HAPPY NEW YEAR. (31/12/13)

I have done a little video to wish you all a Very Happy New Year. I did find some Auld Lang Syne music but not only wouldn’t it load into the video editor.  It set Bling or Blong or Bonk or something as my default browser. I will run Windows castle or fortress and hope it picks it up. If not I need a good IT man, silly me. Fortunately the sun has just popped out so I’m happier than I was half an hour ago. I’m half back to Chrome. All the windows on the camper are open and a gentle breeze is doing it’s best to dry everything out.

I found a version of Amazing Grace that loads perfectly from Free Stock Music. It may have precious little to do with New Year but it is a grand tune and beggars can’t be choosers. The video is still a little nauseating. I must stop moving the camera around. Just because I have a pan and tilt head it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to use it. Now I must remember to put contrast and sharpness back on the 5D II or all my stills will be really flat.

                   This is the shed thingy I sheltered under whilst taking the video. What a difference a couple of hours can make.

This year I decided to make all my images free. It’s not that big a sacrifice as I hardly sell any. I get YouTube and Blogger free. I also use Blender which is free and would like to learn to use Lightworks which is almost free. I will also supply High resolution images free to anyone with a good excuse for wanting them.

As from tonight I’m having January off the campanology. It will be an alcohol free month. I’ve already tidied up my Desktop. It gets in a hell of a mess as I save bit’s of projects and important downloads there. It gets into a self defeating chaos.

I don’t usually accept award badges but I’m really proud of this one. I did not have to fill in a series of questions….grandma’s shoe size, what is your greatest regret, willy size or any of that nonsense. As to the latter the water in the burn is not only cold but deep. I did have to turn up in a virtual pub taproom in Sheffield in my best bib and tucker. The Pickled Frog.  Thank you very much MR PUDDING, much appreciated and after only two goes I got it displayed. For any numpties out there. There is now a Gadget in Blogger that allows one to drag and drop images into the side bar. I used to go HTML and pop in the URL of the image, this arseing about is a thing of the past. I know I only managed a category win. The last similar award I received was from JOHN but he stopped doing them years ago. I suspect he was dredging the barrel when I got one.

Where ever you are and whatever you wish to achieve in 2014 then the very best of luck.

Happy New Year.

DRIP, DRIP, SPLASH. (30/12/13)

It’s been a very wet day. I took the dogs out at eight this morning and it was still dark. It took them ages to do the necessary so the van now stinks of wet towel, wet jacket, wet overtrousers. The stink from the dogs is beyond description. A friend was going to Sainsbury at Newton Stewart. It’s the nearest big shop. It’s sixteen miles away. I went with him and did the provisioning I should have done before Christmas were it not for the confabulation caused by the hundred and fifty mile detour I had over the lack of winter tyres.

We have had an inch of rain since midnight less three hundredths of an inch. I’m pleased with the forty pound weather station I found in Maplin last March. It is within  few hundredths of a decimal place of Rusty’s. He owns this campsite and had a man from the Met office to check his as he is an official satellite weather station. I can’t recall what the Met. Office call him I’ll ask again if anyone is interested in being one of them.  

The water gets closer. I am glad I found this site. It’s one of the best I’ve been on. It may flood but only for a minute or so at high water and I’m assured not then. Three pigs were sharing their bit of paddock with a Swan this morning. Pigs don’t like rain anymore than I do so they had stopped in bed.

The burn is doing it’s best to rid the rain. If you think these pictures are a little washed out you are correct. I did them like this because today has been a washout.

I’m hoping to do a painting with light New Year card tomorrow. If I fail then all the best for 2014.

MUD BEAUTIFUL MUD. (29/12/13)

Yesterday I wandered the foreshore with Bertha. I did see a buzzard and a few Oystercatchers. I never pressed the shutter button. I tell a fib, on the way back I found two of the numerous wrens here and pressed it three times. A stunning result; two twigs sharp as sharp can be and a ball of blurry feathers. Anyone fancy a cheap, fast 400mm lens that weighs the best part of a hundredweight? I forget it’s real weight but it feels like a hundredweight after an hour or so. I’ll never make a birder, I enjoy having birds around, I enjoy seeing them but can’t ever get a good shot of one. It wasn’t a wasted day, I took the Bronica, I took six frames, then ran out of film, I could have sworn there was a spare loaded camera back in the bag….it was back in the van was the back; could still be a wasted day. I have two rolls ready to post off, I need one more to get my moneys worth from the postman.

