ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Tuesday 18 February 2014

A LITTLE LIGHT.

After a great day on Sunday the weather has turned wet, foggy and miserable. It is cold enough on the hill but down here it is that damp chilly cold that creeps into my bones.

Yesterday Alf chewed a hole in the Duvet, the bed cover, not my jacket. He would have gone to a kennel in the sky if he’d chewed my Jacket. The van was covered in that hollow fibre fleece stuff that they stuff the cheap £12.99p duvets with. It was the shove I needed to give the van a good clean.

He hasn’t chewed anything for a couple of years. I suspect it was the thrill of Squirrel chasing that caused his aberration._MG_2965 Red Squirrel post the dogs attention. This one we see most mornings and I leave it a few peanuts. It is not daft. When I first saw it it used to flee right into the canopy and then jump from tree to tree. Now it climbs about twelve feet and stops. It has learnt that dogs can’t climb trees.

Yesterday I got some unsolicited material from Google. I found it strange.

_MG_2958_59_60_tonemapped_thumb[1]-SNOW   This is one of the photographs I posted Sunday but with their snow or somebodies. It is better than my snow. It is two layers of snow for a start and it is falling over a displacement map so it looks more random……Had they cropped the blue sky out it would have been fine. Maybe a Render> Clouds>screen>reduce opacity layer to give the impression of randomly reduced visibility and it would be near perfect. Somebody must have sent it so thank you. I just noticed that my little bell icon had turned from outline to solid black so gave it a click. I’ve clicked it before but it is usually one of you dear readers wanting me to turn into a circle or something I don’t understand.

Today is worse than yesterday though the rain is lighter. We caught the bus into Aviemore to get some fresh fruit, fresh meat, tobacco and a little Bells.

The bus driver was obviously suffering half termitus. He said.” Only one dog.” I explained that they were small dogs, inseparable dogs and didn’t weigh as much as one Labrador combined. He relented and was quite chatty. He is away on his holidays tomorrow and had he known it was half term he would have gone last Friday. I suspect he did know and got a cheap mid week flight to Tenerife. He spent the ten minute run moaning about children running up and down his bus. I felt sorry for him. If anything happened when he braked hard or they tripped on a set of skis the parents would be asking for the cost of a kid just so they could breed another to maintain other folks misery.

My family from hell have gone. Yesterdays rain got rid of them; that and the unfortunate occurrence of one falling in a bit of swamp whilst chasing the dogs. Poor mite did look awful wet and muddy. I made all three a hot chocolate and dried her off as best I could with the dog’s towel. I forgot to remind them that hot chocolate is hot. The harridan from hell must dip her elbow in it before handing it over. They asked for music so I popped Meatloaf on. I haven’t heard it for years. Tod Rungren must be good the kids were soon clapping and singing.

She came round again and gave me an earful for burning her issue. I tried to divert her by explaining that burning and scolding were not quite the same thing. All I got was a strident. “ Don’t you ever presume to patronise me.” I was frightened and kept quiet even though Fuck Off you Fat Horror was on the tip of my tongue.

We arrived in Aviemore, I called at the bank as the little shop here never has any change. I got them sixty pounds worth of twenty pences, fifty pences and pounds. I have just dropped them off and the girl started to count them and count them one by one. I left her to it. I am getting old and although I have nothing much on today; I realize time is too limited for such pedantry. I’ll get my money back later.

_MG_2966               I love this view of the station. It is a bit damp today.

_MG_2967 A little light.

Have fun.

35 comments:

  1. Hi Adrian!
    Al beautiful pics! The station it's as in a old film! I love it!

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    1. Laura, I adjust the light a bit but it is wonderful. The rest of the town is just a tourist trap and a bit tacky with it.
      The country around it is stunning but, for me, better in winter.

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  2. Adrian, the light is pretty. You are not so pretty but you are beacon. Yes I realize that is flattery but it is okay. It's well deserved.

    This is the best writing I've seen up to now. I laughed from the beginning to the end. My fav line is this "asking for the cost of a kid just so they could breed another to maintain other folks misery."

    For me, the squirrel is good but not as good as the previous one. The bark on the tree however is wonderful.
    I agree about the snow even if I don't understand all you said about it. It sounded right.

    I love the view of the station as well. The reflection on the floor sets it off.

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    1. David, I know I don't write well but I do write fast. I rely on other folk to correct my lack of expertise in English.
      I don't edit pictures well but I edit them fast.

      HO HUM. Maybe I should slow down a bit.

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  3. Hmmm so odd people out there what on earth was misery guts doing when her kids were running around being a pain in the butt, silly woman.
    I love the train station platform it really reminds me of train stations you see in period dramas not like these modern ones that all look the same.

