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Vultures provide a great service in the wild, making sure any remains don't lie rotting, which causes diseases.
Bringing the camera with me on my walks on the beach is actually turning out to be fruitful and very useful.. And a lot more fun than last years white table I used constantly!
The local rowing club were out practising and had "parked" their boat as they went to get another out of the club house.. The tide was out so I managed to catch a reflection of their boat in the sand.. It never ceases to amaze me how much is going on in the world every moment of every day...
Philosophical moment over... carry on....
Quality prints, greeting cards and many useful products can be purchased at >> kaye-menner.pixels.com/featured/seagull-landing-by-kaye-m... OR www.lens2print.co.uk/imageview.asp?imageID=34040
A seagull in flight preparing to land as he sighted some food. Image captured by my daughter, Nikki Menner and edited by myself.
Captured in the Garigal National Park in Sydney at one of the parklands called Davidson Park at Roseville, which is a pretty harborside park with boating and canoeing access, just a short drive from the Sydney CBD.
[From Wikipedia] The silver gull, Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas.
THE FINE ART AMERICA LOGO / MY WATERMARK WILL NOT APPEAR ON PURCHASED PRINTS OR PRODUCTS.
Hadrian's Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Roman Empire across the width of Great Britain. It was the second of three such fortifications built across Great Britain, the first being Gask Ridge and the last the Antonine Wall. All three were built to prevent military raids by the Pictish tribes (ancient inhabitants of Scotland) to the north, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in the Roman province of Britannia to the south, and to physically mark the frontier of the Empire. Hadrian's Wall is the best known of the three because it remains the most physically preserved and evident today.
The wall was the northern border of the Empire in Britain for much of the Roman Empire's rule, and also the most heavily fortified border in the Empire. In addition to its use as a military fortification, it is thought that the gates through the wall would also have served as customs posts to allow trade taxation.
A significant portion of the wall still exists, particularly the mid-section, and for much of its length the wall can be followed on foot. It is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England, where it is often known simply as the Roman Wall. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. English Heritage, a government organization in charge of managing the historic environment of England, describes it as "the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain".[1]
Sections of Hadrian's Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though other large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects.
Sections of Hadrian's Wall remain near Greenhead and along the route, though other large sections have been dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby construction projects.
The Roman name of the Wall
No stone inscription survives to confirm what the Wall was called in antiquity, and no historical source gives it a name. However, the discovery of a small enamelled bronze Roman cup in Staffordshire in 2003 has provided a clue. The cup is inscribed with a series of names of Roman forts (see also the botrom of this page) along the western sector of the Wall, together with a personal name and a phrase:
MAIS COGGABATA VXELODVNVM CAMBOGLANNA RIGORE VALI AELI DRACONIS
Here we have Bowness (MAIS, followed by what must be the correct name for Drumburgh-by-Sands (COGGABATA) until now known only as CONGAVATA from the late Roman document, the Notitia Dignitatum. Next comes Stanwix (VXELODVNVM), then Castlesteads (CAMBOGLANNA), before we get to the most tantalizing part.
RIGORE seems to be the ablative form of the Latin word rigor. This can mean several things, but one of its less well-known meanings is ‘straight line’, ‘course’ or ‘direction’. This was used by Roman surveyors and appears on a number of inscriptions to indicate a line between places. So the meaning could be ‘from the course’, or better in English 'according to the course'.
The Staffordshire Moorlands cup, which provides the ancient name of Hadrian's Wall.
The Staffordshire Moorlands cup, which provides the ancient name of Hadrian's Wall.
There is no such word as vali, but in antiquity Hadrian’s Wall was known as the Vallum, the Latin word for a frontier which is today incorrectly applied to the ditch and mounds dug by the Roman army just south of the Wall. The genitive form of Vallum is Valli, so one of the most likely meanings is VAL[L]I, ‘of the frontier’. Omitting one of a pair of double consonants is common on Roman inscriptions, and transcribing an inscription from a written note is the easiest way to miss out letters. Another similar bronze vessel, known as the Rudge Cup (found in Wiltshire in the 18th century) has VN missing from the name VXELODVNVM, for example, although the letters appear on the Staffordshire cup. The Rudge Cup only bears fort names.
