Writers General
View allAll Photos Tagged proofreading
to see if you any words out :-)
Author Unknown
HGGT!!
silver spotted skipper on zinnia, sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
I remember when it was warm outside, quite sunny, walks in the woods provided lots to shoot, frogs jumped off of rocks just in front of you and the clouds provided interesting lighting and shade, sometimes when most needed. In closing I remember Spring and Summer provided light long past dinner time.
I remember too when my memory could always be relied upon and now I need always to proofread all of my writings.
For National Grammar Day that just happens to be today. A day to improve on your grammar, so there, their, they're.
Retracing my steps back up and along the cutting, I search for my missing lens amongst the broom bushes on the steep slope I had been standing on a few hours earlier to no avail. The missing lens must be at home...
The train comes, the shot is taken and I slide back down the cutting as had been done a few hours earlier. Halfway down the slope I find the lens and the battery in my path. It's been a good day!
12 March 2021, Train 925, 7226-7023, Katiki, SIMT-NZ
This caption provided thanks to proofreading performed by Mr Graham Cottejdtrealll.
copyright © Mim Eisenberg/mimbrava studio. All rights reserved.
I'm a member of the Chopin Society of Atlanta and, as their volunteer proofreader, get great seats to all their recitals. On October 24 we were delighted by a fabulous performance by Christopher O'Riley, and I took this shot before the recital began. It didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but I fiddled with it a bit to turn it into this abstract.
See my shots on flickriver:
www.flickrriver.com/photos/mimbrava/
Please join us on Super Eco and enter our November “Autumnal Kaleidoscope” contest by tagging it SuperEco, posting it in the pool, and entering it in the contest thread. Thanks.
The contest ends November 30th.
2/365
Does getting enjoyment out of destroying roses make me a bad person?
This was not going to be today's photo. I was going to do this tomorrow. Today was supposed to be nice and easy - I would finish my essays, Dad would go and get some gold glitter, I would spend perhaps twenty minutes photographing and forty minutes to an hour post processing, then I would go back and proofread the essays. But no. Because life does not work like that. It was raining outside, and too dark inside, so my glitter idea would not work. And I ended up hating everything I was writing and figured that an hours break to go and get glitter would do me some good. And then we ended up spending around three and a half to four hours in town. My back hurts and my eyes are tired and I am angry at the world for no reason. Other than the fact that nobody seems capable of driving properly at the correct speed and without indicating for no reason whatsoever today.
This signboard is in a yard on the way to our house from the freeway. The message is changed periodically. We still aren't sure of the owner's political leanings - sometimes seems liberal, sometimes conservative, sometimes a streak of libertarianism - but it's always a clever sign. On the back side it says, "never enough ..." and s/he adds a word. This week it's fishing.
On May 18th, 2017, the proof copy of my dad's PoW diaries arrived in the post. It was quite a moment to know that they would soon be published more than 70 years after he wrote them and that at last, with the invaluable help of a good friend, I had succeeded in fulfilling my father's own wishes.
n.b. now available on Amazon: paperback/kindle: 'Till We Meet Again: Gunner Bert Martin: 1941 to 1945'
www.amazon.co.uk/Till-We-Meet-Again-Gunner/dp/154404870X
books.apple.com/gb/book/till-we-meet-again/id1259542948
posted today for Looking Close...on Friday!: pencils
This stately mansion, built in 1909 by John B. Headspeth for Francis H. Wagner, a freight agent for the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad, originally stood at 200 East 40th Street. Frank and Bettie Hamilton Woodburn bought the home in 1920 and it remained in the family until the 1970s. Bettie was the daughter of Jack Hamilton, a colorful Texas character: a friend of Lincoln and a Union sympathizer, forced to hide out and then leave Texas after secession; he returned as Governor appointed by President Andrew Jackson. Bettie Woodburn wrote and proofread many speeches for her father, a highly praised orator.
In 1978, the Hyde Park Baptist Church purchased the house, which was already zoned historic, and planned to move it out of the city. To Hyde Park, the house symbolized the neighborhood’s commitment to restoration and revitalization. After a year-long struggle, the church allowed George Boutwell to move the house to its present location at 4401 Avenue D.
The move saved the structure but negated its historic designation. Boutwell restored the exterior and rebuilt the porches. In 1980, he sold the house to Larry and Terry Smith, who helped him regain its historic designation as a City of Austin Historic Landmark.
The following owners, Herb and Sandra Dickson, continued with interior renovations and operated the house as a bed and breakfast. The Woodburn House features elements of Queen Anne and neo-
classical styles. It combines a late Victorian asymmetrical plan and a steeply pitched roof with a classical two-story wraparound gallery featuring Doric columns and turned balusters.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the Hyde Park Historic District includes an eclectic mixture of architectural styles, from late 19th-century Queen Anne and Classical Revival homes to 20th-century bungalows and ranch houses. Additionally, many of the houses and buildings in Hyde Park have been designated City of Austin Historic Landmarks and Texas Historic Landmarks.
Source: 2019 Hyde Park Neighborhood Association Homes Tour
after years of proofreading kids' writing, it becomes second nature to want to add punctuation ~grin~
I will keep this description somewhat brief (and likely not proofread) since I haven't been feeling great or sleeping well lately and it's now very late (not early) for me in LA.
This is a fairly long exposure shot high above downtown Los Angeles during the Academy Awards. I often choose the Hollywood Bowl Overlook when I'm desperate to shoot but don't have time to get to any of the beaches in time for the sunset. This spot is a quick 10 minute drive from my apartment and I never expected to live in such a large chaotic city and be so close to an amazing view.
While many of my photos from this overlook have a strong feeling of chaos since the lights are bright and flashing and there's constantly traffic, it's actually really peaceful from up here. Thinking about all my trips, I can't say I ever remember any traffic noises so I'll just say it's really quiet. I will say though that every time I'm here, I look down at the slow moving cars or at the few illuminated offices and apartment windows and wonder if anyone is ever looking back at me. It gets quiet enough that I will often look back over my shoulder--especially after dark--to see if anyone is nearby. There is one crazy homeless person who lives somewhere between the highway and the top (who i see on occasion) and I try not to engage in conversation. We had a conversation once and it got very odd very quickly.
I still get immense satisfaction capturing a memorable sunset at Venice or any of the other beaches I frequent but lately I've been spending an awful lot of time at this Overlook. If you've seen my instagram account, it feels like 2/3 of my posts from 2017 have been from here or a few hundred feet down the road. I try to pick a location before I leave but I still pause at the edge of the garage and wonder if I'd prefer to turn left and see this view (and the current sky) but no sunset in 10 minutes or turn right and drive 50 minutes to the closest beach and hope the sunset is worth it. In the last few months, my decision--more often than not--is to ditch my plans and just turn left :)
LOCATION
Hollywood Bowl Overlook
Los Angeles, California
February 26th, 2017
SETTINGS
70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM
@70mm
ISO 200
f/4
77 seconds
Eerder dit jaar toonde ik al enkele foto’s van een bezoek aan de Great Central Railway in Groot-Brittanië. Zonet werd de volledige reportage op mijn website online geplaatst en dus is het tijd om een van de leukere foto’s van de reis hier te posten. Ineens maak ik ook graag reclame voor de andere foto’s op mijn website:
Has someone fed Onslaught today please?
In januari vindt er bij de Great Central Railway in Groot-Brittanië doorgaans een wintergala plaats, waarbij meerdere stoomlocomotieven van de eigen vloot én gastlocomotieven in actie komen voor reizigers- en goederentreinen. Dat dit festival voorafgegaan werd door een tweedaagse fotorit, vormde voor uw webmaster de ideale gelegenheid om naar deze dubbelsporige museumspoorlijn te trekken. Van 20 tot 26 januari 2025 konden zo een groot aantal stemmige opnames konden gemaakt, deze werden in deze nieuwe reportage gebundeld.
Deze foto kon worden gemaakt op 22 januari 2025 met dank aan de organisator van de fotorit voorafgaand aan het wintergala. Na hem vriendelijk te hebben verzocht de stoomtrein een stuk verder dan voorzien op te laten duwen voor een schijnvertrek, kon deze doorkomst aan het Swithland Reservoir worden gefotografeerd. We zien de pas gebouwde (!) 6880 "Betton Grange" met een stam Mark 1 rijtuigen op weg van Swithland Sidings naar Loughborough.
Ineens gaat er ook een grote dankjewel naar Jasper Schouterden die naast grote GB-freak en stoomtreinliefhebber ook de teksten voor mijn website naleest op typ- en taalfoutjes. Tof dat je hiermee helpt, Jasper!
© Alle rechten voorbehouden.
Op deze foto berust copyright. Downloaden of gebruik of sociale media is niet toegelaten behalve na expliciete toestemming van de maker van deze foto.
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Earlier this year, I shared some photos from a visit to the Great Central Railway in Great Britain. The full report has just been posted on my website, so it's time to share one of the nicer photos from the trip here. I'd also like to take this opportunity to promote the other photos on my website:
Has someone fed Onslaught today please?
