Trains in the fog

Went to Quorn yesterday for a coffee in the air-raid-shelter-under-the-road-bridge cafe at the Great Central Railway station. Some 'look at me' overweight old fart talking at the top of his voice about things that he thought might impress others was really doing our heads in and spoilt the experience somewhat. Getting a new laptop and being able to mention spreadsheets and word documents in the same sentence does not make you big or clever. especially when the poor young lad you and your wife have with you is asking in astonishment what you will do with the desktop in the spare room. Come on, even those that did have a computer room don't do so any longer. So shut the F up and let my wife and I enjoy our coffee. Not to mention the trainspotter who's sat on his own obviously bored by the same thing.

Loughborough to Leicester Diner slows through the station

Good clarity for hand-held 1/30 sec

Not got anything against spotters, well not the non-obsessed ones anyway, and this guy sat there having a quiet brew in the warm before braving the grim day out on the platform to capture another steam-filled image in his viewfinder. Spoilt by some wannabe silicon valley dweller who wouldn't know an HD from a MB. Lets hope he slips on one of his floppys and breaks a toenail, anything to keep him away from the general public.

Christmas

Merry Christmas

Jac & Tony

Tony (Jac's Father) came for dinner, we all had Turkey on our plates and all but Alex ate it.
Pudding came courtesy of Sally's cheesecake, with optional Strawberries from a tin, or, Christmas pudding courtesy of a Hamper, complete with flaming Brandy.

Santa didn't feel the bite of the recession too much, although I think he'll see it following him up the street to work next year!
Having picked enough meat off the Turkey the remaining carcass was thrown over the hedge to feed the local fox. Probably not a good idea on reflection as it attracted the local Rookery's Crow population across the fields first. Why are small copses/woods where Crows roost and nest also called Rookery's ??? I would sooner shoot them than feed them, scavenging noisy greedy bullying Bastards. Don't get me wrong, I like the ornithological population of our world. It's just that the Crows and Magpies come into the garden and fill their beaks with bread before flying off to eat it. I crumb the bread these days so as the whole bird population get some, a little at a time, not by the slice.

While the hunts are out chasing smell trails 'Charlie' is in the field next door to us he-he

 

 

 Pompous twats on horse-back, I can't stand the toffee nosed idiots who think they have it better than those financially less well off, but fox hunting is just another thing thats been taken taken away from the good people of England, give it back, with all the other Historic rituals that have been forcefully removed from us.

Ranting over, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Balls

Snow-balls that is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I will have to buy a ND filter one of these days. A black-clothed boy with white snow-balls is very difficult to expose for.

Went out last night

And stayed in bed this morning. Well actually I got up, had my shredded wheat, bitesize of course, took Michael to work for 8am and then went back to bed 'till 11:00 !!
Went to see Charlie and my Dad this afternoon, very chilled day.

♫ Oh Christmas tree ♪

♪ Oh Christmas tree ♫
♪ How loveley are you're branches ♪

I could hear the Cat, she has a bell on her collar, I just couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from. The sound came from the Christmas tree but she wasn't underneath, batting the baubles like a boxer on a punch-ball as she usually is. I looked around the room some more and then noticed a movement near the top of our 7ft tree. Found her!

Men don't exist

There is no such thing as a Man. Boys never grow up, and if you describe yourself as a man you are either an older boy or a boring arse!
Here's a boy with one of my toys.

RTA in the Valley

Skids on mud, somersaults using a bridge wall as a platform, leaving sunroof glass on the parapet and lands four wheels down in a concrete section of stream. Trapped legs but a lucky lad.

Red is Dead

Red has a flat battery again, so she takes the Virgin to get to work. Yesterday she came home with the drivers door window fully lowered and won't go up. Not her fault but a pain all the same.
Today she texts to say she has reversed Virgin into a concrete planter and split the rear bumper/valance. That is her fault and she's not a pain.
To top it all off, I have three electrical test meters, the only one that reads DC Volts is in Virgin as I forgot to remove it after fixing the window last night. Now I can't test the battery voltage in Red's battery. Neither can I  find my amp-meter to test for any voltage leak.
While I'm in the garage looking for said ammeter I hear a noise in the unoccupied house. Unoccupied that is apart from Magic the kitten as Dash the dog is on the driveway. I go in to investigate the source of the noise. Now Magic has 'mads', these are when she runs around the living room like her tail is on fire. I have a laptop with a broken screen so a seperate lcd monitor sits on the closed laptop. MAgic has obviously been at work here and knocked the laptop off the table, complete with the monitor and several power/screen cables. Not content with that she managed to get them to land on my camera bag !!!! Luckily for her everything seems to be in working and un-damaged order, hence her still breathing but locked in her pen in Sally's room.

One Two Three GO

IF we could we would sell the red one the white one and keep the green one, thats called Red funny enough. Need to get these on the market, we need the drive back.

Red is in hospital, not critical but all tests are negative, or positive :s It's a charging problem that seems to have gone away. Further tests and a drive out will determine if it's terminal. Thats terminal for wallet or car!

