View allAll Photos Tagged useful
This is the last photo taken by my Pentax before it gave up the ghost, coughed and spluttered. It was a useful engine.
My brain seems to be empty. Empty of anything useful and it certainly does not contain a story. So in the hope that one might materialise I've started to type just to see what might happen.
I watched "There Will be Blood" last night and thought it was quite interesting and thought provoking. It seemed to me to be a study in the search for wealth and how, perhaps to people on the outside, someone's search for wealth will eventually reach a line and when that line is crossed then they will have earnt enough. When you view it from afar it is easy to think "if I had that much wealth then that would be enough for me and I would be happy and stop seeking more." Except when it is you seeking that wealth the line keeps moving, like you are trying to reach the horizon but of course you can never get there.
Daniel Day-Lewis' character in the film seemed to be chasing that horizon, always wanting more and never being happy with what he has. On the one hand wanting more can be seen as positive ambition, but on the other it may be seen as trying to fill an aching hole. The consumer society and the myth that happiness is found in needing and wanting more. Nirvana in shopping.
But is it just consumerism that is the problem? I go by the adage - be happy with what you have - but still it's ok to be ambitious? Perhaps not ambitious for a bigger car/house/ipod/iphone/camera but ambitious for better experiences, more knowledge, happier times.
I believe human beings have reached the top of the food chain because of our need to improve on what we do, how we are, how we live. A ceaseless restlessness to strive to do things better, more efficiently, to always improve on things. An urge to fight against creeping boredom by stimulating yourself to progress.
But I wonder whether these inner drives are not discerning and can be directed and applied to anything. When these urges are pointed towards possessions and then you start to try and improve yourself through the things that you buy. There must be a fundamental disconnect between that inner drive to improve and then satiating that desire by buying the latest gadget. The relief is only fleeting and then you are back to where you were. Needing to improve and yet all you have is a new whizzy phone or whatever. "Perhaps the next latest model will be the one that finally makes me enlightened? When can I get that one? I am already bored of this new one!"
At least if you learn a new skill, take a nice walk, make or create something then you as a person have developed a little more with something that you will keep with you forever. That new gadget simply satiates the desire to have one and once you do the hunger comes back anew so once again you want something new too (is there an Owl in here?). One step forward, one step back. "Why do I never seem to get closer to my destination?"
I noticed the Beech tree that I gathered these leaves from about a week ago. It grows on a steep slope next to an aqueduct crossing a ravine. Being a small tree its leaves were brighter and fresher and the colours more stark.
I wobbled down the slope and used a perfect hooked stick, I found nearby, to hold down a branch whilst I collected some leaves. I couldn't use just any tree so it was necessary to perform such a precarious maneouvre. It wasn't long before my concentration was instantly snapped from the branch I was grasping, to a sudden slip down the slippery slope. But fortunately after coming to stop at the bottom I realised I had enough leaves for my project and so I left my bottom, the tree and the treacherous slope to their own devices. Although, of course, my bottom followed on behind.
I knew that this morning there would be a frost and the hope of blue skies and sunshine. So I stitched together the leaves late on in the day yesterday so it would be ready to photograph at dawn amongst the sparkling crystals that Jack Frost had left behind.
I left it on the ground overnight and it frosted over but melted before I could capture it still frozen. Maybe that'll be a challenge for another day, frosted sculptures at dawn, approriate now I can look forward to winter.
So that's it, frost, sunshine and autumn beech leaves along with the contents of my mind over the last half an hour. Seems there was a little more in there that I thought! But then I can ramble on demand. As anyone who has been on the receiving end of any one of my one-way conversations can testify!
Here are some techniques that I've found useful, some of them are my own, some are others. In either case I've tried to add a note with a link to the first use of the technique I could find. Let me know if there's an earlier use or if you find them useful!
This is a creative commons image, which you may freely use by linking to this page. Please respect the photographer and his work.
A tobacco barn in decline in Charlotte County, Virginia. 2018 update: this barn is barely standing, but it's still there.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Brazos Bend has several big, dead trees. In life and death, these trees served generations of ducks, ibis, herons, anhingas, woodpeckers, and many other species. This morning two whistling ducks made this tree their lookout tower. I was thinking B&W as I shot this. Hope it works. Brazos Bend State Park in SE Texas - 9/2022
It's a litter bin!!
On the seafront at Cleethorpes to encourage some non littering, seems to be working too!
"The aim of the Globe is to encourage locals and visitors alike to recycle their plastic on their visit to our coastline, whilst simultaneously adding an element of an attraction along the North Promenade.
The stainless steel Globe is 2 metres tall, and the unique design is crafted to illustrate the vital role Cleethorpes plays in one of the largest international bird migrations on the planet, across the East Atlantic Flyway – which allows the Humber Estuary to act as a rich feeding ground, and ‘pit stop’ on their journey"
www.blackrow.co.uk/our-stunning-globe-sculpture-is-unveil...
Nice day out with Jill at Cleethorpes last Friday..
Sunshine, sand, sea and fish & chips on beach!!
And spotting unusual things!
