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Grevillea robusta, roble sedoso, roble australiano, roble plateado, árbol de fuego, pino de oro o gravilia es la especie más grande del género Grevillea. Nativo de las costas del este de Australia.
Grevillea robusta es usada en la elaboración de instrumentos musicales incluyendo guitarras.
Las flores y la fruta contienen el tóxico cianuro de hidrógeno. Tridecylresorcinol en Greviellea robusta es responsable de la dermatitis de contacto.
De wikipedia.
El Mallorca se usan en jardines y parques.
Seguimos por estas galerías.
Mucha fuerza y buen humor.
💪💪💪💪👍😍💖💖
Les iguanes des Petites Antilles sont des reptiles dont la taille et le poids moyens varient fortement entre les îles. Ce reptile peut mesurer jusqu’à 1,60 mètres de long, la taille de sa queue représentant environ 70% de sa taille totale.
La couleur du corps varie entre les individus et au cours de la vie d'un individu selon l'âge, le sexe, et le statut social. Les juvéniles venant de sortir de l’œuf sont d'un vert pomme brillant, chez certaines femelles subadultes et adultes, cette couleur évolue vers un vert mat plus sombre ou un gris verdâtre. Chez les mâles dominants leur corps est gris foncé, brun ou noirâtre. Globalement, la tête tend à blanchir chez les deux sexes. Le corps des iguanes est robuste et ils peuvent se déplacer aussi bien dans les arbres que dans l’eau, ils sont d’excellents nageurs. Leurs pattes griffues à cinq doigts leurs permettent de grimper et de creuser des nids sans difficulté.
This very lovely golden Grevillea robusta was a welcome splash of bright colour in the Botanic Gardens.
Sont des plantes robustes et qui offrent une longue floraison, dans des teintes assez douces : bleu, mauve, rose, blanc…
Le bec robuste du Cochevis révèle une nourriture surtout végétale (graines principalement), c'est au printemps et en été que les invertébrés entrent davantage dans son régime alimentaire.
Habitant des steppes, les friches basses, terrasses alluviales à couvert végétal bas et clairsemé, chantiers et garrigues claires lui conviennent parfaitement.
Originaire de régions arides, il peut coloniser en Europe de l'ouest et du sud-ouest des contrées plus humides, mais sur sol bien drainant... il n'aime pas avoir les pieds mouillés !
Narbonne (Aude), le 26 novembre 2017
A robust "spikey" and stub-tailed species that in this location inhabits the crevices in large rocky outcrops.
Its defense mechanism is to inflate its body with air where the spiked dorsal scales wedge the lizard firmly in its refuge making it almost impossible to dislodge.
Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Animal care staff said Mosi—which is Swahili for first-born—is a robust little guy who exhibits many of the same personality traits as his mom, including a calm and easygoing demeanor. They said because of both okapis’ relaxed temperaments, staff is able to successfully provide necessary care, and the opportunity for both mom and baby to thrive.
More info: bit.ly/2x7mWTW
The wheel bug adult usually measures from 1 to 1.25 incheslong. This adult assassin bug is a dark, robust creature with long legs and antennae, a stout beak, large eyes on a slim head, and a prominent thoracic, semicircular crest that resembles a cogwheel or chicken’s comb. This is the only insect species in the United States with such a crest.
The wheel bug under natural conditions is very aggressive in the nymphal and adult stages of development. Wheel bug saliva contains a toxic, paralytic substance that immobilizes and kills the prey insect within 15 to 30 seconds of injection. When disturbed, the wheel bug can inflict a painful bite. The bite has been described variously as worse than wasp stings. (UF)
Industry job, YWT50-22, works around town. The UP has a robust industrial presence in town, as seen here, with the conductor shoving cars into a grain facility down an industrial spur.
Ganga Ibérica ( Pterocles alchata )
Longitud / Envergadura: 31-39 cm / 55 cm
Identificación: Ave robusta y corpulenta, aunque más pequeña que la ganga ortega, y de colores miméticos. El macho presenta un dorso con ocelos dorados, que pierden en invierno, la cara naranja, ojos oscuros rodeados por un anillo ocular azul, la lista ocular y la garganta negras, el cuello y la nuca naranja verdoso seguido de un pecho castaño enmarcado por dos bandas negras y un vientre blanco. La hembra es parecida, pero de tonos más apagados, con la garganta blanca, tres bandas negras en el cuello y pecho, un dorso más vermiculado y con los ocelos mostrando áreas azules. En vuelo se observa unas alas apuntadas, blancas y negras por abajo.
