It is possible to do these three attractions in a single day providing you set out early and plan your day.
Cueva de los Verdes, Canary Islands, Spain. Reflection on water. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As we live in Playa Blanca, we travelled north on the LZ-2 via San Bartholme and Teguise into the mountains in the north where we made our first stop at the Mirador Del Rio. This is a cafeteria cut into the mountains in the north and has the most spectacular views of the island you could possible want to see, so a camera is a must.
After a drink and a snack, we continued North and then turned at the top of the island and made our descent to sea level, where we saw an array of different coloured sands blown across the sea from the Sahara desert. If you are into beaches, you might want to stop off here to explore the many bays on offer.
Shortly after this we arrived at our second attraction, the Jameos del Agua. Enchanting, Mystical & Magical, the three most common words used to describe a place created as a result of a formation of gas explosions within a volcanic bubble. Over the years, seawater has flooded the tunnels so that eventually a lagoon has been left behind. A lagoon that is home to thousands of tiny white crabs that have become blind through many years of living in poor light, a lagoon that has a bar and a restaurant and even a nightclub three times a week !
Mirador Del Rio on Lanzarote. La Graciosa can be seen in the background. Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Almost next door, we found our second attraction of the day - La Cueva de los Verdes, one of the longest volcanic galleries in the world at 6km long and there is surprise element to this tour which I cannot tell you about otherwise it would spoil your visit. You need to be reasonably fit and healthy as you need to climb several stairs and bend over in order to get under many low recesses. It is impossible to take a pushchair into the caves, so go prepared.
We had an hour to kill at the end of the day, so we stopped off at the Jardin de Cactus which is on the way back. Here we saw 1,400 different species all planted together in a small area of land to create the beautiful Cactus Garden.
A great day out and the children really enjoyed it and they slept like logs that night !
Having your own swimming pool in the backyard is a great way to spend your time. Everyone in the family can enjoy it! However, there are some common swimming pool problems that can come along and prevent that from happening. Knowing what to watch for is very important so that you can prevent severe damage from occurring. Routine maintenance is very important to the longevity of your swimming pool.
If you hear any types of unusual noises you need to investigate. Chances are it is a sign that your pump or your filter is clogged or going bad. Always make sure you have the right size of pump and filter too for your size of swimming pool. You can find out these specifications online or from a swimming pool dealer. If you have an older swimming pool you may find it is a good idea to update your pump. The older ones don’t seem to last like the newer ones due to the technology behind them. Any time you get a new filter or pump for your swimming pool try to get one with a very good warranty.
You will find that you have a water pressure gauge as well. Too many swimming pool owners don’t pay attention to it though. However, with a close eye on it you will be able to prevent serious problems from occurring. Make sure you know what the pressure should be. When it climbs up higher it is a strong indication that your filter is blocked or that it needs to be replaced. This higher pressure makes the pump work harder too so you may end up having to replace more items that you would have if you don’t keep a close eye on that pressure gauge.
It can be tempting to forego various types of testing on your swimming pool due to things being right all the time. Still, you need to stay in that habit because as Murphy’s Law goes, once you don’t check it something will be array. Never let the Ph level get higher than 8.0. Ideally it should be from 7.0 to 7.6. Some people never check their Total Dissolved Solids either so make sure you do so. Some people do it monthly while others do it every six months. If you find you have trouble with calcium build up then that is an indicator you need to check the Total Dissolved Solids more frequently.
It is very important to keep the area where you place the chlorine clean too. Check it each time before you add new chlorine tablets to it. They tend to built up calcium and that will result in you not being able to get the chlorine you need to your swimming pool. As a result of this plenty of other problems can occur.
Make sure you take the time to remove built up from the trap at the pump too. You will be amazed at what gets caught up here. Mainly it is hair which can clog it and block the water from flowing through the pump like it should. This can also result in the pump working too hard and that will reduce the overall life span of it.
Many experts will tell you to add your chemicals to the water after the sun goes down. This way less of them will be evaporating during the day. This is especially true if you live in areas where it gets into the 90’s or 100’s during the summer months. If you can’t commit to adding the chemicals in the evening then do it as soon as the sun comes up. At least that way your chemicals will have a few hours to sit in the water before the sun is beating down on it.
