tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33398141153534123422024-02-19T21:24:29.936+11:00Optical DelusionNammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-3659331727738894352023-05-29T22:36:00.001+10:002023-05-29T22:36:30.642+10:00Bathroom reno <p>My home, whilst cosy and comfortable, has a couple of bathrooms and a kitchen from the dark ages!</p><p>I kid you not! 70's style, with poor quality and poorly executed 80's updates reigned supreme. I've never been overly keen to change that status quo, but I think the indoctrination of daytime telly had manifested change in my mind. Not only could these rooms be beautiful, but I could do a lot of the work myself!</p><p>So the work has begun. Each bathroom has a new vanity and loo and EVERY tap and spout in the entire house has been replaced. Yes, I do mean outdoor taps and laundry taps and even a new tap down the back for the veggie patch. Every air vent, IXL tactic, light switch and power point has been replaced and in the main bathroom the vanity lighting has also been replaced.</p><p>It is still very much a work in progress. Mirrors and towel rails now hung and it all need a good clean..... but it is an amazing improvement at very little expenditure.</p><p>I was struggling to get the right dunnies to suit as the "set out" was probably not standard, or maybe old standard is a better term. I tried a locally well known plumbing supply business who simply dicked me around for 90 minutes. They didn't know their stock and was walking to loo to loo in the display room with a tape measure checking the set outs!!!</p><p>Fortunately a rather frustrated call to the most amazing plumber Errol, from Errol Hancock Gas and Plumbing put me in contact with Tara at Reece plumbing, Gateshead. In a 10 minute phone call with Tara, in which I thought I totally bamboozled her, she sorted all my plumbing supplies. About 45 minutes later I had a written quote emailed to me from the most amazing Tara and... it was spot on!!!! The dunnies were the right sizes and perfectly suited to the rooms. The tap sets were just magnificent. Tara is a total genius ... and obviously understood the ravings of a plumbing supply virgin. I should clarify the call to Tara was made from my car as I was diving to an appointment. I didn't have exact measurements. I was recalling from memory, describing tap shapes and finishes and she got it absolutely right!</p><p><br /></p><p>So here are some "before" and "work still in progress" photos. There is still much to do, but crikey between Tara and Errol I am well on the way to a classy new loo or two! And the kitchen.... well that's next! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CmwOcCZ86R9cd6hQz8S4yV2cEWg7t_na8n1EohjEpEVfmNY8HKGVCYV4Hq4UD7uhEi_NQzYDe_eiTZbKSvyLBWczOPXnMyvS5MBEOqDw1vGwEzdXdBLEZh8U6jH0XD9XQ7OOjkziw_rPuhVqAkCKRiFOya1bxyUJ2izIr2dd1P0IocqP7IlPKA-N/s4032/bath7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CmwOcCZ86R9cd6hQz8S4yV2cEWg7t_na8n1EohjEpEVfmNY8HKGVCYV4Hq4UD7uhEi_NQzYDe_eiTZbKSvyLBWczOPXnMyvS5MBEOqDw1vGwEzdXdBLEZh8U6jH0XD9XQ7OOjkziw_rPuhVqAkCKRiFOya1bxyUJ2izIr2dd1P0IocqP7IlPKA-N/s320/bath7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qpG36f78iLK1wecRw2lqmR1GuFJv0wVxjip5E5D7xg0VH3G2IfDMi1lvLuFYl2uym6GbLbxJI-l7_e1X08r68aHYihoc_7FtQlcO9juVEUXew7gAPYQOPwCzfCocxBPlY32JWQk0DAVj9SxlKTCeHw60aCtxqHZfPxQOquedjOJsVdPxwSEt77T7/s4032/bath3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qpG36f78iLK1wecRw2lqmR1GuFJv0wVxjip5E5D7xg0VH3G2IfDMi1lvLuFYl2uym6GbLbxJI-l7_e1X08r68aHYihoc_7FtQlcO9juVEUXew7gAPYQOPwCzfCocxBPlY32JWQk0DAVj9SxlKTCeHw60aCtxqHZfPxQOquedjOJsVdPxwSEt77T7/s320/bath3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN-6tIadhE3_cy8QvMAG3u7-zxo_FfbFUhYBPmJyleL69UPlIFC0BfkVM_-MeVmrUPAEouvzcezNdnyNoyPowKXRnwh-crNjw6mvJE-4Q8NOzXYxEZpizRLMLsIpyD5hJdLjsme5TLG4GS0LQ8QhDrWDJLbE4ZGrBddA9ELAERkJDAzg7TLJ3tybS/s4032/bath6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN-6tIadhE3_cy8QvMAG3u7-zxo_FfbFUhYBPmJyleL69UPlIFC0BfkVM_-MeVmrUPAEouvzcezNdnyNoyPowKXRnwh-crNjw6mvJE-4Q8NOzXYxEZpizRLMLsIpyD5hJdLjsme5TLG4GS0LQ8QhDrWDJLbE4ZGrBddA9ELAERkJDAzg7TLJ3tybS/s320/bath6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDP00JqJNB9V7YwYZX6M34q_rlXQEpX3E8RN51yIq1L1pWos4alpenGFHIqfDxErK0sBCDpV9Vh5wazWgP6SvgS05Ap8hT9rA3tE8VOQR41t-moZ9uARqiRbSM9poSsAPqto1gVVmTcXiYzCZuP0C6yHPavu3qH9cTf4Q1VGWuXmdm9vPNYH_xk8f/s4032/bath12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDP00JqJNB9V7YwYZX6M34q_rlXQEpX3E8RN51yIq1L1pWos4alpenGFHIqfDxErK0sBCDpV9Vh5wazWgP6SvgS05Ap8hT9rA3tE8VOQR41t-moZ9uARqiRbSM9poSsAPqto1gVVmTcXiYzCZuP0C6yHPavu3qH9cTf4Q1VGWuXmdm9vPNYH_xk8f/s320/bath12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMApSrJo6-rUJV4hcvs2nES22dP_iRG50itIFuMmoTwI00guQAV1EF0axoN_Zzf8LlAe9QGmSLJary9x6z_GJfjjifEZxHnaGS4hZnqXp7RW6V_OOlUO-8K5u17RFJneJ9VeyPLNCtb32P5oraphNYCN8iwTI2Pf7t0UQQhMc5dgZQ63GUZ926W6or/s4032/bath11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMApSrJo6-rUJV4hcvs2nES22dP_iRG50itIFuMmoTwI00guQAV1EF0axoN_Zzf8LlAe9QGmSLJary9x6z_GJfjjifEZxHnaGS4hZnqXp7RW6V_OOlUO-8K5u17RFJneJ9VeyPLNCtb32P5oraphNYCN8iwTI2Pf7t0UQQhMc5dgZQ63GUZ926W6or/s320/bath11.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_BpWb-fm7PeM-DCcvz21UhpOGbVvLoAkW-tDZCbChS6NLR3RSWQ9jgZG71CfzH2_dGn2yZ20tnOj3sQY2gVQFM2agoWuTpg_0yEnO7Qje4WM5vqfZ50Je4pPtxUP3WzTKBSEvbX1T4KqLf1aICFoFU0MtZv_PgBai_KU7GAoTo5EK8ksfK_aE4uJ/s4032/IMG_5683.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_BpWb-fm7PeM-DCcvz21UhpOGbVvLoAkW-tDZCbChS6NLR3RSWQ9jgZG71CfzH2_dGn2yZ20tnOj3sQY2gVQFM2agoWuTpg_0yEnO7Qje4WM5vqfZ50Je4pPtxUP3WzTKBSEvbX1T4KqLf1aICFoFU0MtZv_PgBai_KU7GAoTo5EK8ksfK_aE4uJ/s320/IMG_5683.