Canto: Emite un graznido que recuerda al reclamo de la grajilla, "kataaa" y "gaaa".
Alimentación: Su dieta se basa en pequeñas semillas de plantas herbáceas, preferiblemente leguminosas. Generalmente ingiere más cultivo en grano en verano y semillas silvestres en invierno. Esta dieta exige un consumo regular de agua por su bajo contenido hídrico.
Reproducción: El periodo de cría se extiende entre abril y agosto. Ambos sexos participan en la construcción del nido, la incubación (el macho de noche y por la mañana; la hembra el resto del día) y el cuidado de los pollos. La puesta se realiza sobre el sustrato, a resguardo de una mata o roca, y los huevos son crípticos. Los pollos son también miméticos y abandonan el nido a las pocas horas de nacer.
HÁBITAT
Se encuentra en cultivos de cereal de secano, pastizales semiáridos, barbechos y terrenos pedregosos. Requiere de bebederos accesibles y despejados cerca de las zonas de cría. Suele criar desde el nivel del mar hasta los 1.000 metros de altitud.
DISTRIBUCIÓN
En España: Cría en cinco núcleos bien diferenciados: la Meseta norte, el valle del Ebro, Extremadura, la Meseta sur y las marismas del Guadalquivir.
En Castilla y León: Cría en todas las provincias, aunque en muchas lo hace de forma escasa y provisional. Los núcleos más importantes se encuentran en las comarcas cerealistas del sur del Duero.
Desplazamientos y migraciones: Se cree que realiza movimientos dentro de la Península, aunque son poco o nada conocidos. Esto podría explicar los aumentos de población en invierno en la Meseta sur y Doñana.
POBLACIONES
En España:
En Castilla y León: Se estima una población de 250-550 individuos reproductores.
ESTADO DE CONSERVACIÓN:
En el Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas figura con la categoría "Vulnerable". En el Libro Rojo de las Aves de España (2004) está catalogado como "Vulnerable".
AMENAZAS
Lo más importante es la pérdida de su hábitat por el aumento de la agricultura, la reducción de los linderos y campos de barbecho, la reforestación de tierras agrarias y el aumento de los olivares y regadíos. Otros factores importantes son el avance de la urbanización, los plaguicidas, la caza ilegal y el aumento ganadero. Todo ello ha dado lugar a un declive en la población y en su área de distribución.
Le caféier robusta, Coffea canephora, est un arbuste de la famille des Rubiacées, originaire d'Afrique.
La première espèce de café à avoir été introduite fut l'Arabica à partir de 1860 en provenance de l'Ile de la Réunion. Puis le Robusta fut importé en 1910 de Java par la chambre d'agriculture.
Compact, robust, and big-headed warbler. Males are striking with a black hood contrasting with whitish throat, gray back, and red eyering. Females duller with a gray hood, white throat, and buff body. Common in many typical Mediterranean habitats including tall bushes, open woodlands, gardens, coastal scrub, and plantations; also in oases, acacia woodlands, and scrubby desert in non-breeding range. Usually first detected by its song, a fast, angry-sounding rattling "ctret-tret-tret-tret-tret" or "tetwtweer-tik-tik-tik" with whispering in between. The call is a dry "tseck."
27Cm in length, Robust orange and brown bird, capped with silvery white. Habits, Strongly associated with thickets and dense vegetation where there are trees, including areas of good canopy cover, and for photography thats your problem with so many birds, poor light in thick undergrowth, took many images just to get a very few right. Like a lot of birds, find it, but let it come to you in time, PURSUE IT AND YOUR LOOSE IT.. A very nice bird
all the same!
Thanks for your visit, hope you are enjoying your Easter break, and please think of what we are celebrating and why?
Have you signed to save the Hare!
God bhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2875818/Amazing-pictures-rare-mountain-hares-hunched-against-freezing-weather-blizzard-conditions.htmlless yer.!
Tomx
Gulden Leeuw ; RDV 2017 à Québec.
Voilier robuste et imposant, le Gulden Leeuw rappelle les embarcations des années 30 et présente un plan de pont pareil à celui d’un yacht classique.
En 1937, le navire, alors baptisé DANA, est construit à la demande du ministère de l’Agriculture et des Pêcheries du Danemark pour la navigation en haute mer et en eaux glacées. Sous le commandement du gouvernement, il est souvent utilisé pour la recherche en biologie marine, tant en territoire danois qu’à l’international. Riche d’histoire, il servira aussi à l’approvisionnement, et même à la formation pour un collège nautique du pays.
