Hello peeps. I know November isn't as long as the preceding month, but it's gone twice as quickly. We are now in the home straight, hurtling towards the 'C' thing of next month. How many of you are on the way to being ready in time? I was determined this year to start the shopping early, and am not doing too badly, thank you very much.
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Photo of thick frost on the bonnet of my car
I see this time last year I made mention of some galeforce winds and downpours of rain, and this year's November has been the same. Blimey, some days it felt like it would never stop, didn't it?! And then came the frost, snow and freezing cold winds. From a weather point of view, it's been less than pleasant ... but anyway, on to this month's doings.
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I have had reason to be proud of No.1 this month. Not that I'm not anyway, but you know what I mean. Her school had a 'Celebration Evening' during this month, at which students were awarded certificates for their input - both in terms of academic achievement and other facets of school life during the last academic year. We didn't know until the actual evening, but she received not one but two awards - one for her work in Graphics (ironically a subject she can no longer study because of the way the school has organised the GCSE options), and one for being a 'Music Mentor'. This was in recognition of her giving up some of her free time every week to teach younger kids how to play the guitar for the whole of last year. It's something she's continuing to do this year, although she says one of the boys she's working with just 'doesn't get it' and keeps trying to play the chords his own unique way (which translates as making a right pig's ear of it)!
Please excuse twirly bits - done to hide names
Anyway, it was extremely nerve wracking for No.1 to go up in front of a hall full of people to collect her awards, but she did it. I'd like to say a very public 'well done' to her.
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Speaking of No.1, she had an unexpectedly exciting day at school this month when, during one of her PE lessons, the bad weather outside started bringing down the school sports' dome whilst they were inside it. She said it was very scary as the roof and 'walls' started to come inwards, and people started screaming. The students were all evacuated safely and once everyone had calmed down, they did another sporting activity in the school hall. The dome has now been reinflated and is fine again, thankgoodness.
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This was the month I stepped on the scales to discover I was the heaviest non-pregnant weight I've ever been, and determined that things had to change. I acknowledge that I don't have a serious weight problem, but my clothes were becoming uncomfortable, and since I cannot afford new ones, I decided I needed to cut back a bit. My weakness is picking at biscuits and my favourite Milky Bar - usually at around 4pm in the afternoon. So ... a new regime of having fruit (especially apples and grapes) to hand has begun. Thus far I have lost 3lbs in 3 weeks, which means I'm halfway to being able to do up the buttons on a couple of items of clothing!
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Someone left a recent comment on the blog I posted about Scarlett back in May of this year asking if there was any news on her. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have some very good news. The fundraisers have been very busy indeed, and just this month, Scarlett's parents were able to tell people that a date has been set for Scarlett to come home and live with her family. They have finally raised enough money to buy all the specialist equipment they need for her to be able to live with them. On 31st January 2011, she will come home. Isn't that fantastic?
She has also had a small operation to make sure she can get nutrients through a tube which goes directly into her stomach, rather than the nasal tube she had before. She was mightily fed up with that nasal tube and kept pulling it out. She's a lovely little girl - has now lost most of the baby look; I'm so pleased her family are going to have her living with them.
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Georgie-cat has not had a happy month. The problem being this chap:-
Ladies and Gentlemen ... meet Gabriel ... he's moved in next door. My neighbour has rescued him from a friend who lives too near a main road to keep Gabriel safe. He (Gabriel, not the neighbour) was hit by a car earlier this year, and has had to have most of his tail amputated as a result. The owner felt it unfair to keep Gabriel there, so my next door neighbour has adopted him.
He is a 'posh' cat - an oriental type breed - and is relatively friendly and inquisitive. Oh, and he has a yowl on him that could raise the dead. I'm not kidding - I have never heard anything like it. When I first heard him, I thought someone with a baby must be visiting; his cry sounds just like a distressed infant.
Anyway, Gabriel decided to visit our garden, which is not, on the face of it, a bad thing. However, Georgie doesn't want another cat visiting her garden, thank you very much (not this one, anyway). She hissed, she spat, and she put all her fur up so it appeared to stick out at a 90° angle to her body. She lunged at him, and Gabriel, clearly being sensitive to the issue, scarpered. But he's been back. Quite often. Georgie is clearly very, very pi$$ed off about the matter.
I'm hoping that in time she will relent and become friends with him, but if first impressions count for much I don't really like his chances.
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I shall leave you with a picture I took this morning. It seemed like a good idea to venture up on to The Ridgeway to try to get some nice shots of the snow, but I didn't reckon on slipping and falling heavily on my spine. :( I think I'm going to have a lovely bruise in a few days' time! Let's hope December sees an end to this bitterly cold spell.
