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An outstanding handmade Halo that is for attaching on the avatar center.

 

The mandala is inspired by the chakra Philosophy and Yoga wellness. Excellent choice for fashion, role play, and fantasy.

 

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For more useful information click here

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- 7 Chakra in Single Pack

- Fatpack including all 7 Chakra

 

Each is - Copy - Mod -

With rotation start/stop

 

About Chakras

 

In Sanskrit, the word “chakra” means “disk” or “wheel” and refers to the energy centers in your body. These wheels or disks of spinning energy each correspond to certain nerve bundles and major organs.

 

To function at their best, your chakras need to stay open, or balanced. If they get blocked, you may experience physical or emotional symptoms related to a particular chakra.

 

The Seven Main Chakras

 

The root chakra - Muladhara

 

The root chakra, or Muladhara in Sanskrit, is the first and primary chakra, believed to be located at the base of your spine. It is linked with the color red and the element earth.

 

The root chakra is thought to affect how you connect to the world and to control feelings of survival, ambition, dependency, and stability. As the primary source of energy, its unbalance can lead to feelings of deep fear and insecurity that hurt your drive to succeed, causing feelings of frustration and lack of purpose.

 

When the root chakra is balanced, it is thought to create feelings of security, positivity, energy, independence, and strength.

 

The sacral chakra - Svadhishthana

 

Below the navel, the svadhisthana chakra radiates the color orange and represents the element water. The sacral chakra is considered to be responsible for sexuality, creativity, intuitiveness, self-worth, compassion, and adaptability. When the sacral chakra is unstable, it’s thought to cause emotional outbursts, a lack of creativity, and sex-obsessed thoughts.

 

The solar plexus chakra -Manipura

 

The Sanskrit name of the solar plexus chakra, Manipura, means city of jewels, and it’s believed to be found between the ribcage and the navel. Its color is yellow, and it is tied to the fire element.

 

For those who believe in chakras, the solar plexus chakra is the center of self-esteem and emotions like ego, anger, and aggression. It is thought to present itself on a physical level through digestive problems, liver problems, or diabetes. On an emotional level, if the solar plexus chakra is imbalanced, it is believed to cause feelings of depression and low self-esteem. When it’s balanced, it would become a source of energy, productivity, and confidence.

 

The heart chakra -Anahata

 

Connected to organs such as the heart and lungs, the heart chakra is believed to lie in the middle of the cardiovascular system. The heart chakra connects the lower chakras to the higher ones. Its color is green, and its element is air.

 

The heart chakra is considered a link to compassion, trust, passion, and love for self and others. When Anahata Chakra is out of balance, it is believed to cause anger, lack of trust, anxiety, jealousy, fear, and moodiness. An overactive heart chakra is thought to lead to high blood pressure, heart palpitations, and heart problems.

 

The throat chakra - Vishuddha

 

Vishuddha, the throat chakra, is thought to control the neck, mouth, tongue, and other parts of the throat area. The throat chakra's color is blue, and its element is ether. The throat chakra is tied to self-expression, communication, and confidence. Balancing throat chakra is believed to regulate the flow of hormones and help inner thoughts to be spoken in a positive manner.

 

The third eye chakra -Ajna

 

The third eye or Ajna chakra is set between the eyebrows. The third eye has no elemental association but is represented by the color indigo. Often used in asana practice as a focal point, the third eye chakra is believed to control your intellect, intuition, wisdom, and spiritual power.

 

According to this belief system, an open and balanced third eye chakra allows you to notice the connections in this world and beyond.

 

An underactive third eye chakra is thought to manifest as a headache, a migraine, or blurry vision. When balanced, the third eye is believed to free you from earthly attachments.

 

The crown chakra -Sahastrara

 

Sahastrara, the crown chakra, is at the top of the head, the highest of the seven main chakras. The crown chakra color is violet or white. Also known as the “thousand petal lotus” chakra, this is considered the most spiritual of the central chakras.

 

Opening the crown chakra is believed to connect a person to their higher self since it’s the place of spirituality, enlightenment, and energetic thoughts. It is tied to inner wisdom and the cosmos. When unbalanced, the crown chakra is thought to influence depression, disconnection from the outside world, frustration, and destructive emotions.

   

This bee was much more energetic than I was for a Monday; but it's good to see that no matter the day, things keep on moving the way they should.

 

Hope everyone has had a good day.

 

Click "L" for a larger view.

 

I was doing some cleaning, sat down for a second and next thing I know I am being forced to snuggle for 20 minutes.

Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station and a few other nearby buildings near the beach, and of an important ecological site at the same location.

 

Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.

 

There is a remarkable variety of wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant: a third of all those found in Britain. It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.

 

The short-haired bumblebee, Bombus subterraneus, was last found in the UK in 1988, but has survived in New Zealand after being shipped there more than 100 years ago. It is to be reintroduced at Dungeness. It is planned that the first bees will be introduced in the spring of 2010.

 

The flooded gravel pits on Denge Beach, both brackish and fresh water, provide an important refuge for many migratory and coastal bird species. The RSPB has a bird sanctuary there and every year thousands of bird watchers descend on the peninsula to catch a glimpse of a rare bird from the bird observatory.

 

One of the most remarkable features of the site is an area known as 'the patch' or, by anglers, as 'the boil'. The waste hot water and sewage from the Dungeness nuclear power stations are pumped into the sea through two outfall pipes, enriching the biological productivity of the sea bed and attracting seabirds from miles around.

 

Beach fishing is popular at Dungeness, with the area being a nationally recognised cod fishing venue in the winter.

 

The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".

Need a reliable forklift to use indoor or outdoor and need optimal productivity too? Then the FLM3000 is the solution. Even if the warehouse is very huge, this skating forklift mecha ensures maximum stability and driving safety. The swing axle also absorbs rough bumps and distributes the load safely to the legs. The FLM3000 electric mecha with 2x2,000 kg lifting capacity and 5,500 mm lift height offers maximum maneuverability in the most confined spaces and the highest possible level of stability. Individual work programs with variable travel / lifting speeds solve each of your transport and stacking tasks in every working environment. The fully adjustable steering column and armrest enable the individual adaptation of the driver's seat as well as the operating controls.

  

Standard equipment and design features:

 

• Energy recovery braking.

• Panoramic rear view mirror.

• Acid-resistant battery trough.

• Battery cable and charging cable with plug.

• High-frequency charging station, fully electronic, 48 V, 110 A, mains connection 400 V.

 

For further information, please contact us on 0800 141 2268.

 

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/cemlyni...

  

Introduction to Cemlyn

  

Cemlyn is one of North Wales Wildlife Trust’s star reserves and regarded by the Anglesey County Council as the “jewel in the crown” of its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It is valued both for its scenic qualities and its unique range of wildlife, and is as popular with general visitors – local people, holidaymakers, walkers etc. as it is with birdwatchers and naturalists.

 

Situated on the North coast of Anglesey, about three miles West of Cemaes, the reserve land, which is owned by the National Trust and has been leased by NWWT since 1971, includes a large lagoon, separated from the sea by a spectacular, naturally-created shingle ridge.

 

The ridge, known as Esgair Gemlyn, is formed by the process of longshore drift, its profile changing with the action of tide and weather. This unique geographical feature also provides a habitat for interesting coastal plants such as Sea Kale, Sea Campion, and Yellow Horned Poppy.

 

In the summer, the lagoon is the backdrop for Cemlyn’s most famous wildlife spectacle. Clustered on islands in the brackish water is a large and internationally important seabird colony, including breeding Common and Arctic Terns, and one of the U.K.’s largest nesting populations of Sandwich Terns. From the vantage point of the tern viewing area on the ridge, visitors experience these rare and elegant birds close-up – chasing and diving in courtship displays; incubating eggs; preening and bathing in the lagoon, or calling to their hungry chicks as they come winging in with freshly-caught fish.

 

Around the reserve there are also areas of coastal grassland, farmland, scrub, wetland, and both rocky and sandy shore encircling Cemlyn Bay. These are home to a wealth of life - birds, mammals, insects, wildflowers and marine creatures which, together with the tern colony, make up a fascinating ecosystem: an ideal ‘outdoor classroom’ for studying biodiversity.

In addition to being a Wildlife Trust reserve, Cemlyn is a Special Protection Area, a candidate Special Area of Conservation, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is also part of the Anglesey Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/History...

  

History of the reserve

  

Much of Cemlyn’s history as a wildlife site is tied to the story of Captain Vivian Hewitt, who came to the area in the 1930s, settling in Bryn Aber, the large house that dominates the western end of the reserve, and buying up much of the surrounding land.

A wealthy eccentric, his interest in birds led him to construct the first dam and weir at Cemlyn, replacing tidal saltmarsh with a large and permanent lagoon which he intended as a refuge for wildfowl. He also had a scheme to nurture an area of woodland within the grounds of Bryn Aber, to attract smaller birds. To this end he began construction of an imposing double wall, which was intended both as a wind-brake for the trees, and a means for observing the birds – the gap between the two walls had viewing holes. A further plan to top the walls with polished stone was never completed, and after Captain Hewitt’s death the house was left to his housekeeper’s family, but the walls themselves remain, and lend the site its mysterious, even foreboding presence.

It is the legacy of the lagoon that has had most significance for wildlife however. The change from a tidal habitat that frequently dried out in summer, to a stable body of water encompassing small islands, has provided the terns with nesting sites that are less attractive to ground predators. Over the following decades, various changes have occurred to the lagoon – some natural, eg. storms breaking over and swamping – some man-made, eg. the reconstruction of the weir and the creation or removal of islands. The water level and salinity of the lagoon is now monitored to maintain the ideal habitat for terns and other wildlife.

A couple of years after Captain Hewitt died, the Cemlyn estate was bought by the National Trust. Since 1971, they have leased the land around the lagoon to the North Wales Wildlife Trust, who manage it as a nature reserve. The two organisations work in partnership to enhance and maintain the site for wildlife and the public.

The reserve has had a warden every summer since 1981, with two wardens being employed every season since 1997. With the help of numerous volunteers, their work has included the detailed monitoring of the tern’s breeding success, protection of the colonies from a variety of natural predators (and in a couple of cases from the unwanted attentions of egg-collectors), as well as recording other forms of wildlife, and providing information to the public. Their presence on the ridge and around the reserve helps maintain the profile of Cemlyn as an important and nationally valuable site.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/wildlif...

  

Terns

  

Three species of tern breed regularly at Cemlyn. The numbers of Sandwich Tern nesting on the islands in the lagoon have been going up in recent years, making the colony one of the largest in the country.

