Fallen Maples

These pictures are from the Canadian War Memorial, near Buckingham Palace in London.

The Memorial itself is a downward facing triangle, cut with a walkway trough the middle - the two sides representing the two World Wars.  Water flows down the slopes on both sides

Despite there being very clear signs asking people to stay off the memorial, some families were allowing their children to use the memorial as a play ground - I find this kind of behaviour disappointing.

I loved the way the the memorial had Maple leaves as a clear link to Canada, and I think that the flooding of the water may symbolise time or change.

I just wish that some people would not see the freedoms that people died for in the past  as a reason to behave without consideration in the present.

You can find more close up shots at Macro Monday2 and I Heart Macro.  SM

Looking Back

The image really needs to be enlarged to see what I am trying to do - so click away!

This picture is looking back towards Bamburg Castle from a boat that has just passed the Inner Farne Islands.

As you can see, its a rather great landscape to be in!

And for those of you how like such things - there is a seal in the picture!

You can find more skies at Sky Watch Friday.

Wild Bird Wednesday 108 - Arctic Terns

Arctic Terns are famous for a number of things - having one of the longest migration of any species and for seeing more daylight that any other species on Earth.

One thing that they should be famous for is their absolute ferocity - for a bird of their size and mass they must be one of the most aggressive species on Earth!  On the Farne Islands, this tendency to fierceness comes to the fore because the birds nest right next to, and sometimes on, the paths around the island - and when camera and binocular draped birders get too close the bird consider the birders fair game!

Even through my well loved canvas bucket hat, it was surprisingly painful when the birds stabbed me on the head!

Under circumstances like this my traditional low key green dress sense seems a little redundant!

 
On a more serious note, the Arctic Tern - Stena paradisaea - is about 35 cm long, and carries that wonderful combination of black, white, grey and red that make this bird so wonderful to see, and rather difficult to split from Common Tern.  There were terns all over the place on the islands, in in some places you had to step over birds that were protecting their young on the boardwalks and pathways.  Well over 1000 pairs of Arctic Terns nest on these islands - along with smaller number of Common and Sandwich Terns.

Now it's over to you - click the link below and off you go!

An InLinkz Link-up

Hampstead High Street 2: Rather Expensive

While leaning on the windowsill of out little flat in Hampstead, drinking tea and watching the world go by, I noticed a rather flash looking, bright yellow sports car parked on the other side of the road.  I have a passing interest in such things, so I asked H, my resident expert to identify the vehicle.

With rather less effort than I was expecting H identified it as a McLaren MP4-12C!  On road cost about 1/2 million Australian dollars - which is a great deal of money in any currency!

As he was providing me with this information, an equally bright yellow, but rather less flashy van pulled up behind the sports car.  In large letters on the van was the logo of the Automobile Association - it was an AA van.

For those of you not familiar with this organisation, its a roadside repair and assistance club - in other words the flash car was broken down!  It was too good an opportunity to miss!

I grabbed a camera and went out to take some pictures - the owner of the car took my interest rather well under the circumstances, and told me what the problem was - the car would not go into gear.

I loved the coincidence of the matching colours - and the fact that sports car was being overtaken by a man on a bike!

Then a Ferrari went past, and the situation become even more silly!  While there was no shortage of very new cars on the high street, it was not really packed with super-cars, mobile or not!

Not my usual subject matter - but the whole thing made me laugh.

You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday.

Westminster Abbey Chapter House

These pictures were taken in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey.

The inside decoration of these ancient Religious buildings has changed over the years - but the walls of the Chapter House retain their 14th century decoration.  The wall paintings show the Apocalypse and the Last Judgement.

It must have been a happy place for people to visit!

This first group of figures is known as the Doom Group.

You can find more macro shots - and less end of the world - at Macro Monday 2 and I Heart Macro.  SM

Bamburgh Castle Sky

I had thought that I would have caught up by now - but it's not the case!

A post and run sky from the top of Bamburgh Castle in Northumbria, in the NE of England.

I have to say, that although it did not plan to include the swallow, I like it!

You can find more skies at Sky Watch Friday.  SM