The name AELI is also in the genitive. This was Hadrian's nomen, his main family name and we know that the Roman bridge at Newcastle-upon-Tyne was called Pons Aelius.
Finally we have the name DRACONIS, which can be translated as ‘[by the hand – or property] of Aelius Draco’. It was normal for Roman manufacturers to give their names in the genitive (‘of’), and ‘by the hand’ would be understood. The form is common, for example, on samian pottery.
The translation, therefore, could be:
‘Mais, Coggabata, Uxelodunum, Camboglanna, according to the line of the Aelian frontier. [By the hand or The property] of Draco’.
This would mean the Romans knew Hadrian's Wall as Vallum Aeli, 'the Aelian frontier'.
Dimensions
Hadrian's Wall was 80 Roman miles (73.5 English miles or 117 kilometres) long, its width and height dependent on the construction materials which were available nearby: east of River Irthing the wall was made from squared stone and measured 3 m (9.7 ft) wide and 5 to 6 metres (16–20 ft) tall; west of the river the wall was made from turf and measured 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. This does not include the wall's ditches, berms, and forts. The central section measured 8 Roman feet wide (7.8 ft or 2.4 m) on a 10 foot base.
Route
Map showing the location of Hadrian's Wall.
Map showing the location of Hadrian's Wall.
Hadrian's Wall extended west Segedunum at Wallsend on the River Tyne to the shore of the Solway Firth. The A69 and B6318 roads follow the course of the wall as it starts in Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, then on round the northern coast of Cumbria. The Wall is entirely in England and south of the border with Scotland by 15 kilometres (9 mi) in the west and 110 kilometres (68 mi) in the east.
Hadrian
Hadrian's Wall was built following a visit by Roman emperor Hadrian (AD 76–138) in AD 122. Hadrian was experiencing military difficulties in Britain, and from the peoples of various conquered lands across the Empire, including Egypt, Judea, Libya, Mauretania, and many of the peoples conquered by his predecessor Trajan, so he was keen to impose order. However the construction of such an impressive wall was probably also a symbol of Roman power, both in occupied Britain and in Rome. Frontiers in the early empire were based more on natural features or fortified zones with a heavy military presence. Military roads or limes often marked the border, with forts and signal towers spread along them and it was not until the reign of Domitian that the first solid frontier was constructed, in Germania Superior, using a simple fence. Hadrian expanded on this idea, redesigning the German border by ordering a continuous timber palisade supported by forts behind it. Although such defences would not have held back any concerted invasion effort, they did physically mark the edge of Roman territory and went some way to providing a degree of control over who crossed the border and where.
Hadrian reduced Roman military presence in the territory of the Brigantes and concentrated on building a more solid linear fortification to the north of them. This was intended to replace the Stanegate road which is generally thought to have served as the limes (the boundary of the Roman Empire) until then.
Construction
Construction probably started in 122 AD and was largely completed within eight years, with soldiers from all three of the occupying Roman legions participating in the work. The route chosen largely paralleled the nearby Stanegate road from Luguvalium (Carlisle) to Coria (Corbridge), which was already defended by a system of forts, including Vindolanda. The Wall in part follows the outcrop of a harder, more resistant igneous dolerite rock escarpment, known as the Great Whin Sill.
