Planarchy Archive - November 2005


 

So make like a tree...

..and disappear," remains my favourite "Back to the Future" gag. 

Anyway, despite the recent cold spell there's still an awful lot of trees with green leaves.  Which are now starting to drop (the leaves, not the trees.. so far at least).  They're not supposed to drop when they're still green are they?  This means the trees are losing a lot of chlorophyll that they should be recycling for next year.  Not good.

20051130   18:59

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Kitsch

It wasn't a great sunset to begin with. 

But after arsing around in Photoshop to try and get the colours right I seemed to have managed to turn it into one of those awful sub-kitsch paintings that, I seem to recall, one could buy in BHS in the 1970's.

D'oh!

20051129   16:37

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And then there were two...

..teenagers, that is. 

Youngish Kay is now Teen Kay.  Can you guess what she got for her birthday... and how much the neighbours enjoyed it at just after 7am this morning?  I'm sure there are some of Keith Moon's genes in there somewhere!

20051128   19:45

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Net Nanny or Big Brother?

Me (to a slightly bleary eyed Teen-Dee this morning):"..and what time did you go to bed last night?"
Teen Dee: "Oh, not late."
Me: "Really?  You left a
comment on my blog at 1:16am this morning..."
Dee (with a smile): "Yeah, and I went to bed just after that... which is much earlier than usual for a Friday night."

Remember all of you, the internet is always watching....

20051126   11:20

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Dolphin Anti-depressants

I'm not at all surprised to learn that swimming with Dolphins has been found to be beneficial for those suffering from depression.   I've swum with these loverly little cetaceans on two occasions and found it wondefully uplifting.  Then again I also find spending a few hours with dragonflies, birds or even frogs pretty uplifting too.  So maybe it's just communing with nature in general?

There is, I note, no comment as to how the dolphins felt after swimming with the depressed humans...

20051125   9:16

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Triffid?

The recent cold weather has lead to the complete wilting of the unlagged bits of our Banana plant (12-15ft in the air).  It was looking messy so I thought I'd cut off the dead or dying leaves.  Amongst this mass I found the flower bud you can see above, it's over foot long and thicker than my arm.  Sadly it will not flower now but this is the first time we've even had such a bud on the banana plant..... maybe next year.

20051124   15:32

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Curling Up

I didn't expect to find further caterpillars after last week's curled up green 'un.  But the latest, a so-called "Woolly Bear" was found yesterday under a brick.  Sadly it doesn't grow into a bear, woolly or otherwise, but will, with a little luck, emerge as a Garden Tiger Moth sometime next year.  These are the caterpillars that can apparently cause an allergic reaction upon contact with the skin... but not a problem I've had so far.  The picture was taken at midday though from the length of the shadow you'd think it a late evening shot.

20051121   9:11

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It's cold outside....

..and the paint's peeling off of my walls.. as well it might.  Though of course grammatically "off my walls" would be quite adequate. Pretty frost up t'allotment this morning though.  Also on the Compact Flash Card (and forgotten until now) from t'other night were my experiments with the Moon and Mars (inspired by dr.D).  No sign of any fridges or Lunar modules (but then it is a long way away).

20051120   16:37

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Hello Haloscan

As Witchy spotted yesterday, my YACCS commenting system had gained extra content by the way of Google's Adsense Advertising.  It's a free commenting system so obviously that's their right.  However, I'm one of those people who don't want advertising (particularly random stuff) associated with their Blog.  Thus I had the option of making a donation to the YACCS folk or switching to Haloscan and making a donation to them.  After trying the Haloscan option I found it actually fitted into my strange homemade PHP Blog system better than the old YACCS one. 

So I've switched. 

What difference will it make?  Not a lot I expect.  Any problems do please let me know.

Long term I still plan to finish writing my own comment system... but that could be some time off... three years late so far!

20051120   15:30

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Squeaky

I fixed several squeaking doors at the weekend, some were hinge issues but the kitchen one had a squeaky handle mechanism.  The thing is that I rather miss this squeak.  You see first thing in the morning when I go down to make the various morning drinks for the Planarchy household I used to slowly turn the kitchen door handle so that it didn't squeak and wake me up.  I never managed, however, and it always squeaked at me.  I still turn the handle slowly out of habbit but now of course the squeak doesn't come.

Sorry, squeaky door, I miss you.

20051118   10:46

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Last Caterpillar of the Year?

