Pickies & things

2011-07-21T10:54:00.000+01:00

New camera

I have treated myself to a new camers Fujifilm Finepix S2800HD The slideshow below is my first serious attempt at anything. I am on my last day of my photo editing course today. What with this new laptop, camera I will be in for some fun in the future.

2011-07-20T08:32:00.000+01:00

My first attempt with You Tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg8qCsjr98I

2011-07-11T07:30:00.000+01:00

Sunny Saturday Saunter

I enjoy a saunter in the sun with a camera. It is the colours I enjoy, also the prospect of finding free food. Cherries, Apples, Plums, the list goes on. Listening to the birds is also a great pleasure. Get away from the hussle & bustle of everyday life, relax with some gentle exercise & a camera.

Just a few pictures of what is out there

2011-07-07T01:17:00.002+01:00

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT 3D

having uploaded to IphotoCom , it was suggested I try & bring out the lower wing here's the result.

I'm not sure if I like it or not, perhaps it will grow on me as time goes by

2011-07-05T08:57:00.002+01:00

Long time since I was here

I have been somewhat remiss in my updates here. What can I say? First & foremost I have been a bit on the busy side, working in the garden, more on that later. I have just completed my 30 day free trial of Photoshop Elements 9, & I'm now working my way through Corel's PaintShop Photo Pro 3X . Both programs have their similarities but PaintShop seems a tad better to get on with, perhaps this is because I am used to working with past programs? Both have their advantages & disadvantages, perhaps I should consider buying both. I shall think on that as I go along.

Walking in the dark:

I recently stumbled on a friend's blog, http://peacockmedia.blogspot.com/ She is into lots of activities, walking being one of my interests. I went walking with her on a "Summer Solstice" walk, 15miles in the dark. You can find the route we took (most of it anyway) http://peacockmedia.blogspot.com/search/label/South%20Derbyshire ,scroll down to "mad flowers" & view the map at the bottom. Thank you for a great walk Shiela. Although I took the camera with me, I took 3 photo's but was not too pleased with the results. Shiela has an album in facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_160578547316099&id=222212131152740#!/media/set/?set=a.10150286929723628.383528.672868627

You might be able to see her pictures, depending on her settings.

Days out

Ilam: We are going to a wedding in August, My Good Lady's Cousin's daughter (Distant relative?? Whatever) We decided to take a trip to Ilam to see where the holiday cottage we have booked is. As well as take some knitting to my sister's for her new Granddaughter. We did not find the cottage, but had an afternoon tea at Ilam Hall (NT) It was a very hot day.

We did call back last week to have another go at finding the cottage & we found it....it's a very long hilly way to go to the wedding. I think I'll use the car, I don't fancy carrying dad back to the cottage.

York Railway Museum:

A trip out with Carol, Dad & Darren. We had a good time here, the only fly in the ointment was that as we were driving up M1 dad told me he had forgotten his Blue card for free parking, oh well, fork out & shut up Peter

If you have not been there, try it, We had a very good day out, lots to see .

Critch Tranway Museum:
We went here for a day out as Dad wanted to go out for "Father's day" but did not know where to go. It seemed that the theme for days out were based on transport, so why not have a look at some trams?

It was a cool day with a promise of sun later (Much later). However, we had a good day out. We paid our penny for our tram rides & had a one-way trip to the lead mine. I decided that I wanted to walk back so I could see the surrounding scenery & give the camera some exercise. I was not dissapointed. There are several wood carvings along the route back all done with a chain-saw' (I hate these clever people)

We found some Wood ants, they are huge
They even have their own "Motorway"

We walked back to the centre for lunch passing some interesting view points such as Derwent Valley
We shall have to go back again one day.

The Garden:

The Sparrows enjoy the water. It was hard work clearing the ground & setting the gravel. Still a fair way to go, but that's life...Innit?

2011-05-27T07:43:00.000+01:00

I have recently purchased a new laptop, as my desktop is getting well past it's "Best before" date. My digital imaging programs are no longer supported. In short, I have to get up to date.
I have downloaded a 30day free trial of Photoshop Elements 9 into my HP Pavilion DV7 I thought I liked the new program, but I'm begining to have second thoughts. The program "freezes" when I am trying to "OK" a specific action, & no matter where I place the pointer on the screen it stays the same & nothing can be done other than to go for ctrl>alt>del then cancel the program.

However here's a picture I did manage to alter with no big problem. I had been playing with layers & colour effects in Elements 9 Then I did a soft focus uing Picasa3 as an afterthought

2011-01-27T11:04:00.001Z

Day trip

To Castleton, in the Peak District

from Peveril Castle

'twas a good day out

2010-12-31T09:44:00.000Z

Just a few of my favourite winter pictures when I have been walking

2010-12-05T09:25:00.001Z

Just a bit of winter fun

Christmas Pudding Head

Ice Maiden

Snowman

"FIGHT"

Coming Atcha!

Having a good walk

2010-11-05T10:47:00.000Z

A Morrisons Pastysaurus

A bit of time to spare take a pasty & watch it develop over a period of time. Quite tasty it was as well.

2010-10-16T09:29:00.001+01:00

Sunset at Blue Anchor Bay

Just a pic' or two I have been playing with. Trying to convert photo's into oil paintings

Bodelwyddan Castle

Porlock 07

Mut

2010-08-26T10:42:00.002+01:00

John & Denise's Trip to Kingsway 24/08/10

Just a short visit to say "Hello" from Australia. I was asked if I could help out with transport to take relations of a friend to visit the Fire Station at Kingsway, Derby. I was only too glad to help. Below are a few selected pictures.

Our guest is a fireman from Australia, & obviously is interested in how it is done here.

Listening to both sides of the job was very interesting. We do not get the Bush Fires they get in Oz & the distances to travel, whereas they do not have the high rise buildings we have here. (I am talking of a smaller community, out in the "Sticks")

Perhaps a tad too large Dot

You could get some serious window cleaning with this gear.

The poles are still in use, I had been told many years ago (well, not too many) that the use of poles had been banned "ELF N' SAFETY"..... you know

As you can see, They are still in use

Show off.....

We have a shout

It was here our trip had to end

2010-07-16T09:37:00.001+01:00

More photo play

This is the original I took from my son's facebook pages. Not a bad picture I thought, but could it be improved on? So, this is what I tried.

I found a background Picture, resized both & pasted the original onto the background. (I learned later that he was not at all well, just look at the eyes. Oh well) I had to remove some of the outline from the hair on both subjects as there was a very dark demarcation between the two pictures. I used a combination of "Smudge" & "Clone" to do this.

I then thought I could improve it a little by "framing" the picture. Not to the taste of perhaps many viewers, but I liked it, so here it is.
I later learned that Darren was not well, that explains the tired eyes

2010-06-20T23:27:00.002+01:00

A week away in the Gower.

5 nights B&B 5*

Perfect weather, good food & drink, excellent digs & recaptured some of my past,.

My old house back in the 40's. Looks nicer now

I used to play here as a child. There used to be a drinking fountain here that had a big metal cup on a very heavy chain. I learned some time ago the cup had gone missing. Now it would seem the whole fountain has gone missing.

Terrace Road School, where I started out my education. My first day was a bit of a shock, when "Play time" came around, we all went out to the playground, I could not understand what the children were waiting for, didn't they know the way home? I did, so I went. Mum had a shock when I got in, she wanted to know why I was back so early, I told her we had all finished & the kids were waiting to be picked up. The Teachers had a shock when they could not find me, they searched high & low for me, as I might have gone to some other part of the School....I had a bigger shock when my Mum took me back, School did not finish until 3 in the afternoon. Dinner break was next & my Mum would pick me up feed me & take me back, then collect me at 3. It was that day, I decided I was not all that keen on School after all.

Here's a link to the Mumbles Train I used to love the days out to the Mumbles travelling on the "train" to the Mumbles pier. Blue leather seats, the backs of the seats could be swung one way or the other so passengers did not have to travel backwards. I understand that there is no surviving train left in the country. However there is part of an original near to the museums in Swansea.

This is the replacement, they call it the Mumbles Train...I call it a travesty. I have come across a rumour that a "Sky Train" is to take the old route from Rutland Street to the Pier....Mono rail I imagine, but with costs as they are in the present climate, I'll not hold my breath.

Blackpill station somewhat modified but a big improvement

The posters on the station wall. Some of the history.

The park & paddling pool. This is quite a change from the original station when I knew it. Did you see the station on the video?