In January, the Great Central Railway in Great Britain usually holds a winter gala, during which several steam locomotives from its own fleet and guest locomotives are put into action for passenger and freight trains. The fact that this festival was preceded by a two-day train safari provided your webmaster with the ideal opportunity to visit this double-track museum railway line. From 20 to 26 January 2025, a large number of atmospheric photographs were taken, which have been compiled in this new report.
This photograph was taken on 22 January 2025, courtesy of the organiser of the photo tour prior to the winter gala. After kindly requesting that the steam train be pushed a little further than planned for a mock departure, this passage at Swithland Reservoir could be photographed. We see the newly built (!) 6880 ‘Betton Grange’ with a set of Mark 1 carriages on its way from Swithland Sidings to Loughborough.
A big thank you also goes to Jasper Schouterden, who, in addition to being a big Great-Britain steam train enthusiast, also proofreads the texts for my website for typing and language errors. Great that you're helping with this, Jasper!
© All rights reserved.
This photo is copyrighted. Downloading or use or social media is not allowed except with explicit permission from the creator of this photo.
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
For nearly a year Lettice had been patiently awaiting the return of her then beau, Selwyn Spencely, son of the Duke of Walmsford, after being sent to Durban by his mother, Lady Zinnia in an effort to destroy their relationship which she wanted to end so that she could marry Selwyn off to his cousin, Pamela Fox-Chavers. Having been made aware by Lady Zinnia in October last year that during the course of the year, whilst Lettice had been biding her time, waiting for Selwyn’s eventual return, he had become engaged to the daughter of a Kenyan diamond mine owner whilst in Durban. Fleeing Lady Zinnia’s Park Lane mansion, Lettice returned to Cavendish Mews and milled over her options over a week as she reeled from the news. Then, after that week, she knew exactly what to do to resolve the unpleasant issues raised by Lady Zinnia’s unwelcome news about her son. Taking extra care in her dress, she took herself off to the neighbouring upper-class London suburb of Belgravia and paid a call upon Sir John Nettleford-Hughes.
As an eligible man in a aftermath of the Great War when such men are a rare commodity, with a vast family estate in Bedfordshire, houses in Mayfair, Belgravia and Pimlico and Fontengil Park in Wiltshire, quite close to the Glynes estate belonging to her parents, Lettice’s mother, Lady Sadie, invited Sir John as a potential suitor to her 1922 Hunt Ball, which she used as a marriage market for Lettice. Although she did not become engaged to him then, Lettice did reacquaint herself with Sir John at an amusing Friday to Monday long weekend party held by mutual friends Sir John and Lady Gladys Caxton at their Scottish country estate in 1924. To her surprise, Lettice found Sir John’s company rather enjoyable. She then ran into him again later that year at the Portland Gallery’s autumn show in Soho, where she found him yet again to be a pleasant and attentive companion for much of the evening. Sir John also made a proposition to her that night: he offered her his hand in marriage should she ever need it. More like a business arrangement than a marriage proposal, Sir John offered Lettice the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of his large fortune, be chatelain of all his estates and continue to have her interior design business, under the conditions that she agree to provide him with an heir, and that he be allowed to discreetly carry on his affairs in spite of their marriage vows. He even suggested that Lettice might be afforded the opportunity to have her own extra marital liaisons if she were discreet about them. When Lettice’s understanding with Selwyn Spencely, son of the Duke of Walmsford, fell apart, Lettice agreed to Sir John’s proposal. Then, during the General Strike* that almost brought the nation to a standstill, Selwyn and Lettice were reintroduced, and she found out that Selwyn wasn’t engaged to another woman at all, as she was led to believe by Lady Zinnia, and it had all been a fabrication, leaving her in a quandary over what to do: break her engagement with Sir John and marry the man she truly loves and has never stopped loving, or remain engaged to Sir John, preserving his honour and the good name of her own family. Eventually, with some careful persuasion from friends, Lettice made the decision to end her engagement.
Thus, today we find ourselves at Glynes, the grand Georgian family seat of the Chetwynds in Wiltshire, and the home of Lettice’s parents, the presiding Viscount and Countess of Wrexham and the heir, their eldest son Leslie and his wife Arabella. Lettice is visiting her family home after breaking her engagement to wealthy Sir John Nettleford-Hughes, hoping to seek sanctuary and lay low and keep out of London whilst the sensation of her broken engagement becomes the talk over every breakfast table, ladies luncheon at Gunter’s** and society dinner at the Savoy***. Old enough to be Lettice’s father, Sir John was, until their ill-fated engagement, still a bachelor, and according to London society gossip intended to remain so, so that he might continue to enjoy his dalliances with a string of pretty chorus girls of Lettice’s age and younger. For the sake of her family’s reputation and her own, she hopes that confining herself to Glynes for the duration will allow her to avoid any gossip or speculation as to why she ceased her engagement to Sir John.
And so, we are in the very opulent and elegant drawing room of Glynes with its grand dimensions, high ceiling and gilt Louis and Palladian style furnishings – a room that has always been one of Lettice’s favourites in the house, and a place where many significant events in her life have taken place. It is from here that she developed her love for collecting fine Limoges porcelain to emulate the collection amassed by her great, great paternal grandmother Lady Georgiana Chetwynd. No matter what time of day, the room is always light and airy thanks to its large full-length windows and beautiful golden yellow Georgian wallpaper decorated in a pattern of delicate blossoms and paper lanterns which seems almost to exude warmth and golden illumination. Whilst decorated with many generations of conspicuous consumption, it is not overly cluttered and it does not have the suffocating feel of Lady Sadie’s morning room, which she loathes, and it smells familiarly of a mixture of fresh air, bees wax polish and just a waft of roses. Lettice has just finished telling her parents, her brother and his wife that her engagement to Sir John is over.
“So, you see, Mamma and Pappa, I’ve decided that in light of the fact that Selwyn isn’t engaged and never has been to anyone else, it was unfair to John to continue our engagement, when I was in love with Selwyn.”
Glancing between the faces of the Viscount and Lady Sadie, Leslie and Arabella, she can see only stunned looks. Their surprise is also confirmed by their lack of response following Lettice’s surprise announcement. The room stays silent, save for the quiet ticking of several clocks set about polished surfaces around them, the hiss of dusty wood as it burns in the grate, and the muffled twitter of birds in the bushes outside the drawing room windows.
“Well say something.” Lettice prompts, but no-one says anything. Only her father, the Viscount, clears his throat awkwardly, breaking the silence. “Anything.” She looks imploringly to her parents seated either side of the fireplace like a pair of stiff andirons****. “Pater? Mater?”
Lettice isn’t quite sure what to do, and with the thick and awkward silence smothering her, she goes on in rather a rush of words, “I know it was foolish of me, and… and you have every right to be cross with me. I’ve tried to do my best to keep my reputation and that of the family as unscathed by this mess as possible.”
It is the Viscount who answers first. “Cross with you, my girl?” His eyes sparkle with joy as his lips curl upwards at the end. “Why on earth should I, or your mother be cross with you when you have brought us such wonderful news!”
“What?” Lettice asks in surprise.
The Viscount leaps with a sprightly gait from the stiff backed gilded salon chair upholstered with fabric painstakingly decorated with embroidery by his mother, causing Lettice to rise. He embraces her in a tight hug, startling Lettice who was not expecting such jubilation from her father at her announcement.
“Oh, my girl! My dear girl!” the Viscount chortles. “Cross?” He releases her and holds her at arm’s length. The old man is beaming broadly now, his face flushed with colour, and Lettice can see that his eyes are glistening with tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. “This truly is the most wonderful news!”
“It… it is?” Lettice asks in bewilderment.
“You’ve made me so happy!” the Viscount goes on with a chortle, letting her go.
“I have?” Lettice asks again, struck with surprise by her father’s ecstatic reaction.
“You were right, Sadie! One swallow does not a summer make!” he crows with delight as he almost skips around the gilded chinoiserie tea table with its galleried top on which a silver tea service and a plate of Mrs. Casterton’s homemade biscuits sit, and leans forward, placing a kiss tenderly on his wife’s lips as she raises her head to him. “A hastily arranged engagement does not necessarily lead to an ill-fated marriage!” He laughs, eliciting great guffaws of joy.
“Mamma?” Lettice asks her mother, looking in astonishment as she too beams at Lettice with a broad smile and tears in her eyes. She glances in bewilderment over to her brother and sister-in-law, who remain seated in silence on one of the gilded Louis Quatorze sofas, but they can only shrug, not understanding the Viscount or Lady Sadie’s jubilant reactions either.
“Oh forgive us, Lettice.” Lady Sadie says, standing up from her salon armchair next to the crackling fire and walking over to her perplexed daughter. “You must think your father and I have lost our senses.”
“Well,” Lettice heaves a heavy sigh that makes her shoulders rise and then fall with relief. “I must confess that I was expecting an animated reaction from you both,” She pauses. “But perhaps not one of jubilation.”
Lady Sadie chuckles lightly. “You will have to indulge your father and I, Lettice my dear, but neither of us were particularly keen on your engagement to Sir John.” She places a bejewelled hand on Lettice’s cheek and caresses her face lovingly with a beaming smile, before lowering her digits and giving Lettice’s forearm a gentle, conciliatory squeeze. “And I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to your senses.”