Ces deux dernières années, le navire a été converti en goélette à hunier à trois mâts, de sorte que le mât de misaine porte lui aussi des voiles à ses vergues. Ce gréement fort polyvalent combine les avantages des navires à voiles carrées et à voiles auriques.
Le Gulden Leeuw peut accueillir 200 passagers pour les croisières d’un jour et 56 apprentis matelots pour les longues expéditions. Son équipage est composé de véritables mordus de la voile, impatients de vous montrer les ficelles du métier. Sur ce navire, le mot d’ordre, c’est « esprit d’équipe ».
Et comme il est luxueux, il convient très bien aux événements d’accueil, aux colloques et autres activités d’affaires.
Classe: A
Pavillon: Pays-Bas
Longueur: 68 m
Hauteur: 39,33 m
Gréement: Goélette à trois mâts avec voiles à corne
Année de construction: 1937
Port d'attache: Kampen (Pays-Bas)
Site officiel: Gulden Leeuw
Shot taken on November 8th 2012 at the Lac de Thures (2,184 m), Vallée Étroite, France.
Given the time of the year, the lake turned out in a robust sheet of ice.
That evening the sunset occurred only in places quite far from where I was... something I've found challenging, of corse not because I do not like sunsets, but because I have already photographed hundreds, so usually I really appreciate to encounter any other "special" weather.
Here you see the mantle of the night which is now about to fall, in a grip of 14 frosty and windy hours, without light.
Spending the night in this place reminded me of one of my favorite movies "The Thing" by John Carpenter... although overnight no alien entity has tried to assimilate my body! ... and that was fine! :-) So I've had all the time to take a few night shots, and when the night lasts so long, well, time is the only thing definitely non missing!
_____________________
©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
A thin layer of soil supports a robust, blooming community of heather under the watchful limestone tower of the Picu Urriellu (8,264 ft; 2,519 m), Picos de Europa, Asturias, España. The tower has a 500 m prominence and its North face was first scaled in 1904 by a team of two Spaniards. Oddly, in 1855 a German geologist and engineer began referring to Picu Urriellu in writing by a new name “El Naranjo de Bulnes”. The name “Bulnes” is simple enough to understand because the tiny, stone town in the valley at its base bears the same name. The “El Naranjo” (The Orange) component may refer to the orange hue of the limestone. Whatever the old German was thinking, the name he chose is not one ever used by the locals (or so I have now read).
When it comes to wandering in mountains, it happens to me with enough regularity that the common denominator is clear. And, the pattern stretches over a course of almost 30 years. When planning a route, I will consult the available maps, sometimes with the company of a co-conspirator, and these maps may be digital or may be paper. A trail will appear to exist, and I/we will incorporate it into some sort of plan that then often involves various other friends or family. When faced with the real world depicted on the map, I find that the trail is faint, intermittent, and over lengthy stretches is nowhere to be seen. Route-finding then ensues with all of its attendant stimuli. Some friends may find this scenario entertaining, while others have reacted with anxiety. I feel bad for the latter because it is hard to know ahead of time when the maps are incorrect, and it is never my intention to have to go off-trail inadvertently without knowing anything about the route in advance. Here, we see the end of one such route, as I paused and looked back the way we had come. Not far out of frame, the faint path was lost amongst the jumbled limestone, and I found a way through with my wife and son. I learned later from my son that he had taken a selfie at the beginning of the off-trail route finding as he wanted a final photograph of himself to be recorded should he perish in the wilds. Sometimes it is hard to know just what a parent is teaching their child in any given moment…
Most folks look at this puncturevine as a nuisance, but I found the beauty in the little flower and robust tiny leaves. These weeds are surprisingly resilient and any life scratching out an existence in this Sonoran desert deserves respect.
Located on 23rd street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues, we find the 12 story red brick Hotel Chelsea that dates back to 1884 when it opened for occupation as perhaps amongst New York City’s first apartment cooperatives. It has been described as both Queen Anne Revival and Victorian Gothic a design of Philip Hubert of the Hubert, Prisson & Company firm. It’s important to note, when this edifice opened in the mid 1880’s, New York’s Theater District was located in the surrounding neighborhood, so it was a neighborhood robust with people. At the advent of the Twentieth Century, as Upper Manhattan continued to grow and flourish, the New York Theater District relocated to its present day location on Broadway near Longacre Square that would become Times Square when the New York Times also moved uptown. These migrations proved disastrous to 222 West 23rd Street as it went bankrupt.
