Meerkat at Knowsley Safari Park

Photograph Details: Nikon D40 Focal length 185mm ISO-500 exp: 1/500 f4.8

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Hi all!

Those of you who frequent this blog regularly will have noticed today that several posts with the tags "Tamron" and "Tamron 70-300mm Macro" have disappeared. I'm not quite sure why this happened but I suspect it was my fault. I was doing some work behind the scenes if you like and I think I deleted them...

Vintage Rollerskates

Photograph Details: Nikon D40 Focal length 55mm ISO-200 exp: 1/250 f8

The first patented roller skate was introduced in 1760. The inventor was a Belgian named John Joseph Merlin. His invention did not become very popular. The initial "test pilot" of the first prototype of the skate was in the city of Huy, which had a party with Merlin playing the violin.

In 1863, James Plimpton from Massachusetts invented the "rocking" skate. This was an improvement on the roller skate that allowed skaters to turn easily around corners. This invention opened the door for the masses to enjoy roller skating.

Eventually, roller skating evolved from just a pastime to a competitive sport, beginning with roller hockey. This sport became so popular that it even made an appearance in the Olympics in 1992. Roller Skating was considered as an event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The National Sporting Goods Association statistics showed, from a 1999 study, that 2.5 million people played roller hockey. Other roller skating sports include speed skating, figure skating, jam skating and roller derby. Roller skating popularity exploded during the disco era but tapered off in the 80s and 90s.

The Roller Skating Rink Operators Association was developed in the United States in 1937. It is currently named the Roller Skating Association. The association promotes roller skating and offers classes to the public, aiming to educate the population about roller skating. The current President is Bobby Pender. The Roller Skating Association headquarters is located in Indianapolis.

(source)

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As ever, thanks for reading.  

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Photograph Details: Nikon D7000 Focal length 55mm ISO-320 exp: 1/25000 f5.6

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" (also commonly known as "Daffodils" or "The Daffodils") is a poem by William Wordsworth.

It was inspired by an event on April 15, 1802, in which Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, came across a "long belt" ofdaffodils. Written in 1804, it was first published in 1807 in Poems in Two Volumes, and a revised version, the more commonly known, was released in 1815. It consists of four six-line stanzas, in iambic tetrameter and an ABABCC rhyme scheme.

It is usually considered Wordsworth's most famous work. In the "Nation's Favourite Poems", a poll carried out by the BBC's Bookworm, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" came fifth. Well known, and often anthologised, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" is commonly seen as a classic of English romanticism within poetry, although the original version was poorly reviewed by Wordsworth's contemporaries.

Sometimes you just need a hug

Photograph Details: Nikon D40 Focal length 300mm ISO-800 exp: 1/200 f5.6

Know someone who is in need of a hug? Share this with them :)