I was on a walk the other day and came across a pile of #timber. I also happened to have my #camera with me and I liked the #GeometricPatterns and #Colours I saw.
In this one, you can see the #ConcentricRings of the #TreeTrunk plus some radial splitting of the #wood.
Here's another one where you can also see evidence of the cutting blade.
A #Semicircular tree trunk.
This last one is of a distorted, non-circular section with correspondingly distorted rings.
Last #Photographs from #KewGardens for now.
The previous time I had been to Kew was over a quarter of a century ago. Some things have changed, like this #TreeTopWalk. It is about 18 m above the ground.
I have to admit that it feels a lot higher when you're up there, particularly with the #MeshWalkway. Best not to look down too often if you're a bit scared of heights. The creaking doesn't helps your confidence much either.
It's difficult to give an impression of the height of the walkway. This is the best I could do.
From the elevated vantage point, the #TemperateHouse can be seen from a nicer perspective.
A couple of more #photographs from #KewGardens in#London.
This is the #TemperateHouse, which, as per its name, contains #plants from #Temperate regions of the world.
As it's #winter, this #pergola looks a bit bare but I'm sure that it provides a nice shaded seating area during #Summer.
I visited #KewGardens the other day (if you want the formal name, they're the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew) in London. It's a large site in outer #London, technically #Surrey. It has plants from all over the world and has many large #GlassHouses to simulate various climatic conditions.
This one dates back to the mid nineteenth century and is called the #PalmHouse and houses #tropical plants.
The conditions inside are hot and humid and there there are plants like #banana plants, #bamboo and #palms in there.
The plants are well looked after and are curated into geographical regions. They are densely packed and a better way to see them if from a first-floor walkway, about 3-4 m up.
Just a simple demonstration here of the #locus of #StraightLine in ##ThreeDimensionalSpace in #CartesianCoordinateds passing through a known point with #PositionVector a and a direction d. A #Projection onto the x-y plane is also depicted.
#AnimatedGif #FreeSoftware #WxMaxima #Mathematics #Maths #Geometry #MyWork #CCBYSA
It has been a fairly long time since I posted any #pictures of a #sunset but today has been totally grey, dull and rainy for the whole day except at this time of day where the #clouds thinned and let the #Sun's light filter through. There were some magnificent #orange #colours and I think that this #photograph goes some way to capture what it was really like.
You know the old saying, "Red sky at night, sailor's delight" well tomorrow is going to be a sunny day after many cloudy ones.
I cooked today's dinner which was a #vegetable #soup. About half the ingredients were home grown, including #Potatoes, #RunnefBeeans #Tomatoes and #Garlic Here it is being cooked.
And here is the result after blending.
I served it with crusty home made #bread.
After a hiatus of over two weeks, I have a new #bike. When I took the last one in for a service, the replacement of worn out components would have been nearly as high as the cost of a new one. So I took the decision to retire it and to get a new one. Instead of #black, this time I've gone for #red which and this one has #disc, rather than #rim #brakes. I spent this morning transferring a few things over from the old one like the #BikeComputer and bottle and pump holders.
In the meantime, I was determined not to use my car for commuting the relatively short distance to work. When I say relatively a short distance I mean by #bicycle, it's 5 km and so on foot, that about a 50 minute walk each way. I could have chosen a bus but it would mean either changing buses to get to my place of work or getting off at a stop quite far away which would still require a 15-20 minute walk. I reckoned it would add up to about the same time.
#Biking #Commuting #Cycling #MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000
It's that time of the #year where I make a #calendar for the next one. I decided the theme for next year would be #pollinators. All #photographs are by me and were taken either in our front or back #garden. I suggest you print the pages double-sided and comb bind them so that you can hang it up. Hope you like the pictures. You don't? Well never mind, you can print out just the months instead.
You can download the calendar here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CxmS099Xw0LbO29Ocvy6NLOP5zL9HbSX/view?usp=drive_link
Here are some reduced-resolution preview images.
#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Horticulture #Insects #2024 #Cal24
Last week, we had a day trip to #Torquay but rather than drive or take the train, we decided on a different route. The first leg was a #cycle trip to #Exmouth, about 17 km, followed by a boat trip around the #Devon #coast. The weather was a bit changeable but there were only prospects of short showers.
Well the first shower- didn't take long to arrive and here you can see the drops falling into the #EnglishChannel in the #wake of the #boat. An interesting combination of periodicity and irregularity on the water's surface.
But soon the rain cleared up and the Sun poked through the broken clouds.
The first part of the #coast travelling #west is primarily #sandstone with its distinctive orange colour. You can see the layers tilted through geological action. #Erosion is always evident at the surface but on the action is the sea. The rocks are dated at about 250 million years.
