As I Started To Post The Blog,

there he was,

a single duck on the roof of a neighbours house, 

it still looks strange to me, seeing a duck on a rooftop,

blog posted and I was out, into a cold but sunny day, 

the chestnut trees in flower along the bus route,

the bus crowded today,

past Peter Pan's Pool,

in the distance grey clouds did not bode well for the day,

the bus was making good time, until the driver change at the bus station,

the wisteria here still not quite in flower,

Lewisham market up and running,

as I arrived in Blackheath village the florists just opening, 

a nice show of cut flowers, 

the aroma of stocks filling the air, 

the lilies looking really exotic, 

lots of potted plants too,

the upline train had just left for town,

a change of trains at Dartford, 

the weeping willows now looking their best after a winters rest, 

a quick photograph over Gravesend as I ran for the bus, 

and joined the queue,

I was soon walking up the hill to the nursing home where Duncan stays,

the tree behind the wall in the winter will be covered in berries,

many of the other trees,

covered in blossom, inside Duncan was in fine sprits, we chatted away about our trip to Ramsgate at the weekend, and our plans for the summer, also a squirrel called by, but by the time I grabbed the camera he was gone, as Duncan's lunch arrived we said our goodbyes and I made a move for the bus stop,

outside all of the roses now in bud, I was lucky with the bus and train, I did not have to change trains at Dartford, so after a hour or so I was on the number 54 bus passing the flower beds, 

at Lewisham hospital, there are 2 colours in the borders, a gay pink,

 

and a dark red, and then, 

another delay as a driver change took place, 

the bee garden on top of this bus shelter, 

now completely taken over by weeds,

this one however, 

still has its original carpet of plants, now with an extra years growth,

 

as I started to walk home the wisteria at Foxgrove Lodge,

really starting to bloom now,

as were most of the plants in the garden,

blue skies as I turned the corner by the snail mail box, 

it was soon time for a read and a sherry, 

and a huge chicken curry that Diana had left for me, 

'Cheers!', after my meal I watched a Deadliest Catch, followed by a Outback Gold Hunters, after which Diana arrived home, so feet up for a coffee and a chat, as we settled down to watch a Midsomer Murder, after which we were off to bed.

It Was Designed To Last 100 Years,

but a "Strong focus on aesthetics", 

photograph by Jan-Tore Egge, contributed to the bridge failing after just 10 years, thankfully with no loss of life, photographs below courtesy of the NSIA

it was the Tretten Bridge, over the Gudbrandsdalslågen river in the Øyer area of southern Norway, which gave way as a heavy goods vehicle was crossing, completed in only 2012, the glulam-and-steel truss bridge, was designed by Norwegian architecture studio Plan Arkitekter and engineering firm Norconsult for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA),

A recent report by the Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority (NSIA) was critical of parties involved in the bridge's construction and management, "The investigation has shown that inadequate caution was exercised in the planning, design, inspection and approval of Tretten Bridge, with respect to the risk factors linked to its unconventional design," the report said, "A short construction period, span lengths and reuse of existing foundation were framework conditions for the planning of the bridge," it continued, "These framework conditions, combined with the choice of material and a strong focus on aesthetics, contributed to the structure not being robust." 

the Tretten Bridge was 148 metres long and 10.5 metres wide, with a main span of 70 metres. A report produced by Plan Arkitekter and Norconsult in 2013 gave the bridge a life expectancy of 100 years, "As far as the Accident Investigation Board is aware, there are no wooden and steel truss bridges in the world that are comparable to Tretten Bridge," said the NSIA report (translated from Norwegian), "The bridge was special both in terms of span length and asymmetry, trusses in the same direction and the combination of wood and steel." note to architects and designers, just because a project is strong on aesthetics, it does not mean it is safe! the article is here.

I Guess You Could Call It A Compendium Of Life,

it is a 19th-Century Atlas of Natural History with over 5,000 pages,

illustrations courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage Library, in the early 19th century, German naturalist Lorenz Oken quickly established himself as a leader in the Naturphilosophie movement, a type of Idealism, Oken’s seminal work Allgemaine Naturgeschichte Für Alle Stände, or General Natural History For All Classes, was published as a series of seven volumes between 1833 and 1843. At more than 5,000 pages in its entirety, the atlas depicts known species ranging from beetles and fish to birds and ferns. In many cases, insects or plants are shown in various stages of development, like a butterfly displayed alongside its larval and pupal forms, the work has illustrations engraved and printed by a number of contributors, the illustrations in many cases label them with both their common and scientific names, 

this entire atlas, Oken’s Allgemaine Naturgeschichte can be viewed in the Biodiversity Heritage Library’s digital archive, where you can also download tens of thousands individual illustrations, what a truly amazing work.