Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Hoverfly
Sryphini taeniata ? No been corrected it is a female Sphaerophoria scripta. |
Friday, December 20, 2013
What I am doing is to whittle down the remnant of pix taken for use left in the files after the selection of pix required had been made. I have found several already that could have been edited and saved at the time.
However this one had been underexposed and was very dark. In order to see just what if was - I thought at first a piece of wood or dead leaf - I "Lightened shadows" with Elements 3 and saw that it is an insect of some sort.
I have put a request on ID Please in Flickr but wonder if it could be a Gatekeep or Meadow brown butterfly that had been caught by cow manure splash.
Answer from two people in ID Please, including Backeye. It is a Peacock butterfly Inachis io. I must try to find out why it is so splattered looking.
However this one had been underexposed and was very dark. In order to see just what if was - I thought at first a piece of wood or dead leaf - I "Lightened shadows" with Elements 3 and saw that it is an insect of some sort.
I have put a request on ID Please in Flickr but wonder if it could be a Gatekeep or Meadow brown butterfly that had been caught by cow manure splash.
Answer from two people in ID Please, including Backeye. It is a Peacock butterfly Inachis io. I must try to find out why it is so splattered looking.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Little Gulls waiting |
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Palm Sunday gallery |
I decided I would go on to Weston-in-Gordano and take some pix from the churchyard.
The wall at the back gives a lovely view across the valley.
I couldn't get into the porch so went back to the gate and took a view of the road.
Someone came along with the key and allowed me into the church.
They switched on the lights and showed me how to turn them off when i was done. I took a couple of shots and the battery was exhausted. I put the porch door on open and went to the car and got batteries and also my tripod.
Managed to get a pic of the percival monument and also the unusual pulpit built into the church wall. Then the gallery in the porch. I reckon there are not many left in existence and this one is fine, although I notice that "Health and Safety" have made them install a bar to it as well.
In medieval days it was customary to wed folk at the church door with the choir on the gallery and then after they were married to admit them to the body of the church.
This gallery is in excellent condition and sound enough to still be used, which it is every Palm Sunday.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
I wonder how many folk get caught with these stupid add ons that keep popping up.
"Weird tip for a flat belly."
"Shocked doctors with muscle weight putting drugs."
" Steroid type additives to increase muscle power" (with an obviously and ridiculous edited pic with enlarged chest and arms)
I just automatically chuck them out.
"Weird tip for a flat belly."
"Shocked doctors with muscle weight putting drugs."
" Steroid type additives to increase muscle power" (with an obviously and ridiculous edited pic with enlarged chest and arms)
I just automatically chuck them out.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Had an Email about some of my hoverfly pix. I looked to Google map and saved a screen pic . Nailsea Wall is marked on the pic but Cleverham drove - is only referenced by the little A tab.
Last spring and summer was not so good but previous years there had been lots of insect life along the brambles in the hedgerows along the field access lanes
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Rowan Barries |
Rubbish, all it means is it was a good spring and the flowers set well. Nature does not provide nature is hard.
However basing my prediction on an old country saying
"A fog in October a snow in the winter"
I reckon we will get 3 good fallls of snow this winter. There were quite a few misty mornings in October 3 of them quite thick.
Add caption |
It makes a really grand show. Now there will be nothing but stalks until next spring.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Taken in 1990 in Ettlingen |
I will hunt through the files and scan the interesting ones.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Pipe work on Yatton moor road |
Finally done scanning my box of negatives. Counting the odd slides that I found in page folders came to just over 2,000 scans. Main time taken was checking the negative strips to see what the pix were. I had to take them out of the envelopes to make sure what it was on them.
Now all I have to do is to sort out the history ones and burn them onto a DVD and copy them.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Brings back memories |
Started again on scanning negatives after posting off the holiday pix. I am getting to quite a lot of sailing pix. I can't scan all of them but many have been posted on Flickr and MorgueFile. Getting a good reception too.
The "Clevedon Chop" caught many dinghy sailors by surprise. Not rollers but short sharp choppy waves that combined with a wind from the right angle capsized some and foundered others. I can vaguely recall that all boats racing had to have inflatable 'sausages' packed in the structure to prevent them from sinking. However if the self-acting bailers were overcome thay couldn't keep the water out of the body of the dinghy.
Can't remember who this was but I did capture a shot of the Chairman of the Newport club who fell out and had to be picked up by his crew.
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Sole at the Arnhem Friday market |
I gave a card to almost everyone I took a pic of. That way if they don't like the idea of appearing on MorgueFile and say so I can delete the pic.