There were over 1000 nests in 2005, and a good percentage of chicks fledged. The Sandwich Terns generally nest in dense groups, and seem to benefit from being close to groups of nesting Black-headed Gulls, which react aggressively to the threat of a predator, while the Sandwich Terns sit tight. Common Terns nest in sparser groups and smaller numbers on the islands, as do the very similar Arctic Terns, which make an epic journey from the southern to the northern hemisphere and back every year - the longest migration of any bird.

One of Britain's rarest seabirds, the Roseate Tern was a former breeder at Cemlyn, and is still sometimes seen on passage, as are other rarities like Little Tern and Black Tern. A vagrant Sooty Tern caused great excitement when it visited the colony in the summer of 2005.

 

The tern colony is the main focus of conservation work at Cemlyn. Because of disturbance at their traditional breeding areas, due to increased coastal access and development, terns have declined historically in Britain, so sites like Cemlyn, which still hold healthy populations, are a precious and nationally importance resource.

 

Two wardens are employed by NWWT every summer, to monitor and protect the terns. As well as dealing with disturbance and predation, they record the numbers of nests, the fledging success of chicks, and also the kinds of fish being brought in by their parents. Feeding studies are important because availability of fish, especially the terns ideal food, Sandeels, can be the key factor in a successful breeding season. The combined results of warming seas and commercial overfishing of Sandeels around Shetland for example, have had a disastrous effect on the productivity of Arctic Terns there.

 

All terns are migratory. Sandwich Terns are usually the first to be seen, in late March and April, with the bulk of breeding adults of all species arriving on site in May. June and July are the busiest months for the terns, and a good time to visit the reserve, the lagoon islands becoming a hive of activity.

By mid-August, the majority of chicks should have fledged, and be ready to join their parents on the journey south to their wintering areas - the coast of West Africa in the case of most Common and Sandwich Terns, even further south for Arctics.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/wildlif...

  

Other Birds

  

Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover both breed on the reserve, making their nests in the shingle of the Esgair.

In such an exposed choice of site, both species rely on wonderful camouflage of eggs and chick. In response to a direct perceived threat however, adult Ringed Plovers may resort to the 'broken wing trick' - drawing the attention of a potential predator by feigning injury and leading it away from the nest. To protect these waders, as well as the tern colony, visitors are asked to avoid walking on the lagoon-side of the Esgair during the summer months.

 

Cemlyn's situation and range of habitats make it a haven for a range of birds at all times of the year. Coot, Little Grebe and Shelduck can usually be seen around the lagoon, and Stonechats are a regular feature of the surrounding areas of scrub.

A variety of waders such as Curlew, Dunlin, Golden Plover, and Redshank use the area, and Purple Sandpiper may be seen on the rocky shoreline.

Summer visitors to look out for include Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler, while Wigeon, Teal, Red-breasted Meganser and other widfowl may be present in significant numbers in Autumn and Winter.

Other migrants turn up from time to time, and over the years a variety of rarities have been spotted –

2005 sightings included, apart from the Sooty Tern, an American Golden Plover, a Terek Sandpiper and a Melodious Warbler. Any keen birdwatcher will want to scour the site for something unusual.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/wildife...

  

Other animals

  

Grey Seals can often be seen in the sea around Cemlyn, or hauled up on Craig yr Iwrch, the rocky island just off the Trwyn, and Harbour Porpoise sometimes feed close to the western end of Cemlyn Bay.

 

Brown Hares can be seen in or around the reserve, occasionally crossing the Esgair at dawn or dusk.

 

Weasels and Stoats both hunt the hedgerows and grassland at Cemlyn, and during the summer, basking Adders and Common Lizards may be spotted.

 

There’s also a wide range of insect life – butterflies, such as Grayling, Wall Brown and Common Blue, and day-flying moths like the Six-spot Burnet can all be seen, as can various beetles, grasshoppers and dragonflies.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/wildlif...

  

Underwater Life

  

The coastline of Cemlyn includes areas of shingle, sand and exposed rocky shore. These provide habitats for a variety of marine life including sea-anemones, crabs, prawns, blennies, butterfish, winkles, whelks, limpets, coastal lichens and a range of seaweeds. e.g. kelp.

 

The lagoon, with its changing mixture of fresh and salt water is a challenging environment, but Grey Mullet and Eels thrive in the brackish conditions. In fact Cemlyn is one of the top sites for specialised saline lagoon wildlife including shrimps and molluscs, and waterplants like Tassel Pondweed.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/wildlif...

  

Plantlife

  

The shingle of the Esgair is one of the harshest habitats imaginable for plants – arid because of the quick-draining pebbles, and exposed to wind, salt-spray, and the ravages of winter storms. Nevertheless it provides a home to specialists like the rare Sea Kale, whose deep roots and fleshy leaves enable it to survive close to the tide-line, and whose profuse white flowers give off a strong sweet smell.

Other characteristic coastal plants to look for along the ridge include Sea Campion, Sea Beet, and the striking Yellow Horned Poppy. Stands of Sea Purslane and Glasswort (Sea Asparagus) can be found at low tide close to the car park at Bryn Aber.

The grassland around Cemlyn is rich in wildflowers; an early spread of colour is provided by Spring Squill and Thrift which punctuate the grass with blues and pinks, while later blooming flowers along the Trwyn include Tormentil, Yellow Rattle, Knapweed and Centaury.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/seasons...

  

Cemlyn through the Seasons

  

Spring

 

Early signs of Spring may include the first Wheatears arriving on Trwyn Cemlyn, the first Manx Shearwaters weaving through the waves out to sea, or the first Sandwich Tern’s call in the Bay - these are all possible from March onwards. Later on, Spring colour on the grassland around the reserve is provided by Spring Squill and Thrift which stud the ground with blues and pinks, and the first sunny spells may tempt out Common Lizards or Adders to bask. By mid-May, a range of birdlife is becoming visible and audible around the reserve, including terns settling on the islands in the lagoon, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler singing in the scrub and water-margins, Whimbrel foraging along the rocky shore, and other waders like Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit on the beach or in the lagoon.

 

Summer

 

Summer sees activity on the lagoon islands reach fever pitch with the terns and Black-headed Gulls using every hour of daylight to bring food to fast-growing chicks. The sight, sound and smell of this bustling seabird metropolis make up a memorable Cemlyn experience. June and July is the time to see the stands of Sea Kale in full flower, and to spot Yellow Horned Poppy and Sea Campion along the Esgair - Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover are also nesting on the shingle during this period. On the Trwyn, look out for Tormentil and the deep pink flowers of Centaury, as well as the passing colours of butterflies like Small Heath and Common Blue.

Also look out for the red and green leaf-beetle Chrysolina polita on the Dwarf Willow along Trwyn Pencarreg.

  

Autumn

 

The tern chicks are usually fledged by mid-August, ready to start the long migration south to their wintering grounds on the coast of Africa, so by early Autumn, the islands seem strangely peaceful. Other wildlife moves in however – flocks of Golden Plover, along with other waders like Lapwing and Curlew can be seen. Big Autumn tides can uncover interesting marine life that usually remains hidden on the lower reaches of the shore, and rough weather at this time brings a range of seabirds passing close to Trwyn Cemlyn – Manx Shearwaters, Gannets, Kittiwakes and Guillemots.

 

Winter

 

The lagoon remains an important resource for birds throughout the Winter months – Little Grebe, Shoveler, and Shelduck can regularly be seen, along with the Coot and Wigeon that also graze on the surrounding fields. The Herons that fish the lagoon at Cemlyn through the year are sometimes joined by a Little Egret darting in the shallows for shrimps. Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe can often be spotted either in the lagoon or out in the Bay, while on the rocky shore, a keen eye may pick out a Turnstone or Purple Sandpiper foraging close to the water’s edge.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/english/angleseycoasta...

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/english/angleseycoasta...

  

Education & Outreach

  

The aim of the project is to raise awareness in local children about the importance of biodiversity and conservation by enabling them to explore the array of unique wildlife habitats on their local doorstep.

 

The project is designed to link in with National Curriculum topics covered in subjects including Science, Geography, History, English & RE, and provide a basis for ongoing work in the classroom. These different topics are often linked in with general environmental themes, in a conscious effort to encourage pupils to think about their relationship to their surroundings.

 

The activities include carrying out habitat surveys, where pupils record different species along a line of samples (as in an ecological transect), investigating the wildlife of the lagoon and shore using nets, and observing the tern colony through binoculars. Art-based exercises focus on perception of surroundings through the senses and encourage pupils to explore, using materials found on the beach to create their own 3D designs.

 

In some cases, the People and Wildlife Officers can visit schools to give illustrated talks and initiate written or interactive exercises in the classroom.

  

Outreach

 

The Coastal Nature Reserves project also involves general education, awareness-raising and outreach to the local community. Activities have been organised both on and off the reserve - there was a Cemlyn Creature Count in June 2010, and guided walks have also been arranged for the general public as well as for youth clubs and a daycentre group for people with learning difficulties. The project has been represented in The Anglesey Show and the Wylfa Community Fun Day. Illustrated talks have also been carried out for groups such as the Urdd, Scouts and for two branches of the University of the 3rd Age.

 

The People and Wildlife team aim to extend the range of this work, and are very keen to hear from any organisations or community groups interested in either on or off-site activities.

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/english/angleseycoasta...

  

How to get involved

  

Anglesey’s coastline is famous for its stunning scenery and the fantastic array of wildlife it holds. North Wales Wildlife Trust has a number of ways you can get involved in helping to protect this resource and raise awareness about its importance. The emphasis is very much on getting people involved, interacting with and enjoying their local naturalheritage.

 

As a volunteer with the Coastal Nature Reserve Project, opportunities will vary depending on the reserve and time of year. There’s a rough guide (by location) to the possibilities below.

Cemlyn Nature Reserve

The season will commence with a volunteer open day in March. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the rest of the Cemlyn team, learn more about the work, the reserve and the wildlife you may encounter, with a guided walk and volunteer fact sheets also provided.

Check out the detailed information on helping at Cemlyn here (pdf 80k)

Mariandyrys Nature Reserve

Working to maintain the diverse grasslands and heathlands by scrub clearance and fencing

Monitoring and species survey work

Help with events and raising awareness

Coed Porthamel Reserve

Scrub clearance

Path and fence maintenance

Building and erecting bird and bat boxes

Porth Diana and Trearddur Bay

Help with events such as guided walks and beach cleans

Surveys (including Spotted Rock Rose) and monitoring

Working to maintain the diverse grasslands and heathlands by scrub clearance and fencing

  

www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/cemlynwebpages/visitin...

  

Visiting the reserve

  

Cemlyn is sign-posted from Tregele on the A5025 between Valley and Amlwch. Although the roads to the site are narrow, there are two car parks adjacent to the reserve (OS 1:50, 000 Sheet 114 and Explorer 262. Grid ref. SH329936 & SH336932).