2023 Weekly Challenge 47/52 ~ Useful
Thank you to everyone who pauses long enough to look at my photo. All comments and Faves are very much appreciated
K 56?
Well good question. This old concrete Boston & Maine milepost sits in an alley just west of Main Street at modern day MPI-1 on Pan Am's Hillsboro Branch tucked up beside the brick wall of the historic circa 1850 First Baptist Church.
For most of the branch's service life the terminus was Hillsboro, NH 40 miles away west via Milford, Wilton and Greenfield and then turning north at Elmwood Jct. thru Bennington and on to Hillsboro.
But this marker belies that at one time this route continued due west 56 miles to Keene (therefore the "K") some 25 miles past Elmwood Jct. The history of these south central Granite State branches is complicated and looking at a map of the Boston & Maine in the early 1920s it's almost unfathomable how many different thru routes there were.
Never particularly useful or profitable the line west of Elmwood was severed by a flood in 1934 and never operated again. Within 5 years it was formally abandoned. So that really makes one wonder how old this marker is, as it had no utility and meant little after that date.
But it still makes a great prop for the occasional wanderings of Pan Am local NA-1 that now only ventures 15 miles west of here about once a week to serve two remaining customers.
Here we see light GP40 #381 heading back to the yard one mile distant behind me.
Nashua, New Hampshire
Friday October 25, 2019
Quality prints, greeting cards, puzzles and many useful products can be purchased at >> kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/warragamba-dam-2-nsw-aust... OR www.lens2print.co.uk/imageview.asp?imageID=69712
Our beautiful Warragamba Dam, New South Wales, Australia. (Greater Sydney catchment).
I visited the dam just a few days ago. It is set in such a natural and beautiful bush land environment. It was around 1.3 hrs drive from the north of Sydney.
This image is a panorama of three of my photographic images I stitched together in Photoshop to make this Panoramic image. This one shows the rock wall on the side of the dam which show part of the Visitor Center above.
It was a hot day, and as we've had lots of rain recently, the colors or the bush land were magnificent. The greens were very green and even the water was a beautiful blue. Did lots of walking and just enjoyed the views.
The body of water for collection is called Lake Burragorang.
As at Wednesday 13th January 2021, the dam was at 97.2% capacity level.
www.waternsw.com.au/supply/visit/warragamba-dam
Look out at Warragamba Dam and see the past and future of Sydney's water supply. Marvel at this engineering masterpiece as it nestles quietly in native bushland. Delve into the history of the dam builders who laboured to create one of the world's largest domestic water supply dams. Look into the future at the interactive 'Water for Life' exhibition. Just a 30 minute drive from Penrith, or one hour from Sydney's CBD, bring the family and escape the everyday at Warragamba Dam.
View at the Visitor Centre
There are three viewing platforms at the Warragamba Dam Visitor Centre which offer excellent vistas of the upstream dam wall and Lake Burragorang.
Warragamba Dam Wall
Pedestrian access to parts of Warragamba Dam wall is available on weekends and public holidays ONLY between 10am and 4pm , except Christmas Day and Good Friday.
[Wikipedia] Wikipedia] Warragamba Dam is a heritage-listed dam in the outer South Western Sydney suburb of Warragamba, Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is a concrete gravity dam, which creates Lake Burragorang, the primary reservoir for water supply for the city of Sydney.
Look out at Warragamba Dam and see the past and future of Sydney's water supply. Marvel at this engineering masterpiece as it nestles quietly in native bushland. Delve into the history of the dam builders who laboured to create one of the world's largest domestic water supply dams. Look into the future at the interactive 'Water for Life' exhibition. Just a 30 minute drive from Penrith, or one hour from Sydney's CBD, bring the family and escape the everyday at Warragamba Dam.
got 40 of these because I got paid, and why not?
I was thinking they would be an extremely useful part, maybe not so much?
The rear container wagons of 4S43, the Daventry to Mossend Tescoliner pass through Carlisle station on 19th May 2015.
Useful Beauty / Castelo Mendo, Portugal.
Una hermosa pieza de metal para sujetar una contraventana.
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A beautiful piece of metal to retain a window shutter.
Around 5 weeks ago I bought this order, and it came today! I ordered a bunch of foliage, and some other useful pieces that will be used in future MOCs. Tell me what you think!
“. . . one of the Navy’s most useful helpers in fighting the U-boats is a recently perfected Diesel engine called a ‘pancake’ because its cylinders are stacked one above the other. Combined with GM-developed controllable pitch propellers, this engine has made possible a new-type subchaser with more speed, wider range, increased maneuverability – and therefore greater effectiveness. . .” [From the ad copy]
This WWII-era ad highlights a significant leap in naval engineering. While General Motors’ marketing language focused on the "pancake" moniker, the combination of the GM 16-184A Diesel engine and controllable pitch propellers fundamentally changed the performance of subchasers (specifically the PC-461 and SC classes). The engine’s vertical design saved 80% in weight, allowing for more weaponry and fuel, and it occupied only one-third the space of traditional diesels. This allowed subchasers to be faster with more range without increasing the ship’s overall size.