2010-06-11T10:00:00.007+01:00

Back Garden Project 2010

Started in 2009, but had to be stopped due to health problems

After a fair bit of digging, scraping, weeding & generally sorting out the unwanted growth this is what I am left with. The pond has developed a leak through root damage, so the liner needs to be changed. A good enough reason to alter the whole thing. Back to front, side to side &
roots up.

This used to be the site of the former pergola. The Wisteria got too big & heavy for the frame. I used the wrong timber. Having removed the frame work (& that was a big job) I am training the Wisteria to be a standard, well, that's the hope. The other shrubbery I have moved from other areas & replanted in this corner.
The rocks? they are there until I can create a new rockery.

This is the site of the proposed header pond. A rockery used to be here. When it is filled with water, I'm wondering what I can keep in there, fish, plants or both. Or perhaps fill it with other rocks. Time will tell.

This is the proposed stream site. I need to keep it bird friendly so they can bathe/drink in safety . I'm not keen on the idea of removing drowned birds from the pond.

Most of the unwanted stuff has now gone. The water lilly will be next after draining to a level where I can catch the fish. There's a paddling pool awaiting them on the patio.

Fish, lilly, water, gone. I can use the old liner for other jobs in the garden. There is a fair bit of repair work to do to the "hole" before putting the new liner in. As can be seen here it's looking rough.

New liner in & filled, almost. Need to trim & set the stream & header pond. I ran the pump for several hours before putting the fish back. That was to remove the chlorine gas from the water, fish do not like it as it is poisonous to them,. The can tolerate top-ups from the mains.

The stream is now running from the header pond. There is still a lot of trimming to do here as well as sorting out the final width & depth, this can be done using small aggregate & pebbles control the flow. The filter is behind the conifer, partially buried. I am not using the UV light yet as the water needs to mature for about 6 weeks.

This is to be done later. The excuse for a rockery is to go (I think the half barrel might stay where it is, & be used as a second water feature). I have slabs from the former pergola site that can be used to extend the patio, thereby extending the time in the morning sun (this is the North side)
As time goes on, I shall add more pictures here as the garden takes shape. So far, the above has taken 5weeks I'm in no rush, my body is not a fit as it once was, & the weather needs to be on my side.

After a week away We have returned to start again. Here's My Good Lady cleaning the ground of weed & root

These steps have been made from my old patio & some bricks that were used for a hard standing in front of the shed. Hopefully, the weather will be fine tomorrow so I can carry on with the path around the pond.

This gave me a bit of a shock. when I was laying out the rocks, this fella showed it's face. In the picture below you can see it looking at the water

Things are coming together now. Laying the pathway & gravel. Not as easy as it looks.

Disaster

I had a leak from the stream & the liner was being forced up to the surface. This meant that the stream had to be removed in order to get at the underlying water. There's a lot of heavy rocks to lift & pebbles to remove, not to mention the mud in the area. Having done that, the next thing was to get the water away, so, remove the pump from it's housing & place it under the liner, then get My Good Lady to switch it on. This was quite a job, as the liner was being pushed back on to the pump, making it a very difficult operation to remove the thing after the water had been taken away. Anyway, the job was completed which meant that the stream had to be reconstructed. A new bed liner was cut & laid into place. The large stepping stone was replaced & three rocks replaced the single at the fall end. The pump was left running for 24hrs to make sure things were operating as they should.

This is the new stream looking from the top of the garden. Nothing ever goes back to where it came from, things just don't fit do they? It's like a very heavy jig-saw with no picture to follow.

We're getting there... just about, some of the plants still need a home. More gravel to lay around the stepping area.

The Header pond. I have yet to connect the statue to the system

The Bird bath. The sparrows & blackbirds love this They visit several times a day. We also get the occasional pigeon as well plus a few starlings.

The patio extension.This was to give a little more room so when the French doors are open, we will not be too crowded. The pile of slabs where the barrel used to be is just to have somewhere to keep them tidily until I can get to the second half of the garden where the shed will be taken down & be replaced by a summer house. Until then that is where they will stay. We have planted a few salad herbs to colour up the area .

Pooh Bear. A water feature, originally running from a small pump in the barrel, now it is fed by gravity from the header pool. The barrel had to go as there was too much rot in the timber, As a lined water feature/herb garden which was the original idea, the lifespan would not have been long enough to warrant the conversion. Still Pooh looks to be happy enough there.

2010-05-21T05:59:00.003+01:00

Some of my Past

St. Christopher’s

We lived in Swansea, having lost my Father November 1951, we moved to Derby so my Mother could live & work nearer to her Sisters. My Sister & I were put into St. Christopher’s so my mother could go to work without having to worry about us when School was closed at the end of the day, or School holidays.
I lived for some 5yrs or so at St. Christopher’s, not the happiest times of my life. I was treated with contempt by other children because I “Spoke funny”. I soon learned that independence was the key word. A good foundation for later life, but not by choice.
I remember being welcomed by a Miss. Eaver (spelling?) who introduced us to Miss Whitfield, my “minder” & Miss. Bisset, my Sister’s “minder”. I was taken to a dormitory & shown where I would be sleeping. There were about 15+ beds in the dorm’ & we each had a draw in a large chest where we could keep our clothing. We were responsible for making our beds, army style with “Hospital corners” & pyjamas folded neatly under the pillow. “Ronuxing” the floor to a high shine with a heavy pad about 12 X 12 inches, weighted with a steel ball attached to a long wooden handle. This was a weekly chore every Saturday morning. I think there was a dormitory in each corner of the building
Children were segregated by age & sex. As a child reached the age of 12 (I think) the child was moved to a different dormitory, & had to use a different Day room. The day rooms were very large. Large enough to hold at least two full sized snooker tables. There were three I used to play on regularly. The older children, 14yrs & above, I think slept two or three to a room. I did use one of these for a short while just before leaving.
The building was built around a “Square” plan. You could walk along the corridors 360degrees returning to your starting point. If you were caught downstairs on the Girls side, questions were asked. Upstairs, you made sure you were not caught. No questions would be asked, you would be hauled off to the office where a Mr. Bucknell (I think) would administer “6 of the best”
The centre court yard of the building held I think 2 bath/shower rooms with possibly 20 baths & 10 showers (Boys that is, I never saw the girls). I have a vague recollection that there were 4 sets of toilet blocks for each group of children, both upstairs & downstairs, I could be wrong though. A workshop for cleaning shoes, as a middle aged child, you cleaned the primary’s shoes. There were other small rooms off to one side but I never went into those. A very large dinning room occupied the centre court as well, with 4 rows of tables in long lines (Hogwarts style, but not as grand). We had to “Ronux” this floor as well. The Top Table in front to the stage was for the staff. Near to the entrance was a very large hotplate/cupboard to keep food hot. The food was brought in by the kitchen staff, placed in or on the cupboard where it was left to the head of each table to collect.
High Tea was for the older children, 12 + & was served around 6pm. Empty plates etc were collected by the head of the table & retuned to trolleys to await removal for washing by the staff. All meals started & ended with Grace. The stage was in regular use for plays, concerts & other events such as prize giving. I used to be a king in the nativity held each year, or played the dreaded recorder. There was never any time you could say that you went without food, we were always well fed. We might not have enjoyed what we were given, but we did not starve.
To the Left of the drive going up the hill(read slope),there was a large sports field where cricket was played & the sports day events would be held there. Spectators would sit on the bank to watch. The upper field we played football & other games. Behind the upper field there was a playground, at least the size of a school playground. This is where I learned to ride a bike. To the Right of the drive were two tennis courts. Below the courts was a house where Mr.Bucknell lived.

