Better weather - serious floods - 53F

At Bungus's instigation I've tried Macro, and I'm not entirely happy. I wanted them sharper. Interesting though and I think manual focus is a better bet, certainly with the Tamron. But with the camera on a tripod, my nose gets in the way when I try to examine the viewfinder closely.

I'm sure that Picture 1 will not tax anyone's identification prowess. If it does - it's the middle of a cistus. And Picture 2 was even easier. But again, not sharp enough for my taste, and I shot it at f 22 so maybe a slight breeze messed the job up.

I'm going WOW-ing tomorrow so I shall consult with Reg.

Our National Trust 'outings sub committee' was, as I predicted good fun and we had a laugh. We met at Joan's house and Joan is great. She was in the Services during the War.

I had learnt earlier that she collects book-marks; always acquiring one from wherever she visits. So I had taken her one from our Brewhouse Yard Museum visit - and fortunately, she hadn't already got one! She showed us part of her collection and it was most interesting !

The purpose of the meeting was to float a few possibilities for 2008, to put before the full committee next week. And also to discuss the weekend away for 2008. We all felt that one extra day would be welcome and the Portsmouth area was favoured. Choc full of interesting places and, on the way down, Waddesden Manor seemed a good idea. Strangely enough Y and I had recently watched a Nat Trust DVD about the place and it sounds fascinating. Marvellous Art, great gardens, and everyone speaks highly of it. So we are looking forward already.

The floods I mentioned in the header have been really severe and Yorkshire and particularly the Sheffield area badly affected. The dam of a reservoir has developed a crack asnd people have been evacuated and the M1 closed. I e-mailed Ray because he lives so close, and it was a relief to get a favourable reply. Near him the River Don (which has already broken its banks) and the Dearne come together, and he reports that surrounding villages cannot be reached. And his local shops have been 'emptied' by panic-buyers. But Ray isn't a 'panicker' and feels they will survive on UHT Milk, the contents of the fridge/freezer and presumably they have tinned stuff.

Jill is off house-sitting tomorrow, for three weeks, and I hope they don't suffer weather problems in the New Forest. If they are short of food she will have to send Ro out to kill a Wild Boar or something.

Thanks Bungus, as ever, for the useful comment. But I would like to gently point out that 06.30am is not dawn. It was 2 hours ago ! My 'charity shop book' about farming through the ages makes much of Laxton - and I would like to put it on the list of places to visit. And you are correct that the proper description of my medieval-furrows, is 'ridge and furrow'. Don't we lead fascinating lives?

"Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent"

Goethe

What a nice man he must have been !!

I just sense it for tomorrow. And I'm ready for my chip-cob.