View allAll Photos Tagged selflessness
Sikh devotees doing Sewa by cleaning plates, cups and spoons in the Singh Sabha Gurudwara in Bengaluru.
Photo taken in wonderful Second Life, by me no edits, at stunning MT EVEREST - THE HIGHEST HIGH IN SL.
✯✯✯✯✯ INSPIRATION ✯✯✯✯✯
Under this different circamstance we must do more and better. It can be given only with punctual dedication. To be dignified with many selfless deeds where is necessary where is most needed, that we all should contribute.
✯✯✯✯✯ Wearing ✯✯✯✯✯
Pose : RUSSKAYA Fewn Ao Sitting
Mesh Head & Axis : Lelutka
Body : Legacy Athletic Meshbody
Hair : Dura
Coat : Gabriel
Pants : Noche
🌻🌷🌸 . . The Flowers Tale . . 🌸🌷🌻
Model: Saphira & Hansen
Tale: The difference between Love and Obsession
The distinction between love and obsession lies in how you handle your affection and how you treat the thing you care about.
When you truly love a flower, you nurture and tend to it to promote its optimal growth, rather than cutting it down and possessing it.
This contrast between finding Happiness in watching it flourish and Happiness from claiming it as your own indicates your selfless or selfish inclinations towards love.
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" Possessing things obsessively and labeling them as yours doesn't define your self-worth or make you stronger. Instead, it can reveal your dependence, lack of confidence, and insecurity.
Release the urge to possess, and explore your inner strength and genuine self-worth by seeking happiness beyond ownership. Don't rely on shallow labels for validation. "
_______ Scarlett Saphira
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Oh my goodness. Squamish is a town full of dogs! Big dogs. Little dogs. Purebreds and breed-unknown dogs.
While it's not common to meet someone actually born here in Squamish you could say the same about our dogs. We have dogs arriving from breeders all over North America and many others rescued predominantly from California, Mexico and South Korea.
This is Murphy. She was rescued from Pemberton which is north of Whistler B.C. She is 4 months old. Spaying and neutering exist less often in rural places. Murphy was one of 10 puppies.
I'm sure, with the selfless commitment of people who foster puppies and dogs, all of Murphy's siblings are in a loving home now.
I hope it’s noticeable in my work that, on the whole, I tend to avoid human made objects where ever possible. Lighthouses, however, are my single exception. I struggle to think of a better manifestation of the good in people: they are the concrete embodiment of selflessness, of camaraderie, of solidarity. It’s because of this that, to my mind, they taken on a personality of their own. They remain no matter the weather, doing all possible to warn and potentially save the lives of others.
I’ve seen this place in the best of conditions as well as the worst, but the light here, to my eye at least, somehow hinted at the dangers of the sea and how lighthouses nevertheless stand in the face of it.
Its symbolism is universal, but the original scarecrows were nothing like the now familiar straw-stuffed icon of Halloween. ... To a farmer they may simply be a symbol of the death and resurrection of the crops.
Pinocchio, a marionette, must earn the right to become a real boy by proving to be truthful, brave and selfless.
Mavis Henslow was a woman of exceptional lineage, descended from a long line of noteworthy individuals. Her 25th great-great grandfather was none other than the renowned English theatre proprietor and manager of the Elizabethan Age, Philip Henslowe. Such a heritage bestowed upon Mavis a connection to the arts and the power of expression.
Despite her impressive lineage, Mavis faced societal limitations as a woman in her time. Born into an era when gender roles were rigidly defined, she encountered numerous obstacles that restricted her aspirations. However, Mavis possessed an unwavering spirit that refused to be stifled by these constraints.
Mavis received her education from a dedicated governess who recognised her thirst for knowledge and the innate intelligence that resided within her. Through the governess's guidance, Mavis embarked on a journey of learning and self-discovery, delving into various subjects that ignited her curiosity.
As Mavis grew older, she discovered her gift for healing and became fascinated by spiritualism. Her studies and experiences led her to develop profound abilities in these realms, transcending the boundaries of traditional understanding. Mavis could perceive energies, offer solace to those in pain, and provide comfort to the spiritually seeking.
With her remarkable abilities, Mavis had the potential to become a world-renowned figure in the field of healing and spiritualism. Yet, she chose a different path, one that was characterised by privacy and humility. Mavis shunned the allure of fame and the accompanying public adulation, preferring instead to focus on her purpose, helping others without seeking personal acclaim.
Throughout her life, Mavis dedicated herself to aiding those in need, utilising her healing talents and spiritual insights to bring solace and enlightenment to countless individuals. Her gentle demeanour, compassionate nature, and profound wisdom made her a cherished figure within her community.
While Mavis's contributions to the world may not have garnered global recognition, the lives she touched, the souls she healed, and the minds she inspired were immeasurable. She left an indelible mark on the hearts of those who had the privilege of knowing her.
Mavis's extraordinary journey serves as a testament to the power of determination, resilience, and selflessness. Despite the limitations placed upon her by society, she overcame obstacles and harnessed her unique gifts for the betterment of others. Mavis, an extraordinary woman, showed the world that true greatness lies not in fame or accolades but in the profound impact one has on the lives of those around them.
[A portrait of Mavis Henslow as a young girl, who was my mentor, my teacher and loving friend.]
for Flickriver - Sophie Shapiro
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#smalltowninertia Helena on the steps leading to her apartment February 2017
Visited Helena today to discuss how to approach her coming story update. Much has happened in her life over the last 16 months and her selfless, candid and insightful sharing of all her experiences is truly inspiring.
We made this first photograph for the update this morning, full story to follow.
Mamiya 7II, Ilford HP5Plus and printed with Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Baryta 315gsm paper.
Previous story with Helena, here : smalltowninertia.co.uk/market-town-helena-every-day-is-a-...
I did not take these photos. They were on a Facebook post I saw today along with the following narrative. I was so moved by it that I decided to share it here, too.
"I saw these images on @timkennedymma feed. Please, look at each one. Pause, give them your consideration. America’s exceptional armed forces have altered the course of the world for the better. From the Union Army defeating slave owning confederates, to the Greatest Generation and her Allies vanquishing the Nazis or our special operators hunting down the perpetrators of 9/11. We count the names of each fallen solider lest they be countless. They are the good guys. They run to the sound of gunfire. They know pain and suffering we never will. They have given us the most free and decent society planet earth has ever seen. We run the risk of losing that decency when we fail to instill gratitude in the minds of our youth or the perspective of what it actually means to be free- should they never learn of the selfless sacrifice of our armed service members in the face of oppressive evil. So join me in showing support for our fallen. Take a quiet moment to really consider the sacrifice. And if you use the comments section on posts like this to bitch and moan about America please understand there are countries in the world where criticizing your government will get you killed or imprisoned. Criticism is a right and necessity in amending the flawed systems of man. So by all means, let your voice be heard. But never forget your right to free expression is paid for in blood. May God give their souls rest, and may they live in our memories this weekend and always."
Cavendish Mews is a smart set of flats in Mayfair where flapper and modern woman, the Honourable Lettice Chetwynd has set up home after coming of age and gaining her allowance. To supplement her already generous allowance, and to break away from dependence upon her family, Lettice has established herself as a society interior designer, so her flat is decorated with a mixture of elegant antique Georgian pieces and modern Art Deco furnishings, using it as a showroom for what she can offer to her well heeled clients.
For nearly a year Lettice had been patiently awaiting the return of her then beau, Selwyn Spencely, son of the Duke of Walmsford, after being sent to Durban by his mother, Lady Zinnia in an effort to destroy their relationship which she wanted to end so that she could marry Selwyn off to his cousin, Pamela Fox-Chavers. Having been made aware by Lady Zinnia in October last year that during the course of the year, whilst Lettice had been biding her time, waiting for Selwyn’s eventual return, he had become engaged to the daughter of a Kenyan diamond mine owner whilst in Durban. Fleeing Lady Zinnia’s Park Lane mansion, Lettice returned to Cavendish Mews and milled over her options over a week as she reeled from the news. Then, after that week, she knew exactly what to do to resolve the unpleasant issues raised by Lady Zinnia’s unwelcome news about her son. Taking extra care in her dress, she took herself off to the neighbouring upper-class London suburb of Belgravia and paid a call upon Sir John Nettleford-Hughes.
