Day 364 Computer Woes

Friday 30 December


Last night when uploading my photo on the computer a message flashed up saying the startup disc was nearly full.  As it was late I just closed the Mac down and went to bed and Ian & I tackled it this morning.  Startup disc turned out to mean the complete hard drive! We've a terabyte drive and  998GB were used! Aarrgh.  We moved a load of photos and stuff over onto a separate hard drive but that only freed up about 100GB, there was obviously something fishy going on.  Ian had to go over to Huw's where he'd promised to help him install more loft insulation so I was left to figure it out.  


My hunch proved right that it was to do with our email account.  A couple of weeks ago Ian emailed a very large file containing several pictures and a video clip.  It was over 200mb and not suprisingly the computer struggled!  Eventually the recipient let us know he'd received the files ok.  Ever since then our aol email has been running very slow and recently hasn't been picking up new mail. The little rotating circle signifying its thinking just keps on circling and Ian's message and photos had appeared in a mail folder entitled "Recovered from my Mac" Whenever I deleted this message it would just reappear.  Anyway after a bit of research I found this was not an uncommon problem and the root of our storage issues. This 200mb file had duplicated itself over 2,000 times! It was possible to delete these although not by obvious means and I immediately acquired an extra 650 GB of free space!  Aol still wasn't behaving itself but I left it to visit Mum & Dad.  By the time I got home late in the afternoon Ian had solved the final bit of the puzzle and everything is working fine.  Hurrah!  Computers are great but a real pain when they do stupid things like that!  


Anyway I didn't have time for a photo,again, until late this evening so here's another tabletop construction.  As I had a blue theme yesterday I've gone for red today.  

Tomorrow will be my last photo and I'd like to make it a good one although I do struggle with these grey rainy days.  Being as it will be New Years Eve I'll probably do my final post on 1st January and then that will be the end of this blog :(  I'm going to leave it as a single year project and will switch back to posting on Mog's Travels when we do anything interesting.  I'll continue taking lots of photos but without the relentless pressure of having to do one every day.  I'm still considering my options for sharing them - more on that in the New Year.

Day 363 Rain rain rain!

Thursday 29 December.


It really is miserable weather at the moment.  We had nothing planned for today so I spent most of the time on the computer, catching up with the blog and sorting through old photos.  Ian needs new trainers so decided to pop over to the shops at Talbot Green but was beaten back by the huge traffic jams of people heading to the sales.   For a photo I was experimenting with lighting and as a recent Daily Challenge was Blue I dug out the blue bottles I used earlier in the year & a water spray.

Day 362 Shaped Bokeh!

Wednesday 28 December


Had a very uneventful day today  and did nothing worth writing about. I'd treated myself to set of precut bokeh shapes so had a play with them for todays photo.  Really they're just for backgrounds so these two photos aren't really complete but anyway here's some hearts and smiley faces

Day 361 Fresh Air

Tuesday 27 December


Ian's foot has been painful since the end of last week and he's been trying to rest it.  Today however he was desperate to get out of the house so we went for a drive around the Brecon Beacons.  It was a cold miserable grey day with intermittent drizzle and I took my camera without much hope of a decent photo.   When we turned of the Heads of the Valleys Road over Llangynidr Mountain I spotted these electricity pylons.  They're the sort of thing I usually avoid photographing but today they seemed to be appropriate for the mood of the day and added to the bleakness of the moorland

 From Llangynidr we drove over the old narrow mediaeval bridge then took the road past Tretower  to Talgarth.  We were hoping for a cup of tea at the Honey Pot but it was closed.  We headed to Brecon then and Storey Arms where we had our cup of tea with a bacon roll in the biting wind of the car park.  There were quite a few hardy bikers up there, personally I was grateful for a nice warm car!  From there we came home & took things easy for the rest of the day

Day 360 Boxing Day

Monday 26 December


After lunch I Dad & I visited the hospital for the third day running and took Mum the rest of her presents.  Then I dropped him off back home in Porthcawl.  Ian & I were supposed to be having an evening out with Huw and Mel but Ian had an upset tummy & I was shattered. A quiet evening and early night was just what we needed.