The initial plan called for a ditch and wall with 80 small, gated milecastle fortlets every Roman mile holding a few dozen troops each, and pairs of evenly spaced intermediate turrets used for observation and signalling. The wall was initially designed to a width of 3 metres (10 ft) (the so-called "Broad Wall"). The height is estimated to have been around 5 or 6 metres (16–20 ft). Local limestone was used in the construction, except for the section to the west of Irthing where turf was used instead as there were no useful outcrops nearby. The turf wall was 6 metres wide (20 ft) and around 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. Milecastles in this area were also built from timber and earth rather than stone but turrets were always stone. The Broad Wall was initially built with a clay-bonded rubble core and mortared dressed rubble facing stones, but this seems to have made it vulnerable to collapse and repair with a mortared core was sometimes necessary.
Roman fort at Corstopitum.
Roman fort at Corstopitum.
The milecastles were of three different designs, depending on which Roman legion built them — the Second, Sixth, and Twentieth Legions, whose inscriptions tell us were all involved in the construction. Similarly there are three different turret designs along the route. All were about 493 metres (539 yd) apart and measured 4.27 metres square (46.0 sq ft) internally.
Construction was divided into lengths of about 5 miles (8 km). One group of each legion would create the foundations and build the milecastles and turrets and then other cohorts would follow, building the wall itself.
Early in its construction, just after reaching the North Tyne (construction worked from east to west), the width of the wall was narrowed to 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) or even less (sometimes 1.8m) (the "Narrow Wall"). However, Broad Wall foundations had already been laid as far as the river Irthing, where the Turf Wall began, and many turrets and milecastles were optimistically provided with stub 'wing walls' in preparation for joining to the Broad Wall; a handy reference for archaeologists trying to piece together the construction chronology.
Within a few years it was decided to add a total of 14 to 17 (sources disagree) full-sized forts along the length of the wall, including Vercovicium (Housesteads) and Banna (Birdoswald), each holding between 500 and 1,000 auxiliary troops (no legions were posted to the wall). The eastern end of the wall was extended further east from Pons Aelius (Newcastle) to Segedunum (Wallsend) on the Tyne estuary. Some of the larger forts along the wall, such as Cilurnum (Chesters) and Vercovicium (Housesteads), were built on top of the footings of milecastles or turrets, showing the change of plan. An inscription mentioning early governor Aulus Platorius Nepos indicates that the change of plans took place early on. Also some time still during Hadrian's reign (i.e., before AD 138) the wall west of the Irthing was rebuilt in sandstone to basically the same dimensions as the limestone section to the east.
Vallum at Hadrian's Wall near milecastle 42
Vallum at Hadrian's Wall near milecastle 42
After the forts had been added (or possibly at the same time), the so-called Vallum was built on the southern side. It consisted of a large, flat-bottomed ditch 6 metres (20 ft) wide at the top and 3 metres (10 ft) deep bounded by a berm on each side 10 metres (33 ft) wide. Beyond the berms were earth banks 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.5 ft) high. Causeways crossed the ditch at regular intervals. Initially the berm appears to have been the main route for transportation along the wall. The Vallum probably delineated a military zone rather than intending to be a major fortification, though the British tribes to the south were also sometimes a military problem.
The Wall was thus part of a defensive system which, from north to south included:
* a glacis and a deep ditch
* a berm with rows of pits holding entanglements
* the curtain wall itself
* a later military road (the "Military Way")
* a north mound, a ditch and a south mound to prevent or slow down any raids from a rebelling southern tribe.