The controllable pitch propeller was the "secret sauce" for effectiveness against U-boats. Unlike standard propellers, these allowed the ship to change direction (forward to reverse) or speed almost instantly by tilting the propeller blades rather than waiting for the engine to change RPMs. This allowed subchasers to stay directly over a submerged U-boat during depth charge runs, a task that required precise, slow-speed handling that older engines struggled to maintain.
By optimizing the power-to-weight ratio, these subchasers could reach speeds of approximately 20–22 knots, allowing them to outrun surfaced U-boats and close the distance quickly once a sonar contact was made. Because the engines were so efficient and light, the ships could carry enough fuel to escort convoys across vast stretches of the Atlantic, whereas previous smaller craft were often tethered to coastal operations. The ship’s compact size also enabled its mass production, the “splinter fleet” that patrolled the coasts.
[Source: Google Gemini]
Thalmor Dossier: Throgar Winter-Flame
Status: Asset (non-attributed), Dormant. Watch-only. Emissary Level Approval.
Background: Born in Bruma, 4E 176, son of Halbjorn Winter-Flame (see related documents for further information) and Fjilsi Stone-Shield (terminated 4E 178). After agents separated Throgar from his father in the 4E 179 kill missions (failed), Haafingar-based Justiciars were unable to prevent the boy from falling into Imperial interest. Throgar was taken in by the Dragon’s Bridge based blacksmith Pavus Arellius. This information arrived late, and was further ignored by the mission officer. Situation was deemed irreparable: responsible parties for this oversight were summarily removed and replaced. Initial reports suggested that Throgar might serve as a bargaining tool to draw out the high value target Halbjorn Winter-Flame. Probing missions proved ineffective, resulting in the deaths of three local agents. Throgar was moved to an inactive surveillance state from there.
Our Justiciar in charge of the operation notes that Throgar displays very low personal threat: while growing up, the boy learned to despise the Legions, as he attributed his parents’ deaths to it. Rather than work making Legion steel with his adoptive father, Throgar is noted as a rapacious youth who prefers to spend time sleeping in beds owned by the daughters of noblemen and harassing area guardsmen. Upon Throgar’s fifteenth year, weekly reports were transitioned to basic annual synopses, as per discretion of Justiciar Alerin, following her conclusion that the younger Winter-Flame was of no threat to machinations in Skyrim.
The motion gained Third Emissary approval after Throgar began regular caravan activity as a guard for Arellius’ shipments of non-armory goods to Hjaalmarch and Reach holds. Justiciar Alerin notes that Throgar demonstrates the innate martial capability of his father, but prefers to exercise this particular skill-set in tavern brawls as opposed to any useful (or hindering) manner. As he has proven of no threat to area assets, Command has simply added an “engage-with-caution” clause to any pending operations involving him. Justiciar Alerin’s latest annual report places Throgar in Hjaalmarch, working as a sell-sword out of Morthal.
Operational Notes: Given his father’s excessively violent nature, Throgar has been designated as a zero-contact surveillance project save for dire circumstances. Given his possible value in the apprehension of his father, area assets have been advised to ensure that Throgar remains alive throughout his mercenary work: general well-being, however, is a non-priority. Justiciar Alerin suggests that any situtationally-mandated contact be made indoors, taverns being the safest locations. Stealth infiltration/exfiltration protocols required at all times when gathering intelligence on target.
The Battle of Durrough: The Black Swan
A story of rebellion against tyranny, from Lands of Roawia Castle Builders Game. Global Challenge 7, Unrestricted Entry.
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Commentary: GC7 was all the reason I needed to build the Black Swan, but what a build it turned into...one of the most challenging and largest of all my builds. The studs-not-on-top half-timber technique alone was a handful, not to mention that gabled roof. It all comes apart in levels too, including the roof.
Please read the story; I know it's long but it's action-packed and my best writing yet, I believe. Cheers!
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The Black Swan Tavern was known for its dark ale brew, catering to sea captains, high prices and outstanding hot food served using fresh ingredients. It benefited from its location next to Angus Square, which hosted an excellent market every weekend, with fresh fish from the Aines River and wares from all over the Provinces. On this day however, reputations would change forever, and what was once a peaceful cobbled square would soon be known by all as The Bloody Market.
Lord Oslet moved his men as silently as possible through the misty morning streets of Durrough, determined to catch his prey, one Baron Munro and his lackey of an archer captain, Tavish. Oslet had ensured everything was ready; he had chosen the best shots in the entire garrison, all armed with deadly crossbows. He carried one himself—except his had a little extra potency to it. His 100 hand-picked troops had soft boots and no armor or shields to cause noise, and they moved carefully in the pre-dawn shadows toward the meeting place, the tavern the traitorous Duke Cartney had referred to as The Black Swan.
Oslet had seen to everything, sending a troop of 50 more men farther east to circle back around and approach Angus Square from the opposite end of the city. He even had his best tactical commander, Captain Bladari, standing by with another 200 men in the Bastion on call in case there was trouble.