Around the back of the building there was a gymnasium well kitted out with all you could wish for. A 6-bed Sanatorium (or was it 8 beds in two rooms) with a surgery off to one side staffed by the resident nurse. A doctor was on 24hr call to St.Kit’s (as we called it) Just below the “San” was a double row of greenhouses where the gardener did his thing. (A little story here: I had just been reading about ancient weapons, & the sling roused great interest in my child mind. How was it made, & how did it work? I tried folding a hanky, seemed OK so I put a stone into the hanky, swung the “Sling” around, & let go of one end of the hanky. I did not see the stone leave, but I heard it land with a crash of glass. Fortunately I got away with it as the gardener did not use the greenhouse a great deal) A play field was just below the greenhouses with several plots of garden for the children to grow flowers or whatever they wanted. In the Summer time we would put large hutches on the field to let the Guinea pigs live. They were brought indoors for the winter.
Between the playing field & the main building was a small building where potatoes were stored & pealed in something like a spin drier. If chips were on the menu, the peeled “Spuds” were put through the “chipper” something like a very big garlic crusher. Large steel bins of “Spuds” or chips were then taken to the kitchen for cooking. The older children had the responsibility of “Spud bashing”
We used to go to Skegness for a day from Friargate station once a year. We were given tickets to ride on the Butlins fair. Food & drink were provided for the journey. The older children were allowed to go where they pleased, within certain limits, the younger ones were supervised by staff & some of the older girls. Swimming was a regular weekly activity where we spent some of our pocket money at Queen Street baths, we walked both ways. I remember camping in North Wales as an older child. We used ex Army Bell tents. The only time we camped I think. We went to Fairbourne, where after a night or two, we were washed out by a heavy storm. The local villagers sorted out accommodation in the village hall whilst our gear was drying out. During that week, a play was put on for the locals, & we were invited to watch. I wished we hadn’t. Scared would be an under statement. The play was “The Monkey’s Paw” Some of us had nightmares for a week or so. We were invited by the villagers the following year to spend a holiday in their houses the following year….But that is another story.

2010-05-07T11:48:00.005+01:00

A little bit of relaxation Sit back relax

2010-05-03T15:57:00.003+01:00

Update to September 11th 09
Bye Bye Nature

Here's a few more pickies to show the progress, of the digging
One day, so it is said, there will be an Hotel & golf course here

Time will tell

2010-05-02T09:33:00.001+01:00

This makes me smile

2010-03-27T07:04:00.001Z

It's been a little while since I posted anything here. Not that anyone looks, but hey, who cares? Having spent a month in Cyprus & putting up with 24-5c temperatures whilst the UK froze, I thought I would post a pic' or two.

It was a wet day in Nicosia when I shot this

The only other day we had rain. This from our hotel room

Free trips on this bus courtesy Tourist Information

2010-01-17T08:12:00.000Z

Just playing with PaintShop Pro. Two pictures using Arithmetical blend. I quite like the result.

2009-12-11T12:15:00.002Z

As there was nothing to see here I removed it

2009-11-14T10:47:00.001Z

Here's a little something I am working on. It's the faces I'm going to have problems with. How does one re-create a face when the important bits are missing?

2009-11-12T09:14:00.003Z

An old B&W from 1965 (I think) needed a repair job doing, think perhaps I should have brightened up the finished pic'.

2009-11-05T21:06:00.004Z

The Reunion
(NESTLES 09)

What a night. We met at the Littleover Lodge Hotel for the first reunion. It was 1965 when I left Nestles to go to work at Pirelli Tyres Burton on Trent. Now 44yrs & a few months later we all got together again. Something we should have done 20yrs sooner it was stated. We had 82 bums on seats, of which 64 were employees at the time. The guests were family members or friends. We had a three course meal at £10. per head. Nestles of Tutbury came to our aid by supplying us with a free raffle draw of a super collection of various Nestle products. They also provided a star prize of a Krups Nestles Dolce Gusto Coffee maker. The products were split into 5 separate prizes. Thank you Alan for contacting Nestle & thank you Nestle for providing the prizes. I would like to say thank you to Dot for pulling my number out of the tin (No7) the Star prize no less. That was an added bonus to my evening can tell you.

My Coffee maker & Dot Thanks Dot

It has been suggested we have another reunion 2nd November 2010...everyone went for the idea

2009-09-19T10:00:00.002+01:00

They call this Broadband???

I cant even get a reading in the evening. I'm sure my Dial-up was faster

2009-09-11T08:11:00.005+01:00

Bye Bye Nature?

We are about to have a new golf course situated between Newhall & Swadlincote on the former open cast site. A hotel is also going to be built. As to how much land will be taken up we have yet to find out, but there will be a cost to it all. Wildlife will be the first to be affected, Skylarks & Lapwings have nested there over the years

However, it would seem that the golf course will be a "Wooded" one as we are in the heart of the National Forest. Different perhaps. I shall try to keep a pictorial record on a monthly basis of the progress. I was talking to the Ecologist who was on site, he told me that over the past 5yrs there has not been much in the way of wildlife moving in other than the birds & a few Grass snakes. His words were "Surprisingly dead", there are quite a few golf courses in the area, I thought another would be overkill, but who am I to argue?

2009-09-06T09:56:00.000+01:00

2009-09-02T23:25:00.002+01:00

Just draw a circle, create a background (of sorts), play about with the whole thing & get a hole? Well it passed the time for 5 min's or so.

2009-08-28T23:12:00.003+01:00

HOT STUFF

I was sent a mail today, I don't know what the lady was implying but...... I have been told they will grow up to 18" in length. I'm saying NOWT.

By the way, they are called Peter's Peppers

2009-08-28T09:44:00.002+01:00

Nestles

Back in April I mentioned I had been in contact with former workers from Nestles. Well, I'm pleased to say that there is a reunion planned for 3rd November at the time of writing this entry, there are 42 people going to attend with another possible 50 or so if they can be contacted. Things are moving along nicely

2009-08-23T08:48:00.001+01:00

Put your feet up & listen

2009-08-20T07:36:00.005+01:00

Common Blue

I was walking in Rosliston Forestry Centre on Tuesday morning with my camera. I had decided I wanted to capture a Blue butterfly. They are getting scarce these days, & I wanted one before they all went. I called by at Greenheart lake where I knew I should find one. Armed with camera ,tripod & a stool stick(Walking stick with built in seat) I perched my bum on the stool & waited. The morning was slightly overcast, but with a promise of sun later. Whilst waiting, I shot a few shrubs, but nothing worth while. After about an hour or so, I saw a movement, it was a Blue. I removed the camera from the tripod & went chasing. It was a fast little beast. Got me running about in circles I can tell you. The tripod would have just got in the way. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I got pretty well what I wanted. When I retuned home after picking up My Good Lady from her yoga session, I loaded the picture into my computer only to see the wing had been damaged. Old age do you think? Well, it is a bit late in the season. Well, I have the program & I have the time, so I thought I would try & repair the wing....What do you think? I have enhanced the colour a little, but not by much. I now need to catch other butterflys such as Peacocks or Tortoiseshells & hope the wings are not too damaged as that could make the repair very complicated. I will be starting a course in September on Digital Imaging, it lasts for 10 weeks (I can only make 9 of them), but I think I will have picked up enough information to do more than just basic cloning & other fairly simple editing projects.

2009-07-26T00:51:00.001+01:00

I call it Golden Sunburst. I put it here because I liked it when I had done the conversion with Corel Paint shop Pro X

2009-07-24T09:51:00.002+01:00

Having seen the news the other day, I just had to put this in here.

2009-07-18T18:32:00.004+01:00

Bye Bye Saab

After having a long rest on the front garden I finally said goodbye to our old Saab. I decided to put it into retirement in January of this year as too many job needed to be done, such as the exhaust was beginning to blow, cracked nearside mirror (thanks to some moron driving his/her Chelsea Tractor too fast on a country road on a bend in Scotland) The gear would slip out of reverse often & sometimes was difficult to keep in. Not a lot perhaps, but enough to warrant a replacement car.

2009-07-17T20:23:00.002+01:00

Time to pack 'em in!