In 1905 it reopened as a hotel that went bankrupt during the depression. In 1939, it was purchased by Joseph Gross, Julius Krauss and David Bard who managed the Hotel Chelsea until the early 1970’s. After the passing of Joseph Gross and Julius Krauss though, the managing of the Hotel Chelsea was managed by David Bard’s son Stanley Bard, who remained in that position until 2007 when Doctor Marlene Krauss, daughter of Julius and David Elder, grandson of Joseph Gross the hotel’s board of directors ousted Stanley. They sold the hotel in 2011, the new owner began renovations and stopped taking guests hoping to reopen this year in 2016. The hotel has about 55 residents, many who live in rent controlled apartments.
What makes this locale so interesting & why I am posting this image, was it was a bohemian haven for so many years, where artists, actors and movers and shakers called the Hotel Chelsea home. Going all the way back, Mark Twain once resided here. Thomas Wolfe, Eugene O’Neil and Tennessee Williams were also amongst the residents that walked these halls. Arthur Miller moved here in 1962 after his divorce from Marilyn Monroe, hoping the hotel’s obscurity would shield him from the press and he penned the play “After the Fall” about his failed marriage. The screenplay for “2001: A Space Odyssey” was written on the top floor by Arthur C. Clarke. Musicians, there were plenty who resided here. Bob Dylan and Janice Joplin lived here and even Madonna before she hit it big called the Hotel Chelsea home. The controversy of the murder of Nancy Spungen in the apartment she shared with Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistol is something I remember from when I was in high school in 1978 occurred here at the Hotel Chelsea. Vicious was charged with her murder, but died a short time later of an apparent overdose.
Because of the ongoing renovation, the beautiful façade of the hotel has been covered with scaffolding almost since 2011. This image of the hotel’s signature sign to the left of the beautiful cast iron balconies I took back in 2010, as it too is obscured by the scaffolding currently. There are some plaques that decorate the outside of the hotel celebrating some of its noteworthy guest, but certainly not all. I never toured the building, but my older cousins who lived in the city did and their tour was given by Stanley Bard himself in the early 1980’s as they have told me about the grand staircase that seemed to go on forever. Maybe once they reopen it, I’ll see if the historic tours begin again.
Taken with an Olympus Evolt E-510 with Olympus Digital Zuiko 14-42MM F3.5-5.6 lens, processed with Photomatix, cleaned up in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
In the field, these robust, large-headed birds are often perched alone on a tree in a grassy clearing, and are almost unmistakable with their colourful plumage tones. The lilac throat of the nominate subspecies C. c. caudatus deepens into a darker lilac breast..
The crown to mantle is olive, and the cheeks and ear coverts a lilac-rufous. In subspecies C. c. lorti however, the crown to mantle is greenish blue instead of olive, and the breast azure. The throat is lilac, and some lilac-throated rollers have a lilac patch or rufous-brown tinges on the lower abdomen.
Both subspecies have long, black outermost tail streamers that are absent in juveniles. Lilac-breasted rollers are not sexually dimorphic though males may be slightly larger than females. Juveniles, immatures and adults have the largest alula feather dark blue, but the primary coverts and rest of the alula azure. The proximal half of the remiges are also a brilliant azure, and the distal half black on the inner web, and dark purple blue on the outer webs. Juveniles have the throat and breast rufous-tawny with broad diffuse buffy-white streaks with mauve margins on some feathers. Immatures have the breast buffy with occasional lilac feathers and diffuse pale streaking.
The average mass is 104 grams, and length ranges from 36 to 38 centimeters (inclusive of the tail streamer of 8 to 9 cm).[8][3] These acrobatic fliers have an average wingspan range of 50 to 58 cm.[11] Unique to rollers (family Coraciidae) are syndactyl feet, in which the second and third digits are fused
This image was taken in the Tvaso East National Park in Kenya.
un momento di luce ed un cinciarella vanitosa ......
da wikipedia
È lungo circa 10,5-12 cm e pesa intorno ai 12 gr.[senza fonte] Il piumaggio è molto vivace, presentando per entrambi i sessi una colorazione blu cobalto sulla nuca, sulle ali e sulla coda, verdastra sul dorso, una mascherina bianca, attraversata da una linea nera all’altezza degli occhi, e petto giallo zolfo. Ha il becco nero a punta e zampe corte e robuste grigio-blu. I giovani sono molto più gialli degli esemplari adulti, ed hanno un carattere particolarmente giocoso (spesso si possono osservare individui assieme ad esemplari di codibugnolo).
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti - Venice 1518 - 1594) - Crucifixion (1565) - oil on canvas dimensions 518 × 1224 cm. Chapter Room - Scuola Grande di San Rocco - Campo San Rocco - San Polo district Venice
Cockatoos, corellas, magpies, and 'noisy mynahs' congregate at the horse's feeding trough at the end of the day, to steal what they can, as Banjo comes up from the paddock for a his daily treat of carrot and a bit of grain.