Roman-period names
The remains of milecastle 39, near Steel Rigg
The remains of milecastle 39, near Steel Rigg
The Roman-period names of some of the Hadrian's Wall forts are known, from the Notitia Dignitatum and other evidence:
* Segedunum (Wallsend)
* Pons Aelius (Newcastle on Tyne)
* Condercum (Benwell Hill)
* Vindobala (Halton Chesters)[2]
* Hunnum (Rudchester)[2]
* Cilurnum (Chesters aka Walwick Chesters)[2]
* Procolita (Carrowburgh)
* Vercovicium (Housesteads)
* Aesica (Great Chesters)[2]
* Magnis (Carvoran)
* Banna (Birdoswald)
* Camboglanna (Castlesteads)
* Uxelodunum (Stanwix. Also known as Petriana)
* Aballava (Burgh-by-Sands)
* Coggabata (Drumburgh)
* Mais (Bowness)
Outpost forts beyond the Wall include:
* Habitancum (Risingham)
* Bremenium (Rochester)[2]
* Ad Fines (Chew Green) [1]
Supply forts behind the wall include:
* Alauna (Maryport)
* Arbeia (South Shields)
* Coria (Corbridge)
* Vindolanda (Little Chesters)[2]
* Vindomora (Ebchester)[2]
Garrison
The wall was garrisoned by auxiliary (i.e., non-legionary) units of the army (non-citizens). Their numbers fluctuated throughout the occupation, but may have been around 9,000 strong in general, including infantry and cavalry. The new forts could hold garrisons of 500 men while cavalry units of 1,000 troops were stationed at either end. The total number of soldiers manning the early wall was probably greater than 10,000.
They suffered serious attacks in 180, and especially between 196 and 197 when the garrison had been seriously weakened, following which major reconstruction had to be carried out under Septimius Severus. The region near the wall remained peaceful for most of the rest of the 3rd century. It is thought that many in the garrison may have married and integrated into the local community.
Part of Hadrian's wall near Housesteads.
Part of Hadrian's wall near Housesteads.
After Hadrian
In the years after Hadrian's death in 138, the new emperor, Antoninus Pius essentially abandoned the wall, though leaving it occupied in a support role, and began building a new wall in Scotland proper, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) north, the Antonine Wall. This turf wall ran 40 Roman miles (about 37.8 mi or 61 km) and had significantly more forts than Hadrian's Wall. Antonine was unable to conquer the northern tribes and so when Marcus Aurelius became emperor, he abandoned the Antonine Wall and occupied Hadrian's Wall once again in 164. It remained occupied by Roman troops until their withdrawal from Britain.
In the late 4th century, barbarian invasions, economic decline, and military coups loosened the Empire's hold on Britain. By 410, the Roman administration and its legions were gone, and Britain was left to look to its own defences and government. The garrisons, by now probably made up mostly of local Britons who had nowhere else to go, probably lingered on in some form for generations. Archaeology is beginning to reveal that some parts of the Wall remained occupied well into the 5th century. Enough also survived in the 8th century for spolia from it to find its way into the construction of Jarrow Priory, and for Bede to see and describe the Wall thus in Historia Ecclesiastica 1.5, although he misidentified it as being built by Septimius Severus:
“ after many great and dangerous battles, he thought fit to divide that part of the island, which he had recovered from the other unconquered nations, not with a wall, as some imagine, but with a rampart. For a wall is made of stones, but a rampart, with which camps are fortified to repel the assaults of enemies, is made of sods, cut out of the earth, and raised above the ground all round like a wall, having in front of it the ditch whence the sods were taken, and strong stakes of wood fixed upon its top. ”
But in time the wall was abandoned and fell into ruin. Over the centuries and even into the 20th century a large proportion of the stone was reused in other local buildings.
In fiction
Sycamore Gap (the "Robin Hood Tree")
Sycamore Gap (the "Robin Hood Tree")
* Hadrian's Wall was featured extensively in the movie King Arthur (which depicted the story of the people the Arthurian legends were supposedly based on). The one kilometre (0.6 mi) long replica, located in County Kildare, Ireland, was the largest movie set ever built in that country, and took a crew of 300 construction workers four and a half months to build. The fort in the movie where Arthur and his Sarmatian "knights" were garrisoned was based on the Roman fort named Vindolanda, which was built around AD 80 just south of Hadrian's Wall in what is now called Chesterholm, in Northern England. In the movie, the fort is attached to the wall.
* Sycamore Gap, a section of the wall between two crests just west of milecastle 38, is locally known as the "Robin Hood Tree". This location was used in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as the setting for an interlude during Robin's journey from the White Cliffs (actually shot at the Seven Sisters Hills) to Nottingham via Aysgarth Falls.