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd8pwF_7RENURZ4mJdiXNWLfDi1qP7E_Jnlj1nkesn-gzEpAqxtI4xnufHefzJUNGOnlOijds3efEy-FnVhr6YDfPTlM5lIyh7DzSHijE9Wi9inBZWGnmNbG68bQL2pEMVkPOGtKR8-2vc04_qYyT15lwb4WvXuomcxT2b57My_V4B89_xKbCegzE/s4032/bath10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwd8pwF_7RENURZ4mJdiXNWLfDi1qP7E_Jnlj1nkesn-gzEpAqxtI4xnufHefzJUNGOnlOijds3efEy-FnVhr6YDfPTlM5lIyh7DzSHijE9Wi9inBZWGnmNbG68bQL2pEMVkPOGtKR8-2vc04_qYyT15lwb4WvXuomcxT2b57My_V4B89_xKbCegzE/s320/bath10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZCS2NErwZ139VZXXIbJTRhKUSwr-R3tR_uH9wirge6Vsw0cp5mB7RU6TyOzra8Pr-l5D-3-0AXVjI5nuM8EqBUAnxFynduFGSdcRYSmTNusDvAAHUDa6XqvHuix9GoNYvwvcnHZYwDXHWO0Shw0DIUrsGaEylj9bBqEdhdV2_ioBHmg01gcN1vWY/s4032/IMG_5681.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZCS2NErwZ139VZXXIbJTRhKUSwr-R3tR_uH9wirge6Vsw0cp5mB7RU6TyOzra8Pr-l5D-3-0AXVjI5nuM8EqBUAnxFynduFGSdcRYSmTNusDvAAHUDa6XqvHuix9GoNYvwvcnHZYwDXHWO0Shw0DIUrsGaEylj9bBqEdhdV2_ioBHmg01gcN1vWY/s320/IMG_5681.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvYpFjGCyPc_hplxYqAv2_HeiWs9uzxf2kXg0wjQo21lUArdYea2f2J_zZ9eJpoB_eFg17nQ2ESQhAyP7SoHfsHxS4nuzZ62j31JO7Wv_WtmbhxsTzjLdRhCSVp6H4wskkOGflaX-K-69WtuDjBzqHHeJ2RwFNIq35d760TdKf9LZksjh2iFNSG2A/s4032/bath1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvYpFjGCyPc_hplxYqAv2_HeiWs9uzxf2kXg0wjQo21lUArdYea2f2J_zZ9eJpoB_eFg17nQ2ESQhAyP7SoHfsHxS4nuzZ62j31JO7Wv_WtmbhxsTzjLdRhCSVp6H4wskkOGflaX-K-69WtuDjBzqHHeJ2RwFNIq35d760TdKf9LZksjh2iFNSG2A/s320/bath1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35FYjpLsdmGebOHWm4q9cIjTpXUEZqTcUUaOcyy_jYlpyIxenHIxueQ9Acw1HBUALP1BbhKk5SK5B2kG3wa9dVjlFMx1NdHulDqYLx-ZHwGnLYIX_rya8yX01QWFJCd77Kp4ofzHnWBPo2zaBRCtugFWvgZ98lZBynnuxINNPe8WV3iKo9fSqQCEM/s3600/IMG_6638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35FYjpLsdmGebOHWm4q9cIjTpXUEZqTcUUaOcyy_jYlpyIxenHIxueQ9Acw1HBUALP1BbhKk5SK5B2kG3wa9dVjlFMx1NdHulDqYLx-ZHwGnLYIX_rya8yX01QWFJCd77Kp4ofzHnWBPo2zaBRCtugFWvgZ98lZBynnuxINNPe8WV3iKo9fSqQCEM/s320/IMG_6638.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-65383010654775024982022-10-09T10:11:00.000+11:002022-10-09T10:11:20.013+11:00Roof Restoration!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />So in the vein of Reno madness I decided to replace the concrete tile roof. There was nothing wrong with it, it covered perfectly well, didn't leak and performed all the functions a tile roof should.....but it was that ordinary glazed brown colour and .... well I just didn't like it. It was perfectly sound, but ... well I guess bland is the best description. On the jobs list is to repaint the house and I just couldn't find a colour that went with the tiles. <p></p><p>I decided that a colorbond iron roof was a better bet. Or so I thought until I got a quote to replace the tiles. There was no way I could justify removing a perfectly functional roof and replace with colorond for what seemed a stupid amount, $35,000. The quote did include removal of the tiles from the site and eco friendly disposal, but it was still a lot of cash to splash. Yes, it IS a big roof, but I couldn't justify that outlay. I expect to be under this roof for another 25 years or so and the tile will go the distance. The most viable and "bang for your buck" solution was to have it painted. When I say painted I mean scrubbed, sealed AND painted.</p><p>So the research began on all things painted. Colorbond also do a line of paint colours and from that I chose the deepest grey. A colour called monument. Research began, shoutout to a restorer and the work commenced. Like any painting job the hard work is the preparation. Two days of scrubbing and repointing was swiftly followed with a day of sealing. In the process it was found that there were 6 cracked tiles on the roof. They were replaced and a further 10 were painted to match the new colour in case there needs to be a repair further down the line. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSAjdymTu_5LoYWfHCL4k7nWI0tjy7lyfLOAGtnV9AtrnF70sArmcd-eoSwQBNgHJXHyTtPHHx_VD6bfW8D4JSH6j7x4ueNNClZxYdrzFOaPWFOSqXxYbb9uj907lVbZuYCfmIUGbA-PdzIeqSIUTeNmRDWr5OH1GO-RhUr8Dg849e-cINY1vPh9L/s4032/roof3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxSAjdymTu_5LoYWfHCL4k7nWI0tjy7lyfLOAGtnV9AtrnF70sArmcd-eoSwQBNgHJXHyTtPHHx_VD6bfW8D4JSH6j7x4ueNNClZxYdrzFOaPWFOSqXxYbb9uj907lVbZuYCfmIUGbA-PdzIeqSIUTeNmRDWr5OH1GO-RhUr8Dg849e-cINY1vPh9L/s320/roof3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-fWFLCHHCijPHSNwqlm1tO4ZgEmplbD12sByBXM9q4czeYw8C1RTUOfNFtkLEXreWeJBL1sGdm01hYo462UOzAp93YHiBrSJ3rW97yIqf_LsCVsG08Q1Sy2ccxXTK2R-ZDDYQjicjatPXy847N79bxNER981DfE_HgoU_f1TqCssYR5WAMwFZjkB/s320/IMG_5553.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The actual colour spray only took about 2 hours per coat and she took 3 coats to look smick.</p><p>Not content to stop there the wonderful spray people also hand painted the gutters!! The many miles of gutters! And the fascia on the garage AND the carport! </p><p>The work was done by UPCOLOURS Roof Restoration. Awesome folk, highly recommended. So if you are in the Hunter region of NSW then give them a call. Next job.... pick a paint colour to go with Monument! Any ideas???</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpg1gmK2qj2DScutRcsCfCt6MZovnljZTGBjHlDj2YSZhUb50fm5FpVWf0Xl-iBMQMZ_S7Mcghwds0aFfgXadxovH_AL4t_hH8kUEldxo1_bTRm-9wB2zwoDsPlzSj4uQ9xIAYuIruRqyS12afcrv9ZZYxcxpCaU-mJeMeUSf2wEI-Zvm3na-25-iN/s4032/IMG_6636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpg1gmK2qj2DScutRcsCfCt6MZovnljZTGBjHlDj2YSZhUb50fm5FpVWf0Xl-iBMQMZ_S7Mcghwds0aFfgXadxovH_AL4t_hH8kUEldxo1_bTRm-9wB2zwoDsPlzSj4uQ9xIAYuIruRqyS12afcrv9ZZYxcxpCaU-mJeMeUSf2wEI-Zvm3na-25-iN/w576-h451/IMG_6636.jpg" width="576" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-74392860192883624942022-05-19T19:13:00.001+10:002022-07-05T23:40:08.721+10:00Look who's doing a podcast!<p>Way back before COVID really kicked in my mate Moo, aka Miss Krissi Marie, and I thought we might like to create a podcast. Yeah, like why the hell not! We crack ourselves up everytime we get together... so why not share that joy with all and sundry??!!?