Memorise the periodic table for the internet :)
Bound to come in useful sooner or later.
July 03, 2007
June 14, 2007
You Couldn't Make It Up!
According to todays Sun (I make no apologies - I like it!)
...They made siren noises!!! Can you picture it?
Neee Naaah Neeee Nahhhh
TWO female cops jumped on a RICKSHAW to get to the scene of a crime.
PCs Ann Marie Rosier, 37, and Sue Beament, 44, were on the beat when an officer called for help.
They were too far away to run - so flagged down Ben Matthews in his pedal-powered cab.
The PCs made siren noises as they sped to Castle Green park, Hereford. They later arrested a man for breaching bail and assaulting a police officer.
A police spokesman said: "We will be handing over a generous tip
...They made siren noises!!! Can you picture it?
Neee Naaah Neeee Nahhhh
June 11, 2007
Bill's Plannin...
(photo by cloudasmoke)
Wikipedia describes lol Cats as a compound of lol and cat (you think!) and, as photo's of cats with humorous captions.
Even flickr has spawned a group for them now, which I was looking through earlier when I found this, probably one of the funniest I've seen so far.
Of course as I have all the necessary equipment (ie a Cat!) I've had a few goes myself - What do you think?
June 04, 2007
Great Inventions Of Our Time?
I heard on the news a few days ago a story about a new product designed to stop Cats from catching birds and other small animals - The Cat Bib. The website says...
What's more there are many many glowing testimonials from Cat owners who state just how effective it has been. Personally as the owner of a cat with a voracious appetite for the destruction of small defenceless animals, mice in particular, I can't imagine anything more ridiculous, much as I'd love to find a way to curb his enthusiasm for hunting he's a cat for god's sake! It's what they do!
Firstly I have enough trouble getting him to wear a collar (having spent over £20 in the last three months on collars that stay on for an average of a week if I'm lucky) let alone a huge lump of neoprene as well! And secondly it looks stupid - he would be the laughing stock of the area and I just couldn't do it to him, not to mention the fact that any attempt to put it on him would probably result in my need for medical attention!
I've attached a picture of a few of the cats on the website happily(?) wearing their cat bibs although it's not very clear you should get the gist of it, if you really want to see cats suffering just have a look at the website and click on the testimonial section - I tell you not one of them looks happy about it. I know it's a problem but beyond a bell round the neck or permanent captivity not one that I think there's ever going to be an effective solution to, and if there is it's certainly not the Cat Bib! Cats hunt! Live with it!
The CatBib is a unique, patented product that prevents your cat from catching and killing wild birds... simply, safely, effectively, and inexpensively! AND it's been scientifically proven to stop cats from catching birds!
What's more there are many many glowing testimonials from Cat owners who state just how effective it has been. Personally as the owner of a cat with a voracious appetite for the destruction of small defenceless animals, mice in particular, I can't imagine anything more ridiculous, much as I'd love to find a way to curb his enthusiasm for hunting he's a cat for god's sake! It's what they do!
Firstly I have enough trouble getting him to wear a collar (having spent over £20 in the last three months on collars that stay on for an average of a week if I'm lucky) let alone a huge lump of neoprene as well! And secondly it looks stupid - he would be the laughing stock of the area and I just couldn't do it to him, not to mention the fact that any attempt to put it on him would probably result in my need for medical attention!
I've attached a picture of a few of the cats on the website happily(?) wearing their cat bibs although it's not very clear you should get the gist of it, if you really want to see cats suffering just have a look at the website and click on the testimonial section - I tell you not one of them looks happy about it. I know it's a problem but beyond a bell round the neck or permanent captivity not one that I think there's ever going to be an effective solution to, and if there is it's certainly not the Cat Bib! Cats hunt! Live with it!
May 19, 2007
Coincidence?
