als „Bob Dylan der Südstadt“ einen Namen gemacht hatte; beide Platten wurden noch beim Kölner Independent-Label Eigelstein Musikproduktion veröffentlicht.

Der Bandname BAP entstand aus Niedeckens Spitzname, der seinen Vater so nannte. Diese Aussprache entstammt der Herkunft der Familie aus Rheinland-Pfalz, und weil sie vom kölschen „Pap“ abwich, entstand so Niedeckens Spitzname.[2] Als ein erster Auftritt geplant wurde, für den mit einem Plakat geworben werden sollte, musste ein Bandname erdacht werden. Hans Heres schlug dem Veranstalter vor, „BAPP“ zu nehmen.[3] Da sich die Bandmitglieder aber einig waren, dass „BAPP“ – mit zwei „P“ geschrieben – auf der Bassdrum nicht gut aussah, wurde einfach ein „P“ gestrichen.[4]

Der musikalische und inhaltliche Stil der BAP-Songs wird wesentlich von Bob Dylan, den Kinks und den Rolling Stones geprägt. Auch Bruce Springsteen, mit dem Sänger Wolfgang Niedecken eine persönliche Freundschaft verbindet, gilt als wichtiger Orientierungspunkt für BAP. Verschiedene BAP-Lieder, vor allem melancholische (z. B. Helfe kann dir keiner, Paar Daach fröher) zeigen in den Arrangements und der Stimmung deutliche Ähnlichkeiten mit Stücken von Wolfgang Ambros, etwa von dessen Album 19 Class A Numbers. Die Texte beschäftigen sich oft mit gesellschaftlichen oder persönlichen Problemen.1979 fanden unter dem Bandnamen "Wolfgang Niedeckens BAP" erste Auftritte außerhalb von Köln und der näheren Umgebung statt; so zum Beispiel auch anlässlich der Bundesgartenschau 1979 in der Bonner Rheinaue.[5] Im Mai 1982 machte BAP ihre erste professionell organisierte Deutschlandtournee. Im Mittelpunkt standen Songs des aktuellen Albums Für Usszeschnigge, das 1981 als erstes beim Major-Label EMI-Electrola erschienen war. Für den Wechsel von Eigelstein zur EMI mussten BAP in der lokalen Kultur-Szene viel Kritik einstecken, wurden jedoch mit Platz 1 in den deutschen Album-Charts prompt belohnt.

Im Sommer 1982 folgten verschiedene Auftritte im Rahmen von Großveranstaltungen und Fernsehproduktionen: Rockpop In Concert für das ZDF in der Dortmunder Westfalenhalle 1, Demonstration gegen die Nachrüstung der NATO am 10. Juni 1982 (Zehnter Juni) auf den Bonner Rheinwiesen, Vorprogramm der Rolling Stones am 4. und 5. Juli 1982 im Müngersdorfer Stadion in Köln und als erste deutsche Band bei einem Festival des WDR-Rockpalast am 28. August 1982 auf der Loreley-Freilichtbühne.

Nach Erscheinen des vierten Albums Vun drinne noh drusse war die Band zwischen Oktober 1982 und Oktober 1983 sieben Monate lang unterwegs. Neben Deutschland standen auch Konzerte in Österreich, der Schweiz und den Benelux-Ländern auf dem Programm. Insgesamt wurden etwa 130 Auftritte gespielt. Die Tournee endete mit einem Konzert im Kölner „Stollwerck“. Das vom Abriss bedrohte Bürgerhaus Stollwerck erhielt die Einnahmen dieses Konzerts zur Finanzierung seiner weiteren Arbeit. Am 28. Mai 1983 spielte BAP auf einem Festival im niedersächsischen Schüttorf im Vorprogramm von Rod Stewart und am 22. Oktober 1983 auf einer weiteren Großdemonstration gegen die NATO-Nachrüstung im Bonner Hofgarten.