Today was windless so we had a wander round the village and let the dogs enjoy the beach and sea. They had a wonderful time, the storms have piled seaweed knee deep. Rotting kelp is a source of entertainment to dogs. They roll in it, grab the stalks, run off, then bark as the foliage bit chases them… seems they could play in it all day.     ANARCHY.

    MORE ANARCHY.  This is Rusty working on the Sabbath. He’s using a Tirfor to pull out the tops of trees that got muddled together in the storm. It’s a very technical business. Every heave on the wire rope winch is followed by a pause and a listen and then a.

“ Oh God…..Shit….What the Fuck…..Bastard….Run!”

Just like reading the Old Testaments and far more entertaining than going to church.

I love staying in places that keep animals.

    This is another Bertha, she is a Large Black sow. Rusty has seven Large Blacks. Two boars and three sows. They aren’t a pretty pig but they are big at seven to eight hundred pounds. They are friendly and even like the dogs. Moll suspects they would like to eat her but Alf is happy to stop for a chat; the pigs grunt and sniff him and he stands still. I have taken a dozen pictures of them but failed to get a good one. Their lop ears don’t help nor does their inquisitive nature.

    Smile for the Birdy Bertha. At last I got a bit of eye. The next second she has hit the lens and had I not been quick I’d have had a 5D in my eye. Silly Pig. Anyone got a Canon ET-78II lens hood they don’t want? These like most pigs or animals that are left to look after themselves are perfect. I could do with steel capped boots as they don’t watch where they are putting their feet. I wear over trousers as they love ripping at tree roots and ploughing the land, they love mud. Tomorrow they are moving to pastures new. It’s a bit of field full of swedes, They are little purple skinned turnips. Not the Scandinavian people. I’ll try for some video. Wonderful beasts. Guess what my Sunday roast is?

  A bit of Large Black. I’ll Score the skin and rub sea salt into it, leave it for a couple of hours then cook it at 180 for an hour. The flavour is in the fat. These are very slow growing pigs so the meat is moist and delectable. Don’t tell Bertha. She thinks I love her for her looks, charm and repartee.

Grunt, grunt. Have a good week.

Don’t anybody say I don’t  listen to my readers. I fancy your lass and you took a shine to my food.

  This is a perfect roast Mersad. The crispy skin we call crackling. In the north of England we have a similar saying for your partner. Best not go there though I would love to. Happy New Year.

ON THE FORESHORE. (27/12/13)

Last night was the worst yet for wind. The rain wasn’t too bad at a third of an inch in six hours. It was heavy when it landed on the van roof, fortunately the rain comes on the back of the wind so I’m already awake.

It seemed that every half hour the gusts rocked the van and woke me up. My wakening woke the dogs, they then have to shuffle about on the duvet grumbling as they tread on each other in the dark, I have to then switch the light on to locate and castigate the one that used bad words. A mad house it is.  It makes for a long seventeen hour night. On top of all this Moll still stinks of badger shit despite my washing her three times and Alf, if he gets nervous, farts. The truck stinks like a midden. I live in loony bin that repeats itself every half hour or so. I’m too old or maybe too young for this nonsense.

I decided to go out and try for a bit of video. Never a wise move. The quality of my video doesn’t improve but my technical appreciation of the art is getting better. I’m better than the pros though. I watched a documentary on making documentaries and they discard 80% of what they shoot. I hardly discard any, every second is hard earned. Happen I should shoot more and discard more. I’ll sleep on this conundrum.

I set the Canon 5DII to video. Picture style to neutral, Then there is a hidden menu if you press Info. I get about two stops of leeway by dropping contrast and sharpness to zero. I can’t remember where I found this gem but by reducing in camera processing it saves no end of hassle in post processing. Then camera to manual. Speed I leave on 1/50s that’s roughly twice frame rate and mimics the rotary shutter on a movie camera. ISO I have to alter prior to pressing the video button, I alter in multiples of 160 as that is the native ISO of the 5DII. I then focus and set aperture for depth of field and ISO for a correct exposure, I just dodge about a bit till I’m happy. Then I go and ruin it all by swinging the camera this way and that and forgetting to speak into the microphone on the camera. Then when I do find the mic. I’m swearing at the dogs or the unfairness of life. After all the preparation here is the result. 