Serious Frost

We,ve recorded -13C here recently, thats seriously cold!

Jac's car is having a ducky-fit and refusing to charge the battery, so thats sat on the drive waiting for a dose of  looking at.
I'm currently feeling shite following a 12hr night shift but, a big but, I have the last night shift of the cycle off for a meeting tomorrow. Bit of work stuff and home feeling OK hopefully for my first evening off, that'll make a change!!!

It's December

Snowing in Leicestershire and Rutland, a visit to the dentist followed by a photo fest.

 The Hill at Burrough, an ancient fort but known for accessible hills. But what gives people the right to dump thier wreckage, this is one of half a dozen or more abandoned sledges and other items that are capable of transporting idiots down steep slippy slopes, including the 'Road closed' sign.......

 that I placed in various poses.

 A real single track road.

 Single track road with pissing places ( I only wiped the snow off for better clarity, never touched it otherwise)

 Arr, thats pretty. Leesthorpe from Leesthorpe Hill end of road.

Where is my interweb?

It's been poorly for a week, almost to the hour!. Strange how it went off shortly after my abruptness directed at a BT tele-sales rep and came back just after my ISP finally decided it must be a line fault and authorised an engineer to visit and investigate?
Other updates from the week to follow.

Maisie

Alright, alright, I know it's not all about kids but this is is my 2nd Generation Daughter and I think shes worth a mention.

Besides, it's a good photo!

Cat-in-a-box

Place Kitten in a Banana box, cover with another box and torment through holes.

Hilarious.

Leave my TV alone!

Autumn-watch was on the Tele last night. As they showed Starlings swarming prior to roosting that daft kitten launched herself at the screen to catch them. If she hurts my Tele I'll,,,, I'll,,,,I'll do something!!!!

Lifting Equipment?

Today I went to the NEC to a lifting and material handling exhibition. I saw Toyotas, Crown, Junghiedrich etc. All of these Forklift Trucks, Loads of racks,stacking systems and conveyors.
A Rally car and    ,,,   ,,,    this!

Prime

Alex

Prime lens's, for those who not know, are a fixed focal length. Because of this uncomplication it enables better optimisation of the 'prime' focal element and allow a lot more light in therfore lower lighting photography can be done without additional use of flash etc.
I've borrowed a 50mm for a week, a crisp, sharp image they give, and I purposefully "miss" the focus to soften a portrait, they flatter more this way by the omission of any blemishes of the skin.

Clear-out

Clearing some of Tony's stuff. Sad sad sad and he knows nothing of it, they control his life for him as he has forgotten how to, it stinks. The big C is wrong but this is weird and frightening in that he still exists in body, like something has taken all but his life support functions from his head and thrown them in a skip too.

Mmmm Ham Sandwich anyone

Alex makes himself a Ham sandwich with Tomato Ketchup dressing for his lunch. He sits at the table with his freshly made butty on a plate in front of him.
A knock on the front door. Alex answers it to find Max outside.
I see Alex stood on the drive talking to Max, nonchalantly spinning Max's basket ball up in the air on one finger (how does he do that).
Meanwhile Magic has jumped up onto the table and is dragging a Ham sandwich off Alex's plate. She pulls a piece of Ham out of the bread and starts licking it. Sally had also seen this opportunistic theft and quickly removes her from the table and sandwich.
The lunch is returned to the plate just as Alex walks back in the room. "Did she touch it?" He asks. "No, almost though" I said, nodding yes in Max's direction. Alex then sits down to consume his sandwich, Sally and I trying not to laugh too loud from the kitchen and poor Max sat opposite him  trying to keep a straight face

We told him the truth when he had finished, and that it should be a lesson to him not to leave his meals and wander around like he tends to do at meal-times.

Smelly boy

Up early after a night shift, could never sleep properly after them but getting worse.
Sat on the settee with Michael asleep at the other end of it, and by 'eck does he stink! Not a teenagers usual stink but smelly old cheese. He's been working at a local dairy this morning so hes tired from the early rise and stinking from handling Stiltons.
I can wake him and firk him off to the shower now I have moved from my pit.
Jac's off with the other two visiting her Dad at his new residence.
Could be nice and peaceful but for the F1 screaming that is emitting from the TV.
Michael has left switched on.
Can't reach the control!
Might turn it down/off when I get up to make another caffiene drink.

Magic

It is magic by name and nature. Well she makes my money dissappear anyway.

8th Nov Cats and Kittens

Sally was sent home from school today. Swearing at a teacher. Messed up with all the things that have gone on in her life as she is only seeing the bad, and then letting her anger manifest in inappropriate forms.

For a positive focus I took her to see some cats, an early xmas prezzie. One has been selected to be the target of her affections and although we can't pick her up yet (Magic, the kitten) I think she is already in love.

November 6th Fireworks and bonfires

 The fires lit and the Barbies sausages eaten. The pyrotechnics left to Michael and he's had a can, Sally is flapping as she doesn't trust him to be sensible.

He managed alright though, as this proves







The firelit village