Spring Takes A Bough

Eclipsing winter, spring takes a bough: Cherry blossom puts on a glorious show following run of warm weather By David Derbyshire Last updated at 8:28 AM on 29th March 2011  By rights she should still be hurrying about her business, wrapped up in a thick coat and hat. But the first blush of cherry blossom, coaxed out of its buds by the warmth of the sun, proved too alluring for 23-year-old Viktorija Ruskyte. Resting for a moment under the magnificent boughs on the banks of the river in Cambridge, the law student, from Lithuania, gazed at the view – surprised, perhaps, to have come across this sign of spring so early in the year. Reflect a while: Viktorija Ruskyte on the banks of the Cam, surprised to have come across this sign of spring so early in the year Spring colours: Punting enthusiasts glide past a row of cherry blossoms on the River Cam in Cambridge Loved around the world: People admire cherry blossoms as they stroll in Ueno Park in Tokyo. Japanese authorities today declared the cherry blossom season open

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Valued Aerial Exposures (Britain)

Britain from the air in times gone by The Aerofilms Collection is a collection of historical aerial photographs, now owned by English Heritage, which dates back to 1919. A project is currently underway to digitise the oldest and most important images, with many expected to be viewable online by the end of the year. This picture shows the British Empire Exhibition in June 1924 at Wembley, Middlesex - the largest exhibition ever staged in the world at the time. Many of the buildings created for the exhibition have been demolished, but the "Empire Pool" can still be seen today - it was converted into Wembley Arena. An aerial view of Blackpool in 1920. Shortly after this picture was taken, all the steelwork in the seaside's resort's famous tower began to be renewed, as it had drastically corroded since the tower was built in 1894. Liverpool Pier Head in 1920, featuring the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building (known collectively as the "Three Graces"). While those three buildings can still be seen today, much of the housing behind the buildings has disappeared, to be replaced with high-rise office blocks. An aerial view of St Paul's cathedral, taken in October 1947. The cathedral managed to survive the Blitz almost intact, but the damage caused by bombs around it can clearly be seen. An amazing aerial view of a housing estate built by John Laing & Co in North London, near the Brent Cross Shopping Centre, taken in June 1930. "Attractive new housing estates were a source of pride for house builders," says English Heritage. The Austin Motor Plant in Longbridge, Birmingham in June 1935. Once the largest manufacturing plant in the world, much of the Longbridge industrial site has now been demolished. The University of Birmingham, in Edgbaston, photographed in September 1938. The semi-circular plan of the university is far less clear when viewed from above today, as the countryside which surrounds it in this picture is now filled with other university buildings and houses. A photograph of the old Wembley stadium under construction, taken on September 5 1922. The stadium was built for the British Empire Exhibition and lasted until it was demolished in 2003. The HMT Queen Mary in Southampton 1946, between round trips to Halifax, Nova Scotia and New York. The ship carried many war brides to the US in 1946 - after being demobilised in September, it was refitted as the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary in July 1947. Brighton's West Pier, photographed on April 17 1949. The pier, which was built in 1866, was partially closed to the public in 1970s due to safety concerns, and suffered severe fire damage in 2003. Coventry Cathedral pictured in 1949, nine years after it was destroyed by bombs during World War Two. The cathedral is surrounded by empty plots of land where other buildings were destroyed. An aerial view of flooding in the Windsor area, 1947. The Thames floods of this year, caused by abnormally high rainfall, were the worst flooding of the River Thames in the 20th century. The damage cost an estimated £12 million to repair. An aerial photograph of Greenland Dock, Rotherhithe, London's oldest riverside dock, taken in June 1958. The commercial docks closed inthe 1970s, and the site is now mainly residential. A 1924 photograph showing Earle's Cement Works, Wilmington, Hull. The cement works was founded in 1821, but has now been demolished.

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The Steepest Streets in the World