</p><p>The research began ..... exactly how one does create a podcast? That, in itself, was an interesting learning curve. We needed equipment, a space in which to record, software to record and edit on, web hosting, intro music, artwork and a list of subject to discuss. Surely that wasn't too hard to sort! A good friend Nate gifted us some equipment and basic info on how to use it, I had a library that, with little alteration, became a suitable space in which to record, Moo researched and sourced appropriate software and taught herself to edit. She also researched web hosting. Nate, being an amazing musician accepted a commission from us for intro music and together we brainstormed a huge list of potential subjects.</p><p>So what was so hard??? Well two things really caught us offguard with their degree of difficulty! A name for our chatfest and some sound editing issues that truely were beyond us, grew into major issues!</p><p>After a few days of back and forthing we created a short list of podcast names. Much discussion followed and one name fitted our criteria, thus "Delusions of Grandeur Podcast" was born! And so it began... we recorded our first podcast and thought we were awesome.... only to find sound production was ... lacklustre at best! Dreadful would be a more apt description!! Moo, known for her researching and problem solving skills tried EVERYTHING to get us sounding good.... all to no avail. Fortunately thru my photography practice I had met and photographed a sound engineer known as "Mr Meat". A gentle giant of a man with tremendous skill in his chosen field. I organised a meet with Moo and Mr Meat and within a relatively short time frame he diagnosed our production issues and pointed Moo in the right direction. Two pieces of equipment were purchased and suddenly we sounded great!!</p><p>With all the production issues under control Delusions of Grandeur has become a part of our weekly lives. We record one night a week, Moo edits and we go live on all the regular places each Wednesday morning. </p><p>So if you have about 30 minutes free each week and want to listen to us search on all the regular sites for the Delusion of Grandeur podcast or look us up on Insta or Facebook. </p><p>Hopefully I'll put the right link here and not the one to our only fans site!!! (joking, apparently we aren't on only fans... dunno why!!!).</p><p><a href="https://blubrry.com/1464875/" target="_blank">Delusions of Grandeur</a><br /></p>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-10360027091523574142022-04-03T20:53:00.002+10:002022-04-03T20:53:46.056+10:00Covid Craziness V1.0<p>Fair to say all of us endured many days and weeks in lockdown, myself included. To say we all handled it differently would be the understatement of the year! For me.... I'm classed as an essential worker, so I still headed to the office 9 days a fortnight. I live alone, so work provides me with social interaction that would be sadly lacking if I was working from home, or worse still, out of work. So not a lot changed for me, other than work is busier than normal, and the cessation of social interaction outside of work. From time to time I endured weekend lockdowns and it was the housebound part that has created some covid craziness!! So many projects previous just passing thoughts were enacted, created and now, blogged about!</p><p>One such project was to create a terrarium! I follow a gardener on Instagram and he makes some amazing terrariums, so I dug out some glassware and acquired some plants and.... well.... well I made 9, none of which I am perfectly happy with at this stage. </p><p>Terrariums can be open or closed. The glasswear I had was all lidded so closed terrariums it would be.</p><p>The concept is an old one. In fact the oldest known surviving closed terrarium was created by a pommie called David Latimer. He created one with a single cutting in 1960. It remained sealed for 12 years when, in 1972, it was opened and water was added. It's still going now in 2022. That is one old terrarium!!! I don't know if it has outlived David Latimer!</p><p>So my process was thus.... Into the washed bowl of the terrarium I layered black pebbles, horticultural charcoal, sphagnum moss, soaked and dripping and a final layer of succulent potting mix. My plants were removed from their pots and popped into the succulent layer of medium. By varying the depth of the medium hills and dales were easy to create so plants of similar height would appear different in the finished product. </p><p>Wide mouth jars and bowls were the easiest to fill and plant out. The hardest was a 5 litre old glass drink bottle. It was easy to funnel the growing medium in. Harder to create different levels and nearly impossible to get the plants well bedded into the succulent mix! I used long handled tools and a couple of thin bamboo stakes, but it was not my best work. I pulled 3 or 4 apart and remade them. Too much succulent mix was a problem in the early attempts. It is a case where less gives a better look. There is still plenty of room for root growth thru the layers.</p><p>Still unfilled are two 50 litre carboys. Huge glass jars with very narrow necks. Unfilled as I am not sure how to effectively create the hills and dales that make a good terrarium. I will work it out and I will create the last two terrariums, but that, I feel, are enough. Its not like outdoor gardening because if they are done correctly then need no future care....... well not for the first 12 years anyway!!!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJPOoqZ42yXfnGAiubCfhhyVC1bwGkf1wvbYPLu7fXZNFtDUhFSDmIeArApJvaenPq7FJfKGTepk9mICis_vT_Cn1Ysn_dtB0z2HVjkhnn3s_JpQTmky7xRBiq0D06p_rS2CiMu6Ikqo/s1500/IMG_1723.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJPOoqZ42yXfnGAiubCfhhyVC1bwGkf1wvbYPLu7fXZNFtDUhFSDmIeArApJvaenPq7FJfKGTepk9mICis_vT_Cn1Ysn_dtB0z2HVjkhnn3s_JpQTmky7xRBiq0D06p_rS2CiMu6Ikqo/s320/IMG_1723.