Kings and bears often worry their keepers.

Brickshelf user AndyBear has built himself a tram station for the Belgian city of Bruges.


It is lovely and charming, but could it possibly suffer from too much detail? The ends of logs poking out every which way, timbers large and small, railing and flowers and flags and awnings! What is the deal with the roof; what is the Bear trying to represent? Doesn't matter, the Effin' Bear encrusts that roof with flair like he's "Nadroj" covering a model with gratuitously rare/expensive parts.

Bikicsmilan, meanwhile, shares the latest extension to his fictional Hungarian city, the Cathedral of St. Mirton.


Like the similarly named (nonfictional) St. Martin's in Bratislava, this nave is so ornate one would expect daily coronations. Kings parade out of here daily, like on those clocks that have the little wheel and things run around on it, out one door and back in another, every hour. You know the ones, that are featured in Looney Toons and your grandmother's den? Well, that's how often kings go in and out of this cathedral.

Readers, you might argue that this is even more too much than the last one, but this Goldilocks finds it just right. The glass has been stained, the walls have been mottled, and some shingler blew his load all over the roof.


And holy mustache, check out the spire! Cornice, column, and entablature me all night long!

Gardening and stuff............

In a shock move I went out and sorted out both the front and back gardens with mum today. Dunno why I suddenly decided to do it as I HATE gardening but I wanted to make sure that it was short before the autumn/winter months creep up on me. There was a fair bit to do but at least it will now be easy to maintain so that I won't be faced with a jungle once spring arrives (which is what happened last year)

Have to admit that it does look very nice now.

Was delighted to have Sam return to me after being away at Livvy's for a couple of days. Unfortunately this was dampened somewhat by a shocking revelation from Sophie (more to follow on that over the next few days/weeks)

On a more positive note I have now signed a new rolling lease on my house so I won't have to sign annual contracts or pay agency fees every year so in the long run things will be cheaper for me (shame the rent didn't come down, on the plus side it didn't go up either!)

Lovely dinner of chicken and salad and chilling in front of the telly, followed by ice cream YAY!

Dreading tomorrow as I have to go the dentist although it is just a check up but will result in me being referred to the Hutton dentist to have my wisom tooth extracted (and possible another wisdom tooth needing filling or pulling too). By the way, I hate dentists more than I hate gardening! To make matters worse I will have to pay for the privilege of all this dental work, oh joy!

This is the stage where we will conjure and conquer the world with our ungodly charisma points.

The God Wheel of Fate has stopped for Dover, Scotty, and Jonesy on Yes, Yes In-Fucking-deed. You Will Be The Vanguard! And this moment is the first in a series of moments that, no matter what feelings those moments embody, Yes, Yes is still the answer. Yes to life, and Yes to twee!

3 contest entries for the "Steampunk" 100 Part Challenge. 3 beautiful models showing the way forward. Taste, excellence, using the color brown only where appropriate.

Left to right: "Dr. Flotsam's Phosphate Stand" by Dover, "Jaegersaurus Wrecks" by Scotty, and "Officer Tourbillon" by Jonesy

Get out your notebooks, readers, you are about to get schooled. Umbrellas, bright colors, the word "phosphate," robots with mustaches! This is the our future; a fantastical past. Watch your step, this rock has no railings.

Post holiday laziness

Today we did absolutey nothing at all!
Well we did lots of holiday washing but other than that we did nothing.
Late breakfast (well lunch really) of nibbles and cheese and just spent the day dossing.
TV/surfing/reading and a kebab for dinner
That was it, nothing more nothing less LOL

MSC com poucas novidades para 2010/2011

A MSC, já definiu uma previa do que será a temporada 2010/2011, serão novamente 6 navios na América do Sul, a novidade fica por conta do MSC Poesia que virá pela primeira vez ao Brasil e provavelmente ficará baseado em Santos com cruzeiros ao nordeste. O seu gemêo Orchestra voltará e deverá também baseado em Santos só que agora com destino ao Prata. Outro que também volta é o Musica mas que dessa vez ficará baseado em Buenos Aires. Além disso volta o Opera e o Armonia que ficarão baseados no Rio de Janeiro. Além do Melody que voltará para a o nordeste. A temporada desta vez irá começar em setembro com a escala do Armonia, que primeiro fará algumas escalas em Santos para depois ficar baseado no Rio. Ainda não foi definido o final da temporada, mas ela não deve passar da primeira quinzena de maio. Já o Lirica e o Magnifica irão para a América do Norte, o Lirica provavelmente para viagens no Caribe e o Magnifica na costa atlântica dos EUA e Canada.. O Sinfonia voltará para a África do Sul, o Splendida está confirmado para a temporada de Inverno no Mediterraneo. O único navio que ainda não tem destino definido é o Fantasia. Sera que teremos este navio que é capaz de acomodar quase 4 mil pessoas no Brasil ?