As an eligible man in a aftermath of the Great War when such men are a rare commodity, with a vast family estate in Bedfordshire, houses in Mayfair, Belgravia and Pimlico and Fontengil Park in Wiltshire, quite close to the Glynes estate belonging to her parents, Lettice’s mother, Lady Sadie, invited Sir John as a potential suitor to her 1922 Hunt Ball, which she used as a marriage market for Lettice. Although she did not become engaged to him then, Lettice did reacquaint herself with Sir John at an amusing Friday to Monday long weekend party held by mutual friends Sir John and Lady Gladys Caxton at their Scottish country estate in 1924. To her surprise, Lettice found Sir John’s company rather enjoyable. She then ran into him again later that year at the Portland Gallery’s autumn show in Soho, where she found him yet again to be a pleasant and attentive companion for much of the evening. Sir John also made a proposition to her that night: he offered her his hand in marriage should she ever need it. More like a business arrangement than a marriage proposal, Sir John offered Lettice the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of his large fortune, be chatelain of all his estates and continue to have her interior design business, under the conditions that she agree to provide him with an heir, and that he be allowed to discreetly carry on his affairs in spite of their marriage vows. He even suggested that Lettice might be afforded the opportunity to have her own extra marital liaisons if she were discreet about them. When Lettice’s understanding with Selwyn Spencely, son of the Duke of Walmsford, fell apart, Lettice agreed to Sir John’s proposal. Then, during the General Strike* that almost brought the nation to a standstill, Selwyn and Lettice were reintroduced, and she found out that Selwyn wasn’t engaged to another woman at all, as she was led to believe by Lady Zinnia, and it had all been a fabrication, leaving her in a quandary over what to do: break her engagement with Sir John and marry the man she truly loves and has never stopped loving, or remain engaged to Sir John, preserving his honour and the good name of her own family. Eventually, with some careful persuasion from friends, Lettice made the decision to end her engagement.
Thus, today we find ourselves at Glynes, the grand Georgian family seat of the Chetwynds in Wiltshire, and the home of Lettice’s parents, the presiding Viscount and Countess of Wrexham and the heir, their eldest son Leslie and his wife Arabella. Lettice is visiting her family home after breaking her engagement to wealthy Sir John Nettleford-Hughes, hoping to seek sanctuary and lay low and keep out of London whilst the sensation of her broken engagement becomes the talk over every breakfast table, ladies luncheon at Gunter’s** and society dinner at the Savoy***. Old enough to be Lettice’s father, Sir John was, until their ill-fated engagement, still a bachelor, and according to London society gossip intended to remain so, so that he might continue to enjoy his dalliances with a string of pretty chorus girls of Lettice’s age and younger. For the sake of her family’s reputation and her own, she hopes that confining herself to Glynes for the duration will allow her to avoid any gossip or speculation as to why she ceased her engagement to Sir John.
And so, we are in the very opulent and elegant drawing room of Glynes with its grand dimensions, high ceiling and gilt Louis and Palladian style furnishings – a room that has always been one of Lettice’s favourites in the house, and a place where many significant events in her life have taken place. It is from here that she developed her love for collecting fine Limoges porcelain to emulate the collection amassed by her great, great paternal grandmother Lady Georgiana Chetwynd. No matter what time of day, the room is always light and airy thanks to its large full-length windows and beautiful golden yellow Georgian wallpaper decorated in a pattern of delicate blossoms and paper lanterns which seems almost to exude warmth and golden illumination. Whilst decorated with many generations of conspicuous consumption, it is not overly cluttered and it does not have the suffocating feel of Lady Sadie’s morning room, which she loathes, and it smells familiarly of a mixture of fresh air, bees wax polish and just a waft of roses. Lettice has just finished telling her parents, her brother and his wife that her engagement to Sir John is over.
“So, you see, Mamma and Pappa, I’ve decided that in light of the fact that Selwyn isn’t engaged and never has been to anyone else, it was unfair to John to continue our engagement, when I was in love with Selwyn.”
Glancing between the faces of the Viscount and Lady Sadie, Leslie and Arabella, she can see only stunned looks. Their surprise is also confirmed by their lack of response following Lettice’s surprise announcement. The room stays silent, save for the quiet ticking of several clocks set about polished surfaces around them, the hiss of dusty wood as it burns in the grate, and the muffled twitter of birds in the bushes outside the drawing room windows.
“Well say something.” Lettice prompts, but no-one says anything. Only her father, the Viscount, clears his throat awkwardly, breaking the silence. “Anything.” She looks imploringly to her parents seated either side of the fireplace like a pair of stiff andirons****. “Pater? Mater?”
Lettice isn’t quite sure what to do, and with the thick and awkward silence smothering her, she goes on in rather a rush of words, “I know it was foolish of me, and… and you have every right to be cross with me. I’ve tried to do my best to keep my reputation and that of the family as unscathed by this mess as possible.”
It is the Viscount who answers first. “Cross with you, my girl?” His eyes sparkle with joy as his lips curl upwards at the end. “Why on earth should I, or your mother be cross with you when you have brought us such wonderful news!”
“What?” Lettice asks in surprise.
The Viscount leaps with a sprightly gait from the stiff backed gilded salon chair upholstered with fabric painstakingly decorated with embroidery by his mother, causing Lettice to rise. He embraces her in a tight hug, startling Lettice who was not expecting such jubilation from her father at her announcement.
“Oh, my girl! My dear girl!” the Viscount chortles. “Cross?” He releases her and holds her at arm’s length. The old man is beaming broadly now, his face flushed with colour, and Lettice can see that his eyes are glistening with tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. “This truly is the most wonderful news!”
“It… it is?” Lettice asks in bewilderment.
“You’ve made me so happy!” the Viscount goes on with a chortle, letting her go.
“I have?” Lettice asks again, struck with surprise by her father’s ecstatic reaction.
“You were right, Sadie! One swallow does not a summer make!” he crows with delight as he almost skips around the gilded chinoiserie tea table with its galleried top on which a silver tea service and a plate of Mrs. Casterton’s homemade biscuits sit, and leans forward, placing a kiss tenderly on his wife’s lips as she raises her head to him. “A hastily arranged engagement does not necessarily lead to an ill-fated marriage!” He laughs, eliciting great guffaws of joy.
“Mamma?” Lettice asks her mother, looking in astonishment as she too beams at Lettice with a broad smile and tears in her eyes. She glances in bewilderment over to her brother and sister-in-law, who remain seated in silence on one of the gilded Louis Quatorze sofas, but they can only shrug, not understanding the Viscount or Lady Sadie’s jubilant reactions either.
“Oh forgive us, Lettice.” Lady Sadie says, standing up from her salon armchair next to the crackling fire and walking over to her perplexed daughter. “You must think your father and I have lost our senses.”
“Well,” Lettice heaves a heavy sigh that makes her shoulders rise and then fall with relief. “I must confess that I was expecting an animated reaction from you both,” She pauses. “But perhaps not one of jubilation.”
Lady Sadie chuckles lightly. “You will have to indulge your father and I, Lettice my dear, but neither of us were particularly keen on your engagement to Sir John.” She places a bejewelled hand on Lettice’s cheek and caresses her face lovingly with a beaming smile, before lowering her digits and giving Lettice’s forearm a gentle, conciliatory squeeze. “And I knew it was only a matter of time before you came to your senses.”
“And you were right, Sadie my dear!” the Viscount laughs. “You were quite right.”
“Of course I was right, Cosmo.” she replies matter-of-factly.
“I mean, I knew Pappa had his reservations about the marriage, but not you, Mamma.” Lettice replies. “I thought you would have been furious with me. You always seemed so keen on a match with Sir John.” she adds, “After all, you did invite him as an eligible bachelor to your Hunt Ball back in 22.”