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3MPNR3LjSq0ov_RXPnDqPy2Fe9q_fJwPCYkM27_z2CUYdDA1QQ4Kz7XbWWQSDXWWy40Cr9sFmuoPgcsPzZ78Xlf3i7KDgOcPUbCawCTV7SY3JAv3G-opUSE1Z1A0sCgWaPnctdd8Aw8/s1500/IMG_1727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQSYkHyxhdGGMsURJqW8do4FyEfwvIOcAX6fWfQejzLLEKNcXfBjNEQht11dHuMEx5bt1hrZBY3LFZVffMbDYmaqCaL9cq4cHE5GRymu74MzFmIOQvhv6dLGQyGitlhDkO274VIwhHMI/s1500/IMG_1745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQSYkHyxhdGGMsURJqW8do4FyEfwvIOcAX6fWfQejzLLEKNcXfBjNEQht11dHuMEx5bt1hrZBY3LFZVffMbDYmaqCaL9cq4cHE5GRymu74MzFmIOQvhv6dLGQyGitlhDkO274VIwhHMI/s320/IMG_1745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-46860117647637083682021-07-15T11:36:00.001+10:002021-07-15T11:37:05.711+10:00I've gone Elinchrom!HAHAHAHAHA... just found this had been sitting in "Drafts" for ohhhh about 11 months! I'm a silly billy!!!<div><br /></div><div>For those of you who have read along before, welcome back. For those who are new allow me get you up to speed, pronto. <br />
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I love photography, it is my only real creative outlet. I also have a home studio and a love of controlled light photography, Off Camera Flash or OCF to the newly initiated. This all started with a photo of some dead flowers against a black backdrop taken with a single Canon Speedlight..... off camera. I've always been a canon user and on this occasions I triggered the single Canon 580exii flash with a Canon St-E2 trigger on a coffee table in my loungeroom. The backdrop was a roll of black gift wrap paper. I was gobsmacked at the result. Loved it, and an addiction had began! <br />
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Fast forward 12 months and I had garnered together a vast array of Canon gear. 4 x 580exii flash heads and 2 x 430exii's as well. I'd moved from the St-e2 to Pocket Wizards, so I have 6 x tt5's with a tt1unit and an Ac3 controller. The madness of gear acquisition continued. A Sekonic light meter with the pocket wizard module replaced the Sekonic light meter without the pocket wizard module! Backdrop stands, light stands, cold shoes, bungees, clamps and.... the Modifiers! I bought some Godox softboxes. Big gridded umbrella octos and some rectangles with grids. I couldn't get a strip soft box for my system, but I made up 4 strips that I clamped on the sides of the rectangle soft boxes to make a strip light that I could adjust simply by moving two bull clips. I even bought a cheap shitty boom arm and it was ..........really cheap and shitty! <br />
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I've totally impressed myself with the quality of light I have been able to capture with this set up...... but then one Saturday afternoon a text from Josh changed everything. For YEARS I had wanted, no coveted, even lusted after Elinchroms. Josh, to his credit, consistently reminded me to not spend any more money until my gear couldn't do what I wanted it to do, but my gear had never left me wanting. Still I had a crushing desire to own an Elinchrom kit. I'd only ever used them a few times.... mostly I had been Joshy's VAL (voice activated light stand) on a number of his shoots. He used a ranger system, battery operated heads as bright as the sun!!! In fact he had left his gear in my studio some months before when his work took too much of his time and shooting became something he no longer had time for. But I digress. Josh texted me with a link to a bloke selling off some older elinchroms SUPER cheap. SO cheap I had suspicions about its provenance. I made contact and my fears were instantly allayed. This dude knew his stuff. He spoke confidently about the gear and what he believed was a fault, but for the price I was IN! I contemplated a late night drive to the Central Coast to meet up, but decided a Sunday morning leisurely cruise would be a better bet and in the morning I was glad of that decision. The windy road to his place was bad enough in daylight. It would have been horrendous at night!<br />
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So I scored a three head system with two softboxes and a reflector, a skyport controller, lightstands, spare bulbs and a manual for bugger all dollars. Josh was concerned that I had bought a lemon, but all heads work and the modifiers were in perfect condition. The huge octos from his ranger system all fitted the system I purchased, which is the beauty of the Elinchrom system and... the big win...was that Josh HAD a strip softbox! Albeit, without grid.<br />
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So the fun continues with 240V lights instead of battery powered speed lights. I'm not savvy enough to see the difference, if in fact there is any! I do enjoy the set up. It is super speedy and the variety of softboxes, brolly and reflections I have is stunning. <br />
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Its one and only downside is that it is not portable, as in outdoors. But I retained some speed lights and Pocketwizards in case I ever needed to take it outside. <br />
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Sooooo wanna see some Elinchrom lit images? I was hoping you would say yes!<br />
