I'd meant to post this image taken at Ogmore Castle a couple of weeks ago... amazing difference between the weather then and now... ah well, Summer arrives tomorrow.

Ogmore Castle

...I've always rather liked this bunch of stones.

These were pebbles on a beach... I admit I did a little rearranging, changing the position of the stone towards the top right.

In case you wondered, I've also changed the colours of the pebbles.

Here's a question for those of you living in the UK; do we live in a country where freedom of speech is allowed, or not?

I'd like you to answer to the above question...

Then, if it's not asking too much, I'd be interested to hear your views on this particular story on the BBC News website... and finally... has your answer to my original question changed?

Wednesday morning has dawned grey and dismal here in Wales... and I have absolutely nothing interesting to say... I know, nothing new there!

So anyway, I thought maybe I'd share a couple of images of a slightly brighter morning...

...and a couple of beautiful birds.

Well swans do have large breasts don't they?

....from my heart and set me free
You`re grow cold and no longer care for me
All my faith in you is gone but the heartaches linger on
Take these chains from my heart and set me free...

Last week I was asked "how do you feel when you feel depressed?"

...well what a stupid question? I feel depressed, that's how I feel!

Or maybe it isn't such a stupid question...

Maybe it was the questioner's inability to use the English language that was a tad stupid?

Anyway in a more rational moment I started thinking about how I felt... I don't mean the symptomatic sort of feelings... the shaking, the anxiety, the sweating, etc. but the all encompassing feeling...

Depression is debilitating... so how would I describe that feeling of debilitation for me?

Hmmmmm....

And then I started thinking laterally... in images... and this is how I feel when depression strikes...

I'm bound in chains... they're not always in focus... they're often distorted... but the chains are there nevertheless... and they weigh me down... drag me down... and I'm no Houdini... I can't just throw them off... they smother me... and I can't escape them...

So that's it... Depression... to me depression is living a life in chains...

Now I know what to say next time...

Floating around Blogland in the wee small hours... no-one to play with...

Bloody knackered... so why aren't I asleep?

Ho hum...

By day he is a mild mannered duck...

But don't be fowled....

When darkness falls
He's got the balls

To be Deadly Duck...
The world's latest superhero!

Right... I'm off to take the scrubbing brush for a walk now....

A view of Chepstow Castle rising high above the Wye, taken from the town bridge.

Good morning bloggers.

Yes I know it's Monday and most of you are not feeling much like it today, but the sun is shining and the skies are blue...

I know I seem to have posted images of this bridge several times in the past... but I think this is the first time from the English side of the river...

...this is the sight that greets you arriving at the bottom of Tutshill, Chepstow.

London

Seren Wen - White Star

They look pretty lively to me...

Periwinkles

Aren't they lovely? These fresh colours are always so welcome as the harbinger of warmer weather.

Good morning fellow bloggers...

Hope you're all in the pink today?

Aptly Named

Don't you just love the simple things in life?

Thank you people... you're stars one and all.

The support I've received from friends here this last few days has helped me tremendously... you are a bunch of very beautiful people.

I have little to offer in return...

...while you are like the butterfly.

I'm really tired this evening and will be heading for a quiet corner shortly. Hope to see you all tomorrow.

The day's business is over... I'm delighted to have it out of the way... but not yet in the mood to share things from the day.

Completely off topic then and before you just bin things out of hand... stop and consider whether your actions are justified...

They always say there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle don't they... fair enough I suppose... there's always life in the old dog isn't there...

Seems to me there's many a use for an old boot too!

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and good wishes; I really do appreciate them all.

Yesterday's group therapy session probably wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it might be, but it was pretty horrible. Looking around the room at the other depressives and listening to their stories/experiences made me feel worse, not better.

Yes there was commonality between us and of course it's good to know you are not alone. But the sadness demonstrated by the members of the group brought on by the debilitating nature of our common illness was in itself depressing... not a good state of being for a bunch of already depressive types I'd have thought.

As soon as the session was over I was out the door and gone; the "do stay for a cup of tea and a chat" offer didn't appeal at all; I know others obviously felt the same way since I wasn't the only one running away yesterday.

