Photohunt: birds

I seem to have more than enough photos of birds, so I was spoilt for choice. I decided to go for example of both real birds, and sculptures.

This is a sculpture, Caged Eagle, in an exhibition organised to highlight endangered species, in this case Bonelli's Eagle, the most threatened species in France and declining in numbers throughout Europe. At the end of the exhibition in Monaco, the sculptures were auctioned off to raise money for conservation causes.

Another from the same exhibition, Unchain My Heart. I particularly love this one.  It's covered in what looks like chain mail.

Back to "real" birds, and certainly not an endangered species this - a solitary gull.

Flamingos in the south of France, and these could be in some danger. The photo makes me think of the children's game Simon Says - and at least four of the flamingos are "out", or maybe just a little slow. I believe there are versions of this game all over the world, though called by different names, no doubt. It was called O'Grady Says in my youth in Ireland.

If you'd like to join in and find other other players, pay a visit to TNchick's site where you can find out more.

A walk to the post office....

....and the things that you see if you take the trouble to look.

It was such a lovely morning today I decided to walk the long way around to post a letter.  I took my camera and was surprised by how much there was asking to be pictured.

A tree, one that had managed to hold on to its leaves through the last storms, glowing brightly in the sunlight.

Underneath it, a crop of I-don't-know-what-sort of fungi, encouraged no doubt by the recent downpours and mild weather, pushing through the cover of leaves and twigs.  I wouldn't dream of trying them, but they did look as though they were asking to be picked.   In France you can take them to the pharmacist to be identified.

Then, incongruously in the field opposite the church, I come across a different sort of memorial, to a hydraulic ram - a water pump that used only the power of the water itself.  It was invented in 1774 and manufactured nearby between 1883 and 1982.  Some of the pumps manufactured over 200 years ago are still functioning.  Although the foundry and engineering works closed down, the pump is still made in Somerset. I'm sure that memorial wasn't there last time I passed this way.  For further information, you can visit The Worthys website to read a pdf file about The Ram on the Green

Having seen the church in the background, I went in through the lychgate to the church, for a quick detour.

Until I looked around the churchyard and examined a few of the gravestones, I hadn't realised how old the church is.

In

memory of

the two infant sons

of Samuel and Sarah

Parrar

Thomas aged 16 months

Samuel aged one year

and eight months

died 16th April 1787

What tragedy can have happened that the two died on the same day?  There are so many stories hidden in graveyards.  Someone has been researching their family around here, I think, because a series of graves had the names scratched clear of lichen.

And then, finally, to the object of my walk, the letter box, a Royal mail lamp box designed (in 1896) to be mounted on a lamp post or other similar pole. They are the smallest of the letter boxes and have hardly changed over the years.

I didn't take the photo crookedly, it really does lean to one side even though it's a relatively "young" box!

Hurt feelings

Not true.  A different type of hurt undoubtedly, but it certainly can hurt.  Researchers in psychology have found that the pain hurt feelings last far longer than physical pain.  They think the ability we have developed as human beings to work in groups and live in communities also encourages us to relive and suffer from social pain.

The power of words is immense.  They don't have to be angry words, the words that hurt.  They can be  entirely innocent but still sear through to pierce your innermost being like nothing else will.  Sometimes it may not be words but the absence of words, or even something as simple as just not noticing.

What do you do when someone hurts your feelings without meaning to?  Do you say something or do you bottle it up inside?  Pretend nothing happened?  Perhaps nothing did happen.  Is it just a case of being over-sensitive?

As far as I can tell, there is no easy answer.  If you do explain that you were hurt you risk either upsetting or annoying the other person.  If you don't, the pain comes back again and again.  You need to find a middle way of explaining what hurt, and why, without laying any blame, of showing why you feel the way you do.

After the storm

We've had some terrible weather over the last day or two - heavy rain and gale force winds.  It has eased for the moment, but we're being threatened with a return soon.  I'm only glad we're not attempting to cross the Channel.  The Eurotunnel option is looking more and more attractive.

Photohunt: music

Gloucester Cathedral can trace its origins back to 678 AD when a religious building was first built on  the site.  It became a cathedral in 1541, after the dissolution of the monastery it had previously been.

Many churches during the 17th century had their organs were rebuilt, partly because of fashion but also for tonal changes that I don't start to understand.  All I know is, this beautiful organ produces beautiful music, and it was playing on the day we visited.



If you'd like to join in and find other other players, pay a visit to TNchick's site where you can find out more.

Fascinating facts about flax

Flax, Linum usitatissimum, is one of the oldest crops in the world and was extensively used in Ancient Egypt. 30,00 year old fibres have been found in Palaeolithic caves in the Republic of Georgia.

Linen is the name given to the very strong natural fabric made from flax.

Lawn (delicate and transparent) and cambric (very fine and tightly woven) are both forms of linen.

Linen velvet is cool and produces a vintage crushed velvet effect.

Crinolines were made from horsehair and linen, stiffened by a framework of steel hoops.

Linen union is made from a mixture of cotton and linen.

Linen takes a dye well because it is a hollow fibre.

Linen canvas for painters provides a smooth and strong surface that lasts.

It is said that linen sheets help people fall asleep more rapidly and that the sleep will be deeper and more refreshing.

Flax plants grow to approximately one metre in height, with the roots extending about the same amount in the soil.  The roots are left after harvest, and that improves the state of the soil.

One hectare (2.5 acres) of flax can produce 20,000 km of thread.

The seeds of flax produce a vegetable oil called linseed oil, one of the components in linoleum as well as being used in paint, varnish and putty.

Flax seed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Flax needs far fewer pesticides and fertilizers than cotton, and no irrigation.  Processing is mechanical and uses neither solvents nor water.

Retting the flax to separate out the fibres can be done by using water but leaving the flax in the field produces a finer fibre, far less pollution, and uses fewer resources.

Flax waste is used in insulation boards.

Fishing rods, tennis rackets, chairs, bicycles, can be, and are, all made using linen composites.

In the language of flowers, one of the meanings for flax is "I feel your kindness".  It is turning out to be not only an ancient crop but, as a result of its kindness to the environment, one for the future too.

From November 4 to 7, the European Confederation for Flax and Hemp (CELC) held its annual congress in Strasbourg: Natural fibres, innovation and sustainable development.