Aaaawwww, love that one Zorba. Lovely pics everyone. Sorry I haven't posted for a bit, been super busy. Hopefully post my last Bali photo tomorrow.

Oh no, can anyone guess what happened to the driver of this Mini?

Oh dear, I'm imaganing your daughter curled up in bed with a baby elephant, and where would it sleep when it got bigger?

We went to the Essex Country Show today, an annual event that is the biggest in the County. There are always a lot of heavy horses there, both dressed for display and in ploughing competitions and the like. This beautifully turned out horse and rig really was the star of the display ring though.

Flopsy, is that one of those remote controlled cars they were using for bringing back the discus and that sort of thing?

Zorba scank - love that dog. Only a dog can sleep like that

Howie, have to agree with the architectural rape comment. That is just the most awful thing to stick onto a lovely old building. Bet the architect won awards for it as well.

What a cute dog, zorba!

I'm always watching out for tornado's while on the road because they scare me so badly, especially after having been caught in a few. This cloud cover had me watching closely recently near Houston, Texas. Instead there was just a lot of rain.

Yes it is! We went to the Paralympics yesterday and there were four of those little minis bringing back the javelins. We all said that controlling one of them must be the best job at the games, lol.

Yes, I too agree about them destroying the beauty of older buildings. I could not believe it when I saw it, I just had to take a photo to remind us of the ridiculous things we do.

I think that is one of the worst examples I've seen

Some Colour in the garden, after a poor summer a bit of sunshine does wonders

A typical British harvest view in Kingswood, Surrey

Wow What fabulous photos already!
Howie I love your ship, and Christina that elephant is just sooo cute! Your dog looks totally at peace with the world, Zorba! Clara those storm clouds do look pretty menacing, don't they?

Here's a pretty, pink Crêperie in Le Faouêt, Brittany:

Now for a building that has not been massacred with a modern building attached. Here is the Provincial Legislature in Toronto.

Ah, much better looking buildings, Howie and Santana!

Our nearest neighbor came over last night to show us his new puppy. He's 12 weeks old and very active. It was hard getting a photo of him because he doesn't sit still for very long. This is Capitan.

Santana, may I join you at that creperie? I'll buy the cidre...

Get ready, get set...



A semi-final in the Men's 100m for athletes with a (severe) visual impairment. There are two people in each lane because at this level of impairment athletes have a guide whose role is to help them get set up and to keep them in the right lane during the race. When the pair reach the finish, the athlete must cross the line first.

You're on!

Flopsy, love your photo! That particular event in the paralympics, ie, any of the races where the participant is severely or totally visually impaired, impressed me no end! Both the athlethe and the accompanying guide have to be up to scratch, and the level of trust between the two must be huge!

It was brilliant. The whole experience... going to the Olympics was very special but the Paralympics were even more so. We now have a five year old in the family who says she is going to "run, run, run!"

Wow, that's a great shot, flopsy! And what a great idea for them to be able to run like that!

A couple more of the horses at yesterday's show. It was the last ever ploughing show for the grey, he was retiring as soon as it was over. 21 years old. The owner said he might come to shows in the future just to meet people, but his working days are over.

That is a much better building Howie.

ClaraSue, love the puppy, just want to pick him up and cuddle him

Great photo Flopsy. You were lucky with tickets, you got to see quite a bit really.
Much as I loved every minute of the Olympics I found the Paralympics completely inspiring. I have to be honest and say I havn't taken a lot of notice of them before, but watched as much as I could this time.

When I was a few years old I would have been over the moon to see this view, I had a thing about flyovers, and more so double and triple ones although these are side by side rather than on top.

For the athletics, we had the cheapest seats of all - £10 for adults £5 for seniors and children; that has to be one of the best bargains ever. We were almost at the top of the stadium, opposite the 100m starting line and across from that were the javelin areas. A friend of mine also got tickets on Saturday and she paid more for theirs but they were on the other side of the stadium - a good view of the long jump area but not as good for the rest. It was completely luck of the draw but I did try to persuade my family that I'd fixed it.

That is such a bargain. I had no idea that any of the tickets were that cheap.

Well, to make it even better, each ticket for the Games came with a London Travelcard covering all nine zones. So spectators could use any part of the London Transport system from anywhere in London free of charge - the Tube, the Overland, the Javelin train, buses... that really was a bargain.

I, personally (you don't have to agree with me lol), have always thought that the Paralympics (since they began) should have always been completely melded with the official Olympics. It should never be run "last" (like an afterthought) after most folks have gone home. Yeah, sure the tickets are probably cheap that way, but is that right (morally/ethically/spirit-wise)?

Some folks think they should be run BEFORE the Olympics rather than after, but I don't think that will help regarding attendance/ticket sales. My suggestion would be to run it simultaneously in the same 10 days. Like say, if you buy a ticket to whatever "official" event, that ALSO gives you entrance to whatever paralympic event for a paltry $5 or whatever. So what if EVERYONE doesn't make use of the extra venue? Most will (cuz everybody loves a "freebie" lol). Surely that way, there will be more folks (cheering/applauding) for the so-called "secondary" event if that was the case.

The best (truly honest to goodness) "Olympic" event I ever attended was a sledge hockey game. For those who don't know, it's for folks who cannot use their legs and use sleds to manouver around the ice. It's mostly about upper body strength and passing perfection. Quite frankly, I thought the game was more "athletic/physical" (and if you're a hockey fan who likes that aspect of the game, you would truly appreciate it) than a "normal" ice hockey event. I was in awe the first time I saw one of those games and couldn't stop crying (yeah I know, whattawuss lol).

So thank you Flopsy, for trying to show us that all "heroes" are not necessarily about the fastest/bestest, that there is no "I" in "Team" and that overcoming odds/adversities and that ... "heart" (for lack of a better word) are probably the most important aspects of all.

Christinap, those horses are just gorgeous!

That reminds me of primary school, I used to gaze out of the window at the field opposite watching the horse pulling the plough, just the one horse.

Gosh, I am old, as a child the milk deliveries were by horse and cart and the road sweeper also had a horse and cart - wonderful.

Jakeroo - surely they cannot be run at the same time as the needs are different, that is why they took a couple of weeks to make the changes. Also logistically it would cost so much more to double the accommodation and facilities.

I think the Paralympics were sold out ticketwise anyway so there would be no need to give away the tickets.

Who can tell me which English king this is? I found him and his horse in Toronto.