Dark November brings the fog, should not do it to a dog!
Thus warbled those consummate songsters Flanders and Swann in their "Song of the Seasons" Here we are with only sixty odd days to go before I am finished with my project.
Day 335. Just like me. Old, sweet and wrinkly (who said "and very seedy"? Come on! Own up!). I never used to like dried figs but when on holiday in Turkey some years back, one of our tour guides offered us a gift of dried figs. Seeing as we were some hours coach ride away from the hotel and not having eaten for a few hours, I was hungry enough to eat them and have been a convert ever since. They are frightfully good for the digestion too... Let's just say that I am a member of the "Regular Army" shall we?
Day 334. Bohemian Rhapsody. Or "Any way the wind blows..." I know, I know... it's a bit lame, but that is all the time and effort I have been able to muster today. Have a brilliant weekend folks.
Day 333. The old shell game. You know me. Can you shine a light through it? Yes? Then take a picture of it! I thought that I might enter the mundane challenge but the fridge was devoid of eggs but I remembered that we had some Chinese painted eggs. I had to hold it very gingerly whilst I shone the light through and then realised that the light on my fingers was appealing too. Tada! That's two days in a row that I have got my shot posted fairly quickly.
Day 332. All change! After yesterday's fun shot and whilst most of you were tucked up in your beds this morning, I was out trying for a certain shot. A few years ago I tried to take a photograph of the new bus station in Horsham but it didn't work out that well because the local council workers like to hang out there in the early morning for their early morning smoke break. Today I was luckier and I got a few shots in before they arrived and smoked the place out.. This is a seven shot HDR, tone mapped to be slightly surreal. I just wish you could see the detail in the original it is quite amazing. You can try viewing it enlarged against black if you really. really, reeeeeaally wanted to (you know you do... go on...)
You have a choice of music today...
The Hollies, "Bus Stop" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZEoKqjfvkw
The Who, "Magic Bus" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl9bvuAV-Ao
Alternate shot here.
http://365project.org/steampowered/something-diffe/2013-11-27
You have a choice of music today...
The Hollies, "Bus Stop" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZEoKqjfvkw
The Who, "Magic Bus" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl9bvuAV-Ao
Alternate shot here.
http://365project.org/steampowered/something-diffe/2013-11-27
Day 331. Wine list. As the end of my project draws nearer (thirty four more shots to go!), my inspiration seems to be getting less. This is a similar concept to a tea-towel in our kitchen - I'm not proud to say that I took the concept and put my own leaning onto it.
Day 330. Testing, testing... Delta...India...Alfa...Bravo...Echo...Tango...Echo...Sierra...
It's not often that I get serious but how do you start your day? Cup of coffee? Cigarette? Bowl of cereal? Krispy Kreme Doughnut? (OK, which smart Alec said "Gin and Tonic"?) I start mine with a blood test to see where my blood sugars are standing and then depending if they are low or high, I might get a bowl of cereal and fruit alongside my medication (or not). If you enlarge it you can probably make out previous days prickings near the drop of blood. I swap fingers around (left and right hands) to avid getting impenetrable callouses. I haven't had to move onto my toes or other areas of the body yet. I'm saving those for when I get put onto insulin. Right! That is the serious picture done for the week. The rest should be fun (or mediocre!)
It's not often that I get serious but how do you start your day? Cup of coffee? Cigarette? Bowl of cereal? Krispy Kreme Doughnut? (OK, which smart Alec said "Gin and Tonic"?) I start mine with a blood test to see where my blood sugars are standing and then depending if they are low or high, I might get a bowl of cereal and fruit alongside my medication (or not). If you enlarge it you can probably make out previous days prickings near the drop of blood. I swap fingers around (left and right hands) to avid getting impenetrable callouses. I haven't had to move onto my toes or other areas of the body yet. I'm saving those for when I get put onto insulin. Right! That is the serious picture done for the week. The rest should be fun (or mediocre!)
Day 329. Penumbra. I found this charming paperweight in a charity shop and I thought to my self, "What a nice piece of glass - I could do things with that." So I did, and here it is.
Music for today, Bonny Tyler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpC81-SJcvo
Music for today, Bonny Tyler:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpC81-SJcvo
Day 328 Circle of Cr...happiness.I found these felt smileys in a craft shop and thought I would save them for a day when I was feeling a bit cr...happy. Today is that day because I have twinged a nerve in my back and I feel quite uncomfortable and don't feel like moving around much. I am sure that a couple of glasses of wine will help things though so I might just go and grab a bottle forthwith.