Für den Januar 1984 war – nach langen Verhandlungen mit der staatlichen Künstleragentur – eine Tournee mit 14 Konzerten in 13 Städten der DDR geplant. Im Vorfeld der Tour zeichnete das DDR-Fernsehen ein Interview mit Wolfgang Niedecken inklusive zweier Unplugged-Versionen von BAP-Liedern auf. Dieses wurde später jedoch sinnentstellend verkürzt gesendet. So entschloss sich Niedecken, einige politische Statements, die der Band wichtig waren, in einem eigenen Lied darzustellen. Es wurde als Deshalv spill’ mer he betitelt und erstmals auf dem letzten „West-Konzert“ vor der Tour in Wolfsburg gespielt. Als die Band bereits in Ost-Berlin im Hotel Unter den Linden war, gab es am Vorabend des ersten Konzerts heftige Auseinandersetzungen über dieses Lied mit der DDR-Seite. Als die Band sich weigerte, es von der Setlist zu nehmen, kam es zum Eklat. Die Tournee wurde abgebrochen, bevor das erste Konzert auf dem Boden der DDR gespielt werden konnte. In einer Sendung des DDR-Fernsehens war die Ansage eines Moderators während eines Konzerts im Berliner Palast der Republik zu sehen, zu dem BAP geladen war. Er nannte als Begründung ihrer Absage, die Band wolle „nicht unter dem Symbol der weißen Taube auf blauem Grund auftreten“.[6]

Die Tournee zum Album Zwesche Salzjebäck un Bier begann am 15. und 16. Juni 1984 mit zwei Konzerten im Archäologischen Park in Xanten. Sie wurden vom ZDF aufgezeichnet und später in einer Zusammenfassung gesendet. Die Tour dauerte bis zum Februar 1985 und übertraf von der Zuschauerresonanz her noch die von 1982/83.

Am 2. März 1986 begann in Lohmar bei Köln die Tournee Ahl Männer, aalglatt. BAP spielte zunächst einige Konzerte im ländlichen Raum, bevor die Band am 15. März 1986 in der Essener Grugahalle bei der 17. und letzten Rocknacht des WDR-Rockpalast auftrat. Die Rocknacht, bei der auch Jackson Browne und Big Country auftraten, wurde wie schon das Festival auf der Loreley 1982 via Eurovision von vielen europäischen Radio- und Fernsehstationen ausgestrahlt.

Von April bis Juli folgten zahlreiche weitere Konzerte. Wegen der anhaltenden Popularität wurden teilweise auch größere Hallen ausgewählt. So fanden die „Heimspiele“ der Kölner Band erstmals in der bis zu 8000 Zuschauer fassenden Kölner Sporthalle, der damals größten Veranstaltungshalle der Domstadt, statt. Bei dieser Tournee gab es mit Christian Schneider erstmals auf einer Tournee einen Gastmusiker, weil die zum Teil sehr komplexen Keyboard-Arrangements des neuen Albums live mit nur einem Keyboarder nicht zu realisieren gewesen wären. Schneider spielte neben Keyboards bei einigen Stücken auch Saxophon. Den letzten Auftritt der Tour absolvierte die Band am 26. Juli 1986; genau drei Monate nach der Atomreaktor-Katastrophe von Tschernobyl auf dem legendären Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival gegen die Wiederaufbereitungsanlage von Wackersdorf in Burglengenfeld.

Nach Ende der Tournee 1986 legte BAP eine kreative Pause ein (u. a. bedingt durch bandinterne, künstlerische Meinungsverschiedenheiten), die Wolfgang Niedecken zur Veröffentlichung seines Albums Schlagzeiten und zu einigen Solo-Konzerten nutzte. BAP stand erst im September 1987 bei zwei Festivals wieder auf der Bühne, um sich auf eine Tournee durch China vorzubereiten. Diese Tournee ist im Buch BAP övver China dokumentiert.

Das Album Da Capo wurde von Oktober bis Dezember 1988 zunächst bei einer ausgedehnten Hallentournee präsentiert. Bei dieser Tournee legte BAP die Scheu vor den ganz großen Konzertarenen endgültig ab. So standen auch die Frankfurter Festhalle und die Münchener Olympiahalle auf dem Programm. Im Sommer 1989 folgten weitere Konzerte, teilweise auch im Rahmen von Festivals gemeinsam mit Joe Cocker. Eines dieser Events fand in der Berliner Waldbühne statt.

