Bits'n'bobs

15 September 2013

This will be interesting, trying to write this while trying to watch the Great North Run.  I can't help but admire these people you know.  The masses of time in training to get to the fitness level needed to compete in it.  How I wish I could do so; but my laziness and greed for years and years have put paid to that so I have no-one else to blame but me!

Any bets on today's weather?  For most of the week the forecast for today has been for high winds and heavy rain.  Jan is off to church where there is supposed to be a barbie after the service.  We were thinking that it would either be cancelled or moved indoors with the cooking being done in the kitchen instead.  Maybe the weather will hold up and they can have their barbie as planned; I hope so anyway.

We've been thinking of trying to get away to Mallorca next year so yesterday we got a load of dream mags and we've been pretty disappointed by what's on offer.  It may come down to waiting for the last couple of weeks and see what's on special offer.  Cyprus is a maybe too but most certainly out is Malta!  Why?  Well, when the stop the shooting of birds on migration we may well be look at the island.  Mind you, Cyprus is another bird shooting place when I think of it.  We'll need to re-think that perhaps.

In the town centre there's a statue of the Hussy and I've been trying to get a decent photo of it.  Just lately I've also been trying to do black & white work too along with a 50mm lens.  The thing is though, on my Sony A77 with its 1.5X crop factor, my 50mm lens is the 35mm film equivalent to a 75mm lens.  However, we also have a 30mm macro which can be used as a 45mm lens, the closest we can get to 50mm.  Anyway ... while I was out the other day I did get a few b&w shots of the Hussy and one of them looks pretty good.  I'll be spending some time later to see how it works out.  But for today, here's an earlier shot of the same statue taken in colour some time ago ... 

As you can see there's a lot of buildings behind it so to get a decent shot I'd need to be flat on my back and that isn't really not on.  Anyway, I'll post the new one on the next blog and you can compare them.

And the Sage has spoken again ...

A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, 'If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.'
With even greater emphasis he said, 'And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.'
And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, 'And if I had all the whiskey in the world,
I'd take it and pour it into the river.' Sermon complete, he sat down.
The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, nearly laughing, 'For our closing song, Let us sing Hymn #365 – Shall We Gather at the River.