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<br /></div>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-78412068563112573452021-07-14T21:22:00.001+10:002021-07-15T11:30:55.961+10:00Ottoman Empire<p>Some time ago..... ok, it was actually in the last Millennium, I did a short upholstery course and really enjoyed the string spring thing. I did some drop in seats for a set of dining chairs and was quite chuffed with the result. Later I did some stools and simple decorator items. Then...... nothing. Well nothing until about 3 months ago when I recovered an IKEA ottoman in fake cow hide. Much as I liked the look, my fabric choice was poor. I purchased fabric with one way stretch and when stretched over the ottoman, the resulting look was.... less than perfect. Ridges and lines were visible, it was a poor job. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqj2hDk_tN5ZzrriWr_U_Mq8PAZwcAqSdtxRSKBzms7g1gw1u2jQwdFCrDYg_7Ly-bo9JquZBpttUEGT4q85e8aeNHhtmxJTSqnkKiQofRpakh9kZTOulT6LPuRJBoCUOdLb211WoYc8/s2016/IMG_0867.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqj2hDk_tN5ZzrriWr_U_Mq8PAZwcAqSdtxRSKBzms7g1gw1u2jQwdFCrDYg_7Ly-bo9JquZBpttUEGT4q85e8aeNHhtmxJTSqnkKiQofRpakh9kZTOulT6LPuRJBoCUOdLb211WoYc8/s320/IMG_0867.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>So on Sunday I zipped to Spotlight and bought 1.5m of a Jocelyn Proust fabric. Lovely heavy weight cotton with a bold blue and orange print. Made even more delightful by being 40% off. So the piece cost me less than $25. The colours suit the loungeroom with a solid blue Layzboy armchair and a bright orange 3 seater. The plan was for the ottoman to tie them together. </p><p><br /></p><p> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vRFBvGj1eAiX_MCM89DOqRq2H9E4d1zfcAGiw1r7wg0AaKrJchL02hymvnIFdZC2ewAfQKm1pPHpMLje_0xl7C66Cub_P0cNC_vfdULtkuTIhd-N2Vpyxr4xvefvD7m570ttbXaov-M/s2016/IMG_0876.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vRFBvGj1eAiX_MCM89DOqRq2H9E4d1zfcAGiw1r7wg0AaKrJchL02hymvnIFdZC2ewAfQKm1pPHpMLje_0xl7C66Cub_P0cNC_vfdULtkuTIhd-N2Vpyxr4xvefvD7m570ttbXaov-M/s320/IMG_0876.jpg" /></a></p><p> </p><p>The construction of the Ottoman made it very difficult to staple fabric evenly along two sides of the piece. I was using a basic lever Arrow T50 Staple Gun, but with insufficient timber for leverage, the staples weren't even and uniform or even well placed. I decided it was time to lash out on another piece of the Ryobi 18v ONE+ Range and purchased the Cordless Stapler. Not one for reading instructions it was very easy to load and set the depth of the staple and ..... well I got stuck right in!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjdmvd5SADoQWKYZsMdwXEtFZ_Csz6BTqSp40_VJecYLHf78YZHyoUKVz6oUz66UGwx1it5WsRNBlCB6LPqCxEmPcYVdN_bZDUhiQtl48vRxLTqzVYGBfyjXn-jLv7kyG6NnS4qS7ZeY/s2016/IMG_0875.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjdmvd5SADoQWKYZsMdwXEtFZ_Csz6BTqSp40_VJecYLHf78YZHyoUKVz6oUz66UGwx1it5WsRNBlCB6LPqCxEmPcYVdN_bZDUhiQtl48vRxLTqzVYGBfyjXn-jLv7kyG6NnS4qS7ZeY/s320/IMG_0875.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Half way done with 2 of the feet back on. The whole process took less than an hour. I didn't time the process, I calculate an hour because I was listening to Schiller "Live in Berlin" on UE Boom and I didn't get all the way through before the job was done!!t</div></div><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tKw0H1JImRyq6-b8SA6BfzqSCbCphdlkooVMoO32GEEJ-koajLcPV-c9-RnFEW7TQfBef30n_fRr3Htb0sXVcdYGYJHCIlNrIx4hW9fczyZH3PLtq6aYWjVy2bZTfe9qVN27-O9m2EQ/s2016/IMG_0880.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tKw0H1JImRyq6-b8SA6BfzqSCbCphdlkooVMoO32GEEJ-koajLcPV-c9-RnFEW7TQfBef30n_fRr3Htb0sXVcdYGYJHCIlNrIx4hW9fczyZH3PLtq6aYWjVy2bZTfe9qVN27-O9m2EQ/s320/IMG_0880.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltPYP3g-go5LnbtJoiTD2jtlCr5SI-EtCvsevt_5qbPOXcZsnG981lhTjctuOvpuYi4XlTiglJT2tuRv71d7PFDhYesH-95utfiu1-o0ctVw4ipFRLnt98cGsG9-1XCGd433ZF8F32Kw/s2016/IMG_0883.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiltPYP3g-go5LnbtJoiTD2jtlCr5SI-EtCvsevt_5qbPOXcZsnG981lhTjctuOvpuYi4XlTiglJT2tuRv71d7PFDhYesH-95utfiu1-o0ctVw4ipFRLnt98cGsG9-1XCGd433ZF8F32Kw/s320/IMG_0883.jpg" /></a><br /></p><p>Really happy with the outcome. </p><p>What will I staple next????</p><p> </p>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-43519031198240106502020-06-04T23:00:00.002+10:002020-06-04T23:23:21.549+10:00The Kayell Selfie CompIn April I saw an instagram post from Kayell about a competition they were running. Kayell is a photographic supply business with an outlet in Artarmon, Sydney. I've been there a few times to both purchase goodies and for a workshop on lighting. So when I saw Kayell had a comp running I had to join in. The rules were simple... take a fun selfie whilst in Covid 19 Isolation with some of my imaging gear. Upload one shot a day.... until 31 May! So... why not I thought. I have plenty of gear, a fully operational studio space and plenty of Iso time! <br />
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I made a few notes in my shot book and prepped for a couple of shots. I use a shot book because my memory is ..... shot after some fancy cancery treatment stuff in 2013. In my shot book I write up a props list and draw very poor stick figures and lighting diagrams. But it works for me and that is all that counts! I listed the props, wigs, gloves, glasses, hats and camera gear! It was surprisingly easy to list the ideas. They just kept flowing onto the page!<br />
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I have sufficient gear for my needs, in fact I sometimes tag my instagram shots #allthegearandnoidea ! Not strictly true, I don't have all the gear and sometimes I have a bit of an idea!! Notwithstanding I thought taking some selfies would fill some of my free isolation time.<br />
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I'm still working my 9 to 5 grind with my long term employer in emergency services/justice, but weekends were lockdown. So free time was plentiful and I had canned all my studio bookings. I'm not mad keen on a selfie and am far from model material, but, what the hell! I thought I'd give it a go! The 15 or so entries before my first one went up seemed to be outside the rules of the comp! Lots of selfies, just no imaging equipment in the shots.<br />
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So into the studio I went. Set up my camera on a tripod and started clicking! If you know me then you know I have no photoshop skills. So these are simply cropped square in Lightroom and then uploaded.<br />
