Andrew Stenning Gardening & Design

SIDI ALI - water gardens

2006-01-31T11:13:00.000-08:00

Persian Gardens-Fin
Originally uploaded by HORIZON.

SiDi-Ali
Rain gardens 'cut city pollution'

"Rain gardens" can dramatically cut the amount of pollution in urban storm water, according to a study by US researchers.
Most of the rain that falls on cities lands on impervious surfaces, such as roads, where it absorbs pollutants before it finally drains away.

The team says a shallow depression in a garden containing bark mulch and shrubs can remove up to 99% of toxins.

The findings appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut found that the gardens significantly reduced the concentration of fertilisers, oil and particulates reaching storm drains.

Growing problem

Rain gardens, the researchers say, can also help reduce localised flooding by absorbing rain water from heavy downpours, reducing the risk of drains becoming overloaded.

For the study, two rain gardens were planted and frequently monitored over a two-year period to see how effectively they absorbed a range of pollutants.

One of the authors of the study, Michael Dietz, explained why they carried out the research.

"The concept of rain gardens has been around for 10 or 15 years but there has not been a lot of research.

"A lot of places are hesitant to use something that has not been verified, so we felt it was an important step to bridge that gap," he told the BBC News website.

Any tool we have that can help reduce the impacts of urbanisation is beneficial for everyone
Dr Michael Dietz, report author

The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that built-up urban areas generate nine times the amount of runoff water than woodlands of a similar size.

As the percentage of the world's population living in cities continues to grow, the problems of flooding and pollution are set to increase.

Dr Dietz hopes their findings will encourage town planners across the globe to consider using rain gardens.

"This is one tool that can used to mitigate the impact of runoff water in urban areas. It definitely has worldwide benefits because it is not a local phenomenon; it is going on all over the world," he said.

"Any tool we have that can help reduce the impacts of urbanisation is beneficial for everyone."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4654362.stm

By Mark Kinver
BBC News science and nature reporter
© BBC MMVI

photo above of GARDEN of FIN in Iran by Horizon - click of photograph for more information.

BIRDWatching

2006-01-28T04:41:00.000-08:00

Golondrinas for Victoria!!!
Originally uploaded by Victorita.

birdwatching
Garden bird survey gets under way
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to play their part in this weekend's annual Big Garden Birdwatch.
Households across the country are being asked to spare some time to count the different species they see, and pass the record on to the RSPB.

The annual count, which has been going since 1979, will reveal the most common winter bird.

The RSPB is hoping for an increase in overall numbers, despite some common species declining in recent years.

Nearly 400,000 people around the UK took part in the survey last year, observing 6 million birds in 200,000 gardens.

Project co-ordinator Richard Bashford said that, although there is now less woodland in the UK than in the past, birds have adapted.

"Gardens have a lot of cover and, of course, lots of people feed birds so birds are cottoning on to the fact that gardens are really good," he told BBC News.

"There's shelter, there's food, there's water, so quite a lot of these things are moving from the countryside to where we live.

"It's really good news because you can see wildlife very close to us."

But, despite this, he said many of the common species were in decline.

The house sparrow was the most common winter bird in 2005 with an average of 4.6 sparrows seen per garden.

This compares to an average of 10 per garden in 1979.

To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, watchers are invited to spend one hour on Saturday or Sunday counting the birds in their garden or local park.

They should record the highest number of each species seen at any one time.

An online survey form together with more details can be found on the RSPB website.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4656946.stm

Published: 2006/01/28 08:09:29 GMT

© BBC MMVI
for thR record - Morocco this year has lots of Swallows!!! pLUS lots of heavy rain.

French Dog

2006-01-23T14:02:00.000-08:00

French Dog
Originally uploaded by Albiondream.

french dog - babyshambles

Morocco 2006

2006-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Banksy Girl - BW-balloon
Originally uploaded by Over The Counter Culture.

Set from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven," Morocco

2006-01-23T03:30:00.000-08:00

Set from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven," Morocco
Originally uploaded by Piero Sierra.

intoFlora

2006-01-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Banksy
Originally uploaded by jruth3.

Banksy: Crude Oils - "Kate"

2006-01-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

Banksy: Crude Oils - "Kate"
Originally uploaded by nic0.

EL Dhahabi

2006-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Argan trees Essaouira Morocco
Originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

él Dhahabi
Essaouira - Tidzi - Diabat
on the road in hot & dusty Morocco!
The great laid back (arty) influence of Essaouira makes it a good place for mooching about. Its picture perfect madina, everyday moroccan new town & Atlantic beach have made the place a centre for art - music - films & fashions, You could get run over by a Hollywood film crew - immobile on KIF listening to the trance like rhythems of Sub-Saharan 'GNAWA' music all in a day. For a almost better day out we have been to the countryside and the hills surrounding this South West area of Morocco, Which are the home of the Argan tree (see above photo), This slow growing thorn produces the magic Argan oil , high in vit é and used by the great and good as an anti wrinkle cream. The oil comè's from the nut & it takes 30KG of nuts to produce one litre of the oil. The extraction is very interesting as the nuts are fed to goats who dissolve the tough coating in their digestive system, They are then hand picked from the goat shit and split pulped and pressed. The local Berber tribes have used the oil for centuries and it is now a must have in the west.

