Thursday, September 11, 2008

EPS - Y at BJ - John touring

.
Picture 1 is another from John's mobile phone, sent to me via text with an 'orange' key for the computer.

The technical transmission details are not important. They are touring in their campervan again and have reached the Mediteranean Coast. The picture is from the beach at La Rochelle which, from the website, looks delightful and interesting.

He seems to have a knack with 'water pictures' and he also knows I enjoy them so 'Thanks John'!

Picture 2 is a tad self-explicit but I wanted to show you my new Nikkor 70-300 VR lens in glorious technicolour. This is at the 70mm end......When extended to full 300mm length and with the lens-hood on the correct way round, the camera looks awesome.

First results are very promising and although Picture 3 is the inevitable Goldfinch, he looks good and sharp. The snap was hand-held out of the window, and without benefit of tripod. This freedom from composing whilst on a tripod, gives such flexibility. I can go from the feeders to the bird bath for instance in a jiffy. (I don't know where a 'jiffy' ranks on the 'half a mo' or '2 ticks' scale ?)

Y insisted on going to Burton Joyce today completely under her own steam, so as to allow me to conserve my energies for the Camera Club this evening. I am married to a very thoughtful and unselfish lady and her strategy has worked because I am now looking forward to it very much indeed, instead of felling that I would rather not go at all.

Comments

incy wincy .... I deleted your comment and then partly reintroduced it lower down. The reason is solely that I thought it best not to have your e-mail address out there in cyberspace...... I didn't want you to be deluged with spam..... or worse !

Apparently spam producers, and 'phishers' trawl forums, websites and blogs for unsuspecting targets. Anyway, I have now e-mailed you my address....... Please don't let this inhibit you from leaving comments though ! Because we would miss them so, and without personal details my blog is safe and secure...... Even from my own blog-profile for instance, no-one can discover my e-mail address etc.

Incidentally I agree with you about pubs.

bungus ...... Re the pub chip-cobs. We did both actually. Incidentally, if one does a bog-search for the Horse and Groom at Basford my blog comment is top of the list. Blog-searches are much more honest than restaurant reviews. Or about anything else for that matter.

Your Kings Mill pictures need no apologies. They are good and they show us what we want to see..... as you know, I am more keen on 'record photography' than any other variety which is pompously over full of its own importance.

Next time I am in Mansfield I will look out for the pub you describe.

You are right about 'digital dying' ...... the cuckoo in the sky you hear singing is being closely pursued by a flying pig.

Jill ..... Y said exactly the same thing about Joanna Lumley's apparent lack of make-up ! She added something about "you men are so gullible". But, when I mentioned 'wrinkles' it wasn't their absence so much as JL's confidence in being pictured with them, on her neck particularly.

The doctor was fne. My kidney function is about what she expected and she has increased some of my tablets. But I need further tests and have to see her again in around a month. Y read me what you had said in your letter and it is lovely that you care, but honestly, don't worry too much. I am as tough as old boots really. Since hearing Steven Fry on Monday I am now letting rip with the clichés.

Your baby-sitting sounded fun. These 11+ children are so competent aren't they ? Sorry about the car ..... I think they are a little like computers. ...... The AA are so good aren't they? .... A possible business idea would be to start an emergency service for computer-fixing. ..... Perhaps good idea 6,331 ?..... Pity I'm not about 40 isn't it ?

reg ..... Ah yes ! Fennings fever cure. Saying you became addicted is probably nearly true !

Many of the old cures had a hefty dollop of morphine in them - thats why they worked so well ! I think Zubes and several of the other cough linctuses had plenty in them for a 'fix'. Happy days 'eh?

.......................................

Quotation time ..... today's quote is from my igoogle home-page............

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is stoned to death"

At first I thought she was making quite a powerful point. Then I thought "Well - they wouldn't score many direct hits would they?..... Even if they could find him in the first place"



p.s. I could possibly return after Camera Club - if there's something important to tell you. If not sleep tight and I'll see you tyomorrow.
..............................

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Diary:
Oh well, my last visit to the City Hospital went ‘like clockwork’ (to use a cliché) and, when I finally got the right day, this week’s King’s Mill visit was OK.
Not so today’s Drip-Trip.
I was up, breakfasted, bathed *, and dressed by 9.30 and ready to be transported to my 13.00hrs appointment at City
(a 30/40 minute journey).
Three hours later I rang the hospital transport number and after 20 minutes on the line reached an operator. I could hear her but she obviously could not hear me, even when I shouted. So I phoned the chemo clinic (at 12.50) and was assured that transport had been booked but told that I should ring back if it had not arrived by 13.30.
I duly phoned again, at 13.40, and was assured that transport was on its way.
At 14.20 a minibus ambulance turned up and I arrived at the hospital at 15.00hrs.
Things went fine after that. I was taken in for my drip within 10 minutes and was out, sorted with my next appointment and transport therefore, and ready to leave at 16.30. The driver of an ambulance car arrived some ten minutes later and I was home for 17.15.