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Fast forward to this morning and an email from Peter Munro, head honcho at Kayell, informs me I have won a prize! A Xlite Multifunction Metal Boom Stand which is PERFECT for the studio! I was elated to receive this news! I don't have a good sturdy boom! I have a cheap shitty eBay version that I can't risk hanging a D-lite off! NOW I have a good one!<br />
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So which pic won?<br />
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The last one. The 4 shot fighting with the reflector got the prize.<br />
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What do you think? Is it your favourite? Did Kayell get it right? <br />
I have to admit it wasn't my favourite..... but it sure is now!Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-9179837489067808952019-04-07T21:58:00.005+10:002020-05-24T16:32:21.707+10:00Studio SpamWell I've been tinkering in the studio a bit of late, primarily doing some still life stuff.<br />
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Had a couple of girlfriends come over to give it a go and the Nikon Chick struggled, but managed a few decent images. This is because my lighting gear is all Canon. I seriously am a Canon girl! The other visitor is also a Canon Chick and she leapt in, cracked on and just shot, shot and shot!<br />
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I'm still no lighting guru, but I do enjoy OCF (off camera flash) for those of you who wonder what OCF means. <br />
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If you enjoy looking at the pics as much as I enjoyed making them, then we will both be very very happy!<br />
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I've also been seeing a few live bands of late... so I'll post some pics from them on the next blog post.</div>
<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-54934797318927075242018-11-25T10:21:00.002+11:002020-05-24T16:33:19.252+10:00#Studiolife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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It took me some time to get it happening, but finally the studio is up and running. There are three shooting areas. One for natural light, one for table top and still life work and a full length section. No cyclorama.... the space isn't big enough for that, but there is a full kitchen for food prep, a models change room with one whole wall of props and another of clothing and a small but functional bathroom. There are a few more things I would like to do to make it perfect..... but it is pretty damn good as is. I would consider swapping out the tripod backdrop stands for ceiling mounted and rehoming a couple of large pieces of furniture to allow for more diverse lighting placement. </div>
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I currently shoot with 4 Canon Speedlights and have all manner of modifiers from Honl gels to big arse soft boxes. I use Pocketwizards (TT1 and TT5) to trigger and they all perform seamlessly and wirelessly... but still I would like a nice pair of Elinchrom BRX 500's. Well a pair isn't enough, I'd need 3. The downside to that purchase, and the only thing holding me back, is cords. Power cables. They will be nothing but trouble for me in the studio. There is a terrible story from way back in 2009. About getting tangled at an outdoor shoot and only the swift response of a naked model capturing my brand new 5D2 from certain death as the cable twisted around my leg dragged it off a plinth onto rocks below. But lets not go there. It still sends shivers!! Hence my aversion to cables. Many years have passed, but I'm still scarred by that near tragedy!</div>
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I know Godox AD400's or the new 600's are an alternative to the BRX500's, but I really have an Elinchrom mindset. I have only used them twice, but the build quality impressed me to the somewhat obsessional stage. The one thing they have over what already exists for me is.... a modelling light. Shooting tethered is a reasonable alternative, but.... it's still not Elinchrom. I tether to a MacBook Pro and I do use a Tether tool I picked up from Kayell in Sydney recently. The Tether tool gives me some security when I feel clumsy around cords (hence my one and only Elinchrom issue). </div>
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So far the Speedlights have not left me wanting. I have to say output control via the PW's and portability are totally winning points. I can't fault the gear I have..... but the desire for the big E is strong. Maybe it's just the choice noise they make when the fire and recharge!</div>
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So below are few pics I took last Sunday.</div>
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Paper backdrop, mostly softboxes and one attempt at Clamshell..... we did venture outdoors at the very death, but it was still too early in the afternoon to really achieve my desired outcomes.</div>
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The subject, Miss A, was a real trooper. She gave me "sinister" when I need it! She sat well, followed instructions and looked dead set stunning in the vintage gown...that I 'nearly' didn't buy!! She was recommended to me by a friend as a potential sitter and was accompanied by family. I'm so lucky to have met her and hope to shoot her again one day.</div>
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I was ably assisted with lighting by the aforementioned naked model as she is an accomplished photographer in her own right and for some reason volunteered to be my VAL for the day. I very much enjoy her friendship. Shooting with her is a real joy.</div>
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So below are just five of the images of the day. There were quite a few more and all required minimal editing, primarily cropping out a tiny sliver of softbox! </div>