So 7 just happens to be my birthday and what I've always thought of as my lucky number - coincidence or just a random piece of math?
| Your Love Number is 7 |
 When you fall in love, you experience it to the fullest. You are a cheerful, joyful soul - and you attract people easily. While you fall for people quickly, you also fall out of love quickly. It takes a dynamic, exciting lover to keep your attention long term! |
May 04, 2007
April 30, 2007
Take Me To The Kittens!
So there I am, aimlessly trawling through flickr when I came across a group called The Photographer's Club. I decided to have a look at a few of the pics but then after two or three I was greeted by a warning message. Apparently the photo that I was about to look at fell outside my current SafeSearch filter (didn't know I had one!) and I had to press an extra button to view it. The photo itself was nothing distressing or obscene but what made me laugh was the toolbar at the top of the page that says...
... and it really does take you to the kittens, and some very cute one's at that. I can recommend Junkus, kitten pics very funny.
It's nice to know that flickr's looking after me :)
If you've changed your mind about viewing this you can escape - take me to the kittens!
... and it really does take you to the kittens, and some very cute one's at that. I can recommend Junkus, kitten pics very funny.
It's nice to know that flickr's looking after me :)
April 19, 2007
Anyone Got A Map?
Go to...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps
In the search box type London to New York.
Take note of how long it takes and special notice of step 37 :)
Good luck.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps
In the search box type London to New York.
Take note of how long it takes and special notice of step 37 :)
Good luck.
April 11, 2007
March 26, 2007
Last Week's Impulse Buy!
As part of my attempts to shift the post Xmas Llbs (Xmas 2005 and 2006 that is!) I bought a bike. Advertised in our local newsagent, a 15 gear ladies Mountain Bike for just £10. I went to look at it and although a little old and battered it seemed ok, what do you expect for a tenner? Unfortunately it seems to have two permanently flat tyres which makes riding it a bit tricky at the moment but just as soon as I've found a willing volunteer to help me repair punctures/fit new inner tubes I'll be out and about on it.
So Long And Thanks For All The Fruit
Unfortunately I was introduced to Ze Frank half way through the show so I never really had the chance to get to know him properly (but then again, that's what archives are for) The Show came to an end on March 17th and although my relationship with Ze has been a short lived thing the thought provoking subjects have been inspiring. So much so that I feel a tribute is fitting and would like to take this opportunity to share a truly memorable episode - Let's hear it for Fingers In Fruit.
February 21, 2007
May The Paws Be With You :)
More and more often people are posting little icons with thier comments on flickr and most of the time they really annoy me, they clutter up the comments and make them quite hard to read but having recently been invited to join the 'Kitty Stormtroopers' group (don't laugh) I had to smile when I saw the graphic they used, it's the best one I've seen so far :)
February 17, 2007
February 15, 2007
Heaven Is A Warm Bath Full Of Bubbles – Discuss.
I haven’t been able to have a bath for over four months now, and I’m really missing it! I would like to add that I do have a shower, a very nice, powerful shower, you know the sort that sandblasts you clean in the morning, but it’s not the same as being able to wallow until you look like a prune in a nice warm, bubble filled, pampering bath.
In my opinion, there is nothing quite so relaxing as a bath. Preferably with a few candles, a glass or two of wine (or if bubbly if you’re feeling extravagant) some music, the phone off the hook, the door shut and the real world well and truly banished.
So in anticipation of the fact that Matt and I are moving to a new place at the end of February which has a bath as well as a shower I was ecstatic to get a whole box full of bath time accruements from my colleagues at work for my birthday. Complete with a bottle of Moet Rosé and a rather flamboyant rubber duck since named Daphne.
I’m not going to rush it, moving in is going to be stressful enough as it is, it feels like I’ve done nothing but pack, unpack, pack again, move boxes from place to place, store furniture and wonder where on earth things are for the last six months, having moved twice in as long. So when I do eventually get around to my first bath in our new home it is going to be planned to perfection and savoured. The Champers will be chilled, the candles lit, the music on softly in the background and I am going to wallow like I have never wallowed before, and heaven help anyone, and I mean anyone who disturbs me!