There wouldn’t be, of course. The Aines River was flowing swiftly, and no boats were in the immediate vicinity, leaving no avenue of escape for this Caelan Munro. Lord Oslet’s anticipation of ridding himself of a thorn in his side, the leaders of those deadly Scout Snipers, grew with every step, and by the time they reached the Swan he was in high spirits. His men approached cautiously, but all appeared well in the mist as they were well ahead of the reported meeting time between Munro and his disreputable spy-traitor to the Queen.
His vanguard moved silently along the wharf and up to the riverside door of the Swan, trying to open it quietly. It wouldn’t budge, and several of them set about trying to force it while the rest moved past the Swan and peaked around the corner into Angus Square. The mist obscured much, but what they saw made them pause, and then motion for their lord to see.
Oslet came forward and peaked himself. The square was heavily cluttered with barrels, wagons, and stands from the three Factions of Roawia, but no movement. It smelled heavily of fish, but there was nothing strange about that. Oslet looked at his men to see what they meant, and one of them whispered, “Too much here.”
“It’s Market Day, you dolt, what did you exp….” he trailed off, for approaching from the other end of the wharf were two cloaked figures moving cautiously in the shadows. As they drew closer it was clear the two forms had bows strapped over their backs and wore green cloaks.
“Early, are we?” Oslet mumbled, and motioned for his men to spread out in reception, as the two unwary men were headed straight for the Black Swan. Oslet smiled at the sight of his prey, and when the moment was right he called out, “It’s to be the gallows for you, Sir Caelan!”
His two targets froze, but as his mind registered this he heard a calm but firm voice call from only thirty feet to his left, “It’s arrows for you stupid.”
And then all chaos broke out. The fly of arrows filled the air, and all around him his men fell like stalks of wheat before a scythe. Windows opened above him, and he caught sight out of the corner of his eye forms leaning out and raining deadly shots upon his troops from the top floors of the Swan. Oslet felt a pain in his thigh, and instinctively rounded behind one of his men, who immediately caught in the chest an arrow meant for him. He made his way back behind his guards one at a time, and only called for a retreat after he had passed them to ensure he had human shields to absorb the shots meant for him. By the time he rallied what men he had left, well out of arrow range, he had less than half of what he came with to that bloody tavern. Without their armor, they were easy pickings.
“Did you get him?” Sir Caelan looked up at Captain Tavish, perched atop the Angus Fountain to improve his shot advantage.
“Nah, I missed the blighter I think…perhaps grazed him.” Tavish shrugged, “Hard to tell in this mist.”
“Mist?” Munro pretended to object, “You’re slipping.”
Tavish frowned. “He kept duckin’ behind his men, the coward!”
“It’s not manly to complain, you know.” This received Tavish’s most undignified look yet.
Caelan moved forward to see better and to wave congratulations at his 25 men in the Swan. Behind him were 75 more, all having hidden amongst the “clutter” and buildings surrounding Angus Square. The remaining 25 Scout Snipers under his command were farther to the east, serving as rear guard to oppose the encircling Queen’s troops no doubt trying to cut their path of retreat off. They would soon be getting the same brutal treatment Caelan had just given Oslet. Before him lay numerous bodies and wounded crawling away to anywhere they could. Some of his men were sniping those still able to aim their crossbows. They just couldn’t resist one of their primary roles they had been trained for: counter-archer fire.
One hundred yards west, Oslet cursed furiously, mostly for his lost dignity and little for the loss of his men. He had suffered only a flesh wound in his thigh, but had suffered greatly in the eyes of his command. When he learned however that Caelan was neither pursuing nor retreating, he brightened and immediately sent for Bladari and his 200 men, including his best unit, the Silver Spears. They were fully armored, and that alone ensured victory, so long as Caelan stood his ground.
And he did. As Bladari came up and saluted his master, Lord Oslet stated, “I have to admit they surprised us and we lost most of our crossbowmen, but the great fool has decided to stay and fight—pride, no doubt. Now we get them all—how stupid, a major threat in the countryside but now hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed in street fighting. Either way, I must ask the Silver Spears to storm that tavern and square. Kill them all.”
Captain Bladari indeed tried valiantly. His men moved in like a landslide, charging forward into a hail of arrows. The sun had come up, burning the mist off, and now the Spears were charging toward the east with the sun directly in their eyes. Their armor did help tremendously, until close range was reached. Then the Scout Snipers’ accuracy made any opening in their armor fair game.
Much worse waited for them in the square however. The Snipers had stacked the deck, for in the time in between attacks they had slammed open the many barrels they had brought, and out poured fish oil, the stuff of slippery nightmares on cobblestones. Just at the point where the Silver Spears should have made contact with the Snipers, the soldiers slipped perilously instead, and blood now mixed freely with the fish oil.
Up on the fountain, Tavish had a field day. He took particular delight in shooting whoever carried the Silver Spears’ banner, and after four fell in succession as they picked it up to lead forward, the spear-tipped signal remained on the ground for the rest of the fight.