Dutch name for Sole is Tong. That is also the name for Tongue as well. Could be confusing but seems to work out OK.
All I have to do now is to copy over the DVD from the master I made, 24 or so times. Included the poems as a whole file this year. Marjolein is very positive about getting it
published.
It will be good if it happens, nice for a stir too.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
I can't decide which I like best of these two pix of building the M5
The long shot that suggests the dust that was almost ever present from the blasting and drilling.
Or the bulldozer perched precariously above the steep slopes of the Failand Ridge line.
I have two like this in colour slides except that the bulldozer was scraping the other way
Saturday, September 14, 2013
This is not a joke ! I am the 100,00th visitor.
When are those stupid B#####ds going to realise that I don't fall for such crude scams.
They have been flashing my screen for around a month now with the futile message.
Just as stupid as the ones telling me there is something wrong with my account in banks I do not patronise.
How I long to be able to kick them up the arse. Unfortunately my IT skills are lacking so I can't design a programme to latch on to them.
Anyway I logged on to Steam this morning to make sure of the Torbay Express and found it has a diverted route. Going via Bath, Frome Castle Carey etc. line work is taking place on the other route.
I expect that was why the yellow coloured work carriages went through Yatton last week.
However a little consolation is that Nunney Castle will be on her way down to Bishops Lydeard on Monday just after 10 a.m. .
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Back in the Camera Club days
The old hospital building | ||||||||||||||||
One thing is certain they did't have such a thing as Fish and Chips when that place was built. There was a crowd of us went up to Bristol for a try at night scene photographs. As far as I can remember I used Ilford HP3 and developed in Johnsons' Unitol.
Never printed the negative because contrast and shading when enlarging was too much to cope with.
Now thanks to the 4870 it was easy to alter and then Elements 6 did a little twitch to lighten the shadows and then darken the light patches. I reckon it is passable now. Wonder what Flickr responses there will be. Might even make the photo page. Some of the shit they put on there is certainly a lot worse.
|
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Another negative find - A positive picture.
Cannonballs and shrapnel bullets from the Blackstone mudflats |
Halfway through the box of negatives. Done all the 6x6's and well under way on the 35mm. Many of the 35mm are portraits of babies and chidlren, also pix that I took for the papers.
Came across this one of the Junior Research Group after we ventured out onto the mud flats below Blackstone Rocks. I reckon about 1966 I doubt if there are any cannonballs left there now after the tidal scour pattern changed. It would be interesting to know just how many ended up there in the 1800's.
Sunday, September 08, 2013
Got a good close shot of Braunton this time. People viewing from the bridge got a cloud of smoke. Worked out just OK. Oliver Cromwell came through with steam coming out of the relief. Part way through the wait for Braunton a work train from Rail Network came through so I got some shots of that too. Then Braunton, in spite of the light being against me I got good engine details. I suppose that will be the last now because when I am back from Holland the tours will have ended. No doubt about it the 1,500th shots when I uae 12 shots per secong come out really sharp. I only wish it was possible to get more than 17 shots at a time.
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Four eager customers.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
Looking back
Monday, September 02, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Black 5 and light Pacific Braunton at Nailsea-Backwell station |
I decided to go to Nailsea/Backwell station because I took Nunney at Yatton before but haven't had a pic at Nailsea/Backwell. Imagine my surprise when Braunton turned up. Although 'Steam Info' quoted Nunney Castle as being the loco to expect.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Windows galore | |||||||
Hartree's house. |
Made me realise that I had lost the original pic when my hard drive went.Thinking about it this morning I remembered that I had a copy on my PowerPoint show 'Keep One Eye Open' so I copied it over to my JPG folder.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Recipe
Busy nearly all morning scanning negatives, managed to do over 50.
I didn't want to take a long time cooking so I compromised with soup. That will hold me until teatime.
Thought out and polished an idea.
Take one cup-a-soup (Tomato and Veg in this instance) sachet, instead of 1/3 pint boiling water make it 1/2 pint.
Take around 100 grams of brawn,
about 6 small new potatoes from a Lidls tin.
Put all the items into the blender.
Boil a kettle and pour off 1/2 pint into the blender.
Blend well making sure the potatoes and brawn are well reduced. This makes a nourishing thick soup. Also the additions to the boiling water reduce the heat to a temperature that means it can be eaten immediately.
Total time eating and all 15 minutes at most.