Day 327. Cracked it! I think that I've got this white balance thing sorted! Super quickie today because I have a pile of ironing to do before the love of my life returns from work. The same shot in Raw modified twice to give it an appalling white balance and then some swift work with Photoshop layer masks to make a composite. If Donna ever finds out that I had two pots of white paint in the sitting room balanced on a flimsy bit of dowel, she is going to kill me (or make me paint the ceiling again!)
Day 326 Flower power You know how it is; you have loads of ideas for today's shot (Yeah... right!) and along comes something out of the blue that could have yielded half a dozen different angles. This one appealed to me for some reason and I can't think why. I have included a joke in the tag for @annied to brighten her day. Probably best to view large... if you have the inclicnation that is
Day 325 Hickory dickory dock... the mouse ran up the clock and so did the duck the penguin and the goat but heaven alone knows why. I'm running a bit late today (again!) which is why this is so lame.
Day 324. Three monkeys. See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. From the way the middle one has his hands in his lap, he must also be "do no evil". I wasn't too happy with the end result here because I didn't leave myself a lot of time to do the Photoshop manipulation and a two seater sofa isn't good for trying to squeeze three of me onto!
Day 323. Undercover agent. Well, what a disastrous day so far. My modem / router decided that it didn't want to play today so I have spent a lot of the day reconfiguring it and rebuilding the home network and making sure that everything works with it still (just my wife's smartphone to check - when she gets home). I should have stayed in bed which is where I got the idea for this shot.
Here's your music to accompany the picture. The Rolling Stones "Undercover of the Night"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVJkfXeTs9Q
Here's your music to accompany the picture. The Rolling Stones "Undercover of the Night"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVJkfXeTs9Q
Day 322. Global warming. There's not a lot to be said really, so I won't say it. Have some music to go with it. You have a choice
(1) Hudson Ford http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMLSwzimWeU
(2) Deep Purple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCnebZnysmI
and as an extra treat, one of my favourite short cartoons of all time from the National Film Board of Canada, "Hot Stuff" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht6lRb8y_AQ
(1) Hudson Ford http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMLSwzimWeU
(2) Deep Purple http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCnebZnysmI
and as an extra treat, one of my favourite short cartoons of all time from the National Film Board of Canada, "Hot Stuff" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht6lRb8y_AQ
Day 321. If you see a light... don't move towards it. I was a bit stumped for inspiration today but these two statuettes in my study caught (a) my eye and (b) the last rays of the day.
Day 320 All for charity As the number of people in my wife's office dwindle so do the number of cuddlies brought in for Donna's "Bears on the Stairs" charity appeal. However, at least a couple of dozen people came with their favourite toys and gave a donation to Children in Need. Someone in the audience counted seventy five different toys and donations for this one small even totalled one hundred and fifty pounds so for a small bash, it has netted quite a tidy sum of cash. I was "official" photographer and what a nightmare it was with a huge area of poorly lit marble staircase. Sorry for the late post but it has been a long day. Probably best enlarged.
Day 319. Cutting edge technology. I had so many photographic failures today that I have had to resort to a stock item from my study.This evil looking weapon is a Gurkha khukuri. It is curved and razor sharp. This is not a tourist souvenir version, this is a pukka khukuri straight from Nepal. A Gurkha soldier basically eats, sleeps and does everything with his khukuri on him. Legend has it that if a khukuri blade is drawn then it has to draw blood. This legend comes from a race of ferocious and brave soldiers who eat goat with the skin on. I wouldn't want to mess with one as their reputation is amazing. I now have a small nick on one of my fingers so that I could fulfil this legend. That is the end of the khukuri lesson for today.
Day 318. Neighbours... everybody needs good neighbours... Neighbours. Tchoh! Who would have them? On one side we have the nicest set of neighbours possible. On the other side... well... they aren't. The only thing that smiles in their household is this garden ornament. Apart from that, they are miserable, rude, common, nosey, vulgar, noisy... you name it. Still, they did give me this picture today, albeit inadvertently
Day 317. John Milton... ... or "Pair o' Dice Lost". Sorry for that awful pun. Did I have fun with this shot or what. First of all, the only place where I could set the camera up to get me leaning over something was at the foot of some stairs. I had to figure out how to get the camera looking straight up on my tripod (not an easy task, believe you me!). Once set up I had a mere ten seconds to rush upstairs around two corners and lean over the bannister before the shutter released. I did have several goes before getting it right and remembering that my remote release has a timer function built into it too - I could have had minutes instead of seconds. Then I realized that the outstretched hand was too small so that had to be cut away and enlarged in Photoshop and finally the dice needed to be on two different levels and in two different rotations. Another Photoshop job. Then it was a case of bolting it all together. Phew! Now all I have to do is go and pack everything up and have a well earned cup of coffee and a sit down.
