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Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 28-Jul-19.
'T-Mobile' logojet, right side.
Originally due for delivery as D-AHLB, this registration wasn't used and the aircraft was delivered to a lessor and leased to Hapag-Lloyd as D-AHLD in Dec-90. It was returned to the lessor in Nov-98 and leased to MALEV Hungarian Airlines as HA-LER the following month. It was returned to the lessor and re-leased to Hapag-Lloyd as D-AHLD in Mar-04 when it was operated for Hapag-Lloyd Express. It was repainted in 'T-Mobile' logojet livery in Feb-06. The aircraft returned to the lessor in Dec-07. It was leased to Aerolineas Argentinas as LV-BNM in Jan-08. In Jun-13 it was returned to the lessor and permanently retired at Orlando-Sanford, FL, USA. It was last noted still at Sanford in Aug-15 and was subsequently broken up.
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 23-Feb-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 05-Apr-23.
I've given up on the C-47 histories, too complex and often incomplete...
This one went to the Norwegian forerunner of SAS (DNL) as LN-IAS in 1946, it was merged into SAS in Oct-52 and was sold to Fairways Rotterdam. The source I was looking at said it went to Fairways in Jan-66, yet here it is in Liverpool in Dec-64!
The Netherlands does re-use registrations though!
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 27-Feb-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 04-Mar-23.
Dan-Air operated eight Ambassadors in the 1960's on passenger charters and scheduled services.
G-ALZN was delivered new, on lease, to BEA British European Airways in Aug-51 and they bought it in Jan-53. It was sold to Overseas Aviation (CI) Ltd, in Mar-61.
Overseas didn't operate it and sold it to Dan-Air London in Apr-62. It was retired and stored at Dan-Air's engineering base at Lasham, Hampshire, UK, in May-68 and later broken up.
Best viewed in LARGE (Contacts only, sorry).
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About
This is my fourth upload from our trip to Paris last weekend.
This is just a part of the incredible huge gardens of the megalomane Versailles palace & gardens.
The shot
Standard 3 exposures HDR in RAW/ISO100 at f/13 using the Sigma 10-20mm lens on a tripod.
Photomatix
Tonemapped using the detail enhancer.
Photoshop
° For some reason the middle of the clouds where the sun is was all broken in the HDR shot, so I tonemapped one of the single RAW files and copied that part of the sun as a layer onto the HDR version and erased the edges of that layer to make it blend in.
° Curves, makes away on the darker areas.
° A small color balance towards the yellow.
° Some dodging on the sun rays and on the tree lit by it.
Reprocessed and replaced this image on 6 october :
° Created a second tonemapped image with the 0EV and 2EV only, used the ground of this version and blended it into the original version which looked a bit too dark.
° Did some supplemental dodging on the light rays, back working on my old PC were the Wacom gives me more control.
You
All comments, criticism and tips for improvements are ( as always ) welcome.
Music
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 14-Apr-15.
BKS = Barnby, Keegan and Stevens, the airline's founders.
G-ALZR in it's final livery, just 16 months before it was written off at London-Gatwick (LGW)
G-ALZR was delivered new to BEA British European Airways in Feb-52. Just over five years later, in Aug-57, it was sold to Rolls Royce and was re-registered G-37-4 in Feb-59. It was used as a test-bed for the Rolls Royce Tyne engine.
It was sold to BKS Air Transport in May-63 and was converted to a freighter in Nov-64 for the BKS Bloodstock Division specialising in the carriage of horses.
It was damaged beyond repair while landing at London-Gatwick Airport in Jul-69 when the nosewheel collapsed. It was sold to Dan-Air London in Nov-69 for spares and transported to Dan-Air's Engineering base at Lasham, Hants, UK, where it was broken up in 1972.
[ENG] The Church of Santa María de Cap d'Arán de Tredós, located at the head of the Arán Valley (Lleida, Spain), is a Romanesque temple built in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. A basilica floor plan with three naves separated by cruciform pillars, initially covered with three barrel vaults, but after several collapses they were replaced by a wooden structure. The head is formed by three semi-circular apses covered with a half-dome. It stands out for its large dimensions, for its elevated presbytery built on a crypt, for the wall paintings (12th-13th and 17th centuries) and for the bell tower (12th and 17th centuries) separated from the body of the temple. More photos in the album Church of Santa María de Cap d'Arán de Tredós.
[ESP] A lo largo de toda la fachada norte, incluyendo contrafuertes, se sitúan canecillos representando caras humanas y motivos geométricos.
La Iglesia de Santa María de Cap d'Arán de Tredós, situada en la cabecera del Valle de Arán (Lleida, España), es un templo románico construido en los siglos XI, XII y XIII, es de planta basilical de tres naves separadas por pilares cruciformes, inicialmente se cubrían con tres bóvedas de cañón, pero tras varios colapsos se sustituyeron por una estructura de madera. La cabecera está formada por tres ábsides de tambor cubiertos con bóveda de horno. Destaca por sus grandes dimensiones, por su presbiterio elevado construido sobre una cripta, por las pinturas murales (s. XII-XIII y XVII) y por la torre campanario (s. XII y XVII) separada del cuerpo del templo. Dispone de dos portadas sobre las que se sitúa un crismón. Fue convento de templarios en el siglo XIII. Más fotografías en el álbum Iglesia de Santa María de Cap d'Arán de Tredós.
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The stairs replace the street in the location of Mozart Street on the west side of Hermann, Missouri just below St. George Catholic Church, due to the steep hillside. The house, with multiple porches and a turret (and a pyramid roof outhouse on the west side) was built by local physician W.C. Wessel in 1917.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 01-Jul-21
KD Air started operations in 1990 and was based at Qualicum Beach, a small town on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. They operated flights between Qualicum Beach and Vancouver, Tofino and Gillies Bay. There was also ground transport link between Qualicum Beach and Port Alberni.
KD Air ceased operations in 2019.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 13-Aug-22 (DeNoise AI).
An early build aircraft, first flown with the Airbus test registration F-WWKP, this aircraft was delivered to PAL Philippine Airlines with the French Overseas registration F-OHZM in Jul-97.