Not having thought of a photo till nearly bedtime I stuck with the Christmas theme with photo of a wreath of bells that I have hanging up.

Day 359 Christmas Day

Sunday 25 December


After breakfast and making preparations for todays big cooking effort Dad and I first went to visit Mum.  We found her in the ward dining room being helped to open presents from the ward staff.  They'd raised money through a raffle and all the residents were given a goodly selection of mainly toiletries and chocolates. I was glad I'd taken only half the presents from home as she doesn't have the attention span to cope with much.  She was very happy there, enjoyed pulling the cracker I bought and we left her smiling and wearing her paper hat.


We picked up Enid on our way home where we skyped Vicky & Gaz after opening their presents. Huw and co arrived just after 2.00. The original plan was to eat lunch then but my oven had decided to go on strike and everything took longer than expected to cook.  We had fun opening all our presents and didn't eat until about 4.00.  Despite the delay the food was excellent and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  After clearing all away I finally felt I could relax!  The evening was spent chatting and playing Kinect games. Huw took Enid and the rest of the family home, leaving Dad to spend another night with us.  


I didn't take many photos and they were all pretty rubbishy so here's one taken over dinner

Day 358 Christmas Eve

Saturday 24 December


Final preparations for Christmas are all done.  At mid day I drove over to Porthcawl to pick up Dad who is staying with us over Christmas.  We visited Mum en route though she was quite sleepy today.  The three of us had a quiet meal together and then watched the film "The Kings Speach" which Dad really enjoyed, particularly as he clearly remembered the events in it. Ian went to bed &  later I introduced Dad to Skype. First was a chat with cousin John and Sue in Canberra.  Dad has only seen him once since he emigrated to Aus 30 years ago and so really enjoyed catching up with him and being shown around the house and garden via iPad.  Next we spoke to Gaz and Vicky.  It was Christmas morning in Australia and they were waiting until after speaking to all the family at home before opening their presents. Its a shame they're so far away at this time of year.  Christmas is all about family and they're obviously missing us. Anyway, we wished them a merry Christmas and Dad marvelled at the wonders of modern technology!


 Just before going to bed I took this photo of the slightly wonky Christmas tree.

Day 357 Time to Wrap the Presents

Oh Dear, it's a whole week since I posted here so I've a lot of catching up to do.  Apologies in advance for the coming photos. My mind has been on anything but photography and most days I've just snapped a quick photo to make sure I completed the project.  I'm certainly not going to end this year with my best shots.


Friday 23 December


It was a wet and wild day and we didn't do a lot. Ian has a painful foot and is hobbling about the house. I set off early to go to the supermarket for the veg etc and then in to Ponty to the butcher to pick up the joint of meat we'd ordered - no turkey for us this year, we fancied a change! Unpacking & finding a home for it all took a while.   The camping fridge we bought a couple of years ago, once more proved very useful! After a quiet afternoon I wrapped up the Christmas presents which gave todays photo.

Day 356 Fail!

Thursday 22 December


Well I got it wrong yesterday, today is the shortest day! It was a fairly quiet day as I caught up with some cleaning and tidying at home. For a photo I decided to revisit soap bubbles.  I tried them earlier in the year but struggled to get sharp images without a flash .  Tonight I set up my new flash umbrella but rather than getting shots of interesting swirling colours in the soap film I got reflections of me taking photos  in my dining room! Bother!

355 The Shortest Day

Wednesday 21 December


The winter solstice is apparently at 12.30 am GMT, tonight so I'm not sure if today or tomorrow is the shortest day.  Anyway its nice to know that the days are going to start getting longer shortly.  I wish we'd pit the clocks forward sooner though.  When you think about it we put them back at the end of October, i.e. slightly two months before the winter solstice so if we were logical they should go forward about two months from now at the end of February.  So why do we have to wait till the end of March?   I find it very frustrating to waste all that sunlight! Anyway, I think I overdid it yesterday as I've felt shattered today. I took Dad to visit Mum but she slept all afternoon so that was a waste of time.  I've only taken one photo.  The daily challenge was transport, so when I spotted this mother and son on their bikes I snapped them. I thought it a nice family scene

Day 354 Birthday!