I say 'old cockies', as they live such a long time!
Around 70/80 yrs in the wild and 120 in captivity… but I reckon they're far happier with the first option..
I've never seen a sad, scraggy one that's out in the natural.
They always look so robustly healthy and full of energy, I can't tell the difference between the young and older ones.
I chose this title because it reminds me of years ago when my mum would refer to elderly, wiry, weatherbeaten farmers as 'old cockies'.
She was born on a sheep station in 1929, and carried the affectionate or humorous euphemisms of rural culture from that era into my own childhood in the 60's.
This knickname however, seemed to embody a respect for the early Australian farmers, as the rural industry was only a few family generations young by that time, therefore their knowledge of the land was borne out of sheer hard yakka and their own experience of a climate far different from their grandfathers' countries of origin.
There's many words that I just don't hear anymore, the old language is in deed dying out with the older generations, so I'm going record what I can remember with my pics.
Anzac Day is coming up this week, and knowing how much WW1 impacted on the rural communities, maybe I'm getting a little nostalgic.
Anyway, here's a pair of happy cockies on the farm fence, so HFF to my friends x :)
Taken at twilight, sooc..
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name.Name[›] It has become an iconic symbol of London.
The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the land-ward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. Its present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Originally it was painted a chocolate brown colour.[1]
Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.[2] A popular urban legend is that in 1968, Robert McCulloch, the purchaser of the old London Bridge that was later shipped to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, believed that he was in fact buying Tower Bridge. This was denied by McCulloch himself and has been debunked by Ivan Luckin, the seller of the bridge.[3]
The nearest London Underground station is Tower Hill on the Circle and District Lines.
The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Tower Gateway.
In the second half of the 19th century, increased commercial development in the East End of London led to a requirement for a new river crossing downstream of London Bridge. A traditional fixed bridge could not be built because it would cut off access to the port facilities in the Pool of London, between London Bridge and the Tower of London.
A Special Bridge or Subway Committee was formed in 1876, chaired by Sir Albert Joseph Altman, to find a solution to the river crossing problem. It opened the design of the crossing to public competition. Over 50 designs were submitted, including one from civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. The evaluation of the designs was surrounded by controversy, and it was not until 1884 that a design submitted by Horace Jones, the City Architect (who was also one of the judges),[4] was approved.
Jones' engineer, Sir John Wolfe Barry, devised the idea of a bascule bridge with two towers built on piers. The central span was split into two equal bascules or leaves, which could be raised to allow river traffic to pass. The two side-spans were suspension bridges, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways.
Construction started in 1886 and took eight years with five major contractors – Sir John Jackson (foundations), Baron Armstrong (hydraulics), William Webster, Sir H.H. Bartlett, and Sir William Arrol & Co.[5] – and employed 432 construction workers. E W Crutwell was the resident engineer for the construction.[6]
Two massive piers, containing over 70,000 tons of concrete,[4] were sunk into the riverbed to support the construction. Over 11,000 tons of steel provided the framework for the towers and walkways.[4] This was then clad in Cornish granite and Portland stone, both to protect the underlying steelwork and to give the bridge a pleasing appearance.
Jones died in 1887 and George D. Stevenson took over the project.[4] Stevenson replaced Jones' original brick facade with the more ornate Victorian Gothic style, which makes the bridge a distinctive landmark, and was intended to harmonise the bridge with the nearby Tower of London.[6] The total cost of construction was £1,184,000.[6]
The bridge was officially opened on 30 June 1894 by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), and his wife, The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark).[7]
The bridge connected Iron Gate, on the north bank of the river, with Horsleydown Lane, on the south – now known as Tower Bridge Approach and Tower Bridge Road, respectively.[6] Until the bridge was opened, the Tower Subway – 400 m to the west – was the shortest way to cross the river from Tower Hill to Tooley Street in Southwark. Opened in 1870, Tower Subway was the world's first underground ('tube') railway, but closed after just three months and was re-opened as a pedestrian foot tunnel. Once Tower Bridge was open, the majority of foot traffic transferred to using the bridge, there being no toll to pay to use it. Having lost most of its income, the tunnel was closed in 1898.[8]
Tower Bridge is one of five London bridges now owned and maintained by the Bridge House Estates, a charitable trust overseen by the City of London Corporation. It is the only one of the Trust's bridges not to connect the City of London to the Southwark bank, the northern landfall is in Tower Hamlets.