I suddenly realised I haven't posted about a competition I entered (at Camera Club) last month. Once a year they hold a digital image 'Set Subject' Competition. The Judge (who is booked almost a year in advance) decides on the three subjects, and we each have to try to have a shot for each category for the competition. It was my first attempt at one of these Set Subject contests, and I found I did enjoy having the 'prompt' of certain things to photograph.
The first category chosen by the Judge was 'Outdoors at Night' (with a qualifying remark 'anywhere outside after dark, as long as skies are not light'). A quick look through my archives quickly told me that I had the sum total of zero shots of outdoors at night which I felt were good enough for a competition. I therefore decided that a sunset whilst we were in Jersey earlier this year was my best bet. I took zillions of the darned things, but in the end plumped for this one for the competition:
A sunset at La Pulente on the south western tip of Jersey, which is largely unprocessed other than a neutral density filter at low opacity. I was not really happy with this image: It's sort of 'soft' which isn't always a bad thing - I'm quite partial to a bit of soft focus - but it lacks *something*. For me, anyway. There is nothing 'wow' about it. I think the Judge agreed - he said it was very nice, he liked the colours, he liked that the 'author' had managed to avoid burning out the sun, and he gave it 16 points out of a possible 20.
The second category was 'Indoors Architecture' (Interiors of buildings). Now, I'm not one for taking pictures of the insides of buildings - it just doesn't appeal to me. So for this competition I had to step outside of my comfort zone, which was no bad thing. I knew some of the chaps at Camera Club would be taking shots of the inside of churches, cathedrals and other terribly grand buildings, but that's just not me. So in the end the shot I submitted was a slightly abstract one of a ceiling:
I liked the colour, the strong lines and the textures in this ceiling (which is, in fact, a local bandstand). This image was cropped, and the texture emphasised with software. The Judge also liked the lines although he quibbled that it was, in fact, an abstract (I had entitled it 'Ceiling Abstract'). Anyway, he gave it 17 points out of 20.
The third category was right up my street - 'Strictly Simple'. Before we started, the Judge told us that he chose this category because a close friend of his is an artist and is forever telling him that he thinks images are stronger if they are more simple ... the old adage that 'less is more'. I was really pleased to see this category as I love simple images myself and was reasonably sure I could submit something half decent.
This image of the inside of a magnolia blossom is what I chose as my shot for this category, and it was the only shot of mine for this competition with which I was happy. I stuck my lens inside a blossom on my cousin's magnolia tree for this image; it was then cropped and a slight vignette blur added to the outer edges. As soon as he saw it, the Judge said this was exactly what he'd intended by the 'simple' category. He admired it, said he thought it might do well commercially, and after initially keeping it back, gave it 19 points.
So, I ended up with a total of 52 points for the evening, which put me in joint third place. I was very happy with that, especially as I had been so unsure of two of my three images. The winner of the competition got 60 points out of 60 points - all three of his images were absolutely stunning. It is the first time in the club's history that one person has got full marks with three images, and it was very much deserved. A large round of applause ensued.
The Judge (a chap named Stan) for this competition was, in my opinion, one of the best Judges we've had at the Club since I became a member. He was humorous, informative and offered constructive criticism which was then reflected in his marking. So many judges come and spout forth on images, and then award every image with a similar mark, not really differentiating according to their own comments. I chatted with him during the break, when he made me chuckle with tales of how badly his own images tend to do with visiting judges. Like most forms of 'art', photography is largely a matter of personal taste.
Up until now, the name of the Judge for any competition has been kept a secret so people cannot submit images they think will appeal to a specific judge. But from 2011, our Club is trying a new tack - publishing at the start of the year, the name of each judge for every competition. I wonder if it will make a difference? I'm not sure I will want to find out anything about a Judge beforehand. I think I will continue to take images which appeal first and foremost to me; if a judge likes them as well, that's a bit of a bonus!
Yes Dear Reader, it's that time again. I have accumulated a little list of searches that various weirdos people have asked of the great God Google ... and which he has, in his wisdom, directed here, to the Bloggy Bits. People tell me they enjoy these posts ... so here's the latest batch.