 

The reserve is open throughout the year: admission is free.

 

Group visits are possible by appointment

  

Suggested walks around Cemlyn

  

These are a few popular routes around the reserve, focussing mainly on wildlife and landscape features.

  

Esgair Gemlyn

 

The shingle ridge at Cemlyn is accessible from the Beach car park at the eastern end of the reserve.

Although the distance along the ridge to the tern viewing area opposite the islands is only about 0.5 km, it's worth bearing in mind that during the summer months, visitors are asked to use only the seaward side of the ridge, and the shingle can make for arduous walking.

It’s a much shorter walk from the Bryn Aber car park on the western side of the lagoon, but beware – the causeway linking the car park and the ridge can flood an hour or more either side of high tide, so it’s worth checking the times to avoid getting stranded.

During the summer, daily tide-times may be chalked up close to the causeway by the wardens.

Outside of the tern breeding season, the lagoon-side of the ridge is open to the public, and its interesting habitat can be explored at closer range.

  

Trwyn Cemlyn

 

This little peninsula (Trwyn is Welsh for nose) makes a favourite short walk for local people. Accessible via the Bryn Aber car park, it comprises coastal grassland with small patches of gorse and heather, and a rocky shoreline allowing views out to The Skerries in the west, Wylfa to the east, and if there’s good visibility, sometimes the Isle of Man to the north.

It’s a good spot for spring wildflowers, and also for seeing seabirds, seals, and sometimes porpoises.

It also links up with the National Trust coastal footpath to the west.

  

Lagoon inlet

  

The narrow bridge at the western end of the lagoon, just before Bryn Aber, makes a good vantage point for the lagoon islands if the ridge is inaccessible. It also allows views over the freshwater inlet and the adjacent area of gorse and scrub known as Morfa. The road alongside the inlet that leads to the farm of Tyn Llan has no parking, but a walk down gives views of the reedy inlet margins and surrounding damp pasture, which sometimes harbour interesting birdlife.

  

Coastal footpath towards Hen Borth

 

.Cemlyn forms the eastern end of a stretch of wonderful coastal footpath, taking in rugged landscape characteristic of the north Anglesey coast.

From the stile at the ‘brow’ of Trwyn Cemlyn, the path leads off the reserve up past Craig yr Iwrch, an outlying rock favoured by seals, cormorants and roosting curlews, and along the cliffs, passing Tyn Llan farm on the left, to the bay of Hen Borth.

Keen walkers may wish to carry on following the coastline as far as Carmel Head or Ynys y Fydlyn, while others may wish to visit the small church of St Rhwydrus, returning through the gate by the farm and back past the lagoon inlet.

  

Coast towards Wylfa Head

 

Trwyn Pencarreg - the area of rocky outcrops, grassland and coastal heath to the east of the Beach car park at Cemlyn, is interesting for its plant communities, wildflowers and insects, and for its impressive views back across Cemlyn Bay. A circular walk is possible via the old mill at Felin Gafnan.

The National Trust has produced a booklet detailing several circular walks around, or starting from Cemlyn. It includes illustrated routes for all of the areas described above, and of walks that take you further afield.

To obtain a copy, or for further information regarding other National Trust walks on Anglesey, contact:

The National Trust Wales, Trinity Square, Llandudno, LL30 2DE

2020 marks two years in a row of high Lego productivity for me. This year I completed the Alphabet Starfighter Project that my son Elliot and I began two years ago. With the help of my art director wife we have a poster of all the ships that you can own! www.etsy.com/listing/835306424/lego-alphabet-spaceship-po... I made a few more text based ships based on symbols and numbers and plan to finish off the numbers in 2021. I had a few commissioned builds that were fun - particularly the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. COVID certainly impacted my building as I ended up using a lot of my creative energy on trying to figure out how to teach kindergarten remotely. Current events also played a big part of my year and I tried to do work to help show that Lego and Lego builders can be a part of restorative justice. During the summer I focused on getting my collection organized - a never ending battle. But I also took some time for some personal projects that I hoped would bring me joy: one for the return of the NHL and another for my favorite podcast. The last few months it has been very difficult to be motivated to build as so much of the time was again spent trying to figure out new teaching methods. But as the year ends I feel grateful to the role Lego plays in my life, that I can share this with my son, and that there are so many wonderful builders out there who create inspiring works. That anyone would take time to even look at what I've done is humbling. Thank you for making the world a little smaller.

Maximizing resources with innovation, skill and higher productivity.

Sometimes I have challenges with getting anything accomplished.

I'd like to see moral judgement completely divorced from productivity. I'd like to see the idea of procrastination redefined. My theory about why we procrastinate, and how to use it in a positive way, is up on my blog now. marloland.com/blog (link in profile) Art by James Wyper @jameswyper

Window washing drone, Seattle. Photographed and edited with iPhone 15+ native camera app.

The Tintic Standard Reduction Mill—also known as the Tintic Mill or Harold Mill—built in 1920, and only operating from 1921 to 1925, is an abandoned refinery or concentrator located on the west slope of Warm Springs Mountain near Goshen, Utah, in the United States. Metals processed at the mill included copper, gold, silver, and lead, all of which were received from another mill near Eureka, Utah. The metal content of ore was increased through the process to make transportation less expensive. The reducing process used was an acid-brine chloridizing and leaching process which became outdated, leading to the abandonment of the site in 1925. At the mill's highest productivity it processed 200 tons of ore yearly from the Tintic Mining District.

 

What remains of the mill are foundations for water tanks, crushers, roasters, iron boxes, leaching tanks, and drain boxes. The site dominates the surrounding landscape with its size and unique colors and shapes.

 

It was designed and built by W. C. Madge. It is significant as the only American mill using the Augustin process during the early 1920s.

 

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

 

It has been speculated that the mill may be the contributor of heavy metal pollution in the Goshen Warm Springs which lie below it.

An incredible productivity boost.

 

Get the full size version and set it as your desktop background. Make sure you select a *centred* layout instead of *stretched to fit*, or the fine lines will be blurred.

 

Use it to organise your icons in groups, like:

 

- the paper area for work stuff;

- the aluminium plate for personal projects;

- the wooden desk for yet to be categorised elements, like finished or in-progress downloads.

- the post-it for urgent elements.

 

The image works well with displays up to 1440px wide and up to 1024px tall, in either standard or wide aspect ratios. If you have a bigger screen, I hate you :-)

 

See it in action here or get the light version here.

 

If someone's interested in remixing this, please contact me for the original PSD.

España - Córdoba - Villanueva del Duque - Dehesa en la carretera A-430

 

ENGLISH:

 

Dehesa is a multifunctional agro-sylvo-pastoral system (a type of agroforestry) and cultural landscape of southern and central Spain (and southern Portugal, where it is known as montado). Dehesas may be private or communal property (usually belonging to the municipality). Used primarily for grazing, they produce a variety of products including non-timber forest products such as wild game, mushrooms, honey, cork, and firewood. It is also used as natural habitat for the Spanish fighting bull and the Iberian pig. The tree component is oaks, usually holm (Quercus ilex) and cork (Quercus suber). Other oaks, including melojo (Quercus pyrenaica) and quejigo (Quercus faginea), may be used to form dehesa, the species depending on geographical location and elevation. Dehesa is an anthropogenic system that provides not only a variety of foods, but also wildlife habitat for endangered species such as the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle.

 

The dehesa is derived from the Mediterranean forest ecosystem, consisting of pastureland featuring herbaceous species for grazing and tree species belonging to the genus Quercus (oak), such as the holm oak (Quercus ilex sp. ballota), although other tree species such as beech and pine trees may also be present. Oaks are protected and pruned to produce acorns, which the famous black Iberian pigs feed on in the fall during the montanera. Ham produced from Iberian pigs fattened with acorns and air-dried at high elevations is known as Jamón ibérico, and sells for premium prices, especially if only acorns have been used for fattening.

 

There is debate about the origins and maintenance of the dehesa, and whether or not the oaks can reproduce adequately under the grazing densities now forced upon the dehesa or montado. Goats, cattle, and sheep also graze in dehesa. In a typical dehesa, oaks are managed to persist for about 250 years. If cork oaks are present, the cork is harvested about every 9 to 12 years, depending on the productivity of the site. The understory is usually cleared every 7 to 10 years, to prevent the takeover of the woodland by shrubs of the rock rose family (Cistaceae), often referred to as "jara", or by oak sprouts. Oaks are spaced to maximize light for the grasses in the understory, water use in the soils, and acorn production for pigs and game. Periodic hunts in the dehesa are known as the monteria. Groups attend a hunt at a private estate, and wait at hunting spots for game to be driven to them with dogs. They usually pay well for the privilege, and hunt wild boar, red deer and other species.

 

The dehesa system has great economic and social importance on the Iberian peninsula because of both the large amount of land involved and its importance in maintaining rural population levels. The major source of income for dehesa owners is usually cork, a sustainable product that supports this ancient production system and old growth oaks. High end ibérico pigs and sale of hunting rights also represent significant income sources.

 

The area of dehesa usually coincides with areas that could be termed "marginal" because of both their limited agricultural potential (due to the poor quality of the soil) and a lack of local industry, which results in isolated agro-industries and very low capitalization.

 

Dehesa covers nearly 20,000 square kilometers on the Iberian peninsula, mainly in:

 

Portugal (33% of total dehesa world's area)

Alentejo

The Algarve

 

Spain (23% of total dehesa world's area)

Córdoba

Extremadura

Salamanca

Sierra Morena

Sierra Norte de Sevilla

Sierra de Aracena

 

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

 

ESPAÑOL:

 

Dehesa es un bosque formado por encinas, alcornoques u otras especies, con estrato inferior de pastizales o matorrales, donde la actividad del ser humano ha sido intensa, y generalmente están destinados al mantenimiento del ganado, a la actividad cinegética y al aprovechamiento de otros productos forestales (leñas, corcho, setas etc.). Es un ejemplo típico de sistema agrosilvopastoral y típico de la zona occidental de la península ibérica.

 

El término dehesa viene del latín "defesa", pues los primeros pobladores en la reconquista hacían vallados para proteger los rebaños alojados en ellas.

 

Resulta así un ecosistema derivado del bosque mediterráneo, constituido por especies arbóreas del género Quercus (encina, alcornoque) u otras especies como hayas o pinos y el estrato herbáceo para pacer.