Have a good weekend.

SUNNY AGAIN. (26/12/13)

I walked north this morning as it wasn’t supposed to be a good morning. I should have gone back and re-shot yesterdays rocks and sunrise. Tonight the wind and rain are set to return but Saturday is forecast to be bright and beautiful.

    The Harbour Wall Garlieston.

                          Kilfilian Burn. This is the site of an old watermill. The wheel remains but is now fenced off in a private garden. It would be difficult though not impossible to photograph and probably not worth the effort.

The usual cloud covering the English Lake District.

                                The War Memorial. I could have done with removing the bench but some wee blighter has bolted it down.

  It’s a grand place for dawn walks. We were accompanied by lots of Wrens, there are dozens about. I’ve not seen the Raptors since the first morning and it’s a bit cool for sitting about waiting for them. Carrying bertha and a tripod would keep me warm so I will give it a go before I leave a week tomorrow.

  Pouton Burn. This weir is just thirty feet from the van and was built to provide a head of water for a small sawmill. There are the remains of it but it isn’t at all photogenic.

The weather is still fine so I’m off to do some birding this afternoon.

Have a good day at the sales.

ROSE TINTED. (25/12/13)

I set off to repeat yesterdays walk. We left about an hour before sunrise and wandered in a southerly direction along the sea shore towards Rigg Bay. It was a beautiful Christmas morning, it would be hard to improve upon it. This is a quick post prior to my strolling down to the pub for a pre-lunch drink.

    There are just enough clouds in the sky to make the scene interesting. A gentle breeze and not a sign of rain.

    Whoops the first one was not straight. I reworked it and lifted the foreground a bit. It’s becoming a bad habit is not getting horizons level. Not to worry it is one of my less heinous faults. It’s a good job I don’t fancy heaven. The problem is that I really don’t like heat so the alternative is worse. I suspect the company in hades would go someway towards compensating for the temperature. Price of fuel, I suspect even Old Nick has had to turn the thermostat down.

Lots of interesting trees to capture in the half light.

Sunrise at just after quarter to nine.

And the picture I headed this way for…………….

   There are several of these small rock formations. If the light is right I’ll have another go at them. I was pleased with how this turned out. I’ll take a couple of strobes next time as I used the Adjustment Brush to lighten these. It sort of works but flash would be better.

Have a really good day whatever you are up to.

I HAVE TO LAUGH. (24/12/13)

I have to laugh lest I cry. The wind is horrendous here but the camper just rocks a little, we are sheltered from the worst of it. Our first walk was cool, dark and blowy but just before noon the skies cleared so I set off on the mile and a half walk to Rigg Bay.

I was hoping to show you some waves but the wind had shifted round and we were under the lee of the land. On we strolled and turning the corner I couldn’t stand up the gusts were those impressive bowling one over winds. It then started raining, the rain felt like ice as it hit me at 70mph. I shouted the dogs and set off home. The dogs didn’t hear me or chose not to; they were in deer alert mode. Much cursing and whistling eventually brought them to heel….Little sods. Soaking I was. Half an hour under a freezing pressure washer of a storm just to retrieve two little dogs who would have come home on their own. I will have to curtail my soft side come the New Year. Bad Dogs!

I had carried two cameras a tripod, a bag full of Cokin filters and a cable release for each. My Cokin ND filters were never brilliant but now give an awful magenta cast. I set up in the lee of an old fish dock to take this…….I need to find some secondhand Lee filters.     Not anything to show of the storm. This is a one second exposure and the colour is semi-split toned in CS6, it got rid of the magenta cast but I’m far from sure I’ve improved things. I really like the font it is Celtic Garamon and is free from Dafont.

Tomorrow is looking really good. I haven’t decided whether to go landscaping or birding. I’ll toss a coin on Christmas morning and nursing a hangover will venture out.

