Daily Challenge The April 2020 Challenge - day 30

Location
Switzerland
Name
Matt
I know it's early, but since it's the last day, no harm in setting things up properly ...

All in all, I think we've already made this one a win, so I'll give you a very recognisable symbol of that:

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btw. In true nerd fashion, I didn't arrange the dice *until* I head thrown the five sixes - it took a while, but it's a thing to do when listening to the radio ...

Enjoy the last round - and give yourself another push to proudly cross the finishing line; whatever your exact record may have been, appreciate what you've accomplished.

And be sure to visit The April 2020 Challenge - discussions and insights so that we can wrap things up properly and plan for the future!

M.
 
This image was not taken today, not least because it's still 90 minutes until sunrise and there are already blustery showers rattling through, but a few days ago. However these are unusual times and I wanted to use it to honour an unusual person who over the last three to four weeks has inspired many in this nation of the UK.

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Happy Birthday Captain Tom

Some, maybe many of you, will be asking who is Captain Tom? Well when he was 99 years and about 345 days old he decided he'd walk the length of his garden which is quite large by UK standards100 times before his 100th birthday which is indeed today. He uses a walking frame so his walk was to be split over several days. He hoped to raise £(GB)1,000 for the National Health Service Charities. To date he's raised something around £(GB)30 million and inspired many people. This week all letters posted in the UK are being franked with a Happy 100th Birthday wish for Captain Tom Moore, as of a couple of days ago he himself had already received over 125,000 birthday cards and, weather permitting, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will honour him with a flypast over his house sometime today.
I just want to mention one of the people Captain Tom's inspired, a 6 year old lad by the name of Frank MIlls from Bristol. Frank told his parents that he also wanted to help raise money for the NHS charities. The thing you need to know about Frank is that he was born prematurely, after barely 25 weeks gestation and so owes his life to many months of hospital care, and he suffers from Spina Bifida so each step Frank takes with the aid of a wheeled walking frame is hard won. He wanted to walk 99 steps and hoped to raise £(GB)99,a modest target. His parents marked off a 10 metre length of pavement (sidewalk) outside his house and encouraged Frank to complete the course. By now Frank has walked more than 99 steps and as of a few minutes ago his giving page shows he's raised a total of £(GB)256,198.
If I take any memories away from these strange times then these are the memories I hope my brain will recall once this lot is over and behind us.
Good luck to you all and stay safe.

Barrie

P.S. The plant is Ivy-leaved Toadflax with flowers just a few millimetres across tenaciously growing in amongst stones and mortar on a stone gate pillar.
 
Wey hey, I did it. Took this shot in the morning as a 'safety shot' so didn't have to carry the camera around all day to work either. You know if I was really brave, I'd have picked this 135mm Nikkor for the challenge. Here's to the next challenge and well done everyone for getting through to the end.

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Looking to the future, and another Davis 1886 cigar box ukulele. Cigar box instruments have a long and storied tradition in folk music, dating back to the mid-1800s. I have several more planned to complete by the time Summer is finished. This one will be a slightly larger concert scale, compared to the soprano I just finished.

The new project has a bit of an eco twist. The neck blank you see is a sandwich of Red Alder slabs with a Granadillo accent piece in the middle. The Red Alder came from pieces of trim I saved when we remodeled one of our rooms about 15 years ago. I’ve had the wood stacked overhead in my garage all that time, waiting for a suitable project. This project is inspired by a rare ukulele made by master luthier Sam Kamaka, Jr., as seen here: 1940s Kamaka Cigar Box Ukulele - Ukulele Friend

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After several weeks of Corona-lockdown my bookworm-self had a "high": shop open again (3 cutomers only at a time!).
How good it felt just to sniff around and browse new books ... and get reading food (from those who need the customers because they are disappearing more and more due to an octopus beginning with "a" (and others).
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After several weeks of Corona-lockdown my bookworm-self had a "high": shop open again (3 cutomers only at a time!).
How good it felt just to sniff around and browse new books ... and get reading food (from those who need the customers because they are disappearing more and more due to an octopus beginning with "a" (and others).
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Did you go for the comfy chair or the kiddie table?
 
Karen, this entire series has been brilliant. Weren't you the one that had the film noire series with a DJI Osmo in a recent Single challenge? Creative mind you have.

I fully agree what Tony said about quality of Karen’s shots again and about creative eye and mind. Dedication to the series of photographs/videos leaves us others, less committed a bit in the shadows, but hey, this is for fun and it’s been pure pleasure to wait Karen’s new surprise every they. And she didn’t let us down, not once. Thanks @Briar 🙏
 
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