It was sold on delivery to the Acacia Air Lease Company and leased back to Philippine Airlines. The aircraft was re-registered RP-C3330 in Jun-08. It was permanently retired at Manila, Philippines in Aug-13 and was eventually broken up there in late 2014/early 2015. Updated 13-Aug-22
Graceful, historic Hoi An is known as Veitnam’s most atmospheric and delightful town. Once a major port, it boasts the grand architecture and beguiling riverside setting that befits its heritage.The face of the Old Town has preserved its incredible legacy of tottering Japanese merchant houses, Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses – though, unfortunately, residents and rice fields have been gradually replaced by tourist businesses. And yet, down by the market I find life has changed little – Hoi An, Vietnam
All my stuff is now piled into boxes, 3 months after half the house got trashed, the builders have finally arrived to replace the ceilings :) This is yesterday's photo, and is somewhat dull, I just liked the crazy sunlight that I couldn't go out in :( I had 3 months of exam work to do in a day. Great organisation skills obviously :p
Doesn't exactly fit the photo but it only seems fair to include this song as I've had the album on repeat for the past 18 hours as it's the only thing I seem to be capable of working to.
Find Me:
2024 the days of DB class 101 on Austrian Schoberpass are over (good). The EC216 "Dachstein" has now a Taurus on front and rear end. Here we see 1116 184 with the train, passing Baerndof. On the rear end is 1016 044.
I've replaced this photo with a newer version made from a different exposure, from the same session, that was processed from scratch. The angle never changed but the light was better on this one. So all the comments and faves refer to an image that is no longer on the web. I just didn't want to lose all the comments and faves, so I count the old one as a temporary place holder:)
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Canon 6d
16-35 2.8L II at 18
LEE Big Stopper (3.0ND)
LEE 0.9 Grad ND Hard
LEE 0.6 Grad ND Soft
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version. plus Topaz DeNoise AI 25-Jul-21.
Taken through glass as well as some 'yellowing' of the original negative.
'Little Europe' logojet, left side.
Originally built as a CRJ.100ER this aircraft was first flown with the Canadair test registration C-FMNW. It was delivered to Lufthansa as D-ACJH in Oct-98 and operated by Lufthansa CityLine.
It was repainted in 'Little Europe' special livery in Nov-98 prior to service entry. It was withdrawn from service and stored in Apr-10 prior to return to Bombardier Inc as C-GGDQ in Nov-10. It was converted to CRJ.200ER standard before being leased to UTAir Aviation (Russia) as VQ-BGT in Dec-10.
The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Feb-15 and stored at Teruel, Spain. It was broken up at Teruel in 2019.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 04-Mar-21.
Seattle Mariners logocopter.
The Seattle Mariners are a US Professional Baseball Team based in Seattle, WA, USA.
No longer in this livery, this helicopter has had a number of different liveries, now 40 years old, it's still in service.
I apologize for the break in uploads of the series. I suffered a crash of my laptop's 1 TB storage HDD and had to run a recovery for days to try to restore access. Fortunately, I didn't lose anything, but unfortunately I can't replace it and must keep it going a bit longer. Fingers crossed. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming. :-)
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 18-Jan-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 04-Sep-23.
First flown in Jan-62, this aircraft was delivered to the UK Royal Air Force (114 Squadron) as XN856 in Mar-62. It was transferred to the A&AAE (Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment) at Boscombe Down, UK in Nov-62 and returned to the RAF (114 Squadron) in Feb-63.
It was withdrawn from use and permanently retired at RAF Kemble, UK in Oct-71. The aircraft was sold to Field Aircraft Services in Aug-75 and had been broken up at Kemble by the end of the year. A 9 year working life isn't much of a life at all! Updated 05-Sep-23.
092/365,
CDX-3160
Age; 1997
I purchased the Miata in 2006 with this radio installed so it's somewhere between 17 and 26 years old
Garden Village, Burnaby, British Columbia
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 09-Apr-22 (DeNoise AI).
Right side.
This aircraft was delivered to QANTAS Airways as VH-EBQ in Dec-79. It was leased to Air Pacific (Fiji) as DQ-FJI in Dec-98 and returned to QANTAS as VH-EBQ in Aug-00.
It was withdrawn from service and retired in Nov-02 and was donated to the Outback Museum, Longreach, Australia where it's on display.
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.
Today however, we are just a short distance from Cavendish Mews, at Mr. Willison’s grocers’ shop. Willison’s Grocers in Mayfair is where Lettice has an account, and it is from here that Edith, Lettice's maid, orders her groceries for the Cavendish Mews flat, except on special occasions like the soirée that Lettice threw for Dickie and Margot Channon’s engagement, when professional London caterers are used. Mr. Willison prides himself in having a genteel, upper-class clientele including the households of many titled aristocrats who have houses and flats in the neighbourhood, and he makes sure that his shop is always tidy, his shelves well stocked with anything the cook of a duke or duchess may want, and staff who are polite and mannerly to all his important customers. The latter is not too difficult, for aside from himself, Mrs. Willison does his books, his daughter Henrietta helps on Saturdays and sometimes after she has finished school, which means Mr. Willison technically only employs one member of staff: Frank Leadbetter his delivery boy who carries orders about Mayfair on the bicycle provided for him by Mr. Willison. He also collects payments for accounts which are not settled in his Binney Street shop whilst on his rounds.
Lettice’s maid, Edith, is stepping out with Frank, and to date since he rather awkwardly suggested the idea to her in the kitchen of the Cavendish Mews flat, the pair has spent every Sunday afternoon together, going to see the latest moving pictures at the Premier in East Ham*, dancing at the Hammersmith Palais or walking in one of London’s many parks. They even spent Easter Monday at the fair held on Hampstead Heath***. Whilst Lettice is away in Cornwall selecting furniture from Dickie and Margot’s Penzance country house, ‘Chi an Treth’, to be re-purposed, Edith is taking advantage of a little more free time and has come to Willison’s Grocers under the pre-text of running an errand in the hope of seeing Frank. The bell rings cheerily as she opens the plate glass door with Mr. Willison’s name painted in neat gilt lettering upon it. Stepping across the threshold she immediately smells the mixture of comforting smells of fresh fruits, vegetables and flour, permeated by the delicious scent of the brightly coloured boiled sweets coming from the large cork stoppered jars on the shop counter. The sounds of the busy street outside die away, muffled by shelves lined with any number of tinned goods and signs advertising everything from Lyon’s Tea**** to Bovril*****.
“Miss Watsford!” exclaims Mr. Willison’s wife as she peers up from her spot behind the end of the return counter near the door where she sits doing her husband’s accounts. “We don’t often have the pleasure.”
Edith looks up, unnerved, at the proprietor’s wife and bookkeeper, her upswept hairstyle as old fashioned as her high necked starched shirtwaister****** blouse down the front of which runs a long string of faceted bluish black beads. “Yes,” Edith smiles awkwardly. “I… I have, err… that is to say I forgot to give Fr… err, Mr. Leadbeater my grocery list when he visited the other day.”
