The views from the Atomic Shuttle Bus hurtling through the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth on the west coast were stunning. No stopping though so my camera had to capture through a window. The result, I think, isn't all that bad...
This is Arthru's Pass, and 'No', it's not named for the King of that name as in Edinburgh's Arthur's Seat. This Arthur is Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841-1934). He surveyed for a route through the passes from east to west of the South Island, ca. 1864. To my gratitude, he was successful!

Tags:   lupins Arthur's Pass, Southern Alps, New Zealand Atomic Shuttles Arthur D. Dobson flickraward Blinkagain my_gear_and_me

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At the end of a pleasant day's climbing walk from about 600 m. at Senaru, Lombok, to 2700 m. we came to The Crater Rim. Gunung Rinjani is one of the three highest mountains of Indonesia. But only the last part of the climb to the Crater rim is a bit strenuous taking you over sliding sands and steep jagged rocks.
The Rinjani became active again in July and hence we were not allowed to ascend to the summit another 1000 metres higher (on the far top left of this photo). The lake is about 2000 m. above sea level, and our camping place at about 2700 m.
Hardly realising that the climb up was done, we quite suddenly and unexpectedly saw the Crater. A stunning view in the bright fresh air... Sublime, I would say. And thus further words fail me... Except to say that the night was clear and crispy cold with an almost full moon. The black current in the photo at night becomes the molten red-orange of lava, and now and then the volcano blasts away. In our sleeping bags we could feel the slightly trembling earth.

Tags:   Gunung Rinjani Lombok Indonesia volcanoes Senaru, Lombok, Indonesia sublime ThePerfectPhotographer Champagne Moments Fleurs et nature TheUnforgettablePictures

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Under the still Cold but very Blue Sky here's a view of the North Harbor - Noorderhaven - of Groningen. The Noorderhaven is a so-called Free Harbor in which boats and ships don't have to pay dock fees. So skippers are reluctant to leave to have their boats refurbished; others may take their place... In any kind of weather there's a wonderful motley view, favored by artists and photographers alike.
This is a view of two warehouses both erected in de nineteenth century and in between them a fashionable home.
The latter is built in the typical style of Groningen with high narrow windows. Originally there was not a door in the front facade. It was put in when Agnes van Bijler became the house's owner in 1727. She memorialised her innovation by having that date carved on two jambic foundation stones.
The two warehouses - now comprised of sought -after apartments - werre built as grain warehouses when Groningen was still a major producer of cereals. The name 'Engeland' is quite straightforward, of course. Curious is the name 'Albion' on the left.
'Albion' is a synonym for England, but it's a bit strange that name should have been chosen at the end of the nineteenth century in The Netherlands. At that time 'Albion' was often immediately associated here with the centuries old expression 'Perfidious Albion', untrustworthy or even immoral England. There'd just been the First Anglo-Boer War in South Africa (1877-8); soon to be followed by the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). The Dutch were solidly on the side of the Boers. Particularly adamant in that regard was Aletta Jacobs (1854-1929). She'd been the first woman to successfully become a licensed medical doctor in The Netherlands. She was trained at the University in Groningen. Aletta Jacobs was aghast at Lord Kitchener's policy of establishing camps to imprison the wives and children of the Boers. Ill-treatment and disease took a heavy toll.
As far as I know, neither Aletta nor anyone else in Groningen at the time took public exception to the name of this grainery... It would be interesting to know, though, what people thought as they sailed or walked past these now nicely restored buildings.

Tags:   Aletta Jacobs Noorderhaven, Groningen, The Netherlands Frist Ango-Boer War Second Anglo-Boer War Lord Kitchener Concentration Camps, South Africa Agnes van Bijler FlickrAward 'Albion', Noorderhaven, Groningen, The Netherlands 'Engeland', Noorderhaven, Groningen, The Netherlands Blinkagain mywinners SOE my_gear_and_me

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In 1817-1820 the German botanist and explorer Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868) travelled widely in Brazil. In his enormous collection of specimens was this Aristolochia cymbifera of the Birthwort or Dutchman's Pipe family (called Jarrinha in Brazil). At Munich he and another today famous botanist - Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (1797-1848) - who was a gifted draughtsman as well, put together an illustrated volume of South American plants. In it they described this Birthwort.
The word 'Aristolochia' is thought to derive from the Greek for 'best' and 'delivery' (as in the 'delivery of a child'). The liquid extracted from its roots was used in medicine to expel the placenta after childbirth.
Zuccarini had a wide European network of like-minded naturalists and explorers. Another of these was the famous Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866), expert on Japan before that country was opened to the West in the mid-nineteenth century (1852-1854 by Admiral Perry). Von Siebold had lived the life of a doctor, naturalist and spy in Japan between 1823 and 1830, when he was expelled. In that time he had taken a common-law wife, Kusumoto Taki "Sonagi" (1807-1865). Their daughter Kusumoto Ine (1827-1903) became Japan's first female doctor practising western medicine. She specialised in gynaecology, but I haven't been able to discover whether she used our Aristolochia in her practice. Zuccarini helped Von Siebold in publishing the latter's Flora of Japan, although a complete edition had to wait until Von Siebold's sons completed it in the 1870s.
To connect again to Leiden, where this plant is in the wonderful green houses of the Hortus Botanicus: Von Siebold and his collection moved here upon his adventurous return to Europe. His house is now an exciting little museum asking to be visited.
But I had to return to my meetings, leaving another visit for a later day. It had been a well-worth half an hour, though, in the Green House as the Hortus itself was awash with rain.

Tags:   Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Brazil Birthwort Dutchman's Pipe Aristolochia cymbifera Munich Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini Leiden Japan Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, The Netherlands Admiral Perry Kusumoto Taki Songai Kusumoto Ine Jarrinha GününEnİyisi, TheBestOfDay ish@Flickr Franz Philipp von Siebold doctors female doctors NaturesFinest FantasticFlower pipe placenta SOE PlatinumPhoto ABigFave GoldStarAward mywinners

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For those of my faithful readers who think I'm always on my knees in the weeds... Indeed, they have my love. But how could I disdain horticultural plants and flowers! Here's one: the Apricot Queen tea rose.
About five minutes on foot away from my doorstep here in Groningen is the marvellous Prinsentuin (1626). It's a pleasant walled renaissance garden right next to one of the waters surrounding the inner city of Groningen, the Turfsingel. It comprises lovely berceaux, a herbal plot with fruit shrubs, and a very nice, fragrant rose garden. In 'lost' moments I like to wander there... "Had we but world enough, and time,/ This coyness, lady, were no crime..." (Andrew Marvell, 1621-1678). But I had to get on and snapped my photo.
Apricot Queen is a cultivar tea rose, grown first by Frederick Huber Howard (1874-1948) and his wife Minnie of Montebello, California, USA, in 1940. In 1941 it was selected as 'the All-America Rose'. Together with many other kin, she now also brightens the Prinsentuin, to my delight and that of every passerby!
I gladly dedicate this photo to Michiel Thomas, a fine Rose Photographer, who first introduced me to flickr!

Tags:   Prinsentuin, Groningen, The Netherlands weeds Apricot Queen tea rose Groningen, The Netherlands Andrew Marvell Frederick Huber Howard Minnie Howard Montebello, California, USA Michiel Thomas 1001 Nights Blink Again BEJ GoldStarAward ish@Flickr

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