Auch die Tournee 1991 wurde in mehreren Teilen durchgeführt. Kurz nach der Vollendung der deutschen Einheit standen im Januar 1991 zunächst die ersten Konzerte der Band auf dem Gebiet der ehemaligen DDR auf dem Programm. Anschließend ging BAP in Westdeutschland auf Club-Tour und absolvierte eine Reihe von Auftritten in beschaulichem Rahmen, zumeist in kleinen Hallen. Das Konzert im Kölner E-Werk wurde aufgezeichnet und später auf dem Album Live – Affrocke veröffentlicht.

Im Mai und Juni 1991 folgte eine Tournee ausschließlich durch die größten deutschen Konzerthallen und bei verschiedenen Open-Air-Festivals. Als Gast bei den Konzerten trat Julian Dawson auf. Am 26. Januar 1994 startete die Tournee zum im August 1993 erschienenen Album Pik Sibbe. Nach wie vor war die Nachfrage in der BAP-Hochburg Köln groß, in einigen anderen Städten blieben die Zuschauerzahlen etwas hinter den Erwartungen zurück. Die folgende Tournee zum Album Amerika begann im November 1996. Der Tourneestart in Koblenz wurde für den WDR-Rockpalast mitgeschnitten und später im Fernsehen ausgestrahlt.

Mit dem Ausstieg von Bassist Steve Borg und von Gründungsmitglied Manfred „Schmal“ Boecker verließen zwei Musiker die Band, die BAP über viele Jahre mitgeprägt haben. 1999 stieg auch Gitarrist Klaus „Major“ Heuser aus, der während 19 Jahren Bandmitgliedschaft die überwiegende Zahl der Lieder komponierte. Außerdem verließ Keyboarder Alexander „Effendi“ Büchel die Firma BAP. Diese Abgänge und die darauf folgenden Neubesetzungen veränderten den musikalischen Ausdruck von BAP nachhaltig.

Zu den Gründen für den Ausstieg von Major sagt Wolfgang Niedecken rückblickend im März 2011:

„Der Major ist ein toller Gitarrist. Aber er wollte, dass BAP international ausgerichteten Radio-Pop spielt. Ich wollte beim Kölsch-Rock bleiben. Beide Positionen waren nicht vereinbar. Ich bin ihm dankbar, dass er selbst gegangen ist. Ich hätte ihn nämlich nie rausgeschmissen.[7]“

Als Neuzugang an den Keyboards stieg Michael Nass bei BAP ein, der zuvor in den 1980er Jahren in der DDR-Musikszene musikalisch sehr aktiv war, u. a. bei P 16 und später in Liselotte Rezniceks Frauenband Mona Lise. Gitarrist wurde Helmut Krumminga. Im Sommer 2001 gab BAP vor der eigentlichen Aff un zo-Tour ab Herbst 2001 zwei Vorabkonzerte, darunter das „Konzert an der toten Brücke“ (Soda-Brücke) in Euskirchen, das auch vom WDR aufgezeichnet und wenige Tage später in der Sendung Rockpalast gesendet wurde. Das Album selbst stieg wie der Vorgänger Tonfilm auf Platz 1 in die deutschen Charts ein.

Im Januar 2006 war die Kölnarena zwar anlässlich des Starts der Jubiläumskonzerte zum 30-jährigen Bestehen der Band mit 25.000 Zuschauern an zwei aufeinander folgenden Tagen fast ausverkauft. Bei anderen Auftritten hatte man sich von vorneherein durch die Wahl kleinerer Konzertorte angepasst.

Auch das im Mai 2008 erschienene Album Radio Pandora stieg auf Platz 1 in die deutschen Charts ein. Im Winter 2008 startete die Tournee dazu, am 2. Weihnachtstag gab es das Heimspiel in der Köln-Arena (Lanxess-Arena); sie dauerte (mit Unterbrechungen) bis zum Sommer 2009, wobei die Band von Anne de Wolff (Violine, Bratsche, Gesang) und teilweise von Rhani Krija (Percussion) begleitet wurde.

Für November 2011 war der Start der aktuellsten Tournee geplant. Aufgrund einer schweren Erkrankung Wolfgang Niedeckens wurde der Start der Tour auf Anfang Mai 2012 verschoben.[8][9][10]

Auslandsauftritte [Bearbeiten]

BAP ist im Laufe der bisher 35-jährigen Bandgeschichte in vielen Ländern der Welt aufgetreten. Nachdem sich die Bandmitglieder anfangs kaum vorstellen konnten, dass ihre kölschen Texte außerhalb des Rheinlandes verstanden würden, durften sie erleben, dass ihre Platten weit darüber hinaus gekauft wurden. Tourneen waren dadurch auch im Ausland möglich.