“And you were right, Sadie my dear!” the Viscount laughs. “You were quite right.”
“Of course I was right, Cosmo.” she replies matter-of-factly.
“I mean, I knew Pappa had his reservations about the marriage, but not you, Mamma.” Lettice replies. “I thought you would have been furious with me. You always seemed so keen on a match with Sir John.” she adds, “After all, you did invite him as an eligible bachelor to your Hunt Ball back in 22.”
“Yes… well…” Lady Sadie blusters as she withdraws a dainty lace trimmed handkerchief from the sleeve of her ecru coloured knitted cardigan and dabs at her nose and the corners of her eyes as the tears of joy threaten to spill. ‘We are all entitled to make mistakes on occasion.”
“A mistake, Mamma?” Lettice queries.
Lady Sadie suddenly realises that in her happiness at the news of the annulment of Lettice’s engagement to Sir John, she has been more candid and disclosing than she wanted to be. “Did I say a mistake?” she asks hesitantly. She knows all about Sir John’s philandering thanks to her cousin Gwendolyn, the Duchess of Whitby, and her own careful enquiries after the fact, but she does not want Lettice to know about her former fiancée’s womanising. “I… I merely mean that…” she stammers. “That you and Selwyn seemed to get along so well, and were so suited,” She gulps the air awkwardly. “And… and you were so unhappy when Lady Zinnia sent him away to Durban. It would have been a mistake for you to marry Sir John, if you had feelings for Selwyn, which you so obviously do.”
“We felt your engagement to Sir John was a little rash, my girl. That’s all.” the Viscount carries on, relieving his wife from having to explain herself any further. “Something of a hasty reaction, made in response to Selwyn’s apparent engagement.”
“Which we now know was simply a silly misunderstanding!” Lady Sadie adds with a relieved, breathy laugh.
“I shall telephone the Personal Column desk of The Times***** presently.” the Viscount says gaily, still beaming at Lettice’s news. “To announce the withdrawal of your engagement******.”
“Before you do that, Pappa, you might want to hear what I have to say about Selwyn’s engagement.” Lettice says seriously.
“But I thought you just said he wasn’t engaged, Tice.” Bella pipes up from the sofa next to Leslie.
“Oh no!” Lady Sadie exclaims, raising her long fingers to her lips in concern.
“What’s this?” the Viscount asks, his jubilation evaporating immediately as he sinks back down, deflated onto his seat with a sigh. “The roué! The cad!”
“He’s not engaged, Bella.” Lettice affirms with a calming gesture. “Please! Don’t worry, Mamma and Pappa. If I could only exp…”
“Oh, what a relief!” Lady Sadie exclaims as she too sinks back into the comfortable confines of her chair, fanning her phlegmatic face with her handkerchief as she does. “Did you hear that, Cosmo? Selwyn is definitely not engaged.”
“Thank god! Err… then I apologise for what I just said about young Spencely.” The Viscount says in a softer voice, tinged with remorse.
“I don’t know how many more shocks I can take in one day.” Lady Sadie goes on, still fanning herself. “Really Lettice! You’ll give me a turn.”
“For goodness sake!” Leslie suddenly bursts. “Mamma! Pappa!” He eyes his parents with a steely gaze. “Please stop being melodramatic! This isn’t about you! Hush and let Tice tell us what she wants to.” He nods with approval as the pair sit meekly in their seats, both suddenly looking sheepish in their places. “Now. Please go on, Tice. You were about to say?”
“Thank you, Leslie.” Lettice acknowledges her brother’s help with gratitude in her voice. “There was no, as you put it, Mamma, ‘silly misunderstanding’.”
“What?” Lady Sadie gasps, raising the handkerchief to her mouth again. “But you just…”
“Selwyn is not engaged, Mamma.” Lettice quickly cuts her mother off. “And nor was he, to anyone. However, there was no misunderstanding around the news that he was, being reported to me. It was a deliberate, unkind and underhand act, directed solely at me to send me leaping into some else’s arms, be it John or anyone really, other than Selwyn.”
“As I recall, Tice” Leslie remarks. “You said that you were shown newspaper articles that professed to Spencely’s engagement to the daughter of a… a platinum mine owner’s daughter, was it?”
“A diamond mine heiress,” Lettice corrects her brother. “Named Kitty Avendale.” She pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath to steel herself before continuing, the memory of being shown the offensive articles by Lady Zinnia in her Park Lane mansion still hurtful to her. “But they were all fabricated, very convincingly, and that’s why I believed that Selwyn really was engaged. They seemed, they looked so genuine.”
“Fabricated?” Leslie asks.
“By whom, Tice?” queries his wife with concern. “Who could do such a horrible thing?”
“Who would be so bloody despicable… so damn deplorable?” the Viscount seethes, his shackles suddenly up.
“Language, Cosmo!” chides Lady Sadie, looking aghast at him from her seat across from his.
“Well!” blusters the Viscount. “I damn well think I have a right to be irked, Sadie, and express it too. The blighter deserves to be hauled up by his bootstraps******* for what he’s done to our daughter!”
“Or hers.” Bella suggests tentatively in a gentle voice.
“What?” the Viscount roars.
“Well it… it could be a lady who masterminded the fabrication, sir.” Bella continues timidly as she slips closer to her husband.
“Balderdash!” the Viscount retorts with a derisive snort, inadvertently cutting Lettice off as she goes to speak.
“Cosmo!” Lady Sadie exclaims again, looking reproachfully at her husband. “Really!”
However, the Viscount ignores her, focussing his attentions on his young daughter-in-law instead. “Don’t talk such nonsense, Arabella! No lady would be so deceitful, or sink so low.”
“Then your exposure to ladies is sadly lacking, dear Cosmo.” Lady Sadie counters with a doleful shake of her head. “In my experience, I have known women who would sink as low as to fabricate their version of the truth, or indeed slide lower still, and let nothing impede them from achieving what they set out to do to disguise the truth, cheat another or shift blame away from themselves.”
“For pity’s sake, Pappa and Mamma!” Leslie implores. “Do please hush and let Lettice finish her story.”
“It was Lady Zinnia.” Lettice announces plainly. “Lady Zinnia fabricated them all.”
“Zinnia?” the Viscount’s eyes grow wide. “Surely not! Why on earth would Zinnia do something as low as that?”
“I know we haven’t seen her since before the war,” Lady Sadie adds. “But in spite of that, she’s always been such a good friend to our family. Hasn’t she Cosmo?”
“Indeed yes, my dear!” the Viscount affirms, folding his arms akimbo across his chest in a defensive gesture. “I can hardly believe that a lady like Zinnia would do such a thing.”
Lettice remembers how Leslie has said in the past that their father and Lady Zinnia were close.
“Believe it or not, it is true.” Lettice counters with a stern tone. “And we are currently gathering evidence to support this.”
“We?” the Viscount asks.
“Gerald and I,” Lettice elucidates, mentioning her oldest and closest childhood chum.
“Gerald Bruton?” Lady Sadie queries in astonishment.
“Yes Mamma. Gerald has kindly engaged the services of a Pinkerton******** to pursue lines of enquiries in Durban and Nairobi that are stymied here by misplaced deference to the Duchess.”
“Oh Lettice! For shame!” Lady Sadie exclaims, grasping the elegant, gilded arms of her chair with a tightening grip.
“You’re mother is right, Lettice.” the Viscount chides his daughter, defending his wife’s outburst at the same time. “Hiring a Pinkerton, for whatever noble reason, is a grubby business! You don’t want to get your name mixed up with any of that kind of business.”
“Well, thanks to Gerald, I won’t be.” Lettice goes on with a smile. “No matter what happens. Gerald kindly arranged the engagement of a Mr. Cookson under his own name, rather than mine, keeping our family name out of the whole sordid business, at risk to his own reputation, should anything untoward happen.”
“Gerald did?” Lady Sadie asks in a surprised voice.
“He did, Mamma. In fact, one could go so far as to say that he insisted on it.”
“Really?” Lady Sadie remarks.
“That’s very selfless of him.” the Viscount opines. “I’ve always liked young Bruton, ever since he was a lad and the two of you were taking lessons together up in the schoolroom. Unlike Roland, he’s a good sort of chap.”
“Well, I have a good deal more to thank Gerald for than just arranging Mr. Cookson’s services.” Lettice goes on. “Were it not for Gerald, I would not have met Selwyn again. He was the one who ran into Selwyn during the General Strike, listened to what he had to say, which was more than I was prepared to do at that moment, and then convinced him to follow him to the volunteer canteen********* I was working in, and pleaded Selwyn’s case, imploring me to listen to him.”
“Sounds like Gerald has been a bit of a brick for you, Tice.” Leslie remarks.
“Oh, he has, Leslie. He’s been wonderful, throughout all of this.”
As Lady Sadie listens to her son and daughter, a sick feeling curdles her stomach as she silently starts to question the way she has treated Gerald since his unwelcome comments at her Hunt Ball back in 1922. She begins to realise that she may well have misjudged him.