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The studio in the making was knows as Duna Studios. Duna - Doona "well keep you covered", but we do need a new name. So far StudioNao is atop the list. If anything grabs you, send a message and I'll add it to the short list!</div>
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-3498560845749980632018-06-10T17:38:00.000+10:002018-06-14T11:07:22.204+10:00Home decorating 101.... by a NON expert!Well much has transpired since my last post. I'm now in full blown home reno mode. I blame too much American daytime television for that!! Fixer Upper, Good Bones, Flip or Flop. I am amazed at the seemingly lack of governance in their reno regimes..... but perhaps those boring legal bits have been edited out for effect. I'm not undertaking that level of work at this stage, but I am doing some decorating! One of my jobs has been to create a functional office space. Having achieved that with a huge L shaped gloss white desk big enough for my editing computer and my smaller Family History and general laptops and some gloss white Ikea storage units, time has come to decorate the blank wall behind the desk.<br />
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The whole room was gutted and two coats of Taubmans was liberally applied. My mate Moo was the paint buddy on that gig. I did the patching, sanding and cleaning prep then she did all the cutting in while I rolled along behind here. We did that on a stinking hot day so there was not a lot of time needed between coats! And here we are 3 months later ready to create a gallery wall of images. I purchased 11 black frames with white mattes. Different sizes and formats, but the black and white theme was what I was after. I then had 11 of my fave black and white images printed (oh there could be a whole blog post on that debarcle alone). I finally framed them all.<br />
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As the frames were all different styles using old style wire and hanging hooks was just going to be a drama. Moo suggested I try the 3M "Command" system of wall hooks. Essentially they are sticky backed velcro. Surprisingly they hold considerable weight.<br />
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I made paper templates the size of the prints and blu-tacked them to the wall. This made it very easy to move images about and get the look I wanted. I didn't want all the people pics on one side and the architectural images clumped together on the other side, so the templates worked a treat.<br />
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The process for hanging the system is to affix the velcro to the frame, wash down the wall area where the sticky velcro will end up with rubbing alcohol. Then remove the protective paper from the velcro and place the image where you want it.....and then..... instantly remove the image!! That leaves one half of the velcro on the wall, allowing it to cure for an hour before reattaching the print. <br />
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Each stage of that process is fraught with problems. Firstly all the frames had different widths on the reverse. Fortunately the "Command" hooks come in varying sizes, so be cautious if you are embarking on this journey to match your frames with your hooks or, like me, you will be racing to Bunnings for more appropriate supplies! The next problem was... hanging the images straight. For this I used a Ryobi Air Grip Laser level. Air grip, such a cute term for suction! A mate at work loaned me two laser levels, but for them to be used "single handedly" they needed to be affixed to the wall...with a nail! Errr NO! Not after all the cleaning and patching I had done!! There are a number of different Laser levels out there and not knowing my arse from my elbow in this selection process I consulted he who shall be known as the "Oracle of Home Renovation". Without hesitation he recommended the Ryobi. He was right. Suction was the answer.<br />
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So with all the good gear, good info and good intentions I began removing the templates and hanging the pics. I started in the middle and worked out to the edges. The "Command" hooks do leave a little wiggle room so fine tuning is an option. And if you totally stuff up they can easily be removed and repositioned with a new wall mount piece (which can be bought separately).<br />
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The one negative I found was that one of the larger format frames I bought had perspex not glass and was scratched before I even got the print into it. Lesson learnt, Microfibre cleaning cloths and perspex don't go mix. Its an easy fix though. I'll have a sheet of 3mm glass cut for the frame and replace the perspex at some stage. <br />
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Naturally I took progress images so you can follow the bouncing ball below if you need to.<br />
I am chuffed at the look achieved for a minimal outlay.<br />
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Thanks must go to Moo, Joshy, The Oracle and Ash. Job done! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BLANK CANVAS</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COMMANDER HOOKS, TEMPLATES AND OTHER ESSENTIALS</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TEMPLATES IN PLACE</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WIZZ BANG RYOBI LASER LEVELLER</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ON ITS WAY WITH LASER IN PLACE</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTA7xVPQ6nbioGL78PwYfyTxjSmUDlr4ajeOLJqeVxWYFF91i_gRH4v5mglWge1gMq4hVTJvIAVrsWqJ8fCM-GpzaQ4XjXi9k_oooTgT27lFu2ciLP11SeZDfDcnWW7Veti3G38i8Cxo/s1600/IMG_9288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTA7xVPQ6nbioGL78PwYfyTxjSmUDlr4ajeOLJqeVxWYFF91i_gRH4v5mglWge1gMq4hVTJvIAVrsWqJ8fCM-GpzaQ4XjXi9k_oooTgT27lFu2ciLP11SeZDfDcnWW7Veti3G38i8Cxo/s640/IMG_9288.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE FINISHED PRODUCT!</td></tr>
