Well done, your brother scroggin! It would have been hot for Floss right enough - too hot for me The day I did that steep Corbett in Glen Etive was really draining - if it hadn't been as windy as it was a bit higher up, I'd never have managed. I think on a clear day there's probably high numbers of Munros visible from lots of hills - Schiehallion springs to mind, and of course, hills anywhere in Kinlochleven. I don't know if anyone has a record of it though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Someone had carved a face in one of the wind blasted Abies at Cape Spear. Hard to find, the face is only an inch high
One of the fossils in the rock face at Mistaken point.
Another fossil Me(in bright blue jacket)on the rocks with the Research team at Mistaken point reserve. These were fairly flat compared to some. Others were more vertical .
"Studies have shown that the Mistaken Point biota represents the oldest Ediacaran fossils known anywhere, in fact the oldest large and architecturally complex organisms in Earth history" - Wiki.
The Ediacaran fauna are still a mystery, it is not known how they are related to more familiar organisms.
They think they are some of the earliest animals known. They have soft bodies and have only been preserved by sudden slides of sediment. They were in deep sea, and thought to be sulphur based organisms , not carbon based as most of todays animals are. Prior to that they thought the round ones were some sort of jellyfish, and the ferny shaped ones something similar to todays Seapens, but these precede them by a long time. Better pics of the area...
Hubby and I have recently returned from Madeira. Highly recommended for anyone who likes flowers, mountains & walking; it's a small volcanic island (35 miles by 14, max) which rises to over 6000ft. It's famous for its levadas, water channels constructed from the 15th century onwards to bring water from the wetter north to the drier south, where agriculture is important - and for the paths which contour round the mountains next to the levadas. Some are scarily vertigo-inducing, others provide a pleasant way to explore. The climate is warm but not hot; 18-20C last week. No sandy beaches to speak of, but fabulous waves, thanks to its position in the Atlantic. It's about 4 hours flight south from Manchester.
I took photos...
I've not been to mainland Portugal but I believe intricate paving is typical there too. In Madeira the white stone comes from the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, while the black basalt is found locally.
The little pebbles on edge in the third photo provide a good grip as well as looking fab. Ancient paths from village to village are carefully constructed with shallow steps, "paved" with stones on edge and really easy to walk up and down.
The old pantiled roofs are lovely.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
While in Funchal (the capital, in the south) we went to the Botanic Gardens - one of my favourite spots.
I wouldn't normally be a fan of carpet bedding... but this is extraordinary. Razor-sharp geometric shapes filled with carefully clipped foliage plants. There's a large staff here, and it's also a training area for would-be horticulturists.
This is supposed to be an "English style" garden... I quite like the "cups stacked on top of one another" look to the conifers...
...but the areas devoted to cacti and succulents are amazing.
This one looks like something from "Strictly"...
Anyone know what this is??
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It wasn't the season for orchids, though there was a lovely dendrobium I hadn't seen anywhere before:
There were loads of hibiscus, though.
And a lot of other lovely things.
Natural patterns are fab. The top one is the Swiss Cheese plant, Monstera deliciosa, and the lower one is a Madeiran native, the Dragon Tree, Dracaena draco.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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It would have been hot for Floss right enough - too hot for me
I think on a clear day there's probably high numbers of Munros visible from lots of hills - Schiehallion springs to mind, and of course, hills anywhere in Kinlochleven. I don't know if anyone has a record of it though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The Ediacaran fauna are still a mystery, it is not known how they are related to more familiar organisms.
I took photos...
I've not been to mainland Portugal but I believe intricate paving is typical there too. In Madeira the white stone comes from the neighbouring island of Porto Santo, while the black basalt is found locally.
The little pebbles on edge in the third photo provide a good grip as well as looking fab. Ancient paths from village to village are carefully constructed with shallow steps, "paved" with stones on edge and really easy to walk up and down.
The old pantiled roofs are lovely.
I wouldn't normally be a fan of carpet bedding... but this is extraordinary. Razor-sharp geometric shapes filled with carefully clipped foliage plants. There's a large staff here, and it's also a training area for would-be horticulturists.
This is supposed to be an "English style" garden... I quite like the "cups stacked on top of one another" look to the conifers...
...but the areas devoted to cacti and succulents are amazing.
This one looks like something from "Strictly"...
Anyone know what this is??
It wasn't the season for orchids, though there was a lovely dendrobium I hadn't seen anywhere before:
There were loads of hibiscus, though.
And a lot of other lovely things.
Natural patterns are fab.