FROM MRS Patmore to Lady Sybil, these barking mad illustrations show the WOOF-er side of some of our most loved Downton characters. The art works entitled 'Houndton Tabby', were designed by illustrator and artist Kim Parkhurst, 39, after she combined her love of drawing and Downton Abbey. 'I've been painting portraits of animals in historical costume for some time,” explains New Yorker Kim. “I've taken some familiar and beloved characters whose demeanour, personality, and appearance seemed to translate to certain breeds of dog or cat. 'I got to thinking about Mr Bates' character and storyline, and Brendan Coyle's facial structure, and how he could look hard but also had the warmest, kindest eyes.
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
An elegant snowy owl spreads her wings and glides effortlessly above the snow covered field .
An Indonesian farmer is dragged through muddy water as he clings to the tails of two charging cows .
From a floating jelly fish to a relaxed seal, Britain’s unappreciated beach life is captured above and below the water .
A project to create an underwater tribute to the stone Moai statues of Easter Island ended in disaster when 15 replica structures were destroyed after toppling from a boat and into the sea .
A young orangutan comes over all shy as she hides her face behind a broken bucket .
SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner .
THIS RING of fire in the sky is the annular solar eclipse that wowed our cousins down-under .
A BIKINI swim with jellyfish sounds like the most painful past-time on the planet .
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
WELCOME to the pretty 122-inch-tall red dwelling that lays claim to the title of the UK's smallest house .