 

Se trata de un ecosistema derivado de la actividad humana a partir del bosque de encinas, alcornoques, etc. Es la consecuencia de conquistar al bosque terrenos para destinarlos a pastizales. Pasa por una fase inicial en la que se aclara el bosque denso para pasar a una segunda fase de control de la vegetación leñosa y la estabilización de los pastizales.

 

El sistema adehesado tiene una gran importancia económica y social en la península ibérica, tanto por su extensión superficial como por la función de fijación de población rural en sus núcleos. Reduciendo el flujo emigratorio y sus consecuencias (envejecimiento, incremento de tasas de mortalidad, reducción de tasas de actividad, abandono de explotaciones, etc).

 

La explotación de la dehesa suele coincidir con zonas que podríamos denominar “marginales”, tanto por su limitada vocación agraria (derivado de la pobreza de los suelos), como por la inexistencia de un tejido industrial, que se reduce a industrias agroalimentarias aisladas y de muy reducida capitalización.

 

Su extensión varía mucho según qué autores, pero está entre los dos y los cuatro millones de hectáreas (entre 20 000 y 40 000 km2; para hacerse una idea, 40 000 km2 es la extensión de Extremadura), principalmente en el suroeste y oeste: provincia de Córdoba, Salamanca, Extremadura, Huelva, Sierra Norte de Sevilla, piedemonte del sistema Central en España (especialmente en la zona de Talavera de la Reina) y el Alentejo y Algarve en Portugal.

 

PoIC is a system that is thinking about itself.

today's photo was really hard for me to choose. it took me forever. but I finally decided on this one (the model is Corey!) :)

 

so. story of today. I woke up supa early to take lauren to school, and my mom went off to doctorland. but they decided to try one more medicine, so she came home, took the medicine, and will be going back tomorrow for the doctors to determine if that medicine's alright or if she will need to go to the hospital. thank you SO much to everyone who has commented and such :)

 

I organized a few shoots, my dad came back, and he took me to NYC to pick up the Miss Hoe clothes that Abby needs me to re-shoot. Corey happened to be free to shoot today, so we did the shoot and got through all the clothing, yay! we had a fun time ... telling little girls we were shooting for vogue (and when they didn't understand, telling them we were shooting with justin beiber... but I don't think they heard us :P ), corey picking flowers that came out at the roots, seeing a snake, corey getting crazy bug bites :( , skipping around in a jolly manner, and eventually playing with corey's dogs!!

 

also today I found out that SARAH ROSE SMILEY is officially coming to stay for a bit in late july... I AM SO EXCITED :D

 

more photos from this shoot eventually, and I have more shoots tomorrow! :)

I've been giving the 365 Days project some thought, and I've decided to join. My reasons:

 

One, my muse has been fickle lately and photography hasn't been as satisfying to me as it used to be, and I believe that this project will force me outside some of my comfort zones into new modes of creativity and productivity. If I only have one subject and I have to find three hundred and sixty-five ways to make it unique and interesting, I'm hoping it will help.

 

Two, I like the challenge, and hope I can meet it.

 

Three, one of my goals is to become better at lighting and to learn as much as possible--particularly portrait lighting. While taking pictures of myself is kind of a pain in the rear as far as focusing and composition, at least I don't have to hassle anybody else to be patient enough to pose for me over and over until I get it right.

 

I wanted to start the project on New Year's Day because I think it will also help me with some other goals, and I wanted to start it with an image that makes me happy because I think starting anything on the right foot can help set the pace and direction for the whole course.

 

So here I am, ready for a new year, full of new challenges, new opportunities, and maybe, if I'm lucky, some new friends. Cheers!

Here at Dungeness we not only had two named storms in February, but two more weekends of high winds and more rain, and most of the Trapping Area and the Desert was still underwater during the beginning of March.

 

Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station and a few other nearby buildings near the beach, and of an important ecological site at the same location.

 

Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.

 

There is a remarkable variety of wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant: a third of all those found in Britain. It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.

 

The short-haired bumblebee, Bombus subterraneus, was last found in the UK in 1988, but has survived in New Zealand after being shipped there more than 100 years ago. It is to be reintroduced at Dungeness. It is planned that the first bees will be introduced in the spring of 2010.

 

The flooded gravel pits on Denge Beach, both brackish and fresh water, provide an important refuge for many migratory and coastal bird species. The RSPB has a bird sanctuary there and every year thousands of bird watchers descend on the peninsula to catch a glimpse of a rare bird from the bird observatory.

 

One of the most remarkable features of the site is an area known as 'the patch' or, by anglers, as 'the boil'. The waste hot water and sewage from the Dungeness nuclear power stations are pumped into the sea through two outfall pipes, enriching the biological productivity of the sea bed and attracting seabirds from miles around.

 

Beach fishing is popular at Dungeness, with the area being a nationally recognised cod fishing venue in the winter.

 

The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".

Keld is a village in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is in Swaledale, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name derives from the Viking word Kelda meaning a spring and the village was once called Appletre Kelde – the spring near the apple trees.

 

Keld is the crossing point of the Coast to Coast Walk and the Pennine Way long-distance footpaths at the head of Swaledale, and marks the end of the Swale Trail, a 20 km mountain bike trail which starts in Reeth. At the height of the lead-mining industry in Swaledale in the late 19th century, several notable buildings – now Grade II listed – were erected: they include the Congregational and Methodist chapels, the school and the Literary Institute.

 

A tea room and small shop operate at Park Lodge from Easter to autumn. Out of season, local volunteers provide a self service café for visitors in the village’s Public Hall. Keld’s Youth Hostel closed in 2008 and has since reopened as Keld Lodge, a hotel with bar and restaurant. There is a series of four waterfalls close to Keld in a limestone gorge on the River Swale: Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force.

 

The Keld Resource Centre, a local charity, is restoring a series of listed buildings in the village centre and returning them to community use. The first phase involved restoring the Manse, the minister's house attached to the United Reformed Church, which was completed in 2009 and is now used as a holiday cottage, proceeds from which support the Centre's work.

 

In 2010 the Centre created the Keld Well-being Garden in the chapel churchyard. It provides a quiet spot for visitors to contemplate their well-being in the beautiful natural environment of Upper Swaledale.

 

The Keld Countryside and Heritage Centre opened in 2011; it provides interpretation of the countryside, buildings and social history of Keld, and displays of artefacts relevant to Upper Swaledale. It is open throughout the year, operating alongside The Upper Room which is used for meetings, exhibitions, workshops and social events. A range of guided walks, exhibitions, talks and other activities take place during the summer months.

 

Further projects will involve restoring Keld’s former school.

 

The ruins of Crackpot Hall lie about a mile east of Keld on the northern slope of the dale at grid reference NY906008. There may have been a building on this site since the 16th century when a hunting lodge was maintained for Thomas, the first Baron Wharton, who visited the Dale occasionally to shoot the red deer. Survey work by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has shown that the building has changed many times over the years. At one time it even had a heather or "ling" thatched roof.

 

The current ruin is of a farmhouse dating from the mid 18th century. It was an impressive two-storey building with a slate roof and matching "shippons" or cowsheds at each end for animals. The building may also have been used as mine offices, as intensive lead mining was carried out in the area, and there were violent disputes over mine boundaries in the 18th century.

 

In the 1930s Ella Pontefract and Marie Hartley wrote of a wild 4-year-old child named Alice. On 7 November 2015, BBC Radio 3 broadcast a documentary about the story in the Between the Ears strand titled Alice at Crackpot Hall.[5]

 

The current building was abandoned in the 1950s because of subsidence. Crackpot Hall has been saved from further decay by Gunnerside Estate with the aid of grants from the Millennium Commission and European Union through the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust.

 

The name Crackpot is said to mean "a deep hole or chasm that is a haunt of crows".

 

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a 2,178 km2 (841 sq mi) national park in England covering most of the Yorkshire Dales, with the notable exception of Nidderdale. Most of the park is in North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Cumbria and a small part in Lancashire. The park was designated in 1954, and extended in 2016. Over 95% of the land in the Park is under private ownership; there are over 1,000 farms in this area.

 

In late 2020, the park was named as an International Dark Sky Reserve. This honour confirms that the area has "low levels of light pollution with good conditions for astronomy".

 

Some 23,500 residents live in the park (as of 2017); a 2018 report estimated that the Park attracted over four million visitors per year. The economy consists primarily of tourism and agriculture.

 

The park is 50 miles (80 km) north-east of Manchester; Otley, Ilkley, Leeds and Bradford lie to the south, while Kendal is to the west, Darlington to the north-east and Harrogate to the south-east.

 

The national park does not include all of the Yorkshire Dales. Parts of the dales to the south and east of the national park are located in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The national park also includes the Howgill Fells and Orton Fells in the north west although they are not often considered part of the dales.

 

In 1947, the Hobhouse Report recommended the creation of the Yorkshire Dales National Park covering parts of the West Riding and North Riding of Yorkshire. The proposed National Park included most of the Yorkshire Dales, but not Nidderdale. Accordingly, Nidderdale was not included in the National Park when it was designated in 1954. In 1963 the then West Riding County Council proposed that Nidderdale should be added to the National Park, but the proposal met with opposition from the district councils which would have lost some of their powers to the county council.

 

Following the Local Government Act 1972 most of the area of the national park was transferred in 1974 to the new county of North Yorkshire. An area in the north west of the national park (Dentdale, Garsdale and the town of Sedbergh) was transferred from the West Riding of Yorkshire to the new county of Cumbria. In 1997 management of the national park passed from the county councils to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

 

A westward extension of the park into Lancashire and Westmorland encompassed much of the area between the old boundaries of the park and the M6 motorway. This increased the area by nearly 24% and brought the park close to the towns of Kirkby Lonsdale, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby-in-Westmorland. The extension also includes the northern portion of the Howgill Fells and most of the Orton Fells. Before the expansion, the national park was solely in the historic county of Yorkshire, the expansion bringing in parts of historic Lancashire and Westmorland.

 

The area has a wide range of activities for visitors. For example, many people come to the Dales for walking or other exercise. Several long-distance routes cross the park, including the Pennine Way, the Dales Way, the Coast to Coast Walk and the Pennine Bridleway. Cycling is also popular and there are several cycleways.

 

The DalesBus service provides service in the Dales on certain days in summer, "including the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty". In summer, these buses supplement the other services that operate year-round in the Dales.

 

Tourism in the region declined due to restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and into 2021. Later in 2021, the volume of visits was expected to increase as a result of the 2020 TV series All Creatures Great and Small, largely filmed within the Dales. The first series aired in the UK in September 2020 and in the US in early 2021. One source stated that visits to Yorkshire Web sites had increased significantly by late September 2020. By early 2021, the Discover England Web sites, for example, were using the tag line "Discover All Creatures Great and Small in Yorkshire".