So okay, I conquered the initial fears and turned up to the session. I even tried to engage with the session to some extent... and I will be going to the next one... I'm less certain about the next eight though.

Feeling the need for solitude I followed my usual pattern and ran away to somewhere quiet where I could be alone with my thoughts. For me this is therapy in itself... the ability to lose myself in my own thoughts and just be... it may not always be healthy, but it generally seems to help...

I sat here for hours
Through sunshine and showers
Trying to make sense of all that;
The damp from the grass
Soaked through to my ass
And now I've a pain in my back.

The sniff in my nose
From the wet of my clothes
Is thanks to the rain that came down.
A further depression
From my therapy session
Brings a facial expression; a frown.

And so to today's ordeal...

Last night was filled with vivid and quite disturbing dreams... a trait I've noticed when my head is particularly troubled. My sleep, such as it was, has left me weary, lethargic and generally sluggish... not an ideal state for a day when I know I'll need my wits about me.

Today's Friday, today's Friday, Friday is fish
Thursday is shepherd's pie
Wednesday is roast beef
Tuesday is soup
Monday is washing day
Is everybody happy?
Not yet.... but maybe one day....

We all have bad days.... they are part of everyday life. Most people just push them aside and get on with things though... how I wish I could do that. For me a bad day can last anywhere between a couple of hours and a couple of weeks...

I'm in the middle of a major wobble right now... and it is really getting to me... I hate the feeling of not being able to cope... of not being in control...

Later today I'm due to start a new group therapy thing and I'm dreading it. Dealing with people is something I find very hard to do... dealing with new people is almost impossible for me. It is not just fear of the unknown... or embarrassment... it goes much deeper than that...

I'm already sweating like a pig and my heart is pounding like a tilt-hammer. I really, really don't want to go... non-attendance simply isn't an option though. If I don't go today they'll just keep sending for me...

I admit though, the idea of standing up in an open forum and saying... "My name is John and I'm fucking crazy" doesn't exactly appeal to me...

To make matters worse I have an appointment tomorrow with my employer... after almost 12 months of absence they want to explore ways they may be able to help me with my issues... I'm dreading this too...

What I want to do is tell the university where it can stuff its job... just setting foot back on campus is likely to set me off again... and that means I'll clam up tighter than a duck's arse and not say a word... just sit there shaking and twitching... a bit more violently than I am already...

Sod's law these two things should happen on consecutive days... I should have managed things better... but that's part of the problem... management... I don't manage things at all... I just let them happen and hope for the best... god knows I can't manage myself let alone anything else....

So I'm sorry if I haven't been around this week and apologise for not answering comments... I'm just having a bad day...

I just want to run away and hide........

Today's Wednesday, today's Wednesday, Wednesday is roast beef.
Tuesday is soup
Monday is washing day
Is everybody happy?

Today's Tuesday, today's Tuesday, Tuesday is soup
Monday is washing day
Is everybody happy?

Well no, not really....

I want one!

Take a close look at this crest...

...no wonder the lion and unicorn are laughing!

How many times do you drive down a road these days and see a roundabout decorated with flowers or adverts? It's a fairly common occurrence isn't it?

How about this by way of a variation...

I love this roundabout in Splott (Y Sblot), Cardiff....

Of course you always find some fool driving round and round with a camera trying to take pictures!

Usky's weekend teaser has a winner and all is revealed in A Little Something for the Weekend.

Thanks to everyone who took part this week and don't forget to call around on Saturday for next week's bit of fun!

Well now, what am I to do...

Usky's weekend teaser A Little Something for the Weekend no 54 still hasn't be cracked...

Should I allow it to run on?

Should I put you out of your misery?

It's your game... What do you folks think?

I really love this old barn... it's just so primitive......

How many barns do you know that use single stone pillars like these for roof supports?

Usky's weekend teaser A Little Something for the Weekend 54 is still up for grabs.... why not give it a go?

Might be a good idea to read the existing comments to catch the available clues....

Castle Mound at Trellech

This incredible sporting year for the Welsh continues...

Congratulations to Joe Calzaghe for defeating Bernard Hopkins (non-title light-heavyweight) by split decision in Las Vegas during the early hours of the morning.

Big Joe comes from Newbridge, just up the valley from me in fact, which makes him a fellow Man of Gwent and passionate Welshman.