“Yes… well…” Lady Sadie blusters as she withdraws a dainty lace trimmed handkerchief from the sleeve of her ecru coloured knitted cardigan and dabs at her nose and the corners of her eyes as the tears of joy threaten to spill. ‘We are all entitled to make mistakes on occasion.”
“A mistake, Mamma?” Lettice queries.
Lady Sadie suddenly realises that in her happiness at the news of the annulment of Lettice’s engagement to Sir John, she has been more candid and disclosing than she wanted to be. “Did I say a mistake?” she asks hesitantly. She knows all about Sir John’s philandering thanks to her cousin Gwendolyn, the Duchess of Whitby, and her own careful enquiries after the fact, but she does not want Lettice to know about her former fiancée’s womanising. “I… I merely mean that…” she stammers. “That you and Selwyn seemed to get along so well, and were so suited,” She gulps the air awkwardly. “And… and you were so unhappy when Lady Zinnia sent him away to Durban. It would have been a mistake for you to marry Sir John, if you had feelings for Selwyn, which you so obviously do.”
“We felt your engagement to Sir John was a little rash, my girl. That’s all.” the Viscount carries on, relieving his wife from having to explain herself any further. “Something of a hasty reaction, made in response to Selwyn’s apparent engagement.”
“Which we now know was simply a silly misunderstanding!” Lady Sadie adds with a relieved, breathy laugh.
“I shall telephone the Personal Column desk of The Times***** presently.” the Viscount says gaily, still beaming at Lettice’s news. “To announce the withdrawal of your engagement******.”
“Before you do that, Pappa, you might want to hear what I have to say about Selwyn’s engagement.” Lettice says seriously.
“But I thought you just said he wasn’t engaged, Tice.” Bella pipes up from the sofa next to Leslie.
“Oh no!” Lady Sadie exclaims, raising her long fingers to her lips in concern.
“What’s this?” the Viscount asks, his jubilation evaporating immediately as he sinks back down, deflated onto his seat with a sigh. “The roué! The cad!”
“He’s not engaged, Bella.” Lettice affirms with a calming gesture. “Please! Don’t worry, Mamma and Pappa. If I could only exp…”
“Oh, what a relief!” Lady Sadie exclaims as she too sinks back into the comfortable confines of her chair, fanning her phlegmatic face with her handkerchief as she does. “Did you hear that, Cosmo? Selwyn is definitely not engaged.”
“Thank god! Err… then I apologise for what I just said about young Spencely.” The Viscount says in a softer voice, tinged with remorse.
“I don’t know how many more shocks I can take in one day.” Lady Sadie goes on, still fanning herself. “Really Lettice! You’ll give me a turn.”
“For goodness sake!” Leslie suddenly bursts. “Mamma! Pappa!” He eyes his parents with a steely gaze. “Please stop being melodramatic! This isn’t about you! Hush and let Tice tell us what she wants to.” He nods with approval as the pair sit meekly in their seats, both suddenly looking sheepish in their places. “Now. Please go on, Tice. You were about to say?”
“Thank you, Leslie.” Lettice acknowledges her brother’s help with gratitude in her voice. “There was no, as you put it, Mamma, ‘silly misunderstanding’.”
“What?” Lady Sadie gasps, raising the handkerchief to her mouth again. “But you just…”
“Selwyn is not engaged, Mamma.” Lettice quickly cuts her mother off. “And nor was he, to anyone. However, there was no misunderstanding around the news that he was, being reported to me. It was a deliberate, unkind and underhand act, directed solely at me to send me leaping into some else’s arms, be it John or anyone really, other than Selwyn.”
“As I recall, Tice” Leslie remarks. “You said that you were shown newspaper articles that professed to Spencely’s engagement to the daughter of a… a platinum mine owner’s daughter, was it?”
“A diamond mine heiress,” Lettice corrects her brother. “Named Kitty Avendale.” She pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath to steel herself before continuing, the memory of being shown the offensive articles by Lady Zinnia in her Park Lane mansion still hurtful to her. “But they were all fabricated, very convincingly, and that’s why I believed that Selwyn really was engaged. They seemed, they looked so genuine.”
“Fabricated?” Leslie asks.
“By whom, Tice?” queries his wife with concern. “Who could do such a horrible thing?”
“Who would be so bloody despicable… so damn deplorable?” the Viscount seethes, his shackles suddenly up.
“Language, Cosmo!” chides Lady Sadie, looking aghast at him from her seat across from his.
“Well!” blusters the Viscount. “I damn well think I have a right to be irked, Sadie, and express it too. The blighter deserves to be hauled up by his bootstraps******* for what he’s done to our daughter!”
“Or hers.” Bella suggests tentatively in a gentle voice.
“What?” the Viscount roars.
“Well it… it could be a lady who masterminded the fabrication, sir.” Bella continues timidly as she slips closer to her husband.
“Balderdash!” the Viscount retorts with a derisive snort, inadvertently cutting Lettice off as she goes to speak.
“Cosmo!” Lady Sadie exclaims again, looking reproachfully at her husband. “Really!”
However, the Viscount ignores her, focussing his attentions on his young daughter-in-law instead. “Don’t talk such nonsense, Arabella! No lady would be so deceitful, or sink so low.”
“Then your exposure to ladies is sadly lacking, dear Cosmo.” Lady Sadie counters with a doleful shake of her head. “In my experience, I have known women who would sink as low as to fabricate their version of the truth, or indeed slide lower still, and let nothing impede them from achieving what they set out to do to disguise the truth, cheat another or shift blame away from themselves.”
“For pity’s sake, Pappa and Mamma!” Leslie implores. “Do please hush and let Lettice finish her story.”
“It was Lady Zinnia.” Lettice announces plainly. “Lady Zinnia fabricated them all.”
“Zinnia?” the Viscount’s eyes grow wide. “Surely not! Why on earth would Zinnia do something as low as that?”
“I know we haven’t seen her since before the war,” Lady Sadie adds. “But in spite of that, she’s always been such a good friend to our family. Hasn’t she Cosmo?”
“Indeed yes, my dear!” the Viscount affirms, folding his arms akimbo across his chest in a defensive gesture. “I can hardly believe that a lady like Zinnia would do such a thing.”
Lettice remembers how Leslie has said in the past that their father and Lady Zinnia were close.
“Believe it or not, it is true.” Lettice counters with a stern tone. “And we are currently gathering evidence to support this.”
“We?” the Viscount asks.
“Gerald and I,” Lettice elucidates, mentioning her oldest and closest childhood chum.
“Gerald Bruton?” Lady Sadie queries in astonishment.
“Yes Mamma. Gerald has kindly engaged the services of a Pinkerton******** to pursue lines of enquiries in Durban and Nairobi that are stymied here by misplaced deference to the Duchess.”
“Oh Lettice! For shame!” Lady Sadie exclaims, grasping the elegant, gilded arms of her chair with a tightening grip.
“You’re mother is right, Lettice.” the Viscount chides his daughter, defending his wife’s outburst at the same time. “Hiring a Pinkerton, for whatever noble reason, is a grubby business! You don’t want to get your name mixed up with any of that kind of business.”
“Well, thanks to Gerald, I won’t be.” Lettice goes on with a smile. “No matter what happens. Gerald kindly arranged the engagement of a Mr. Cookson under his own name, rather than mine, keeping our family name out of the whole sordid business, at risk to his own reputation, should anything untoward happen.”
“Gerald did?” Lady Sadie asks in a surprised voice.
“He did, Mamma. In fact, one could go so far as to say that he insisted on it.”
“Really?” Lady Sadie remarks.
“That’s very selfless of him.” the Viscount opines. “I’ve always liked young Bruton, ever since he was a lad and the two of you were taking lessons together up in the schoolroom. Unlike Roland, he’s a good sort of chap.”