“Look at this Bertie, yet another empty jar.”
“I can see that Posh. It must be useful having long paws that reach right to the bottom to get every last bit. I always try and get the small squat jars myself.”
“Long paws are handy Bertie but I didn’t empty this one, it was full to the brim when I put it under my bed and now look.”
“How very unusual Posh, I do wonder how that happened.”
“I have a good idea, don’t I Sky?”
“I don’t know Posh, tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I think a little bear with a big appetite helped himself to my honey.”
“While that is entirely possible Posh, I’m sure there could be another reason.” Sky coughed and licked his lips.
“Oh, really Sky, do tell.”
“Well, I have heard rumours that jars of honey that comes from big shops and some that come from little shops are now supplied in these special anti-wastage containers.”
“I’m sorry Sky, I don’t understand how that would affect poor Posh’s missing honey.”
“Sorry Bertie, I’ll make it clearer for you. You see, as I understand it, because there is so much waste of perfectly good food the top people have invented a special container that will in time reduce the amount of food stored inside it. That way by the time it becomes out of date there is nothing to throw away. I think poor Posh left his honey for just too long.”
“I never knew that Sky.”
“I thought everyone knew it Bertie, well apart from poor old Posh that is. Clever bear but just not up to date. You see Posh if you store too much honey it will slowly disappear and the best way to avoid this disappearing and waste of good honey is to share it with your friends. I don’t mind helping and I’m sure Bertie will help too.”
“I have never heard such nonsense, new containers, absolute rubbish Sky. Bertie you are a wise and fair-minded bear, what do you think of Sky’s explanation?”
Bertie looked at the empty jar and then licked his lips as he thought about the many full jars of honey under Posh’s bed and the total lack of any at all under his own bed.
“I think Sky could be right you know Posh. I think it might be a good idea to combined our honey stocks and then we’ll stop it getting old.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable as long as everyone shares their stock. How many jars do you have Bertie?”
“I’m not sure Posh, I haven’t counted it recently but rest assured you can have every last jar.”
“Fair enough Bertie, what about you Sky?”
“As you know I don’t count too well Posh, but you can have every jar I have too. Come on let’s make a start on Posh’s honey as it is bound to be the oldest and we can’t afford to waste them.”
Sky looks over to Bertie and grins then with a wink of the eye he is off to make a start.
Fujifilm X-T20, RAW / Lightroom CC
Fuji X Secrets Workshops & Blog
Read the X-Pert Corner blog.
Useful (e)books on Fujifilm cameras:
The Fujifilm X-T2 – 120 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-Pro2 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T10 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T1 – 111 X-Pert Tips 2nd edition
The Fujifilm X-E2 – Beyond the Manual
Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1
Save 40% with coupon code XPERT40
Die Fujifilm X-T2. 120 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-Pro2. 115 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T10. 115 Profitipps.
Fujifilm X100F / Lightroom CC
Fuji X Secrets Workshops & Blog
Read the X-Pert Corner blog.
Useful (e)books on Fujifilm cameras:
The Fujifilm X-T2 – 120 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-Pro2 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T10 – 115 X-Pert Tips
The Fujifilm X-T1 – 111 X-Pert Tips 2nd edition
The Fujifilm X-E2 – Beyond the Manual
Mastering the Fujifilm X-E1 and X-Pro1
Save 40% with coupon code XPERT40
Die Fujifilm X-T2. 120 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-Pro2. 115 Profitipps.
Die Fujifilm X-T10. 115 Profitipps.
Useful graffiti, if you're over 7 feet tall, though it could be philosophical advice for passing pedestrians.
This has been there for as long as I can remember.
The spines of cacti are often useful in identification, since they vary greatly between species in number, color, size, shape and hardness, as well as in whether all the spines produced by an areole are similar or whether they are of distinct kinds. Most spines are straight or at most slightly curved, and are described as hair-like, bristle-like, needle-like or awl-like, depending on their length and thickness.