“But why would Lady Zinnia be against your marrying her son, Lettice?” Arabella asks. “I thought you said that she had come to some sort of arrangement with Selwyn.”
“She had, or so we thought, Bella. Selwyn had agreed not to correspond with me for the year Lady Zinnia banished him to Durban, and in return, she agreed that if he returned feeling the same way about me as he did when he left, that she would allow us to marry. We were under the assumption that she would keep her end of the bargain, but really she had no such intentions. She wanted to bundle Selwyn off so she could start this elaborate ruse to trick me into believing that he was engaged to someone else, and no longer cared for me, so that I would then marry someone else.”
“But why would she be so against you two marrying, Tice?” Arabella goes on. “I don’t understand, especially if what Sadie says is true about her being such a good friend to the family.”
Lettice knows the truth regarding Lady Zinnia’s proposal of an elicit liaison with her father when both of them were married, and his subsequent refusal, which was the catalyst of her refusal to allow Lettice and Selwyn to marry, but she doesn’t want to embarrass her father, or upset her mother by telling the sordid tale, so she uses the half-truth Lady Zinnia told her.
“She doesn’t think our family is aristocratic enough. She thinks we’re too insignificant, and bucolic.”
“Rubbish!” the Viscount retorts. “Chetwynds can be traced back to Norman times, and can be found mentioned in the Doomsday Book**********! You can’t get a great deal more damn aristocratic, venerable and ancient than that!”
“She is using that as an excuse, Pappa. We know that. The fact is that as far as Lady Zinnia is concerned, Selwyn has no say in whom he will marry. It is entirely her decision, and she had other marriages planned which are advantageous to her.”
Lady Sadie’s face drains of colour as she remembers Gerald’s warning to her, albeit in a slurred and drunken way, at her Hunt Ball in 1922. He had tried to tell her that Selwyn would not be able to marry Lettice for love, and that Lady Zinnia would choose his future bride from amongst the matches she thought suitable. He tried to warn her and she didn’t listen. She remains locked in her own thoughts for a few minutes, allowing the burble of her daughter’s, son’s and husband’s voice to drift around her, bot listening, until Lettice says something that brings her back to the present situation with a jolt.
“There is something else I must tell you too, that Mr. Cookson has uncovered.” Lettice says seriously.
“That sounds rather foreboding, Lettice my girl.” The Viscount says.
“It’s not a pleasant revelation, Pappa.” his daughter admits.
“Best get on with it then, eh what?” the Viscount encourages her seriously.
“Though his investigations, Mr Cookson has found that Lionel has been complicit in the ruse regarding Selwyn’s fabricated engagement, which means he would be following, whether knowingly or not, Lady Zinnia’s instructions.”
“No!” Leslie exclaims. “Surely even Lionel wouldn’t stoop so low?”
“Wouldn’t he, Leslie?” Lettice asks rhetorically. “He hates us all, as he places the misfortunes he so foolishly brought upon himself, squarely at our feet.” She shakes her head slowly. “He was disparaging about my arrangement with Selwyn, which he had heard about either though a letter from Mamma, or the social pages of the London newspapers circulating in Nairobi. He told me that it would all end up being nothing at all. Wouldn’t it please him no end to see me punished, as he himself has been punished, by being part of ruining my chances of a happy marriage?”
“God Lionel is worse than a beast!” Leslie spits hotly. “To treat us all with such contempt.”
“He’s diabolical, Leslie darling.” Arabella remarks, soothing her husband by rubbing his arm gently.
“There is no such person as Kitty Avendale, but there is a girl matching Kitty’s likeness called Kathy Daleeth, who is employed by Lionel at his Charlie Chet horse breeding stud in the Aberdare Range***********. We believe that Lionel was passing Kathy off as Kitty at the Muthaiga Club in Nairobi, to establish her in British Kenyan************ society, before she moved on to Durban to further Lady Zinnia’s plans by appearing in as many photographs with Selwyn as she could, which could then be used by Lady Zinnia to help make the articles she showed me all the more convincing. What better proof is there than photographic proof?”
“He wrote to me…” Lady Sadie suddenly interjects in a dazed voice.
“Who did, Sadie?” the Viscount asks.
“Lionel.” she answers flatly. “He wrote to me a few times of a mysterious benefactress, who he claims is a British aristocrat of some significance, purportedly, who has a great passion for thoroughbreds and steeplechasers and paid him very good money, probably more than is prudent, for several thoroughbreds from his stud, to be shipped back here to England.”
“Could that mysterious benefactress be Lady Zinnia?” Leslie asks aloud.
“Yes, I remember you telling me about her earlier this year, Mamma.” Lettice goes on. “After you’d received a letter from Lionel. You said she preferred her anonymity and had deep pockets.”
“He hasn’t written to ask for your father to settle his drinking and gambling debts for months now, either.” Lady Sadie adds.
“What if she paid Lionel for more than just horses?” Leslie remarks in a whisper, his eyes darting to Lettice’s, holding her gaze.
“That damnable monster!” the Viscount suddenly bursts, roaring to life, getting to his feet. “That idiot! The fool!” he goes on angrily, his face reddening and contorting with rage.
“Careful Cosmo!” Lady Sadie exclaims. “Your blood pressure., dear”
“Oh to hell with my blood pressure, and to hell with Lionel too!” the Viscount yells angrily. “This is the very last straw! I shall punish him well and truly! I shall cut off his whole allowance! Let’s see how long he can live off his own ill gotten gains, gambling and carousing at the Muthaiga Club!”
“You’ll do no such thing, Pappa!” Lettice hurriedly interjects.
“What?” the older man’s tirade comes to a sudden halt.
“I said no, Pappa.” Lettice reiterates. “You won’t cut his allowance.”
“Now see here, my girl! I’m your father, and I can do what I damn well like with Lionel’s allowance!”
“Cosmo! Language please!” Lady Sadie implores her husband again.
“How can you defend that traitorous worm, when he’s trying to cause great injury to you, Tice?” Leslie asks.
“No, Pappa!” Lettice insists again. “You mustn’t cut his allowance, even if you want to do so.”
“Why the hell shouldn’t I? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t!”
“Because if you do, Pappa, you’ll be giving the game away. All that work that Mr. Cookson has done in uncovering what he has for me thus far, will all be for naught.” Lettice sighs heavily before continuing, “Lady Zinnia will see the game is afoot, and like a startled deer she will vanish. Mr. Cookson is still making connections between Lady Zinnia, Lionel and these fabricated newspaper articles. Selwyn and I need definitive proof to set before Lady Zinnia. Without that, she’ll never agree to our marrying. Whereas, if we confront her with irrefutable proof of her scheming, and we threaten to expose her wrongdoings, she can’t refuse us. So please Pappa,” She looks imploringly to her father. “Don’t sever Lionel’s allowance. Just let it continue as normal, so he doesn’t suspect anything.”
“Tice has a point, Pappa.” Leslie remarks. “And a good one at that.”
“But it sticks in my craw, to pay my own son to be duplicitous and undermine his sister.” the Viscount mutters as he shakes his head.
“It does in mine too, Cosmo,” Lady Sadie says gently. “But Lettice is right. You’d be declaring something was afoot, and since Lionel can’t have done anything here in England to raise your ire to cause a cut to his allowance, and since, despite what he says, he must know he is aiding Zinnia to ruin Lettice’s happiness, he would report it back to her, and then we would no longer be on the front foot.”
“We, Mamma?” Lettice asks.
“Of course Lettice.” Lady Sadie says matter-of-factly, brushing down her skirt. “When one of us is in a tight corner, we all come together to assist him,” She coughs lightly. “Or her. And sometimes,” She turns and looks at her husband, giving him a hard stare. “That means stepping back from our natural reactions and doing what is right for the greater good.”
“Oh!” grumbles the Viscount begrudgingly. “Oh alright. I won’t penalise Lionel.”
“Very good, Cosmo.” Lady Sadie replies with a curt nod of approval. Returning her gaze to her daughter she goes on with a steely tone. “There we are, Lettice. The issue of alerting that ghastly Zinnia woman is rectified.”
“Mamma!” Lettice gasps in surprise.
The older woman picks up her teacup and leans forward to take up the silver teapot, before topping up her half empty vessel. “It might still come as a surprise to you, Lettice my dear, but your father isn’t the only one who loves you out of the two of us.”
“For now!” the Viscount barks before the astonished Lettice can reply. He seethes inn his seat with a look of thunder on his face, his arms crossed over his slightly podgy stomach as it protrudes from his golden yellow shepherd’s check waistcoat**************. “He will get his comeuppance, Sadie. I’ll make sure of that!”
“Yes, yes, of course you will, Cosmo dear.” his wife replies with a dismissive air as she settles back in her seat. “You may punish him as harshly as you see fit,” She pauses and stirs her cup of tea with her teaspoon looking like the cat who ate the cream*************** as she stares up at Lettice triumphantly. “Once Lettice firmly has that wedding ring on her finger, and not a moment before.”