“Oh?” Mrs. Willison queries. “I could have sworn that we had it.” She starts fussing through a pile of papers distractedly. “That isn’t like you Miss Watsford. You’re usually so well organised.”
“Well,” Edith thinks quickly. “It… it isn’t really the list. It’s just that I left a few things off. Miss Chetwynd… well, you see she fancies…”
“Oh, well give me the additions, Miss Watsford,” Mrs. Willison thrusts out her hand efficiently, the frothy white lace of her sleeve dancing around her wrist. “And I’ll see to it that they are added to your next delivery. We don’t want the Honourable Miss Chetwynd to go without, now do we?”
With a shaky hand Edith reluctantly hands over her list of a few extra provisions that aren’t really required, especially with her mistress being away for a few days. As she does, she glances around the cluttered and dim shop hopefully.
“Will there be anything else, Miss Watsford?” Mrs. Willison asks curtly.
“Err… yes.” Edith stammers, but falls silent as she continues to look in desperation around the shop.
Mrs. Willison suspiciously eyes the slender and pretty domestic through her pince-nez*******. She scrutinises Edith’s fashionable plum coloured frock with the pretty lace collar. The hem of the skirt is following the current style and sits higher than any of Mrs. Willison’s own dresses and it reveals Edith’s shapely stockinged calves. She wears her black straw cloche decorated with purple silk roses and black feathers over her neatly pinned chignon. “Is that a few frock, Miss Watsford?” the grocer’s wife continues.
“Ahh, yes it is, Mrs. Willison. I made it myself from scratch with a dress pattern from Fashion for All********,” Edith replies proudly, giving a little twirl that sends her calf length skirt flaring out prettily, and Mrs. Willison’s eyebrows arching with disapproval as the young girl reveals even more of her legs as she does. “Do you like it?”
“You seem a little dressed up to run an errand here, Miss Watsford.” Mrs. Willison says with bristling disapprobation.
“Well, I… I err… I do have some letters to post too, Mrs. Willison,” Edith withdraws two letters from her wicker basket and holds them up in her lilac glove clad hand.
“Well, we mustn’t keep you from your errand, now must we, Miss Watsford? Now what else did you require before you leave?” the older woman emphasises the last word in her sentence to make clear her opinion about young girls cluttering up her husband’s shop.
“An apple.” Edith says, suddenly struck with inspiration. “I’d like an apple for the journey, Mrs. Willison.”
“Very good, Miss Watsford.” the older woman starts to move off her stool. “I’ll fetch…”
“No need, Mrs. Willison!” Frank’s cheerful voice pipes up as he appears from behind a display of tinned goods. “I’ll take care of Miss Watsford. That’s what I’m here for. You just stay right there Mrs. Willison. Right this way, Miss Watsford.” He ushers her with a sweeping gesture towards the boxes of fresh fruit displayed near the cash register.
“Oh Fran…” Edith catches herself uttering Frank’s given name, quickly correcting herself. “Err… thank you, Mr. Leadbetter.”
Mrs. Willison lowers herself back into her seat, all the while eyeing the pair of young people critically as they move across the shop floor together, their heads boughed conspiratorially close, a sense of overfamiliarity about their body language. She frowns, the folds and furrows of her brow eventuated. Then she sighs and returns to the numbers in her ledger.
“What are you doing here, Edith?” Frank whispers to his sweetheart quietly, yet with evident delight in his voice.
“Miss Lettice is away down in Cornwall on business, so I thought I’d stop in on my way through in the hope of seeing you, Frank.” She glances momentarily over her shoulder. “Then Mrs. Willison greeted me. I thought I was going to get stuck with the disapproving old trout and not see you.”
“The weather looks good for Sunday, Edith. It’s supposed to be sunny. Shall we go to Regent’s Park and feed the ducks if it is?”
“Oh, yes!” Edith clasps her hands in delight, her gloves muffling the sound. “Maybe there will be a band playing in the rotunda.”
“If there is, I’ll hire us a couple of deck chairs and we can listen to them play all afternoon in the sunshine.”
“That sounds wonderful, Frank.”
“Well,” pronounces Frank loudly as the stand over the wooden tray of red and golden yellow apples. “This looks like a nice juicy one, Miss Watsford.”
“Yes,” Edith replies in equally clear tones. “I think I’ll have that one, Mr. Leadbeater.”
“Very good, Miss Watsford. I’ll pop it into a paper bag for you.”
“Oh, don’t bother Fr… Mr. Leadbeater. I’ll put it in my basket.”
Frank takes the apple and walks back around the counter to the gleaming brass cash register surrounded by jars of boiled sweets. “That will be tuppence please, Miss Watsford.” He enters the tally into the noisy register, causing the cash draw to spring open with a clunk and the rattle of coins rubbing against one another with the movement.
Edith hooks her umbrella over the edge of the counter, pulls off her gloves and fishes around in her green handbag before withdrawing her small leather coin purse from which she takes out tuppence which she hands over to Frank.
“Here,” Frank says after he deposits her money and pushes the drawer of the register closed. He slides a small purple and gold box discreetly across the counter.
Edith gasps as she looks at the beautifully decorated box featuring a lady with cascading auburn hair highlighted with gold ribbons, a creamy face and décollétage sporting a frothy white gown and gold necklace. She traces the embossed gold lettering on the box’s lid. “Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates!”
“Can’t have my girl come all this way to see me and not come away with a gift.” Frank whispers with a beaming smile dancing across his face.
“Seeing you is gift enough, Frank.” Edith blushes.
“Ahem!” Mrs. Willison clears her throat from the other end of the shop. “Will they be going on the Honourable Miss Chetwynd’s account, Frank?” she asks with a severe look directly at her husband’s employee.
“Um… no Mrs. Willison. Don’t worry. I’ll be paying for them.” Frank announces loudly. Bending his head closer to Edith, he whispers, “I can see why Mr. Willison has her in here when he isn’t. You can’t get away with anything without her knowing: ghastly old trout.”
Edith giggles as she puts the small box of chocolates and the apple into her basket. “I’ll save them for Sunday.” she says with a smile. “We can share them whilst we listen to the band from our deckchairs.”
Frank smile broadens even more. “Righty-ho, Edith.”
“Righty-ho, Frank.”
“Well, as I was saying, Miss Watsford,” Mrs. Willison pronounces from her stool. “We mustn’t keep you from your errands. I’m sure you have a lot to do, and it is almost midday already.”
“Yes indeed, Mrs. Willison.” Edith agrees, unable to keep the reluctance out of her voice. “I really should be getting along. Well, goodbye Mr. Leadbeater. Thank you for your assistance.” She then lowers her voice as she says, “See you Sunday.”