The Snipers inside the Swan however had no such fish oil barrier to help them. Bladari’s men were able to withstand enough shots to approach and break through the windows, and the ones that lived to see the other side made it to the door to move the blockade keeping it closed. In addition, Lord Oslet was carefully taking those Snipers shooting from the windows out with shots from his poisoned quarrel bolts. The ten Snipers who held the bottom floor were overwhelmed as the Queen’s troops poured into the Swan, only happy to avoid the meat grinder in the square. Only two Scouts made it up the stairs before the others blocked it off with tables, but now their attention had to be on survival, and Bladari’s men were able to storm the wharf almost unopposed.
Sir Caelan only had a handful of pikemen to hold the attackers off for the Snipers to have shooting room, and they paid heavily for their bravery. Caelan’s squire, Sholto, was standing off to the side, taking an occasional shot with his short bow when he could, but to him it looked like they would soon be overwhelmed. Then he watched his knight charge forward into the fray in Lenfald armor, fighting two-handed as was his method, and swiftly four more of the attackers fell.
One who caught sight of this action was Captain Bladari, who immediately recognized that he could end this madness if he could down Caelan. He moved carefully forward as to not slip on the oil while relying on his full plate armor to deflect every arrow. The two exchanged quick glances and then went right to work without any words. Bladari’s broadsword made brutal impact with Caelan’s armor, but with such a heavy weapon he couldn’t keep up with his opponent’s longsword with long dagger follow-up. Caelan eventually gave him a deep slash to his right thigh, then his left knee, and Bladari went down fighting. He continued swinging until Caelan slashed his sword hand and that was it. Expecting a death blow, he stared up at the young Baron defiant, but was surprised when Munro charged forward instead, leaving him wounded but alive. What he missed was the arrival of Duke Cartney at the head of his own Durrough men-at-arms, who swept all before them.
Lord Oslet was quite pleased with himself now that he was clearly winning the fight, when a runner arrived and announced that the North Gate of the city had fallen to Sir Haymar Glen, and an armed horde of Lenfel troops was storming down High Street. “Who the deuce is Haymar?!?” he yelled in surprise. “How can this…” and his eyes suddenly set in the distance upon Bladari’s men scrambling in full rout toward him. Right behind them were Lenfels in full charge, and leading them was Duke Cartney himself. All came clear to him; the entire engagement was a trap set by Duke Cartney himself with his lies of an easy ambush on Caelan, and he now knew full well that the entire city was in rebellion against the Queen.
“To the Bastion!” he screamed as loud as possible, holding up his crossbow for all to recognize him, and cries of retreat echoed his command. But he did not turn with the others immediately. Instead he lowered his weapon with poisoned quarrel loaded, and aimed it straight at the approaching Duke Cartney…
…To be continued in the next build, Battle of Durrough: Cobblestone Bridge
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Previous Caelan stories:
on US50
Useful, Missouri, USA
I haven't been able to find anything out about the curious name of this town. If anyone knows anything, I'd be happy to hear about it.
UPDATE: janwalkerimages rocks. See her information on the town and its name origin below.
1950 Austin K4 Petrol Tanker of National Benzole Co.Ltd. at the Sywell Aerodrome Museum re-opening.
1950 Austin K4 Petrol Tanker
Registration no. KXY 774
Chassis no. K4VA11714
Engine no. M0197541K1675
• Originally owned and operated by National Benzole
• Professionally restored between 1992 and 2002
• Only circa 3,257 miles since restoration
Footnotes
The current vendor purchased this delightful Austin K4 petrol tanker from a scrap yard on the Sheerness dockside in 1991, thereby saving it from the crusher. No registration documents were present at that time, but an old delivery book was found in the cab, which revealed that the Austin's last drop had been made in May 1966. W H Brockman's name was on the book, and they turned out to be a private oil distributor that was still in business. Mr Brockman senior was happy to pass on the Austin's original logbook, which revealed that National Benzole had been the first owner and had sold the vehicle to Brockman's in 1957.
Restoration commenced at the vendor's part-owned garage business in Waddesdon. The Austin had been painted in Brockman's green and red livery, beneath which the old National Benzole colour scheme was discovered. Mid-restoration, work ceased for around three years while the Waddesdon partnership was dissolved, recommencing in 1999. Spares for the Austin K Series being scarce, many parts had to be made including the cab steps; various sections of cab panelling; rear cab guttering; rear lamp brackets; chassis extension; front cross member; tank fairing; panel work; and the petrol tank to name but a few. Specialists were employed to supply and fit the wiring loom and rear wings, and to do the sign writing. A donor chassis cab came in very useful as a pattern and source of spares.
A Gold Seal replacement fitted not long before the vehicle was taken off the road, the engine was stripped and the block found only to require cleaning and honing of the cylinders. The cylinder head was sent away for re-conditioning, and the gearbox rebuilt with new bearings. All other mechanical components were overhauled except the differential, which seemed to be in excellent condition and was left untouched. The only notified deviation from factory specification is the provision of a Kenlowe electric cooling fan.