 

The Dales Countryside Museum is housed in the converted Hawes railway station in Wensleydale in the north of the area.The park also has five visitor centres. These are at:

Aysgarth Falls

Grassington

Hawes

Malham

Reeth

 

Other places and sights within the National Park include:

Bolton Castle

Clapham

Cautley Spout waterfall

Firbank Fell

Gaping Gill

Gayle Mill

Hardraw Force

Horton in Ribblesdale

Howgill Fells

Kisdon Force (waterfall) in Swaledale

Leck Fell

Malham Cove, Gordale Scar, Janet's Foss and Malham Tarn

Orton Fells

River Lune

Sedbergh

Settle

Settle and Carlisle Railway including the Ribblehead Viaduct

Wild Boar Fell

The Yorkshire Three Peaks (Ingleborough, Pen-y-ghent and Whernside)

 

North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East regions of England. It borders County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west. Northallerton is the county town.

 

The county is the largest in England by land area, at 9,020 km2 (3,480 sq mi), and has a population of 1,158,816. The largest settlements are Middlesbrough (174,700) in the north-east and the city of York (152,841) in the south. Middlesbrough is part of the Teesside built-up area, which extends into County Durham and has a total population of 376,663. The remainder of the county is rural, and the largest towns are Harrogate (73,576) and Scarborough (61,749). For local government purposes the county comprises four unitary authority areas — York, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and North Yorkshire — and part of a fifth, Stockton-on-Tees.

 

The centre of the county contains a wide plain, called the Vale of Mowbray in the north and Vale of York in the south. The North York Moors lie to the east, and south of them the Vale of Pickering is separated from the main plain by the Howardian Hills. The west of the county contains the Yorkshire Dales, an extensive upland area which contains the source of the River Ouse/Ure and many of its tributaries, which together drain most of the county. The Dales also contain the county's highest point, Whernside, at 2,415 feet (736 m).

 

North Yorkshire non-metropolitan and ceremonial county was formed on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. It covered most of the North Riding of Yorkshire, as well as northern parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire, northern and eastern East Riding of Yorkshire and the former county borough of York. Northallerton, as the former county town for the North Riding, became North Yorkshire's county town. In 1993 the county was placed wholly within the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

 

Some areas which were part of the former North Riding were in the county of Cleveland for twenty-two years (from 1974 to 1996) and were placed in the North East region from 1993. On 1 April 1996, these areas (Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton borough south of the River Tees) became part of the ceremonial county as separate unitary authorities. These areas remain within the North East England region.

 

Also on 1 April 1996, the City of York non-metropolitan district and parts of the non-metropolitan county (Haxby and nearby rural areas) became the City of York unitary authority.

 

On 1 April 2023, the non-metropolitan county became a unitary authority. This abolished eight councils and extended the powers of the county council to act as a district council.

 

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority held its first meeting on 22 January 2024, assumed its powers on 1 February 2024 and the first mayor is to be elected in May 2024.

 

The geology of North Yorkshire is closely reflected in its landscape. Within the county are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales, two of eleven areas in England and Wales to be designated national parks. Between the North York Moors in the east and the Pennine Hills. The highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 2,415 feet (736 m). A distinctive hill to the far north east of the county is Roseberry Topping.

 

North Yorkshire contains several major rivers. The River Tees is the most northerly, forming part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham in its lower reaches and flowing east through Teesdale before reaching the North Sea near Redcar. The Yorkshire Dales are the source of many of the county's major rivers, including the Aire, Lune, Ribble, Swale, Ure, and Wharfe.[10] The Aire, Swale, and Wharfe are tributaries of the Ure/Ouse, which at 208 km (129 mi) long is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river is called the Ure until it meets Ouse Gill beck just below the village of Great Ouseburn, where it becomes the Ouse and flows south before exiting the county near Goole and entering the Humber estuary. The North York Moors are the catchment for a number of rivers: the Leven which flows north into the Tees between Yarm and Ingleby Barwick; the Esk flows east directly into the North Sea at Whitby as well as the Rye (which later becomes the Derwent at Malton) flows south into the River Ouse at Goole.

 

North Yorkshire contains a small section of green belt in the south of the county, which surrounds the neighbouring metropolitan area of Leeds along the North and West Yorkshire borders. It extends to the east to cover small communities such as Huby, Kirkby Overblow, and Follifoot before covering the gap between the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough, helping to keep those towns separate.

 

The belt adjoins the southernmost part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the Nidderdale AONB. It extends into the western area of Selby district, reaching as far as Tadcaster and Balne. The belt was first drawn up from the 1950s.

 

The city of York has an independent surrounding belt area affording protections to several outlying settlements such as Haxby and Dunnington, and it too extends into the surrounding districts.

 

North Yorkshire has a temperate oceanic climate, like most of the UK. There are large climate variations within the county. The upper Pennines border on a Subarctic climate. The Vale of Mowbray has an almost Semi-arid climate. Overall, with the county being situated in the east, it receives below-average rainfall for the UK. Inside North Yorkshire, the upper Dales of the Pennines are one of the wettest parts of England, where in contrast the driest parts of the Vale of Mowbray are some of the driest areas in the UK.

 

Summer temperatures are above average, at 22 °C. Highs can regularly reach up to 28 °C, with over 30 °C reached in heat waves. Winter temperatures are below average, with average lows of 1 °C. Snow and Fog can be expected depending on location. The North York Moors and Pennines have snow lying for an average of between 45 and 75 days per year. Sunshine is most plentiful on the coast, receiving an average of 1,650 hours a year. It reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines receiving 1,250 hours a year.

 

The county borders multiple counties and districts:

County Durham's County Durham, Darlington, Stockton (north Tees) and Hartlepool;

East Riding of Yorkshire's East Riding of Yorkshire;

South Yorkshire's City of Doncaster;

West Yorkshire's City of Wakefield, City of Leeds and City of Bradford;

Lancashire's City of Lancaster, Ribble Valley and Pendle

Cumbria's Westmorland and Furness.

 

The City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council formed the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority in February 2024. The elections for the first directly-elected mayor will take place in May 2024. Both North Yorkshire Council and the combined authority are governed from County Hall, Northallerton.

 

The Tees Valley Combined Authority was formed in 2016 by five unitary authorities; Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland Borough both of North Yorkshire, Stockton-on-Tees Borough (Uniquely for England, split between North Yorkshire and County Durham), Hartlepool Borough and Darlington Borough of County Durham.

 

In large areas of North Yorkshire, agriculture is the primary source of employment. Approximately 85% of the county is considered to be "rural or super sparse".

 

Other sectors in 2019 included some manufacturing, the provision of accommodation and meals (primarily for tourists) which accounted for 19 per cent of all jobs. Food manufacturing employed 11 per cent of workers. A few people are involved in forestry and fishing in 2019. The average weekly earnings in 2018 were £531. Some 15% of workers declared themselves as self-employed. One report in late 2020 stated that "North Yorkshire has a relatively healthy and diverse economy which largely mirrors the national picture in terms of productivity and jobs.

 

Mineral extraction and power generation are also sectors of the economy, as is high technology.

 

Tourism is a significant contributor to the economy. A study of visitors between 2013 and 2015 indicated that the Borough of Scarborough, including Filey, Whitby and parts of the North York Moors National Park, received 1.4m trips per year on average. A 2016 report by the National Park, states the park area gets 7.93 million visitors annually, generating £647 million and supporting 10,900 full-time equivalent jobs.

 

The Yorkshire Dales have also attracted many visitors. In 2016, there were 3.8 million visits to the National Park including 0.48 million who stayed at least one night. The parks service estimates that this contributed £252 million to the economy and provided 3,583 full-time equivalent jobs. The wider Yorkshire Dales area received 9.7 million visitors who contributed £644 million to the economy. The North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales are among England's best known destinations.

 

York is a popular tourist destination. A 2014 report, based on 2012 data, stated that York alone receives 6.9 million visitors annually; they contribute £564 million to the economy and support over 19,000 jobs. In the 2017 Condé Nast Traveller survey of readers, York rated 12th among The 15 Best Cities in the UK for visitors. In a 2020 Condé Nast Traveller report, York rated as the sixth best among ten "urban destinations [in the UK] that scored the highest marks when it comes to ... nightlife, restaurants and friendliness".

 

During February 2020 to January 2021, the average property in North Yorkshire county sold for £240,000, up by £8100 over the previous 12 months. By comparison, the average for England and Wales was £314,000. In certain communities of North Yorkshire, however, house prices were higher than average for the county, as of early 2021: Harrogate (average value: £376,195), Knaresborough (£375,625), Tadcaster (£314,278), Leyburn (£309,165) and Ripon (£299,998), for example.

 

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added for North Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.

 

Unemployment in the county was traditionally low in recent years, but the lockdowns and travel restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the economy during much of 2020 and into 2021. The UK government said in early February 2021 that it was planning "unprecedented levels of support to help businesses [in the UK] survive the crisis". A report published on 1 March 2021 stated that the unemployment rate in North Yorkshire had "risen to the highest level in nearly 5 years – with under 25s often bearing the worst of job losses".

 

York experienced high unemployment during lockdown periods. One analysis (by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership) predicted in August 2020 that "as many as 13,835 jobs in York will be lost in the scenario considered most likely, taking the city's unemployment rate to 14.5%". Some critics claimed that part of the problem was caused by "over-reliance on the booming tourism industry at the expense of a long-term economic plan". A report in mid June 2020 stated that unemployment had risen 114 per cent over the previous year because of restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.

 

Tourism in the county was expected to increase after the restrictions imposed due the pandemic are relaxed. One reason for the expected increase is the airing of All Creatures Great and Small, a TV series about the vet James Herriot, based on a successful series of books; it was largely filmed within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The show aired in the UK in September 2020 and in the US in early 2021. One source stated that visits to Yorkshire websites had increased significantly by late September 2020.

 

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) bisects the county stopping at Northallerton,Thirsk and York. Passenger service companies in the area are London North Eastern Railway, Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and Grand Central.

 

LNER and Grand Central operate services to the capital on the ECML, Leeds Branch Line and the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line. LNER stop at York, Northallerton and on to County Durham or spur over to the Tees Valley Line for Thornaby and Middlesbrough. The operator also branch before the county for Leeds and run to Harrogate and Skipton. Grand Central stop at York, Thirsk Northallerton and Eaglescliffe then over to the Durham Coast Line in County Durham.