Have some music to go with this. Linda Ronstadt's version of Tumbling Dicehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkaKOTxikAQ
Have some music to go with this. Linda Ronstadt's version of Tumbling Dicehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkaKOTxikAQ
Day 316. Cross eyed. I accidentally doubled up on my anti-cholesterol drugs this morning and this has left me feeling very cold and decidedly strange. I had wanted to do this slightly spooky shot for a while. You have to enlarge it to get the full effect.
Day 315. A very small casserole. Ah, but I was hard pushed for a shot today. There's nothing amusing about this shot whatsoever. I have been waiting for my runner beans to die back sufficiently to save some of the beans for next years growing season. I am constantly amazed at the variety of skin colours and number of spots on each. Not bad when you consider that they are the same variety of runner bean. The title refers to a sketch from Blackadder III when Baldrick is asked "If I have two beans and I add two more beans, what have I got?"
Day 314. "May contain..." ...traces of nuts. Oh dear... how low can I stoop? I have left it a bit late today to create a shot so this is the best that you will get. Just be glad that I didn't get the cucumber in there too... be very glad...
Day 313. The job's not done... After yesterday's picture, I realised that I had to come out with a public service announcement. So the message is "After using the toilet, don't forget to wash your hands." Being me, I decided to go one better. Please don't try this at home, kids. Whilst Photoshop can get you into a washing machine, it can't bring you back from drowning.
Day 312. It's competition time! I was really torn between titles for today's picture. First of all I thought of "Occupied". Then I thought of "On the job" rapidly followed by "Now, this is number two...". Then I thought of being subtle like "A penny well spent", "Down in the dumps" and even "Now for the paperwork!" but in the end I thought I would throw this one open to your "fertile" minds for a title. So let me see your offerings below! Sorry about the "Ewwww!" factor (I did crop it to retain a certain sense of decency!) but I am in a bit of a rush to post today because I am off to a lecture by Military Historian and author Antony Beevor a little later on.
Day 311. File that under "A" for "Accident" please... alternatively you can file it under "P" for "Prat" or "D" for "Duckhead" (also, check for mis-spellings!)
After the day up in London yesterday I decided that I had to do some paperwork and I got my drawers in a right twist!
After the day up in London yesterday I decided that I had to do some paperwork and I got my drawers in a right twist!
Day 310. Art meets BMW. @padlock and I had a terrific day thanks, involving everything from red bowler hats to red hot curry, with a lot of street art thrown into the mix. I just loved the way this huge bug was reflected in the bodywork and glass on this BMW. You might want to view it large.
Accompanying music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viTUhOT4d3I
Accompanying music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viTUhOT4d3I
Day 309. Done and dusted. Oh what a day. I spent the morning installing a Rexx interpreter onto my PC and writing a small program to allow me to... well, that would be telling wouldn't it? Then in the afternoon I spent a happy hour or so with the events manager of one of the local hotels scoping out the setting for my neighbours daughter's wedding (January next year). I think that I have everything scoped for the event - best places to shoot from, lighting, where to stand people, nice spots in the gardens if the weather permits, which lenses I think I need to bring etc. Then it was on to the local gardens to try and find some nice fungi to photograph. Unfortunately some "nice" person has been going around kicking them over. I don't know - this is how they reproduce. How would that person like it if someone came and kicked them in the gonads while they were having a bit of slap and tickle? Anyway, I promise, no more bookmark shots (unless I get a reeeeeally good one!). I'll be a bit late posting tomorrow because @padlock and I are going to cause a ruckus up in London.
Day 308. Savage Crop. Well, we spent time down with my in-laws today and things aren't running too smoothly what with Dad-in-Law starting to lose his marbles. At least Donna and I had the chance to take a walk along the beach beforehand. There was a high tide and a brisk breeze so the wind and kite surfers were having a grand old time. I have always wanted to have a go at doing a really savage and different crop. Thus, today you have a B&W bookmark to entertain you. Best viewed large or you won't see anything at all!
Day 307. Absolute desperation. Perhaps it should be a poster for a missing photo mojo. I just haven't felt like photographing anything at all today so you get a sock... that's all. Please do not adjust your set, normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
Day 306. Pot Luck 2. Those of you with long memories may well recall my shot here http://365project.org/steampowered/365/2013-04-12 . Well, today I was short on inspiration and even shorter on patience and energy so I went into the cats room with all good intention of taking a picture of our built in Victorian dresser. Once again the light was so shockingly poor that I didn't bother but I did notice this small Portuguese pottery pot. I opened it up and there was this lovely combination of coloured ribbons. It was too good to miss. There are so many wonderful and different people I could dedicate this shot to so I thought I would dedicate it to the loveliest people I know. All of you.