* I do not wish to dwell on my ailments (although the peripheral matters are sometimes amusing and diverting) but as I lay in the bath this morning I saw an amazing sight.
I coughed and was dramatically reminded of John Hurt in ‘Alien’ as my previously unsuspected hernia ballooned out as if some horrific, sharp-toothed monster was about to burst forth from just below my ribcage.
Talk about Special Effects – and home grown too! Great Stuff!

Blog Comment:
Yes, John does seem able to capture waterscapes.
I hope he won’t mind that I have one as my desktop (I don’t know how it got there and if he would like me to get rid of it someone will have to tell me how).

I can understand the joy and wonder you get from your new toy but I do hope you will not expect me to share your enthusiasm. After all, it isn’t edible!
I think that must be the Goldfinch chick again?

I’m not sure what ‘jiffies’ are but I know you can get bags to put them in.

‘Blog-searches are much more honest than restaurant reviews.’
I am sure you are right in essence but there is always the possibility that malicious comment could come from rivals or their agents.

I wasn’t actually apologising for my King’s Mill pics; simply explaining that I do not possess the experience, skill, equipment or enthusiasm that several of your contributors have! But I am pleased that you find them satisfactory enough.
Re the hospital's resemblance to a prison: I absolutely see what you mean although it hadn’t occurred to me. My first thought was that the interior is like a cross between a cathedral and a shopping mall.

I am sure the AA are very good (as are Green Flag, in my experience, and cheaper). But Jill called the RAC.

Re: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is stoned to death"
Surely the blind people shout “Where are you?” and when he says “Here.”, Bingo!
Isn't there a scene in 'Life of Brian'?

Jill:
The Norwegian sign which I can never forget, it appears frequently along the waterways, is ‘FART’. Apparently it is the Norwegian for ‘SLOW’.
But I was even more impressed by the abundance and quality of the food (we still had rationing).

Lavateria has a number of varieties so perhaps it will not grow to 10’0”.

You are right; most of us are judgemental on occasions. When guilty, I just try my hardest (or nearly, mostly) not to reveal it!

I prepared my own unexciting tea tonight and didn’t enjoy it much. Can you please lend me Poppy?

Ah, you see, men have a gift for things mechanical, an instinctive, mystical connection, which is denied to…

incy wincy:
Pubs have been steadily closing down for thirty years or so, mainly because of cheap, supermarket booze-prices with which they cannot compete, except, strangely, to a degree, Wetherspoons and Sam Smith’s Undrinkable (the latter a personal view).
The punitive and ill-conceived smoking ban has accelerated this trend towards extinction of a wonderful national institution.
Another slant on the smoking ban. Today, at the City Hospital, I saw a female patient, with a drip on a stand, and her male companion, standing smoking just outside the entrance doors under a sign saying ‘This Campus is a No-Smoking Zone, Inside and Out’ (or words to that effect). A metaphorical two fingers to be applauded. (As a matter of interest I have not smoked for 36 years, 8 months and 10 days and I no longer give it a second thought – if, however, I were to face RG’s favoured firing squad, my last request…)

Reg:
How could anyone possibly swallow the vilely emetic Fennings and manage to keep it down.
Gripe Water is another matter, even though it is now non-alcoholic. I bought myself a bottle not so long ago and still love that caraway flavour. And I liked halibut oil too – used to lick the cork.

Anonymous said...

My geography might be a bit skewiff, but I thought that la Rochelle was on the west cost of france, when was it moved to the med? I have a picture taken there of a organ grinder with a young audience.
You are so lucky having such beautiful birds in your garden, especially the bullfinch, I'm a tad envious as we don't get any, birds at all, that is.
the new toy looks a nice bit of kit, I could do with a canon I S lens now I have reached my dotage.
Kodack has also bought a new B&W Tgrained film out for us alternative process workers (long live film)

Anonymous said...

A jiffy is short period of time, two ticks = half a mo, therefore, 4ticks = a mo. (moment) We got involved in a public bar debate on the subject the other week, but I can not remember the full order of things, it did get quite involved, as pubic bar debates do.
Question of the day. Is anonRob flying XL? Will they be stranded in Greece?
How about Cod Liver Oil and Malt by the spoon full, or Nestles Condensed Milk the thick stuff.

Anonymous said...

p.s. wot's a blog search?