“Well, I have a good deal more to thank Gerald for than just arranging Mr. Cookson’s services.” Lettice goes on. “Were it not for Gerald, I would not have met Selwyn again. He was the one who ran into Selwyn during the General Strike, listened to what he had to say, which was more than I was prepared to do at that moment, and then convinced him to follow him to the volunteer canteen********* I was working in, and pleaded Selwyn’s case, imploring me to listen to him.”
“Sounds like Gerald has been a bit of a brick for you, Tice.” Leslie remarks.
“Oh, he has, Leslie. He’s been wonderful, throughout all of this.”
As Lady Sadie listens to her son and daughter, a sick feeling curdles her stomach as she silently starts to question the way she has treated Gerald since his unwelcome comments at her Hunt Ball back in 1922. She begins to realise that she may well have misjudged him.
“But why would Lady Zinnia be against your marrying her son, Lettice?” Arabella asks. “I thought you said that she had come to some sort of arrangement with Selwyn.”
“She had, or so we thought, Bella. Selwyn had agreed not to correspond with me for the year Lady Zinnia banished him to Durban, and in return, she agreed that if he returned feeling the same way about me as he did when he left, that she would allow us to marry. We were under the assumption that she would keep her end of the bargain, but really she had no such intentions. She wanted to bundle Selwyn off so she could start this elaborate ruse to trick me into believing that he was engaged to someone else, and no longer cared for me, so that I would then marry someone else.”
“But why would she be so against you two marrying, Tice?” Arabella goes on. “I don’t understand, especially if what Sadie says is true about her being such a good friend to the family.”
Lettice knows the truth regarding Lady Zinnia’s proposal of an elicit liaison with her father when both of them were married, and his subsequent refusal, which was the catalyst of her refusal to allow Lettice and Selwyn to marry, but she doesn’t want to embarrass her father, or upset her mother by telling the sordid tale, so she uses the half-truth Lady Zinnia told her.
“She doesn’t think our family is aristocratic enough. She thinks we’re too insignificant, and bucolic.”
“Rubbish!” the Viscount retorts. “Chetwynds can be traced back to Norman times, and can be found mentioned in the Doomsday Book**********! You can’t get a great deal more damn aristocratic, venerable and ancient than that!”
“She is using that as an excuse, Pappa. We know that. The fact is that as far as Lady Zinnia is concerned, Selwyn has no say in whom he will marry. It is entirely her decision, and she had other marriages planned which are advantageous to her.”
Lady Sadie’s face drains of colour as she remembers Gerald’s warning to her, albeit in a slurred and drunken way, at her Hunt Ball in 1922. He had tried to tell her that Selwyn would not be able to marry Lettice for love, and that Lady Zinnia would choose his future bride from amongst the matches she thought suitable. He tried to warn her and she didn’t listen. She remains locked in her own thoughts for a few minutes, allowing the burble of her daughter’s, son’s and husband’s voice to drift around her, bot listening, until Lettice says something that brings her back to the present situation with a jolt.
“There is something else I must tell you too, that Mr. Cookson has uncovered.” Lettice says seriously.
“That sounds rather foreboding, Lettice my girl.” The Viscount says.
“It’s not a pleasant revelation, Pappa.” his daughter admits.
“Best get on with it then, eh what?” the Viscount encourages her seriously.
“Though his investigations, Mr Cookson has found that Lionel has been complicit in the ruse regarding Selwyn’s fabricated engagement, which means he would be following, whether knowingly or not, Lady Zinnia’s instructions.”
“No!” Leslie exclaims. “Surely even Lionel wouldn’t stoop so low?”
“Wouldn’t he, Leslie?” Lettice asks rhetorically. “He hates us all, as he places the misfortunes he so foolishly brought upon himself, squarely at our feet.” She shakes her head slowly. “He was disparaging about my arrangement with Selwyn, which he had heard about either though a letter from Mamma, or the social pages of the London newspapers circulating in Nairobi. He told me that it would all end up being nothing at all. Wouldn’t it please him no end to see me punished, as he himself has been punished, by being part of ruining my chances of a happy marriage?”
“God Lionel is worse than a beast!” Leslie spits hotly. “To treat us all with such contempt.”
“He’s diabolical, Leslie darling.” Arabella remarks, soothing her husband by rubbing his arm gently.
“There is no such person as Kitty Avendale, but there is a girl matching Kitty’s likeness called Kathy Daleeth, who is employed by Lionel at his Charlie Chet horse breeding stud in the Aberdare Range***********. We believe that Lionel was passing Kathy off as Kitty at the Muthaiga Club in Nairobi, to establish her in British Kenyan************ society, before she moved on to Durban to further Lady Zinnia’s plans by appearing in as many photographs with Selwyn as she could, which could then be used by Lady Zinnia to help make the articles she showed me all the more convincing. What better proof is there than photographic proof?”
“He wrote to me…” Lady Sadie suddenly interjects in a dazed voice.
“Who did, Sadie?” the Viscount asks.
“Lionel.” she answers flatly. “He wrote to me a few times of a mysterious benefactress, who he claims is a British aristocrat of some significance, purportedly, who has a great passion for thoroughbreds and steeplechasers and paid him very good money, probably more than is prudent, for several thoroughbreds from his stud, to be shipped back here to England.”
“Could that mysterious benefactress be Lady Zinnia?” Leslie asks aloud.
“Yes, I remember you telling me about her earlier this year, Mamma.” Lettice goes on. “After you’d received a letter from Lionel. You said she preferred her anonymity and had deep pockets.”
“He hasn’t written to ask for your father to settle his drinking and gambling debts for months now, either.” Lady Sadie adds.
“What if she paid Lionel for more than just horses?” Leslie remarks in a whisper, his eyes darting to Lettice’s, holding her gaze.
“That damnable monster!” the Viscount suddenly bursts, roaring to life, getting to his feet. “That idiot! The fool!” he goes on angrily, his face reddening and contorting with rage.
“Careful Cosmo!” Lady Sadie exclaims. “Your blood pressure., dear”
“Oh to hell with my blood pressure, and to hell with Lionel too!” the Viscount yells angrily. “This is the very last straw! I shall punish him well and truly! I shall cut off his whole allowance! Let’s see how long he can live off his own ill gotten gains, gambling and carousing at the Muthaiga Club!”
“You’ll do no such thing, Pappa!” Lettice hurriedly interjects.
“What?” the older man’s tirade comes to a sudden halt.
“I said no, Pappa.” Lettice reiterates. “You won’t cut his allowance.”
“Now see here, my girl! I’m your father, and I can do what I damn well like with Lionel’s allowance!”
“Cosmo! Language please!” Lady Sadie implores her husband again.
“How can you defend that traitorous worm, when he’s trying to cause great injury to you, Tice?” Leslie asks.
“No, Pappa!” Lettice insists again. “You mustn’t cut his allowance, even if you want to do so.”
“Why the hell shouldn’t I? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t!”
“Because if you do, Pappa, you’ll be giving the game away. All that work that Mr. Cookson has done in uncovering what he has for me thus far, will all be for naught.” Lettice sighs heavily before continuing, “Lady Zinnia will see the game is afoot, and like a startled deer she will vanish. Mr. Cookson is still making connections between Lady Zinnia, Lionel and these fabricated newspaper articles. Selwyn and I need definitive proof to set before Lady Zinnia. Without that, she’ll never agree to our marrying. Whereas, if we confront her with irrefutable proof of her scheming, and we threaten to expose her wrongdoings, she can’t refuse us. So please Pappa,” She looks imploringly to her father. “Don’t sever Lionel’s allowance. Just let it continue as normal, so he doesn’t suspect anything.”
“Tice has a point, Pappa.” Leslie remarks. “And a good one at that.”
“But it sticks in my craw, to pay my own son to be duplicitous and undermine his sister.” the Viscount mutters as he shakes his head.
“It does in mine too, Cosmo,” Lady Sadie says gently. “But Lettice is right. You’d be declaring something was afoot, and since Lionel can’t have done anything here in England to raise your ire to cause a cut to his allowance, and since, despite what he says, he must know he is aiding Zinnia to ruin Lettice’s happiness, he would report it back to her, and then we would no longer be on the front foot.”