Have fun.

GOODWILL. (23/12/13)

This is not what I was hoping to offer you all as a Christmas greeting. I did try and finish a 3D video but getting my Merry Christmas to rise from a UV mapped image of Derwentwater, then drip water that turns to icicles as Derwentwater slowly froze and get gently covered in falling snow was beyond my capabilities this year. I was at it till two this morning…..I even found time to have another go in Blender 3D….to forestall any uncharitable comments inappropriate to this season of goodwill to Adrians.

3D modelling is a wonderful way to pass a week or so away but there are too many variables for me to get my befuddled brain around. I suspected I was being over ambitious. I’ll start again in January. This time I’ll save each stage. There are some bits easier in CS6 and other bits easier in Blender. I must remember to save things with a proper file name. I pop them all in a special folder but when it gets to thirty odd saved files it’s harder than the cryptic crossword to find the right bit from my file names. If you have the time try it. Anything fluid can be given both viscosity and mass. It was interesting to see my snow explode in all directions. Took me ages to make it just drift down and now I can’t remember all the settings. Then there are boundary boxes, object surfaces and a couple of dozen other variables.

Enough pontification, procrastination and pleading excuses. There are no excuses, I bit off more than I could chew.

I just want to thank you all for your entertaining posts. They inspire me and educate me. It is almost impossible to name favourites without causing offence so thank you one and all for contributing to a most enjoyable year in Blogland.

Whatever takes your fancy, whether it be wine, women, men, song or wee Jesus then have a really good week.

SETTLED IN GARLIESTON. (22/12/13)

‘Garlieston, oh Garlieston, I still hear your sea waves crashing’. Glen Campbell must have mis-spelt Garlieston. He ought to be ashamed with a good Scottish name like Campbell. It was cool this morning on our first walk. It seems a grand place.

I’m parked up at Garlieston Lodge till the third of January. This is the view from the van the little silver huts are home to some massive black pigs. I gave one a stroke and a scratch this morning and will try and remember to get her to pose. There are plenty of birds around. Buzzard, Red Kite, Kestrel and a couple of Sparrow Hawks. I’ll take Bertha out for some pictures.

I went out later to get some snaps as it looks as if we are in for a real mother of a storm tomorrow and Tuesday.

I exposed for the sky as these new apartments were built with no consideration for the aesthetics of either housing or architecture. It is a common problem throughout Scotland; indiscriminate throwing up of awful buildings. The scenery between them makes up for it but if folk are given planning permission for nasty timber framed houses then it won’t be too many years before there is no countryside to gaze upon. 

                       It has a pub. I booked through till the third of January for a reason. New Years Day they they start the dancing here at noon and carry on till the last person standing. It’s not for the faint of heart. I’ll do my best to get pictures but as always can’t give any guarantees. It’s not a paid job so I could succumb to a surfeit of the falling down water. I could lose a camera. I could lose the dogs. Fraught with dangers are  good céilidhs I’ll happen take my flute and play them Mull of Kintyre and Galvaston. That’ll show them.

We are only just in Scotland the horizon is England. The Lake District with the water in between being the Solway Firth. 

  A panorama of Garlieston. It is HDR and like all images will enlarge with a click.

I’m praying for some half decent light whilst I’m here and I will take the medium format Bronica out.

Have a great holiday, don’t get to fighting, it is the season of goodwill.

BLOODY CHRISTMAS. (21/12/13)

I’m back in blogland and will catch up over the next few days. This month has been chaotic. It’s been a case of running in ever decreasing circles; with the constant threat of my disappearing up my own bum.

Thursday evening I got the camper back and set off from Tideswell for Darlington.

                       Tideswell basking in sunshine. When I left it was snowing fit for an Inuit. I arrived in Darlington late Thursday night. I got a phone call from the friend who had recommended my fitting winter tyres. I told him as far as I could tell they made no difference. The van was still a little tinker in a few inches of slushy snow.

Friday dawned damp and horrible. I was going to cook an early Christmas dinner. I also thought it prudent to do a little Christmas shopping.

I detest towns and crowds.

                     The market hall Darlington. It is a wonderful building.