*The 1926 General Strike was a nine-day nationwide stoppage in the United Kingdom between the third and twelfth of May. It was called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to support over a million coal miners facing wage cuts and longer hours. Following "Black Friday" in 1921, miners faced a lockout after refusing "not a penny off the pay, not an hour on the day" wage reductions and longer hours. About one point seven million workers paralysed transport, printing, and heavy industries temporarily. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government declared a state of emergency, using volunteers and the military to maintain essential supplies and transport. The government produced the British Gazette to counter the strikers' message. The TUC ended the strike on May the twelfth, 1926, fearing it was moving toward a revolutionary, anti-democratic action. The miners remained locked out until the autumn, eventually accepting lower pay and longer hours, without securing any concessions.
**Gunter’s (officially Gunter’s Tea Shop) was London’s most famous and exclusive confectionery, catering, and high-society eatery. The business was founded in 1757 at numbers 7 to 8 Berkeley Square, in Mayfair, by an Italian pastry chef named Domenico Negri. He originally named it The Pot and Pineapple. The pineapple was chosen because it was the ultimate Georgian symbol of wealth, luxury, and exotic indulgence. In 1777, an Englishman named James Gunter entered into a partnership with Negri. By 1799, Gunter became the sole proprietor and rebranded the establishment under his own name. In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, freezing technology was rare and expensive. Gunter’s became globally renowned for its exotic "ices," sorbets, and ice creams. They served dramatic flavours like pine, bergamot, maple, jasmine, and even Parmesan, often frozen into intricate pewter moulds shaped like fruits or meats. Gunter’s was famous for a unique social phenomenon. Because the shop itself was small, wealthy patrons would park their open-topped horse carriages under the plane trees of Berkeley Square. Waiters would dodge traffic to sprint across the road, bringing rapidly melting ice cream right to the carriages. Gunter's wasn't just a cafe; they were massive high-end event caterers. They provided the food, multi-tiered "bride cakes," and sugar architecture for royal balls and elite weddings, including making the wedding cake for Queen Victoria’s granddaughter in 1889.
***The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners. The hotel became Carte's most successful venture. Its bands, Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, became famous. Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch at the hotel. The hotel is now managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It has been called "London's most famous hotel". It has two hundred and sixty seven guest rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Thames Embankment. The hotel is a Grade II listed building.
****Andirons (also known as fire dogs) are two metal stands placed parallel inside a hearth. Each one has a horizontal bar (known as the “log rest”), a decorative vertical front post and short rear legs to keep the logs raised. Their job is simple: keep the logs off the hearth floor so air can circulate beneath them, making the fire burn hotter and cleaner.
*****The Times Personal Column desk at Printing House Square – sometimes referred to as the Announcements Desk or the Personal Advertisements Office – was the section of The Times devoted to engagements, marriages, deaths, in memoriam notices, social announcements and the withdrawals of engagements. It was staffed by clerks who handled paid personal notices, including the discreet “The engagement will not take place” type. Families could also refer to it as the Announcements Desk, which was the internal name used by The Times for the department.
******A broken engagements were announced in The Times in the 1920s, but only in a very specific, socially formal way, and not nearly as commonly as engagements themselves. They were usually printed as a short formal notice. This was considered the proper upper class method of publicly withdrawing an engagement that had already been announced in the paper. These notices were brief, discreet, never gave reasons as to why the engagement was no longer subsisting, and was placed in the Personal Column of the newspaper. Such announcements were used by families who had social standing, property, or public visibility. A secretary, solicitor, or family member would: telephone The Times Personal Column desk at Printing House Square, dictate the wording (always brief and formal), approve the proofread back over the telephone and arrange payment. Alternatively, if the family had to wish to deal with the matter themselves, they could send a typed letter or have their solicitor manage it on their behest. For the upper classes, The Times was the official record of social events. Placing a withdrawal through the Personal Column prevented gossip, signalled propriety and ensured the matter was handled with dignity. It was the correct and expected channel.
*******The phrase “to be hauled up by your bootlaces” is a British idiom from the late Nineteenth Century, meaning to be forced to improve oneself, behave better, or face discipline, usually by one’s own effort or by a stern authority. It’s related to the older metaphor of pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps, but with a distinctly British, slightly humorous, slightly scolding flavour.
********A “Pinkerton” is a private detective, and refers to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, founded by Allan Pinkerton, known for its historical role in labour disputes and spying. For decades after Allan Pinkerton's death, his name became a slang term for any private investigator, regardless of whether they worked for the Pinkerton Agency or not. Today, the agency (now simply called Pinkerton) focuses on risk management, intelligence, and security services.
*********During the 1926 General Strike, the volunteer canteens — often staffed by "titled ladies" to feed volunteers maintaining essential services — were largely organized and supported by the upper classes, society women, and the government's emergency volunteer network. Women from high society and the aristocracy, including Lady Louis Mountbatten, Lady Quilter, Lady Mary Ashley Cooper, and Lady Carmichael-Anstruther, participated in and helped manage these canteens. Canteens, such as those overseen by a "Mrs. Loeffler" at Scotland House and similar efforts in Hyde Park, provided food and refreshments to the thousands of middle-class volunteers, such as special constables, who broke the strike. These canteens were part of a coordinated effort by the Conservative government to maintain essential services and counter the strike's effectiveness. The focus of these efforts was to support the volunteer workforce—such as the "special constables"—to keep services running, as opposed to the soup kitchens operated in mining communities by workers' wives to support the miners.
**********The surname Chetwynd is one of England’s older aristocratic names, traceable to the Norman period and firmly rooted in Staffordshire. The name derives from Chetwynd, a manor near Newport, Shropshire, recorded in Domesday Book (1086) as Cetewinde or Chetewinde. The family took its name from this estate soon after the Norman Conquest. By the Twelfth Century, members of the de Chetwynd family appear in charters and land grants connected with Shropshire and Staffordshire. Records show that the Chetwynd family goes from medieval Staffordshire gentry into the British peerage by the early 1700s.
***********The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range) is a one hundred mile long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of thirteen thousand one hundred and thirty feet. It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Muranga, Kiambu and Laikipia.
************The Muthaiga Club is a club in Nairobi. It is located in the suburb of Muthaiga, about fifteen minutes’ drive from the city centre. The Muthaiga Country Club opened on New Year's Eve in 1913, and became a gathering place for the colonial British settlers in British East Africa, which later became in 1920, the Colony of Kenya.
*************The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in 1920. Technically, the "Colony of Kenya" referred to the interior lands, with a ten mile coastal strip, nominally on lease from the Sultan of Zanzibar, was the "Protectorate of Kenya", but the two were controlled as a single administrative unit. The colony came to an end in 1963 when an ethnic Kenyan majority government was elected for the first time and eventually declared independence as the Republic of Kenya.
**************Shepherd’s check is a popular pattern for a rather sturdy tweed, commonly worn in the country. Coming in various colours and pattern styles, the small check version in black and white is commonly known as Pepita check in Germanic countries.
***************The British phrase, "the cat that ate the cream" means that someone looks extremely pleased with themselves, smug, self-satisfied, or quietly triumphant. It appears to have developed in the late Nineteenth Century. It is based on the familiar sight of a cat that has successfully helped itself to cream and is now feeling very pleased indeed. Historically, cream was considered a particularly rich and desirable food. A cat that had managed to steal it had obtained something better than ordinary milk, so it became a natural metaphor for someone enjoying an unexpected success or advantage. This interpretation is reflected in explanations of the idiom that connect it to a cat contentedly licking its whiskers after consuming cream.
This grand Georgian interior may appear like something out of a historical stately country house, but it is in fact part of my 1:12 miniatures collection and includes items from my childhood, as well as those I have collected as an adult.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The Palladian console table to the left of the fireplace, with their golden caryatids and marble is one of a pair was commissioned by me from American miniature artisan Peter Cluff. Peter specialises in making authentic and very realistic high quality 1:12 miniatures that reflect his interest in Georgian interior design. His work is highly sought after by miniature collectors worldwide. This pair of tables are one-of-a-kind and very special to me.
The petit point gilt salon chair and the gilt footstool are made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq, but what is particularly special about them is that they have been covered in antique Austrian floral micro petit point by V.H. Miniatures in the United Kingdom, which also makes them one-of-a-kind pieces. The artisan who made them says that as one of her hobbies, she enjoys visiting old National Trust Houses in the hope of getting some inspiration to help her create new and exciting miniatures. She saw some beautiful petit point chairs a few years ago in one of the big houses in Derbyshire and then found exquisitely detailed petit point that was fine enough for 1:12 scale projects.
The silver tea and coffee set on the central chinoiserie tea table, have been made with great attention to detail, and come from Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The wonderful selection of biscuits on offer were made by Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The gilt tea table in the middle of the photo on which they all stand is made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq.
The gilt edged floral teacups placed around the drawing room and plate on the table come from a miniatures specialist stockist on E-Bay.
To the left of the photo stands an artisan bonheur de jour (French lady's writing desk). A gift from my Mother when I was in my twenties, she had obtained this beautiful piece from an antique auction. Made in the 1950s of brass it is very heavy. It is set with hand-painted enamel panels featuring Rococo images. Originally part of a larger set featuring a table and chairs, or maybe a settee as well, individual pieces from these hand-painted sets are highly collectable and much sought after. I never knew this until the advent of E-Bay!