Last night's win extends the Newbridge southpaw's unbeaten record to 45 fights.

Another image of the raggedy tree at Trellech, but this time showing the well enclosure and spring/well too.

......I'm simply far too regal!

Double Faced Sundial

For Michael....

I know its early and not fully light yet, but from the looks of things it's not exactly going to be very bright today...

Hope the day is brighter where you are this morning... perhaps my weekend teaser will help make you smile if your weather is similar to mine.

Can you count how many?

I forgot to post these the other day...

This isn't the best image I've ever taken, but I do love the colours.

If you uproot a tree, the temptation is to burn the stump... it's a mistake though.

Look at this one sitting in a pub garden.... it's a talking point... a focal point... a bird perch...

What a shame it would have been to simply burn it....

Why is BCUK so damned slow?

All kinds of things hung on this tree... but judging from the amount of underwear I'd have guessed people were hoping for some pretty spectacular results.

As you can see, I managed to avoid the less savoury items...

Whatever you do, don't miss one... the water's bloody freezing!

This one's just for you Chassy... since you liked the tree so much.

I know How... but I have no clue Why?

Hope the natives aren't too restless........ best to keep your eyes peeled.......

Well this weather we've been having is certainly a bit hit and miss isn't it? I wake up and look at the blue sky, make a concious decision to go somewhere and by the time I've got my stuff together the rain is pouring down!

Yesterday I actually got outside though... and what's more it stayed dry.

I drove for 40 minutes and ended up here...

So I could walk here...

With my tiny little Panasonic DMC-TZ5 in my oversized mitt...

It was a very interesting worm.....

The scar's not in the right place for a lobotomy..... is it?

I just couldn't resist these chains...

Good morning all!

I know I might be slightly odd, but I have this strange desire to see one one of these charging up the Thames, bristling with flashing lights and honking out a two tone siren...

Nee-Nah Nee-Nah

Can one of you arrange this for me please?

Isn't she lovely?

No, not the blond... that goes without saying... I meant the tiny little Panasonic camcorder.

I love this building... but I'm sorely tempted to spend some serious time editing this image to get rid of the foreground and just leave the Gherkin on a stick!

Just the job....

Stick it on a pin-badge and hand them out to Big M's customers...

Those nice people at Panasonic gave me one of their new TZ5 cameras to take away and play with - I know, I'm a very lucky bunny!

I'll be putting the camera through its paces and testing it to the limit over the next few weeks, but thought some of you might find this interesting...

Here are two images taken from the same spot in my back garden. The camera was set to Intelligent Auto, so it decides the exposure, ISO rating, etc.

Technical details are given below each image.

ISO 160 : 1/320s @ f/8 : Focal Length 28mm (35mm Equivalent)
Exposure Programme - Landscape
Metering - Pattern

ISO 100 : 1/400 @ f/4.9 : Focal Length 472mm (35mm Equivalent)
Exposure Programme - Normal
Metering - Pattern

I may well have chosen different settings had I set the camera up myself, but it's hard to fault these automatically generated results; with this camera in hand, anyone should gather great images.

I've a feeling this little camera will prove to be even more of a useful tool than I'd imagined. It will never replace my D200, but it will get a lot of use!

I thought I'd share a few more of the images I took with the Panasonic DMC-FX500 I tested last week...

It's a lovely bright start to Monday morning... fingers crossed for a bright and sunny day for all today.

Even though I didn't actually play with any of Panasonic's new camcorders at the Panasonic Imaging Event, I was pretty impressed with them.

When they dumped one, with a live feed, into a five foot deep tank of salt water and it kept on sending back pictures, my jaw just about bounced off the deck.

Not satisfied with that, they took a bunch of them outside and this guy juggled with them...

Now I know what you're thinking... they're not real, right? Or the guy was so expert at juggling he'd never ever drop one... well you'd be wrong on both counts...

Not only are those camcorders real, high definition standard, palm fitting camcorders, the guy just turned and walked away while those three cameras bounced... yes BOUNCED... off the deck! And they still worked perfectly...
Amazing!

I was fortunate enough to get an invite to the Panasonic Digital Imaging event during the week which, since I was in London, explains my absence here on Wednesday. It was a very special day for me and I want to share some of it here with you.

