No patience!

26 May

Rainham was a washout for us yesterday; maybe washout isn’t the right word but we were disappointed with the day over all. OK, we added four birds to the year list but the total count was less than forty. Added to that, my useable photo count was just two, and they were taken at the same time and are of Kile, not anything else. On the way home Jan was telling Kile that when she goes out birding by herself, sits around waiting for birds a lot longer than I do. And you know what? She’s right, I don’t like sitting around for ages in a hide with nothing happening out side. But what of my poor photo count?

Yesterday I used my hide clamp to try to steady the camera. It worked, sort of, but not well enough. Part of the problem was that I couldn’t lock the head and it kept slipping down. I ended up holding it steady and firing the stutter manually. Two problems there then; 1, I should have spent more time playing with the thing to find out how best to work with it before I tried using it; 2, I had my remote shutter gadget in my nag and forgot about it. So now I know – but will I remember?

I hate having my photo taken by others, not because I don’t actually object to it, but because I think they take far too long in doing it. When Jan does one I say to her, ‘You take too long. By the time you’ve done one I can get half a dozen shots done.’ And yes, I do mean that too. That is where my biggest problem photo problem lies, I really do need to slow down! I’m far too impatient when I’m out with my camera. Off go snapping at all and sundry and my shots can all look the same, or at least similar. B slowing down I will see better shots and become more creative.

Slowing down was something that happened last night, and not by my intention. We were up at six and on the way by 7.20. We arrived back here around 6.30 in the evening, and I was knackered! I was in bed by 9.20 and settled an hour later. By that time I was struggling to read the photo-mag I took through me, there was no way I was going to try Game of Thrones! This morning I was up at around 9 0’clock.

But you know what? I’ve been feeling tired for ages now. When the GP phoned me last week he said that low B12 level can lead to anaemia but added that I wasn’t anaemic. But I wonder just how low my iron count is? He didn’t actually say. So now I’m on the supplement he prescribed twice a day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Well, I’m taking them when I take my normal pills; that way they are spread out throughout the day. I tried his way and kept forgetting them. Now I don’t forget them.

Today’s photo can’t be anything else but yesterday shot of Kile …

And today’s funny …

 An elephant robs a bank and the police ask the witness, "Would you recognise him again?" and the witness says: "No, he was wearing a stocking over his head."      

All summer long ...

24 May  

We called off our day out for yesterday and we’re now looking at going tomorrow. It worked out that we had far too much to allow us to go yesterday; it’s done now so tomorrow is now on. Well, at least for now, we can never be 100% sure of anything here in Jaronland.

Another strange dream again last night, yes, another strange on. This time I was riding in a horse drawn mobility scooter. Our son Tom was with me and he thought it was all very funny. We visited my old primary school in Arley and while we were there the horse bolted and fell over taking the scooter thing with it. Tom and me were tipped out, and Tom was still laughing and even more so when he saw that my camera was smashed by it. I had to try to get back home so waited for a tram, in an area where trams have never ran, there were no rails or overhead power cables either. AT that point I saw member of a camera club out on shoot and I tried to join in, but couldn’t because my camera was smashed. Then I was in a hut with a mud floor and lots of camera bits sticking up everywhere … and Jan woke me. No wonder I love Jan.

At times I wish I could remember all my dreams in full detail; I could turn them all into stories then. It was a dream that gave me Arathusia, which now stands at 3000 words; it will be added to later today. And while that is happening my reading of fantasy books moves on too. I have around 150 pages of Game of Thrones and on me Kindle I am around 62% way through Rise of the Dragons. I went looking for the follow up last night but it isn’t there yet, but a lot more of her books are, 17 in one series.

Any idea as to what is going in the world? I didn’t seeing as I haven’t seen any news since Friday. The last item I saw was about a 4.sumat earthquake in the south east. No casualties or damage were reported at that time, but hopefully it woke them all up to the fact that they are not the centre of the known universe.

It’s the time of year when all the fares and displays are being held. I’m hoping to get to a few this year. Last year I went to a truck fest in Uttoxeter and was rather disappointed with it. I don’t know what I was hoping for but lots of trucks lined up side by side really wasn’t for me. However, if I could one of buses and coaches, or general transport then I would be interested. There’s a wee village a couple of miles from us that holds a steam fare every two years and it should be on this year; that is one I have really fancied. Car boot sales are starting up again and that’s another load of them to go point a camera at. Dorktown’s carnival is due next month on the second Saturday. The parade has been getting smaller for years now, but the side shows on the field arena are usually worth a look at.

And so to Today’s photo … 

It’s one of the trucks from last years’ truck fest.

And today’s funny …

A mother buys her son two ties for his birthday. Next time she sees him he's only wearing one of them, so she says to him "What, didn't you like the other one?"         

***///***

22 May 

Friday afternoon and all’s well – for now at least. Tomorrow could be interesting seeing as we are planning to go to Rainham, but that might go by the board if our prescriptions don’t turn up today. They were due for Wednesday delivery but didn’t show. Jan has called them and the driver is on his way around with them, but they can’t say at what time he will get here.

Tomorrow will be an early start, very early start, and I’m not looking forward to it either. I tend to sleep poorly when I set the alarm that early and with the traffic chaos I’m expecting on the M11 and M25, on the way and back up here, it could well be a bit of a stressful day. The last time we went down there we were in and underpass on the M25 and we had an artic right on our bumper flashing his headlights and blowing his horn for us to get out of the way. We were at the reduced 50mph speed limit and we were not going to be bullied out of the way.

Jan was driving at time and she was very nervous. We have joined the car-cam section and I’ve been thinking of taking the one we currently use for filming the birds out back, and setting it up on the back screen. I’ll see how Jan feels about it later.

I mention the other day that our kitchen and living room would be a lot darker with the scaffolding and plants set up; I was right about it too. Just to add to it we have put our nets back up as well. They don’t cut light down much but it has made a difference. Yesterday the scaffolders asked us for a brew, no problem with that at all seeing as there was only the three of them.

The roofing gang is a lot larger though, but it seems they have to provide their own drinks on site. But those scaffolders are from Mersey and I was going to ask them today if they had to drive down every day or if they were staying locally. It would make a long day if they were coming down every day. Well, they haven’t shown up today, which was a surprise really, there’s still a lot to do around here.

Today’s photo … 

Another tulip.

And toady’s funny …

 A manager goes into the physio's room to visit a player with an injured knee. The manager says 'I can give you a cortisone injection'. The player replies 'It's alright boss, I've got a Sierra'.