The bridge is 800 feet (244 m) in length with two towers each 213 feet (65 m) high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimize the force required and allow raising in five minutes.
The two side-spans are suspension bridges, each 270 feet (82 m) long, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge's upper walkways. The pedestrian walkways are 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide.[6]
The original raising mechanism was powered by pressurised water stored in several hydraulic accumulators.Hydraulics[›][clarification needed]
The system was designed and installed by Sir W. G. Armstrong Mitchell & Company of Newcastle upon Tyne. Water, at a pressure of 750 psi, was pumped into the accumulators by two 360 hp stationary steam engines, each driving a force pump from its piston tail rod. The accumulators each comprise a 20-inch ram on which sits a very heavy weight to maintain the desired pressure.
In 1974, the original operating mechanism was largely replaced by a new electro-hydraulic drive system, designed by BHA Cromwell House. The only components of the original system still in use are the final pinions, which engage with the racks fitted to the bascules. These are driven by modern hydraulic motors and gearing, using oil rather than water as the hydraulic fluid.[9]
Some of the original hydraulic machinery has been retained, although it is no longer in use. It is open to the public and forms the basis for the bridge's museum, which resides in the old engine rooms on the south side of the bridge. The museum includes the steam engines, two of the accumulators and one of the hydraulic engines that moved the bascules, along with other related artefacts.
During World War II, as a precaution against the existing engines being damaged by enemy action, a third engine was installed in 1942:[10] a 150 hp horizontal cross-compound engine, built by Vickers Armstrong Ltd. at their Elswick works in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was fitted with a flywheel having a 9-foot diameter and weighing 9 tons, and was governed to a speed of 30 rpm.
The engine became redundant when the rest of the system was modernised in 1974, and was donated to the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum by the Corporation of the City of London.
To control the passage of river traffic through the bridge, a number of different rules and signals were employed. Daytime control was provided by red semaphore signals, mounted on small control cabins on either end of both bridge piers. At night, coloured lights were used, in either direction, on both piers: two red lights to show that the bridge was closed, and two green to show that it was open. In foggy weather, a gong was sounded as well.[6]
Vessels passing through the bridge had to display signals too: by day, a black ball at least 2 feet (0.61 m) in diameter was to be mounted high up where it could be seen; by night, two red lights in the same position. Foggy weather required repeated blasts from the ship's steam whistle.[6]
If a black ball was suspended from the middle of each walkway (or a red light at night) this indicated that the bridge could not be opened. These signals were repeated about 1,000 yards (910 m) downstream, at Cherry Garden Pier, where boats needing to pass through the bridge had to hoist their signals/lights and sound their horn, as appropriate, to alert the Bridge Master.[6]
Some of the control mechanism for the signalling equipment has been preserved and may be seen working in the bridge's museum.
Although the bridge is an undoubted landmark, professional commentators in the early 20th century were critical of its aesthetics. "It represents the vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts of the structure", wrote H. H. Statham,[11] while Frank Brangwyn stated that "A more absurd structure than the Tower Bridge was never thrown across a strategic river".[12]
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the bridge as one of his four choices for the 2002 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.[13]
Tower Bridge is still a busy and vital crossing of the Thames: it is crossed by over 40,000 people (motorists and pedestrians) every day.[14] The bridge is on the London Inner Ring Road, and is on the eastern boundary of the London congestion charge zone. (Drivers do not incur a charge by crossing the bridge.)
In order to maintain the integrity of the historic structure, the City of London Corporation have imposed a 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) speed restriction, and an 18-tonne weight limit on vehicles using the bridge. A sophisticated camera system measures the speed of traffic crossing the bridge, utilising a number plate recognition system to send fixed penalty charges to speeding drivers.[citation needed]
A second system monitors other vehicle parameters. Induction loops and piezoelectric detectors are used to measure the weight, the height of the chassis above ground level, and the number of axles for each vehicle.[citation needed]
River traffic
The bascules are raised around 1000 times a year.[15] River traffic is now much reduced, but it still takes priority over road traffic. Today, 24 hours' notice is required before opening the bridge. In 2008, a local web developer created a Twitter feed to post live updates of the bridge's opening and closing activities.[16]
A computer system was installed in 2000 to control the raising and lowering of the bascules remotely. Unfortunately it proved less reliable than desired, resulting in the bridge being stuck in the open or closed positions on several occasions during 2005, until its sensors were replaced.[14]
The high-level walkways between the towers gained an unpleasant reputation as a haunt for prostitutes and pickpockets and were closed in 1910. In 1982 they were reopened as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition, an exhibition now housed in the bridge's twin towers, the high-level walkways and the Victorian engine rooms. The walkways boast stunning views of the River Thames and many famous London sites, serving as viewing galleries for over 380,000 tourists[citation needed] who visit each year. The exhibition also uses films, photos and interactives to explain why and how Tower Bridge was built. Visitors can access the original steam engines that once powered the bridge bascules, housed in a building close to the south end of the bridge.