A quick change of tack as I heard from a reliable source that having built Tornado the enthusiasts in Darlington are starting work on a Greasley steam locomotive. The only downside is that she will be called the Prince of Wales. I trust he is popping a million or two into the project. If I were ever to win the lottery I would put up the whole five million cost to avoid his name on her. She ought to be called Typhoon.

Plenty to buy but all far too expensive……it got worse.

Would she like a posh tick tock. She may well have done but I got her a gift token from House of Frazer.

On I wandered to Sainsbury’s.

  It was, mercifully, quiet. I got us a big steak apiece, a bag of Anya potatoes, enough veg for a monster stir fry, a couple of large mushrooms and some blue cheese to lay over them. I spotted a ready made pudding, it was expensive at a tenner but I decided it is Christmas and ladies like a chocolate and fudge treat now and again.

I decided as the dogs don’t know owt about Christmas they wouldn’t mind it being a few days early. I got them a couple of chicken legs.

Molly and Alfies Christmas treat. They survive on sacks of dried food for most of the year. This is right up their street. A chicken and rice cake, fried chicken, an egg and a tin of steak and vegetable dog food. It takes them just over thirty seconds to pack away.

We had our meal which was convivial and filling. My phone kept going off so I had a look to see who was panicking. It was the garage they had found my winter tyres. Told you I thought they were a waste of money. They weren’t fitted. This morning I drove back to Derbyshire, got the tyres fitted and then drove up to Garlieston on the Solway Firth. A real sod of a trip it was. I hate driving in school holidays, the idiots on the road, I have to have four sets of eyes. They stop on interchange slip roads in Nissan Micras. I stopped thanks to the new brakes. The poor lad behind me with a curtain sider managed to stop. I’m old but not as daft as Micra drivers.

My wanderings today are in blue. I’m in Garlieston, I have internet so will hopefully catch up with you all soon. I’m tired but am praying for some good light.

Enjoy what remains of the weekend.

WALLS. (14/12/13)

I’m back in Tideswell. The camper is a few miles down the road getting lots of work done. It should be ready next week as the Fiat electrics are taking some sorting and it is having yet another cam belt as the cowboys that fitted the last one only half did the job. I dread to think what the bill will be as she has also had all the advisories from VOSA done. New brake pipes and wheel bearings. Front disks, pads and the rear drums skimmed and relined. New service battery and the gen set serviced. The jobs just keep on keeping on.

I have had the truck for four years now and love living the Old Age Traveller life. I did look at swapping her for a fifth wheeler but decided on a rebuild instead. I hope after all this it was the right decision. I also hope that she will be done before Christmas as I really don’t enjoy living in a house.

WALLS. Dry stone walls are something I miss when I’m away from north Derbyshire. I will also miss the Miss I meet twice a day whilst walking the dogs.

I’ll catch up with you all soon, enjoy what is left of the weekend. I haven’t forgotten the Christmas lights but I can’t get at them early enough. They have to be taken at or just before sunset or the pictures don’t show the surrounding buildings. This week I promise I’ll post some. Have fun.

TWO HOURS. (10/12/13)

My new Kindle arrived this morning and I have spent two hours registering the bloody thing. There appears to be some method in Amazons madness as if I’d stolen someone else's account details I could steal books from them with ‘ONE CLICK’ . I was automatically directed to the home page to register the little darling. After an hour and a bit and two re-boots I was ready to send it back. Then I thought to look in the menu, it then dropped the Wi-Fi connection for the umpteenth time. If anyone has a similar problem registering a second Kindle to their account; ignore the auto set up in the home page and go to menu>settings>register and fill in your Amazon account details and it does it just perfek. As promised by Amazon you can then copy your library over free of charge. Excellent! If you do as I do and shop on your laptop then check that they are delivering books to the Kindle that works. It says on my order confirmation delivering to ADRIAN’S 2nd Kindle. You can change where it goes to in a drop down menu. This only applies to The Kara and Kevin two Kindles of this world.

I re-worked yesterdays post with a little twist. I was amazed I didn’t get dogs abuse. Not that I mind, I find criticism refreshing. Few artists are appreciated till they are dead. I swear it is straight… dead plumb it is. Thanks for all your feedback.

