Hot Coals

Hot coals.  Fuji F10

29th January 2014

It has been very mild so far this winter, but tonight it was well worth lighting the fire again.

To make sure we got plenty of heat, coal was lit and the lovely red glow soon ensued and Winter was banished from the living room once more.

Lady of the Lake

Snowdrops in the flood.  Fuji F10

28th January 2014

Spring must be on its way as the snowdrops are out.   They are struggling this year however as they have to be able to swim too.  The name seems a little wrong given our recent weather; although I would much rather that 'raindrops' were flowers!

Shapes: Triangles

Sardines in tin.  Fuji F10

27th January 2014

The sardines seem to have been purposefully designed to fit inside tins.   I could not resist the nice triangular shapes as they snuggle up together.

It always amazes me too how the bones and scales of the fish all seem to end up with the same texture as the meat after they have been canned.

Metal Spaghetti

Cables to untangle.  Fuji F10

26th January 2014

The aftermath of any show involves the de-rigging of all the equipment.   No matter how careful one is taking down the cabling, it often ends up as metal spaghetti.

At least spaghetti is slippery and if you keep pulling one end, often you can pull a strand out.  The cables just seem to knot up ever tighter in a Gordian fashion.

Your Panto Needs YOU

Captain Hook.  Nikon D7000

25th January 2014

Its panto time again and this years Peter Pan was super entertaining.   The time spent etching the gobos was well worth it!

Captain Hook got booed on cue and there were many renditions of 'row-row-row your boat'.   The performances were all nearly sold out each night which shows that Pantomime is still very much alive!

Thatch

Old thatched cottage.  Fuji F10

24th January 2014

The old thatched cottage that has had issues with its roof has been sold recently.  The workmen have moved in and the roof has started to be 'altered'.   I am not sure on whether they are planning to demolish the house and build many shoe boxes on the site, or whether they will repair it; it would be nice if it stayed thatched, but it looks as if it may be a bit beyond just patching up now.

I wonder how old that lower layer of thatch is now on the rafters that have just been exposed; it is not part of the roof they usually replace when rethatching.

Slow decay

Old Car decaying slowly.  Fuji F10

23rd January 2014

The grass has died back around the old car now and so it is exposed to both the elements and the local kids.

It is fairing quite well, but is looking more of a sorry state as the years tick by.

I am sure someone somewhere would love this as a restoration project, but there must be a point where it is just not worth it and it is time to leave the grass to just grow around it.

The tyres look in good condition still though!

Dark Trees

Dark trees in the mist.  Fuji F10

22nd January 2014

It was misty again this morning.   The overhanging trees though made a nice contrast to the bright-lit mist behind.

Again it was quite odd walking down the hill when you could not see the far horizon in front of you; the horizon appears at the bottom of the hill and so the natural temptation is to 'lean forward' to get the horizon into its usual location.  With the slippery mud, it is close on a recipe for falling over!

Colours: Green

Green Ribbon.  Fuji F10

21st January 2014

I had a trip up to Wayland's Smithy today with an old friend and a few even older cameras.   I still have the film to develop, but I spotted this green ribbon tied to one of the trees.   The decent camera had black and white film in at the time, so I used the digital one to make sure I recorded the colours (I took one on film too).

I have no idea why someone would tie a ribbon on a tree, but usually I tie it around my finger when I need to remember something.

In the mist

Misty tree, Fuji F10

20th January 2014

It is very pale outside this morning and quite chilly. The trees at the top of the field are slowly disappearing as we walk down the hill into the great white unknown.

A bit more Autumn than Winter still, but nice to see.

Twisting your knob

Sound desk.  Fuji F10

19th January 2014

Its panto rig day today.

Lots of cables to lay, microphones to test, lights to focus and point and gels to cut.

We have quite a few sound effects too this year, including a crocodile screaming which will be entertaining to find!

The crocodile also has to burp, but I am sure I could just record one of Lizzy's efforts if needed as she is rather proud of her abilities with gas.

Smokin!

Smoke filling the garden.  Nikon D7000

18th January 2014

As I am running the light and sound again for the town panto this year, I have the job of checking that the smoke machine is working well and giving it a good clean out.

I decided it was prudent to test it in the garden this time, rather than letting it rip in the house again!

The machine worked fine and the bottom of the garden disappeared reassuringly in a white cloud :)

Everyday Objects: A Ham Sandwich

Lizzy's lunch.  Fuji F10

17th January 2014

There are many changes happening over these last few years to modern life with the advent of new and more advanced technology.

But luckily some things do not change much and the humble ham sandwich appears to be one of them.

The changes to the times when the first ham sandwiches were made however are the machine sliced bread, the mass-produced and machine sliced ham, and of course the plastic cling-film to wrap it in.  

I am sure they would taste different too; if you tried an original ham sandwich today, it would be *really* grim after being sat around for well over one hundred and fifty years!

Colours: Different shades of Purple

Orchid in bloom.  Fuji F10

16th January 2014

The orchids in the bathroom do seem to like the humid atmosphere.   This purple one seems to bloom less often than the others, but when it does, it provides quite a show with many different shades and hues of purple all in the same flower.

The flower is also slightly scented which makes for a nice atmosphere when I open the curtains in the morning.

I am always amazed at just how long the flowers last for too; the plant spends most of its time looking half dead, yet is capable of generating such photogenic subjects.

Hair of the Dog

Dog hair in carbon.   Nikon D7000

15th January 2014

I made time to do some carbon printing today.   I have finally managed to get a reasonable calibration of the new printer and thought it was time to stop making test strips, and to commit some images to paper.

I noticed in the one print I made, a stray dog hair appears to have found its way into the carbon tissue when I poured it, and now is immortalised in the shadow area on the print!

I am almost out of decent carbon tissue now and due for another tissue pouring session.  I may make sure the dog is well out of the way though before I start!