Tuesday 20 December


Yay! It's my birthday! Age 59 today! Not looking forward to next year, I don't fancy being 60!  Anyway I'll continue enjoying my fifties for now.  I had a lovely day today. I spent two and a half hours in a coffee shop this morning with Viv & Hil.  We managed just two cups of coffee each during that time! It was nice to catch up with each others news.  This evening Huw and Mel came around for a meal which Ian cooked beautifully.  I've had some nice presents, including a super handbag from Gaz & Vicky but Huw excelled himself with this lovely necklace.  Thanks everyone!

Day 353 Feeling Sorry for Myself

Monday 19 December


I didn't s;eep well last night because of my cold and woke up tired.  I was going to accompany Mel for her scan today but thought it better to give it a miss.  Ian went and found it quite an emotional experience.  Perhaps I'll get a chance later but I do feel better for having a lazy day.  I did absolutely nothing other than catch up with this blog which I'd let lapse for a few days.   I felt so much better this evening I actually sppent a fair bit of time over a photo, though not totally successsfully.  I tried some more smoke photos which I'd had a go at early in the year.  Now I have a flash it was much easier to get crisper photos but I struggled with a background that reflected the light and a lack of ventilation so some photos were too smoky.  I've then spent too long processing. It's past my bed time so here's the one pretty abstract/smoke photo so far.

Day 352 Sun!

Sunday 18 December


The visitors left mid morning after an enjoyable Skype call to Gaz in Australia.  We then did our good deed for the day by meeting Huw and Mel at Homebase to help them pick up some roof insulation for their attic.  They needed eight rolls and conveniently their car could take 3 and ours 5 so we got it all home for them in one journey.  It was very much a sunshine and showers day with a rainbow frequently appearing.  I hadn't taken my camera with me so once I got home I left Ian watching tv and set off with Canon to find me a rainbow!  Here it is on Llantrisant Common. It was tipping down with rain and I got lots of drops on the lens. I only managed the one shot and am a bit annoyed that it is so close to the top of the frame, particularly as I've cropped out some of the foreground grass.  Still, you live and learn!

Day 351 Visitors!

Saturday 17 December


Today my brother and sister-in-law came to stay for the annual pre Christmas present swap.   They spend Christmas at home in Somerset and it has become a bit of a ritual to get together the weekend before Christmas to hand over our  presents.  We don't open them till Christmas day though. I drove over to Porthcawl mid morning to pick up dad and Huw Mel & Mia joined us for lunch.  It was a busy but enjoyable day. Unfortunately I'm coming down with a cold and feeling a bit lethargic so was not in a photographic frame of mind.  I thought the light was interesting as Ian was browsing on the iPad so this is my one and only photo today.

Day 350 Mum's Birthday

Friday 16 December


Today was Mum's 80th birthday, so a significant day.  Sadly the ward staff hadn't realised and when Dad and I  took some cards and presents in and spent the afternoon with her she slept the whole time.  We weren't expecting much reaction from her but it would have been nice to get a bit more response than we did.  Ah well! that's Life!


I stopped off at Porrthcawl seafront on my way home.   It's dark now by five o'clock and the place was deserted.  It was cold and windy so I was pleased when this couple strolled past on the lower level of the esplanade to add a bit of interest to this photo.

Day 349 Sad News & a Wedding Anniversary

Thursday 15 December


Today we heard of the untimely death of Sue Evans.  We've known Sue for many years although we weren't close friends.  Her inlaws are MiL's best friends and the people who introduced us to Broad Haven.  We used to bump into Sue, and her husband Huw & their four kids, fairly regularly when down west as they had a holiday cottage in Little Haven. This was a sad day and our thoughts are with her family.


In the evening we had a splendid time at a 60th ie Diamond Wedding party in Port Talbot.  We took MiL who seemed to enjoy herself immensely.  Congratulations to Joyce and Jimmy.  Ian has put a small video of part of the evening on Mogs travels.


I've had my mind on everything but photography so when we got home, shortly before midnight, I took some photos of the Christmas tree lights, for want of anything better! 