“We, Mamma?” Lettice asks.
“Of course Lettice.” Lady Sadie says matter-of-factly, brushing down her skirt. “When one of us is in a tight corner, we all come together to assist him,” She coughs lightly. “Or her. And sometimes,” She turns and looks at her husband, giving him a hard stare. “That means stepping back from our natural reactions and doing what is right for the greater good.”
“Oh!” grumbles the Viscount begrudgingly. “Oh alright. I won’t penalise Lionel.”
“Very good, Cosmo.” Lady Sadie replies with a curt nod of approval. Returning her gaze to her daughter she goes on with a steely tone. “There we are, Lettice. The issue of alerting that ghastly Zinnia woman is rectified.”
“Mamma!” Lettice gasps in surprise.
The older woman picks up her teacup and leans forward to take up the silver teapot, before topping up her half empty vessel. “It might still come as a surprise to you, Lettice my dear, but your father isn’t the only one who loves you out of the two of us.”
“For now!” the Viscount barks before the astonished Lettice can reply. He seethes inn his seat with a look of thunder on his face, his arms crossed over his slightly podgy stomach as it protrudes from his golden yellow shepherd’s check waistcoat**************. “He will get his comeuppance, Sadie. I’ll make sure of that!”
“Yes, yes, of course you will, Cosmo dear.” his wife replies with a dismissive air as she settles back in her seat. “You may punish him as harshly as you see fit,” She pauses and stirs her cup of tea with her teaspoon looking like the cat who ate the cream*************** as she stares up at Lettice triumphantly. “Once Lettice firmly has that wedding ring on her finger, and not a moment before.”
*The 1926 General Strike was a nine-day nationwide stoppage in the United Kingdom between the third and twelfth of May. It was called by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to support over a million coal miners facing wage cuts and longer hours. Following "Black Friday" in 1921, miners faced a lockout after refusing "not a penny off the pay, not an hour on the day" wage reductions and longer hours. About one point seven million workers paralysed transport, printing, and heavy industries temporarily. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin's Conservative government declared a state of emergency, using volunteers and the military to maintain essential supplies and transport. The government produced the British Gazette to counter the strikers' message. The TUC ended the strike on May the twelfth, 1926, fearing it was moving toward a revolutionary, anti-democratic action. The miners remained locked out until the autumn, eventually accepting lower pay and longer hours, without securing any concessions.
**Gunter’s (officially Gunter’s Tea Shop) was London’s most famous and exclusive confectionery, catering, and high-society eatery. The business was founded in 1757 at numbers 7 to 8 Berkeley Square, in Mayfair, by an Italian pastry chef named Domenico Negri. He originally named it The Pot and Pineapple. The pineapple was chosen because it was the ultimate Georgian symbol of wealth, luxury, and exotic indulgence. In 1777, an Englishman named James Gunter entered into a partnership with Negri. By 1799, Gunter became the sole proprietor and rebranded the establishment under his own name. In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, freezing technology was rare and expensive. Gunter’s became globally renowned for its exotic "ices," sorbets, and ice creams. They served dramatic flavours like pine, bergamot, maple, jasmine, and even Parmesan, often frozen into intricate pewter moulds shaped like fruits or meats. Gunter’s was famous for a unique social phenomenon. Because the shop itself was small, wealthy patrons would park their open-topped horse carriages under the plane trees of Berkeley Square. Waiters would dodge traffic to sprint across the road, bringing rapidly melting ice cream right to the carriages. Gunter's wasn't just a cafe; they were massive high-end event caterers. They provided the food, multi-tiered "bride cakes," and sugar architecture for royal balls and elite weddings, including making the wedding cake for Queen Victoria’s granddaughter in 1889.
***The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners. The hotel became Carte's most successful venture. Its bands, Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, became famous. Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch at the hotel. The hotel is now managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It has been called "London's most famous hotel". It has two hundred and sixty seven guest rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Thames Embankment. The hotel is a Grade II listed building.
****Andirons (also known as fire dogs) are two metal stands placed parallel inside a hearth. Each one has a horizontal bar (known as the “log rest”), a decorative vertical front post and short rear legs to keep the logs raised. Their job is simple: keep the logs off the hearth floor so air can circulate beneath them, making the fire burn hotter and cleaner.
*****The Times Personal Column desk at Printing House Square – sometimes referred to as the Announcements Desk or the Personal Advertisements Office – was the section of The Times devoted to engagements, marriages, deaths, in memoriam notices, social announcements and the withdrawals of engagements. It was staffed by clerks who handled paid personal notices, including the discreet “The engagement will not take place” type. Families could also refer to it as the Announcements Desk, which was the internal name used by The Times for the department.
******A broken engagements were announced in The Times in the 1920s, but only in a very specific, socially formal way, and not nearly as commonly as engagements themselves. They were usually printed as a short formal notice. This was considered the proper upper class method of publicly withdrawing an engagement that had already been announced in the paper. These notices were brief, discreet, never gave reasons as to why the engagement was no longer subsisting, and was placed in the Personal Column of the newspaper. Such announcements were used by families who had social standing, property, or public visibility. A secretary, solicitor, or family member would: telephone The Times Personal Column desk at Printing House Square, dictate the wording (always brief and formal), approve the proofread back over the telephone and arrange payment. Alternatively, if the family had to wish to deal with the matter themselves, they could send a typed letter or have their solicitor manage it on their behest. For the upper classes, The Times was the official record of social events. Placing a withdrawal through the Personal Column prevented gossip, signalled propriety and ensured the matter was handled with dignity. It was the correct and expected channel.
*******The phrase “to be hauled up by your bootlaces” is a British idiom from the late Nineteenth Century, meaning to be forced to improve oneself, behave better, or face discipline, usually by one’s own effort or by a stern authority. It’s related to the older metaphor of pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps, but with a distinctly British, slightly humorous, slightly scolding flavour.
********A “Pinkerton” is a private detective, and refers to the Pinkerton Detective Agency, founded by Allan Pinkerton, known for its historical role in labour disputes and spying. For decades after Allan Pinkerton's death, his name became a slang term for any private investigator, regardless of whether they worked for the Pinkerton Agency or not. Today, the agency (now simply called Pinkerton) focuses on risk management, intelligence, and security services.
*********During the 1926 General Strike, the volunteer canteens — often staffed by "titled ladies" to feed volunteers maintaining essential services — were largely organized and supported by the upper classes, society women, and the government's emergency volunteer network. Women from high society and the aristocracy, including Lady Louis Mountbatten, Lady Quilter, Lady Mary Ashley Cooper, and Lady Carmichael-Anstruther, participated in and helped manage these canteens. Canteens, such as those overseen by a "Mrs. Loeffler" at Scotland House and similar efforts in Hyde Park, provided food and refreshments to the thousands of middle-class volunteers, such as special constables, who broke the strike. These canteens were part of a coordinated effort by the Conservative government to maintain essential services and counter the strike's effectiveness. The focus of these efforts was to support the volunteer workforce—such as the "special constables"—to keep services running, as opposed to the soup kitchens operated in mining communities by workers' wives to support the miners.
**********The surname Chetwynd is one of England’s older aristocratic names, traceable to the Norman period and firmly rooted in Staffordshire. The name derives from Chetwynd, a manor near Newport, Shropshire, recorded in Domesday Book (1086) as Cetewinde or Chetewinde. The family took its name from this estate soon after the Norman Conquest. By the Twelfth Century, members of the de Chetwynd family appear in charters and land grants connected with Shropshire and Staffordshire. Records show that the Chetwynd family goes from medieval Staffordshire gentry into the British peerage by the early 1700s.
***********The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range) is a one hundred mile long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of thirteen thousand one hundred and thirty feet. It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nyeri, Muranga, Kiambu and Laikipia.