OK I've been smoking for some 50 odd years or so. Cigars mostly, I packed in cigarettes when I was in my 20's, but did have a few now & again. Why am I giving up?
Well, the cost of enjoyment in this country is getting ridiculous, & I do enjoy my cigars. I gave up drinking in pubs years ago as the cost was getting prohibitive. I do have the occasional glass of wine or a cider, but then perhaps once a month. I do go abroad for holidays where the cost of enjoyment is better. A week in this country costs more than a month abroad, half board & flights included (I must be honest here, we tend to go in January February time). Plus the weather is usually guaranteed. Oh, & the service tends to be better as well. We go to Cyprus in February.
I still have to pay for it
I could do with a new camera, as I have signed up for an adult learning course for digital editing.
We go to N' Wales in September to celebrate our 38th anniversary.
Just a few good reasons for chucking in the habit I reckon

2009-07-09T07:54:00.004+01:00

I had a nice e-mail from WHI telling me I had one first prize in the monthly photo competitionn. Read below. I will not put the picture here as I already have it blogged, but the link in the mail will show other entrants as well
Dear Peter,

I am delighted to tell you that your lovely photo is the winning entry in the WHI photo of the month competition for June 09

Please see page http://www.whi.org.uk/details.asp?back=true&key=2638|0|3DA9864004506|R|986|2854631612008455167331&parentkey=2638|0|3DA9864004506|p|986|0

It has occurred to me that I have not placed any archery related articles here recently. This because I (or should I say we), have not rejoined the club since the subs were due last June. As a pensioner my income is fixed, whereas the subs continue to rise on an annual basis, so, it is a case of "Eat or Shoot". No competition there then! The last time I shot an arrow was on holiday in Gran Canaria, back in February of this year. I shall probably have another "Go" when I go to Bodelwyddan Castle in September. I have promised to take some of my own equipment to show them "Some proper gear" It'll be good to use my own after such a long time

2009-06-27T10:14:00.007+01:00

Orchids

Whilst out walking recently with my camera, I have spotted a few flowers that need keeping, so here they are. I do not know what the first orchid is called, any help would be appreciated

Bee Orchid (apprently)

This was found by a fairly busy unofficial footpath leading into Sainsburys

car park Swadlincote

2009-06-08T10:02:00.000+01:00

A video slide show I have put together as an exercise in editing & my enjoyment of walking.

From My Videos

2009-06-06T06:26:00.002+01:00

Just an idle thought.

Do I need a return ticket to take a trip around the world?

2009-06-03T21:53:00.003+01:00

Congratulation, you did not win.
(By e-mail)

I entered a photo competition on the WHI web pages I did not win, but I was a runner-up. As it was my first entry to a competition, I was quite pleased. Must try harder next time though.

2009-06-03T09:11:00.001+01:00

2009-05-25T09:19:00.012+01:00

Sunday's Plod

Foremark Reservoir & Bretby Woods

The first of 26 styles

26 walkers gathered at Bretby Nursery for a 10.5 mile walk, the weather was good, in fact perhaps too good for walking, as the skin started to leak after 15min's or so.

We had company part way, I think they fancied a change of scenery.

Bretby Church

Former School House at Bretby

There were many fields like this on the route, with various crops in the early stages of growth. Some of these fields are very steep hills with the footpath buried under the growth, & very hard on the feet, despite the heavy rains of the past week.

A woodland walk by Repton

By the time we had arrived here We had climbed few hills & the weather was not getting any cooler, so the shade provided by the wood was a welcome respite.

Now this looks to be a good idea for a Sunday's leisure pastime. Relaxing, cool & not a great deal of traffic noise

So this must be Foremark Reservoir then. A popular place for locals to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon. There are walks to follow, picnic area toilets, shop for refreshments & errm, £1.50 to take the car in. Have the right money, as the bollards do not let you in.

It's not every ones idea of a Sunday's drive, but why not if you've got it?

A wooded walk to "Carvers Rocks". A nature trail at Foremark
Nice & cool in the shade

But you have to watch where you put your feet

The last pic' I took

Just 3 more miles to go & a very steep hill to climb Then we're back where we started. The route was 10.5 miles in total, with the hill climbing, it felt more like 15

2009-05-22T10:25:00.002+01:00

Something different

We went to the theatre last night, something we have not done for years. The play was the stage version of Terry Pratchett's "Lords & Ladies", his 14th book. A parody of Shakespeare's "Midsummer's Night,s Dream". I'm sorry to say that the acting did not do the story line justice, in fact, if it was on the TV, I would have switch off or over. The cast did try, but were amateurs to say the least, but all credit to them, there could not have been more the 12 in the cast, & they all played several parts. The scenery was very basic & was constantly moved or turned to suite the act. Fortunately, my own imagination did the rest...It had to.
Oh, the theatre, it is at Buxton, the Opera House. Not very big but decorated in the traditional way, lots of gold & White/Cream paint with Cherubs, pictures & musical instruments painted on the walls & ceiling.
Would I go again? Perhaps. Having said that, we are going to see "Dinner Ladies" (Victoria Wood's TV comedy) 6th June. More on that later.

2009-05-19T07:46:00.006+01:00

Coton-in-the-Elms walk

To continue the theme of walking in South Derbyshire here's a few bits from the walk yesterday, it turned out to be 8miles as near as... the day started fine, but soon turned to rain. We saw ourselves plodding through eight different woodlands & couple of meadows.
The walk lasted pretty much 5hrs. Although I live locally, there were a lot of thing I had never seen before. Living in Derbyshire people think "Peak District" Yes true, but it's not that near to me I probably have a 60 to100mile round trip to do the Peaks, depends on my destination. Here it is quieter. less traffic so easier parking. The views are excellent in places you can see Warwickshire in one direction Cannock Chase in another The Peaks in yet another. The woodlands are sustainable commercial for various "industries". The average age of the woodlands here is around 15yrs, & the trees are growing very fast, obliterating many local landmarks. Below is one such wood, it has many pathways in all directions, you could easily get lost.
We do rest from time to time, well, you have to eat it is a question of , do you sit on the grass even if it has been "chucking it down", or do you stand. I stood, as you can see some didn't
There are a few interesting things to see on the way around apart from the woodlands. Below is one you will not see every day. We thought it might have been dead, but the weather had cooled a lot owing to the rain, shedding the old skin is a slow process I believe, I like to think it was just waiting to warm up before moving off.
That's all for now I think, I'm off to Rosliston today for a couple of hours, I might take the camera

2009-05-17T17:29:00.007+01:00

S'Derbyshire Festival of Walks.

The festival started Saturday 16th of May. We met at the YHA building at Moira. After a little talk from a couple of guests we set off. There were three different walk taking place at the same time. Pictured left is a group who took the "short walk" about one hour in duration. We met as our paths nearly, but did not cross. I joined the group on the "5 mile" walk as I needed to see new walks. Below are a couple of pictures of some of the terrain we had to go through. Note the "Duck boards" there are several broken

I was disappointed to see that some locals had light fires (there was one smouldering as we passed by) in the woods also a lot of litter was left, some of it broken glass. I can only think that is must be the younger element of society doing this. It is a great shame that these people have not been taught how to respect the countryside, & the dangers of fires in the woods!
As you can see, there is plenty for fire to get a hold of
In all the walk took around 2 hours to complete including rest/comfort break. This was taken at Moira Furnace

We were fortunate with the weather as the showers did not come to much. The sky was grey as you can see but the temperature for walking was perfect.
I got second placing for this photo. Here's the results of the competition

2009-05-13T19:48:00.002+01:00

Back garden Back breaker

I've had a few days of working in the back garden Stripping the decking of the old stain & getting back to the original wood, Thanks to my Good Lady, we have just about completed the project after a second pass with the sander. Net I will be "painting" on the decking oil. Meanwhile, 14-15 fence panels have been re-coated in preservative, along with the shed. Several shrubs have had a serious pruning, if only to get to the fence panels. My water feature had sprung a leak, so it will be filled with soil for plants & a bucket for a small water feature. I'm aiming at redesigning the whole back garden whilst I'm still able, I ain't getting any younger. So as a reminder, I'm putting a couple of pictures from my garden to remind me that it will be worth the trouble.

2009-04-28T00:52:00.006+01:00

Oops. I missed a day

Saturday I (& 3 other leaders) took a party out on a Bluebell walk. Quite a few people turned up They were not disappointed either The flowers were in full bloom, & the scent was powerful.
& the weather was perfect for the walk, despite the promises of the meteorological office

A good day all in all

2009-04-26T15:15:00.002+01:00

I went to Derby Assembly Rooms yesterday to watch Joe Brown in concert. It was a great show, a cheeky grin, a strum, & off they went. Old, new & not so new. His son Peter Brown is one hell of a guitarist, mind you I reckon he must have had a good teacher. I wander who that was?

Would I go again? You bet I would

2009-04-24T22:14:00.002+01:00

I've added Facebook to this blog. I can't think why. I don't go there a great deal. I expect there's always a chance that someone might remember my name from the past.

2009-04-16T17:14:00.003+01:00

Mind where you walk

If you go to the woods, be careful, you might see more than you bargained for.