The purpose behind the event was to introduce a select number of photography bloggers to the latest range of cameras in Panasonic’s armoury.

Available for us to use were both camcorders and stills cameras; I should say now that although I found the camcorders absolutely fascinating, I concentrated on the stills cameras.

The benefits of Panasonic’s Lumix range of compact cameras has been advertised frequently over the last 12 months or so, but comparatively speaking Panasonic is the new boy in the digital imaging market.

I played briefly with the DMC-L10 (DSLR) and a fine beast it looked. At 10.1 megapixels and with a host of impressive features coupled to a Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm / F3.8-5.6 ASPH / Mega O.I.S. lens I’m sure it will compete well in the market place.

The majority of digital cameras sold in the UK are of the compact variety and it is two of these I will concentrate on.

DMC-FX500

Panasonic’s DMC-FX500 is both innovative and highly specified; this 10.1 Megapixel compact features a 25mm ultra-wide Leica lens with a 5x optical zoom, giving it a fine range of usability.

My first thoughts were that I found the camera very hard to deal with. The ultra compact format means getting to the menu options via the miniature buttons are difficult to access for anyone with hands/fingers as large as mine. Fear not... the 3 inch intelligent touch panel on the rear allows access to all the camera’s menu options and facilities. You can either use a finger, or the included stylus to drive through the menu options on the intelligent panel.

Manual Adjustments

White Balance can be set to Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set White Balance Adjustment.

ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 1600; there is also a High Sensitivity Mode (Auto 1600 to 6400).

Exposure modes are Program AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. Auto bracketing is available in 1/3 EV steps over 3 frames.

Metering is Intelligent Multiple / Centre-Weighted / Spot

Pre-set scene modes include Portrait / Soft Skin / Self-Portrait / Scenery / Sports / Night Portrait / Night Scenery / Food / Party / Candle Light / Baby1 / Baby2 / Pet / Sunset / High sensitivity / Hi-Speed Burst / Starry Sky / Fireworks / Beach / Snow / Aerial photo

Shutter speeds range from 60 Sec to 1/2000th Sec – yes, a full one minute exposure!

Let’s be honest though, this camera is aimed at the mass market and most people will use it in either Auto or Intelligent Auto modes.

Intelligent Auto with Intelligent Metering

I tested the camera quite extensively in this mode, which includes image stabilisation, face recognition, auto red-eye correction and auto scene selection; the camera behaved almost faultlessly. The exception to perfection occurred when a seagull appeared in the edge of shot as the shutter fired and the camera focussed on the bird rather than the building behind it!

The following images were shot on a Thames RIB river boat; for the most part the camera was held in a single paw while I hung on to the seat with the other!

Not bad are they? To sum up, I’d have to rate this compact very highly. Its diminutive size may appear to make the camera difficult to use, but that simply isn’t the case especially in the auto modes. I’d happily recommend this compact to anyone seeking a small camera to slip into pocket or handbag.

DMC-TZ5

Panasonic’s DMC-TZ5 has a specification not dissimilar to the DMC-FX500; for me though there are several advantages.

The DMC-TZ5 is a 9.1 Megapixel camera with a 28mm Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens and 10x optical zoom; a 28-280mm zoom on a 35mm film camera. How versatile is that?

The camera features the same Intelligent Auto with Intelligent Metering system as above and the results are just as impressive.

Manual settings are also broadly similar to the above, with the addition of Underwater and Multi Aspect pre-set scenes. Shutter speeds on this model are restricted to 8 – 1/2000th sec.

There is no intelligent touch panel on this camera, nor is one needed. The mode switch on top of the camera allows quick and easy switching between functions; the menu button on the rear gives access to all the various sub-menus.

For me, this is the better camera of the two and one I’d certainly be pleased to have in my possession. Given the camera’s small physical size and versatility I’d say this was pretty much the ideal tool to be taking on holiday this summer.

Again this camera is incredibly easy to use and the results are pretty staggering for such a small piece of kit. An excellent choice for anyone seeking a compact at the higher ed of the market.

We’ve all been aware of the quality of Panasonic’s home entertainment systems; now those clever guys at Panasonic have done it again!

