Notice

“Notice: By vic.cap.20.s.75. any person not fastening this gate after having passed through is liable to a penalty of forty shillings.”

I spotted this old sign in Buckinghamshire. The shilling was a unit of pre-decimal currency discontinued in 1971.

Hardwick Hall

Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan Derbyshire house built for Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury. Bess's initials “ES” are displayed prominently on the rooftop pavilions.

It's easy to see the inspiration for the rhyme “Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall”. The huge windows were intended as a statement of wealth at a time when glass was a luxury.

Spider

I spotted this monster spider earlier today. There seems to everywhere this autumn, lurking just out of sight :-)

Mystery Macro 3 (EPROM)

A while ago I asked if you could identify the macro shots I'd just taken. I kept the guesses in the moderation queue to give everyone a fair chance.

It's a 27C4001 EPROM. Congratulations to Dave, Funky Town and RyHeAnNe who all mentioned computer chips. However Mike went one better by suggesting it might be an EPROM :-)

Mystery Macro 2 (Glitter)

Last week I asked if you can you figure out what I've taken a picture of. To give everyone a fair chance I kept the guesses in the moderation queue. Congratulations to Gale, Dave and Mike who all correctly identified the glitter :-)

Mystery Macro 1 (Salt Crystals)

A few days ago I asked you to identify the photo above. I kept the guesses in the moderation queue to give everyone a fair chance. Congratulations to Sheila who recognised the salt crystals :-)

Please Do Not Throw Stones...

“Please do not throw stones at the hens!”

I'm not sure why someone felt the need to create this sign. There are plenty of stones nearby, but no sign of the hens :-(

Sawfly Larvae

Our rose bush is covered with sawfly larvae at the moment. This strange looking bug is approx 14mm long :-)