AL-'Arsa' - Majorelle ' A Moroccan oasis'

2006-01-15T11:41:00.000-08:00

le jardin majorelle
Originally uploaded by froupster.

Majorelle - a moroccan oasis.

After taking on the daunting task of arriving in Marrakesh one week before Aid-el-Fitr (a bit like a moroccan going to Tesco's on Christmas eve°)the temptation to visit the Majorelle gardens succumbed swiftly, On busy evenings in the main Djemaa El Fna it's hard to imagine such a calm that you can here the buzzing of an insect. This truly striking multicoloured artist's garden effortlessly takes you from the MELLAH to tranquillity, With it's bamboo groves, pinks,greens,lemons & blues it's another example of great craft in Morocco. Jacques Majorelle the French painter created it from the 1920's & it's new caretaker is Yves Saint Laurent, With five or six hours here you can make that definition to see it as it was ment, A poetic expression of an artist....

Anybody interested in Moroccan artesanie should take a look at my friends website , she is running small group tours around the ART,s & Crafts in Morocco plus you get to stay at her beautiful Riad..

www.morocco-styles.com

é 2006 àndrew stenning photo copyright froupster..

NOUveauX Charisma

2006-01-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

riad_lighting2.jpg
Originally uploaded by Na'imah and the Dark Flower Gypsies.

NOUVEAUX CHARISMA
Extreme temperatures & starry Atlas nights make Islamic gardens hypnotic and entrancing . FULL OF rhythm folklore and tradition the smell of pines`Thuja & Thyme they are 'PLAYING GOD' with the luxury within and withOUT' Quranic awe - inspiring : artistic treasures is what these gardens are. A world class blanket of meticulously executed craft behind the street facade of the Riad. Firing the imaginations of Delacroix ' Matisse ' Welles ' Hendrix ' Zappa & Cohen all you can do is unconsciously drink up the beauty..

06

2006-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Spirit vs religion
Originally uploaded by blamethedog.

:: صوره شخصيه ::

2006-01-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

:: صوره شخصيه ::
Originally uploaded by Ra3ni.

Morocco é 2006

2006-01-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Moroc thistle
Originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca

2006-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hassan II Mosque - Casablanca
Originally uploaded by spraycode.

The garden of eden ; as it is ) here to look at some of the best gardens in the world ) The Hassan 11 Mosque is one of the greatest and most beautiful modern buildings i have seen : plus very high tec with sliding auto doors and lasers pointing to Mecca,)

NELSON

2006-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

NELSON,
originally uploaded by Rachel Rainger.

WELCOMEto THE fold = thanksforposting:shukran

NELSON1

2006-01-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

NELSON1,
originally uploaded by Rachel Rainger.

my new baby: _

winterhama2

2005-12-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

winterhama2,
originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

the best thing in january.

hereTillFEb2006

2005-12-18T04:24:00.000-08:00

hereTillFEb,
originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

Andrew StennINg is away - and wishes people a VEry HaPPY nEW YEAR - the photo's below are called LIGHTBOXES - and are mounted onto perspex lightboxes for an exhibition in 2006 - love & best wishes froM the GHost writer........

.......

scab10

2005-12-18T04:18:00.000-08:00

scab10,
originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

blacktulip10

2005-12-18T04:17:00.000-08:00

blacktulip10,
originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

2006

2005-12-18T04:16:00.000-08:00

AFRICbee,
originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

PUffBALL'S in wiNtEr

2005-11-28T02:47:00.000-08:00

PUffBALL'S in wiNtEr, originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

PuFFBALL's IN wiNter.

NoiSy mansion in barren splendour feebly waitS thR fall,
In Layers of Beauty thr country BLOOMS a garden & GRAVE it's autograph in stone.
IN midnight reign ........... thr gibbet, the torches glare, Blazing in those matted vitriolic woods where drowsy clusters of bat's cling - (like pilgrims or prisoners in cavernous slots)
Equinoctial fervours glow - searching thr BRACE of trees.
The POLAR wind wraps in winter snow, In florid beauty 'little' London field's appear open and unbound, And yet the growth dwindles like the TATTERED raven cowering on a nest of copper lace - A penitence for a grasping fate.
Liberty is bartered as natures ties decay, A sort of subtler giant 'PUFFBaLL' in Suger docks & poison GAS - sweet & bitter gut's of a libERtine in FIRE. Dulci Somno Sopitus , Vita potiorem - Allevari.
thr end.

A.stenning 2005

'NatUre CuRe'

2005-11-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

Save0002, originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

nature cure -
please 'CliCK' on bIoneerS.org
..............................

AeRial FlOwer-

2005-11-13T02:44:00.000-08:00

aerial flower, originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

AeRial FlOwer -
'Tis thr white gaRden with IrOn Giant'
white GARDEN forever.

photo/text Astenning 2005

Thr Raven

2005-10-30T05:21:00.000-08:00

Save0005
Originally uploaded by andrewstenning.

ThR RAvEN

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow will he leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

poem edgAr ALLAN pOe - photo WAsP nest 'AUTUMN' by andrew stenning