The elegant ornaments that decorate the surfaces of the Chetwynd’s palatial drawing room very much reflect the Eighteenth Century spirit of the room.
On the centre of the mantlepiece stands a Rococo carriage clock that has been hand painted and gilded with incredible attention to detail by British 1:12 miniature artisan, Victoria Fasken. To the left of the clock is a porcelain pot of yellow and blue petunias which has been hand made and painted by 1:12 miniature ceramicist Ann Dalton. To the left of the vase of petunias is a Staffordshire sheep – one of a pair – which have been hand made, painted and gilded by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. If you look closely, you will see that the sheep actually has a smile on its face!
Another, larger example of Ann Dalton’s petunia posies stands on the Peter Cluff Palladian console table and is flanked by two mid Victorian (circa 1850) hand painted child’s tea set pieces. The sugar bowl and milk jug have been painted to imitate Sèvres porcelain.
On the bombe chest behind the Louis settee stand a selection of 1950s Limoges miniature tea set pieces which I have had since I was a teenager. Each piece is individually stamped on its base with a green Limoges stamp. Also on the bombe chest sit two Georgian tea caddies which come from Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. In the centre of these pieces stands a sterling silver three prong candelabra made by an unknown artisan. They have actually fashioned a putti (cherub) holding the stem of the candelabra. The candles that came with it are also 1:12 artisan pieces and are actually made of wax.
The floral vase on the side table containing pink roses made by Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering, is another example of 1950s Limoges, and like the tea set on the bombe chest, it features a green Limoges stamp. The vase containing cream roses is also a 1950s Limoges piece with a green backstamp.
The three piece Louis XV suite of settee and two armchairs was made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, JBM.
The Hepplewhite chair with the lemon satin upholstery you can just see behind the pink roses was made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq.
All the paintings around the Glynes drawing room in their gilded frames are 1:12 artisan pieces made by Amber’s Miniatures in the United States and V.H. Miniatures in the United Kingdom, and the wallpaper is an authentic copy of hand-painted Georgian wallpaper of Chinese lanterns from the 1770s.
The Georgian style fireplace I have had since I was a teenager and is made from moulded plaster.
The Persian rug on the floor has been woven by Pike, Pike and Company in the United Kingdom.
This stately mansion, built in 1909 by John B. Headspeth for Francis H. Wagner, a freight agent for the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad, originally stood at 200 East 40th Street. Frank and Bettie Hamilton Woodburn bought the home in 1920 and it remained in the family until the 1970s. Bettie was the daughter of Jack Hamilton, a colorful Texas character: a friend of Lincoln and a Union sympathizer, forced to hide out and then leave Texas after secession; he returned as Governor appointed by President Andrew Jackson. Bettie Woodburn wrote and proofread many speeches for her father, a highly praised orator.
In 1978, the Hyde Park Baptist Church purchased the house, which was already zoned historic, and planned to move it out of the city. To Hyde Park, the house symbolized the neighborhood’s commitment to restoration and revitalization. After a year-long struggle, the church allowed George Boutwell to move the house to its present location at 4401 Avenue D.
The move saved the structure but negated its historic designation. Boutwell restored the exterior and rebuilt the porches. In 1980, he sold the house to Larry and Terry Smith, who helped him regain its historic designation as a City of Austin Historic Landmark.
The following owners, Herb and Sandra Dickson, continued with interior renovations and operated the house as a bed and breakfast. The Woodburn House features elements of Queen Anne and neo-
classical styles. It combines a late Victorian asymmetrical plan and a steeply pitched roof with a classical two-story wraparound gallery featuring Doric columns and turned balusters.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the Hyde Park Historic District includes an eclectic mixture of architectural styles, from late 19th-century Queen Anne and Classical Revival homes to 20th-century bungalows and ranch houses. Additionally, many of the houses and buildings in Hyde Park have been designated City of Austin Historic Landmarks and Texas Historic Landmarks.
Source: 2019 Hyde Park Neighborhood Association Homes Tour
Me : "Ricky...? Where did you get all of that stuff?!"
Ricky : "It was in a box... The box was open, MOM! I didn't open it!!"
Me : "I know you didn't open it... I opened it! You aren't supposed to be going through the BlytheCon Brooklyn donations!"
Ricky : "I was proofreading this magazine!! I'm helping!!"
Me : "And what about the hairbands, the friendship pins and the button??!"
Ricky : "It's all about quality control! I don't want anyone getting any duds in their goodie bags! You'll be happy to know these have all been given my stamp of approval! Great job Christin and Andrew!!"
Me : "I'm going to have to put these donation boxes up much higher.. or maybe lock the spare room.."
Ricky : "Okay.. but if some wonky donation gets through, I'm not taking the blame.."
Me : "I think we'll be okay."
I'm proud to say i'm a Virgo ;) !
Born in August 28..
Ok this is not why i took this pic .. lol..
This picture is a SPecial Dedication for A Dear Friend of mine Truth Hurts .. "Yeah Couldn't Wait 1 more week ..!" .. hehe
I want to say to You: Kel 3am Wnty B Alf Kheir Moqadaman ... I couldn't wait coz i didn't want anyone to say Happy Birthday TO YOU :) !! . I Wanted to Be The First One To say it ..! So.. Happy Birthday Ya Aghla Ensana 3ndy :** ..
You're a TRUE Diamond! a Rare Friend So hard to find, I don't want to say that I FOUND U .. i'd love to say we found each other ;) !! ..
Love the time we share together, the late night chats, the laughs, the talks, the mood swings we get and yet we laugh about them.. Most, I love spending my entire time just talking to you coz u're an easy person to talk to..
In My mind i've created the most wonderful memories with You.. and i'm sure i'm going to have more of those.. which i'll be charishing forever ;)...
Allah La Ya7remny Menich Yal Ghalya.. Wla Yakhleny Mn Galbech El 6ayyeb ;***
O 3asa Ya Rab Dayem Ashofich Teth7eken coz When You Smile and Laugh The whole world laugh with YOU :) .. Beleive me coz i've seen u Laugh and let me say i saw the whole world shines ;) !! ..
Kel 3am wnty Bkheir 1 Week Early :**
Love You ALOT Sweety :***
Virgo Traits:
Positive: Modest, shy, reliable, practical, tidy, analytical, self-sufficient, diligent.
Negative: Fussy, overcritical, cold, worrisome, harsh, conventional, perfectionist, hypochondriac.
In Love: Devoted, uninhibited, protective.
Judgmental, compulsive, overcritical.
Occupations:Personal assistant, editor, proofreader, accountant "what do u KNOW! loooL I AM an Accountant lol!" , dental hygienist, computer analyst, contractor.
Picture Info:
Place: Simple Home Studio
Camera: Nikon D300
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 60 mm
ISO Speed: 220
Exposure Bias: 0/6 EV
Lens: AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G Ed
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Warning!:
-Please Don`t Comment With Your Last Picture Or URL, Your Comment Will Be Deleted
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Phorographers take Pictures for a Purpose! They Do So To Give a Message to the Viewer.
All Rights Reserved for The Photographer. Any usage of the Picture without permission will cause you legal action.
The strange sutra chanting and other peculiarities of esoteric rituals during New Year's Eve ceremony at the impressive Manpukuji, headquarters of the Obaku school of zen buddhism in Uji, south of Kyoto, can be explained at the light of this temple's Chinese origins. This short (but growing) set of photos will give you a slight idea. As usual, try first the slideshow.
This is the cover of a new jigsaw that’s waiting to be done. The ‘Up ‘ refers to the fact that I was up early today and the ‘Away’ refers to the reason which is that Huw was catching an early train to London today. I had prepared something for Macro Mondays, but because I have the house to myself, I intend cracking on with some proofreading instead. It's also cooler indoors 😎
As owner of the world's largest collection, and with thanks to scores of readers, let me pass along a bunch of these never-say-neverisms:
• Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn’t.
• Reserve the apostrophe for it’s proper use and omit it when its not needed.
• Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
• Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
• And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
• If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. :-)
William Safire
HGGT!!
tricyrtis, hybrid toad lily, 'Imperial Banner', j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, Raleigh, north carolina
Cassandra took me to this coffee shop today and I had what may have been the best fucking vanilla soy latte that I have ever had. (sorry at my Starbucks buddies)
The artwork inside was amazing, as well. Plus one of the guy's working had one AMAZING beard. I also got to see Michael today so that was amazing.
(and I'm proofreading this a really long time after posting it, realizing that I said amazing way too many times in a row)
I would have posted this on Palindrome Day (01-02-2010) but I was busy and not in my home, and when I was in my home and able to upload I forgot to because I was watching Inglourious Basterds with Cassandra.
(:
That's my life for you.
9 yr old Claudia after a long, lovely, birthday day on the lagoon island of Torcello...
Torcello, Venice, in the Lagoon
my textures
sorry I'm so behind on Flickr... I'm proofreading and somehow the whole formatting of the novel morphed yesterday... grrr...