Day 348 Christmas Cards

Wednesday 15 December


Aaarrgh!! These **** cards have taken me all day to do.  Actually the problem wasn't the cards but the addresses.  I have an old Palm PDA with some addresses, a paper address book with others and an iPhone which has been sync'd with Ian's and has yet more addresses, mostly in triplicate!  So now I have my cards written and all addresses in my iPhone, with duplicates etc and redundant contacts  erased.  I now have to work out how to sync the contacts with iTunes to overwrite all the previous duplicates/triplicates so we can start afresh. I think I'll leave that till tomorrow. The otherwise boring day was enlivened by a lovely chat to my American  cousin Aline. Would you believe we're half first cousins once removed! I'm really proud and pleased to have discovered her and the rest of the transatlantic family. She reads this blog so...Hi Aline!! :D


 We had a nice bottle of Pino Grigio  to drink tonight so as the daily challenge was "Hollow" I took a photo of the inside of the bottle before we drank it all! Hic! It's interesting but dull. I'm hoping some really artistic inspiration descends on me by the end of the year so this blog can end with a bang.  Unfortunately Christmas preparations and apalling light and weather seem to be getting in the way. Fingers crossed please everyone.

Yes! There's some left!

Day 347 Christmas Decorations

Tuesday 13 December


This must be the earliest that I've put up the Christmas decorations for years.  We've a housefull at the weekend so they need to be up for that and as it was such a cold wet and wild day it seemed a good use of time.  I let Ian venture out into the sleet, hail and thunder while I pottered about at home.  Mel and Huw came around for a meal this evenng so it has been a very pleasant day.  
I've another simple photo using some gold tinsel for bokeh as background to our rings - my wedding ring and the silver ring I made for Ian when I did a silversmithing workshop years ago.

Silver & Gold

Day 346 Homepride Flour Grader

Monday 12 December


It's been a productive day, online Christmas shopping and visiting Mum but not much to write about.  Todays photo is a blast from the past.  This Homepride flour grader is 0ver 40 years old!  Mum saved up coupons from the flour to get him.  He's a flour shaker if you take his hat off.  The question is will I be using him to make mince pies this year or shall I buy them?

DAy 345 Recovery!

Sunday 11 December

It was a late night last night.  We enjoyed the Quo concert though a must admit to wearing ear plugs for much of it. I get some tinnitus now so am concerned not to make it worse. At the end when they got to the old classics I had to take them outso I could really appreciate it.  Although you can hear the music through them it's not as clear as they seem to filter out the high notes.  Back home we sat and chatted then I read in bed.  Consequently I didn't wake till nine and Anne was even later.  By the time we were all showered and dressed it was too late to go out anywhere and the rain had started in earnest so we carried on chatting.  The four of us have no difficulty keeping a conversation going.  After lunch Anne & Bill set off home & Ian & I had a snooze!  We've not done much since then either just some tv, reading and catching up on some emails. I've just one simple abstract photo for tonight while I'm awaiting further inspiration!

Corners

Day 344 Cardiff Bay

Saturday 10 December


After a leisurely start this morning the four of us went down to Cardiff Bay.  None of it existed when Anne and I were in college in Cardiff together and Bill doesn't know the area at all.  First stop was the barrage to admired the engineering and watch a few boats through the lock gates. Next we stopped off at the white water centre where we agreed the people getting wet in the kayaks and rafts were braver than us on this cold day.  Finally we drove around to the head of the bay for lunch in Nandos and a walk around the waterfront, the Millenium Centre, Senedd and Norwegian Church.  The Senedd is open to the public and fortuitously we timed our arrival to coincide with the start of one of the tours. This allowed us into the debatig chamber and around the lower levels not otherwise open to the public.  It's a beautiful building, full of light and with magnificent views over the Bay.  I've never been inside it before and was very impressed.  There's a nice cafe there too, where we had a cup of tea, a place to remember if you want a snack in more peaceful surroundings than the hubbub on the quayside.


Now we're home & resting before our evening out at the Status Quo concert.  Not sure I'm looking forward to it but will report back tomorrow!