 

Northern operates the remaining lines in the county, including commuter services on the Harrogate Line, Airedale Line and York & Selby Lines, of which the former two are covered by the Metro ticketing area. Remaining branch lines operated by Northern include the Yorkshire Coast Line from Scarborough to Hull, York–Scarborough line via Malton, the Hull to York Line via Selby, the Tees Valley Line from Darlington to Saltburn via Middlesbrough and the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to Whitby. Last but certainly not least, the Settle-Carlisle Line runs through the west of the county, with services again operated by Northern.

 

The county suffered badly under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Places such as Richmond, Ripon, Tadcaster, Helmsley, Pickering and the Wensleydale communities lost their passenger services. Notable lines closed were the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, Malton and Driffield Railway and the secondary main line between Northallerton and Harrogate via Ripon.

 

Heritage railways within North Yorkshire include: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, between Pickering and Grosmont, which opened in 1973; the Derwent Valley Light Railway near York; and the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. The Wensleydale Railway, which started operating in 2003, runs services between Leeming Bar and Redmire along a former freight-only line. The medium-term aim is to operate into Northallerton station on the ECML, once an agreement can be reached with Network Rail. In the longer term, the aim is to reinstate the full line west via Hawes to Garsdale on the Settle-Carlisle line.

 

York railway station is the largest station in the county, with 11 platforms and is a major tourist attraction in its own right. The station is immediately adjacent to the National Railway Museum.

 

The main road through the county is the north–south A1(M), which has gradually been upgraded in sections to motorway status since the early 1990s. The only other motorways within the county are the short A66(M) near Darlington and a small stretch of the M62 motorway close to Eggborough. The other nationally maintained trunk routes are the A168/A19, A64, A66 and A174.

 

Long-distance coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus. Local bus service operators include Arriva Yorkshire, Stagecoach, Harrogate Bus Company, The Keighley Bus Company, Scarborough & District (East Yorkshire), Yorkshire Coastliner, First York and the local Dales & District.

 

There are no major airports in the county itself, but nearby airports include Teesside International (Darlington), Newcastle and Leeds Bradford.

 

The main campus of Teesside University is in Middlesbrough, while York contains the main campuses of the University of York and York St John University. There are also two secondary campuses in the county: CU Scarborough, a campus of Coventry University, and Queen's Campus, Durham University in Thornaby-on-Tees.

 

Colleges

Middlesbrough College's sixth-form

Askham Bryan College of agriculture, Askham Bryan and Middlesbrough

Craven College, Skipton

Middlesbrough College

The Northern School of Art, Middlesbrough

Prior Pursglove College

Redcar & Cleveland College

Scarborough Sixth Form College

Scarborough TEC

Selby College

Stockton Riverside College, Thornaby

York College

 

Places of interest

Ampleforth College

Beningbrough Hall –

Black Sheep Brewery

Bolton Castle –

Brimham Rocks –

Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills –

Catterick Garrison

Cleveland Hills

Drax Power Station

Duncombe Park – stately home

Eden Camp Museum –

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway –

Eston Nab

Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo –

Helmsley Castle –

Ingleborough Cave – show cave

John Smith's Brewery

Jorvik Viking Centre –

Lightwater Valley –

Lund's Tower

Malham Cove

Middleham Castle –

Mother Shipton's Cave –

National Railway Museum –

North Yorkshire Moors Railway –

Ormesby Hall – Palladian Mansion

Richmond Castle –

Ripley Castle – Stately home and historic village

Riverside Stadium

Samuel Smith's Brewery

Shandy Hall – stately home

Skipton Castle –

Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications –

Studley Royal Park –

Stump Cross Caverns – show cave

Tees Transporter Bridge

Theakston Brewery

Thornborough Henges

Wainman's Pinnacle

Wharram Percy

York Castle Museum –

Yorkshire Air Museum –

The Yorkshire Arboretum

An incredible productivity boost.

 

Get the full size version and set it as your desktop background. Make sure you select a *centred* layout instead of *stretched to fit*, or the fine lines will be blurred.

 

Use it to organise your icons in groups, like:

 

- the paper area for work stuff;

- the aluminium plate for personal projects;

- the wooden desk for yet to be categorised elements, like finished or in-progress downloads.

- the post-it for urgent elements.

 

The image works well with displays up to 1440px wide and up to 1024px tall, in either standard or wide aspect ratios. If you have a bigger screen, I hate you :-)

 

Get the clean dark version here or the light version here.

 

If someone's interested in remixing this, please contact me for the original PSD.

(Another Don Draper slide, this quote is from a recent episode.)

 

I laughed out loud when I heard this one and it's so true. Creativity can be encouraged, sure, but it can be very difficult to force. Sometimes you just have to fuck around until creativity strikes.

 

Slightly related: www.dkeithrobinson.com/thingimade/the_science_or_lack_the...

I started numbering my eggs because I have always been bad with math. This is why I went to MIT and majored in History. The fact they come in boxes of 15 instead of 12 in Denmark is killing me! Now I always know how many eggs I have left! Thanks to my sharp mind I will never run out of eggs again.

another day in the life of preggo K.

 

I was informed this morning that I'd been missing for 11 days. :)

A. I was touched that anyone noticed.

and B. Found that incredible, cos my word time flies.

 

When you're having fun. Yes. Yes, people, so much fun. I got nauseated watching a carousel spin on Saturday. No, I wasn't on it. But I wanted to barf at the mere idea of it.

 

Morning Sickness. It is not my friend, and I wanna poke the eyes out of whomever named it 'morning' sickness....cos THAT was just a sick joke.

 

In happier news, I've successfully quit smoking.

Score one for baby....10 years trying to quit on my own, and BAM. Just like that a blueberry sized embryo gets me to quit cold turkey.

Kids. What are ya gonna do with 'em.

 

Anyways. Just wanted to pop in and say hey. and I miss everyone.

Pretty much ditching my Year Two....I think it's dead...I can just let it go now. ;-)

I'll try and stop by more though. promise.

 

I'm gonna go eat some ice cream and plan dinner...and yes...in that order.

What. I'm pregnant. Leave me be. ;-)

 

Love ya! Hope all is well with everyone else!

xoxo

"Save the girl child campaign by SOCIAL GEOGRAPHIC"

Photo: Firoz Ahmad Firoz

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According to one United Nations estimate, 113 to 200 million women are “demographically missing” from the world today. That is to say, there should be 113 to 200 million more women walking the earth, who aren’t. By that same estimate, 1.5 to 3 million women and girls lose their lives every year because of gender-based neglect or gender-based violence and Sexual Violence in Conflict ( Read more about UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict www.stoprapenow.org/ ). We can point a finger at poverty. But poverty alone does not result in these women’s deaths; the blame also falls on the social system and attitudes of the societies.

 

India alone accounts for more than 50 million of the women who are “missing” due to female foeticide - the sex-selective abortion of girls, dowry death, gender-based neglect and all forms of violence against women.

 

Since the late 1970s when the technology for sex determination first came into being, sex selective abortion has unleashed a saga of horror in India. Experts are calling it "sanitized barbarism".The 2001 Census conducted by Government of India, showed a sharp decline in the child sex ratio in 80% districts of India. The Census Report of 2001 reveals a highly skewed child sex ratio (0-6 year-olds), that fell from 945 females per 1,000 males in 1991 to an all-time low of 927 in 2001. The ratio even dropped further to 800:1,000 in some specific parts of the country. Additional data from the India’s birth and death registration service indicates that the figures have further fallen to fewer than 900 females per 1,000 men over the last few years.

 

The decline in the sex ratio and the millions of Missing Women are indicators of the feudal patriarchal resurgence. Violence against women has gone public – whether it is dowry murders, honour killings, sex selective abortions or death sentences awarded to young lovers from different communities by caste councils, it is only women’s groups who are protesting – the public and institutional response to these trends is very minimal.

 

More women are working now than ever before, but they are also more likely than men to get low-productivity, low-paid and vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic rights nor voice at work according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO) issued for International Women’s Day 2008.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Say no to sex selection and female foeticide!

Say no to dowry and violence against women!!

Say yes to Women’s Resistance, Education and Empowerment!!!

Dungeness is a headland on the coast of Kent, England, formed largely of a shingle beach in the form of a cuspate foreland. It shelters a large area of low-lying land, Romney Marsh. Dungeness is also the name of the power station and a few other nearby buildings near the beach, and of an important ecological site at the same location.

 

Dungeness is one of the largest expanses of shingle in the world. It is of international conservation importance for its geomorphology, plant and invertebrate communities and birdlife. This is recognised and protected mostly through its conservation designations as a National Nature Reserve (NNR), a Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and part of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) of Dungeness, Romney Marsh and Rye Bay.

 

There is a remarkable variety of wildlife living at Dungeness, with over 600 different types of plant: a third of all those found in Britain. It is one of the best places in Britain to find insects such as moths, bees and beetles, and spiders; many of these are very rare, some found nowhere else in Britain.

 

The short-haired bumblebee, Bombus subterraneus, was last found in the UK in 1988, but has survived in New Zealand after being shipped there more than 100 years ago. It is to be reintroduced at Dungeness. It is planned that the first bees will be introduced in the spring of 2010.

 

The flooded gravel pits on Denge Beach, both brackish and fresh water, provide an important refuge for many migratory and coastal bird species. The RSPB has a bird sanctuary there and every year thousands of bird watchers descend on the peninsula to catch a glimpse of a rare bird from the bird observatory.

 

One of the most remarkable features of the site is an area known as 'the patch' or, by anglers, as 'the boil'. The waste hot water and sewage from the Dungeness nuclear power stations are pumped into the sea through two outfall pipes, enriching the biological productivity of the sea bed and attracting seabirds from miles around.

 

Beach fishing is popular at Dungeness, with the area being a nationally recognised cod fishing venue in the winter.

 

The name Dungeness derives from Old Norse nes: "headland", with the first part probably connected with the nearby Denge Marsh. Popular etymology ascribes a French origin to the toponym, giving an interpretation as "dangerous nose".

Student returning home from school.

 

Kigali, Rwanda. Afrika.

June, 2005.

  

(TMAX film.)

(Most favorited.)

 

Malaria Infection Linked to Rampant Poverty

 

The New Times (Kigali)

 

February 2, 2006

Posted to the web February 2, 2006

 

Joseph Kamugisha

Kigali

 

Many of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity of children in Rwanda, like in other countries in the Great Lakes Region, are closely related to poverty which suggests that as well as targeting these major causes directly, policy must be focused in ensuring more Rwandans afford to access the health care system.

 

With the support of multilateral and bilateral donors, the Government of Rwanda has taken a series of measures aimed at decreasing infant and maternal mortality rates through; Improving sanitation and hygiene as well as availing safe drinking water, providing adequate financing for health care and spreading knowledge of child care at family level.

 

To date, Malaria is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in children followed by acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and injuries. To respond to such intolerable challenges, the Ministry of reacted by raising child immunization coverage to an acceptable level of 70%.