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    1. Douglas, the lass is humongous. I think she would like her children to take responsibility for my dogs. My dogs know the area and love taking children for a walk. They can walk where they want and roll in what they want.
      I suspect she was from Surrey or Burkshire. It's hard up here so they have gone.
      Aviemore Station is the best in the country.

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  4. Adrian such stations you see way too much what they're beautiful and you squirrel I'm jealous, fortunately you do not walk in darkness.

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    1. Bas, I can't resist this station. It didn't really get light today.

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  5. The station image is great. Thanks again for those tips you gave me on star trail photography on my blog today. Take care!

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    1. Mersad, if I get a clear night I will have a go myself. They are better with no moon.

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  6. This was not a dull day. You had a wide variety of things happening. I didn't know you were so good with kids that you made hot chocolate and played them music. I learn something new every day.

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  7. Great photographs and write up Adrian.

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    1. Thanks Trevor, good to see you around. I'll catch up later

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  8. You have fun with your pooches, and other little excitements in your life as well ... where eactly are you travelling right now ... I lost track ... always happy to travel with you ... no matter where to ... Love, cat. PS: I'm done calving, my big mamas that is ... finally can enjoy a full nites sleep again ...

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    1. Cat, I'm in Scotland. I hope the calves are fit and strong.

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  9. I definitely like this GIF a lot better because the tree adds a 3 dimensional look. But I still don't understand how you do it. Did you actually shoot those snowflakes, or are the graphically created with another program?

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    1. Maria, I didn't do these. It just appeared in my Google+ account.
      The snow flakes are created in CS6. Take an empty document fill it with 50% grey add noise and bump it well up. Add Gaussian Blur at around 2%. Add a levels adjustment layer and push the black slider to the right and the white slider to the left. They should be almost touching and you will see snow flakes. Drop this over any image and change the blend mode to screen.

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    2. Adrian, I saw it and it's amazing, but I don't have PS extended. But I had a hunch that snow falling was a result of a graphically created animated frame. Apparently they've done it rain too, but I don't know. What I think is that you can create wonderful GIF's with those cute pooches you have. That way you don't have to animate anything and you have your models right there!. I'm thinking of making GIF's too, but I'm going to use JPEGS and simple subjects with burst shooting.

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    3. Maria, I'll do one of the dogs. Promise.

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  10. Today you remind me of my great uncle Cecil. He claimed to hate children and would warn my grandfather to 'Don't let the noisy little buggers in here. Leave them outside!' Of course we went inside and we loved him to bits. The more the grumbled, the more we loved him. You really can't fool children you know. Shame the children have gone! That railway station if terrific, I'm old enough to remember stations like that!

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    1. Pauline, they keep the dogs amused. The weather has driven most of them back home so peace reigns again.

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  11. The station looks warm and inviting. Doubtless the reality of waiting for a train would be a different experience. I must remember to buy you a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People. So that you can give it to the next Fat Horror who assails you.

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    1. Thanks Graham. She's gone now. How one person can make such a racket is beyond me.

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  12. Forgetting to remind my little one that hot food and drink is hot is something that I at first was scolded about by my fiancee, but my daughter's "hot" face is cute enough that she began to overlook it. Early on, we saw that our daughter was not one who would accept too much interference on our part. "Dada" and "mama" were her first words, but "NO!" followed soon after, and quickly took precedence over the more endearing terms. I've recently decided that my part in rearing her is done; now, I can only stay out of her way and hope she does not destroy anything of too much value - particularly herself.

    I also love the view of the station - and nice work with the snow effect, as well!

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    1. Nathaniel, it's an easy mistake to make. This snow isn't mine. I don't know who did it.

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  13. Oh what a mess the hole in the duvet must have caused. Like that view of the station. Hope your weather improves,

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  14. I called by a few days ago and read this ~ not sure why I didn't leave a comment ~ but that is now rectified.

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    1. Carol, thank you. Reading my rubbish twice is above and beyond the call of duty.

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  15. Buenos días Adrian.
    Tuviste un día tenido muy entretenido.
    Procura no dejar tu chaqueta al alcance de Alf, te la morderá. La ardilla es muy lista, y la estación preciosa.
    Que tengas un buen día sin lluvia y sin nieve y disfruta ahora que se han ido los niños ;-)
    Buen jueves.
    Un abrazo

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    1. Hola Laura, es tranquilo aquí ahora.
      Perro malo.
      Estoy esperando más lluvia.
      Pronto será primavera.

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  16. Railway station pillars and a lamp post ... classic, my kind of interest, well done on the lamp, simple but difficult to pull off well.

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    1. Jay, it is a good place is Aviemore station.

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