The second out of two tutorials showcasing the techniques used for my Slope Tree. This one shows how the foliage is constructed :)
You can find the tutorial here:
fullplatebuilds.com/2019/01/20/slope-tree-tutorial-part-ii-canopy/
Hope you find it useful! :D
John Cable Mill:
Corn was a central fact of life to the pioneer. A native American plant, its grain, stalks and foliage fed man and beast. Corn grew dependably with minimum attention, frequently under poor circumstances. It was used for a variety of foods -- bread, mush, grits, hominy -- and at times a potent beverage. But first, it had to be ground into meal.
In the Smokies, single family “tub mills” were numerous but could grind only about a bushel of corn per day. When the need and environment were suitable, a large mill powered by a waterwheel was built and became an important feature in the community. It could grind more grain much faster than a tub mill. A sawmill often operated off the same power unit (and did here), adding another service to the community.
John P. Cable’s mill was not the first in Cades Cove. However, by 1870 or so the population was large enough to support several such businesses. As a rule millers were also farmers anyway, and John Cable was no exception. A large bell used to be mounted atop a pole beside the mill; customers rang it to call the miller in from the orchard or fields. Jim Cable, John’s son, inherited the mill and operated it well into the twentieth century.
Sentinel-1 radar coverage from before and after the 1 April 2017 mudslide in Mocoa, Colombia, shows the extent of movement of the disaster that claimed over 260 lives, injured hundreds more and left scores displaced.
Triggered by heavy rain, the landslide caused greatest movement (red) on top of a mountain. It then pushed mud down across the city of Mocoa (green) and crossed the nearby river.
Sentinel-1’s radar ability to ‘see’ through clouds, rain and in darkness makes it particularly useful for monitoring areas with frequent cloud cover. Images acquired before and after events such as floods, landslides or earthquakes offer immediate information on the extent of affected areas and support assessments of property and environmental damage.
The Sentinel-1-derived data product (from scans on 20 March and 1 April) has been overlaid onto a Sentinel-1 radar image. Sentinel-1 is a two-satellite mission for Europe’s Copernicus environment monitoring programme.
Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2017), processed by I. Parcharidis, Harokopio University of Athens
Inspired by the soggy weather, and the apparent popularity of mushroom-themed items at our local crafts market, I decided to try something a little different. The shape was accomplished by adding the stem to a tongue shape. Getting into the corners was a little tricky on Genie wheels (I think a Dremel or a Flex-shaft would be useful here), but it worked. The starburst jasper undercut slightly in the starbursts, which isn't something that I've seen previously. Could be the bald wheels creating extra drag, or the fact that I'm using a squirt bottle to keep the wheels wet.
Overall, I'm pretty pleased for a first attempt.
Not the most photogenic of plants, but a useful source of food for early season insects.
Native to the Mediterranean region, it was introduced into Britain in the early 1800's. Useful for ground cover, it is an invasive plant and may be difficult to eradicate once established.
Garden escapes have become naturalised in many parts of the country, particularly in more southern areas.
Batsford Estate, Gloucestershire. 5.2.2023.
See where this picture was taken. [?]
No tripod needed for this one. There's a nice chest high wall that's plenty deep enough to rest a camera on. A beanbag certainly helps and is one of the most useful things in my camera bag... The reason the log at the top of the hill is "frozen" even though this is a 30sec exposure, is ride's flash for the on ride photo. If you look really closely at the "stream" towards the bottom of the picture you can see the blur from other logs coming through.
Pictured:
Splash Mountain
Frontierland
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resort
Bay Lake, Florida
November, 2008
Thanks for stopping by!
__________________________________________________________________
Disney Photo Challenge winner in "Show Me" - thanks for your votes!