 

It should not be forgotten that after the violent events of 1994, the vaccination campaign was restarted with coverage of close to 70% of all young children in the country by 1997. By 1999, it had dropped to less than 50% due to reduced supervision and monitoring efforts.

 

Of recent, the government of Rwanda has signaled its intentions to pursue policies, to reduce mortality. The main approach to reach these targets includes: Reducing malnutrition and micro nutrients deficiencies in children, increasing financial access to health insurance schemes, improving primary health care.

 

"Community-based services through new management methods and the deployment of qualified health workers and strengthening preventive care and health promotion," says Dr Florent Senyana, the director of epidemiology in the Ministry of Health

 

Until now Malaria is one of the leading causes of outpatient attendance, and it leads to 40% of all health centre visits and it is the principal cause of morbidity in every province in Rwanda. It should be noted strongly that during 1999-2002, the percentage of children under five years with insecticide-treated mosquito nets was only 5%. The provinces of Byumba, Butare, Umutara and Gitarama are particularly infected by Malaria mostly.

 

With 40 % of deaths in children under five years of age due to malaria, it is the most deadly disease for the age group. In 1995, the estimated direct cost per episode of malaria was $2.09 and the indirect cost over $5. After ten years, the cost has reduced gradually during the year 2005 and this shows concerted efforts by the Ministry of health to overcome malaria linked infections.

 

With Rwanda's population of roughly 8 million inhabitants, most of them suffering an estimated two or three episodes per year, malaria-related costs represent a tremendous financial burden. These high financial costs do not even fully capture the productivity and opportunity costs of the disease. A person suffering from malaria will miss, on average, eight days of work or school to recover. It is well known that malaria presents the most severe health risks to pregnant women and children under five.

 

Since 1998, severe epidemics of malaria have been observed nationwide every two years. Malaria has widely spread to rural-urban migration. The National Malaria Control Programme in cooperation with WHO has also found that 41% of malaria cases are resistant to Chloroquine.

 

Malaria is now evident in high attitude areas and other areas, where the disease was not a public health issue before.

Bishopthorpe Palace is a historic house at Bishopthorpe, to the south of York, in the City of York unitary authority and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Ouse and is the official residence of the Archbishop of York. In the local area it is known as "the Archbishop's Palace".

 

In 1226, Archbishop Walter de Gray bought the manor house at what was then St. Andrewthorpe and gave it to the Dean and Chapter of York Minster. Since then, the village became known as Bishopthorpe. In 1241 he built a Manor House and Chapel on the site. A red brick north wing was built in the fifteenth century and the Gatehouse was built in 1765. In 1863, a water tower was built to extract water from a well, rather than using river water for drinking. The tower was demolished in 1946 but some foundations are still visible in garden of Iona Lodge.

 

The palace is a Grade I listed building in a wooded, rural setting and includes a gatehouse, stables, a brewhouse and brewster's cottage. It was remodelled by Thomas Atkinson between 1763 and 1769.

 

Archbishop John Sentamu did not initially move into the palace, as it was just beginning a major renovation and restoration at the time.

 

Bishopthorpe is a village and civil parish three miles south of York in the City of York unitary authority and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Bishopthorpe is close to the River Ouse, and has a population of 3,174, increasing to 3,237 at the 2011 Census. The area of Main Street and the Palace were made a conservation area in 1989 along with other open areas of the village.

 

The village was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974. It was then a part of the district of Selby District in North Yorkshire from 1974 until 1996. Since 1996 it has been part of the City of York unitary authority.

 

It was formerly known as St Andrewthorpe, but in the 13th century, Archbishop Walter de Grey bought the manor house and gave it to the Dean and Chapter of York Minster. This became Bishopthorpe Palace, the residence of the Archbishop of York. Many of the roads in Bishopthorpe are named after past Archbishops.

 

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and referred to as Torp/Thorpe or Badetorps depending on which translation is used. It came to be known as Thorp-super-Usam or Thorpe-on-Ouse in 1194. By 1275 the Earliest written record of the name Bishopthorpe, spelt '"Biscupthorpe"' appears in documents. In 1202, Prior and monks of St. Andrews at Fishergate, built the first church here and dedicated it to their patron saint. The name Thorp-super-Usam therefore gradually superseded by Andrewthorpe or Thorpe St. Andrew. In 1226, Archbishop Walter de Gray bought property which once belonged to the Abbot of Kirkstall Abbey and the Priory of St. Andrews. By the year 1241, Archbishop Gray had built a Manor House and Chapel by the river. He conveyed this property to the Dean and Chapter of York thus ensuring that it remained with successive Archbishops and did not fall into the king's hands during a vacancy.

 

Bishopthorpe was the site, in 1323, of great council to agree a truce between Edward II and Robert the Bruce, whose forces had been harrying Yorkshire following the Battle of Bannockburn, ending the Scot's Great Raid of 1322.

 

In 1405, Archbishop Scrope was accused of being a traitor by Henry IV and was beheaded in a field near the nunnery of St Clements, now Clementhorpe. In 1763, Archbishop Drummond transformed the Palace by building the now familiar 'Strawberry Gothick' west front and gatehouse. Controversy surrounding the 1832 Reform Bill saw rioters from York attempt to invade Palace angered by initial lack of support from Archbishop Harcourt.

 

The 1757 Enclosure act saw Common land enclosed thus placing strictures on where local people could graze their animals and affected Bishopthorpe.

 

In 1763, a school was founded by local yeoman, Charles Crosby and supported by the parish. The twenty boys and girls were taught to read and write and "instructed in the principles of the Christian religion." In 1846, Archbishop Harcourt built a new village school. The former school, built in 1763 and situated in School Lane, was used as a girls' school and a house for the master, but was divided into three houses in the 1890s.

 

The main line of the North Eastern Railway was being constructed in 1871 and cut through the west end of the parish running east of Bridge Road.

 

In 1894, Bishorpthorpe became part of the Bishopthorpe Rural District, a rural district which was abolished in 1937 by a County Review Order. In 1895, Bishopthorpe Parish Council was formed.

 

The War Memorial was erected in 1921 to parish men who made the supreme sacrifice during the First World War.

 

The Almshouses, built in 1846 by the Archbishop of York Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, were demolished in 1963 due to their deterioration and the need to widen the increasingly busy junction at Sim Balk Lane and Main Street.

 

North Yorkshire is a ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber and North East regions of England. It borders County Durham to the north, the North Sea to the east, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the south-east, South Yorkshire to the south, West Yorkshire to the south-west, and Cumbria and Lancashire to the west. Northallerton is the county town.

 

The county is the largest in England by land area, at 9,020 km2 (3,480 sq mi), and has a population of 1,158,816. The largest settlements are Middlesbrough (174,700) in the north-east and the city of York (152,841) in the south. Middlesbrough is part of the Teesside built-up area, which extends into County Durham and has a total population of 376,663. The remainder of the county is rural, and the largest towns are Harrogate (73,576) and Scarborough (61,749). For local government purposes the county comprises four unitary authority areas — York, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and North Yorkshire — and part of a fifth, Stockton-on-Tees.

 

The centre of the county contains a wide plain, called the Vale of Mowbray in the north and Vale of York in the south. The North York Moors lie to the east, and south of them the Vale of Pickering is separated from the main plain by the Howardian Hills. The west of the county contains the Yorkshire Dales, an extensive upland area which contains the source of the River Ouse/Ure and many of its tributaries, which together drain most of the county. The Dales also contain the county's highest point, Whernside, at 2,415 feet (736 m).

 

North Yorkshire non-metropolitan and ceremonial county was formed on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. It covered most of the North Riding of Yorkshire, as well as northern parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire, northern and eastern East Riding of Yorkshire and the former county borough of York. Northallerton, as the former county town for the North Riding, became North Yorkshire's county town. In 1993 the county was placed wholly within the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

 

Some areas which were part of the former North Riding were in the county of Cleveland for twenty-two years (from 1974 to 1996) and were placed in the North East region from 1993. On 1 April 1996, these areas (Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton borough south of the River Tees) became part of the ceremonial county as separate unitary authorities. These areas remain within the North East England region.

 

Also on 1 April 1996, the City of York non-metropolitan district and parts of the non-metropolitan county (Haxby and nearby rural areas) became the City of York unitary authority.

 

On 1 April 2023, the non-metropolitan county became a unitary authority. This abolished eight councils and extended the powers of the county council to act as a district council.

 

The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority held its first meeting on 22 January 2024, assumed its powers on 1 February 2024 and the first mayor is to be elected in May 2024.

 

The geology of North Yorkshire is closely reflected in its landscape. Within the county are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales, two of eleven areas in England and Wales to be designated national parks. Between the North York Moors in the east and the Pennine Hills. The highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 2,415 feet (736 m). A distinctive hill to the far north east of the county is Roseberry Topping.

 

North Yorkshire contains several major rivers. The River Tees is the most northerly, forming part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham in its lower reaches and flowing east through Teesdale before reaching the North Sea near Redcar. The Yorkshire Dales are the source of many of the county's major rivers, including the Aire, Lune, Ribble, Swale, Ure, and Wharfe.[10] The Aire, Swale, and Wharfe are tributaries of the Ure/Ouse, which at 208 km (129 mi) long is the sixth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river is called the Ure until it meets Ouse Gill beck just below the village of Great Ouseburn, where it becomes the Ouse and flows south before exiting the county near Goole and entering the Humber estuary. The North York Moors are the catchment for a number of rivers: the Leven which flows north into the Tees between Yarm and Ingleby Barwick; the Esk flows east directly into the North Sea at Whitby as well as the Rye (which later becomes the Derwent at Malton) flows south into the River Ouse at Goole.

 

North Yorkshire contains a small section of green belt in the south of the county, which surrounds the neighbouring metropolitan area of Leeds along the North and West Yorkshire borders. It extends to the east to cover small communities such as Huby, Kirkby Overblow, and Follifoot before covering the gap between the towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough, helping to keep those towns separate.

 

The belt adjoins the southernmost part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the Nidderdale AONB. It extends into the western area of Selby district, reaching as far as Tadcaster and Balne. The belt was first drawn up from the 1950s.

 

The city of York has an independent surrounding belt area affording protections to several outlying settlements such as Haxby and Dunnington, and it too extends into the surrounding districts.

 

North Yorkshire has a temperate oceanic climate, like most of the UK. There are large climate variations within the county. The upper Pennines border on a Subarctic climate. The Vale of Mowbray has an almost Semi-arid climate. Overall, with the county being situated in the east, it receives below-average rainfall for the UK. Inside North Yorkshire, the upper Dales of the Pennines are one of the wettest parts of England, where in contrast the driest parts of the Vale of Mowbray are some of the driest areas in the UK.