Not really certain of what the "Animal" here is, but it looks like it lays eggs. Could it be the "Flattybilled Duckiepuss"?
See below
Thanks to Misty15 (Bowland Central Forums)

2009-04-09T09:11:00.004+01:00

Ladies, are you in the picture? This was sent to me by e-mail. It is a beauty contest at the Nestles Christmas Party back in 1965 or 66. See last blog entry below I have been given some names, but there are quite a few missing, & as it was such a long time ago (40 odd yrs or so), I don't have a clue.
Check out the Derby Bygones link (none archery)

2009-04-03T20:57:00.003+01:00

I've just received three mails from the 1960's, well, names from then. I used to work at Nestles, Mickleover just outside of Derby. I put in a request to Bygonederbyshire.co.uk just to see if anything might come of it. I received a mail from Jane Goddard an editor from there asking if I would be interested in having an ad/article in the Derby Evening Telegraph. I replied that it could be a good idea. SUCCESS I have had 3 replies

2009-03-23T23:30:00.003Z

Whilst browsing the web the other day, I came across an article that stated that if you are prone to the dreaded midge in the summertime, leave off eating bananas. Seems that something happens to the body when the banana gets into the system. This makes you VERY ATTRACTIVE to midges.

Looks like I'll be on a banana free diet this year just to see if it works.

2009-03-15T00:32:00.006Z

I was just browsing through.

When I came upon the article below. I make no apology for the content, it just struck me as very funny, especially as I know the area.

AN EARTHQUAKE HITS DERBY
By R.E.Porter

An earthquake hit Derby on September 23, 2002. The epicentre was Chaddesden. Victims were seen wandering around aimlessly muttering "fucking hell", "bollocks" and "where's me fags". The earthquake decimated the area causing approximately £30 worth of damage. Several priceless collections of momentoes from Blackpool and Skegness were damaged beyond repair and three preserved areas of historic burned out cars were destroyed.

Many locals were woken well before their Giro arrived and hundreds of residents were confused and bewildered that something interesting happened in Chaddesden. One resident, Tracy Delores Smith, a 15-year-old single mother of five said, "It was a shock, my little Chardonay Mercedes came running into my bedroom crying and my hands were shaking that much I could hardly skin up whilst I was watching Trisha. My youngest two, Tyler Morgan and Megan Storm, slept through it all. I was still shaking when I was watching Kilroy the next morning."

Adam, who lives a few doors away said, "After a heavy weekend, my girlfriend and I were heavily asleep when the earthquake struck. I remember waking up but soon returned to sleep. In the morning we discussed it in bed and both agreed it was the washing machine." Two joyriders complained, "We've never been so terrified... we called the police but they said there was nothing they could do. Why do we pay our taxes?"

Apparently though, looting, mugging and car crime carried on as normal. The British Red Cross have so far managed to ship 4000 crates of Sunny Delight to the area to help stricken locals. Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble and have found large quantites of personal belongings, which include benefit books, jewellery from Elizabeth Duke at Argos and Bone China from Poundstretcher.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The appeal is to raise money for food and clothing parcels for those unfortunate to be caught up in the disaster. Clothing is most sought after, items most needed include - Fila or Burberry baseball caps, Kappa tracksuit tops (his and hers), Shell suits (female), white sport socks and Rockport boots and many other items sold by Matalan. Food parcels may be harder to come by, but are needed all the same.

Required foodstuff include Microwave meals, tins of baked beans, ice-cream and cans of Fosters or Special Brew. Monetary donations are also welcome. 22p buys a biro for filling in compensation forms. £2.00 buys chips, crisps and blue fizzy drinks for a family of 9 and £5.00 will pay for a packet of B&H and a lighter to calm the nerves of those affected.

For £20, a fake M.O.T can be bought (or 10 gallons of red diesel to burn the vehicle out) and £26.00 is enough for 200 Regal from Tommo who has just got back from Kavos. Please don't send tents, as the sight of posh housing will upset residents in neighbouring areas. All items of property, lost during the earthquake, can be bought at Donington market which is held every Sunday.

2009-03-14T21:41:00.005Z

I'm back. I was disconnected by my old ISP (Toucan) December 16th '08 this after signing up with "Something .com" Part of what used to be called "PlayTVUK". The engineer called to fit me up with the gear for wireless, it seems I have more wires now than ever before. Anyway, I have just managed to get back on-line 3rd march 09 due to incompetence by "Something". I'm now playing "Catch-ups" a long job.
If you get a call from these people, think long & hard before signing up with them.
That's the bad out of the way

I turned 65 back in January I now have a job for life, paid by the government to stay away from work. Yet another of life's ambitions achieved . I started celebrating around Jan'12th by replacing my Saab 900s with a Mondeo XL (or is it LX? They're all the same to me) 4yrs old with a free 3yr warranty thrown in. I reckon that should see me through. To carry on the celebrations we spent a 4 night stay at Bodelwyddan Castle A Warner's Hotel break half board. We had a good time there swimming, walking even a touch of archery. I promised the guys there that if I called again, I would bring my archery gear & show them some proper gear

Sometime last year we booked a holiday inTenerife for a week on a one-way ticket. we were to depart 1st February 06;00 flight from E Mid's airport. the idea was we did not know when to come back home, or even from where. In December we got in touch with RCI (We have a time-share points thing with them) asking if there was anything available for February. There was, two weeks in Gran Canaria, in two hotels, we booked them then & there. On our first week at a fantastic hotel (we up-graded to half board), we were watching the weather on BBC & ITV Central East. We then decided that we would not return home until March 2nd, Monday flight to E' Mid's airport, so we booked a third hotel on the island at Playa del Ingles. We missed all the bad weather I'm pleased to say but it was pretty cold for us when we got back. We had temperatures up 30 or more at times it must have been about 10 when we got back warm for you maybe, but we had grown used to the better life.

Oh well, back to the grind I suppose, bills to pay, holidays to save for (We're off to Bodelwyddan again in September for our 38th anniversary) walking groups to shepherd around, archery gear to sort out like new strings & arrows. Oh, & get rid of the Saab if I can find a buyer. I have also got a massive task to sort out in the back garden, but that as they say, is another story. Cheers

P.S. I forgot to mention, I treated myself to a new MP4 player Sony Walkman 8Gb. Seems a good tool so far. All I have to do now is to sort out the little bits like not duplicating tunes in the music files. Yup, the best 65th birthday I've had.

2008-12-14T13:10:00.004Z

A challenge for me here. I was asked if I could clean up an old picture. Well, here's the original below, & right is my effort.
Had some fun with that I must say

2008-11-25T20:39:00.003Z

Oops, Almost forgot...Carol has booked a 4 night stay at Bodelwyddan Castle for my 65th, Jan 20. We go on 19th, lets hope the weather holds. I hope to have changed the car by then as well. Now we have closed the archery business, I don't need the Saab to tow with. Something smaller & cheaper to run would be good. Don't get me wrong, the Saab is a great car, but with my income as it is/will be, I need a few more MPG

I'm also looking at an extended holiday in perhaps Tenerife maybe 3-5 weeks should do it. There are a few offers in the keep net..Well, at least I can dream, Can't I?

2008-11-25T09:15:00.002Z

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Just a little something for Christmas

2008-11-04T09:24:00.001Z

Halloween 2008.
Had a great time with the ghouls at Rosliston Forestry Centre. Lurking in the bushes waiting for the tourists to turn up in their walking groups. I also gave some of the scarer's a bit of a fright as well. Being the "Grim Reaper", I was able to wander around at will, quietly walk up to some of the other scarers whilst they were talking, & standing close, clear my throat. That made 'em jump a bit. Errm, I'm in the middle here

2008-10-24T08:03:00.001+01:00

I went for a walk the other day & took some pickies (as you do) I thought they looked nice, I hope you do as well

2008-09-21T23:33:00.001+01:00

OWL ATTACK

This evening I went out for a walk around 11:00 (Just got back actually).
I heard an owl, unusual in this area. It was sitting on a house roof, the noise it made was an "Oooh-Oooh" quite loud & fairly deep. I looked but did not see it at first, then...I heard another cry & I was clipped on the ear as it passed me. It landed on the roof of another house & cried it's call again, looking at me. I carried on walking, another cry then BANG, it hit me on the head as it flew past, landing on yet another roof. The same cry as it looked at me. I said something to it like "Sod off" & carried on. Another cry, nothing for a few seconds then BANG again. quite a heavy contact this time. It then flew off to a tree near to the open spaces which form part of the Oversetts open spaces, & cried it's call once more. The size I would guess would be like that of a small eagle owl, the colouring was dark with a few light areas in the feathers (This in sodium street lighting) I also reckon that it is used to human contact & was wanting to be fed perhaps(?). If it wanted to cause me damage, it very easily could have. The question remains Is there one that has possibly escaped in this area?