Both Frank and Mrs. Willison watch as the young lady leaves the shop the way she came, by the front door, a spring in her step and a satisfied smile on her face, her basket, umbrella and handbag slung over her arm.
“Frank!”
Frank cringes as Mrs. Willison calls his name. Turning around he sees her striding with purpose behind the counter towards him, wending her way through the obstacle course of stacks of tins and jars of produce, hessian sacks of fresh vegetables and fruits and boxes of bottles.
“Yes, Mrs Willison?”
“Frank,” she says disappointingly. “I can’t stop you from stepping out with a girl in your own time,” She comes to a halt before him, domineering over him with her topknot, her arms akimbo. “And I’d say the Honourable Miss Chetwynd is foolishly modern enough to let you take her maid out on Sundays.” She looks at him with disapproving eyes. “However, I’d be much obliged if you kept your dalliances to your own time, and kindly keep them out of my husband’s establishment during business hours!”
“Yes Mrs. Willison!” Frank replies, sighing gratefully, now knowing that he isn’t going to be given notice for chatting with Edith during work hours.
“And I’ll make an adjustment to your wages this week for the chocolates.” she adds crisply.
“Yes Mrs. Willison.” Frank nods before hurrying away back to the stock room.
*The Premier Super Cinema in East Ham was opened on the 12th of March, 1921, replacing the 800 seat capacity 1912 Premier Electric Theatre. The new cinema could seat 2,408 patrons. The Premier Super Cinema was taken over by Provincial Cinematograph Theatres who were taken over by Gaumont British in February 1929. It was renamed the Gaumont from 21st April 1952. The Gaumont was closed by the Rank Organisation on 6th April 1963. After that it became a bingo hall and remained so until 2005. Despite attempts to have it listed as a historic building due to its relatively intact 1921 interior, the Gaumont was demolished in 2009.
**The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first palais de danse to be built in Britain.
***Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is a large, ancient London heath, covering 320 hectares (790 acres). This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling and hilly, embracing ponds, recent and ancient woodlands, a lido, playgrounds, and a training track, and it adjoins the former stately home of Kenwood House and its estate. The south-east part of the heath is Parliament Hill, from which the view over London is protected by law.
****Lyons Tea was first produced by J. Lyons and Co., a catering empire created and built by the Salmons and Glucksteins, a German-Jewish immigrant family based in London. Starting in 1904, J. Lyons began selling packaged tea through its network of teashops. Soon after, they began selling their own brand Lyons Tea through retailers in Britain, Ireland and around the world. In 1918, Lyons purchased Hornimans and in 1921 they moved their tea factory to J. Lyons and Co., Greenford at that time, the largest tea factory in Europe. In 1962, J. Lyons and Company (Ireland) became Lyons Irish Holdings. After a merger with Allied Breweries in 1978, Lyons Irish Holdings became part of Allied Lyons (later Allied Domecq) who then sold the company to Unilever in 1996. Today, Lyons Tea is produced in England.
*****Bovril is owned and distributed by Unilever UK. Its appearance is similar to Marmite and Vegemite. Bovril can be made into a drink ("beef tea") by diluting with hot water or, less commonly, with milk. It can be used as a flavouring for soups, broth, stews or porridge, or as a spread, especially on toast in a similar fashion to Marmite and Vegemite.
******A shirtwaister is a woman's dress with a seam at the waist, its bodice incorporating a collar and button fastening in the style of a shirt which gained popularity with women entering the workforce to do clerical work in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries.
*******Pince-nez is a style of glasses, popular in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, that are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, "to pinch", and nez, "nose".
********”Fashion for All” was one of the many women’s magazines that were published in the exuberant inter-war years which were aimed at young girls who were looking to better their chances of finding a husband through beauty and fashion. As most working-class girls could only imagine buying fashionable frocks from high street shops, there was a great appetite for dressmaking patterns so they could dress fashionably at a fraction of the cost, by making their own dresses using skills they learned at home.
This cluttered, yet cheerful Edwardian shop is not all it seems to be at first glance, for it is made up of part of my 1:12 size dollhouse miniatures collection. Some pieces come from my own childhood. Other items I acquired as an adult through specialist online dealers and artists who specialise in 1:12 miniatures.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
Central to the conclusion of our story is the dainty box of Gainsborough Dubarry Milk Chocolates. This beautifully printed confectionary box comes from Shepherd’s Miniatures in the United Kingdom. Starting in the Edwardian era, confectioners began to design attractive looking boxes for their chocolate selections so that they could sell confectionary at a premium, as the boxes were often beautifully designed and well made so that they might be kept as a keepsake. A war erupted in Britain between the major confectioners to try and dominate what was already a competitive market. You might recognise the shade of purple of the box as being Cadbury purple, and if you did, you would be correct, although this range was not marketed as Cadbury’s, but rather Gainsborough’s, paying tribute to the market town of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, where Rose Bothers manufactured and supplied machines that wrapped chocolates. The Rose Brothers are the people for whom Cadbury’s Roses chocolates are named.
Also on the shop counter is an apple which is very realistic looking. Made of polymer clay it is made by a 1:12 miniature specialist in Germany. The brightly shining cash register, probably polished by Frank, was supplied by Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering in the United Kingdom. The cylindrical jars, made of real spun glass with proper removable cork stoppers which contain “sweets” I acquired as a teenager from an auction as part of a larger lot of miniature items. Edith’s lilac coloured gloves are made of real kid leather and along with the envelopes are artisan pieces that I acquired from Doreen Jeffries’ Small Wonders Miniatures in the United Kingdom. Edith’s green leather handbag I acquired as part of a larger collection of 1:12 artistan miniature hats, bags and accessories I bought from an American miniature collector Marilyn Bickel. The umbrella comes from Melody Jane’s Doll House Suppliers in the United Kingdom. Edith’s basket I acquired as part of a larger lot of 1:12 miniatures from an E-Bay seller in America.
The packed shelves you can see in the background is in fact a Welsh dresser that I have had since I was a child, which I have repurposed for this shot. You can see the dresser more clearly in other images used in this series when Edith visits her parent’s home in Harlesden. The shelves themselves are full of 1:12 artisan miniatures with amazing attention to detail as regards the labels of different foods. Some are still household names today. So many of these packets and tins of various foods would have been household staples in the 1920s when canning and preservation revolutinised domestic cookery. They come from various different suppliers including Shepherds Miniatures in the United Kingdom, Kathleen Knight’s Doll House in the United Kingdom, Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering and Little Things Dollhouse Miniatures in Lancashire. Items on the shelves include: Tate and Lyall Golden Syrup, Lyall’s Golden Treacle, Peter Leech and Sons Golden Syrup, P.C. Flett and Company jams, Golden Shred and Silver Shred Marmalades, Chiver’s Jelly Crystals, Rowtree’s Table Jelly, Bird’s Custard Powder, Bird’s Blancmange Powder, Coleman’s Mustard, Queen’s Gravy Salts, Bisto Gravy Powder, Huntly and Palmers biscuits, Lyon’s Tea and Typhoo Tea.