Number 81 for 100 Flowers 2024
This perennial sunflower, Helianthus Lemon Queen, is a really useful food plant for insects having a long flowering period
My friend is staying in a waterfront home that was once a brothel. Our distinguished politicians would enter the facility from a boat through a trap door under the building, so as to arrive unseen and unknown.
Chassis n° DB4/886/L
Zoute Sale - Bonhams
Estimated : € 1.200.000 - 1.600.000
Sold for € 1.236.250
Zoute Grand Prix 2022
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2022
The competition potential of Aston Martin's new DB4 had been recognised from the outset, and the factory lost no time in developing a lightweight version suitable for racing, the resulting DB4GT debuting at the 1959 London Motor Show. The model had already been proven in competition earlier that year when the prototype ('DP/199') driven by Stirling Moss won its first race at Silverstone. Extensive modifications to the standard car took 5" (127mm) out of the wheelbase, and replaced the rear seats with a luggage platform on all but a small number of cars. Together with lighter, 18-gauge bodywork, these changes reduced the car's weight by around 200lb (91kg).
The GT used a tuned engine which, equipped with a twin-plug cylinder head and triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors, produced a claimed 302bhp at 6,000rpm, a useful increase over the standard car's claimed 240bhp. Maximum speed, of course, depended on overall gearing, but 250km/h was achieved during testing with a 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds recorded. The DB4 was also one of the first cars to go from standstill to 160km/h and then brake to a dead stop on under 20 seconds, a tribute, in part, to its up-rated Girling brakes as used on Aston Martin's competition sports racers of the era.
While several customers liked the idea of the GT engine, not all were so keen on the DB4GT's Spartan, competition orientated and less roomy interior, preferring the civility of the standard model. To accommodate these select few clients, Aston Martin was happy to supply the DB4 with the GT engine. The first three such examples were completed in 1961 during production of the 'Series 3' DB4, followed by a further five in 'Series 4' and six in 'Series 5' plus one convertible, making 15 cars in total (source: AMOC Register).
This matching-numbers car, left-hand drive chassis 'DB4/886/L', is one of the five 'Series 4' saloons delivered with the twin-plug GT engine installed, three of which were left-hand drive, and is thus one of the rarest of all DB4 variants. The car was delivered new in 1962 via US importers J S Inskip first owner Henry Dingley Jr of Auburn, Maine, a motor sports enthusiast known to have raced Alfa Romeos and a Lotus XI. The DB4 was ordered with the desirable GT-type dashboard, overdrive gearbox, oil temperature gauge, brake servo, chrome wheels, and a Bray block heater as well as the GT engine. The Aston's immediate history thereafter is not known, but by January 1985 it was in the ownership of Thomas Clark of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. '886/L' next passed to S A Taylor in the USA and in 1992 was acquired by Philip Cowan of Guernsey, Channel Islands. Later that same year the car was sold to Mr Rolf Annecke of Neuenkirchen, Germany.
During the years of Mr Annecke's ownership the car was completely restored (body, mechanicals, engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, electrics, etc) including a bare metal re-spray in Deep Carriage Green (an original Aston Martin colour). The extensive engine overhaul and tune up was carried out by Roos Engineering of Safenwil, Switzerland, while the interior was completely refurbished using correct original materials: Connolly leather, Wilton carpeting, etc.
In 2014 Mr Annecke offered the DB4 for sale. At that time approximately 1,000 miles had been covered since the rebuild's completion in 2005, the odometer reading at time of sale being 48,000 miles. Some 500 miles previously the old original Dunlop wire wheels had been exchanged for new 16" Borrani-style wheels shod with new Dunlop racing tyres. Most aspects of the restoration are documented by bills and photographs on file.
In early 2014 Mr Annecke sold the DB4 to the consignor, a connoisseur marque enthusiast based in Belgium. Determined to return the Aston to concours-standard original specification, he commissioned Carrosserie Philip Vilain in Brussels to start work in the summer of 2014. Vilain's brief was to completely restore the coachwork and chrome, and so the body was stripped back to bare metal and repainted in its original black livery, the entire process being documented by numerous photographs on file.