I can’t wait :)
In my opinion, there is nothing quite so relaxing as a bath. Preferably with a few candles, a glass or two of wine (or if bubbly if you’re feeling extravagant) some music, the phone off the hook, the door shut and the real world well and truly banished.
So in anticipation of the fact that Matt and I are moving to a new place at the end of February which has a bath as well as a shower I was ecstatic to get a whole box full of bath time accruements from my colleagues at work for my birthday. Complete with a bottle of Moet Rosé and a rather flamboyant rubber duck since named Daphne.
I’m not going to rush it, moving in is going to be stressful enough as it is, it feels like I’ve done nothing but pack, unpack, pack again, move boxes from place to place, store furniture and wonder where on earth things are for the last six months, having moved twice in as long. So when I do eventually get around to my first bath in our new home it is going to be planned to perfection and savoured. The Champers will be chilled, the candles lit, the music on softly in the background and I am going to wallow like I have never wallowed before, and heaven help anyone, and I mean anyone who disturbs me!
I can’t wait :)
February 04, 2007
Lost Land
I like having grown up photoshop, and I'm quite proud of this for one of my first attempts at being 'arty' with it :)
January 16, 2007
Clumsy Is As Clumsy Does!
Being ever so slightly clumsy and slightly accident-prone myself, and after a particularly eventful evening I decided to try a bit of Internet research on the subject. So I typed into the search box ‘what makes people clumsy?’
A surprising amount of the hits that were returned seemed to be connected to alcohol, understandable enough I guess but I feel I’m a little more specialised than most in as much as my clumsiness, when intoxicated (and I don’t need to be anywhere near drunk to do this) seems to focus on an ability to spill red wine. Never White Wine, I can hold a gallon glass of white, perch it precariously on the arm of a sofa, knock it, walk past it, kick it, you name it, it never topples – but give me a glass of red and I only need to be in the same room before it inevitably ends up covering something. The amount of wine spilt and the resulting stain seems to bear a distinct correlation to the colour of my surroundings at the time i.e. the lighter the colour ergo the more likely to stain=the higher the chance of spillage. So I was more than a little concerned when Matt and I started looking for a new place to live and the cute little furnished cottage that we really liked had two white sofas in it.
As anyone who’s ever spent an evening drinking with me will tell you – it’s only a matter of time! No matter how careful I am I WILL spill red wine on one of them sooner or later. So it wasn’t the end of the world when the estate agents phoned today and told us that the Landlord has now decided that he wants to rent the place unfurnished! Phew!
We haven’t got it in the bag yet but here’s hoping, not that I’m looking forward to actually moving it feels like I’ve done nothing but put things in boxes and move them from one place to the other for the last six months, but it’ll be worth it when (if) we get there, it’s got a garden, and a garage and everything!
So back to today. We have one of those slow closing things on the toilet door at work, which has to be bolted shut at the end of the day. I went in to get a bin liner from the cupboard in there and the door started to close ever so slowly, just as I heard a customer come into the shop. In an attempt to finish the job in hand before I went to sort out the customer I pulled on the towel rail on the outside of the door to close it more quickly which promptly came off in my hand sending me flying backwards into a pile of boxes of wine stacked on the floor. Fortunately the bottles didn’t break and I think I’ve managed to stick the towel rail back into the screw holes convincingly enough that no one will ever notice it was torn from it’s fixings, and I'm sure the bruises will fade quite quickly this time! Then I came home, watched an episode of Heroes (well worth checking out) than proceeded to knock a glass of wine all over my computer desk (none on the carpet, honest Matt!) twice and all this after only three small glasses.