2008-09-19T09:31:00.002+01:00

How much to process?

I received a cheque today for the staggering sum of £0.07 How much did it cost to print, post (envelope & delivery) & process at my bank?

2008-09-13T09:31:00.001+01:00

Opening of "The Glade"

Back in May I think it was I posted a picture of the stage that was being built. Now it is completed. Last night 12th Sept' the opening ceremonywas held. Hosted by S'Derbyshire Council, Rosliston Forestry Centre in partenership with national Forest. The music was supplied by Newhall Brass band..."Last Nght at the Proms"

Dambusters March

2008-09-01T10:42:00.002+01:00

Wot a weekend

It started well fine weather , managed to even clean the car. Our guests came to us for the w/e where we had a great meal & drinks with nice music as a background. A few drinks after dinner then off to bed somewhere after midnight. Sunday was the main event for us as we were off to a concert in Derby at Darley Park. The day started well, sun & a light breeze. I went for a walk in the morning to loosen up. We left for Derby around 13:00 just as things were getting cloudy. We got into Burton just as the rain started (Knew I should not have cleaned the car). We arrived in Derby & went to the Abbey public house for lunch. (Free parking, if you know where to go). Having had a good meal, we went for a walk to kill a couple of hours. We had to turn back to go to the car as the weather was getting too much for us, we needed to put on our other waterproofs. To cut a long story very short we set our chairs down for the forthcoming concert. Fully waterproofed & ready for whatever came at us. We decided to leave the camcorders behind as the outlook was not good. Good job we did, the heavens opened we GOT SOAKED despite the waterproofs. So there we sat in the rain getting very wet listening to music. We must have been MAD! Still, we enjoyed ourselves.
The fireworks were fantastic, set to music. Pity we left the cameras in the car, as we would have liked to have recorded the event. But, we still have our cameras undamaged , there is always another time

2008-08-27T20:06:00.004+01:00

It's about time I entered something here!

The archery equipment has still not been sold. But that is not surprising, being a somewhat limited market, I'm going to have to be patient..

I have recently joined a local forum Derby, Bygones. Basically a site devoted to the personal memories of people who live, or lived in Derby. I wander if there are other sites that do something like this?
Soon, I shall be driving to Avimore for a weeks walking holiday. I'm really looking forward to it. A change of scenery & somewhere new to walk. I hope to write up a full report on "tripadvisor" it seems a good site for information on holiday destinations

I'm going to a concert this weekend in Derby. I missed last year's & was very disappointed, I was under the impression that it was held in September, so I set up an automatic reminder to get the information for this year the info' is in the link.

I can't remember if I mentioned my hernia op'. Well, things are now fine,,, walking properly again, I shall leave the garden until I return from my holiday. Goodness knows, there is enough work to keep a gang of navies employed for a month or two. I have no intention of doing myself possible damage at this fairly early stage of my recovery.

Thats' all for now I'll get back when something shows up

2008-08-03T10:22:00.004+01:00

Retirement looms
I have decided that as I ain't getting any younger, it is time to hang up my business equipment I'm looking for £1750 for this lot. There is more than in the listing see below.

Trailer & archery equipment for sale.

Ideal for new club or business.

Conway Van Trailer model number VT506, Max Gross weight 500Kg

3x layered foam bosses 90cm, 5 target stands.

2 x 12x8 backstop netting, 4 line-posts. Bag assorted guys & ground pegs.

6 x 54” R/h (Ragim) trainer bows, 2 L/h trainer bows @ #14. (Bagged)

3 x 66” R/h (Ragim & Petron) trainer bows, 1L/h trainer bow @ #20. (Bagged)

6 x 68” R/h trainer bows (Ragim) 1 L/h trainer bow @ #20. (Bagged)

2 x Ragim trainer R/h risers, 1Ragim junior size riser. Used for spares/swap L-R, (Bagged).

15 Club sights for bows with a few spare sight pins

4 tubes with assorted arrows (approx’ 150) plus some (25+) non-descript of various sizes.

Bracers 13 full arm length, 3 junior & 10short, finger tabs

Pkt target pins, plus others.

Some target faces, 80cm & animal

Home made bowstands & quivers (Ground & belt).

Plus other odds & ends such as vanes, point nocks etc in draws & tool box

Buyer to collect. Or can deliver, 50p per mile (includes return trip C O D)

£1750

Collection / Delivery when funds have been cleared.

2008-07-23T15:10:00.002+01:00

Please vote for Rosliston http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/shortlistitem.cfm?id_category=6&id_entry=55

The video was removed by AOL after one maybe two days of me getting it on here SPOILSPORTS

2008-07-19T21:02:00.002+01:00

I have decided that enough is enough. I am calling it a day as far as my business is concerned. We worked in Derby at a primary school looking after young children about 45 in groups of 10's or close enough to that. We have been thinking of packing it in for some time now as my health is stable but not too good right now, I have a hernia, & the operation is set for Friday coming. My back lets me know it is still there, & gives me a severe jolt every now & again. So Bye Bye archery business. WANNA BUY SOME GEAR???

2008-07-12T08:48:00.008+01:00

Whatever has happened to the Cornish pasty???

I had a very nice week in Cornwall near to Praze-an-Beeble, just south of Camborne. The weather was great, well, up to the Friday when the heavens opened.
My only disappointment was the quality of the Cornish pasties. They are verging on the tasteless mass produced pap we can buy from any fast food outlet. The pastry is fatty & flaky stuffed with possibly cheap dog food, it used to be a "Short" pastry with the filling of good quality meat & veg' with quite a hint of pepper. Is this progress? COME ON CORNWALL, GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!

Above is the lodge we had for the week it is at Clowance Estate, a time share complex. The lodge is fully equipped with all you could wish for,3 bedrooms (master with on-suite) fully fitted kitchen, comfortable lounge with internet access via the TV, the second bathroom turned out to be a shower room with our own sauna. With over 96 acres of parkland & woodland walks. The swimming pool is free, also with jacuzzi & jet pool (Swim against the jet) with the added bonus of hot showers & free soap/shampoo after a swim. The only downside was the restaurant, it did not meet my expectations for price & quality. The food was expensive for the quality of the food. I do have a query, "Should sweet& sour pork be cooked with a tomato & basil sauce???" Well mine was, in fact my wife had the same sauce on her mussels. We did smile at one table, a lady ordered a "pear based" sweet. The lady at their next table went over to her asking if she could find any pear, as hers seemed to missing the vital ingredient. Watching them both dissect & having an autopsy on the sweet in question was to say the least, amusing.

ps. if you want a proper pasty, look here

2008-06-25T23:57:00.001+01:00

Had a few pictures sent to me today. I thought have a bit of fun. I call it "Going for Gold".
I guess I could have taken longer with it & done it differently, but I only had 5 minuets to spare This is the result. Not bad for a rush job, even if I say so myself.

2008-06-24T00:38:00.001+01:00

I did not mention that some of us had a presentation as a thank you from the organiser. I felt guilty about this, there were more people working other thanCarol, Pat & myself. As I see it, we should all have had something, or everyone had nothing other than a verbal thank you.

2008-06-22T06:01:00.005+01:00

Today is the big one for the club.......... Our Open shoot We had the rain yesterday we have wind promised for today. I'm not shooting I have a field party job also Photographer & first aider.
Yesterday afternoon was spent by putting faces to the target bosses with Brian whilst two of the ladies Carol (My Good Lady) & Kelly sorted out whatever it is they sort, but we did get a nice coffee from them "Thank you". The field was pretty well set up by Stan & Ian by the time we got there . It is surprising how much work can be done by just a small team of workers in such a small amount of time...Well not really Last year was a farce 3 managers & two workers This year No MANAGERS says it all really
I'll see what I can report later, after the shoot

0800 start by tying the direction signs to lampposts, Then up with the targets, stands & generally pretty well everything else. A gazebo was put up & half hour later was taken down again with three damaged legs & roof support.It was a windy one to say the least, Some big branches were blown off the trees. At least, the rain stayed away. There were in excess of 60 archers, although 70 had paid their entry... well, that was their choice. The BBQ was excellent Young Abigail made some sweet chilli sauce, it went very well with the burger & salad. The shoot was a success for most archers a disappointment for one or two, well, they should have hit the target instead of breaking their arrows on something else. (Easily done though, as I only know too well).
The presentation was well received, a buffet, enough to feed twice as many people as were there was attacked with gusto, & still plenty was left (but not wasted)If you want to view some of the pictures taken look at http://picasaweb.google.com/peter.studden/2008OpenShoot
Thats all for the time being

2008-06-09T11:59:00.002+01:00

OOPS

Had to make the 0800111999 call this morning. I could smell "Curry" or something like it. The gas engineer came out to check on our gas leak...seems I had left the gas oven on, albeit very low. I did not realise that once the flame had gone, gas could still escape. IT CAN! lesson here, MAKE SURE !!!
Still, no damage done. I will not be doing that again. At least, we cleaned the oven out so that was a good thing.