Sunday... London Marathon day... a day when I was going to go walking... well I still might in fact... but I'm going to get soaked if I do... it's piddling down here today!

At least my feet will stay dry in my British Army Hi-Leg Combat Boots...
Actually I find these very comfortable on a long trek and far more durable than the more fashionable type of walking boot...

Of course the daughter has a different outlook on life... she likes something a bit softer underfoot...

I must admit I quite like these...

Dear Daughter however prefers her blue pair... oh well... cue Nancy Sinatra...

Pincushion

Poor little bear...

...when some smart Alec takes your photograph when you're not expecting it and posts it to you?

Lordy, what a boat-race...

A face only a mother could love!

What would you choose?

It's beautiful outside this morning... the sun is shining and the sky is blue, with the odd bits of fluffy cloud... really lovely.

Not so brilliant indoors though... ...not for old Usky anyway.

For some reason best known to itself my mail server has decided it won't play this morning and I'm not able to send or receive mail. Normally this would be an inconvenience I'd just shrug off, but this morning I had a couple of important emails to write... typical!

Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to make the most of things and delay my communications until later in the day....

As regular readers of this blog will know I have the greatest respect for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country.

I've no wish to glorify war, but I do believe we should remember those who died. I also believe we should remember all the time and not just on a single day in November. I was very glad to see people in the village of Lacock obviously felt the same way.

When so many of our memorials are defaced, it is so refreshing to find one that is cherished.

I thought the matching vases of seasonal flowers were a really lovely touch... well done Lacock!

When it comes to fun in the bedroom (lounge, kitchen, bathroom, beach, field, back seat of the car... well you get the picture!) we all have our favourite positions and techniques.

You may favour cow-girl, reverse cow-girl, doggie, G-spot jiggy, bull horn, wild stallion, slider, sniper, cat... oh lord, way too many to mention!

Heck of a lot of animal references too... have you noticed that? No sheep though...

But what I've always wanted to know is, how on earth do you use one of these as a sex-aid?

Meaning

To be experienced in or knowledgeable about a subject.

Origin

The English grammarian and lexicographer C. T. (Charles Talbut) Onions was an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary from 1895 and continued to write reference works throughout a long and distinguished career. His last work was The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (1966), which was published a year after his death. If I knew as much etymology as he did I could certainly claim to 'know my onions', and it is tempting to assume that this is where the phrase originated.

While it is true that 'know your onions' was coined at a time when C. T. Onions had established a reputation (i.e. during the 1920s), the match between the phrase and his name is just a coincidence. Know your onions is in fact an American phrase. There are many references to it in print there from the 1920s onward, but none in the UK or elsewhere until the middle of the century. For example, this from Harper's Magazine, March 1922:

"Mr. Roberts knows his onions, all right."

Another example comes soon afterwards, in The Lima News, May 1923:

"The Columbus statement declares that the league is ready to give the Donahey boom every aid and comfort. Of course! Why not? Governor Donahey knows his onions..."

As I'm sure all you Harry Potter fans are aware Lacock Abbey has been used as a set in all the Potter movies to date. Not all of the abbey, just parts of it and in particular the cloisters...

Hope these few images bring back some happy memories for you.

Of course you will have to use your imagination just a little... and paint in the stuff the film industry does to get the right effect!

No visit to Lacock would be complete without a visit to Lacock Abbey... home to William Henry Fox Talbot... and famous film set.

Why not join me now as I take a walk around....

Approaching from the gatehouse you should be sure to take in

The Sphynx

Arriving at the house from the drive, you'll find yourself coming through this second gateway.

The grounds may not be as spectacular as some country houses, but there are still some nice touches.

The Sundial

And the house itself...

Full of history and beauty...

Hello all. Well I've had two very full and busy days, so haven't been around to spend time blogging... hope you didn't miss me too much!

Anyway it's going to take me a while to catch up with everyone, so please bear with me while I do.

In the mean time I'd like to share a few images of houses at Lacock village in Wiltshire with you... hope you enjoy.

There will be more of Lacock and some special news to come later, when I've got myself sorted out a bit!

Hello Bloggers!

Two of your number, one with their partner, went for a day out at Lacock today... and a very good day out it was too.