Cost 75 to 80p. Enough potatoes left in tin, to boil for tea/supper meal with a Chicken Kiev, or maybe a couple of Richmond sausages baked in the oven.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Have I been afflicted?
Just as I thought I was beginning to show progress with my scanning I found I was running short of slide holding pages.I knew I had some in a filing cabinet so looked them out.
Underneath what did I find? A cardboard box of assorted negatives that has been there for over 30 years.
I reckon they weigh around 6 or 7 pounds. I feel like a child who was sleeping in a typical Victorian bedroom with illustrated text and mottoes in frames on the wall. Intimidating texts that threaten, and cause worries when read.
One of them says "Be sure your sins will find you out"
That is the one that has caught me. My sin was the sin of 'putting off' I reckon that will keep me scanning for a good six months.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Another lot scanned.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
How many water voles did they kill off?
The old Somerset Rivers Board at work |
Came on some 35mm negatives never printed while scanning to JPG's.
I made me wonder how many miles of rhines and sub-rhines the board worked like this.
What chance did the water vole population have against a drag line.
Also made me wonder if the Environment Agency still use the same system.
If they do - Good-bye water voles, - just another wild life that mankind has wiped out.
This pic shows clearly the difference of 'before' and 'after'.
In the old days a crew would work along a river or rhine bed slubbing out. Now it is all machine done. A machine has no conscience but the men who empower the use of them should have.
In the old days a crew would work along a river or rhine bed slubbing out. Now it is all machine done. A machine has no conscience but the men who empower the use of them should have.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Caught at last
Light Pacific Braunton at Yatton |
A little bit impatient and I was cut off before i could fill the frame. 12 pix per second is OK but the limit of 17 frames in the 'take' restricts a bit.
If she runs again next week I MUST wait until I start taking. Last time with Nunney Castle it worked out just right.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
How well I remember that day
Digging it out
I came back from my milk round to the Horlicks Dairy depot in Old Street to find the workmen digging like mad.
The Land Yeo ran open through the yard except for the bridge to allow entry.
At long last the company had decided that it would be best if it were culverted. The first section to be done was to the upstream side of the yard.
The work crew dug too close, and lo and behold : --
The end wall of the goods room slid down the bank into the river. Found the negatives on the scanning session. I always carried a camera with me when I was working, I developed the film but never printed the negs. It is too difficult to black out the flat successfully. Have a whole series taken through the days the work was going on..
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Found a negative of one of my godsons. Back in the early days of photography I used to use a light setup for portraits. Then I found that flash with an umbrella gave a good modelling light although I did not get a back light.
Over-run bulbs didn't last long while flash would go on with no problems.
I had a Mecablitz that normally used a small accumulator but also has a mains connection. Used to do a lot of baby pix with that and my old Pentax S3 and the f1.8 85mm Pentax lens.
Ilford Panf film and Beutler developer was a good combination.
Over-run bulbs didn't last long while flash would go on with no problems.
I had a Mecablitz that normally used a small accumulator but also has a mains connection. Used to do a lot of baby pix with that and my old Pentax S3 and the f1.8 85mm Pentax lens.
Ilford Panf film and Beutler developer was a good combination.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Surprised myself
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Severn Valley visit 30 years ago.
Complication |
Simplicity |
I can remember I got a lot of micky taking from John and Robin because I took a pic of a little diesel shunting loco cab interior.
I wanted to emphasize the easyness of driving a shunter like that and the number of controls on a steam loco.
Must have been at least 30 years ago - I wonder what the next stuff to turn up will be.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
How Many More?
British Rail standard class loco |
Came upon a photo book with around 80 pix from Severn Valley and I expect some from West Somerset. I reckon I took them around 30 years ago, when I went up there with friends while I was on one of the week-offs from the milk round.
No good to leave them so I started scanning them into JPG's. I am keeping them in a separate folder until I finish doing it. Then I can post whichever on to Flickr and Morguefile with the correct tags.
My Epson 4870 is certainly earning its cost even if there is no financial return from them.
Sunday, August 04, 2013
Thank goodness for the rain.
Busy - - Busy - - - Busy
What a find |
Getting towards the end of the planning applications and found the plan submitted (660) for the original Picture House that was built. Later it was added to and turned into the present Curzon Cinema.
Uncle Cecil Lane was foreman carpenter on the crew that did the alteration.
Took a bit of cleaning up from the original scanned negative.
but I reckon it was worth the effort. There was an earlier application (618) that showed the building as being parrallel with Old Church Road not at right angles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)