By avoiding common swimming pool problems you will find you enjoy it more. You also will reduce the overhead expensive associated with owning one. Routine maintenance is the key to having a great swimming pool that doesn’t continually have one problem after another for you to contend with.
Horses are amazingly beautiful and sensitive creatures. Horses require not only understanding and patience to have a horse as a pet, it also requires a whole lot of care.
Horse looking out of stable window. Picture was taken in farm, probably a race horse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Herd Mentality:
Observe horses in the herd system, each horse's welfare in the wild depends upon an instinctive submission to the discipline of the herd. The instinct is for immediate action. To the horse, action is survival. When horses live in an herd environment, they often take turns sleeping and standing guard for any predators. When the leader of the herd signals danger they take flight.
Learning respect and ascending to authority starts on the first day of life for the foals, there is a distinct pecking order in herds of horses.
It is important to keep a quiet profile around horses. Horses naturally do not like unnecessary noise because in the wild their survival depends on detection of predators with their hearing. Extraneous noise interferes with this predator detection. This predator detection is tightly coupled with a horse's flight reflex. Due to these survival genetics, horses have a physiological wiring in their brains that predisposes them to prefer quietness and to become bothered by unnecessary noise. Many horses can get startled easily from abrupt noises and this could result in injury to the horse, the rider, or people around the horse. Talk to your horse in a quiet, reassuring voice.
Relationship With Horses:
A horse will love you if, first and foremost, you treat it fairly, and secondly, if you allow yourself to develop a relationship with it in the same way you would a human partner. There are too many who will look after the horse's material needs but put nothing back into the partnership itself. The horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. A healthy relationship with your horse requires: trust, coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please. Check Your Horse:
Examine your horse every day and especially prior to riding the horse. Carefully examine the horse's legs and back for any unusual heat or lumps. Make sure that the horse's eyes are alert and not glazy. Listen for any excessive noise or gurgling sounds coming from your horse's stomach. Catching problems before they become serious is critical to keeping a show horse sound and alive.
Exercise caution and discretion when around stallions and mares when they are in heat. They are dealing with hormones on an order of magnitude that you probably can not comprehend. Stallions typically bite and some may be easily triggered into violent behavior.
Grooming Horses:
Keep your horse clean. Keep your horse's entire coat free from dirt, mud, sand, and sweat. Brush your horse every day. Pick out your horse's feet every day. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad or girth every day. Wash out any dirt or sand residue, as from the riding arena, on your horses legs every day. A number of different problems can result if a horse's coat is not kept clean. Barn Care:
Keep your horse's stall clean. Make sure that your horse's stall is cleaned every day. Be sure that any wetness is removed with the manure. Replace the removed bedding with fresh, clean, dry bedding. Water should be dumped from buckets every day without exception. Unhealthy dirt and bacteria can build up in a bucket if it is not cleaned on a daily basis. Clean water is essential to maintaining a healthy horse. Make sure your horse always has clean, fresh water available.
Training A Horse:
The intelligence of the horse increases rapidly with education. An intelligent trainer can make an intelligent horse. A kind but firm trainer will result in a disciplined but pleasing horse.
Horse Feed:
Feed your horse(s) at the same times every day. A horse may get upset and colic or injure themselves by kicking the stall or pawing, if not fed when feeding is expected. You should not make radical changes in a horse's feed program. If you must make a change in the feed program, make the change gradually. Drastic changes in a horse's feed program can cause the horse to colic and in some cases, may die. Your horse's stomach is a highly sensitive bio-reactor that maintains a delicate balance of the organisms that digest food in your horse's digestive track.
Visitors should not feed a horse that you do not own without the owner's permission; no carrots, no apples, no treats, nothing. The horse could potentially, get sick if they have an allergy or sickness.
Pay attention to everything that goes into your horse; that means all feed, all hay, all water, all treats, all supplements, all pills, and all shots. This knowledge could save your horse's life in an emergency situation. Post this information on your horse's stall door so that it is available to a vet if you are not around in an emergency. Make sure that your horse gets high-quality feed and hay. Your horse's health and soundness depends on the nutrition that you provide for them. Take good care of your horse. A rider without a horse is no rider at all.