On to a bit of #EngineeringGeology and #GeotechnicalEngineering, the erosion is a serious problem for any structures built on or near the coast and there is a mainline railway track on the route to London which runs along it on this stretch. #NetworkRail is busy trying to stabilize and strengthen the cliffs using #RockAnchor, #RockBolts and #meshing to retard the process. Here you can see workers #abseiling as part of their work.
The erosion causes all manner of interesting irregular shapes in the rocks which make ideal place for #Seabirds to live. These include #Cormorants, #Shags and #Gulls.
As you travel further west, the stratum abruptly changes to #limestone which is over 300 million years old. The form of erosion is also different as limestone is also chemically eroded by slightly acidic water. You can also see that the colour of the sea here is a very deep green.
The #limestone also forms small #islets just off the #coast, again on which birds alight.
A close approach to an islet reveals the beautiful detailed patterns of #rock and #vegetation.
Approaching our destination, some brave souls were clambering over this islet and perhaps were preparing to dive into the water.
It's bright and #sunny today and a quick stroll through the #garden shows it's full of life.
The #grapes are ripening and there's a good crop this year..
Of course, not just the #fruit but the #vine #leaves are also edible in dishes like dolmades which I find particularly good for digestion.
On the other side, the #RunnerBean #plants are #flowering and are being frequented by many #pollinators such as this #bee.
#MyWork #MyPhotot #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Horticulture #Summer #Flowers #Insects
Having had two dry(ish) days in #BannauBrycheiniog, it is not surprising that that the third was wet and not by a little. I usually like using my paper maps and #DeadReckoning to #navigate my way around a new place but I forgot to bring my compass on this occasion and so I had to revert to #GPS (don't tell anyone else) in order to find #SugarLoaf near #Abergavenny. I couldn't see much else but at least our #hike was 12 km and so it was still worth it.
Here I am surrounded by #ferns trying to figure out where I should go in the #rain and #fog.
The second full day of our visit to #BannauBrycheiniog was devoted to visiting #PenYFan, the tallest #peak in south #Wales. This was a very nice #walk of 15 km with some steep ascents and descents but no climbing.
Starting from the car park, a path started to climb gently upwards. You can see Pen Y Fan on the horizon near the centre of the image.
As we approached the #mountain, we could make out a #path up towards the summit.
The path passes a small #reservoir and the #dam has an interesting castellated feature on it.
Along the way there are several valleys leading to #farm #fields.
As the path turns, you can see where you've just come from.
The land around the mountains are used for grazing #sheep. Here are two who have been shorn of their winter #fleeces.
On the final steeper ascent up Pen Y Fan you can here see the craggy north side of the neighbouring mountain, #Cribyn.
Looking back south, you can make out the edge of the reservoir we passed.
The path gets steadily steeper and is partially paved to provide durability and grip. The view keeps getting better.
Arriving at the summit with some effort, you are rewarded with an all-round view. We were very lucky as I was told by someone that the day before, the peak had been shrouded in cloud. Dozens of other people were also enjoying the spectacle.
Here I am at the summit at an elevation of 886 m. From the start point, that's a climb of about 650 m.
The path back to the start is along a #ridge affording views of the valleys either side.
The path on the ridge is not dangerous unless you get carelessly close to the edge but it is uneven and has large stones in places whereas in others, it is covered in black #peat.
Looking back towards Pen Y Fan, you can just make out the figures of people waling on the horizon.
The valley edge looks precarious but in summer, I don't think it is a great danger.
In the south western horizon are a group of #WindTurbines. I am sure wind will be an important energy resource for #Wales in the coming decades.
The return to the car park as along this path down across the valley.
To get to it, required us to descend some steep roughly buiilt stone stairs. For me this was the most hazardous part of the walk as I was tired by now and my knees were getting very sore. It was a relief to get back to the car.
In the afternoon of the first full day in #BannauBrycheiniog, we travelled to #Crickhowell or #Crughywel to climb #TableMountain, which is also the location of an #IronAge #fort. So, equipped with my #OrdnanceSurveyMap we made steady progress up the slopes, on #roads and then #footpaths, often across #farmland. The total walk was 12.5 km.
Approaching the summit, you can see that the area is covered with #ferns.
Looking south from the summit, Crickhowell can be seen in the valley below.
On the descent, this is the profile of the western side of the mountain.
Also on the way down, here is a view looking west once more with the valley in the mid ground and hills in the background. Natural haze makes the distant mountains seem to fade away.
Here's a moment where the #Sun is shining through clouds giving an eerie effect in the fading light on a hill, while the foreground is silhouetted.
Finally for #Pontneddferchan and apropos nothing in particular, this fallen #tree #trunk across the #footpath just seemed interesting to look at with its jagged surface, fibrous structure and colour contrasting with verdant surroundings.
#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Summer #Wales #BannauBrycheiniog