I looked on Wikipedia and apparently clumsiness is caused by neurological problems and thankfully I don’t seem to suffer from any of the other symptoms associated with them when not drinking red wine so I can only come to the conclusion that red wine just turns whatever part of my brain that controls coordination, often with devastating effects on upholstery, (and my head, I still have a lump from a particularly unfortunate incident involving red wine, falling over and a pint glass, filled with water at Christmas)into a pile of mush.
Though it pains me to say it, it would appear that the only cure is a life devoid of red wine. Oh what the hell – what’s a carpet or two between friends anyway.
UPDATE
We got the Cottage, whoopee more moving, more packing, more lugging boxes around and then forever trying to remember which box things are in. Moving Day 26th Feb. I can't wait :)
A surprising amount of the hits that were returned seemed to be connected to alcohol, understandable enough I guess but I feel I’m a little more specialised than most in as much as my clumsiness, when intoxicated (and I don’t need to be anywhere near drunk to do this) seems to focus on an ability to spill red wine. Never White Wine, I can hold a gallon glass of white, perch it precariously on the arm of a sofa, knock it, walk past it, kick it, you name it, it never topples – but give me a glass of red and I only need to be in the same room before it inevitably ends up covering something. The amount of wine spilt and the resulting stain seems to bear a distinct correlation to the colour of my surroundings at the time i.e. the lighter the colour ergo the more likely to stain=the higher the chance of spillage. So I was more than a little concerned when Matt and I started looking for a new place to live and the cute little furnished cottage that we really liked had two white sofas in it.
As anyone who’s ever spent an evening drinking with me will tell you – it’s only a matter of time! No matter how careful I am I WILL spill red wine on one of them sooner or later. So it wasn’t the end of the world when the estate agents phoned today and told us that the Landlord has now decided that he wants to rent the place unfurnished! Phew!We haven’t got it in the bag yet but here’s hoping, not that I’m looking forward to actually moving it feels like I’ve done nothing but put things in boxes and move them from one place to the other for the last six months, but it’ll be worth it when (if) we get there, it’s got a garden, and a garage and everything!
So back to today. We have one of those slow closing things on the toilet door at work, which has to be bolted shut at the end of the day. I went in to get a bin liner from the cupboard in there and the door started to close ever so slowly, just as I heard a customer come into the shop. In an attempt to finish the job in hand before I went to sort out the customer I pulled on the towel rail on the outside of the door to close it more quickly which promptly came off in my hand sending me flying backwards into a pile of boxes of wine stacked on the floor. Fortunately the bottles didn’t break and I think I’ve managed to stick the towel rail back into the screw holes convincingly enough that no one will ever notice it was torn from it’s fixings, and I'm sure the bruises will fade quite quickly this time! Then I came home, watched an episode of Heroes (well worth checking out) than proceeded to knock a glass of wine all over my computer desk (none on the carpet, honest Matt!) twice and all this after only three small glasses.
I looked on Wikipedia and apparently clumsiness is caused by neurological problems and thankfully I don’t seem to suffer from any of the other symptoms associated with them when not drinking red wine so I can only come to the conclusion that red wine just turns whatever part of my brain that controls coordination, often with devastating effects on upholstery, (and my head, I still have a lump from a particularly unfortunate incident involving red wine, falling over and a pint glass, filled with water at Christmas)into a pile of mush.
Though it pains me to say it, it would appear that the only cure is a life devoid of red wine. Oh what the hell – what’s a carpet or two between friends anyway.
UPDATE
We got the Cottage, whoopee more moving, more packing, more lugging boxes around and then forever trying to remember which box things are in. Moving Day 26th Feb. I can't wait :)
January 12, 2007
January 10, 2007
January 04, 2007
New Toys
I did very well this Christmas, Santa bought me lots of new toys including some extra memory for my poor old Mac which means I can use the full version of photoshop now instead of having to stick to Photoshop Elements. Now all I need to do is work out how it all works and what I want to do with it but I'm looking forward to learning.