In 1859 Henry Tate went into partnership with John Wright, a sugar refiner based at Manesty Lane, Liverpool. Their partnership ended in 1869 and John’s two sons, Alfred and Edwin joined the business forming Henry Tate and Sons. A new refinery in Love Lane, Liverpool was opened in 1872. In 1921 Henry Tate and Sons and Abram Lyle and Sons merged, between them refining around fifty percent of the UK’s sugar. A tactical merger, this new company would then become a coherent force on the sugar market in anticipation of competition from foreign sugar returning to its pre-war strength. Tate and Lyle are perhaps best known for producing Lyle’s Golden Syrup and Lyle’s Golden Treacle.
Peter Leech and Sons was a grocers that operated out of Lowther Street in Whitehaven from the 1880s. They had a large range of tinned goods that they sold including coffee, tea, tinned salmon and golden syrup. They were admired for their particularly attractive labelling. I do not know exactly when they ceased production, but I believe it may have happened just before the Second World War.
P.C. Flett and Company was established in Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands by Peter Copeland Flett. He had inherited a small family owned ironmongers in Albert Street Kirkwall, which he inherited from his maternal family. He had a shed in the back of the shop where he made ginger ale, lemonade, jams and preserves from local produce. By the 1920s they had an office in Liverpool, and travelling representatives selling jams and preserves around Great Britain. I am not sure when the business ceased trading.
Golden Shred orange marmalade and Silver Shred lime marmalade still exist today and are common household brands both in Britain and Australia. They are produced by Robertson’s. Robertson’s Golden Shred recipe perfected since 1874 is a clear and tangy orange marmalade, which according to their modern day jars is “perfect for Paddington’s marmalade sandwiches”. Robertson’s Silver Shred is a clear, tangy, lemon flavoured shredded marmalade. Robertson’s marmalade dates back to 1874 when Mrs. Robertson started making marmalade in the family grocery shop in Paisley, Scotland.
Chivers is an Irish brand of jams and preserves. For a large part of the Twentieth Century Chivers and Sons was Britain's leading preserves manufacturer. Originally market gardeners in Cambridgeshire in 1873 after an exceptional harvest, Stephen Chivers entrepreneurial sons convinced their father to let them make their first batch of jam in a barn off Milton Road, Impington. By 1875 the Victoria Works had been opened next to Histon railway station to improve the manufacture of jam and they produced stone jars containing two, four or six pounds of jam, with glass jars first used in 1885. In around 1885 they had 150 employees. Over the next decade they added marmalade to their offering which allowed them to employ year-round staff, rather than seasonal workers at harvest time. This was followed by their clear dessert jelly (1889), and then lemonade, mincemeat, custard powder, and Christmas puddings. By 1896 the family owned 500 acres of orchards. They began selling their products in cans in 1895, and the rapid growth in demand was overseen by Charles Lack, their chief engineer, who developed the most efficient canning machinery in Europe and by the end of the century Chivers had become one of the largest manufacturers of preserves in the world. He later added a variety of machines for sorting, can making, vacuum-caps and sterilisation that helped retain Chivers' advantage over its rivals well into the Twentieth Century. By the turn of the century the factory was entirely self-sufficient, growing all its own fruit, and supplying its own water and electricity. The factory made its own cans, but also contained a sawmill, blacksmiths, coopers, carpenters, paint shop, builders and basket makers. On the 14th of March 1901 the company was registered as S. Chivers and Sons. By 1939 there were over 3,000 full-time employees, with offices in East Anglia as well as additional factories in Montrose, Newry and Huntingdon, and the company owned almost 8,000 acres of farms. The company's farms were each run independently, and grew cereal and raised pedigree livestock as well as the fruit for which they were known.
Founded by Henry Isaac Rowntree in Castlegate in York in 1862, Rowntree's developed strong associations with Quaker philanthropy. Throughout much of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries, it was one of the big three confectionery manufacturers in the United Kingdom, alongside Cadbury and Fry, both also founded by Quakers. In 1981, Rowntree's received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for outstanding contribution to international trade. In 1988, when the company was acquired by Nestlé, it was the fourth-largest confectionery manufacturer in the world. The Rowntree brand continues to be used to market Nestlé's jelly sweet brands, such as Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Gums, and is still based in York.
Bird’s were best known for making custard and Bird’s Custard is still a common household name, although they produced other desserts beyond custard, including the blancmange. They also made Bird’s Golden Raising Powder – their brand of baking powder. Bird’s Custard was first formulated and first cooked by Alfred Bird in 1837 at his chemist shop in Birmingham. He developed the recipe because his wife was allergic to eggs, the key ingredient used to thicken traditional custard. The Birds continued to serve real custard to dinner guests, until one evening when the egg-free custard was served instead, either by accident or design. The dessert was so well received by the other diners that Alfred Bird put the recipe into wider production. John Monkhouse (1862–1938) was a prosperous Methodist businessman who co-founded Monk and Glass, which made custard powder and jelly. Monk and Glass custard was made in Clerkenwell and sold in the home market, and exported to the Empire and to America. They acquired by its rival Bird’s Custard in the early Twentieth Century.
Queen’s Gravy Salt is a British brand and this box is an Edwardian design. Gravy Salt is a simple product it is solid gravy browning and is used to add colour and flavour to soups stews and gravy - and has been used by generations of cooks and caterers.
The first Bisto product, in 1908, was a meat-flavoured gravy powder, which rapidly became a bestseller in Britain. It was added to gravies to give a richer taste and aroma. Invented by Messrs Roberts and Patterson, it was named "Bisto" because it "Browns, Seasons and Thickens in One". Bisto Gravy is still a household name in Britain and Ireland today, and the brand is currently owned by Premier Foods.
Huntley and Palmers is a British firm of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. The company created one of the world’s first global brands and ran what was once the world’s largest biscuit factory. Over the years, the company was also known as J. Huntley and Son and Huntley and Palmer. Huntley and Palmer were renown for their ‘superior reading biscuits’ which they promoted in different varieties for different occasions, including at breakfast time.