The factory's Aston Martin Works division was approached in 2015 to carry out a thorough evaluation of '886/L'. They made several recommendations, resulting in further refurbishment that included installing a new radiator, steering wheel, front/rear windscreens, headlights, and accelerator pedal. At the same time the interior was correctly re-trimmed in red leather with Wilton woollen carpets and a correct headlining. Related invoices on file total over £78,000 (approximately €90,500). Aston Martin Works issued a Gold Certification book in September 2016, confirming '886/L' to be a fully matching-numbers car retaining its original GT engine. Additional paperwork includes a factory production record; a former bill of sale and registration document; a BMIHT Certificate; and the aforementioned restoration records. The car is UK registered and comes to the sale with EU duties paid.
To call the GT-engined DB4 a 'factory hotrod' may not be entirely appropriate, but there can be no denying that its unique combination of high performance and 'gentlemen's club' refinement, not to mention a decent sized boot, makes it particularly appealing. Rarer but in the same top league as many a more expensive motor car from Maranello it represents a very refined choice for the discerning collector. As such it is nevertheless the ideal companion for use on long-distance tours and rallies and would surely be a welcome participant at any prestigious concours d'élégance event.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor -- such is my idea of happiness."
Leo Tolstoy, Family Happiness
"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
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useful tail
my lichen photos by genus - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/7215762439...
my photos arranged by subject, e.g. mountains - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections
Today's upload brings a tale of two Volvos, as a couple of former Metroline London Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TLs have joined the fleet here at Grantham. I'm told that these are only here on a temporary basis to provide backfill for other deckers heading off for MOTs which were deferred when lockdown struck.
930 is the first of the duo, and is seen here at the Bourne Road Estate in Colsterworth, whilst waiting for time on the 0900 from Grantham to South Witham.
Note that both also retain their dual doors, useful on school runs.
Oh By the Way, my son created the green scrub brush on a challenge to make something useful from the green mesh of plastic And melted both ends together with a candle😄😄😄
Sethi had an unpleasant encounter a few days ago. He managed to escape when my nephew left the backdoor open and decided to explore a neighbour's garden. Unfortunately the neighbour has four big dogs. Two of them chased Sethi but he managed to climb on a tree from where my sister could rescue him. I hope that he has learned his lesson and avoids this garden in the future.
He was on the couch when I took this shot. The couch is black which is sometimes quite useful for portrait shots like this one. :)
DDC-Useful
As anyone who has a dog knows, they are indeed very useful. When you live in a big city it isn't unusual to have your house robbed. It happened to us a few years back. I think hearing a dog bark would deter most people from trying to break into your house. I went outside and rang the doorbell and Shizandra came running and barking but stopped when she saw me in the window taking her photo. I think she realized at that moment it was me.
Best view Original size.
Useful for period modellers is this illustration of the short-lived "continetal style" coach-side destination boards which replaced the UK's traditional roof boards. This yellow coloured pane carries the lettering "Waterloo - Salisbury - Exeter" and was visible on this Swindon built "Warship" B-B diesel-hydraulic (later TOPS Class 42) 826 "Jupiter" hauled train heading west from Basingstoke - c.1970.
In the distance a Class 73 hauled train of EMU stock can also be seen approaching.
© 2017 - 53A Models of Hull Collection. Scanned from the original 35mm colour transparency; photographed by John Senior.
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Garbage picking is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential waste to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but that may prove useful to the garbage picker. Garbage picking may take place in dumpsters or in landfills. When in dumpsters, the practice is called dumpster diving in American English and skipping in British English. Dumpster diving is viewed as an effective urban foraging technique. Dumpster divers will forage dumpsters for items such as clothing, furniture, food, and similar items in good working condition.
My social photography is a documentary of the sights I have seen from the sidewalks of New York City. I apologize if my images offend anyone ~Rhpsr