An advertisement in the HCVS' magazine in 2001 turned up the last missing pieces of the jigsaw: the bronze components for the petrol outlets and top fittings. After ten years sterling effort, the restoration was completed in 2002 and in September 2003 the Austin featured in Classic and Vintage Commercials magazine in an illustrated article by Nick Larkin. Only circa 3,257 miles have been covered since restoration and the result still looks stunning.
"You have been useful, my apprentice. You were my willing tool, but those days are at an end."
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The Force Unleashed is awesome, enough said ;)
After a while, a new scene of mine. Nothing special, though.
Preston Lowe AKA Greenhouse
Previously a young and ambitious politician, Lowe spoke out against the Nitroglobal fuel company's immoral activities in the disposal of waste products. Due to his interference, the CEO of the company used mafia connections to dispose of Lowe. After being assaulted and kidnapped in his own home in front of his fiancée, Lowe was taken away by a hitman to be killed. Rather than simply shoot him, the hitman used a more poetic approach, locking Lowe in a chamber flooded with the toxins generated by Nitroglobal, and leaving him to asphyxiated and die. However, instead of killing him, the fumes triggered a 'Plus Human' response*, causing his body to adapt suddenly. After escaping, Preston killed his hitman, displaying the ability to manipulate pollutants, before stealing a hazard suit to allow himself to survive. While Nitroglobal was exposed, Lowe found himself unable to survive outside of a breathing suit. Rather than put his loved ones through the strain of coping with his affliction, Lowe let the world think he is dead, while acting as a vigilante, using his powers to fight crime under the alias 'Greenhouse'.
More OC's coming soon...
(*a plus human reaction is a concept I created for my OC's origins, by which the human body (under immense struggle) will trigger sudden cell mutations to allow the body to survive or endure the situation, often developing some form of superpower. While useful, the response cannot be reversed, and in many cases leads to debilitating conditions.)
Potten, pannen, ketels, emmers, lampen, allemaal nuttige spullen!
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Pots, pans, kettles, buckets, lamps, all useful stuff!
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♡POSE♡
BREAK 203 CAR MODEL SET
Here is some useful information:
All poses are read and modified for your convenience.
- Facial expressions for all poses were obtained with the corresponding head hud.
- Make sure you stop all the huds controlling your hands, otherwise they will replace the bento pose.
- Please be aware that some minor changes to your form may be required to adjust poses.
- Car + cigar included
- Contains 7 single poses
- No transfer
All poses with accessories were configured with other people's usability in mind. Therefore, all of them come with the objects configured to be rezzed at the time of use.
♡PURCHASE IN-WORLD♡
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vanilla%20Sky/178/54/3501
♡PURCHASE ON MARKETPLACE♡
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/BREAK-203-CAR-MODEL-SET/2634...
♡Helpful Links for BREAK!♡
- www.facebook.com/breakstoresl
- www.instagram.com/breakstoresl/
- marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/227049
- discord.com/invite/PPajazqY3P
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A build for the Lands of Roawia LEGO Castle game. It's based on a real medieval kitchen at Hever Castle (see the model here).
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Something wasn’t right, besides what Lord Sorely Meyrick, the Duke of Ainesford, was blabbing on about; no that cook…he was taking far too long to clean up the ale he himself had spilled. And Captain Tavish was certain he was pausing to listen to what was being said on the Speaker's Floor, strictly against the rules for “the help”. The grizzled archer nudged Baron Munro sitting next to him, but Sir Caelan barely noticed as he listened to Meyrick's speech and replied, “Can you believe what Sorely Lost here is advocating? Full compliance with Chartres! No wonder he lost the Battle of Ainesford so badly…”
Tavish shook his head in mild frustration and got up to check on that cook, but he had barely made it halfway there when the cook suddenly collected his rags and left. Now that was entirely too coincidental…
The Captain headed down the hallway to find him but was immediately accosted by the two ever-present and intellectually-challenged guards waiting there. Security at the Great Congress of Lenfald was incredibly tight; no one except the castle guards themselves were allowed any weapons whatsoever, and all the delegates and staff were sequestered inside the castle for the duration of this critical assembly. Upon seeing the archer they held out their halberds to stop him, but Tavish was way ahead of them. “Ah, there you are my good lads, I am here to report an illegal weapon, one of the delegates has a knife, I clearly saw it. Here, let me point him out.”
Excited that they finally had something real to do, the two looked like dogs waiting to go fetch a thrown stick. The Captain deliberately motioned at the middle of the delegates on the far side of the largest hall in all of Lenfald, and pointed indiscriminately, “there, that one wearing dark green.” The two were halfway across when they realized nearly every delegate there was wearing the official color of Lenfald.
The archer entered the Great Kitchen impatiently as he searched for the man, to no avail; he wasn’t there. It was incredibly busy in the hot room, but there was one cook removing the entrails from a goose who he grabbed by the arm after the man objected to his presence. “Did a cook just rush through here?”
“Oh no, I haven’t seen a cook all day!" he spit out sarcastically. "Look about you mate, you’re in a kit…” he didn’t get any farther as he was suddenly and violently shaken.
“Tall, thin, muscular, with a goatee and a deep tan like he has been in the…” a sinking feeling hit Captain Tavish as he finished his own sentence, “…desert.”