2008-06-09T07:47:00.000+01:00

Latest bit of fun with pictures. This is Jen' a member of our clan.
You can find me perhaps in the bottom R corner of the picture

2008-06-07T08:10:00.002+01:00

PayPal? COME OFF IT!

I just had an e-mail from PayPal telling me I have had my account severely restricted. I'm rather glad about that, seeing as I do not have an account with them. If you do get one of these, just delete it, don't even bother opening it. Report it if you wish, I expect thousands have already.
I would love to be able to reply to the SCUM that send these mails, with a program that does severe damage to their equipment.
I saw in the news the other day, that a great percentage of Scam is now sent from London (UK) & that the Police are powerless to intervene. Seems strange does that. I guess the prisons are too full, & the innocent will just have to suffer.

Have a nice life

2008-05-27T18:04:00.000+01:00

THIS I LIKE

An Israeli doctor said, 'Medicine in my country is so advanced, we can take a kidney out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks.'

A German doctor said, 'That's nothing! In Germany, we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks.'

A Russian doctor said, 'In my country medicine is so advanced, we can take half a heart from one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks.'

The English doctor, not to be outdone, said 'Hah!. We can take an arsehole out of Scotland, put him into 10 Downing Street and have half the country looking for work within twenty-four hours.

2008-05-27T09:26:00.006+01:00

Playing with pictures

I enjoy taking pictures, anything that takes my fancy at the time. recently, I was asked if I could/would put two pictures into one. The subjects are two dogs, one now dead & the other a stroppy teenage puppy. No e-mail as yet, But I have been practising with other pickies.
Below is one I did have a problem with. The lady is a good subject but the original background (Coat of arms) that was sent to me later was not suitable, so, searching on the net, I found the Open University's logo, the off centred toilet seat. Using Corel's Paint Shop Pro X, altering light values picture sizes & various other tools available.........

The end result

Another I have done

This one is from two different pictures, the young gent is a straight edge finder, copy /paste as new layer The young lady (his sister) was taken from a family pic' using edge finder with lots of feathering, also light levels had been modified to soften the overall effect.

After asking advice, I retried the top picture again, here's the result
I think I prefer this as it has a "softer" look to it

2008-05-26T14:47:00.000+01:00

Archery at Camp America

2:46 PM on Monday 26 May 2008

Today, I was giving advice to a young gentleman on how to set up a shooting range for archers. This in order to work with children & perhaps young adults at Camp America. He also wanted to know the various parts of the arrow, the bow, & other information in relation to shooting safely. Seems he has been shooting for about two years, & then not a lot because of study commitments. This is fine, in as far as it goes, but what concerns me, is that Camp America could well be taking on well meaning archers without the experience. My guest did shoot a few arrows so I could watch, he did quite well for saying he had not picked up a bow since last summer. I just hope things work out well for him when he is there. The best I can do (have done) let him have my e-address, at least he can keep in touch for any questions he might have.

2008-05-19T01:10:00.002+01:00

Shot a long Western round this afternoon. (Sorry! Yesterday afternoon) the wind was gusty, my shooting was OK (at times) but on the whole.... lousy. The last time I shot this round, I made a score of 730+, this time... Not even 660. I felt like giving up, I would have if I was not enjoying myself so much. The last arrow had had enough as well, it took a nose-dive into the ground & buried itself about 2 inches deep, right by the target. I needed the metal detector to find the damn thing.

What's a Long Western? I hear you ask (I did didn't I?) Well, 4 dozen arrows shot at a 128cm target @ 80yds distance, & 4 dozen arrows at the same target , but @ 60yds distance. That's 96 arrows + six sighter arrows for the first distance. A lot of walking & a lot of pulling. Hard work, but relaxing

2008-05-17T13:24:00.003+01:00

3 Pictures into 1

Nothing to do with archery this time. I thought I would do some editing of photographs, something else I need to practice at. We were in Tenerife where the pictures were taken, two different places, so I had to try & get the colour /lighting /contrast close. The background I found on the web whilst searching for "Chinese Gardens". The garden has had some things removed by cloning over, the lighting has been softened by reducing the opaque values. I like the result.
The original picture is still in flux. The picture above is a "print screen" copy & cropped to size. If I make further adjustments, I will post it (them) here for comparison.

Hospital appointment

Had a letter telling me that my appointment Friday 23rd May has been cancelled. No reason as to why, but I will be contacted at a later date advising me of the next appointment.
I have in the past been accused of being cynical. Perhaps I am, but is this one way of keeping hospital appointment waiting list numbers down to the "target"?

2008-05-16T05:48:00.003+01:00

A bit of much needed practice

Yesterday saw me at the field, setting up a sight mark for 80yds. I'm in a competition Sunday & need to do well (Ha!) Several arrows down the line & I cracked it, 5 in the Gold, 1 in the Red, just out of the Gold. It would be nice if I could repeat that at every end on Sunday.

Drop the #

Kelly wanted her weight dropping by a lb or two. She is pulling #30 @ 28, tried everything, can't get it any lower. Her limbs do not have any # marking at all, everything but!! Sorry Kel' you will just have to build up those back muscles.

Newsletter

June is coming & I have yet to put the club's newsletter to bed. My problem is, I now have a little too much to put in, as the beginner's course has just ended, & a birthday announcement to make. Well, it makes a change from having nothing to enter. I still hear of our juniors winning medals & trophies, but never get information for the newsletter. Same goes for the seniors as well.

Pie 'n Peas shoot

So far, so good. Next Thursday sees Carol's shoot in action. So far, there are 28 archers taking part. We shall be shooting at a quartered target with "Tramlines" Hit the tramline & the score is a miss. I have taken 10 target faces home to mark, & discovered that I might have to take them back. We have the Sunday's comp' & I have since learned that we are hosting TWO competitions, so we have a shortage of faces perhaps. I have just put in an order for 50.
Thanks for letting me know guys. Just prey that you will have enough faces for the day.

2008-05-14T15:39:00.003+01:00

Today's blurb

Ref: "Indoor shooting" I made the comment that Tesco were building a store on the site of the leisure centre. Seems I was wrong. They are not. I could have been right & they have cancelled the project. Whatever, I guess we will be shooting at the centre, next indoor season.

This evening saw the second lesson in the beginner's course 3 children & 2 adults. Nice & easy going, I was hoping that we would be in the "Crop Circle" by now, but it seams that little or no work has been done there since my last visit. I took the camera to record progress, if any. I did not even get out of the car when I saw what had not been done. It seems that the 2 new holiday chalets are going the same way, little or no work being done. I gather that Ros' were hoping to let out these chalets by the end of this month. No chance, no furniture has been purchased yet. Still, why should I worry, I do not work there now.

2008-05-11T18:21:00.005+01:00

Swad Rifle & Pistol

Had a good day At Swad Rifle & Pistol Club We shot some rifle, .22 bolt, & semi automatic also .375 (?). Whatever, it was fun. Could get hooked onto that kind of pastime, except for the cost involved. Our archery gear cost enough as it is...at least you can shoot an arrow twice, or more.

We went along to show some of the members how to shoot archery style. A more gentle approach to target sport. There are one or two there who think they are very knowledgeable in the art of archery. I think that somebody has been reading a lot :) I had to point out to an "instructor" that we do not use the finger tips, as damage can be caused to the nerve endings there, possibly leading to an operation later in life.

