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Nemesis
Yeeks! Fortunately he was outside. And I didn’t get this close. That’s what zoom lenses are for :-).
Sharing My World 2015 Week 17
It’s Sunday, the day I contribute to Cee’s Share Your World, just one of the fun challenges that Cee organises on a weekly basis.
What is your most favourite smell/scent?
My two favourite smells are quite opposite to each other. One is the smell of bacon cooking. Mmm, bacon. The other is the smell of nature. Not cow poo or anything like that, but the smell of the forest, cut grass and flowers.
The Higher Garden at Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, Cornwall
Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?
Well, quite recently I toyed with the idea of having longer hair. I decided it would be cool. However at my age it would probably just look stupid, and when my hair gets to a certain point it tends to puff out. So short is the way to go for me. If I was going to try “going hippy” I should have done it 25 years ago.
Do you plan out things usually or do you do them more spontaneous (for example if you are visiting a big city you don’t know?)
Tricky one. I used to plan everything down to the last detail. I don’t do that any more. That’s not to say I’m a spontaneous person. There isn’t a less spontaneous person on the planet than me!
However, if I’m off somewhere I don’t know, I’ll plan the route, where I can park and if applicable I’ll book somewhere to stay. That’s the limit. I might switch the car display to “map” so I can see roughly where I am but I’ve never actually used the Sat Nav per se.
I’ve discovered that planning everything to the last detail leads to major stress. Knowing where I’m going and that I have somewhere to stay reduces stress, having exact things to do at exact times – well, life’s too short to put myself through that.
What is your favourite outdoor activity?
Walking in the woods, gardens and so on I guess. And I like taking pictures of it all. So in the spirit of that, here’s another picture of Lanhydrock, looking at the main house across the lower gardens, framed by little ornamental battlements.
Into the Fire
Temperatures have plummeted back into single figures. And it’s nearly May! So yes, I have felt the need to switch on the gas fire of an evening. And also to take a picture of it with my new camera!
Moon Over Houses
When I looked out the window the other evening I saw a photo op, so I grabbed my camera and had a go. I’ve tried pictures like this before but they never came out using a camera phone or point-and-click.
I set the shutter speed to 1/40 second. I didn’t want to risk going lower in case my ageing hands caused the camera to shake too much, especially as I was zoomed in a bit as well.
I’m not sure in the next one if that bright spot above and to the right of the moon is a star or planet or maybe a satellite.
I cheated a little bit in a photo editor. The originals showed a ghost image of the moon (see below). I don’t know if it was an artifact of the lens, or if it’s because I took the shots through double glazing.
Cee’s Black and White Challenge – Geometric Shapes
I thought I’d have another go at Cee’s Black and White Challenge this week, so I went out and about around the neighbourhood with my camera set to “Mono”. This week’s subject is “Geometric Shapes”.
Here’s the back of my car. I washed it and everything, look at that shine! (Not specifically for the photo, it was dirty.) I don’t know what purpose that honeycomb thing serves, but it makes the car look good as it explodes down the road at high speed.
Here’s the garage I don’t park it in because it’s full of junk. At the left of the photo you can see the leaky gutter joint I haven’t bothered to fix.
I need to weld this shut so the water company can’t see how much water I’ve used. But the joke would be on me – this is actually next door’s water meter cover. Ha ha.
And finally, this is what stops nasty dirt getting into my house.
I hope you enjoyed my pictures :-).
Cee’s Black and White Challenge – Numbers
This is a post for Cee’s Black and White Challenge. This week the topic is to post pictures of anything with numbers on.
I’ve never tried this before, but my new camera has a black and white setting on it. My photos aren’t very creative, just things from around the house with numbers on, but I was excited to try out the setting on my camera! I shrunk each down by about 60% for uploading.
Click on a picture to see a large-size slideshow type thing :-).
Snapped in a Tree
I was in my kitchen when I spotted movement in a tree. My new camera was nearby and was already equipped with my new zoom lens (“Mr Zoomy”) so I snapped off a shot. Well, three shots, but only one was properly focussed. The sun’s glaring off him a bit and in the only in-focus shot he was looking the other way.
I wanted to know what he was, so I asked Mr Google, checked in books and conversed with many experts in the field and have finally discovered that he is a “bird” (or, if you’re an expert on the subject like I am now, Birdus Birdicus).
Sharing My World 2015 Week 6
People sing, as one rejoice
Hailing loudly in one voice
Trumpets play and flags unfurled
Now it’s time to Share My World!
(hosted by Cee at her photography blog)
What was the last time you went to a new place?
Last month I went to Cardinham Woods, near Bodmin. Not only have I never been before, but I didn’t even know it was there! It was my Godson’s first birthday and he likes to trot around the place, so I took the day off work to join him for a nice walk and lunch in the little café there.
If you were or are a writer do you prefer writing short stories, poems or novels, other? And what type of genre would you prefer?
I write really short flash fiction. Genre-wise, humour, horror, gore, dark, dark humour, sci-fi. Really pretty much everything except lovey-dovey stuff.
I know I’ve got a novel in me but I’m too lazy to start working on the plan and the characters and yadda yadda yadda. It’s a shame because it would have been awesome and a best seller and there’d be a film and I’d be walking down the red carpet and everything but there you go.
Out of your five senses (touch, taste, sight, smell, hearing) which is your favourite?
Oh golly gosh, I don’t know. I usually need at least two senses in concert. Unless I’m actually in a concert, in which case hearing would be just the thing. We have all five for a reason and I’m not really willing to give any of them up. Sorry.
If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?
Ack. Another impossible question.
Okey-dokey. The key here is the phrase “at random”. I’m guessing that at least 50% of the people chosen will be living in poverty/under an oppressive regime/suffering from some disease/in prison/living in a war zone. So I’m already at 50. The remaining 50 have “nothing really to complain about” compared to the first 50, so now we have the “tricky” bunch.
I’m perfectly content but could be “doing better” for various reasons. So I’m going to say 30/100 people are leading a more satisfying life than me.
Am I over-thinking this?
Click for a random post!
Woohoo!
I totally didn't win!
Share Your World
Friday Fictioneers
draliman on life 