I’ll be off line till the weekend as the truck is going in for all that it went in for two weeks ago.

Enjoy yourselves.

IN FOR SOME STICK. (09/12/13)

Feel free to give me a bashing. Whilst you are bashing please remember we are entering the season of goodwill to all personkind and I’m still a bit delicate.

  Half and Half. It could be anything in between. Yes I know it’s on the tilt. I often forget to straighten when I’m playing.

John at MIDMARSH JOTTINGS posted a mistake I found appealing. This technique has possibilities but I have yet to find them despite an hour messing about. John’s worked well I thought. As usual I have picked the wrong image to play with. It can be fun being a lunatic.

Have fun.

 

DISTRACTIONS. (08/12/13)

I’m stopping on a sheep farm, I love handling animals. Friday I had a day without heavy painkillers so agreed to help with foot trimming and arse cleaning. I used to think this was the easy bit of sheep husbandry. Not anymore; I could barely get out of bed on Saturday. My clothes went in the washer on their campsite….It has a large notice suggesting; ‘Hanging Drawing and Quartering’ is not good enough for anyone caught washing dog bedding. It didn’t mention washing trousers and a jacket dripping with lanolin and sheep shit so I should be fine.

I took the dogs out for their last walk of the day. We only wandered a mile but then found Jodie's goats had escaped. Why the silly girl thinks a dry stone wall can contain goats is a mystery to me but not to her.  The grass is always greener. I phoned Jodie to let her know her Pygmy Goats were away again and on the road. She suggested I bring them in. I shouted “Goats This Way”. It had about as much effect as my hollering dogs this way…..No effect at all. I’ll be stricter with animals in the New Year. I don’t know how though. It’s hard to be assertive when they ‘Cock one the deaf Un’.

   They are cracking little beasts but Alf and Moll know not to play with them; like sheep, they think bashing heads is a game. Dogs don’t play like that.

On Friday evening my Kindle screen gave up the goat….sorry.. Ghost. It is 372 days old. Just my luck. I know there is not very much that can be done with thin film screens but dived into it’s innards for a look. Re-seated it’s little wires, they look like orange sticky backed plastic to thee and me but it is the screen connector or appears to be. The screen goes blank if you tease them out with a hammer and chisel. In retrospect I’d advise a bit of judicious wriggling with plastic tweezers.

   It’s not a big job to pop a new screen in. Two screws to remove the battery, that’s the big silver bit, Three screws to remove the mother board that's the green bit with silver heat sinks on it and another six screws to get at the screen. They are not posidrives but little Allen sockets. A half hour job with a following wind. No soldering or vacuuming. Easy Peasy. I went on ’tinternet. Forty five pounds for a screen!!! I looked again. £25.00p for a screen. Robbing devils. I rang Amazon. A new Kindle is coming tomorrow for fifty pounds. With all my books on. Great service but I have to send the old one back. I haven’t mentioned to Amazon that I’ve been poking about inside it. I doubt they’ll notice and finders is keepers.  I hope it is. They could stop me downloading books. Even books that inspire adventure.

I was going Christmas light shooting, I dug out a couple of star filters, loaded two camera backs, one with Velvia 100 reversal and the other with Ilford HP5. I’ll get to the Christmas lights but not tonight.

  I’m just back from a good afternoon at the Church Inn Chelmorten. A couple of pints and a roast beef dinner with she who I used to obey. Poor lass is feeling a bit stressed, she deserved an afternoon off driving me to the pub and back.

Anyone know what this was used for?

   I do and I’ll give you a clue. It’s not for book binding.

Have a great week.

NOT MUCH SNOW. (06/12/13)

I was hoping for a winter wonderland when I woke this morning. No such luck the temperature was 1^oC, the snow that fell over night had melted away and it was just cold and raw. The gale of yesterday has disappeared off to Norway and I hope that it didn’t affect anyone too badly.

A few views from our walk this morning. It isn’t really photography weather but I’m hoping to get out for some Christmas lights snaps one evening. I’ll dig out a star filter for some real twinkles.

I noticed that TREVOR had popped a little gold line around his pictures and thought it worth a try. Thanks Trevor I don’t know what colour he used by I used # f69e04.

Have a really good weekend.