É improvável, mas não impossível.

Custom Fig By Hazel

Hazel presents a three holed eyed vagina sniper. It is very well sculpted.

Funny Valentine Wallpapers

Fun and love are part of our life and we need both of them to live a happy life. Valentine's day is also celebrated with great fun, frolic and happiness among couples who share beautiful feelings of love with each other. They bring smile on faces with jokes, mimicries, pranks and other funny activities. You can use these funny valentine wallpapers to share with your dear valentine and see the laughter on her/him.

Valentine Couple Wallpapers

Valentine's day is about couples, lovers or partners who fall in love with each other and celebrate their feelings of love and affection between them on this day. Couples go on date to spend time together and understand each other. You can watch these cute couple pictures enjoying their company. You can set these valentine couple wallpapers to express love sentiments and emotions.

Isle Of Wight - Day 8

Well today is the last day of our holibobs :o(
We all got up early to finish packing and have a breakfast compromising of anything that was left in the fridge.
Due to my tablets I had been unable to drink and so these delights will have to wait until I get home (they were bought for the names when we first arrived):



As we were in good time we decided to detour via Osborne House, taking advantage of our English Heritage membership and also to get more lemon curd!:





After the wonderful sights of the House, and a nice cuppa in the gardens, we headed off to Fishbourne to get the ferry back to Portsmouth.

Ferry coming back into Isle Of Wight:


That Hovercraft again:


The Catamaran:


The Glitz-Mobile on deck:


The Spinnaker Tower on the home approach:


Once we got back to Portsmouth we pottered around for a couple of hours before meeting up with my Uncle Richard and Auntie Robbie who I haven't seen for 15 years. We all went to Nandos, had a lovely meal and a quick catch up. Was really nice to see them again and will make sure it isn't another 15 years before the next one. Unfortunately my cousins James and Sarah were unable to make it so hepefully I can meet up with them soon.

Mum, Robbie, me and Richard:


See all the pictures here: 290809IsleOfWight

Laugh A Long A Carnival!

It’s definitely that time of year. There are new ships on the horizon and we are being bombarded with information and glittering facts and figures about them on an almost daily basis.

Royal Caribbean are giving us regular (large) doses of their forthcoming Oasis of the Seas, fittingly in instalments to go with their weekly ‘webisodes’ on the ship’s own website, providing a growing and in-depth catalogue of everything you ever wanted to know (and some of what you didn’t) about the world’s largest cruise ship.

The drip-feed of info has been so steady and so constant it feels like we know the ship already, even though its official launch is still more than two months way (and we have a full preview of it in the Autumn issue of World of Cruising magazine – out on September 15!).

At the same time, Carnival have been trying to keep up with their first new series of vessel for several years, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream.

Now, unable to claim it is the ‘biggest this’ or the ‘largest that,’ the world’s largest cruise line have had a harder time coming up with fascinating facts and interesting tidbits to make the public sit up and take notice (kind of hard when they are already reeling from Oasis overkill!).

So instead, Carnival have opted for a more laid-back approach, focusing on the vessel’s new attributes, like the superb Ocean Plaza indoor/outdoorlive music venue, the Seaside Theatre (above) and onboard features, like the line’s widest range dining alternatives, which include a Tandoori restaurant and burrito bar.

Now they have moved full tilt to elaborating about their entertainment offerings, and have hit on a really eye-catching contribution from an old tried-and-trusted formula given a new spin.

The Comedy Club idea has been tried before without taking the cruise world by storm (by Disney Cruise Line, when their Disney Magic and Wonder first came out in 1998 and 1999 and promptly ditched after just a couple of seasons).

But now the Carnival entertainment team reckon they have the approach to make their guests sit up, take notice, and have a right good laugh.