These are 3 of the steepest streets in the World, includes the Guinness record setting Baldwin Street in Dunedin New Zealand, Canton Street in the US and the picturesque Waipio Valley road in Hawaii!       Baldwin Street ( Dunedin, New Zealand )    Baldwin Street, in a quiet suburban part of New Zealand's southern city of Dunedin, is reputed to be the world's steepest street. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. At its maximum, the slope of Baldwin Street is approximately 1:2.86 (19° or 35%) - that is, for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the elevation rises by 1 metre. Baldwin Street's claim to fame has caused some controversy after it emerged that the original entry in the Guinness Book of Record.       Canton Avenue ( Pittsburgh, United States )    Canton Avenue is quite possibly also the steepest street in the world, as Baldwin Street in New Zealand, which is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's steepest, has an officially-recorded grade of 35%, two percent less than Canton's. However, Baldwin Street's angle continues over a longer trajectory.   Canton Avenue has a grade of 37%, meaning that for every 100 ft (30 m) of horizontal distance traveled, the elevation changes by 37 ft (11 m)        Waipio Valley ( Hawaii )    Waipiʻo Valley is a valley located in the Hamakua District of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. "Waipiʻo" means "curved water" in the Hawaiian language.   A steep road leads down into the valley from a lookout point located on the top of the southern wall of the valley. The road gains 800 vertical feet (243.84 m) in 0.6 miles (0.9 km) at a 25% average grade, with steeper grades in sections. This is a paved public road but it is open only to 4 wheel drive vehicles. If classified as a road, it would be the steepest road of its length in the United States and possibly the world.

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Sleepy Sea Captain Can't Hear Wake-Up Call

Get off my beach! Sea captain who nodded off on Antarctic beach gets a wild wake-up call By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 4:16 PM on 11th February 2011 Resting on a deserted beach the last thing sea captain Jerome Poncet expected was a huge blubbery local to join him for a spot of sunbathing. But that's exactly what happened when a four-ton male elephant seal caught him cat napping near his territory in South Georgia. The Frenchman had piloted his boat Golden Fleece to Britain's most remote colony, near Antarctica, with an expedition team of six wildlife photographers on board, and found the local inhabitants more than happy to pose for pictures. Wake up sleepyhead! A male elephant seal roars at sleeping sea captain Jerome Poncet in South Georgia, Antarctica Mr Poncet, 55, even attracted a flock of King Penguins as he caught forty winks. Pictures show how at one point he had a massive wild elephant seal on one side and a large group of curious penguins on the other. The group had travelled thousands of miles to capture the explosive rutting season of the colossal elephant seal males. Can you hear me? Sea captain snoozes soundly despite the nearby attentions of an elephant seal Czech wildlife photographer Vaclav Silha, 60, from Prague, led the expedition and turned to see the amazing showdown before him. 'Jerome is such a deep sleeper he didn't seem to notice the huge male come over to inspect him,' he said. 'The seal must have wondered what this strange creature was. 'I'm glad he fell asleep because it gave me a great view of some amazing wildlife. 'And it was a great moment for a picture that he can hang on his wall forever.'

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Magic Of The First Kiss!

Kissing is much more than purely touching lips. The experience actually involves three main senses: touch, taste, and smell. When your partner's mouth touches yours, you want to taste delicious, smell delightful and touch gracefully. A great kiss should pause slightly just before the lips connect, let the other person kiss back, and have the kissers complete and undivided attention. In addition, keep the following in mind: Lips should be soft, moist, warm and slightly parted. The kiss should be firm, but tender. Proper timing is important - spontaneous, but welcomed. A kiss should be backed up by genuine feelings of intimacy.     Make Sure you are Alone One of the most important points to be kept in mind in order to make your first kiss memorable is to be all alone. You wouldn't want to lose concentration because of too many people around and make a mess out of it. Have a Good Breath It is very important that you have a good breath. Not only does it make you feel good, it will make your partner realize that you care about these little things that count a lot in making a moment special. In case you can't floss, make sure you carry some mint with you always. Don't Ask Never ask when you want to kiss. The feeling should come simultaneously to both of you. Else it will look more like obliging or forcing. The essence of your first kiss will be lost and you wouldn't be able to enjoy it fully. Relax It is very important to relax and take it easy. The moment should seem like it is in slow motion to make it last. The worse thing you can do is moving too fast and make the whole thing seem too rushed. It is the biggest turn off for a woman. So just relax and take it easy and slow. The Right Moment Make sure the right moment arrives before you proceed to kiss the other person. Too soon, and it will look as though you are desperate. Too late, and the moment flies away. So be ready and enjoy when the time comes. Keep Your Eyes Closed To feel the magic of your first kiss take over, just close your eyes and feel the moment instead of staring at it. It not only adds the magic to your experience, but also makes you feel less weird. The Right Place The place where you have your first kiss also counts a lot. The place shouldn't be cluttered and should be appealing to the eyes. It should have a touch of sensuality along with comfort.

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Last Mission Of Discovery

Last mission: On its final voyage, Discovery will spend a week at the orbiting outpost

Funny Signs

Frogmarched No Farting? Words fail me Palmy army The art of unnecessary acronyms Window dropping Nothing impulsive What ass wrote this? He shoots, he scores Not for sharing Can you check again? Queen of tarts Hold the beans

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