************The Muthaiga Club is a club in Nairobi. It is located in the suburb of Muthaiga, about fifteen minutes’ drive from the city centre. The Muthaiga Country Club opened on New Year's Eve in 1913, and became a gathering place for the colonial British settlers in British East Africa, which later became in 1920, the Colony of Kenya.
*************The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in 1920. Technically, the "Colony of Kenya" referred to the interior lands, with a ten mile coastal strip, nominally on lease from the Sultan of Zanzibar, was the "Protectorate of Kenya", but the two were controlled as a single administrative unit. The colony came to an end in 1963 when an ethnic Kenyan majority government was elected for the first time and eventually declared independence as the Republic of Kenya.
**************Shepherd’s check is a popular pattern for a rather sturdy tweed, commonly worn in the country. Coming in various colours and pattern styles, the small check version in black and white is commonly known as Pepita check in Germanic countries.
***************The British phrase, "the cat that ate the cream" means that someone looks extremely pleased with themselves, smug, self-satisfied, or quietly triumphant. It appears to have developed in the late Nineteenth Century. It is based on the familiar sight of a cat that has successfully helped itself to cream and is now feeling very pleased indeed. Historically, cream was considered a particularly rich and desirable food. A cat that had managed to steal it had obtained something better than ordinary milk, so it became a natural metaphor for someone enjoying an unexpected success or advantage. This interpretation is reflected in explanations of the idiom that connect it to a cat contentedly licking its whiskers after consuming cream.
This grand Georgian interior may appear like something out of a historical stately country house, but it is in fact part of my 1:12 miniatures collection and includes items from my childhood, as well as those I have collected as an adult.
Fun things to look for in this tableau include:
The Palladian console table to the left of the fireplace, with their golden caryatids and marble is one of a pair was commissioned by me from American miniature artisan Peter Cluff. Peter specialises in making authentic and very realistic high quality 1:12 miniatures that reflect his interest in Georgian interior design. His work is highly sought after by miniature collectors worldwide. This pair of tables are one-of-a-kind and very special to me.
The petit point gilt salon chair and the gilt footstool are made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq, but what is particularly special about them is that they have been covered in antique Austrian floral micro petit point by V.H. Miniatures in the United Kingdom, which also makes them one-of-a-kind pieces. The artisan who made them says that as one of her hobbies, she enjoys visiting old National Trust Houses in the hope of getting some inspiration to help her create new and exciting miniatures. She saw some beautiful petit point chairs a few years ago in one of the big houses in Derbyshire and then found exquisitely detailed petit point that was fine enough for 1:12 scale projects.
The silver tea and coffee set on the central chinoiserie tea table, have been made with great attention to detail, and come from Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. The wonderful selection of biscuits on offer were made by Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering. The gilt tea table in the middle of the photo on which they all stand is made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq.
The gilt edged floral teacups placed around the drawing room and plate on the table come from a miniatures specialist stockist on E-Bay.
To the left of the photo stands an artisan bonheur de jour (French lady's writing desk). A gift from my Mother when I was in my twenties, she had obtained this beautiful piece from an antique auction. Made in the 1950s of brass it is very heavy. It is set with hand-painted enamel panels featuring Rococo images. Originally part of a larger set featuring a table and chairs, or maybe a settee as well, individual pieces from these hand-painted sets are highly collectable and much sought after. I never knew this until the advent of E-Bay!
The elegant ornaments that decorate the surfaces of the Chetwynd’s palatial drawing room very much reflect the Eighteenth Century spirit of the room.
On the centre of the mantlepiece stands a Rococo carriage clock that has been hand painted and gilded with incredible attention to detail by British 1:12 miniature artisan, Victoria Fasken. To the left of the clock is a porcelain pot of yellow and blue petunias which has been hand made and painted by 1:12 miniature ceramicist Ann Dalton. To the left of the vase of petunias is a Staffordshire sheep – one of a pair – which have been hand made, painted and gilded by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. If you look closely, you will see that the sheep actually has a smile on its face!
Another, larger example of Ann Dalton’s petunia posies stands on the Peter Cluff Palladian console table and is flanked by two mid Victorian (circa 1850) hand painted child’s tea set pieces. The sugar bowl and milk jug have been painted to imitate Sèvres porcelain.
On the bombe chest behind the Louis settee stand a selection of 1950s Limoges miniature tea set pieces which I have had since I was a teenager. Each piece is individually stamped on its base with a green Limoges stamp. Also on the bombe chest sit two Georgian tea caddies which come from Warwick Miniatures in Ireland, who are well known for the quality and detail applied to their pieces. In the centre of these pieces stands a sterling silver three prong candelabra made by an unknown artisan. They have actually fashioned a putti (cherub) holding the stem of the candelabra. The candles that came with it are also 1:12 artisan pieces and are actually made of wax.
The floral vase on the side table containing pink roses made by Beautifully Handmade Miniatures in Kettering, is another example of 1950s Limoges, and like the tea set on the bombe chest, it features a green Limoges stamp. The vase containing cream roses is also a 1950s Limoges piece with a green backstamp.
The three piece Louis XV suite of settee and two armchairs was made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, JBM.
The Hepplewhite chair with the lemon satin upholstery you can just see behind the pink roses was made by the high-end miniature furniture maker, Bespaq.
All the paintings around the Glynes drawing room in their gilded frames are 1:12 artisan pieces made by Amber’s Miniatures in the United States and V.H. Miniatures in the United Kingdom, and the wallpaper is an authentic copy of hand-painted Georgian wallpaper of Chinese lanterns from the 1770s.
The Georgian style fireplace I have had since I was a teenager and is made from moulded plaster.
The Persian rug on the floor has been woven by Pike, Pike and Company in the United Kingdom.
In the Garden of the Goddess
The blazing eye of Dawn is all to fools:
those who see the joy
in Light expressed as Light,
but brightness also graces Night.
Her veil parted, the black curtain
giving way to shades of blue and gold,
Her rapturous embrace inspiring eyes beholden.
Planted in Her garden, neighboring eaves
rustling in their trembling eagerness to share their leaves!
For in Her realm eternal, flawless
clay of earth and blade of grass
stretch forth to feel the loving light
of their supernal Goddess!
Her joy ran rampant through my boughs,
my swaying branches spreading wide
to grasp the rays of her horizon --
With love untainted as a child's, so boundless
as my selfless roots cried out to sing her praises soundless!
No dalliance ever felt before complete
until this blessed revelation -
this, Her holy emanation, warmed my heart,
annulled my restless reason:
She was every mother: deepest love
in understanding all that came of Her,
enclosing us within the circular.
*She beckoned but a moment by Her brilliance; best,
lest I uprooted trunk and earth to shade Her manifest.
ગુરુદેવનાં ચરણમાં કરીએ કરોડ વંદન,
પરબ્રમ્હના ચરણમાં કરીએ કરોડ વંદન...
ભવજળને તારનારા, નાવિક તમે અમારા;
હે દીનબંધુ પ્યારા... કરીએ
અમે દીન હીન આવ્યા, ના સાથ કાંઈ લાવ્યા;
તમે પ્રેમથી સ્વીકાર્યા... કરીએ
હે શ્રિહરીના સાથી, શ્રીજી સમા પ્રતાપી;
અંતર વસેલ સાક્ષી... કરીએ
તમે જ્ઞાનવાણી વરસ્યા, અમે તોય રહ્યા તરસ્યા;
અરે ! તોય હૈયાં હરખ્યા... કરીએ
વસજો સદા નયનમાં, અને રાખજો શરણમાં;
અમ વાસ હો ચરણમાં... કરીએ
જનમદિવસના અભીનંદંન
Happy Birthday to my Guru P.P. Pramukh Swami Maharaj
Vane is a lensless vanity frame to decorate your face. Comes in 7 metals
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While you're there, pick up a tin of tea biscuits. Dispenses two flavors of holdable cookies for your guests, with a choice of hand or mouth holds.
Festive in design but purposefully not so festive you couldn't use them year round.