I'm also behind on finishing Claudia's book on our Venetian holiday... I've done one for each grandchild - when they're 8 or9, they go on an Italian trip of their choosing with us.
Répétition de théâtre, relecture de texte. Lumière de service.
Theatre rehearsal, text proofreading. Work lights.
I have avoided learning how to do these pano's for a while now. 12 e'mails to my e'mail a friends support center and two hours later I got a 4 shot pano stitched. Of course this isn't the one because I still have to tweak that one but it was a beautiful start to a new beginning. Thank goodness it's almost Friday, was up waaaaay past my bedtime last night and I learned that I have to spend extra time proofreading my comments.
Into the Light - Day 58 - Year 2022
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Visited my favorite candy store today - "Munson's" on route 6 in Bolton, CT - getting a tasty gift for my sis-in-law and saw this display mounted on the wall next to all the delectable sweets.
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The first candy came to America in the early 18th century from Britain and France. Only a few of the early colonists were proficient in sugar work and were able to provide the sugary treats for the very wealthy. Rock candy, made from crystallized sugar, was the simplest form of candy, but even this basic form of sugar was considered a luxury and was only attainable by the rich.
Then came the Industrial Revolution.
The candy business underwent major changes in the 1830s when technological advanced and the availability of sugar opened up the market. The new market was not only for the enjoyment of the rich but also for the pleasure of the working class. There was also an increasing market for children. While some fine confectioners remained, the candy store became a staple of the child of the American working class. Penny candy became the first material good that children spent their own money on.
In 1847, the invention of the candy press allowed manufacturers to produce multiple shapes and sizes of candy at once.
More fun facts about candy:
www.candyfavorites.com/shop/history-american-candy.php
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The brass plate on the wall over the rollers reads:
"Drop Roller"
This machine uses changable
rollers to produce hard candy.
A sheet of candy was cooled
to perfect consistency and
fed through these rollers to
make items like "Lemon Drops".
- Circa 1859 -
The maker of this plate could have used a proofreader as there is no such word as 'changable', it is 'changeable'. No intention to be picky about a misspelled word, but, someone dropped the ball and I noticed. Was a graphic designer for 45 years and a misspelled word on anything commercially printed is mortifying, for the designer and the business that provided the product, as well as costly. Surprised no one noticed.
Porree-Jeans
Bluejeans aus einem Porreeblatt
sind weithin unbekannt,
wer sie noch nie gesehen hat,
starrt auf sie unverwandt.
Isst du sie auf, wirst du nicht satt.
Poree jeans
Blue jeans made from a leek leaf
are known in our basement;
and those who have them feel relief
and see them in amazement.
Just eat it, and you feel relief.
Джинсы из поре
Джинсы из листа порея,
известны у нас в подвале,
а также у рифа Барьера,
на них ты глядишь в идеале,
съешь их — и нету трофея.
Bei der Korrektur der Übersetzungen und ihrer Schärfung half ChatGPT.
ChatGPT helped to proofread and refine the translations.
В корректировке переводов и их доработке помог ChatGPT.
Das Bild zeigt eine Cyanotypie nach dem Belichten — aber vor dem Entwickeln. Ich habe dabei relativ wenig rotes Blutlaugensalz verwendet. Deshalb färbte es sich kräftig braun, wo es starkt belichtet war (statt blau bis hellgrau) und blau an weniger belichteten Stellen. Die weißen Strukturen entstanden durch Feuchtigkeit.
The image shows a cyanotype after exposure — but before development. I used relatively little red ferricyanide. As a result, it turned a deep brown where it was heavily exposed (instead of blue to light grey) and blue in less exposed areas. The white patterns were caused by moisture.
На фотографии изображена цианотипия после экспонирования, но до проявления. Я использовал относительно небольшое количество красной соли железа. Поэтому в местах сильной экспозиции она окрасилась в насыщенный коричневый цвет (вместо синего или светло-серого), а в менее экспонированных местах — в синий. Белые участки образовались под воздействием влаги.
captainkimo.com/nighttime-hdr-photo-from-juno-beach-pier
I've been a very bad blogger. I haven't posted anything in about a week. Normally I post daily, but in the past couple months I've had to slow down because of the ebook, which has been taking up a good portion of my time from my blog. But the good news is, it's almost done! I'm now working on the last couple of pages of the final chapter. So far I'm on schedule, but I'm not sure how long it's gonna take to proofread an edit the final copy. I will announce the release of the book in the monthly newlstter. Sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already done so to get the latest update.
As for this photo, I did a few things different. Instead of the normal three exposures, I used only 2. And instead of using Detail Enhancer, I used Exposure Fusion for tone mapping. But the secret to this photo wasn't in Photomatix, it was in Photoshop. I used shadow/highlights to bring out the detail in the pier and foreground. I also used my normal Photoshop processing techniques to put in the finishing touches. I discuss all this in more detail within the ebook.
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I bought Serena an S yeSterday. I liked itS poSSibilitieS. I liked that I would be able to let her hang out in my Shop and play with glaSS, like all little kidS want to do when they behold amazing colorS that Shine.
She iS downStairS now, gluing glaSS to her S, adhering ceramic pieceS of plateS, Sticking Stuff with Elmer'S Carpenter'S wood glue (my favorite).
I am Sitting on my own S upStairS, proofreading a curriculum for a different kind of S—$$.
The letter of the day. S.
Continued here.
Finally had the time to work on my little side projects like Swan. A total shift from my Marchetti work. Hope you guys like it! and thanks to my friend Miyuki for proofreading and this concept--
I have no idea if she set me up. I can't read japanese.
A combination of too many papers to edit / proofread, too much time in the basement struggling with drywall and too long without Mrs. N (She comes back next week), had "the black dog" growling and threatening to "bite". The only cure for me is to get out into nature, so I took myself off to Crook's Hollow this morning and took a slow exposure of the water at one of my favourite spots. By the time I had finished shooting the "dog" was back in its "kennel".
The text for my new book about Ken'ts Wild Orchid is finished! The manuscript just needs to be sent off for proof reading tomorrow and a little bit of peer review and feedback. Once this is done the next step forward is to sort out the illustrations and the layout will be finalised. However, new camera, new macro lens, there may be a need for a few better images of some of the orchids this year. So next steps.....
The local council have splashed a lot of cash doing up the seaside shelters in the past year. I don't even like to think how much someone charged them to put sayings and poems etc on the windows in the Victorian seaside shelters, and large letters on the pier etc saying rather innocuous things like "Float".
I liked this particular saying, but they really should have hired a proofreader first.
Messier 106, also known as NGC 4258, is an intermediate spiral galaxy located in the constellation Canes Venatici. It lies at a distance of roughly 23 million lightyears and spans some 135.000 ly in diameter.
What makes M106 interesting for our cooperative efforts in the DSC are its outflows around the galaxy’s core, caused by the active supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center. This black hole is actively accreting material, which leads to the production of powerful jets, called AGN jets, which in turn give rise to the observed outflows (AGN = Active galaxy nuclei). Note that the outflows in M106 are called “anomalous arms”, but will be referred to as “outflows” in the following text.
Another interesting feature in our frame are the many background galaxies with various interesting attributes that we’ll dive into later in the write-up.
The jets and associated outflows in M106 have been studied extensively to better understand the processes involved.
As our goal in the DSC is to provide scientifically valuable data, we focused on gathering Hydrogen alpha (Ha) as well as Oxygen III ([OIII]) for the outflows as this allows for a wider array of observations and insight. A full description and breakdown of our observations, paired with professional data will be given in the next section.
In order to reveal the outflows in full detail as well as ensure nice details in the galaxy and background, our goal was primarily set on Ha, [OIII] and Lum data.
With the small FOV group of the DSC we started gathering data in February and imaged for a total of 3 months, followed by 2 months of pre- and post-processing the data. Being back with a nearly full team, we had a total of 18 people working on the project - 1 Editor, 1 Stacker and 1 supervisor as well as 15 photographers- in the end we managed to get a total of 566h02m of integration - the longest ever on this galaxy. Note that 226h06m of that total is Ha, 80h30m is [OIII] and 141h24m is Lum, meeting our goals!
Before getting into any details in the picture, I want to thank everybody who contributed to this project. As always, it was a pleasure working together with everybody!
Tim Schaeffer - @Tim Schaeffer
Steeve Body - steevebody.com/
Adrien Keijzer - @Adrien Keijzer
Carl Björk - @Palmito
Ryan Wierckx - @Ryan Wierckx
Logan Carpenter - @Logan Carpenter
Nicolas Puig - @Nicolas PUIG
Paul Kent - @Paul Kent
Mike Hamende - @Mike Hamende
Spencer Collins - @Spencer Collins
Steve Mandel - @Steve Mandel
Brian Meyers - @Brian M.
Laurent André - @LAndré
Oliver Carter - @Oliver Carter
Nicola Beltraminelli - @Nicola Beltraminelli
Bogdan Borz - @Bogdan Borz
Julian Shapiro - @Julian Shapiro
Antoine and Dalia Grelin - www.galactic-hunter.com
BTB Astroteam Brentenriegel - @Franz Gruber
Special thanks to:
Adrien, who stacked all of our 4000+ files, which due to complications took several weeks of processing, a lot of trial and failure, and a lot of patience.