The Comedy Club a la Carnival Dream will utilise the 425-seat Burgundy Lounge and feature six 35-minutes shows over four separate nights on a typical week-long cruise. Comedians will vary from family friendly to adults-only, and feature a wide range of comedy types.

Here’s their press release in full:

MIAMI (August 26, 2009) – Building upon its reputation for offering the most diverse entertainment choices at sea, Carnival Cruise Lines will introduce the line’s first comedy club on its new 130,000-ton Carnival Dream. The club will feature six comedy shows on four different nights during each voyage.

The new 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream – the line’s largest ship – is set to debut Sept. 21, 2009.

Presented in the 425-seat Burgundy Lounge, Carnival Dream’s comedy club will highlight a wide variety of comedians offering both family-friendly and adult-only performances each night.

Six 35-minute shows will be presented nightly, with show times at 6, 7:15, 8:30, 9:45 and 11 p.m., and 12:15 a.m. The last two performances will be R-rated adult-only shows.

Carnival Dream’s comedy club will showcase the talents of both the line’s established comedians and up-and-coming performers, many of whom have appeared on television specials and in comedy venues throughout the country.

“Guests choose a Carnival vacation to relax, laugh and have a great time, and comedy shows are one of our most popular entertainment offerings,” said Roger Blum, Carnival’s vice president of cruise programming. “On the Carnival Dream there will be 24 performances during each voyage, providing guests multiple opportunities to enjoy a highly talented roster of comics providing endless laughs in a fun and entertaining environment.”

Carnival Dream’s comedy club is one of several entertainment options aboard the spectacular “Fun Ship” that will offer guests an unparalleled mix of entertainment and activity choices from early in the morning to late at night.

These include three high-energy revues – “Dancin’ in the Street,” “Get Ready” and “X-Treme Country” – each of which will feature elaborate sets and costumes, state-of-the-art video technology and sophisticated special effects to keep audiences enthralled and entertained.

Offered for the first time on Carnival Dream, Ocean Plaza is a stunning indoor/outdoor café/live music venue with activities and entertainment planned from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. Here, guests can relax with specialty coffees and sweets while enjoying a variety of live music, from rock and roll bands to a Latin trio, classical pianists, solo singers and more.

Located on Promenade Deck 5, Ocean Plaza will also serve as the venue for activities ranging from scrapbooking classes and trivia contests to karaoke, and art, spa and photo seminars. Jugglers and magic shows also will be presented, while the Fun Force, Carnival’s energetic acrobatic troupe, will amaze guests with their high-flying antics.

Other diversions on Carnival Dream will include solo entertainers along the Dream Street Promenade, a karaoke lounge, rollicking sing-a-longs in Sam’s Piano Bar, steel drum and Calypso bands on Lido Deck and live bands playing everything from rock to Latin to disco. Carnival Dream will also feature Carnival’s Seaside Theatre, a massive LED screen on Lido Deck showing movies, concerts, sporting events and other programming.

Carnival Dream debuts Sept. 21, 2009, with the first of three 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises operating round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia), followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Rome to New York Oct. 27 - Nov. 12.

Carnival Dream will operate two eight-day Bahamas/Florida cruises departing Nov. 15 and 23 from New York. The ship will then reposition to Port Canaveral, Fla., for a special nine-day Caribbean cruise departing Dec. 3. Carnival Dream will launch year-round seven-day Caribbean service from Port Canaveral, Dec. 12, 2009.

Isle Of Wight - Day 7

Theme park fun again today, this time in the form of Blackgang Chine.

It was a bit Piratey which is no bad thing:


We started out in the hall of mirrors:


A cool cafe:


A crooked woman outside a crooked house:


This is a rubbish bin. This is a rubbish bin that talks to you! Somewhat disturbing if you ask me:


Outside Rumpus Mansion:


Gargoyles to you!


Into Frontier Land:


The best part of Frontier Land for me was the wonderful undertaker's and the awesome signs they had:





I did decide to take advantage of their latest offer though:



Toni:



Following our Blackgang Chine fun we went to Ponda Rosa to get something to eat only to find that about 15 million scooter riders had descended on the place and we were told there would be nothing available for 1.5 hours. We booked a table for later and then popped back to the cottage to start packing ready for our departure tomorrow.

