Sunday, September 25, 2011

Edison on opportunity

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

-Thomas Edison

A bit preachy, but it amused and informed me.  Am I in 'self-improvement mode'?

Monday, September 12, 2011

Wirksworth Festival



A day out in Wirksworth, Derbyshire .  Pictures, music in the streets and more.


On the main street near the market square

Greenhill
What a view!
The StarDisc at the top of Stoney Wood







Various people at the StarDisc.






















Clypping (embracing) of the Church
The clergy and choir sing round the church



The congregation join hands 
Inside St Mary's church



a lead miner with his pick and 'kibble'


On Wirksworth's rive gauche, or should that be the riviera - Le Mistral




and a cuppa in Linda's kitchen before leaving for home









for Harry's video.



Friday, September 09, 2011

Blackberry heaven



I've been promising myself for two or three weeks that I'd go and pick some blackberries.  Only a panful, but enough for a couple of crumbles, along with apple. They're bubbling gently on the stove now.  Autumn - crab apples , sloes, blackberries - all there to be enjoyed.


I passed two men with metal detectors, scoping a field, saw a couple of buzzards, and finished up walking uphill back to the village, with the chance to look back over the valley in the warm sun. 
Oh, and the crumble was delicious.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Silliness

I'm not entirely sure why, but there's something about the sky and the colours that makes me think of tall ships, instead of . . .

. . .


In the space between 
perception and reality
lies imagination

sea or sky
canvas or steel
escape or everyday

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Depth of field . . .

My son-in-law would be proud of me?  All photos taken with 75-300mm lens.



The first one fully automatic settings - Shutter speed  1/200; Aperture 5.6. Foreground with mini-crab apples in focus, the rest blurry.

For the second picture I used the Av (aperture priority) setting at 8. Shutter speed set by camera at 1/125.
Giving greater depth of field, though foreground slightly blurred.


For the third one I set the aperture at 10, the shutter speed was 1/100.  Even more depth of field.


Not entirely comparable, since I changed the shot slightly each time, but maybe I'm beginning to learn something.  I like the third one best here, because you can see the whole height of the wall in the bottom left corner.


And - I should probably carry the smaller lens with me.  

Saturday, September 03, 2011



This phalaenopsis orchid thrives on the kitchen windowsill - north-facing, never too cold or too hot.

Feeding the addictions

How much coffee do they think I need? 
Well . . . I guess they know me too well. 


As for the other addiction,   last Friday the boots held out ok in the serious all-day wet weather, though some damp came in from above.  They'll get another application of wax before I go out again.  

Since last week I've had two wonderful walks in dry weather wearing the shoes - comfortable.