In 1863, William Sumner published A Popular Treatise on Tea as a by-product of the first trade missions to China from London. In 1870, William and his son John Sumner founded a pharmacy/grocery business in Birmingham. William's grandson, John Sumner Jr. (born in 1856), took over the running of the business in the 1900s. Following comments from his sister on the calming effects of tea fannings, in 1903, John Jr. decided to create a new tea that he could sell in his shop. He set his own criteria for the new brand. The name had to be distinctive and unlike others, it had to be a name that would trip off the tongue and it had to be one that would be protected by registration. The name Typhoo comes from the Mandarin Chinese word for “doctor”. Typhoo began making tea bags in 1967. In 1978, production was moved from Birmingham to Moreton on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside. The Moreton site is also the location of Burton's Foods and Manor Bakeries factories. Typhoo has been owned since July 2021 by British private-equity firm Zetland Capital. It was previously owned by Apeejay Surrendra Group of India.
This one looked great when I was playing with the tones. Then I converted to b&w and it just had that classic street photograpy feel. I just had to do it!
update - after reading Zolashine's comments I re-did the picture. I think it makes it 1000% stronger. On the money my friend...
Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 28-Mar-23.
Southern England storm 'Katie' diversion from London-Heathrow. With a nice shot of Derbyshire's snow covered hills in the background.
Special livery celebrating "50 years, Singapore's Golden Jubilee" in 2015.
First flown in Jan-09 with the Airbus test registration F-WWSC, the aircraft was ferried to the Airbus airfield at Hamburg-Finkenwerder for interior fitting out and painting.
It was delivered to Singapore Airlines as 9V-SKI in Jul-09. The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Singapore at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mar-20.
It was moved to Alice Springs, Australia in Apr-20 for continued long term storage. The aircraft never re-entered service and was broken up at Singapore in Nov-22.
Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better version 09-Jul-21.
TUI Airways UK, still in a hybrid TUI / Sunwing livery since it returned to the UK after lease in Mar-20.
This aircraft was delivered to the TUI Group Plc and leased to Thomson Airways as G-TAWB in Feb-12. It was fitted with 'Split Scimitar' winglets in Nov-14.
In Dec-15 it was sub-leased to Sunwing Airlines (Canada) for the winter season as C-GWVB and returned to Thomson as G-TAWB in Apr-16. Thomson titles were replaced with billboard TUI titles in Jan-17 ahead of the transition to TUI Airlines UK at the end of Oct-17.
The aircraft was sub-leased to Sunwing Airlines again, as C-GWVB, between Nov-17/Apr-18 and again between Dec-19/Mar-20. It was returned as G-TAWB one month early due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and stored at Birmingham, UK, still in the hybrid TUI/Sunwing livery. The aircraft returned to service in mid Jul-20 but was again stored, this time at East Midlands, UK in early Jan-21 after the UK had gone into a second COVID lockdown. It returned to service in late May-21, still in basic TUI livery with Sunwing titles and orange tail. Current, updated 11-Jun-21.
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 18-Jan-15, plus DeNoise AI 10-Jan-23.
Euravia became Britannia Airways and later Thomsonfly.com, Thomson Airways and TUI Airlines UK.
This aircraft was the 5th production Constellation. It was built as a Lockheed C-69 and delivered to the US Army Air Forces in Feb-45 as 43-10315.
It was stored at Lockheed's Burbank facility in Nov-45 and transferred to the US War Asset Administration in Mar-47. It was sold to Intercontinent Airways as N90828 in mid 1947. It was transferred to Lineas Aereas de Panama SA in 1948 as RX-124 and later transferred to 'The Jewish Agency Inc' as N67930.
It was stored in 1949, then sold to El Al Israel Airlines in Dec-50 and converted to L049 standard as 4X-AKB. It was retired by El Al and stored at Tel Aviv in 1961.
It was bought by UK Inclusive Tour operator, Universal Sky Tours in Feb-62 as G-ARVP and transferred to their in-house airline, Euravia (London) Ltd., in May-63.
Euravia's operation in that first summer season was awful. They suffered severe mechanical problems on the L049 fleet and it's no exaggeration to say they were frequently running up to 3 days behind schedule for much of the season.
In 1964 they leased Bristol Britannia 102's from BOAC and renamed the airline Britannia Airways in Aug-64. G-ARVP was retired at Luton in early 1965 and broken up in May-65.
Replacing an earlier scanned slide with a better version 09-Oct-15, plus Topaz DeNoise AI 28-Feb-25.
The Cambrian Airways livery after it became part of 'British Air Services'.
Delivered new to BEA British European Airways in Oct-53, this aircraft was sold to Channel Airways 10 years later in Dec-63. It was leased to British Eagle International Airlines and sub-leased to British Eagle (Liverpool) Ltd (ex Starways of Liverpool) in Feb-64.
It returned to British Eagle International in Apr-64 after the Starways route licences had been transferred. It was returned to Channel Airways in Apr-65 and then sold to Cambrian Airways in Oct-65. The aircraft was retired and stored at Cardiff, Wales, Nov-71 and broken up there in Sep-72.
Class 47 47081 had failed at Exeter while working a Leed's to Penzance service and Class 52 1016 Western Gladiator was called from the stabling point to replace it above it is running down onto the stock. 08/09/1975.
Kevin Connolly - All rights reserved so please do no use this image without my explicit permission
Replacing an earlier digital photo with a better shot 10-Oct-22.
First flown with the Airbus test registration D-AVVX, this aircraft was delivered to the easyJet Airline Company as G-EZWC in Jul-12. Current, 10-Oct-22.
Day Lily Day. Final have a flower on the Day Lily that hasn’t been deformed by the heavy rain and wind we have been experiencing.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are perennial plants, whose name alludes to its flowers, which typically last about a day. The flowers of most species open in early morning and wither during the following night, possibly replaced by another one on the same scape the next day. Some species are night-blooming. Daylilies are not commonly used as cut flowers for formal flower arranging, yet they make good cut flowers otherwise, as new flowers continue to open on cut stems over several days.
Lagazuoi stands 2700 meters tall, well that's not very tall as compared to our Himalayan range, but what they lack in height, they make it up in terms of rugged masculine brawn. The mountains which looked peaceful & tranquil during the day, suddenly turned coat with the dusk, not unlike the infamous Dr.Jekyll & Mr.Hyde. The white cotton-puff cumulonimbus clouds which adorned the mountains during the day, are slowly replaced by the ominous grey Nimbostratus, a sure sign of thunderstorms lurking ahead. The sol dips at the horizon to a Van Gogh's favorite yellow ochre strains, as the cold mist rolls in from the freezing eastern valleys. This hypnotising tug of war between the elements of nature mysteriously pulls at your photographer's foolish instincts and you slide from the top of the Lagazuoi, down into the valley, as rocks & stones run faster under your feet to the bottomless abyss. The torn snow linen bed cover of the valley, which looked beguilingly innocent from the top, suddenly turns finger numbingly frosty as you tumble to a stop. You exhale thrice in your palms, apply spit & sweat on the rough side of the camera, a habit that hasn't gone from the days of you bowling the opening fast spell on a cricket field. The shots are composed, bracketed & taken, you smile & jump as you vociferously appeal, echoed by the rest of the ten mountains...."Howzzzzaaaaaat!"