We all indulged in a fanastic carvery and came back to the cottage completely stuffed. Just as well we had packed earlier as we certaily wouldn't have wanted to do it when we got back.

Stuffed and tired we had some tea and sorted out our pictures (and in my case blogged as well) with a view to having an early-ish night before our travels tomorrow.

See all the pics here: 280809IsleOfWightDay7

BOOK!

BOOK! by Johannes Koehler, GIF by twee affect

Chronicles of Mangroves - Tour to Sunderbans National Park

For the persons having some appetite for wildlife, Sunderbans is the place for them. It is located in the World's largest delta formed by the concourse of mighty Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghana. It is said that Sunderbans gets its name from the popular Sundari trees that were once
abundantly found in the marshy region of the park Sunderbans distinctive geographical location makes it one of the most favorable ecological locations in the world. It is often compared to the Amazon Basin for its heterogeneity.

Offering abundant of eco activities like Wildlife Viewing, Backwater Cruising, Bird Watching and Tiger Trailing; Sunderbans is set to fill your nostalgic album with lots of fond memories. Apart from that the rich greenery, exquisite flora and plenteous wild animals of this national park unbinds lot of suspense for its guests.

Spread across 1,330 sq kilometers of swamp and mangrove forests, Sunderbans is a true paradise for the nature lovers. The park is a home to the world famous Royal Bengal Tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and reptiles. Sunderbans encompasses both land and water, on the northern side it is bounded by three islands namely Goasaba, Sandeshkali and Basanti; while on the south it is fed by the sea (Bay of Bengal).

The greatest thrill of visiting the Sunderbans National Park is being able to stay right within it at Sundar Chital Tourist Lodge. On the one hand you feel completely safe and relaxed at your room, but at the same time you shudder of being the next-door neighbor of the Tiger that is well known for its astuteness and agility.

The Sunderbans National Park contains the rich and wide variety of floral species. Among its most prominent attractions are the mangrove scrub, salt water mixed forest, littoral forest, brackish water forest and swamp forest. Trees such as Genwa, Dhundal, Passur, Garjan, Kankra and Goran are commonly found in the park.

Apart from exotic floral asset, not less is its faunal profuseness. Spotted deer, fishing cats, wild boars, ridley turtles, salt water crocodiles, Gangetic dolphins, monitor lizards, otters, rhesus macaques, snakes, lobsters, numerous varieties of fishes, shrimps, crabs, worms can be
easily spotted in the park.

Sundarbans is best approached via the river. Motor launch facilitiy are available from Namkhana - Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project- Sagar Island -Jambudwip; from Sajnekhali - Sudhanyakhali-Buridabri- Netidhopan-Holiday Island; from Sonakhali - Gosaba; from Raidighi - Kalas.

Aparana Chauhan

Journey to the Himalayas -Travelogue, By Aparana Chauhan

Taking the adventurous jeep safari in the scenic locals of the Himalayas has been the long cherished dream for me. When I was recently invited by 'J. Srikant' of 'Visit Himalaya Pvt. Ltd' to undertake a safari there was nothing more I could ask for. I was supposed to travel from Manali passing though the Kullu valley in Himachal Pradesh to the region of Lehm which is definitely one of the biggest fascinations for the one wishing to have an adventure thrill. The region takes you through the most spectacular mountain terrains, exotic places such as the ancient temples and monasteries, isolated deserts and glittering lakes criss-crossing through the challenging mountain roads.

Manali situated at the spectacular height of 2050 m in the Himalayas is a gateway for the trans-Himalayan highway for the near legendary two day journey to the Ladakh's capital Leh. Manali is one of the most favorable destination in India to indulge in high altitude adventure. During the winters the mountains of Manali remains clad with snow; thus transforming the area into perfect skiing slopes. However in summers the region embellish with apple orchards and all round greenery.

The tour started with an early morning 50 km ascent to Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal range. The pass connecting the Kullu valley with Spiti and Lahaul valley of Himachal offers the array of numerous sightseeing places. You will love to take the nature walk along the bank of Dashohar lake amidst the snow capped peaks of mountains. I can never forget the magical spell cast on me by the pristine environs and the mighty mountains. The panoramic view of the pass with its extravagant beauty of the lakes and glaciers was the experience of the lifetime. We were greeted by the numerous glaciers across the pass, one of them being Bara Shigri Glacier which let you witness the solid ice swimming on its surface.