For those who don't know it Lacock is one of Wiltshire's most beautiful villages, but it is also the ancestral home of 'modern' photography thanks to this fine chap.

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77)

William Henry Fox Talbot was a gentleman scholar of considerable means and social standing, he studied both the arts and the sciences keeeping detailed notes of his endeavours.

Fox Talbot's experiments in the mid 1830s led him to discover the negative/positive photographic process, on which all modern film photography is based.

This is part of W.H.'s family pile...

Lacock Abbey

Good job the old chap wasn't short of a few bob isn't it?

More news and views of Lacock to come later in the week.

Where would your gate of heaven be?

Sadly someone decided this one would look better on the ground than adorning the doorway to a country church.

Why are some people hell-bent on destruction?

Mabel's showing off again!

...I can!

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around...

...but I hope I'm not present when they do!

This is another one of those really odd shaped trees you come across every now and then... in fact I think this one qualifies as weird rather than odd... don't you?

I rather liked the shape of this tree....

...so I thought I'd share it with you.

Still no sign of the promised winter weather in this part of God's own country... although we must've had some hail during the night because there were small piles of it outside when I opened the curtains this morning.

The skies are blue with drifting cloud, there's very little wind and the sun is shining quite brightly... it looks like an excellent day for doing a bit of hill walking.

Sadly my time is promised elsewhere, so I'll have to content myself with a few memories.

I'm always fascinated by the way trees cling to the landscape in what often appears to be the most inappropriate places.

I just thought I'd share a few more of the images I took up the mountain on Wednesday. Hope these don't bore the pants off you...

Note the sculpted layers of the one-time slag pile here.

View across the tops.

Looking up the valley.

We often seem to bang on about how things change over the years don't we? Some things really don't change much at all though. Take this Welsh valley farm for instance... a few cattle... some sheep...

Yes the farmhouse has electricity now, which it obviously didn't when it was built... and parts of it have been re-roofed over the years... fresh water is still supplied by a mountain stream though... no sewerage of course... or natural gas... and no paved access road... the nearest village is on the other side of the river... across the valley...

I wouldn't mind betting the original owners of the farm would find things much the same indoors as in their day... aside from the odd mod-con like electric lighting!

Lovely place to live though if you don't mind roughing it a bit.

So how come I'm driving round in this for nothing?

Not exactly subtle is it?

All together now...

Baaa......

I think what's left of this building may need rather more than the odd brick...

In case you missed it...

Dith Pran (September 27, 1942 – March 30, 2008) was a photojournalist best known as a refugee and Cambodian Genocide survivor and was the subject of the Academy Award-winning film The Killing Fields.

Dith's style with camera in hand will be missed by the photographic world.

I just thought I'd point out that when it comes to loving your near neighbours, it isn't just the Welsh who are fond of sheep...

Around here we talk about Gloucestershire, where men look shifty and sheep look worried!

Well I ask you... how could any red-blooded man resist?

I missed out on my away day on Wednesday, so when an unexpected opportunity arrived to have some time out yesterday came my way I grabbed it with both hands.

The weather was somewhat mixed, but mostly dry and I decided to take my camera to the eastern Gwent valley.

I dare say many of you will be familiar with the book and film The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain. For those who aren't, the story concerns Welsh villagers building up the local mountain to the required 1000 feet so that English surveyors who had previously measured it and called it a hill would record it as a mountain.

Well okay I'm Welsh not English and the hill I climbed yesterday was natural and not built. From the hill top though, I was able to look down on several man-made hills... vast slag heaps in fact that are now being reclaimed by nature and can almost fool the unwary into thinking they are natural.

Originally I had no intention of climbing the hill to the top... I was attracted to a small wood and having wandered through/past it I just kept climbing...

The sheep-path I followed corkscrewed up the side of the hill so the going was hard, but not impossible. I did manage to work up a really good sweat though, so feel as if I've had my exercise for the week!

From the top the views were wonderful, but sadly the light was far from perfect from a photographic point of view.

I exposed this quite specifically for the skies, but you'll get a general idea of the sort of location I was in.

This was mining country and years back there were half a dozen coal pits in this valley. The pits have all gone now and so have most of the old industrial workings. You can still find traces of some of the stonework though.