NEW JERSEY 2017 (Year End) BALD EAGLE PROJECT REPORT
ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE YEAR FOR NJ’S EAGLES
by Larissa Smith, CWF Wildlife Biologist
The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ in partnership with the NJ Endangered and Nongame Species Program has released the 2017 NJ Bald Eagle Project Report. In 2017, 178 eagle nests were monitored during the nesting season. Of these nests 153 were active (with eggs) and 25 were territorial or housekeeping pairs. One hundred and ninety young were fledged.
In 2017 the number of active nests was three more than in 2016, but the number young fledged decreased by 27 from a record high of 216 fledged in 2016. The productivity rate this season of 1.25 young/active nest is still above the required range of 0.0 to 1.1 for population maintenance. Productivity could be lower this season for many reasons including weather, predation and disturbance to the nesting area. In 2017 nest monitors reported several instances of “intruder” eagles at nests which did disrupt the nesting attempts of several pairs. One of these “eagle dramas” unfolded at the Duke Farms eagle cam watched by millions of people. An intruder female attempted to replace the current female. This harassment interrupted the pairs bonding and copulation and no eggs were laid.
This year’s report includes a section on Resightings of banded eagles. Resightings of NJ (green) banded eagles have increased over the years, as well as eagles seen in NJ that were banded in other states. These resightings are important, as they help us to understand eagle movements during the years between fledging and settling into a territory, as well as adult birds at a nest site.
For more info: www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/2017/12/06/new-jersey-201...
New Jersey Bald Eagle Project Report | 2017 may be downloaded here: www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/eglrpt17.pdf
Despite the livery having been replaced over 5 years ago, Air Canada's old Evergreen livery still lives on and whilst in certain conditions does look particularly dated and even weathered poorly, in most cases such as good lighting and well-maintained still looks sleek and elegant... The winter light certainly proves the old colours still looks superb and dare I say better than the new livery.
For the W22 scheduler, Air Canada are certainly busy at London Heathrow; the carrier is operating 8 daily flights from their usual hubs across Canada, as well as a fifth-freedom flight to and from Mumbai. 5 out of the 8 daily flights are in the hands of the large Boeing 787-9 fleet, whilst the remaining 3 flights are provided by one Airbus A330-300, Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 777-300ER each.
At present, Air Canada is in the process of finalising their upcoming S23 schedule where capacity and frequency are expected to increase, expect a update in the future...
Currently, Air Canada operates 37 Boeing 787s, which includes 8 Boeing 787-8s and 29 Boeing 787-9s. Air Canada have 2 Boeing 787-9s on-order.
Foxtrot Romeo Sierra Alpha is one of 29 Boeing 787-9s operated by Air Canada, delivered new to the flag-carrier on 5th January 2017 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GEnx-1B engines.
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner C-FRSA on short finals into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on AC858 from Toronto-Pearson (YYZ), Ontario.
Replacing an earlier scanned photo with a better version 09-Nov-21 (DeNoise AI).
Slightly blurred...
Operated on behalf of British Airways Express by CityFlyer Express.
Originally ordered by TAT Transport Aerien Transregional (previously Touraine Air Transport) as F-GKNF. The order was cancelled before completion.
The aircraft was first flown as F-WWLP in Oct-92 and was stored at Toulouse until it was delivered to the GPA Group Ltd and leased to CityFlyer Express as G-BVEF in Mar-94. It was operated on behalf of British Airways Express.
It was returned to the lessor in Mar-01 and stored at Exeter UK. The aircraft was leased to Coast Air (Norway) in Feb-02 and re-registered LN-FAI in Nov-02. It returned to Nordic Aviation Capital A/S in Mar-04 and was immediately leased to Air Wales as G-CDFF.
Air Wales ceased operations in Apr-06 and the aircraft was returned to the lessor and stored at Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK. In Nov-06 it was leased to Aurigny Air Services and operated in association with Flightline.
It was briefly sub-leased to EuroManx in Sep-07. It was returned to operation by Aurigny from May-08 and was wet-leased to Aer Arann between May/Jul-08. It was returned to Nordic Aviation Capital in Sep-08 and stored at Billund (Denmark).
The aircraft was sold to First Air (Bradley Air Services) as C-GKLB in Feb-09. First Air consolidated their services with Canadian North in Nov-19. The aircraft was removed from service in Jan-21 and stored at Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada.
Canadian North took over the operation of the aircraft in May-21 and it returned to service in Jul-21. It's now 32 years old and continues in service. Updated 30-May-24.
An Austin A30 four door saloon BJS 520 on display at Ramsbottom railway station 28th May 2023. The Austin A30 was manufactured between May 1952 and September1956 and was eventually produced as a four door or two door saloon, two door estate and two door van. Manufacture of the A30 ceased in 1956 with around 223,200 vehicles produced with the A30 being replaced by the A35. BJS 520 was first registered in January 1955.
Replaced broken sections of painted glass, cosmetic repairs and cleaning of stained glass windows. 19c. Maxwell Park, Pollokshields, Glasgow. www.rdwglass.com
Brampton is a small market town, civil parish and electoral ward within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England, about 9 miles (14 km) east of Carlisle and 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Hadrian's Wall. Historically part of Cumberland, it is situated off the A69 road which bypasses it. Brampton railway station, on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, is about a mile outside the town, near the hamlet of Milton.
St Martin's Church is famous as the only church designed by the Pre-Raphaelite architect Philip Webb, and contains one of the most exquisite sets of stained glass windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and executed in the William Morris studio.
The town was founded in the 7th century as an Anglian settlement.
Brampton was granted a Market Charter in 1252 by King Henry III, and became a market town as a result.
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Charles Edward Stuart stayed in the town for one night, marked by a plaque on the wall of the building (a shoe shop) currently occupying the location; here he received the Mayor of Carlisle who had been summoned to Brampton to surrender the city to the Young Pretender. The Capon Tree Monument, to the south of the town centre, commemorates the 1746 hanging of six Jacobites from the branches of the Capon Tree, Brampton's hitherto traditional trysting place.
