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

Sunday 6 February 2011

A REAL GIANT (06/02/11)

The camera has not been out of it’s bag today………truth be told it has not been in it’s bag since yesterday. The weather was appalling this morning. We went a walk but apart from giving the dogs a cleansing swim in the river all I got out of it was a severe soaking. The whole place is a swamp.

I then went out for a Carvery Lunch. It was a few pounds more expensive than is the norm, I consider a fiver the norm but well worth the few pounds. So good that I have spent the greater part of the afternoon sleeping it off.

I’ve banged a few pictures from yesterday together.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA This is Barclays Bank………..presumably it was built by Backhouses Bank who merged with Barclays over a hundred years ago. It is a magnificent example of Victorian architecture but difficult to photograph as there are street lights and Lord knows what obstructing  the view parallel with it’s facade. That and being at the bottom of the steps make correcting camera distortion a real headache. I’ll have to sneak up on the roof of the Market Hall or pay for a ride on a double decker bus.

 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA   Multi talented lads, a BMX rider, a guitarist and what the third does I have no idea……..I hope not a shoplifting! Unless the guitarist is the shoplifter! I did ask them to pose but it was a waste of time. I took this as I said ………….’Bloody Hell What’s that!’OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA   This was taken just before noon and the blasted street lights have come back on.

After lunch we followed the river Tees downstream. Nothing on the river at all and we must have walked three miles. For much of our wander there is a new golf course. It has several small lakes which in a few years will provide interesting habitat. The sole occupants today were half a dozen Mallard and a pair of Mute Swans.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  The wind has gone so things are looking up.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA    This is giant Hogweed. A fallen over Giant Hogweed. It grows up to fifteen feet tall and the seed heads can be two and a half feet across these are between a foot and a foot and a half. It is a magnificent plant though ill appreciated as far as I could tell from all the signs warning of it’s presence. It doesn’t poison cattle nor, presumably, Hogs. It’s sap is phototoxic so if you rub yourself against it then get exposed to the sun you will come out in big  blisters and bits of you will fall off. No danger round here then!……..The chance of sunshine and it’s sap concurring must be about zero. Hardly  a Triffid……..though if one blew over on you it could no doubt cause a headache. I’ve made a note to pop back in summer and have another look. Makes Angelica look positively angelic. There is a follower of my ramblings who is one of , if not the, foremost Botanists in the UK. He has loads of letters after his name and a few in front…………Help Phil!

I’ll endeavour to post tomorrow but I have a busy day………still trying to get an exhaust system on the van…….at sensible money. I also have some software to load for someone and some flash tuition to give……….talk about the blind leading the blind. Ho! Hum!

Have a wonderful week.

10 comments:

  1. Great pictures and a smooth blog.

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  2. Okay so are the lakes on the golf course supposed to be there or not? Here it's sometimes hard to tell, this time of the year...!

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  3. I like Barclay's Bank. The angle you shot from gives it a good 3-D perspective. As for the weather, sound like we're all waiting for sun.

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  4. I like the street scenes Adrian; something I should try occasionally, I think.

    Swans and Mallards always seem to find a patch of water, no matter where it is. It's like a two finger salute to humans......"this is ours!"

    Hope you get the exhaust sorted soon, and for a reasonable price.

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  5. Bob, thanks. A case of make do.

    Monica, yes they constructed them as drain reservoirs for the golf course. They may dry out in summer, we'll see.

    JoLynne, it is about the only angle available. February can be an awful month.

    Keith, I don't do ehough street work. Don't like towns too much.
    Yes those two are straight in they and a few hundred golf balls.
    The exhaust is as good as fixed, it's only the tail pipe bit.

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  6. This winter turned me down also....or that mondial crisis...??? ha ha
    Maybe the spring will come sooner, I don't know...
    I like city streets , but the lake is my favorite!
    I wish you again, a happy sunny week!

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  7. Looking at your part coloured photo of the bank reminded me of an item on Click (BBC New Channel) last Sunday. Some students are working on a piece of software where you can draw a 'loose' box round an object and the program snaps it to follow the outline of the object and replaces it. I doubt it would work on a line of buildings but might work with street furniture - something to look out for in the future.

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  8. Wind, it is time for the summer. I enjoy towns but summer very early is my preferred time to visit. I'm struggling for pictures every day at the moment.

    John. I will keep an eye out the polygonal lasso tool works well and I have heard that you can educate the magnetic lasso to do the job. Their software sounds quicker. Anything to speed the job up.I just stack a B/W layer on top of a colured one and paint in a mask. It's fine for the web but not accurate enought for print.

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  9. Nice piece of work on Barclays Bank with the foreground steps. I haven't been here for some time, but I've never even noticed the bank before.

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  10. Jay, it is a superb bit of work. There is a similar bank in York but in red brick...that is better custom made bricks by the hundreds. Darlington does test one but Stockton more so.

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