Vet Care:
Make sure that you have a good equine veterinarian. A good vet will save you money in the long run and may save your horse's life some day. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure your horse has all the vaccinations that are normal for your geographical location. All horses should be on a good worming program to control intestinal parasites. A horse should be wormed by a vet at least twice a year. Horse Flies:
In the summer spray your horse trailer down with fly spray about 10 minutes before you load the horses. The flies should leave, and your horses will be without those pesky flies!
Cooling Horses:
Never spray a hot, sweaty horse with cold water immediately after working the horse. This can cause muscle spasms and binding, or shock that can lead to death. Wait until the horse is breathing regularly, and use warm water if it is available. If a horse has heat shock, consult your vet and the vet may instruct you to cold hose the horse, even if still hot and sweaty. Never put a horse in a stall or confined area while sweaty or while they are still breathing heavily. This can result in shock and/or colic that can lead to death. Walk the horse until the horse is cooled out and the breathing is normal.
Shoeing:
Horses' hooves generally grow approximately 1 cm in a month, and take nearly a year to grow from the coronet band to the ground. Horse's hooves need to be trimmed regularly (about every 6-8 weeks). Shoeing a horse does not hurt them. If you were to grow out your finger nail, you could put an earring/pin through it without causing discomfort; however, if you pushed the pin through the part of your nail that is attached to the soft tissue of your finger, it would hurt. When horse shoes are nailed in, they are nailed at an angle so which the horse doesn't feel it.
Make sure that you have a good farrier, especially if you show your horse over jumps. The concussion from landing from jumps amplifies any problems in a horse's shoeing. If a horse gets sore feet or legs from bad angles or bad shoeing, the horse can not just take his shoes off, sit back on a couch, and rub their feet, or find another pair of shoes like you can. Bad shoeing can result in your horse becoming lame due to a number of problems including: bowed tendons, popped splints, or shoulder/back soreness or spasms. Bad shoeing can ruin a good horse, so don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish where shoeing is concerned. A laid-up horse is far more expensive to maintain than a good farrier. And remember not all horses need to have shoes, only if they are competing, walking on hard/rocky surfaces, or have hoof problems.
Sleeping:
Horses do lay down to sleep, but only if they feel completely comfortable in their environment. It is not enough to provide a dry stable, food and water. Horses will often sleep standing up by locking their knees. Horses are one of the few animals that can put one half of their body asleep while the other half is wide awake. Emotionally and mentally, all horses need to feel they have and be comfortable in their own space!
To fully enjoy a horse's finer qualities you must treat them with both kindness and quality care. In the end, a happy horse will mean a nicer ride and a happier rider.
If you are a novice golfer, and need
direction to put your game on the right track, you require learning many things
in earnest. For example, you need skills on how to hold the club properly. Your
stance should be proper, and you must learn the correct swing to connect the
golf ball to the driver. The best way to learn is to look for a competent PGA
professional and take lessons individually or in a group. This will go a long
way in letting you develop your golfing skills and to acquire techniques to
make your game enjoyable.
Cottesmore Golf and
Country Club - Golfer Taking a Swing. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
You
must learn slowly so that you get the best results. Do not just land up at the
driving range, bring out your driver, and begin to swing. During the first
session or at least half of the first session put all questions you have to
your instructor and try to follow and understand the answers. You must also use
this session to build up rapport and be at ease with each other.
In
learning golf, your initial focus should be on putting. Putting is the best way
to build a sound foundation for power control and most importantly let you
learn to concentrate on the target. It will also help to build up your
confidence to a very great extent as you find your putts going in the hole even
from three or four feet. During the next phase, start practicing chipping and
short pitch shots aimed at a particular target. By this, you will learn how to
make solid contact with the ball and learn techniques to ensure your shots
travel a long distance using very little power.
It
is essential that you keep up with your practice, and try out techniques you
learnt during the first session. Your instructor will need to quiz you, and
clear your doubts on points related to any issues you may have encountered. It
is essential that your instructor control your pace of learning at every stage.