We had a few friends round last night for a post Christmas/New Year catch up and a few glasses of wine were consumed so today was a bit of a slow day as far as anything constructive went. I spent most of the day playing with photoshop. It's still a bit of a mystery to me but I did learn one trick, making abstract circles from my pictures which turned some of the ones I'd filed away into something slightly more interesting. It's not difficult (here's how to do it if you want to give it a go). Now all I need to do is work out what all the buttons do on my camera and I might be able to take some decent photographs this year! :)
January 02, 2007
Robot Santas Spotted In Odiham?
I spotted these in the window of the local Ford Garage and couldn't help but think that they bore a little bit of a resemblance to the Robot Santas that appeared in both this years and last years Doctor Who Christmas specials (with a bit of imagination!)
(Real Robot Santa pics taken from Doctor Who Online)
Almost Back to Reality
Well that's it for now, the holidays are almost over and it's time to get back to the reality of work, although Matt and I managed to hold off for one more day. I did a few hours work this evening but we had a pretty lazy day.
There was a brief expedition to try to find something to take some pics of but inspiration and subject matter was a little lacking so instead we just had a quick walk along the Basingstoke Canal to clear the cobwebs and then a quick drink in the George and Lobster at Church Crookham (New Year - new pub!)
After the excesses of Christmas and New Year celebrations it was quite nice to have a sober evening and it's off to bed early tonight with slippers and cocoa (well cocoa anyway, some rather nice Spanish Drinking chocolate that Santa bought me) ready to face the shock of the alarm tomorrow.
January 01, 2007
New Year
As another new year starts the obvious question that everyone seems to ask is 'have you made any new years resolutions? The answer - No!
I hate the idea of resolutions. You start of by making a list of all the things you want to do/change about yourself then when you haven't achieved them by the end if the first week in January you give up and get nothing done - or maybe that's just me?
Personally I was glad to see the end of 2006 and even though 2007 started with a king sized hangover I find myself feeling more positive about the future than I have for a long time. There are still loose ends to be tied up from the business that we were forced to put into liquidation in October of 2006 and no doubt plenty of obstacles to overcome along the way but I hope to be able to start afresh with an online shop and balloon decorating business early in 2007.
Add a few obvious aims to my list for the year like stopping smoking, losing some weight, getting fitter etc. I also want to learn more about photography (and what all the buttons on my camera do!), write more, learn more about websites, wine and running a business. The list goes on and I hope that this year will be full of new things and self improvement, but most of all I hope that this year is a much happier one not just for me but for all of my friends as well.
Happy New Year.
December 25, 2006
December 05, 2006
Beware Of Cheap Imitations.
I can be a bit of a sucker for things that 'appear' to be free but as a friend of mine said recently "If things appear to be too good to be true then they probably are. The worst example of this that I've come across recently was the purchase of a very cheap sandisk memory card from e-bay.
It appeared to be fine at first everything seemed to work and there was no reason to question whether it was genuine or not, that is until we put it into a different camera! the holes at the bottom of the card are slightly larger than the holes in a genuine card, and not as accurately positioned consequently when we swapped it from one Canon to the other it bent the pins in the card slot and broke the camera. It went from bad to worse when, oblivious to the reason the camera had stopped working, we put the memory card back into another Canon and it did the same thing to that as well! Fortunately Matt's 350D appears to be ok for the moment, despite losing a pin that fell out after using the fake card however my 300D didn't come out of it so well and is now in for repair with a bill of £140 to face - Happy Christmas!
There's a great article here all about the fake cards and how to spot them so if you use sandisk CF cards be very very careful where you buy them from, it may cost a little more but it's worth making sure you've got the genuine article.