“Oh, the new bloke,” the cook muttered resentfully. “Yeah, he’s in the side kitchen over there.”
“New bloke? But the staff has been sequestered!”
“Aye but we ran short a’ help and contracted from outside…”
Now Tavish’s stomach was turning, and not from the sight of the goose’s entrails. He shot down the side hall and found the door to the secondary kitchen locked from the inside. He was not a slight man however and he burst through it after four body slams, only to face an arrow shot at him. Quickly turning to present a smaller target the shot barely missed, and he then plunged into the small kitchen. It had two ovens, one to his left and another to his right with a window facing the outer ward of the castle. A massive pot of some concoction was bubbling away in that fireplace, and two cooks were to his left, down and bleeding in front of the other oven. To his right across a table full of foodstuffs and dishes stood the dubious cook, now smoothly knocking another arrow. As Tavish reached for a large pot to try and deflect the shot, the cook instead leveled the shot at the window and fired the arrow out of it.
Instantly Tavish knew he had just lost, for two things came to his eye; the arrow had a note tied to it — the spy had just successfully gotten the word out as to whatever he had heard. And the other thing was personally alarming; the cook had an Areani tattoo on the inside of his arm—this was going to be one bloody fight, perhaps the Captain's last.
So he didn’t wait, and threw the pot at him as hard as he could, catching the spy in the ribs. That should have doubled him over, but the darker man barely noticed it. He produced a curved Loreesi dagger from inside his shirt and a second knife and attacked with both, while Tavish grabbed a kitchen knife and jar of seeds, and the two went at each other with full force. The jar wound up shattered as it absorbed a crushing blow from the dagger, and Tavish gave him a brutal slash across the shoulder, which again the Areani barely seemed to notice. In the flurry, the archer had sustained four bloody cuts from the spy and knew he wouldn’t last long against this seemingly inhuman opponent.
Then the Areani reacted to something over Tavish’s shoulder and a jar came flying out of nowhere and hit the spy in the head, shooting flour everywhere, clouding up the air. Sir Caelan then dashed by the Captain and attacked the cook with a meat cleaver, a sight that would have been hilarious if it weren't for the circumstances of their opponent being a deadly Loreesi agent.
Even dazed the Areani fought like a lion until Tavish grabbed a small iron pot and slammed it into the side of his head. Still the spy stood, but wavered. The temporary lull in the action allowed the sound of the bubbling pot to come through, and both Sir Caelan and Tavish simultaneously had the same idea, grabbing the spy by the arms and shoving him toward the fire. They forcefully pushed the Areani's head down into what turned out to be a lovely pea soup, now at full boil. The spy struggled mightily as he burned, but both his opponents held on until he went limp.
“We need to question him, I think,” Caelan barely managed and finally Tavish relented, letting the man fall to the floor with horrendous second-degree burns now all over his head and face, also covered in a slimy green.
The two friends stood huffing from their exertion until Baron Munro finally blurted, “You left just when the Duke was getting interesting…”
"I doubt that very much." Tavish stumbled to the window and cursed. “The blighter must have shot right over the outer wall. Jig’s up now; whatever was on that note is surely gone.”
Just then the same two guards who had stopped the Captain earlier now slammed into the kitchen. They took in the Areani, the mess, and the two hurt cooks to their right and looked furiously at them. Sir Caelan only waved at the spy on the floor and by way of explanation stated indignantly, “He ruined the soup.”
Two days later, a man dressed in fine red clothing stood on a tower of the King’s Castle, and held out his arm expectantly. A bird came down swiftly and alighted on his arm, and he gently caressed the falcon. He then unfastened the message tied to its leg and began reading carefully. His brow furrowed slightly after reading a few lines; then a calmness came over him. He looked towards the vast horizon and paused to consider everything that had taken place in the last few weeks. Prince Jarius then tucked the message into his pocket and, carrying the bird with him, walked purposely towards the stairs of the tower.
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This was a build to advance the Global Storyline in the Lands of Roawia LEGO Castle game. Hope you like it! 100% LEGO.
(Variant cover is the Boss Man from the Parliament Elite, unrelated to this issue/series)
I linger as the dead men lay in front of me. The Tranquility must have had enough, finally showing up.
Hector's face is full of disbelief, looking pale.
"And I'm here."
The Tranquility's voice is cloaked, shrouded. Somewhat metallic and human. The accent does sound American.
"Killing Outerdyne's men like I did?" I shout. "And now, you're here, for a conman."
The Tranquility doesn't reply. Hector shoots at him, causing him to retreat, fleeing. Seconds later I hear more footsteps approach behind us. More mercenaries were coming as I use my scanner. By the time my head turns around, the Tranquility was gone.
"Go, Adrian." Hector tells me. "I'll be able to handle myself. I promise I'll be waiting after you're done". "Meet me soon then." I give him a nod before continuing the chase.