Die ersten Auftritte außerhalb Deutschlands waren im Dezember 1982 in der Schweiz (Basel und St.Gallen)[11] und bis Mitte der 1980er Jahre in Österreich, Luxemburg, Belgien und Dänemark (Roskilde-Festival). Seitdem gehören Auftritte in diesen Nachbarländern zum Bestandteil jeder Tournee.

Spätere Fernreisen wurden zumeist als Begleitung zu künstlerischen oder politischen Themen organisiert; häufig war nicht die komplette Gruppe unterwegs; manchmal auch nur Wolfgang Niedecken alleine oder in Begleitung von Musikern seiner Solo-Projekte:

Mit einigen Gästen tourte BAP im Oktober 1987 vier Wochen durch China. Acht Auftritte wurden in Peking, Shanghai und Kanton absolviert.[12]

Wolfgang Niedecken spielte 1987 auf Einladung der Kulturstiftung Casa de los tres Mundos (ein Projekt des Schauspielers Dietmar Schönherr, des Produzenten Peter Reichelt und des Kulturministers Ernesto Cardenal) mit seiner Complizen-Band in Nicaragua.

In ähnlicher Zusammensetzung spielten Wolfgang Niedecken & Complizen 1988 in Mosambik eine kleine Tour.

Die politischen Veränderungen in der Sowjetunion unter Gorbatschow machten es möglich, dass BAP im Mai 1989 je drei Konzerte in Moskau und Wolgograd gab.[13] Dort kamen die Musiker auch mit Fans aus der DDR ins Gespräch. Nachdem die BAP-Tour durch Ostdeutschland 1984 abgesagt wurde, war der Umweg über die UdSSR die einzige Möglichkeit, als DDR-Bürger mit der Band zu sprechen.

More info and other languages available at:

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAP

We walked over the two tops that form the Screes, it rained low, snowed high, visibility on top was poor and then I decided to use the Screes path back to the car park at Wasdale. A big mistake in the wet, every boulder was deadly slippy. I only used the little G1X MK2, I carried the 5D but it stayed in my backpack for a change, there wasn't much to get excited about

We had a complete change this Christmas – we cancelled it! - we went walking in The Lakes, or Wasdale more precisely. We were staying at Irton Hall B & B, they had over 70 in for Christmas dinner but we ate jam bread on the slopes of Sca Fell Pike. Fantastic. We had a front wheel puncture on a run flat tyre on the new car with a 100 mile still to drive on the afternoon of Christmas eve on our way there. I drove straight to the nearest ATS – where I have an account – they shook their heads and directed me to Westhoughton Tyres, the lads there were fantastic and got us on our way in good time. BMW dealer advice was run on the flat tyre and then throw it away - £250! Where I would have got a tyre on the western side of the Lakes over Christmas I don’t know, ATS didn’t have one to sell me.

The weather was forecast good for Christmas day but after a fine start it was raining before we even left the car park in Wasdale. We headed up Lingmell and ran into snow on the summit. The path onto Sca Fell Pike was very icy, snow covered and visibility was low, the snow kept falling. We didn’t linger long, it was too cold to have dinner up there so we dropped down onto the Corridor Route, where we had our dinner. We went that way to stretch the walk out, having originally intended to cross to Great End. The tops were so icy, glazed, with not enough snow to get a grip on that we decide to leave it for another day. From Styhead we headed back to Wasdale and a dull but fine finish to the day. A drink in the bar at Irton Hall was on the radar.

Every morning we headed into Wasdale early, it got colder, icier and sunnier as the days went by. We went up Yewbarrow, it was an icy scramble up and I decided it was too dangerous to go down Stirrup Crag to Dore Head so went back the same way. It turned out to be the right decision as we lingered on the top, going to view points that we wouldn’t have and getting some decent photos. One morning we walked over the Screes tops, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, dropping down the steep slope to The southern end of Wast Water. Having said that I would never walk the Screes path alongside Wast Water again the memory of how awful it is in the rain had faded. There is only really a quarter of a mile out of three miles that is really bad, every rock was like glass with the potential to break a leg every step. It seemed a long way and I was getting killer looks from Herself.

