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A dip in to the Treasure Hunt for today's image. This open shell was beachcombed from Tasmania
Shell #61 for the Treasure Hunt
On 7 July 2025 the We're Here group were spotting Shells.
Several of the steps at South Staffordshire golf course are surfaced with shells. I don't know why; the course is a long way from the coast.
Not many pictures of this have a figure beside it for scale. Eagle eyed viewers may notice how far the tide goes out. There's a figure dead centre of the shot
Shell Grotto, Hampton Court House, The Green, East Molesey, KT8 9BS. Photo taken during Open House London weekend.
The Sydney Opera House nests its shells into a stunning piece of architecture - the Thames Barrier keeps them separate (and identical) and much more mundane.
The Thames Barrier spans 520m across the River Thames near Woolwich, and it protects 125 square kilometres of central London from flooding caused by tidal surges. It has 10 steel gates that can be raised into position across the River Thames. When raised, the main gates stand as high as a five-storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each main gate weighs 3,300 tonnes.
The barrier is closed under storm surge conditions to protect London from flooding from the sea. It may also be closed during periods of high flow over Teddington Weir to reduce the risk of river flooding in some areas of west London including Richmond and Twickenham.
The Thames Barrier will then remain closed over high water until the water level downstream of the Thames Barrier has reduced to the same level as upstream. This is a managed process to provide for different circumstances, and takes about five hours. The Thames Barrier is then opened, allowing the water upstream to flow out to sea with the outward-bound tide.
The Environment Agency has closed the Thames Barrier 174 times since it became operational in 1982 (as of July 2014). Of these closures, 87 were to protect against tidal flooding and 87 were to alleviate river flooding. The frequency of closures has increased over recent decades:
In the 1980s there were 4 closures
In the 1990s there were 35 closures
In the 2000s there were 75 closures
In the 2010s there were 65 closures (as of July 2014)
The barrier is currently expected to be in service until at least 2030, and possibly as far into the future as 2070, although scientists and academics are already suggesting that a replacement needs construction now.
Seen at low tide on a sunny October morning.
In 2001, Ron Bidwell, a signwriter by trade, together with his fellow "Letterheads" recreated vintage signs dating from 1895 to 1945 on local shop walls in Portland NSW. ‘Painting Portland’ was a project initiated by Ron Bidwell and completed during the Letterheads Wallnuts Weekend, in 2001. Thirty four signwriters travelled to Portland to work with locals to restore and reproduce advertising used in the early part of the 20th Century. Goanna Salve, Kinkara Tea, Bushell’s Tea, Mother’s Choice Flour, Uncle Toby’s Oats, Arnott’s Biscuits, Toohey’s Flag Ale, Solvol, Federal Safety Matches and Swagsman Blend Tea are a selection from the colourful Signs of Yesteryear.
Shell and lichen. Cape Liptrap Coastal Park, Victoria, Australia
(2023-08-02_T2396TY_BearGully_DxO_crop1)
...the shells she sells,
are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells
on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells
Seashore shells!.
Close-up of a single exotic seashell on a rustic cloth.
Prints available at society6.com/product/shell-4_print.
The Otomatic self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) was developed as a private venture by the Italian company, OTO Melara, in the mid-1980s. The first prototype was completed in 1987 and it is seen here at the 1988 Farnborough Air Show. The Otomatic was never accepted into service, even though it out-performs many self-propelled anti-aircraft systems.
It is fitted with a 76mm automatic gun, which is a variant of OTO Melara's very popular 76mm naval gun. Its rate of fire was increased from 85 to 120 rpm, firing in six-round bursts, using fragmentation rounds against air targets. Armour-piercing rounds were available for use against ground targets. A total of 70 rounds can be carried.
Such a powerful gun was selected for the SPAAG because of its long range. The Otomatic can engage helicopters at six kilometres range, before they release their anti-tank guided weapons. Range against aircraft is 4 km and over 2 km against light armored vehicles. It was also suggested that it could also be used in a coastal defence role!
The Otomatic has all-weather operational capability, being fitted with search and tracking radars, an optronic aiming and tracking system and a digital fire-control system. Aircraft can be tracked at 15 km and helicopters at 8 km. It can track 8-24 air targets simultaneously. The vehicle has a datalink interface for target acquisition and designation from external sources.
The turret armour provides protection against small-arms fire and artillery shell splinters. It is fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire-suppression systems.
The Otomatic SPAAG used the chassis of the OF-40 main battle tank powered by the MTU MB 837 Ka-500 diesel engine, developing 750 hp.
Scanned from a negative.