Overall, the first session means constant reviewing and repeating of basic
golfing concepts. By the time you reach the end of the first session, you may
have a putter and a number 9 iron and/or a PW for practicing. Being new to the
game, you must always wait for some time before you buy yourself a complete set
of clubs.
A
couple of sessions later you may find yourself in a position to tackle the full
swing. A good way is to start by swinging without a ball. Concentrate on
fundamental issues like stance, grip, and brushing the ground using your golf
club. Start slowly beginning with short swings; this will let you grasp the
concept of the full swing. When you can hit the ball consistently, do it slowly
and comfortably aiming at short targets.
Do
not forget to do your homework for building stamina, agility, and strength. Go
for specific exercise programs exclusively meant for golfers. These exercises
strengthen your hands, wrists, and torso, and prove very helpful to your game.
Many people go through such lengths to search family history. For some, it might be quite a daunting task considering the many past records, documents and other related information that need to be gathered, collected and analyzed in order to build an extensive family tree chart. How fast the tasks can be finished and done with depend on how efficient you can be in finding the information that you need.
A chart illustrating the
different types of cousins, including genetic kinship marked within
boxes in red which shows the actual genetic degree of relationship (gene
share) with 'self' in percentage (%). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here are some tips to help you find the right information that you need to build up your family tree.
Search Obituaries
Most family history searches usually start from the present and work its way back to the past. Information concerning present members of the family tree is usually the easiest to gather and collect. It is the information of past relatives that may prove challenging.
The obituaries provide a good means to look for relatives and members of the family tree who may have already passed away. Not only would it provide information of a relative that has passed away including the date of birth, the date of passing as well as the place of burial. Not only that, other information that obituaries may provide include information about surviving relatives who might be contacted to provide additional details to the family tree.
Census Records
Aside from the obituaries, census records may also provide a wealth of information when building a family tree and information about long gone relatives and family members are required. Census records usually are kept dating back into the 1930's which may provide a wealth of clues concerning some of your ancestors. When the earliest census record of a known relative is found, other information pertaining to family members as well as location may also be found. Subsequent yearly census records would yield clues as to the time when another generation into the family tree may be added.
On Location Data Gathering
Once you have discovered a certain locale where previous ancestors may have lived, you might obtain more valuable information if you try to go on location to gather more data there. A known location may be a good place to source out more detailed information about a certain portion of the family tree. You might need to dig even deeper this time around in order to get more resources to determine a more accurate means of placing people in your family tree.
Research Previous Family Trees
There may be a good chance that you are not the only one in your long line of forebears who wanted to establish a family tree. Chances are there might have been other past relatives before you who may have gone to the extent of starting their own research into building the family tree. You may want to take a close look at this and use the information to sort out and add into the research that you may have already done.
Consider also that such family trees, especially those that may be found online or otherwise, are also mostly works in progress. They might also contain certain blanks tat may need to be filled out. You can use the information to put two and two together and search for clues as to how the previous family trees may fit into the one that you are trying to make.
Garden arbors are set up as shaded places in home gardens or public parks where one can relax and rest. These open frameworks are typically made of latticework or rustic work, functioning also as a trellis for climbing or creeping plants. Arbors can also be constructed for decks or patios. Today's garden arbors were not the first attempt to enhance the beauty of gardens. In the 400s B.C. and A.D. 400's, elaborate courtyards were a hallmark of many Roman homes. Landscape architecture was also given a premium in Japanese gardens (A.D. 500's) and Persian gardens (A.D.200's-600's). Beauty was also a priority for civic plazas and hillside estates for Italians in the 1400's-1500's. City gardens and majestic palaces were the highlight of France during the 1600's and 1700's, while country estates with a natural look were the main theme followed by English designers in the 1800's.
For a good number of these early country estates and gardens, designers were known as landscape gardeners. An American - Frederick Law Olmsted - was the first to use 'landscape architect'. He indicated this title when he approved design plans for Manhattan's Central Park in New York City with Calvert Vaux as his partner in the 1850's. Landsape architecture is not limited to major projects. Some homeowners tap the services of professionals to add beauty to their gardens. However, others now feel confident in do-it-yourself projects as a cost-effective alternative to make their gardens beautiful.