The Bay from the Senedd Foyer

Tea for Four in the Senedd Cafe

White Water Rafters

Barrage Lock Gates Opening

Day 343 Friends

Friday 9 December


Yes my friends have arrived.  Before they did I went out into the garden to find a quick photo or two as I wasn't sure I'd find time later and was suprised to find a few flowers in bloom and some tiny toadstools in the grass. Job done!  We spent most of the afternoon just chatting and catching up with each others news and then in the evening met up with Mel & Huw for an evening in their local.  We were disappointed the promised drag artist had cancelled but there was a very good singer instead. The company and conversation were the main source of enjoyment and we all had a good time.  The men had a pool tournament together but Ian & Bill lost to Huw and Tony.  It was a excellent evening but now everyone is in bed except me.  Time to post my photos and follow them upstairs!

Toadstool in the Grass

Winter Flower

The Winning Shot?

Day 342 Spring Clean

Thursday 8 December

After yesterdays lovely sunshine it was rather depressing to be plunged into gloom today as rain and strong winds swept the country.  We haven't had it half as bad as Scotland but I really resent having to have all the lights on in the house at 11.00 in the morning.  Not a day for going out so a good time to catch up on the housework.  It's suprising how much dust accumulates after 5 weeks away, also, with friends coming to stay for the weekend I'd like things a bit tidier than they were, not that the friends would mind. I've known Anne for 40 years (Eeek!!!) and we don't have to put on a show for each other after all this time.  I must say how nice it is to have such an OLD [ ;) ] friend.  For years, when our children were little our communications were reduced to Christmas cards but now we both have more time our friendship has resumed as if never interrupted.  I am so looking forward to this weekend together.

Anyway, this evening arrived without any photographic inspiration so I turned to "Our Daily Challenge" once more - Balance.  Hmmm! I had several failed attempts at photographing things that didn't balance very well then turned to the idea of a balanced photograph and.... a balanced drink. Whisky & Soda! (ok not very realistic whisky in the glass... that's something to work on!)

Day 341 Slimbridge

Wednesday 7 December

It was a day to wrap up warm as Viv and I had a day out together at the Wildfowl and Wetlands  Trust at Slimbridge.  It's one of our favourite places and the forecast was largely sunny but cold.  With the sun low in the sky at this time of year it was ideal for the two of us to do a bit of bird photography.  As you see I didn't just photograph birds as the back lighting on the teasel and pampas grass made them irresistable subjects too.  I've gone a bit overboard with the teasel shot as it is so amenable to manipulation and I've ended up with a rainbow!  The highlight of the day was seeing the bittern from one of the hides.  It's the first time either of us have seen one.  It wasn't difficult to spot as it was standing motionless right in front of the hide windows. It's always nice to see the wild birds, such as the bittern & greylag geese, although the captive ones are far easier to photograph My other favourite was the flamingo who wasn't having an afternoon nap like the rest of the flock!

We had a great day out but by 2.30 the cold was getting to us, despite our many layers so we returned to the cafe for a late lunch and warming cup of tea.  We took a different scenic route home to the one we'd taken in the morning and were treated to a wonderful pink sunset sky most of the way home.

Day 340 A Quiet Day

Tuesday 6 December


Not much to report today. I had my hair cut, culled some more Australian photos - I had 1500 of them! I've got it down to 1200 so have some way to go,  there's no point keeping them all as half will sit on the hard drive and never been seen again.  Once I've reduce the numbers somewhat I intend making a couple of slide shows of the best.  After lunch we had intended going swimming but both of us hit the jet lag wall and had a sleep instead.  It's so annoying but is improving.  I'm waking up 45-60 minutes later each morning.  It was 5.45 today. I think once I can sleep through til7.00ish I'll feel better later in the day too.


Late this afternoon I tried unsuccessfully to get some shots of street life and then on my way home tried for some traffic trails. It's not particularly creative but they're pretty lights.

Day 339 Back to Routine

Monday 5 December


Yes , back to the usual routine again and a trip to Porthcawl & Bridgend.  Dad and I had lunch out together, once we'd finished the crosswrd.  I was quite pleased with myself for asking for salad & no chips with my meal. I'm determined to lose some weight now we're home.  Afterwards we went to see Mum .  She was very happy and smiley today and pleased to see me.  We played balloons as usual and for once I felt quite happy leaving. Dad was pleased too as we met another family who were visiting their 97 year old mother.  Once we got chatting it turned out that Dad  knew of them and had lived next door to the old lady's husband when they were kids!


