John Sheldon's photos

The dandelion is surviving - life will find a way!

Fernando Quiñones (1930-1998) a writer. Statue in Passio Fernandes Quinones, Cadiz, Andalucia.

The Guadalete River is located in the Spanish province of Cádiz, rising in the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park and running into the Bay of Cádiz at El Puerto de Santa Maria. The river's name may come from the Arabic phrase meaning "River of Forgetfulness" - and hence perhaps linked with the River Lethe in the 'underworld' (Dis or Hades) of Graeco-Roman mythology.

Alfonso X was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from1252 until 1257. Alfonso X fostered the development of a cosmopolitan court that encouraged learning. Jews, Muslims, and Christians had prominent roles in his court. As a result of his encouraging the translation of works from Arabic and Latin into the vernacular of Castile, many intellectual changes took place. The Alphonsus crater on the moon is named after him. As a legislator he introduced the first vernacular law code in Spain.

The Brexit vote did not go as I had wished. We have met many lovely people on the European mainland, and feel that England has slapped them in the face.

Castle of San Marcos (also Castillo de Alfonso X El Sabio - Alfonso the Wise) is a medieval castle located in El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, Spain. The castle was erected as a fortified church by King Alfonso X of Castile. It was built on the site of a mosque of which the wall of the qibla survives.

Juan de la Cosa or sometimes Juan the Biscayan[citation needed] (c. 1450 – 28 February 1510) was a Spanish navigator and cartographer, known for designing the earliest European world map that incorporated the territories of the Americas that were discovered in the 15th century. De la Cosa played an important role in the first and second voyage of Christopher Columbus to the West Indies, since he was the owner and captain of the Santa María.