The Continuing Camera Saga

There is no end to the continuing expense. I have bought a couple of UVA protectors for the lenses, a lens cloth and some other odds and ends . The protectors were only £16 each but the cost of these things adds up. I was reluctant to spend any more money, but if I damage a lens, it will cost £200 to buy a new one so it worth paying for a bit of protection.

The camera has been sitting in its box over the last couple of days, whilst I studied the manual. Interesting read. Am I one of the few nutters who likes reading manuals? I feel a lot happier now. I am not saying that I can use the camera but I know a lot more about it and feel confident that the manual will be a useful reference.

I took the camera to Lytham a few days ago to test whether I really did need a tripod during long exposures - perhaps I could keep the camera still enough. It was early evening and the moon was reflecting on the sea. The reflection in the photographs is beautiful, but what a pity about the three moons. My tripod arrived this morning.

I've also been to Blackpool to take photographs of the World's largest mirror ball - they are a disaster. You could take your pick of either a beautiful mirror ball against a white sky or a beautiful sky with a dark mirror ball. The temptation to open a couple of layers in Photoshop and plant the beautiful mirror ball on the beautiful sky is almost impossible to overcome but I want to get it right with the camera. ( I don't like cheating too much with my own photos. ) Before I left the scene, I tried shooting from almost underneath the mirror ball. Whilst I expected to see something of my own reflection, nothing had quite prepared me for what I saw when I opened the photograph on the computer. The damn mirror ball was looking right down my top. No! I am not posting the photo. It is bad enough that parts of my anatomy were magnified and displayed on Blackpool seafront. I wondered why the couple nearby were giggling.

Action - Get a poloneck jumper and an anorak.

Oh dear :-(

I spent a lot of money (by my standards), yesterday, on some photographic equipment. I am trying to work out how to use it, but my son has already taken on the 'Get that camera out of my face' attitude. It is no wonder really, but I need lots of practice.

All the birds and all the insects have disappeared too.

It is that time of the year.

The people in a nearby village make scarecrows at this time of the year. I don't know why they do it. They just do. This is a small selection:-

Sunday's Walk

Rambling Club - Sunday 12 August 2007

Area - Hayfield, Derbyshire

Distance: Short walk - about 6 miles

Terrain: Steep in places

Weather: Wet


Circular walk from the village of Hayfield to the north tip of Kinder Reservoir and over Nab Brow.





This wasn’t one of the most enjoyable walks. A man-made reservoir does not have the natural beauty of a shore lined lake. I prefer to walk in Cumbria (Lakeland) - there are not many cows on the Lakeland fells. Some of you will know that I am scared of cows. It is okay to laugh - I don’t mind people laughing so long as they respect my fears when they are out walking with me. Unfortunately, one women on this ramble choose to be rude about it. I didn't, and still don't, understand her problem. If I choose to walk round a field rather than push my way through a herd of extra large, black, hairy cows with calves then that is entirely my business. I can walk through a field of cows, if absolutely necessary, but I need to be with understanding people and I need time to survey the area and make a mental note of any possible escape routes. I had a very frightening experience as a child. I had to fight off 4 fattened adolescent bulls and a young cow, with a hockey stick. They chased after us and tossed my baby brother into the air - about 4 or 5 times. My bull fighting days are over - I don’t want to mess with crazy animals.

As an adult, I thought I was getting over the fear of bulls and cows but another experience ( some years ago) set me back. I was training for a half marathon and running down a country lane. Unfortunately, there was a farm yard right around the corner and a whole herd of cows came out and started running after me. I thought I was going to be trampled to death. It was such a ridiculous situation. I couldn’t stop because the cows were behaving very unpredictably and there was nowhere for me to go. The cows caught up - some were in front, some at each side and some were behind. There was no way out. Two farm workers were at the back trying to stop the cows but they didn’t seem to realise that I was amongst the herd. What sort of a stupid situation is that? Running down a county lane with a herd of bloody cows!! Why the hell did they want to run with me? Someone must have telephoned the next farm - by the time we got there, they had set up a road block.

I can’t trust these animals. If I am too close to them or if they take me by surprise, I don’t see a passive dairy herd - I immediately see a herd of stampeding crazy animals. I don’t want to die in this way.

I want to go back to Cumbria - they keep sheep.

Why Maths?

Well, last week I went to the cheap stationery store for some laminating pouches. I picked up 5 packets at £1.99 each. When I got to the till, I was charged 99p per packet. I pointed out the error and an assistant was called. She went to check and came back to tell me that I was wrong. They were 99p per packet or £1.99 for 25 packets. How many packets did I buy?

It made me realise that my own maths and mental arithmetic may not be as good as they should be so I am trying to get my brain into gear. I downloaded a little application for the PDA and it is driving me nuts. It works up through levels and it is now expecting me to multiply big, long numbers in my head and I can't do it. By the time I have worked out where to put the decimal point, I have forgotten the answer. I'm sat here with a computer, a PDA, a calculator, a pen and some paper - trying to work out the best method of getting the answers and getting back to the PDA before it times me out. I think it knows that I have got some additional tools.

Understanding Maths

I have been looking through a basic maths book by Graham Lawler and didn't expect to learn very much, but I have!

Why did no-one ever bother to tell me that I could do my 9 times table on my fingers ?!!

It isn't much use to me now but at the age of 6, 7 and 8 it would have been a god send. Magic! Pure magic. I bet everyone in the world knew this trick but me.

If you don't know how to do it, hold up both your hands and drop the third finger of your left hand This represents 3 x 9 . The thumb and finger to the left of the dropped finger are the tens and all the fingers after it are the units. To work out 6 x 9 - drop the the sixth finger, which will be the little finger on the right hand, and you will instantly see the answer of 54. It works for every finger.

Right! How many of you knew about this trick but never bothered to tell me! :-)

What is the purpose of the word 'only'?

If I park in a yellow bay during the week, do I have to go back at the weekend? :-))