WTF-Beta

The Steps of Montmatre is a lovely shot, and yet it may be the least interesting!

At my work the university library had a few shelves of photography 'coffee table' books within an extensive art book collection. Among them, the works of Beaton, Bresson, Adams, Capa, Ray, Mapelthorpe, Leibovitz, Bailey, and I remember Brassai too.

Ansel Adams was my favourite at the time, yet modern digital medium format makes his art photography easy-ish.
I now best love the old street scene photographs, a la Brassai, capturing a moment in b&w. A cafe, things like a smokey jazz joint, or life on a farm pre-tractor.

It works well

When house hunting have you factored in a suitable room?
A room with door to isolate and in which you can put one or two dehumidifiers for maintenance.
With an area/wall that is well lit but not in direct sunlight, and has power sockets.

Unconstrained, Stuart & Sons full size are probably the best if you have £200k and a room/house large enough to accommodate its qualities.

However we compromise.
We set a reasonable price and have a reasonable sized home space; then you may combine those factors with the quality & longevity of an instrument that would enable you to learn to grade 8, and suddenly 'best piano' is a very different tool.

Probably something like Yamaha U3. New they are £10k, a little used in excellent condition maybe £5k. Or the smaller U1 about £8k new...

Regarding European pianos, they are all pricey; Bechstein, Bluthner and Bosendorfer are first class. Grotrian and Sauter follow close.
Steinway prices are ridiculous, £60k for an upright?
Are they made better than Bechstein?
Do they sound nicer than a Bluthner?

My advice, first sample Yamaha & Kawai and hopefully you will enjoy their sound and find a size that suits.

I'd love to see a photo of a bear in your back garden !

Same problem for farmers in UK, we are the worst hit 1st World Economy apparently.
The daily cost of agricultural pink diesel is ruinous.

My parents joined a book club, and the folio society book club, and an art prints club. But each for only a couple of years. I think it was part of their being/becoming middle class, continuing education in the 1960-80's. Had a full set of Winston's autobiography, set of Encyclopaedia Brittanica for us to refer to.

We've never bothered, I guess as we were given the education. And we'd rather get exactly what we want, despite the large range offered last time I saw a book club advertised.
I used to 'borrow' audio books free from the local library.

Lovely shade of green. If cut how long will they last in a vase?

Beautiful day here

Looking N/N.W over golden fields of oil-seed-rape, from Kirk Merrington

And N/NE with Durham Cathedral Towers just visible above the centre of the white building

Instead do some window shopping at a place I purposely divert to when walking in London:

https://www.bentley-skinner.co.uk/?s=Pendant

https://www.bentley-skinner.co.uk/faberge/

Couple of weeks ago, a beautiful sapphire and diamond bracelet in their window caught my eye, made probably early 1900s. No price on things in window.
Their website is brilliant: searched bracelets, sapphire, high to low. It came sixth at £24.5k

https://www.bentley-skinner.co.uk/bracelets/
Hope I've distracted you enough

You do right; firstly as you ought to get yourself settled in your new home for a while to see how your finances pan out, secondly because you'll never sell jewellery unless things are dire and so it's never an investment to anyone but your children/inheritor, and thirdly for me the piece is being valued on the magical faberge name when in truth it's a bit plain & an unusual style for a pendant.

Very nice, location too, near Rutland Water, Stamford and the A1. I'd buy it.
Seen the price?
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/174128729#/?channel=RES_BUY

Series on BBC2, on iplayer:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002stww/greatest-gardens-with-diarmuid-gavin-and-carol-klein-series-1-episode-4

Caught a bit of this new series last night

Last of the three featured has a raised plateau alpine rockery and an amazing iris circular garden.

Visiting us for 6-9 months, he's a bit edgy despite being called Poppy. Not let me touch so far

@Daniel said:

@AndyD said:

So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...

I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

Could be partly taste; Japan has lovely gardens, with small stone bridges over water, and I love their stone lanterns.

@Daniel said:

Sounds beautiful!

I stopped and took a photo of some daffs.
The circular bed on the left is mainly tulips with hyacinths. Left of that just out of shot is an old bed with hyacinths still flowering through the grass.

Trumpy certainly makes daily life interesting for the first world. But reaching our age we know the fleeting nature of politics and the far more important things to us in our own lives.

Expressed for example by Keats in a personal thought:

How can I, that girl standing there,
My attention fix
On Roman or on Russian
Or on Spanish politics?
Yet here’s a travelled man that knows
What he talks about,
And there’s a politician
That has both read and thought,
And maybe what they say is true
Of war and war’s alarms,
But O that I were young again
And held her in my arms!

Trying to negotiate with a fanatical terrorist regime who murders tens of thousands of its people for the slightest protest and with any excuse, has, quelle surprise, proved fruitless. What to do?

Trumps actions are usually unexpected so who can predict what will actually happen on Tuesday?