In April 2008 it was announced that the bridge will undergo a 'facelift' costing £4m, and taking four years to complete. The work entails stripping off the existing paint and repainting in blue and white. Each section will be enshrouded in scaffolding to prevent the old paint from falling into the Thames and causing pollution. Starting in mid-2008, contractors will work on a quarter of the bridge at a time to minimise disruption, but some road closures are inevitable. The bridge will remain open until the end of 2010, but is then expected to be closed for several months. It is hoped that the completed work will stand for 25 years.[17]
The walkway section of the renovation was completed in mid 2009. Within the walkways a versatile new lighting system has been installed, designed by Eleni Shiarlis, for when the walkways are in use for exhibitions or functions. The new system provides for both feature and atmospheric lighting, the latter using bespoke RGB LED luminares, designed to be concealed within the bridge superstructure and fixed without the need for drilling (these requirements as a result of the bridge's Grade I status).[18]
In December 1952, the bridge opened while a number 78 double-decker bus (stock number RT 793) was on it. At that time, the gateman would ring a warning bell and close the gates when the bridge was clear before the watchman ordered the lift. The process failed while a relief watchman was on duty. The bus was near the edge of the south bascule when it started to rise; driver Albert Gunter made a split-second decision to accelerate the bus, clearing a three-foot drop on to the north bascule, which had not started to rise. There were no serious injuries.[19]
Main article: Hawker Hunter Tower Bridge incident
On 5 April 1968 a Hawker Hunter FGA.9 jet fighter from No.1 Squadron RAF, flown by Flt Lt Alan Pollock, flew under Tower Bridge. Unimpressed that senior staff were not going to celebrate the RAF's 50th birthday with a fly-past, Pollock decided to do something himself. Without authorisation, Pollock flew the Hunter at low level down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament, and continued on to Tower Bridge. He flew the Hunter beneath the bridge's walkway, remarking afterwards it was an afterthought when he saw the bridge looming ahead of him. Pollock was placed under arrest upon landing, and discharged from the RAF on medical grounds without the chance to defend himself at a court martial.[20][21]
In May 1997,[22] the motorcade of United States President Bill Clinton was divided by the opening of the bridge. Thames sailing barge Gladys, on her way to a gathering at St Katharine Docks, arrived on schedule and the bridge was duly opened for her. Returning from a Thames-side lunch at Le Pont de la Tour restaurant, with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Clinton was less punctual, and arrived just as the bridge was rising. The bridge opening split the motorcade in two, much to the consternation of security staff. A spokesman for Tower Bridge is quoted as saying, "We tried to contact the American Embassy, but they wouldn't answer the 'phone."[23]
On 19 August 1999, Jef Smith, a Freeman of the City of London, drove a "herd" of two sheep across the bridge. He was exercising an ancient permission, granted as a right to Freemen, to make a point about the powers of older citizens and the way in which their rights were being eroded.[24] However, this was a hollow gesture as the so-called right is to drive sheep across London Bridge into the City of London, and Tower Bridge does not have its northern landfall in the City.[citation needed]
Before dawn on 31 October 2003, David Crick, a Fathers 4 Justice campaigner, climbed a 120 ft (37 m) tower crane near Tower Bridge at the start of a six-day protest dressed as Spider-Man.[25] Fearing for his safety, and that of motorists should he fall, police cordoned off the area, closing the bridge and surrounding roads and causing widespread traffic congestion across the City and east London. The Metropolitan Police were later criticised for maintaining the closure for five days when this was not strictly necessary in the eyes of some citizens.[26][27]
On May 11, 2009, six persons were trapped and injured after a lift fell 10 ft inside the north tower.[28][29]
Dactylorhiza elata
Nous avons trouvé des stations de cette espèce d'orchidée au bord de petites routes au pied des Monts Cantabriques.
Castille et Leon, Espagne
We found stations of this species of orchid along little roads at the foot of the Cantabrian Mountains.
Castilla y Leon, Spain
El Hayedo de Otzarreta es uno de los sitios más mágicos y fotografiados de todo el País Vasco. Podrás ver hayas centenarias con troncos robustos y grandes raíces que invaden todo el paisaje con el color verde del musgo.