Carl, who assisted Adrien in the sacking process. Big thank you to both for their immense commitment to our projects!
Steeve, our editor who did another fantastic job with this dataset. Certainly was a much more difficult edit than others, taking a lot of extra time to come to a result we all liked.
Paul, and myself, who provided their excellent Bortle 2/3 data that was used for MSGR
Laurent, who provided his M106 dataset taken with much higher FL that we used to enhance details in the core
Steve Mandel, who analysed redshifts and distances of celestial objects in our frame which allowed us to find the 3 furthest objects in the field.
Interesting features in our image
- M106’s outflows - Anomalous spiral arms
As noted in the introductory text to this project, a main focus for the DSC was revealing M106’s outflows in great detail.
These outflows, or anomalous spiral arms are jet-driven outflows and so form as a direct consequence of the active galaxy nuclei in M106. Our amateur efforts focused on gathering both Ha and [OIII] in order to showcase the distribution of intensity of emission. While it is very common to include Ha in the data-split when capturing M106, [OIII] is rather rarely seen which made it even more interesting. In the end we managed to gather over 220h of Ha and over 80h of [OIII] data.
In order to ensure that the signal picked up is the isolated emission line of interest, we applied continuum subtraction (as we always do) and confirmed the presence of [OIII] in the streams. It can be seen that the [OIII] emission is much weaker than the Ha, which was expected. A direct comparison between Ha and [OIII] can be found below. Note that the [OIII] is mainly found in the east part of the galaxy.
© Deep Sky Collective
While our image provides a deep, detailed look at the spiral arms, it is limited to only optical emission lines. However, M106’s outflows not only emit in optical wavelengths, but also in Radio, X-ray, UV,...
So in order to tell the full story one needs to consider other wavelengths too, which lead us to combining our data with professional datasets of M106 that cover X-Ray -, radio - and IR emissions. For this, we used Chandra’s X-ray imagery, VLT’s radio coverage and Spitzer’s IR data. In a final, comprehensive image of M106 we mapped X-ray to purple, radio to yellow and IR to red (mixed in with Ha). The full resolution of this revision of the image can be found under astrobin’s revision D or on our website: deepskycollective.com/m106/multiwave
Left: ©Deep Sky Collective / Right: ©Optical: Deep Sky Collective; X-ray (purple): Chandra; Radio (yellow): VLT; IR (Red): Spitzer
- Small galaxies and their features
Other features to draw attention to are the numerous, interesting small galaxies in the frame, some of which have major outflows that can be clearly seen in our image thanks to the deep Broadband observation, using over 250h of broadband data.
Three of those galaxies are shown below - all of these are AGN galaxies with huge outflows (note that NGC 4226’s is larger than the galaxy itself).
© Deep Sky Collective
- Background galaxies
As our image is of unprecedented depth, many more background galaxies have been revealed, most of which lie at tens of- if not hundreds of million of lightyears. As we overall used relatively big telescopes for the project, not only do we have immense depth, but also detail. We encourage everyone to go check out our full resolution image on our website so you can zoom in and explore the image yourself.
Besides the big NGC 4217 on the right hand side of the frame, the team’s favourite definitely is NGC 4231 and 4232 - a pair of galaxies that is merging and can be seen in the top of the screen. Looking spectacular, these galaxies lie at a distance of over 350 million lightyears and reflect what our milky way and M31 will go through in a few billion years. Lacking observations from big space telescopes, our image might be the clearest of the galaxy pair yet.
© Deep Sky Collective
- Depth of image
An interesting measure of how “deep” an image is, is to check the limiting magnitude - this measure tells you down to what magnitude you can capture (i.e. what the faintest thing picked up is). As we had lots of Broadband data we figured this would be an interesting measure to have and compare to later projects. It turned out that our limiting magnitude is 23.3 from an unprocessed stack and 24.0 when applying Deep SNR. Comparing this with values from big professional telescopes we’re only off by roughly one magnitude which was encouraging to see.
Given the depth we wanted to check what the most distant objects picked up are… Massive thank you to Steve Mandel who took care of this! Below our raw annotated stack can be found. The three annotations are the three furthest objects in the image, with the most distant being a staggering 11.7 billion lightyears away from us!
© Deep Sky Collective
For any further questions about the project, feel free to leave a reach out to us using the contact form or by leaving a comment!
If you want to see our image in greater detail, feel free to go to our gallery, where the image is uploaded in full resolution ( 6110 × 4076px), enabling you to explore the picture by yourself and being able to zoom in on every tiny detail!
Link to our gallery: deepskycollective.com/gallery
Integration overview
Here you find a list of integration contribution from all 14* photographers
Integration-overview.jpg
*data that went into the final stack. Laurent contributed 27 additional hours that were used for enhanced details
We hope that you enjoy this image!
Text written by @Tim Schaeffer , organiser and co-ordinator of the project and fact checked & proofread by the DSC team and Patrick Ogle .
A TYPO is a typing mistake. The red line is a proofreading mark indicating that the letters should be reversed. The word should be CRAP. Image Sources: Trump from Getty; Textures from Adobe; Carp by Lance Merry from nature.mdc.mo.gov
if you any words out :-)
Author Unknown
HPPT!!
zinnia, sarah p duke gardens, duke university, durham, north carolina
This picture is part of my photographic series Marthe de Montlaur, which I invite you to consult in the list of my albums.
You will find the script in the album header, and by consulting the shots in their chronological order, you can relive one of the episodes in the history of the Montlaur castle, through the changing moods conveyed by the portraits.
That's what happens when a governmental agency lets a contract with no oversight. Wonder how many of these were issued.
.
Like this two side painting titled At 25 the book trying to get a sense of scale is truly a collaborative project, with remarkable contributions by various authors (see below), but also beautiful, spare design by Deb Hendriksma Anderson, dead on photographic documentation by Steve Ledell and Chris Cassidy and rigorous copy editing and proofreading by Ellen Herbert and Amy Moore.
This book was published by North Park University iin conjunction with Tim Lowly's exhibition at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science Visual Arts Center. Like that exhibition this book focuses on work that Tim as done related to his daughter over the last 28 years. The book includes insightful texts by Karen Halvorsen Schreck, Riva Lehrer, Henry Luttikhuizen, Sherrie Lowly, Kelly VanderBrug and project editor Kevin Hamilton.
The 160 page, 10.5"x 9" book is extensively illustrated with over 70 color and 25 black and white illustrations.
You can purchase the book at the following links;
via Amazon
via the CIVA on-line store
via Koplin Del Rio Gallery's new on-line store: KDR Atelier
You can read more about the book on the CIVA blog
Marcin Białas "Above the pavements"
Book info:
- 300 copies, signed and numbered (dedication on request)
- hard back cover, cloth spine
- number of pages: 128
- size: 300×215 mm
- number of images (graphic, photos, projects): 93
- language of texts: polish and english
- autors of texts: Maciej Linttner , Grzegorz Hańderek, Marta Anna Raczek-Karcz
- type of papier: Cyclus Print 130g (eco)
- concept and edition: Marcin Białas, Katarzyna Wolny
- graphic design: Katarzyna Wolny, Marcin Białas
- typesetting: Katarzyna Wolny
- photography: Marcin Białas
- english translation: Katarzyna Drewniak
- proofreading: Izabela Blacha
- ISBN 978-83-937997-0-1
Details about prices and shipping - check out: www.facebook.com/notes/marcin-bialas-graphic-arts/above-t...
If you'd like to order or have any other question please use this email address: abovethepavements@gmail.com
אחרי שאני כותב איזה הגיג החתולה שלי עושה הגהות, אבל זה כל כך משעמם אותה שהיא נרדמת
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After I write some thought my cat proofreads it , but it's so boring to her that she falls asleep.
The meowing in the background is Raphael. He often comes running if he knows I'm giving Josie attention, he doesn't want to miss out ever!
I apologise for not being on flickr much, I have a shoulder sprain and it's taking it's time to heal.
I am also finalising a book I have written, I am getting it ready for an appraisal first maybe, and then editing. I haven't made up my mind yet. I need to speak to a few more editors. I have only found one in this town, and she is a journalist, a historian, and a humanitarian. She has 30years experience in writing, and she seems perfectly suitable, but she won't edit it until she's done an appraisal on it, and then she decides whether or not she is willing to edit it. The appraisal will cost $500AU. The next closest editor is 100km away. I need to do more homework on this lady first, but from speaking with her, and seeing her public profile, she has won my confidence to pay for her appraisal. I am keen to publish it even if she rejects it, so I am not sure if I want to spend the money on an appraisal, and maybe just go straight into editing with someone else. But the appraisal may well give me guidance to change things before having it edited and published. The fact she is a historian has really impressed me.That will help me a lot. If she is happy to edit it, she gives me a package deal on editing, proofreading, illustrating and printing. If she's not happy to edit it, I need to get it edited elsewhere, but she will print it for me as a self published work if I want. She has setup her practice to support the local regional community to self publish their work. I couldn't really ask for anything more.