The declivity from Rohtang to the floor of the Chandra Taal affords vibrant glimpses of the valley below. After getting bewitched with the exotic beauty of the valley we planned to move towards the Gramphoo in the Lahaul valley. Gramphoo is a bustling town with lot of shacks offering
momos and thukpa. Here I witnessed the the most beautiful view of the sunset and I captured the moment in my camera.

The next day we moved towards the Gata Loops - a series of 22 hairpin bends loops that take you to the Tanglang La - 17,000 ft pass into Ladakh. Now the climate was getting really cold. But we were enjoying the every bit of it. From the pass we proceeded our journey to the Moray Hills, a 45 km long plateau encircled by rolling hills and spectacular white Himalayan peaks.

Now the Jeep Safari adventure tour to the Himalayas was in its full swing. Today we reaches the Indus Valley - the great river, which was the life line of India for the thousand of years. From here Leh was just 40 km from Upshi. The route now was marked by the high peaks in the horizon and the isloted villages boasted of many white washed chortens, which were built in the earlier times in order to wash away one's sins.

We finally reached Leh. We decided to stop at various monasteries and praying wheels to thank God for the safe journey. I have brimful of pleasant memories for this tour; which I can still cherish.

Aparana Chauhan

Mohiniyattam Dance of Kerala

Mohiniattam is a personification of feminine charm. It is a highly communicative Indian Classical Dance, which was originated in the palm fringed land of 'Kerala' known for its exotic natural charm, dynamic backwaters, and the spectacular landscape. This unique form of dance is vastly
influenced by the scintillating natural beauty -the dancing and swinging of the trees and flowing waters of the coastal area. The word Mohiniattam is derived from two words - "Mohini" (meaning beautiful women) and "attam"(meaning dance).

Mohiniattam has been handed down through the centuries by temple dancers of south India called devadasis. The dance acquired new identity in the 19th century during the reign of Maharaja Swati Tirunal -ruler of Travancore (Southern Kerala). Great Malayalam poet Vallathol, also played an important part in reviving the position of this dance. He established Kerala Kalamandalam dance school in 1930. Some of the other prominent personalities who are associated with this legendary dance are - Guru Krishna Panicker, Kalyani Kuttiamma, Chinnammu Amma and many more.

It is traditionally a female solo dance. Mohiniattam dancers usually wears off white colored sari with gold brocade borders. They are beautifully adorned with the gold jewelery, necklaces, bangles, waistbands and anklets. The dancers portray the themes of love and devotion through her delicate footsteps and subtle facial expressions. This dance is mainly dedicated to Lord Vishnu or Krishna.

The basic steps used in the dance are known as Adavus namely Taganam, Jaganam, Dhaganam and Sammisram. It is somewhat quite similar to south Indian dance of Bharatanatyam. The lyrics used in the dance is the combination of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The dance involves the swaying of hips and soft movements of orthostatic posture from side to side. There are approximately 40 different movements, known as 'atavukal', in Mohiniattam.

The sensuous style of dance also involves the use of eye movement that are quite elicit in its own manner. The theme behind the dance is to entertain and enchant the viewers without being offensive

Isle Of Wight - Day 6

Had a really good day today. Delighted at not having to go to the dentist and rejoicing with Sam's fantastic GCSE results we set off to do things.

We started off by going to watch Waltzing Waters, a fountain, music and light extravaganza which was very good despite assaulting us with the aural "delights" of Michael Jackson and High School Musical 3 medleys. It was very good though and amazing to watch. Photography was not allowed so here are a couple of pics from their website:



We then drove on to Haven Street to have a ride on the steam railway.



We just missed two trains as we arrived so we popped into their little cafe to have a light lunch and kill he time for the next trains. Unfortunately as we came out we ended up missing the next two trains (although by our watches they had been 2 minutes early). Mum had a grumble at the station master and guards and we drifted off to the museum to kill time.

Found these amazing signs:



This one was the funniest though..... Really? At a train station? No shit!


When the train arrived we got on and started to settle down when suddenly a guard appeared and told us that there was a single compartment available for us that he had saved for us in the oldest carriage that they had on the line. It was really nice and lovely little ride.


Nice window mechanism





Abbey "RAIL" Road


See all the pics here: 270809IsleOfWightDay6