Characters at the Greenwich Tall Ships Festival
Characters (18 pics)
I’m a star. – Those on the other end of the lead were watching the river and had no idea what their dog was doing. She was drawing a little crowd of her own. The words “what a character” were often heard. She wins my first prize for “Character of the Festival”.
A close second comes :-
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The Crews
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And, thank you for your visit.
The Tall Ships at Greenwich
The Greenwich Tall Ships Festival
14 pics. The Festival brought a group of tall ships up the Thames for the first time in 25 years. They met from all over the world at Falmouth and raced to Greenwich. During the last day parade the wind was not favourable to sail. Hats off to the skippers for making sail for the spectators, even though it meant expending extra fuel to make progress. There were 50+ taking part. Here are a few.
Dar Mlodziezy
Dar Mlodziezy, which dwarfed all the other vessels, won the first in it’s class (A).
Duet
Duet won first in it’s class (B) and first overall. It is a yawl. That is, it has an additional mast/sail aft of it’s rudder. The design was originally created to add extra sail without breaking the design rules for it’s racing class. That, together with a big mainsail and two additional foresail(s) on it’s bowsprit, makes a very powerful rig that takes skill to handle well. The Cirdan Trust ⇒. Pictures under sail (updated) ⇒.
Stavros S Niarchos
The Stavros S Niarchos won the communications prize for doing the most to aid the race schedule communications.
Tenacious
Tenacious was a mix of able bodied and less able bodied crew. They did well to gain third in their class (A)
Gulden Leeuw
The Golden Leeuw won the the Friendship Trophy for having contributed the most towards international friendship and understanding. They were also the most international crew and won the Young Trainee Award.
Pelican of London
The youngest Captain (Tom Whiteford)
J.R. Tolkien
Loth Lorien
Morgenster
Oosterschelde
Mercedes
Swan
Pirate
I couldn’t get the name of this one but it certainly caught everybody’s attention. Most particularly because it had a working cannon which they delighted in using, making everybody jump and producing great clouds of smoke. They even had the cheek to fire it in the vicinity of Woolwich Arsenal. In past days they would have been blown to bits.
Royal Barge
The Royal Barge appeared two days earlier and is the one used for the Queens Jubilee. Sixty years in the same job and they didn’t even give her one with an engine. A close look at the those on the oars would indicate that they have probably been quaffing something.
Next, click on – The Festival and it’s characters.
And, thank you for visiting.
Flowers that look like something else – Plants pareidolia
I just had the share this. View original for 20+ pics of extraordinary orchids.
Climate Change – Making a Real Difference.
The London Rally
What Has Changed and How You Can Help
On Monday 22nd September 2014, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund pledges that it will divest itself of all fossil fuel assets. It is reported that 650 individuals and 180 institutions have joined this pursuit as part of the worldwide Divest-Invest platform which began seven years ago. This is surely a death knell for those companies and politicians who do not push forward with green technology and policy.
The situation is beginning to change. I believe it has come about because all the elements for change are now in place. We have much to thank the genuine climatologist for. They have for decades faced an uphill struggle, often against personal abuse in attempts to discredit them. There is now sufficient awareness to have raised simultaneous protest right across the world, with a report of 400,000 attendees in Manhattan alone. And, the involvement of the the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, well respected statesman Kofi Annan and the Divest-Invest program.
Making a Difference
There remains only one essential element to maintain the impetus. That is us. Now we really can make a difference. The whole issue is driven by the public opinion that affects politicians and the consumerism that drives commerce. So, be part of wave in the ocean not just an isolated drop. You can:-
- Find greener suppliers here⇐. Switch and, most importantly, tell them why. Trends make business plans which are a prime mover of change.
- Change any investments, and tell the companies why.
- Write to your democratic representatives both local and central and voice your concerns.
- Insist the climatologist and engineers decide what is necessary and the economist provide instead of hinder.
- There are various schemes that make it possible for your computer’s down time to be used to run climate models. Such as Climate Prediction Net⇒.
- Support Greenpeace⇒, Friends of the Earth⇒, Peoples Climate⇒ (the rally organizers) or any other committed organization. Many people have committed years to help us. They need and deserve our help.
- Be knowledgeable and a source of solid information for friends and colleagues.
- Pass it on by blogs, emails, tweets, shares and word of mouth. Be knowledgeable and a source of solid information for friends and colleagues.
Do any of one these things and you will have made a difference. There are still those who wish us to believe that we can’t. It was always a lie. To paraphrase FDR, there is nothing to be hopeless about except hopelessness itself. You can surprise and shock those who thought we were complacent and you will be in good company.
I am reminded of the The Boatlift⇒ film posted by Cindy Knoke (at CindyKnoke.com) with the very apt title of “The True Nature of Humanity”. It is the extraordinary story of those who came forward and helped people caught in the 9/11 disaster. And, as the boatman said: “I never want to say the words ‘I should have’. If I do it and I fail, I tried. If I do it and succeed, better for me. And, I tell my children, never go through life saying you should have. If you wanna do something, you do it”.
Now is the time to assist the surge forward by adding one small piece of effort. Just one thing, just do it and smile that you made a difference. And, good luck to you all. 🙂
Climate Change Rally – London 2014
If you would like to learn how we can have more of an effect click here. (click here for 2015 Rally Information)
For the past 3 decades, it seems to me, that there has been much effort to persuade people that there is no point in trying to make a difference. It didn’t work. To those who never give up, add those who are just beginning. Hope and endeavor just keep on being born. It is slow but it is relentless. ~ Latest news – 40,000 attended the London rally. That’s 4 times the expected number.
To download a picture; left click to expand then right-click and choose “Save Image As” from the pop up menu.
Nelson Mandela, Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. I think they would have approved
And, It’s a Long Road Out of Eden, but it does have some good guitar on the way.
I have a slight preference for the original Eagles version, but this is the best recording I could find.
More news from the BBC
Bench Presses
Books about Town
By popular demand.
The National Literary Trust together with Wild in Art, created the Books About Town project. As result 50 ornate benches were placed around London in early July 2014. Each bench is dedicated to a particular book. The benches will be removed from 15 September 2014 in preparation for auction in October. The auction will raise money for the trust. What a great idea. Just below are a few I managed to photograph in Greenwich and here are all the Books About Town ⇒ and here is More About Greenwich ⇐.
On the Origin of Species – Charles Darwin
The Railway Children – E. Nesbit
The Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer
Frozen in Time – Captain Scott
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
Flowers at Upper Greenwich Gardens
I’m always amazed at the extraordinary detail that can be seen in flora when using more than the human eye. Enjoy 🙂 More of Wonderful Greenwich.
Upper Greenwich Garden Views
11 pics ~ Upper Greenwich Park is a great place to spend a morning and have a picnic. Then wander on to the observatory and from there down the hill for a range of attractions, mostly free. For more information please click on Visiting Wonderful Greenwich.
Now you see me, now you don’t. (a little slideshow)
I’ll jump. Idiot
There is also a deer enclosure but, on the day, they were hiding. ❗
Freed From Time 