2. Use Quality Materials
Creating a small garden arbor is an easy task, with costs becoming significantly less if the homeowner is patient enough to shop around and compare prices, particularly for pressure-treated lumber. Other items that may vary slightly across discount stores in price terms are deck screws, scrap lumber, crushed stone or gravel, washers, bolts and nuts. The same principles apply to building larger arbors, although some ideas and items would tend to increase in scale. As an example, using two posts for a small arbor may mean using four posts for a large one, as a bigger arbor would need greater support for strength and stability, and also to enhance alignment.
3. Designing a Garden Arbor: Some Do-It-Yourself Fundamentals
- To stabilize the arbor, the homeowner should have the main posts of the structure sunk into concrete poured into holes below the garden's ground level.
- The carpenter's level is used to determine if the posts stand at equal heights. The tool is also used to establish plumbness, or if the posts are vertically 'level.'
- Wooden crosspieces in varying measurements can be attached perpendicular to the posts for further support.
- Since some rejects still make their way to lumber stores, one should be patient enough to sort through many boards until a good quality board is found.
- Buyers should remember that conventional measurements are not exact: a 4 by 4 may actually measure 3.5 by 3.5, while 2 by 4 may measure 1.5 by 3.5.
- The same consideration for post height must also be given, as part of the arbor posts will be underground. Galvanized post anchors is one option homeowners have if they intends to make use of the post's full height - or have all posts above ground level - for their garden.
4. Tools For Do-It-Yourself Projects
These will actually cost a lot more if one does not have the necessary tools at home for building garden arbors.
- Circular saw or handsaw
- Stepladder
- Wheelbarrow
- Hammer
- Wrench
- Spade bit
- Garden hose
- Carpenter's level
- Shovel
- Drill
- File
- Wood chisel
5. Building Tips
- Arbor boards can already be pre-drilled and pre-cut as a time-saving step.
- The wooden crosspieces can be designed at the ends. Patterns can be drawn using a pencil and later cut using a jigsaw.
The addition of cameras to drones may have just changed the way many industries run forever. They can be used to check areas that were previously impossible to see such as piping when checking safety and security, they can be used to keep control of policing situations such as riots and protests and they are even used in movies. Look out for it next time you watch a film, normally the video will start in the air like a plane and then move across giving the viewer a wonderful aerial shot that will be remembered.
Most drones that are available nowadays come with a built-in camera and a high quality one at that. If you own an old quadrotor and are looking to attach a camera of your own then a ‘GoPro’ camera is a good option however, you do have to consider the vibrations of the drone as this will affect the quality of the pictures that you take as well as the videos that you shoot. Built-in cameras offer a much more reliable quality consistently. Before shooting your first video you may also want to invest in a transmitter that will allow you to increase the range of connectivity when flying as well as broadcast video live from your drone.
You may look at some pictures that have been taken on a drone and compare them to yours and wonder how in earth theirs look so good yet yours barely classify as a picture. Here are some tips to remember when taking pictures or shooting videos from your drone!
Firstly, your camera is likely to get knocked around by the wind whilst in the air so make sure you are using a shorter lens to counteract this. If you couple a short lens with a fast shutter speed, you are likely to see dramatic improvements in your photography right away. A good rule of thumb to receive top quality is around 1/1000 second at 200mm and 1/500 second at 100mm. These combinations will allow you to take sharp, crisp photos no matter what conditions.
Another great tip when taking pictures from your drone is to set your camera to high contrast if haze becomes a problem (which it often does). If the problem is really bad to the point where you are getting black and white video, you may also want to shoot with a red filter. Normally, using any sort of filters such as ‘UV’ and ‘Haze’ tends to worsen the picture quality when in the air but the red filter will help to add colour.
Of course, it is important to have fun when attempting photography with your drone but you also have to remain sensible at all times. Do not go out on the streets on your first day having never flown a drone before because this can actually be quite dangerous. Also, think about where you are flying your drone; avoid flying near an airport where you could be causing serious problems. It all comes down to confidence and this will come with practice. The more you practice, the more you will learn and therefore the better your pictures will get!