Merkins and pasties. Hmmmmm, well yes I can see why this person ended up here since I did once refer to both merkins and pasties in a post. I know that my good bloggy/Flickr friend Mrs Jelly knows of a farm called 'Merkin Farm' - not sure that they actually grow merkins there though. By the way, I'd like to take advantage of mentioning Mrs Jelly to give her new(ish) website a plug. Like me, she has been grasped by the fascination of photography - and she's blinking good at it too - why don't you click over and see just what she's been up to? Now, where was I? Oh yes ... there are websites with tutorials to direct you in making your own pasties for anyone interested. I wonder how most people stick them on? And does it hurt to take the off again? I found a picture of some pasties for you - this made me chuckle:
Mr Yuk I bet he gets some funny crank calls from kids looking him up in the phone book. Do kids still make prank calls? I'm sure they do. I can remember being with a group of friends, going through the phone book looking for people with stupid names, and then making ridiculous calls to those same poor people. It wasn't their fault they'd got a stupid name of course - they were probably sick to death of kids phoning them, saying something and then bursting into fits of giggles. Anyway, I digress. I happen to know, after a spot of googling, that Mr Yuk is actually the name given to a logo that appears on substances which are poisonous if ingested. What a great idea. The traditional 'skull and crossbones' logo is hardly obvious to kids as a symbol for poison. I think Mr Yuk should swim across the Atlantic and introduce himself to kids in the UK too.
So many breasts, so little time Oh dear - poor chap. You can sense his frustration can't you? Yet he still has time to google his predicament, so perhaps he's not as 'busy' as he'd like? ;)
Globaltex green bunches fabric Hmmmm, wonder why this enquirer landed here? I do have some Globaltex fabrics in my stash, but pretty sure I don't have anything entitled 'Green Bunches'. I did a quick google search myself but found nothing by that name, so perhaps it's actually called something else? If anyone knows a website where I can see it, I'd be interested.
Farthest distance ever barfed Oh please. Eeeeewwwwwwwww. Why the hell would anyone want to know that? And why did someone googling it, land at my blog? :-O For anyone interested, I discovered that there is indeed a noted distance for this questionable 'record' ... 27 feet. Yuk, yuk, yukkity yuk. This reminds me that No.2 has a book about the most disgusting world records, I must, at some point, make a blog post from entries in that book - all small boys will love it.
Wow! I can see your bosoms :-O *Hastily switches off webcam* Actually there are no (real) bosoms here on this blog, not a single one, so why do people searching for them, end up here? I admit there was once a knitted pair, but that's all, and they were for a medical 'purpose' anyway! Oooh, on the subject of the knitted pair, do you remember me telling you that a bloke at Flickr sent me a message asking if I'd knit him a pair (and a pair for his friend too)? He's sent me another message saying he is intrigued to see the person behind the images I post at Flickr (which are not in any way naughty) and could he please see what I look like? :-O Erm no ... you can't.
?? ????? ??????? ??? ? ???? ??????? What I want to know is ... why would anyone search for just question marks? Why are the question marks in formation like that? Is it a code? If so, what does it mean? It's a bit like a crossword puzzle, requiring an answer of words of 2 letters, 5 letters, 7 letters, 3 letters, 1 letter, 4 letters and another 7 letter one. And how the hell did they land at the Bloggy Bits after searching that?!
Hamster nappies Now, does this mean nappies (diapers for those of you across the pond) for actual rodent hamsters? Or a giant Pamper for Mr Richard Hammond (known affectionately to the nation as 'Hamster'? Can you imagine what his colleagues - Mr May and Mr Clarkson would say at the thought/sight of Richard Hammond wearing a giant nappy? Why am I even typing these words? Why am I having these thoughts? Begone!
Richard Hammond on the merits of the Morris Marina Well, well, well ...talk of the devil. Here we are with Mr Richard Hammond again. I have a Facebook/Forum pal (*waves at Hammy*) who thinks Richard Hammond is edibly gorgeous. Can't see it myself, but there you are. Anyway, I of course wondered what, if anything, Richard Hammond had said about the Morris Marina. I googled (like you do) and discovered that Top Gear (the BBC Programme presented by Messrs Hammond, May and Clarkson) had pronounced the Morris Marina 'the worst car ever made'. More than that they have taken delight in destroying a few Marinas over the years - most notably by dropping a piano on them. This in turn produced a furious reaction from The Morris Marina Owners Club, which is no doubt why Top Gear continues to taunt Morris Marina enthusiasts.
I watch Top Gear because my kids love it. Occasionally it does make me laugh - usually at the 'missions' they are set. But mostly I sit and wonder that Hammond, Clarkson and May have made careers out of behaving like small boys (in adult bodies). I found a picture of Jeremy Clarkson which makes me smile ... here it is:
Writing a therapeutic letter to my 10 year old self That sounds like a psychotherapeutic exercise, doesn't it? I know why this person landed here - it's because of the meme that Malach invented two or three years ago, that required us bloggers to write a letter to our 13 year old selves. Mine was in the first volume of Blog Book we now have in our possession, and is very interesting to read from the point of view of 2010. I wonder if I were doing that meme now, if my letter would be the same? I'm not sure it would.