We made our way onto Sca Fell on a beautiful morning, clear blue sky. The snow line had got lower most nights but we never had the low level snow that caused problems in the rest of the country. I chose a, sometimes, pathless way to the summit, partly because I’d never been that way but also to stay in the sun, to keep the view and to avoid the ways that would be a touch dangerous, it was -4 and seared with ice for the last 600 feet. After 15 minutes on the summit wispy thin cloud came racing in, crossing the Lake District in minutes, the photos show it heading towards us and I was glad to have got the clear photos first. Looking out to sea a great mattress of cloud was heading straight for us. It was calm and sunny one minute and the next we were engulfed in thick cloud with 30 yards visibility at the most. I have never had a clear sky turn to cloud so fast – ever! We were going down to Slightside next which was OK, about a mile following the ridge down, the problem was getting back to Wasdale from there. We needed to get to Great Howe which meant a pathless trek a mile SW across Quagrigg Moss – a bog full of tarnlets, it would be a nightmare in low visibility. After getting some accurate compass bearings and heading down off Slightside we suddenly dropped out of the cloud and could see our target, brilliant, we legged it across the semi frozen bog and finally felt able to rest and grab a sandwich and cup of tea. We had to find our way down Raven Crags, which was interesting – and steep! We needed to get to the footbridge to get onto the Burnmoor Tarn path back to Wasdale. As we got closer to Burnmoor Tarn the light that I had been cursing gave us a gorgeous sunset. I had one eye on a gap in the cloud low down in the sky out at sea and I was hoping the sun would break through, it did. Burnmoor Tarn was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains, including Yewbarrow and parts of the Mosedale Horseshoe in the far distance. There was just the two of us, we had barely seen a soul all day, it was a fantastic end to a tough day. As we dropped into Wasdale I caught the deep pink and orange of the last of the sun, I was shooting into it but I had nothing to lose. There would have been quite a few tripods at the opposite end of the lake but I think I was in the better place – for a change.

On our final walking day we decided to head up Great Gable. It was clear of cloud for a change but ominously the surrounding tops, including the Sca Fells were cloud covered. Another beautiful but very cold morning, it was going to be very icy up there so we elected to go via Styhead and the tourist track. We would choose a way off once we were up there. Long before we got to the top, although we couldn’t see it, we knew the cloud was swirling in and out on the summit so it was going to be hit and miss for the photos. The cloud was down for the last 500 feet but once on the frozen top it kept clearing briefly – very briefly. There were more people up there than we had seen the entire trip previously. People were getting out after Christmas, many had parked at the top of Honister for the fairly easy walk in across Green Gable, some were not dressed for winter walking it has to be said. We left for an icy scramble down to Arron Slack, up onto Green Gable them we galloped down Arron Slack to Styhead and back to Wasdale.

The very precisely titled Audi A4 3.2 FSI Convertible is typical of the equally precise Germanic range of modern Siku models. Smart, accurate and oh so well built despite now being made in China and Poland those old hallmarks still remain though as ever you won't be paying Hot Wheels money for the pleasure!

Siku have never been particularly widely available in the U.K. compared to other brands but they arnt what you'd class as rare either, ironically being available in more retailers now than Matchbox!

This svelte little beauty came from a little Irish Toymaster shop on my recent visit there though no doubt you'll also find it in larger The Entertainer shops and English Toymaster/Toylands too. Mint and boxed.

We had a complete change this Christmas – we cancelled it! - we went walking in The Lakes, or Wasdale more precisely. We were staying at Irton Hall B & B, they had over 70 in for Christmas dinner but we ate jam bread on the slopes of Sca Fell Pike. Fantastic. We had a front wheel puncture on a run flat tyre on the new car with a 100 mile still to drive on the afternoon of Christmas eve on our way there. I drove straight to the nearest ATS – where I have an account – they shook their heads and directed me to Westhoughton Tyres, the lads there were fantastic and got us on our way in good time. BMW dealer advice was run on the flat tyre and then throw it away - £250! Where I would have got a tyre on the western side of the Lakes over Christmas I don’t know, ATS didn’t have one to sell me.