My body clock still isn't right as I was in bed by 9.30 but fortunately I'd stopped off at the seafront on the way to Dad and taken a few photos.  The light was quite nice and the sea rough with a couple of gulls flying over so here they are.

Day 338 Jet Lag!

Sunday 4 December


We thought we'd escaped the jet lag but no such luck. I was awake at 5.00 and couldn't get back to sleep. By lunchtime I was ready for bed!  Not unexpectedly we've had a fairly quiet day today with nothing interesting whatsoever, to write about.  I really struggled for a photo too and have been wandering around all day muttering " I must take a photo." 10.00pm arrived again without inspiration. Our Daily Challenge was Reflection so I eventually hunted around the house for a couple of mirros and something to reflect in them and came up with this. Not very exciting but hopefully I'll do better when I'm more awake - perhaps I ought to get the camera out at 5.00 in the morning!

Weighty Reflections

Day 337 Now for Something Completely Different!

Saturday 3 December


Home again! It was the usual sort of first day post holiday, a bit of unpacking, a bit of washing and some shopping. Huw & Mel called around to give us a progress report on the parents and to catch up with each others news. Other than that it's been pretty quiet.  I'm bracing myself for the next few weeks though.  We've visitors for the next two weekends and then the family will be here for Christmas. The house has 5 weeks of dust and needs a good clean & tidy and I've done no Christmas shopping whatever.  We'll need a holiday by the New Year and fortunately we have one planned! You'll have to wait to find out about it though.



Only 28 more days to go of this photo project.  I find it hard to believe I've managed to keep it up and have taken at least one photo every day and posted here.  The last few weeks have been easy, documenting our trip to Australia & Singapore, but I'll be moving away from documentary photos and will try to be a bit more artistic for this last month.  So today I turned to the Flickr group, Our Daily Challenge for inspiration. One of the open challenges was "Radiating Lines" so here's my interpretaion.  I did a spot of lightpainting and added a bit of extra colour in Photoshop, the original is below. I had a white torch.  I suspect the red centre is from me covering the end of the torch with my finger for each return stroke, unexpected but it adds to the photo.

Day 336 Flying

Friday 2 December


Not a lot to report from a very long day.  We were picked up from the hotel at a very reasonable 10.00 to get to the airport in time for our 1.00pm flight.  Singapore Airport is amazing.  It's a major hub for far east routes and is vast.  It is also empty and peaceful with calming music  reminiscent of a spa. Weird! One unique feature of the airport is the Butterfly Farm.  This was a good spot to spend half an hour while waiting to board and was also the source of todays photos. The only problem with it was the rain. With a mesh roof open to the elements i.e. tropical rain it was tricky keeping the drips off the lens!  As for the rest of the day, well 14 hours on a plane is not the best  but we got through it, reached our Heathrow hotel and crawled into bed.

Lunch!

Butterfly Sex 

Flowers Too

Day 335 Gardens & Lights

Thursday 1 December


It doesn't feel like December. With temperatures in the thirties and humidity so high that you're sweating and wet as soon as you step out from the air con it just seems plain wrong that the whole of Singapore is decked out for Christmas. Snowflakes and reindeer are everywhere!


Anyway I took loads of photos and can't decide on just a couple so here's a dozen or so.  It's a good excuse not to write much, you're just going to get headings today!


The Botanic Gardens

Orchids

Palm Leaf

Palm

What's That!

This Evening..

Double Helix Footbridge by Science Museum

 Christmas Decorations


         Inside the shopping mall....

           ....and out

 There's a huge complex here containing a casino, theatres and a vast shopping mall full of expensive and empty shops such as Cartier down to the common Adidas and Swatch shops.  In the centre of the mall is a fake canal leading to a circular pool that you can take a ride on in a sampan! Crazy!!

The City at Night

Amazing Light Show


These children were projected running over the water of the harbour towards us. The theme was a wonderful life with images from infancy to old age