Las hayas normalmente crecen con sus ramas en forma horizontal, pero algo inusual se puede descubrir a simple vista en este hayedo. Sus árboles poseen una forma “extraña”, con sus ramas creciendo con fuerza como apuntando al cielo. Hace más de 50 años atrás, las ramas de estas hayas eran sometidas a una poda para obtener carbón con la leña, una actividad tradicional que se realizaba de modo sostenible.
Hoy el hayedo protegido se ha transformado en una hermosa escena natural que cambia cada época del año.
The robust frost overnight has left splendid patterns on the outside of your conservatory windows.
The ice is only just out side but this is my offering for
#2 Outside my window for 52 in 2021 challenge
A snail commonly seen in Western Washington.
This is one of a series of snail shots. I'm switching from private to public ...no need to comment if you already have.
The Curtiss Hawk 75A-1 was an export variant of the Curtiss P-36 Hawk, a single-engine, low-wing fighter aircraft used during the early stages of World War II. Operated by the French Air Force, it gained notable success in 1939-1940, despite being outclassed by more modern aircraft. The Hawk 75A-1 featured robust manoeuvrability, reliability, and ease of maintenance, making it a favourite among pilots despite its relatively modest speed and firepower compared to its contemporaries.
The Blood Moon is a no frills starfighter with no explosives, energy weapons, or terribly robust shields. Its job is punching new ventilation shafts through enemy ships with its two powerful cannons, and letting the vacuum of space do the dirty work. It relies on its speed to get away as it has little defense against return fire.
I built this over the course of about 5 weeks. The ideas that led to it started off long before that, though, as I was toying with an idea for a drone fighter. I wanted to revisit the color scheme that I used in my cyberpunk hopper car. Dark red as the main color earned it the working title Blood Moon. I got stuck on that for awhile, then started over with a very different design in a different color scheme, now featuring a cockpit. After going away on vacation for a bit, I returned and started over again, returning to the original color scheme, and something a bit closer to the original concept than the direction I'd started to veer off into with the first restart.
On top of my original sketch, I took some inspiration from present day lifting body aircraft. With the exception of the tail, the side profile has a deliberate airfoil shape.
The thing that finally got me going somewhere, after spinning my wheels for a while, was the #69754 tile shooter, which I used in the engines of my previous spacecraft, the Astral Vortex.
The cockpit came next. I really wanted to put the nose way out in front on this one, because I've done a lot of hiding it between cannons or Vic Viper prongs on past builds, which has let me focus less on the shaping. I originally wanted to brick-build a sleeker version of the classic 2507 windscreen in trans neon green. I didn't have those hinged wing parts that make the side in the right color, so I temporarily used black, and by the time I got the parts in my intended color it had evolved and I liked the black better.
Another of my frequent habits, showing up in nearly every spacecraft I've built since the Ugly Duckling, is using a lot of white brick in my hulls. I like that look, and I certainly don't plan to abandon it, but this time around I decided to use none at all for the sake of trying something different. The goal was to achieve a darker grittier look, while still keeping the high contrast that comes with spanning a wide range of shades.
This is one of my more complicated builds in terms of weird out-of-system geometry. There are few 90 degree angles to be found, anywhere. They only visible part with studs not at some weird out of system angle from the frame is the small recessed panel in front of the intake below the black pipe.
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I underestimated the length of the build while it was still in progress, and the display stand mount wound up being significantly in front of the center of gravity. It was a bit late to change that by the time I was far along enough to know where the true center of gravity would be. It's locked to the frame, so it's not going to fall off no matter where it's attached. But the base still needs to be kind of centered below the center of gravity, which put the neck close to the front. I decided to take advantage of this by mirroring the delta shape of the wings in the display stand base.
The robust Lada Niva series was introduced in 1977. The series is continued till the present day. The boxy design was kept almost equal for over 35 years.
Chief designers were Pyotr Prusov and Vladimir Solovyev. Prototypes appeared in 1976.
The AWD Lada was also known as LADA-VAZ 2121 or Lada Niva 2121.
Vertical light units and a bigger rear door appeared in 1994.
Long chassis 3-door Niva's were introduced in 1993. The 5-door version was presented in 1995 and was initially called VAZ-2131 or Niva 2131. Many were in use as ambulance.
Model name 'Niva' was dropped in 2006.
1774 cc L4 petrol engine.
General production Lada Niva series: April 1977-present.
Production Lada 2131 long platform: 1995-2001/2001-present
Production Lada 4x4 this version: 2006-present.
Original Belgium reg. number.
Number seen: 1.
Gent-Sint-Amandsberg (B), Heiveldstraat, Sept. 5, 2025.
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