Tuesday, February 03, 2009

33F - Treacherous - Wind dropped

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The above picture, out of the office window yesterday evening, was with the Casio on a tripod. I would estimate the exposure time as 8 seconds and the available light came from a street lamp off-stage right. The result was far too orange due to the sodium street lighting but Photoshop Elements adjust white-balance made short shrift of the problem. Jill will enjoy the snap as it is almost sepia. Another plus is that my 'out of the hat' topic at the Camera Club for the forthcoming year is 'night'.

The snow in Jill's part of the world, Chiswick, made it onto the front page of today's Daily Mail.

I have no reason to believe that the lady (in the middle of the picture wielding the broom) is Jill. In fact, from her e-mails and 'comments' I think she and Ro wisely decided to stay indoors.

This evening should have been our monthly National Trust meeting in Mansfield Library but a very sensible decision to cancel was reached. Y and I were very relieved because we would have had to have gone, raffle, minutes to distribute etc., but we would have had our 'hearts in our mouths' because the higher reaches of the A60 between Shoulder of Mutton Hill and Mansfield can be dodgy. Also, even if we had gone in reasonable conditions there could have been a deep snowfall to greet our return.

Y and I have had a relaxing day - reading, radio, telly, lies-down etc. I made a shaky start on the Crossword and Y has finished it. A relief because we both thought that, either the clues were getting harder or, more likely, our cryptic brains were going off.

I've had a annoyance. In my book about PS Elements the author keeps referring to the 'Basic' tab - and I can't find it, or work out what she is talking about.

Kevin dropped by with a book about the Police at Stapleford which I shall enjoy reading. It looks to be my era.

My responses to your previous comments

Bob..... Welcome back !

Re coincidence Corner..... I think what you were describing here is what I call 'synchronicity'.

"Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally unrelated."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity

Often confused with the post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this therefore because of this) fallacy is based upon the mistaken notion that simply because one thing happens after another, the first event was a cause of the second event. Post hoc reasoning is the basis for many superstitions and erroneous beliefs.

I won't go on - honest ................

Nice to hear from the Sports Desk.

Jill ..... Again, I've made a collage of a selection of your pictures.

I think that sticking a ruler upright in the snow is a graphic and unarguable way of showing its depth. Much more effective than a 50p piece.

I'm pleased we finally get to see the 'iced greyhound' (bottom left corner) sorry for confusing him with the bird bath.

You garden and the trees look really beautiful. Tell your Fox that, should he/she appear, publication on the internet is guaranteed.

I hope your Solicitor was helpful and encouraging. My money is still on you rather than the Council. My bet is that eventually they will fold and settle - that seems to be what normally happens.

Rob ..... Thanks for trying with Reg's watersplash. Y's pal Joan doesn't know either and our National Trust meeting this evening has been cancelled, so I can't ask there.

I too remember the Marx Brothers 'horn blowing' scene but I can't find it on YouTube.


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Quotation time .......

"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom. But they do"

Goethe

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We are hoping to WoW - but all depending on the weather. Nobody wants to take risks on icy roads but it would be nice to get out. Helen has finished her 'Marking' and would welcome a little fresh air and a change.

"Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow"










3 comments:

Unknown said...

Until I was very, very grown up, I thought you pronounced Goethe as GO - ETH. Thank goodness I didn't mix in circles where it came up in conversation. I would have looked a right fool!

Anonymous said...

Y, no I don't think Goethe came up much in our teenage conversations!

Fox crossed garden again today, but down the end behind the trees, he shows up against the snow but was far too quick and far away to be photographed. I think I would have been 50p. down if I tried that with the depth of the snow..... Lovely photo from you, too....

Certanly not me in the Daily Mail, that doesn't look a very efficient way of snow-clearing either! But it does show the amount we had. No more, but pavements are slushy on the sunny side of street, and slippery icy on the shady side.

Solicitor seems to think that if my claim is not excessive, i.e. the cost of my glasses plus a few hundred for pain and suffering, they will probably settle. If they accept liability the solictor's fees will be paid (£100) - if they don't he suggested that I go to Small Claims Court, says he will advise me on what to say and I can have his notes, included in the payment. So that is what is happening, he is filling in the form and sending it with a covering letter.

Hope you manage to WOW if only for a little way tomorrow. Be careful out there!

Anonymous said...

BUNGUS BEMOANS…
… yet another closure.
This time the Ollerton & Bevercotes Miners’ Welfare.
Opened 46 years ago, billed as ‘The Palladium of the North’, the first headline act was Johnny Ray and he was followed by other diverse top-ranking artistes such as Charlie Williams, Neville King & Grandad and many others.
There was a magnificent ballroom and it became a reliable venue for the traditional ‘Sat’d’y night faight’.
But, after 25 years of decline the doors were finally closed last Saturday.
………….

The Marsden monochrome garden looks much more attractive than ours did to me yesterday.
The snow covering in ours was so mean at the time – more Scrooge than Pickwick if you take my meaning.

Re ‘coincidencal’ or 'synchronicitous' occurrences:
As I think we have agreed before, the thing is that we NOTICE the few occasions when things appear to connect but not the thousands of times when they don’t!

Don’t worry Yvonne. “I’ll Go-eth to the foot of our stairs” sounds a lot posher than ‘I’ll Goethe ….