Above: Debbie's first Gold

Below: Nice Form

2008-05-10T23:25:00.003+01:00

Indoor shooting

I have just looked through the past 12 months of drivel. I thought that I had mentioned that we were creating an indoor venue at the club,. Hmm, must have been on another blog.
Anyway, Sometime in January (I think it was), we started to modify the tractor garage-cum-workshop, in order to be able to shoot indoors without having to pay the extortionate prices charged by the local leisure centre. Work started & was going well for the time being. Then club politics raised it's head, & the whole project was put into question. I do not know the full story, but to say that the parent club were putting quite a few restrictions onto us, perhaps would not be too far from the truth. However, it now seems that the building is too small by a matter of some 3 feet. Hmm, no comment.
To add to the not so good news, (Well, not news exactly), Tesco will soon be building a bloody great superstore where the leisure centre is. This means no leisure centre to shoot in come the indoor season. Now what are we going to do, or where do we go from here? It looks like our secretary has his work cut out to find a new venue which is big enough & cost friendly.
Oh well, carry on regardless

2008-05-08T07:42:00.002+01:00

New Beginner's Course

Started the 6-week course yesterday, only 4 wannabes turned up, seems there were 5 originally. Never mind, the group is nice & manageable, 2 ladies & 2 boys. Lots more can be achieved in the time. All went well... should have had some bloke to help me set up, but he found another job he had to do instead. This often happens, but hey, I get paid by the hour, so if I'm going to be there longer, I get paid more. Should have taken the camera as I wanted to record the progress (if any) of the stage being built. But having had quite a busy day, swimming followed by 2 hour walking sessions, I dozed off when I got back home.

Have I mentioned that I am a Walk leader? Can't remember now. Never mind.
I started as a walk leader a couple of years ago here in S' Derbyshire, taking the people who needed the exercise out on accompanied walks. A lot of these people would not walk if they were by themselves...understandable these days. However, most walkers have been recommended by their Doctor to walk as a way of improving their health, or to speed up recovery from heart operations etc. Look at the link above for more information, there is bound to be something in your area.

2008-05-05T10:57:00.001+01:00

Makes sense when you think about it :-)

2008-05-04T23:02:00.006+01:00

Swadlincote rifle

As stated in the past, we have been challenged by Swadlincote Rifle to a shooting match. I called in today to view the club. There are some very nice people there, who made us very welcome. The facility has everything you could want in a well run club. We had been given some dates that it was possible to shoot. the first was too soon to organise a match (11th May), the second , 22nd June is our Open Western Shoot, a very big day in our calendar. I have asked if another alternative could be arranged. Hopefully, we should get a date soon preferably on a Saturday. There are some members there who have shot archery some time ago, & would like a re-introduction to the sport. Also, other members have shown an interest in taking up archery as well. We have offered to go to their club & coach them , so later on, we can have a return match at our club. Who knows where this can lead?

2008-05-02T00:36:00.002+01:00

I just want to congratulate My Good Lady on passing her "Extend" exercise program for the elderly. She is now able to teach these good folk :) Nice one

2008-04-29T09:28:00.002+01:00

Archery maitenance

As I work at Rosliston Forestry Centre on a "As needed" basis, I thought it about time the bows were looked at. 17 in total & all had a damned good safety check. This I do at least twice a year. As I am not the only user of the equipment ,but the only user to have the knowledge of how to repair/replace the strings. Of the 17 bows, only one needed a string rebuild, as the end loop was all nice & furry, also the centre serving was looking tired. All strings were re-waxed & new nocking points were fitted. There is a beginners' course due to start 7th May, so the bows need to be safe.

I do have a problem with some of the "Instructors" there...
Equipment left lying around, no arrows put away , just dumped in a cupboard, bracers, finger tabs anywhere but where they should be, and so on.

The trouble is, these "Instructors" are multi sport instructors, a little basic knowledge of a sport, & they think they know it all. An "Instructors course" was set up last month, where 6 young adults were trained in the art of archery instruction. What gets my goat, is that some of these "Instructors" had never shot an arrow before the course, & then getting an instructors qualification After one week of instruction . Would you know how to run a session with a mix of children & adults who had never shot before, with the knowledge that all equipment was in safe working order, and run it safely after a weeks course: bearing in mind, that a session may not come up for a month or two??? I doubt it, I know I could not!

At least, I am paid to do these checks, something I do not get at the club.

2008-04-28T22:03:00.003+01:00

Picked up an e-mail today from Swadlincote Gun Club, inviting me to go & view the place. This is in response to a challenge from their Ladies team issued to our club. I'm looking forward to this. Don't know what will be expected of us... guns against guns, or guns against arrows, Either way, it gorra be good ;-)

2008-04-27T13:47:00.002+01:00

Should have been shooting today in the "Burton Round". But sad to say, my back was off this morning. I hoped that a walk to Swadlincote, over the fields might have eased things somewhat, the walk did, but not enough. There are new compound shooters (new to the Dark side that is), I could shoot against, giving me some competition. We, Carol & I went to the field yesterday to get our sight marks for the distances, we came away feeling good, & looking forward to the shoot today. Ah well, such is life
I WILL BE BACK

2008-04-22T17:15:00.004+01:00

Went shooting today. First time since we ended the indoor season. We needed sight marks for 50yds. So, as the weather was suitable, we went for it. My first three arrows went way over the top, I must have been set for nearer 70mtrs .Two arrows down the line was enough to stop me shooting more. Last thing I needed was to look for arrows. Long story cut short, I got the sight mark, & 6 in the gold SUCCESS.

2008-04-21T12:01:00.003+01:00

Things are getting interesting. Our archery club has received a challenge from the local gun club, Ladies team. More than that, I know nothing, I have sent a mail to the clubs' contact asking for more info'. So far, there are three members in BBA who are interested in taking up the challenge (all of us men) More on this as & when.

2008-04-20T17:33:00.005+01:00

Another cold day

Saturdays' Hen Party shooting into the wind. It was just as bad as Friday was. I called to see the "Crop Circle" to see what, if anything had been done, just a few more bricks is all

It is not looking good for the 7th May, when I start my new course. It's not the building that I'm bothered about, it's the surface we have to shoot/walk on...No grass, just bare earth (or mud)

2008-04-19T08:08:00.002+01:00

A COLD DAY IN THE FOREST

5 For a Fiver. This is an activity session where people pay £5. to participate in various activities; Archery, Various Laser shooting activities, both indoor & out. Kite making, Sumo wrestling, Bouncy castle, Climbing wall & I believe other activities.
Needless to say, I had the archery. The shooting range has been moved to the Paddock, where we were exposed to a strong, very cold wind. I'll be glad when we are back in the "Crop Circle", at least, it is sheltered from the wind.
We were not too busy due to the weather, & a change in local school holidays (we border 3 counties) but we were kept on the go, most of the day. The main customers were children, no surprise there then, a few Mums were encouraged to shoot, which gave a few kids a good laugh, & some big shocks to others...Well done Ladies :-)
I started at 11:00 by setting up & was on site until 17:00, I was not too warm I can tell you. BUT, I did enjoy myself. My next session is a Hen Party later today...could be interesting.
Perhaps more on this later.

2008-04-15T21:35:00.007+01:00

Shooting line

Storm ahead
A bit late, but better late than never. Open Day at BBA Saturday 12th April looked a bit gloomy weather wise, but the wannabes still turned up to "Have-a-Go" I was somewhat surprised to see that the charge had doubled from £1.00 -£2.00 a bit naughty that methinks. But who am I to say? I was not at the original meeting. The session was quite well attended. A few people I expected did not turn up, but we had to leave at 4 So I could have missed them.. I think there might be some new starters for the beginners' course which starts soon. Talking of beginners courses, I shall be starting my own 7th May, a six-week course at Rosliston Forestry centre.
Police Armed Response Unit.

The course like BBA's works out at £5.00 per hour. I have in the past been accused of "Robbing" the club of income by running my own courses. But my response to that was that if I did not run courses, the club would now be poorer by several members. Well that is all in the past now I would like to think.

If you want to see the rest of the pictures (Thank you Laura) you can find them here straight from the camera untouched

I have recently been dragged into "Facebook" by invitation. Trouble was, it took a long time before I was able to respond, at least six weeks I think. Well, I'm there now, let's see what happens

Before I go The "Crop Circle I shoot in at Rosliston, is being altered There is a new building going up, & it looks like it's gonna be a big'un... Indoor shooting perhaps. Crossbows have been mentioned as well. The building will be multi purpose with a stage it seems. Watch this space

2008-04-07T09:09:00.002+01:00

This I liked when I saw it. Came across this whilst looking at tiscali photo's thread page

2008-04-06T08:27:00.000+01:00

Just two of our residents . Might save these for making my own Christmas cards