 

Summer temperatures are above average, at 22 °C. Highs can regularly reach up to 28 °C, with over 30 °C reached in heat waves. Winter temperatures are below average, with average lows of 1 °C. Snow and Fog can be expected depending on location. The North York Moors and Pennines have snow lying for an average of between 45 and 75 days per year. Sunshine is most plentiful on the coast, receiving an average of 1,650 hours a year. It reduces further west in the county, with the Pennines receiving 1,250 hours a year.

 

The county borders multiple counties and districts:

County Durham's County Durham, Darlington, Stockton (north Tees) and Hartlepool;

East Riding of Yorkshire's East Riding of Yorkshire;

South Yorkshire's City of Doncaster;

West Yorkshire's City of Wakefield, City of Leeds and City of Bradford;

Lancashire's City of Lancaster, Ribble Valley and Pendle

Cumbria's Westmorland and Furness.

 

The City of York Council and North Yorkshire Council formed the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority in February 2024. The elections for the first directly-elected mayor will take place in May 2024. Both North Yorkshire Council and the combined authority are governed from County Hall, Northallerton.

 

The Tees Valley Combined Authority was formed in 2016 by five unitary authorities; Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland Borough both of North Yorkshire, Stockton-on-Tees Borough (Uniquely for England, split between North Yorkshire and County Durham), Hartlepool Borough and Darlington Borough of County Durham.

 

In large areas of North Yorkshire, agriculture is the primary source of employment. Approximately 85% of the county is considered to be "rural or super sparse".

 

Other sectors in 2019 included some manufacturing, the provision of accommodation and meals (primarily for tourists) which accounted for 19 per cent of all jobs. Food manufacturing employed 11 per cent of workers. A few people are involved in forestry and fishing in 2019. The average weekly earnings in 2018 were £531. Some 15% of workers declared themselves as self-employed. One report in late 2020 stated that "North Yorkshire has a relatively healthy and diverse economy which largely mirrors the national picture in terms of productivity and jobs.

 

Mineral extraction and power generation are also sectors of the economy, as is high technology.

 

Tourism is a significant contributor to the economy. A study of visitors between 2013 and 2015 indicated that the Borough of Scarborough, including Filey, Whitby and parts of the North York Moors National Park, received 1.4m trips per year on average. A 2016 report by the National Park, states the park area gets 7.93 million visitors annually, generating £647 million and supporting 10,900 full-time equivalent jobs.

 

The Yorkshire Dales have also attracted many visitors. In 2016, there were 3.8 million visits to the National Park including 0.48 million who stayed at least one night. The parks service estimates that this contributed £252 million to the economy and provided 3,583 full-time equivalent jobs. The wider Yorkshire Dales area received 9.7 million visitors who contributed £644 million to the economy. The North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales are among England's best known destinations.

 

York is a popular tourist destination. A 2014 report, based on 2012 data, stated that York alone receives 6.9 million visitors annually; they contribute £564 million to the economy and support over 19,000 jobs. In the 2017 Condé Nast Traveller survey of readers, York rated 12th among The 15 Best Cities in the UK for visitors. In a 2020 Condé Nast Traveller report, York rated as the sixth best among ten "urban destinations [in the UK] that scored the highest marks when it comes to ... nightlife, restaurants and friendliness".

 

During February 2020 to January 2021, the average property in North Yorkshire county sold for £240,000, up by £8100 over the previous 12 months. By comparison, the average for England and Wales was £314,000. In certain communities of North Yorkshire, however, house prices were higher than average for the county, as of early 2021: Harrogate (average value: £376,195), Knaresborough (£375,625), Tadcaster (£314,278), Leyburn (£309,165) and Ripon (£299,998), for example.

 

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added for North Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British pounds sterling.

 

Unemployment in the county was traditionally low in recent years, but the lockdowns and travel restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on the economy during much of 2020 and into 2021. The UK government said in early February 2021 that it was planning "unprecedented levels of support to help businesses [in the UK] survive the crisis". A report published on 1 March 2021 stated that the unemployment rate in North Yorkshire had "risen to the highest level in nearly 5 years – with under 25s often bearing the worst of job losses".

 

York experienced high unemployment during lockdown periods. One analysis (by the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership) predicted in August 2020 that "as many as 13,835 jobs in York will be lost in the scenario considered most likely, taking the city's unemployment rate to 14.5%". Some critics claimed that part of the problem was caused by "over-reliance on the booming tourism industry at the expense of a long-term economic plan". A report in mid June 2020 stated that unemployment had risen 114 per cent over the previous year because of restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.

 

Tourism in the county was expected to increase after the restrictions imposed due the pandemic are relaxed. One reason for the expected increase is the airing of All Creatures Great and Small, a TV series about the vet James Herriot, based on a successful series of books; it was largely filmed within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The show aired in the UK in September 2020 and in the US in early 2021. One source stated that visits to Yorkshire websites had increased significantly by late September 2020.

 

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) bisects the county stopping at Northallerton,Thirsk and York. Passenger service companies in the area are London North Eastern Railway, Northern Rail, TransPennine Express and Grand Central.

 

LNER and Grand Central operate services to the capital on the ECML, Leeds Branch Line and the Northallerton–Eaglescliffe Line. LNER stop at York, Northallerton and on to County Durham or spur over to the Tees Valley Line for Thornaby and Middlesbrough. The operator also branch before the county for Leeds and run to Harrogate and Skipton. Grand Central stop at York, Thirsk Northallerton and Eaglescliffe then over to the Durham Coast Line in County Durham.

 

Northern operates the remaining lines in the county, including commuter services on the Harrogate Line, Airedale Line and York & Selby Lines, of which the former two are covered by the Metro ticketing area. Remaining branch lines operated by Northern include the Yorkshire Coast Line from Scarborough to Hull, York–Scarborough line via Malton, the Hull to York Line via Selby, the Tees Valley Line from Darlington to Saltburn via Middlesbrough and the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to Whitby. Last but certainly not least, the Settle-Carlisle Line runs through the west of the county, with services again operated by Northern.

 

The county suffered badly under the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Places such as Richmond, Ripon, Tadcaster, Helmsley, Pickering and the Wensleydale communities lost their passenger services. Notable lines closed were the Scarborough and Whitby Railway, Malton and Driffield Railway and the secondary main line between Northallerton and Harrogate via Ripon.

 

Heritage railways within North Yorkshire include: the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, between Pickering and Grosmont, which opened in 1973; the Derwent Valley Light Railway near York; and the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. The Wensleydale Railway, which started operating in 2003, runs services between Leeming Bar and Redmire along a former freight-only line. The medium-term aim is to operate into Northallerton station on the ECML, once an agreement can be reached with Network Rail. In the longer term, the aim is to reinstate the full line west via Hawes to Garsdale on the Settle-Carlisle line.

 

York railway station is the largest station in the county, with 11 platforms and is a major tourist attraction in its own right. The station is immediately adjacent to the National Railway Museum.

 

The main road through the county is the north–south A1(M), which has gradually been upgraded in sections to motorway status since the early 1990s. The only other motorways within the county are the short A66(M) near Darlington and a small stretch of the M62 motorway close to Eggborough. The other nationally maintained trunk routes are the A168/A19, A64, A66 and A174.

 

Long-distance coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus. Local bus service operators include Arriva Yorkshire, Stagecoach, Harrogate Bus Company, The Keighley Bus Company, Scarborough & District (East Yorkshire), Yorkshire Coastliner, First York and the local Dales & District.

 

There are no major airports in the county itself, but nearby airports include Teesside International (Darlington), Newcastle and Leeds Bradford.

 

The main campus of Teesside University is in Middlesbrough, while York contains the main campuses of the University of York and York St John University. There are also two secondary campuses in the county: CU Scarborough, a campus of Coventry University, and Queen's Campus, Durham University in Thornaby-on-Tees.

 

Colleges

Middlesbrough College's sixth-form

Askham Bryan College of agriculture, Askham Bryan and Middlesbrough

Craven College, Skipton

Middlesbrough College

The Northern School of Art, Middlesbrough

Prior Pursglove College

Redcar & Cleveland College

Scarborough Sixth Form College

Scarborough TEC

Selby College

Stockton Riverside College, Thornaby

York College

 

Places of interest

Ampleforth College

Beningbrough Hall –

Black Sheep Brewery

Bolton Castle –

Brimham Rocks –

Castle Howard and the Howardian Hills –

Catterick Garrison

Cleveland Hills

Drax Power Station

Duncombe Park – stately home

Eden Camp Museum –

Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway –

Eston Nab

Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo –

Helmsley Castle –

Ingleborough Cave – show cave

John Smith's Brewery

Jorvik Viking Centre –

Lightwater Valley –

Lund's Tower

Malham Cove

Middleham Castle –

Mother Shipton's Cave –

National Railway Museum –

North Yorkshire Moors Railway –

Ormesby Hall – Palladian Mansion

Richmond Castle –

Ripley Castle – Stately home and historic village

Riverside Stadium

Samuel Smith's Brewery

Shandy Hall – stately home

Skipton Castle –

Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications –

Studley Royal Park –

Stump Cross Caverns – show cave

Tees Transporter Bridge

Theakston Brewery

Thornborough Henges

Wainman's Pinnacle

Wharram Percy

York Castle Museum –

Yorkshire Air Museum –

The Yorkshire Arboretum

I would be completely lost if I didn't have coffee or my laptop!

Nina Trentmann, News Editor, Wall Street Journal, United Kingdom capture during the Session: "Solving the Productivity Puzzle" at the World Economic Forum - Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, People's Republic of China 2017. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Sikarin Fon Thanachaiary

A photo album found in "Can-Do" 100 yen (1$) shop today. Size is H297 x W155 x D14 mm. There are 3 pockets per page, and its width is 130 mm, just fits for 5x3 index cards (W125 mm). The album holds total 120 piece of index cards.

 

Usually I write 100 index cards per month, so I can take index cards of a month with this album. As alternate index cards folder choice to icPod.

 

2010.09.01 : Named as "icPod IId". The "IId" means (a) 2nd generation, and (b) 2 dimension because this icPod enable 2 dimensional view of index cards. In contrast, previous icPod stack index cards along time axis, which is 1 dimensional.

Productivity. It’s a work thing. 三

————

#maymoments2020

Productivity includes many things like thinking and planning as well as reading and also executing.

 

Strobist info: White paper attached to laptop screen and lit with a SB-26 at 1/8 power, 1/200, f7.1, multiple exposures mounted in Photoshop

 

View large on Black

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