I found this caterpillar curled up on a leaf of Purple Sprouting Broccoli although I don't think that is actually its food plant.  It looks to me like the same beast that has previously been found munching its way through our over wintering Brugmansia.  The season and size suggest its probably a moth to be rather than a butterfly but I can't work our which one. 

Cold day to be out whatever.

20051116   17:40

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Parental Pride

You know the bass that I was pictured playing last month (well the picture was from 1989 but I showed it to you last month)?  That bass is now in Teen Dee's room.  She asked if she could borrow both it and one of my guitar amps.

Excellent.   Watch out world..... the Planarchy family musical march has just restarted.

20051112   20:08

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De-Spooked

I should have known it would happen, shouldn't I?  I announce that I am in agreement with both Tory leadership hopelesses about Spooks being the best thing on TV and it falls apart.  Last night's episode was crap.  Apologies to Spooks fans, anyone who watched as a result of my comment and western civilisation in general.  The moral is clear..... me agreeing with Tories ends in disaster. 

I am sorry, I will not do it again.

I suppose the ending was supposed to be a cliffhanger to keep us on the edge of our seats until the next series?  Well to me they just seem to have left the option to write every single one of the remaining characters out should they wish.  Time for pay negotiations maybe?

20051111   8:54

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Spooky

Wondering if the day could get any stranger I happened upon an interview with the two Tory leadership hopelesses on Woman's Hour in which, upon being asked to choose between the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing both opted instead for Spooks, citing it as the best thing on TV.  So, there it is I agree with these two Tories on something after all. 

Strange days indeed.

20051110   8:51

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Meanwhile...

....standing in a queue in t'Bank today a voice behind me says,
"Excuse me, I'm a Christian."
Before I could even think of a suitable riposte he continued with...
"God loves you, do you believe in God?"
"No,"
"Well he still loves you."

At which point a cashier became free.

Bizarrest place yet for a religious accostment?

20051109   17:59

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Broadside

I didn't actually have much time to search for my Maori picture as by Saturday lunchtime the Planarchists all had to be installed into the car for a trip to the Norfolk Broads for a surprise 40th birthday party for one of my former work friends.  An evening on a paddle steamer with old friends is not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening, is it?  Then Sunday morning we arranged to meet some fellow party goers for a cup of coffee in Great Yarmouth.... which extended through to a pleasant seaside fish'n'chip lunch at Harry Ramsden's (oh look the site has closed for the winter).  Above Zee, friend Eee, Teen-Dee, little Eh, friend Ess and pre-teen-Kay turn their back on the camera for a beach walk.  Little Eh is Eee and Ess's daughter by the way and not an addition to the Planarchy household I'd previously forgotten to mention (well she is quite small).

20051108   17:30

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A slight un-hurrah?

Thanks to all for kind words and useful suggestions but I didn't get to find the picture in any of Saturday's papers and neither, I suspect did anyone else.  We usually buy the Grauni anyway but this was supplemented by the Times, Torygraph and Indie before I began to suspect that the date-of-use information from Alamy was incorrect and that the photo has already appeared (quite a common occurrence apparently with the Daily Newspapers)........ a shame, as it would have been nice to see the shot (3/4 page size no-less!) with my name alongside it..... Oh well, I suppose getting paid for it is the most important thing...

Another positive is that this is actually one of the first photos I took with sale as a Stock image specifically in mind.  It was before I'd given up the old job (but knew I was going to) while we were in EnZee last Xmas.  A rainy day found us at the Okains Bay Maori and Colonial Museum, a bizarre place that had previously been a private family collection (albeit a very big one).  Worth a visit if you're driving past.  As we were leaving I noticed these carvings by the fence and despite the pouring rain decided a shot of a typical Maori carving might sell one day.  Not my best photo from the holiday by a long way......but the one that's paid the most so far.

20051107   19:12

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Hurrah!

A favour from those UK based newspaper readers amongst y'all please.  The picture above has been purchased to be used in one of tomorrow's Daily Newspapers.  Unfortunately I don't know which, as Alamy who have sold the picture for me don't give me this much information.  Nevertheless, since it is my first sale to a Daily Newspaper I would very much like to keep a copy (it should be credited).  So, if you see it please let me know.  Thanks!

Now I can carry on smiling!  :)

UPDATE: Having checked out circulation figures, it's probably the Torygraph or Times... sadly only a slight possibility of it being the Grauni or Indie if they think they're going to have a really good day (as you'd expect when every reader of my Blog buys a copy!).

20051104   20:32

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