The weather was forecast good for Christmas day but after a fine start it was raining before we even left the car park in Wasdale. We headed up Lingmell and ran into snow on the summit. The path onto Sca Fell Pike was very icy, snow covered and visibility was low, the snow kept falling. We didn’t linger long, it was too cold to have dinner up there so we dropped down onto the Corridor Route, where we had our dinner. We went that way to stretch the walk out, having originally intended to cross to Great End. The tops were so icy, glazed, with not enough snow to get a grip on that we decide to leave it for another day. From Styhead we headed back to Wasdale and a dull but fine finish to the day. A drink in the bar at Irton Hall was on the radar.

Every morning we headed into Wasdale early, it got colder, icier and sunnier as the days went by. We went up Yewbarrow, it was an icy scramble up and I decided it was too dangerous to go down Stirrup Crag to Dore Head so went back the same way. It turned out to be the right decision as we lingered on the top, going to view points that we wouldn’t have and getting some decent photos. One morning we walked over the Screes tops, Illgill Head and Whin Rigg, dropping down the steep slope to The southern end of Wast Water. Having said that I would never walk the Screes path alongside Wast Water again the memory of how awful it is in the rain had faded. There is only really a quarter of a mile out of three miles that is really bad, every rock was like glass with the potential to break a leg every step. It seemed a long way and I was getting killer looks from Herself.

We made our way onto Sca Fell on a beautiful morning, clear blue sky. The snow line had got lower most nights but we never had the low level snow that caused problems in the rest of the country. I chose a, sometimes, pathless way to the summit, partly because I’d never been that way but also to stay in the sun, to keep the view and to avoid the ways that would be a touch dangerous, it was -4 and seared with ice for the last 600 feet. After 15 minutes on the summit wispy thin cloud came racing in, crossing the Lake District in minutes, the photos show it heading towards us and I was glad to have got the clear photos first. Looking out to sea a great mattress of cloud was heading straight for us. It was calm and sunny one minute and the next we were engulfed in thick cloud with 30 yards visibility at the most. I have never had a clear sky turn to cloud so fast – ever! We were going down to Slightside next which was OK, about a mile following the ridge down, the problem was getting back to Wasdale from there. We needed to get to Great Howe which meant a pathless trek a mile SW across Quagrigg Moss – a bog full of tarnlets, it would be a nightmare in low visibility. After getting some accurate compass bearings and heading down off Slightside we suddenly dropped out of the cloud and could see our target, brilliant, we legged it across the semi frozen bog and finally felt able to rest and grab a sandwich and cup of tea. We had to find our way down Raven Crags, which was interesting – and steep! We needed to get to the footbridge to get onto the Burnmoor Tarn path back to Wasdale. As we got closer to Burnmoor Tarn the light that I had been cursing gave us a gorgeous sunset. I had one eye on a gap in the cloud low down in the sky out at sea and I was hoping the sun would break through, it did. Burnmoor Tarn was like a mirror, reflecting the surrounding mountains, including Yewbarrow and parts of the Mosedale Horseshoe in the far distance. There was just the two of us, we had barely seen a soul all day, it was a fantastic end to a tough day. As we dropped into Wasdale I caught the deep pink and orange of the last of the sun, I was shooting into it but I had nothing to lose. There would have been quite a few tripods at the opposite end of the lake but I think I was in the better place – for a change.

On our final walking day we decided to head up Great Gable. It was clear of cloud for a change but ominously the surrounding tops, including the Sca Fells were cloud covered. Another beautiful but very cold morning, it was going to be very icy up there so we elected to go via Styhead and the tourist track. We would choose a way off once we were up there. Long before we got to the top, although we couldn’t see it, we knew the cloud was swirling in and out on the summit so it was going to be hit and miss for the photos. The cloud was down for the last 500 feet but once on the frozen top it kept clearing briefly – very briefly. There were more people up there than we had seen the entire trip previously. People were getting out after Christmas, many had parked at the top of Honister for the fairly easy walk in across Green Gable, some were not dressed for winter walking it has to be said. We left for an icy scramble down to Aaron Slack, up onto Green Gable them we galloped down Aaron Slack to Styhead and back to Wasdale.