So anyway, I climbed this hill and worked my body reasonably hard yesterday... my legs are telling my this morning that I climbed something more akin to Everest! Yes I know... just a smidgen of exaggeration there... what you don't get from the above image is how steep sided the valley actually is... perhaps this will help.

Keep fitters... if you fancy a good workout... trust Usky... go follow a sheep-path!

One

Two

Panorama

Click for larger versions.

Usky has been pruning his Blog Pals list and removing friends who have been inactive for some time...

Apologies to anyone who feels they have been removed erroneously... please send me an invitation if you do.

Just because I can........

Said the exactly quoted title of the email message... the body text of the email encouraged me to click to aailiya.cn...

For gawd's sake, credit us with more intelligence and keep your unintelligible spam to yourself!

Received: from [125.161.232.219] (helo=219.subnet125-161-232.speedy.telkom.net.id)

(envelope-from bysgr@adelphia.com)
id 1JhLO1-0000gK-9V

Duly reported!

That's it... Usky's daily rant over........

Since I didn't actually manage to take a single photograph yesterday (thank you car!), how about I treat you to something old from my files...

Woodland Stream

So much for my plans for a day out yesterday.... I finally decided I’d go to Malmesbury... visit the abbey... and the Athelstan museum... if I’d had a son I would have wanted to call him Athelstan... how sad is that? Fate decided otherwise however... in both the sex of my child and my plans for the day.

You may remember I had a spot of car trouble a short while ago... well long story short... the dealership needed to get some parts in and agreed to do me a temporary fix so I could continue to use the car until it went in on Monday for the repair... got it back on Tuesday... I was somewhat lighter in the wallet of course... and decided since I’d been abstemious of late I’d have myself my day out yesterday...

Off down the M4 I went and was into Wiltshire when the temperature gauge shoots off the dial and things start flashing and beeping all over the place... onto the hard shoulder I go... of course opening the bonnet does nothing at all and everything looks perfect... bugger!

I hate sitting on the hard shoulder and the services at Leigh Delamere are only a few miles down the road so I coax the car there and ring the RAC... an hour later a guy arrives in the orange and blue van... takes a look... oh, it’s a Volkswagen... much sucking of teeth...

I’m sorry to say this... says the guy... this is either going to be the thermostat or the water pump impeller has shot its bolt... either way it’s a workshop job... and you want to hope it’s the thermostat... because otherwise... more sucking of teeth... bugger!

Have you ever driven along a motorway at 30 miles an hour... pulling over onto the hard shoulder every few miles to let the engine cool down... getting in everyone’s way... attracting the displeasure of all and sundry and especially some twat fool who tried hard to drive you off the road by deliberately cutting across you? I have...

Limped back to the dealership... took me over three hours to do about 50 miles... chucked my keys at the service desk... much displeasure... very sorry... sure it can’t be anything we did... leave the car with us... well I wasn’t going to take it anywhere else... and a couple of hours later they ring up... all very sorry... how terrible to have to say... the water pump impeller has detached... to get to it we’ll have to strip flanges, flukes, cams and all kinds of other enginey bits... suggest you have your cam belts changed at the same time... due in about 10K miles anyway and will save you money if you have them changed now... five to six hours labour... plus parts... plus VAT... approximately £600... what would like us to do? Well not much option is there? Damned if you do and damned if you don’t... get the parts in... bugger!

Three years trouble free motoring so I suppose I was due for something... and I do get change out of a grand for all this week's repairs... but I could have done without this now... so I was in a strop yesterday evening and didn’t trust myself to come on here... and I'm driving a car that is covered in dealership livery... so am a bloody mobile advert... bugger!

So no pictures at all yesterday, just a lot of frustration and bad temper.
I'm feeling considerably less stressed this morning thank goodness.

...outdoors...

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going... but I'll know when I get there... and you can be sure I'll have my camera with me!

I posted this black & white landscape yesterday evening:

La_Spice asked if she could see the same image in colour... I'm happy to oblige, although the angle of this shot is slightly different.

Personally I prefer the drama of the monochrome image, but I'd love to hear your thoughts here folks. Can you tell me which of these you like and why?