Extra Information
Although the sandisk sale has now ended the person we bought the card from is a regular seller on ebay so think twice about buying from wand3r3r19
It appeared to be fine at first everything seemed to work and there was no reason to question whether it was genuine or not, that is until we put it into a different camera! the holes at the bottom of the card are slightly larger than the holes in a genuine card, and not as accurately positioned consequently when we swapped it from one Canon to the other it bent the pins in the card slot and broke the camera. It went from bad to worse when, oblivious to the reason the camera had stopped working, we put the memory card back into another Canon and it did the same thing to that as well! Fortunately Matt's 350D appears to be ok for the moment, despite losing a pin that fell out after using the fake card however my 300D didn't come out of it so well and is now in for repair with a bill of £140 to face - Happy Christmas!
There's a great article here all about the fake cards and how to spot them so if you use sandisk CF cards be very very careful where you buy them from, it may cost a little more but it's worth making sure you've got the genuine article.
Extra Information
Although the sandisk sale has now ended the person we bought the card from is a regular seller on ebay so think twice about buying from wand3r3r19
November 27, 2006
November 21, 2006
Past It's Best?
Jim the Halloween Pumpkin is starting to look a little worse for wear now. I know I should have thrown him out ages ago but I've got quite attached to him, and besides if someone had eaten your insides, filled your head with candles then used you as a prop for photographing sparklers you probably wouldn't look so hot either. :)Mmmmm? I wonder how long it will take for him to turn into a complete pile of mush? Maybe I should just leave him where he is for a little bit longer and see :)
November 20, 2006
November 18, 2006
Bees!
Despite a really, really wet, miserable Friday the weekend turned out to be really nice again. the uncharacteristically warm weather for this time of year seems to be showing no sign of stopping. Although understandably it's pretty cold in the evenings (possibly something to do with the sun going down?) the days are still mostly bright and filled with that really annoying low autumn sun that gets in the way of both driving and photography! I can't get my head round the fact that my sunglasses are still out in November!
I resisted the urge to stay in, to watch the England V South Africa Rugby match on Saturday and gave in to a drive/walk locally to play with cameras and find a nice country pub. Despite all good intentions and a bit of an aimless drive we ended up back at The Chequers in Well, which is rapidly becoming a bit of a fave at weekends. It's a really nice, friendly. relaxed pub with great food, both bar snacks and a full blown restaurant if you want it and we seem to be ending up there a lot. We drifted upon it by accident a few weeks back and despite a very surreal conversation with a local man about the virtues of rolling your own cigarettes and just how many different types of rolling 'backy there is we've been back a few times now.
When it came time to leave I was surprised to find a Bee had settled on the sunroof of our car, convinced (although since corrected) that Bees hibernate in winter. Apparently they just cluster together to keep warm, taking turns to be on the cold outside, either way I'm sure this one shouldn't have still been buzzing round a pub garden! I'm not sure this was a very well Bee, it seemed very docile. So much so that I could get up quite close for a pic (Dear Santa, if I'm good can I have a macro lens please?). I like the effect of the reflection in the roof and shall continue my quest for the perfect bee pic next summer.
I resisted the urge to stay in, to watch the England V South Africa Rugby match on Saturday and gave in to a drive/walk locally to play with cameras and find a nice country pub. Despite all good intentions and a bit of an aimless drive we ended up back at The Chequers in Well, which is rapidly becoming a bit of a fave at weekends. It's a really nice, friendly. relaxed pub with great food, both bar snacks and a full blown restaurant if you want it and we seem to be ending up there a lot. We drifted upon it by accident a few weeks back and despite a very surreal conversation with a local man about the virtues of rolling your own cigarettes and just how many different types of rolling 'backy there is we've been back a few times now.
When it came time to leave I was surprised to find a Bee had settled on the sunroof of our car, convinced (although since corrected) that Bees hibernate in winter. Apparently they just cluster together to keep warm, taking turns to be on the cold outside, either way I'm sure this one shouldn't have still been buzzing round a pub garden! I'm not sure this was a very well Bee, it seemed very docile. So much so that I could get up quite close for a pic (Dear Santa, if I'm good can I have a macro lens please?). I like the effect of the reflection in the roof and shall continue my quest for the perfect bee pic next summer.
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