6C - Less Windy - Raspberry Canes

The purpose of the pictures is to give my new Nikkor 50mm lens a test run. It arrived this morning from a firm called Microglobe in London.

Jessops, Jacobs, Camulet etc., had all run out. They told me they had re-ordered from Nikon but that Nikon had also run out. Just shows what happens when a piece of equipment gets glowing reviews.

Anyway I googled one down to Microglobe; the bloke sounded respectable so I ordered over the phone around 1.30pm yesterday and Royal Mail delivered it at 7.30am this morning. Amazing.

I couldn't play with it straightaway because I had to go and have a blood-test. Then Trevor arrived to fix the boiler, again, and it is still leaking even though less.

The pictures aren't designed for artistic merit but for my own reference purposes. Picture 1 was at f16 and I wanted to see the depth of field. I'm most happy and the reviewers are correct, the lens is fast, very sharp and surpisingly light when compared with a zoom. It's quite like going back to 'proper' photography because, being a prime, it has a depth of field scale actually on the lens body.

Picture 2 was to see how it coped with an intricacy of foliage. Admirably in my opinion. This was at f8. Lenses often used to perform better at that aperture than at any other.

"The silver birch is a dainty lady.
She wears a satin gown"..

.................E. Nesbitt

Everybody knows that little couplet from School I think. But since my find of the 1000 poems for children book, I know the whole poem. Not off-by-heart of course.

Segue back to my lens. (I was amazed some years ago to discover the pronunciation is segwei. I'd always assumed it to be seeg to rhyme with league). My only slight criticism is a wee tendency to over-expose. But that is the D80 and not the lens. No problem once you are aware of it. I think I shall leave the lens more or less permanently on the camera I like it so much.

I made a spag-bol for lunch and at around 1pm Bungus arrived for the raspberry canes he is having for family. We had lunch first and then tackled the job. Y and I didn't see why new owners of this bungalow should have the produce from the excellent best-Scottish canes and much better for friends to benefit. He took a selection of early, mid-season and lates and you would all have laughed to see 2 old men armed with forks, spades, secateurs, sticks, black plastic bags etc., in the rain, digging up substantially rooted plants as if we were thirty. After about 10 though we reached a decision that 10 would be avbout the right number, and staggered indoors for a coffee. The soil was surprisingly un-sodden just below the surface. Following such a wet winter I expected it to be really claggy but it wasn't.

John rang and gave me Philip's new address. Lucky boy. His firm have set him up in an appartment in Alexandra Court off Woodborough Road which is really very nice and with a super view.

Then messing about, crossword puzzle, Telegraph and eventually made cheese-on-toast for tea and it was 'blogging time'. It was lovely to have Bob over. Y loves abit of 'social' and she often used to miss Bob's visits so she really enjoyed this one.

.... Coffee, radio, read and then bed, I think.

p.s. The clinic rang and my blood has settled down considerably. 3.5INR and I don't need to be re-tested till Tuesday. Three whole days away..... Wow!!