Kitty and Gob Yes that's me, and yes I have a gob. Quite often my foot gets wedged in my gob as I find I have spoken before engaging what little brain I have left after early mentalpausal hormones have worked on it. You read about the hot flushes, the tiredness, the inability to sleep, the irritability. But nobody tells you that your brain (and especially your memory) will go on a round-the-world-cruise without telling you when it will be back. Pah!
Oh Blimey I say that quite a lot, so perhaps it's no surprise that this searcher ended up here. I think the habit of saying it (along with 'oh pigs' bottoms') developed when I had No.1 and realised that I didn't want her saying other things I might have used to exclaim. I clearly remember the first time the pigs' bottoms one came into effect: I was trying to sort out some newspapers for recycling. I had a huge pile of them, which I was struggling to carry out to the back porch we had in that house. I slipped. Result: what seemed like zillions of papers and magazines spectacularly chucked into the air, and then landing all over the place. No.1 was a tot and I saw her eyeing me keenly to ascertain my response to this event - I'm afraid 'oh pigs' bottoms' was what I found myself saying. It was so ridiculous it 'stuck' and we still say it now.
What happens if you're upside down for too long? I don't know, what does happen if you're upside down for too long? Except this isn't a joke, although if you'd like to provide a prospective punchline, I don't mind in the least. I don't know what would happen if you're upside down for too long, but I'm guessing your face would be red, large-chested ladies might get black eyes and it would be quite difficult to swallow. What is 'too long' to be upside down, anyway? We could ask the people in Oz maybe - they're upside down their whole lives.
Hairstyle of Daphne from Neighbours Oh my word, I'd forgotten all about Daphne Clark until I saw this search. I am afraid I used to watch this programme every day, and well remember Jim Robinson, Helen Daniels and Mrs Mangle. I remembered that Daphne had short blonde hair but not that she was a former stripper before falling in love with the bank manager Des Clark, and becoming a respectable Erinsborough resident. According to Wiki, she is the first character to marry, give birth and die on Neighbours - what an achievement. Not.
Mature ladies in regulation school knickers What the .... :-O Why? Why would someone search for that? Some pervy old chap wanting a reminder of his younger years, do you think? I can't imagine that any mature ladies would want reminding of the regulation school knickers they were required to wear in their younger years. At our school they were navy blue and extended up to your armpits. So attractive.
Billy Connolly - Nellie the Elephant This one has me stumped. I am a fan of Mr Connolly, finding his fascination with the absurd in life, endlessly amusing. He effs and blinds a lot, which means I can't watch his dvds in front of the kids, but I do enjoy his quirky sense of humour. I have watched his old 'An Audience with BC' so many times, I almost know all the words; and even though I've seen it so often, it can still reduce me to tears of laughter. I cannot though find anything which relates Mr Connolly with Nellie the Elephant. If anyone knows how they are linked please let me know.
Partial seizures and french bread Erm ... pardon? I'm willing to concede that there just might be some connection to link Billy Connolly with Nellie the Elephant, but partial seizures to french bread? No, I think not. When I was a teenager, some friends and I were sitting in a café in town. Said café is no longer there, nowadays Costas has taken over as the place for teens to lounge around for a chinwag. Anyway, the friends and I were chatting, eating and drinking, when a man on a nearby table started have a seizure. It was quite frightening for someone (such as me) who had never seen anyone have a seizure before. One of my friends bolted out of the café, she was so frightened. Another went over to ask if she could help the man's friends - who had laid him on the floor, and cleared a space around him for his safety. I remember him coming around and having to wipe food from his face because he'd sort of 'fallen' in his meal, but the staff there just came and tidied away and made him another meal after he'd recovered - which he did remarkably quickly. To this day it's the only time I've ever witnessed a seizure, but the whole issue of epilepsy has, of course, taken on a whole new meaning for me since the diagnosis of Scarlett.
Lady garden pictures Hmmmmmm. I'm thinking this person isn't looking for the garden designs of Gertrude Jekyll but something much more, erm, personal? But just in case I'm wrong, here's an example of Ms Jekyll's wonderful work.
I wonder if that searcher will be back for a look? :D
There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who wont anymore... Ah yes. One of my favourite quotes. It's over there in my sidebar:
"There comes a point in your life when you realize:
Who really matters; who never did; who won't anymore; and who always will.
So, don't worry about people from your past - there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future."
I know not who wrote it, but there's a whole lot of wisdom in those words. Which makes them a very good place to end this post. Now I shall have to start making a note of more weird and wonderful searches for your delectation. But please tell me ... am I the only one who gets people landing at their blog who have searched for such bizarre things?!