I climb on a wall, eyes scanning the Tranquility on the rooftops and hopping over a few buildings. I use my strength to propel me more, eventually getting to the top. Seeming to have predicted my movements, the Tranquility fires darts at me, sprung from his wrists, but I evade them quickly as I can. He shoots more as I slide behind a power generator, taking cover. He continues to run, and I return a few shots back at him. He also misses it.
The chase continues on as he starts moving a little more slower than usual. He eventually stops, legs on the ground. I continue to point my gun at him, until I see blood drip from him. "I'm not...here to kill." He barely mouths words. Putting my gun away, I give him bandages and he covers himself. A few minutes pass and he seems to be better.
"Then explain yourself. You've already killed quite a number."
"Those were Outerdyne's people. Hector was supposed to be my target because I had to kill him. But my connection with him and your intervention, I stopped. I hesitated to kill. Because that never mattered than bringing Outerdyne down."
"Then who are you to him?"
"Only a friend. Unimportant information. Even though you tried taking me down, you have saved me. But there's something I gotta say before you take me in..."
"I didn't have to kill. Because I couldn't risk taking a life. I'm listening."
"The body...it was a damn trap. They poisoned their own, and I walked right into it, my bullet took him in further. Silvio was right all along, being the actual formant he was, feeding me information, but I didn't trust him."
"So is Hector in this?"
"No, he's merely a pawn, but he's a useful asset and a good friend. Take me in now. But promise me one thing..."
"Okay."
Minutes later, Hector told me to go off first, as he would leave, sharing a conversation with the Tranquility. His confidence tricks actually got me, at least half the time. I call Caroline to come.
"Patch us up, Caroline."
The next thing I heard, was:
"Save the agents."
New Earth Strategic Trust
Classification: Long range Combat
Armaments:
(1) AC-NBG12
(1) MS-VM4MM
(2) RK-SH2001X
The newest heavy reFrame from the New Earth Strategic Trust, the Mammoth was designed to be a high performance, high defense, heavy hitter mech for defensive purposes. It is a huge improvement over the Goliath model and features a newer inner structure allowing for better balance and mobility even with the same defense rating.
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Build notes:
You can find more about the build in my blog article :D
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More info, WIP details, and other LEGO mechs over at my blog: messymaru.com/
Follow me at other social media sites:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MessyWorksLEGO
Twitter: twitter.com/Messymaru
Instagram: www.instagram.com/messymaru/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/messymaru
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reFrame Version 3.0 frame (instructions / full kit) now available
For those interested in LEGO mech building, I also have an eBook from 2015 called Mech Wars 2015 Instructional Primer. It contains some things I wrote about basic mech building, a bit about my Mech Warsuniverse, and all my early models from 2014-2015. If you’re looking for a resource that could help you start or even improve your mech building skills, you might find this eBook useful.
C'est la pleine saison de la floraison dans les Vosges.
La plante est protégée et sa cueillette réglementée et suivie. Elle a fait l'objet d'une convention dans le massif des Vosges entre cueilleurs, agriculteurs (éleveurs) et industriels.
La fleur est utilisée principalement dans des produits pharmaceutiques, phytothérapiques (huile de massage particulièrement efficace chez les sportifs) et homéopathiques.
Quelle maman n'a pas son petit tube de pommade à l'Arnica pour les bobos de tous les jours ? :-)
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English : Arnica flower blossoms, growing in the Vosges mountains.
These plants are protected and the harvesting/picking is controlled.
Useful in drugs (especially to cure light injuries like bumps and bruises), massage oils and cosmetics
Built for my birthday and Febrovery.
Birthday rovers are useful for exploring Party Worlds: collecting birthday presents, detecting cake deposits, and providing data to help you avoid Pinkie Pie. They are also very, very slow and thus always late. (My birthday was on February 11th.) XD
READ ALL THE STUFF BELOW THIS!!!
So yes, I turned 15. :D
Due to generous financial gifts from my close and extended family I managed to accumulate quite the tidy sum and have spent the past two weekends putting it to good use. I haven't even attempted to do a loot picture; been too busy. However, I received or was able to purchase:
Hive crawler on clearance for 50% off!!! :D
A bunch of epic Bionicle components, old cockpits from Ice planet, Insectoids, etc, cool old fig heads, old pieces, etc, from that vintage brick store
Some series 12 CMFs and 2 small Lego Movie sets
A medium-sized BL order coming in!
Sorting all these bricks has taken up my MOCing time recently, but you can expect
at least three spaceships, MLP Discord, and some alien battle machines soonish.
Have a nice day/night and please C&C! :D
...so we sent out our Bat to find out whats in and around the house of the wicked Harz Witch! Here is the view of the Bat! Did you ever know that a Bat is much too fast to get hit from a bad spell ore to get jinxed? There is no way to bewitch a Bat!!!
#36
Yeah, these are all of my BrickArms prototypes. Most were gifts, others were prizes, and a few were traded "gift for gift."
But now that I have your attention, I'd like to say that I'm "back" again, for now. I've been swamped down with schoolwork after coming off of 15 days of being sick with Bronchitis. Gosh those were some horrible days.
Now that I have less work, and more free time, I'll be a bit more active.
Thanks guys!
-Chef