Both at the mainstore
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Renzio/15/8/22
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Thank you all who supported me this year. Your honest and selfless consistency is why I continue to do this. I see you and appreciate you. Much love and Happy Holidays.
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Psalm 58:3 “The wicked go astray from the womb; liars wander about from birth.”
“UN chief warns world leaders ‘Earth’s vital signs are failing’”
Vital signs...the overall picture of Earth’s health is grim…nooOOOooOoOoooo! Survival of the fittest: the earth’s planetary life cycle is coming to an end. It’s going to go extinct. It’s going to go out with a Big Bang. We’re doomed!
United Nations, please save me…I’m scared! Please bring in your authoritarian New World Order and rule over me. Please declare a climate emergency and lock me down in my house so that I can evolve into a slave. Please feed me bugs…please…please!
“Bill Gates: Africans need GENETICALLY MODIFIED seeds and chickens to fight ‘climate change’”
Cha Ching, Cha Ching, selfless Gates is saving the planet by getting richer. Isn’t it great to be a filthy rich philanthropist? Please own our food supply, please own us, king Gates. All hail, jester Gates! Please enslave us, please depopulate us…please…I beg you!
I am not prepared to bury my head in the sand and pretend that everything is alright when it is in fact the opposite.
I am not prepared to turn and walk away when I know that I should stand and face it all.
I am not prepared to close my eyes to unpleasant things and to stand by without taking action when needed to save a life.
Neither should you
La Iglesia Franciscana del barrio Ybaroty fue construída hacia 1944 y se trata de una verdadera obra de arte. Es producto del trabajo desinteresado y sacrificado de Don Vicente Benítez Vera, impulsada por los padres Carlos Anasagasti y Pedro Zubizarreta; hasta que se convirtió en el resultado de un proceso que comenzó en 1939 cuando los Franciscanos retornaron. Está inspirada en la arquitectura medieval europea combinando el románico con el gótico, estilos en los cuales tiene gran influencia. Una verdadera evocación a la cultura y religiosidad. (bienvenidoaparaguay.com)
The Franciscan Church of the Ybaroty neighborhood was built around 1944 and it is a true work of art. It is the product of the selfless and sacrificial work of Don Vicente Benítez Vera, promoted by priests Carlos Anasagasti and Pedro Zubizarreta; until it became the result of a process that began in 1939 when the Franciscans returned. It is inspired by European medieval architecture combining Romanesque with Gothic, styles in which it has great influence. A true evocation of culture and religiosity.
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IMG_2736
This past week I got to shoot with Joel Robison, aka Boy Wonder. His kindness and selflessness surpassed even his genuine online persona, and my heart melted when I hugged him. He did a photo of me and I did one of him, pictured here, and it was a dream come true! I shot with so many photographers last week and it was really and truly a transformational experience, getting to meet so many new and kind people.
This picture is adding to my series "Fears & Fairytales". I first posted a picture from it a while back and have been quietly adding, not mentioning when the series has been extended, so I want to share this new blog post with you detailing the 6 pictures I have created for it so far: shadenproductions.com/blog/2013/01/06/series-fears-fairyt...
And, if you have the time, an additional blog post that is very dear to my heart, on the subject of competition: shadenproductions.com/blog/2013/01/05/the-thing-about-com...
Close up images of the carvings in the wood, one of which was there already and serves as the namesake for the image, and the two others which were my doing:
I went to go to the wild side of the Ardnamurchan peninsula and noticed these five, small feathers stuck to the car door. There was something in the composition I liked so I grabbed the shot. I had no idea how they came to be stuck to the car door like this. Later I was chuntering over 'five feathers' convinced I had read some war story, involving spies, called the Five Feathers. Googling it I found there is a book of that name, but this is how it is described:
Five Feathers is a delightfully illustrated book about a selfless little bird who generously gives away his five magical tail feathers to help those in need: a frigid bunny, a frightened doe, an injured beaver, a saddened little girl, and an alarmed mother possum, and in the end he himself receives a marvelous transformation. It is a tale of open hearted generosity. In a time when we are being asked to step up ever more frequently to help those in need, it is a good lesson for children and adults alike. Parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves children will want to give this as a gift, and read it often.
It seems that lately I have lots of friends dealing with lots of pain right now - sickness, personal crisis, death... Isn't it wonderful, though, that God has given us "Angels on Earth"? Those selfless people who are always there to help others when times are tough. Do you know people like this? What would we do without these people? I have seen so many selfless acts in the past few weeks. It so warms my heart in a world that can sometimes seem so cold.
Midi-Pyrenees, France
April, 2009
.... Canada’s Sovereign for over 70 years, Head of State in fourteen other countries and Head of the 56-member Commonwealth of Nations. Supported by her husband, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen visited every province and territory of Canada over 22 visits, met many thousands of Canadians from all walks of life, and had a particularly warm relationship of mutual respect with the First Nations of this land. For the vast majority of Canadians, she is the only monarch we have ever known, and her passing is a significant moment in our common life together. We give thanks to her life of selfless service and duty and service to our nation and the Commonwealth. ....
Eustache de Saint-Pierre was the oldest of the six burghers and the first to volunteer to sacrifice to save his native city.The Calais city council originally suggested this figure as the focus of Rodin's monument,but the artist chose to give all five burghers equal stature.
The historical narrative states that the surrendering burghers wore shirts and breeches,but Rodin decided to clad his figures in nonspecific drapery.Their timeless appearance contributes to the monument's function as a broader symbol of selfless patriotic heroism-Brooklyn Museum
for you.
Yogi Tea Fortune Collaboration #1
365 | 14
This is a collaboration with the wonderful Joel Robison This series is inspired by Yogi Tea and its individual fortunes that are on each tea bag. We thought it would an adventure to see each others interpretations of these fortunes:)
Valentines Day 2009...
This day is one of the most memorable days Ive ever had. It was a day filled with love, admiration, selflessness and joy. For the past month I fought so hard to save the love that meant so much to me. A love that while far from perfect at times, was the most amazing love I've had the privilege of. And in a matter of milliseconds I simultaneously destroyed it with backward thinking and logic, and broke the heart of a girl who tried so hard to let me back in... I love the woman whom I shared this day with so very much, and I will regret this poor choice of mine until the day I die. I regret all my poor choices in regards to her.
If you love someone, cherish them. Do right by them. Be selfless as much as humanly possible. and never act in ways you know will damage that love simply because you are hurt. Think about the things you say when you are upset thoroughly... It could very well be the last chance youll ever have to express yourself to that person.
I love you Priyanka and I'm terribly sorry for hurting you.
"The people of Latvia are thankful to the medics in Latvia and all over the world for their selfless service during the COVID-19 pandemic and have put up a monument by a famous Latvian artist to health care personnel, supported by donations of almost 20 local companies," said a release from the organizers of the initiative.
The six-meter-high sculpture "Medics to the World" shows a female medic who has just come out of the treatment room and is getting ready for her next shift.
引人注目的紅色蜻蜓停在水岸步道上，不知是歇息或者等待。
公園熙來攘往的人潮，也沒有將它打擾，彷彿一切置身度外。
The red dragonfly is docked on the waterfront trail, I do not know whether to rest or wait, The bustle of people in the park, Also didn't bother it, As if the state of selflessness.
i went to my favourite part of the woods at my favourite time of day and it was lovely, there will be more of these uploaded soon
this is summing up my mood fairly well. oh well.
i guess i am learning that sometimes there are no solutions and not everything can be solved in a way that makes everyone happy and sometimes you have to be selfless and not pay attention to what you want or what makes you happy and that really really sucks but it needs to be accepted and made the best of, which is not even the tiniest bit easy (reading back over things I've written when I was feeling profound makes me cringe ew)
but i will stop going on now
big loves, always x
...is watched over by the images of the 9th and 10th rulers of the Thai Chakri Dynasty, King Rama the 9th, on the left, in the round gold frame on the traffic island, and King Rama the 10th, his son, on the side of the building in the center. The monarchs are loved and revered in Thailand, and their pictures are displayed everywhere, especially # 9, who ruled for 70 years of impeccably selfless public service. Yellow is the royal color. -- Bangkok, Thailand -- November 30, 2018
Eight weeks ago, my daughter made the very difficult decision to send the kids to their dad's place. She made this sacrifice because of the dangers inherent in working in a seniors residence. However, her place has been virus free for many many weeks, and it was time for the kids to come home. I don't know if tears were shed during this hug, but there certainly were moist eyes here upon seeing the photo. (Taken by their dad, I presume.)
