Picture(s) of the day....

[NewcastleFalcon]

Who's this then? (one spanner degree of difficulty!)

In 1841, he organized and personally conducted a railway excursion from Leicester to Loughborough for some 500 temperance supporters, who paid a shilling each. The journey was a great success and afterwards he looked back on it as "the starting point of a career of labour and pleasure which has expanded into … a mission of goodwill and benevolence on a grand scale"

REgards Neil

[Gibbo2286]

Turning in his grave today Neil.

[NewcastleFalcon]

More of the Thomas Cook Story. Sold to the Belgians in 1928 Who Knew?
The Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits were the historical operator of the Orient Express.

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Thomas_Cook_and_Son

1928 ....Although the firm continued to prosper it was sold, quite unexpectedly, on 8 February 1928 to the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits of Belgium for £3.5 million.

REgards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

In 1948 Thomas Cook was nationalised....so how did that happen being "owned" by the Belgians...

https://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles ... ar-history

"During the war its Paris headquarters were taken over by occupied forces and the business came close to collapsing. Its assets were requisitioned by the British government and it was later sold to Britain’s four main railway companies. When these were nationalised Thomas Cook became state owned in 1948."

After de-nationalisation in 1972, it was acquired by a consortium of Trust House Forte, Midland Bank and the Automobile Association.

Regards Neil

[myglaren]

A really exciting POD

Ivy on my garden wall. It was only perhaps a year ago I noticed that it smelled like a fairly common substance, similar to Chestnut blossom
And later that there were 'flowers' of a sort, and even later - fruit. Little blue/black berries.

Yesterday I was out the back and noticed there were thousands of small wasps and a few other insects hovering around the ivy and clearly feeding from the flowers.
They show up very poorly on the photo's. Well camouflaged. Most are completely rubbish but a careful look will reveal a few, they are far more apparent by their movement.
Still there today

I will probably de-ivify the wall soon as it is a haven for all the blasted slugs and snails that eat all my flowers.

[NewcastleFalcon]

A really exciting POD Ivy on my garden wall.

Leads onto POTD Nature Club....

Your "wasps" could well be these

Ivy bee
Scientific name: Colletes hederae

The ivy bee is a new arrival to the UK. First recorded here in 2000, it is slowly spreading north. It feeds mainly on the nectar of ivy flowers and can be seen in autumn when this plant is in bloom.

Regards Neil

[bobins]

Ivy is actually a very useful plant at this time of year. There's not a great deal in flower at the moment so the insects love it. Whilst I can perfectly understand the need to get rid of the ivy, it'd actually be good if you just limit your pruning to a severe haircut

[myglaren]

I have severely cut it back in the past and had to remove a lot to get the ladders hung on the wall, it grows back very rapidly.

I wouldn't mind it if the slugs would find a different domicile.

[Gibbo2286]

Parked facing a wall covered in that in Monmouth car park a couple of weeks ago, we could hardly see the flowers there were so many wasps, we were in that green Corsa and it too was smothered in no time.

[myglaren]

A really exciting POD Ivy on my garden wall.

Leads onto POTD Nature Club....

Your "wasps" could well be these

Ivy bee
Scientific name: Colletes hederae

The ivy bee is a new arrival to the UK. First recorded here in 2000, it is slowly spreading north. It feeds mainly on the nectar of ivy flowers and can be seen in autumn when this plant is in bloom.

Regards Neil

Quite possibly Neil.
I had a swarm of those nesting in the wall above the garden door. They weren't a bother so did nothing about them but they haven't been back.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Downstream O2 Sensor NF own Work

When it has been on a UK exhaust pipe for 5 plus years.

REgards Neil

[Peter.N.]

This is my state of the art high tech tracking tool, been using it for 30 years +, good every time.

Peter

[mickthemaverick]

Here's a little puzzle that you can't google the answer to. This picture is taken from my mate's first floor balcony in Mallorca, looking at the distant mountain range. Why do the locals call it the BS range? Secondly I noticed an interesting unusual natural phenomenon about the picture, can you see what it is?
(click on picture to enlarge)

own work

[NewcastleFalcon]

Why do the locals call it the BS range? Secondly I noticed an interesting unusual natural phenomenon about the picture, can you see what it is?
(click on picture to enlarge)

Well Mick. I guess local may name mountains on what they look like. (Saddleback for Blencathra in the lakes for eg) So I reckon those mountains look a bit like palmadita de vaca hence the BS Mountains.

Meanwhile I have a look for the natural phenonemon...

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Secondly I noticed an interesting unusual natural phenomenon about the picture, can you see what it is?
(click on picture to enlarge)

Well Mallorca has long been regarded as a birdwatching mecca, and Palma has in its coats of arms a bat. So maybe their is a bird/bat roost in the tree in the foreground.



REgards Neil