In 1817 the Earl of Carlisle built the octagonal Moot Hall, which is in the centre of Brampton and houses the Tourist Information Centre. It replaced a 1648 building which was once used by Oliver Cromwell to house prisoners.
Much of Brampton consists of historic buildings built of the local red sandstone.
More photos of Brampton Cumbria here: www.flickr.com/photos/davidambridge/albums/72157606155537360
Number: CT-1287
Name: Redwing
Rank: ARC Sergeant
Primary weapon: Altered DC-15
Secondary weapon: Modded Vibroblade
Equipment: Bacta-Implants, Integrated Squad Comms, Modified Long Range Binoculars, Personal Plasma Shield, Custom Durasteel Machete
...:: BEGIN LOG ::...
Sergeant Redwing here, this is my first log. The 92nd didn’t have logs for sergeants, but the 92nd was nothing compared to the 253rd Elite Legion. My battalion was chosen as a new addition to this mysterious legion know as the 253rd. I’ve heard stories of heroic commanders and Lieutenants, now I was to walk among them. After being selected as my battalion’s dispatch I was rushed to choose my squad. Then we were placed upon a Victory Class frigate for immediate transport to Trandosha. My men have been continuously getting more and more nervous. Those pesky lizards have a reputation among our ranks. We’re going to rest up as we enter hyperspace.
Awoken by a Junior Ensign banging on my quarter’s door, I was rushed to the bridge. I put on my gear as fast as I could, rushing through the halls of the vast interior of this frigate I realized I had left my blaster in my quarters. No matter. Something important was afoot and I doubted it was combat. I was uneasy walking onto the bridge. Waiting for me was the frigate’s commander, Commander Barron and Navy Officer Kir. Accompanying them was a hologram of what appeared to be...an Admiral of some sort.
“CT-1287 meet Admiral Syphen” “87, I have a change of plans for you and your squad.” I felt my face tighten and my heart beat increase rapidly.
Trandosha was no longer our target, the ice planet of Vandos Prime was. Chancellor Palpatine himself had requested the transfer of the 253rd out of Trandosha’s system. I was honored and confused simultaneously. Free from the worry of facing human sized lizards, we began briefing on our reassignment. The chancellor believes the CIS are using the new allied planet of Vandos Prime deep within Outer Rim territory to build a super weapon with the planet’s supply of Khyber crystals. Our goal: capture this weapon, at all costs. A highlight of the briefing was that we were not to share any of this mission’s information whatsoever with the Jedi or the GAR records. Many of my fellow commanders and sergeants agree on how odd that part is. Well, my squad and the rest of the 1st Regiment we’re tasked with infiltrating the planet’s atmospheric relay system. They need this massive antenna array due to radiation from the massive Atomhen crystals on the surface. To bypass the CIS blockade and security we’re to be shuttled by Sheathipede- Class transports above the station and are being supplied with jetpacks to descend upon the station.
Once aboard we made our way along the surface of the station to an entry port, unguarded we made our way to a maintenance shaft, from there we crawled our way past multiple generators allowing this massive satellite to stay in orbit. These generators were foreign tech to us but no doubt very impressive for an Outer Rim world. Being weighed down by ballistic charges we slowly came upon an opening in the shaft, the maintenance station. Just what we were looking for. Following one of my troopers I slid down to the floor and activated my Plasma Shield just as I heard a gasp from above. It wasn’t from one of my troopers though, it’d be muffled by the helmet. It was a Vandosian officer, “22 move fast, now!” Understanding immediately he took off down the hall. After the sounds of his boots hitting the ground disappeared they were quickly replaced with a pair of footsteps coming closer...
“Every 7 years ours cells are destroyed and replaced. It's comforting to know that one day I'll have a body you never touched.” .
This week is 3 years since. The first year since i'm spending it trapped in the UK so I will spend it reflecting instead of sad. I've come a long way from a person full of fear of the world, only meeting people in public spaces, scared to be touched, shaking everytime the doorbell went - but I remember it all so clearly - every detail 3 years later.
It took more effort than I ever thought possible to pull myself out of that dark hole, but it was the people I was surrounded with for the past 2 years that showed me how. I learnt I could only help myself. They couldn't help me but could be strength to me. I found so much love, trust, compassion and happiness. Thank you for reminding me how happy being alive can make me. It didn't matter that my wings had been stolen, because they let me fly with theirs. I'm forever grateful for the people I am surrounded with. I’m still growing day by day, but everyday I live a life I can’t wait to wake up to.
The cure is being able to talk. It's a strange time in the world for everyone right now, but mental health has a habit of sticking around. I will be working on that day and that thought scared me for a little while. But i've come to learn together is better, whatever we are going through we will go through together.
Rape Crisis Helpline: 0808 802 9999
Victim Support Supportline: 0333 300 6389
The Survivors Trust Helpline: 0808 801 0818
Suicide prevention - Samaritans - 116 123
Replacing an earlier scanned print with a better version 08-Apr-16, plus DeNoise AI 29-Nov-22.
Air Alfa, leased from Pegasus Airlines in this hybrid livery.
Delivered to GPA Group Ltd and leased to Nortjet with the temporary Spanish registration EC-251 in Feb-89, it was re-registered EC-EMY in Apr-89.
The aircraft was repossessed by the lessor in Feb-92 when Nortjet ceased operations. It was placed in storage and was re-registered EI-CEW in Apr-92. In Jul-92 it was leased to Transmed Airlines (Egypt) as SU-BLL and returned to the lessor in Nov-93.
The aircraft was stored again until it was leased to Trans Alsace Airlines as F-GNFS in Feb-94. This airline only lasted a couple of months and ceased operations Apr-94. The aircraft was repossessed again! It was re-registered EI-CEW again and leased to Markair (USA) later the same month.
It returned to the lessor a year later, in Apr-95 and was immediately leased to Pegasus Airlines as TC-AFZ. Pegasus sub-leased it to Air Alfa between Nov-98/Mar-99. It was also sub-leased to Air Algerie between Sep-99/Feb-00.
It was returned to the lessor in Apr-01 and was leased to SATA International the following month as CS-TGW. It was returned to the lessor in May-04 and was leased to Turkish Airlines as TC-JKB in Jul-04.
The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Feb-07 and leased to Adam Sky Connection Airlines (Adam Air), Indonesia as PK-KMA in Mar-07. The Indonesian CAA withdrew Adam Air's operating certificate and the airline closed down in Mar-08. The aircraft was returned to the lessor in Apr-08.
It was initially stored at Singapore-Seletar and then ferried to Victorville, CA, USA in Sep-08, it was permanently retired at Victorville and was last noted still there in May-09. Updated 29-Nov-22