I am proud of my daughter for making this selfless decision, and I am thrilled that they are back together.
© AnvilcloudPhotography
Love of God is not just a feeling but always involves showing love for God by selfless service to God’s creation. The only path to salvation is by rendering selfless service to God’s creation. “Seva brings you nearer to God Through seva, you realize that all are waves of the ocean of Divinity. “When you consider work as Divine service, you can do it anywhere, at any time. It is an offering to God, an offering to the Truth. Seva is uplifting your own Self, your own people, your own world. It is embracing God’s creation”.
To Know More About Saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji, Kindly Visit- omnipresencegod.wordpress.com
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Designation: DSC-24L
Class: Deep Space Cargo Ship
Weight: a lot
Length: 2,400 ft
Height: 1,600 ft
Capacity: 780 intermodal containers (840 on short-range re-outfits)
Manufacturer: Titan Origins, Inc.
Launched: March 2179
Number Manufactured: 1600
The DSC-24L is a heavyweight, long-range, deep-space cargo freighter. It is designed to house both crew and cargo in comfortable spaces for journeys of up to 36 months. The name "Camel" is a casual moniker, so dubbed for its ability to go incredible distances without refueling and resupplying, thanks to the massive hull and even bigger fuel tanks. Cargo is stored in the bow, just below the pilot deck. The ring is Titan Origins' claim to fame: the company finally solved the years-long problem of atmospheric re-entry for deep-space freighters by building the ships around a huge stabilizing ring. This breakthrough helped drop re-entry burnups by 41% from 2179 to 2184. In an unheard-of but widely praised move, Titan Origins did not patent their design; instead, they shared it with competitors and the wider market. Thanks to the selflessness of Titan Origins, experts estimate about 170,000 crewmembers are saved from death by atmospheric re-entry burnup.
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Brought this little fella to BrickUniverse Jax this past month and had blast. Hoping to bring it to BrickFanExpo in Jax later this year, though I will have to put it back together because it did not survive the trip back home. Aesthetics over strength has always been a weakness of mine, and it really shows in big projects.
This is biggest Lego project I've ever done solo. It's 110 studs long without the antenna. I initially started it in August 2024 with the hopes to have it done by the end of SHIPtember. LMAO. Hope y'all enjoy, and thanks for reading this far!
-Josiah
Its face is permanently engraved with this subtle, potent smile,
As if a smile were the only facial gesture worth making,
And it had therefore settled into a genetic trait:
The emblem of its seductive ability
To disarm a fellow-creature -
Whom it should have been persuaded
Was its most intractable enemy -
By the only safe method: making friends.
...
And close to,
Drawn into the dolphin's force-field,
Smitten by the shamanistic glimmer
In an eye that distils a life-long exposure
To another, rarer state of things,
You too are alchemically touched -
And when asked what it was like
Will find yourself saying, 'It was beautiful,'
Unselfconscious with the obviousness of the word.
.....
At the last glimpse
Still glowing with that selfless zen smile,
Leaving you to a more familiar cold
And the dubious journey home.
Excerpts from "Falling For A Dolphin" a dramatic poem by Heathcote Williams
Yesterday, we visited my home town of Cardigan in West Wales. We called in to the town hall indoor market, where we used to run a second-hand bookstall.
These rather amazing willow dolphins were suspended from the very high rafters. I did not see Ronny, the caretaker, to ask who had made them, but I would suspect it is the same lady who made the Willow Ladies in the festival.
Living in the Cardigan Bay area, I have on occasion encountered these oh so beautiful creatures....they never fail to lift the spirits. They make me laugh and the wonder of them makes me cry.
The Spanish municipal areas are selfless, built for the people to be enjoyed by the people: Regardless of stature and financial status.
She is the epitome of unconditional love, she is the strength of every child, and she is the anchor for every emotion. A small dedication to all mothers for your selflessness. Happy Mothers’ Day!!!
Submitted as my best shot from 2015!
Background Story: I had been living on the island of Oahu in Hawaii for over two years, by the time 2015 rolled around, but had yet to visit any of the other islands. And, with the decision to leave my career path and therefore the island made, I was on a deadline. So, one of my really selfless friends let me use him visiting as an excuse to go to the Big Island of Hawaii, which, if I had to choose an island to visit, that was the one I wanted, because VOLCANOES. So, we staid at Volcanoes National Park, literally a five minute walk away from the Halema'uma'u Crater on Kilauea Volcano, and took full advantage of the closeness to go out to the crater at night for some of the most amazing stargazing I've ever experienced. Seriously, it looked like the milky way was coming out of the crater! Like, the smoke blended in perfectly with the stream of stars, overhead. It was breathtaking (and very very cold)! I never met a lady in white with her dog walking along a path, no Pele encounters for me on the big island, but being out there at midnight, watching the earth give birth to the stars, I wouldn't have doubted for a second had I met her or her sister.
A special day of remembering in our hearts, the bravery, selflessness and sacrafices, all made for our freedom.
“Aliit ori’shya tal’din” Family is more than blood. Redwing was a man of respect, admiration and family. He believed in his brothers more than any trainer, he was there for them no matter what. The men under his command felt that first hand, often being treated medically by the commander himself. He wielded a blade, known as a vibrojato, gifted to him by a father who fashioned it for him after Redwing saved his son. Redwing’s mentor and tutor, Jedi Master Lee Kailon taught him and a few of his brothers of ancient species in the Unknown regions. Selfless beings, ones who would give without thoughts of receiving, in the service of pure good. These species were plentiful. But along with these peaceful stories came tales of murderous beings slaughtering all that stood near enough to strike down. He was almost one of them, losing his mother and father to a purge like these. He was saved by the council, given a home and a purpose. The republic had allowed him to live a new life, free from the fear and chaos the unknown regions were known for. He taught us that without the republic we would not be here, “We owe our lives in service of this republic, as it gave us life and will save all that it touches, FOR THE REPUBLIC!!” Kailon gave his life in service of his precious republic, the separatists brought the fear and chaos back into his life and they would pay dearly for such a mistake. Kailon took many battles by his pure determination, he was committed to his cause like no other jedi. Rarely seen doing anything between meditation, caring for his men or smashing clankas. He was a true jedi and would be Redwing’s inspiration forever, striving to serve the republic as he did, selflessly and with purpose. He wears the dark red to signify the honor his master deserves, teaching his troops the lessons he remembers like it were one rotation ago.
The illuminated Christus Statue shines prominently on a still dark Exhibition Road, London. No matter what your religious persuasion, the principles of kindness, love, selflessness, and service light the way and bring peace in an unsettled world.
Poko is a very selfless little guy, he will do whatever he can to help you out, if you are feeling a little down, he will cheer you up, and that's just the way he is.
Poko can be use as decoration for your home, but he is also soft and well made to be use as a toy, great for stocking stuffer, and just sooo cute to look at!
He is made of red felt, details in pink, brown, white, yellow and blue felt. Measurements are 5 1/2(15cm) inches tall and 6 inches wide from the widest part.
All my creations are 100% carefully hand-stitched.
Just playing with colours and curves in photoshop lately. There is so much I have to learn and keep up with learning. It's great to have a project to grow with.
I struggle so deeply
to understand
how someone can
pour their entire soul
blood and energy
into someone
without wanting
anything in
return.
I will have to wait till I'm a mother.
-Rupi Kaur
To celebrate Mother's day and my sister's Birthday we went to a Butterfly Conservatory! The grounds outside the conservatory were gorgeous, parts even reminded me of Versailles.