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-38174619557578142952016-12-28T09:22:00.000+11:002016-12-28T09:22:00.609+11:006 months todayIt's been 7 months since my last blog post and 6 months today since mum died.<br />
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I was sitting alone with her at the Mater Hospice, just holding her hand, when she faded away at 10.13am on 28th June, 2016. She survived 313 days when her Oncologist said it would be a whole lot less. 313 days, and each one was a battle. She was scared of death and didn't want to be left alone. She didn't want to die. She was scared of being buried alive and kept asking me to check and recheck that she was actually dead before they put her in her coffin. She wanted to live to be 100. She remained alert and aware until the very last day. Her body, on the other hand, let her down badly. Pancreatic Cancer has a very low survival rate, something like 7% last 5 years. The national average is 180 days. Mum smashed that record! Although she suffered a stroke and a heart attack, she remained strong. She had little pain.... until 4 days before she died. Even when on the drug pump she could still talk, but could no longer swallow. She told me she wasn't hungry or thirsty.<br />
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I was extremely privileged to be able to care for mum. She was an amazingly strong woman. She endured so much. We talked about so much and laughed a lot. The daily photo for Instagram was a blast and is a daily record of her strength.... and her demise. It also records the trips out, the ice creams and the many visitors she had during those last 313 days. <br />
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She might be gone, but she will never be forgotten. <br />
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Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-16040433094083051272016-05-01T19:33:00.000+10:002016-05-01T21:01:06.754+10:00257 days later.....About 9 months ago mum was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. She had been poorly and had turned a nasty shade of orange. Actually it was 257 days or just over 36 weeks ago now. Her doctors gave her no hope. Prognosis was vaired depending on which oncologist was offering numbers but the average was 26 weeks. The doctor in Emergency that actually gave her her diagnosis said 12 months, so right then and there we decided to do a 365 photo project. Decided to take one photo a day for 365 days. <br />
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So here we are 257 days later and it has been something of a roller coaster ride. Initially the plan was that I would stay at work until she was incapable of caring for herself on a daily basis and have care workers come in to clean. Meal prep and shopping would be my domain and she would take care of her midday meal and personal care. <br />
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She went downhill very fast and in late october it was obvious I had to take leave from work. I quickly ran out of Annual Leave and had little sick/family leave of my own after using 8 months of my banked leave with my own cancer treatment in 2012 and 2013. Fortunately I had just over 12 months of long service leave I could call upon and so I have been in a nursing role since. <br />
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We did have some assistance in the home from an agency "assistant in nursing".... until I caught her stealing cash, but that is a whole other story. We now have a woman come in for 90 minutes once a week. She cleans the house, vacuums, steam cleans the floors, scrubs the bathroom, dusts, changes the sheets and puts the washing on. Mum now has a hospital bed and soon a stand up recliner. She can still walk short distances on a wheely walker but we rarely venture outside the house. Palliative Care nurses and her GP visit once a week each, but both are only a phone call away if needs must. We've had the ambos come a couple of times too.<br />
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Mum recently spent a week at the Mater Hospice. They worked miracles getting her medication under control. After a mini stroke and heart attack all her meds were fighting each other. So now she is home on reduced medication and we just take each day as it comes.<br />
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She enjoys the photo a day shenanigans. If I forget, she always remembers. Some days they are posed and themed, but most days they are just as she is. She always worries about her hair! The images can all be seen on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/naomi.nichols/" target="_blank">here</a><br />
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But here are some of my faves:-<br />
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Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-54991246186289944972015-12-31T14:30:00.000+11:002016-05-29T16:25:53.434+10:00When Violet went viral !!!The internet is an amazing thing. The popularity of this blog surprises me. The amount to views is beyond belief for what is essentially a blog about my dance with cancer and my veggie patch. Knowing this I thought a picture I put in a comment about the awesome Hunter Valley Santa Claus might garner about 50 views. I was very very VERY wrong! It went viral. And the flow on effect was even more amazing. <br />
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As you may be aware my mum, Violet, has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. The bevy of oncologists can't offer her any hope and she is deemed terminal. The oncologists have offered themselves available for advice and information, but have passed mum's care over to the Westlakes Palliative Care team. Knowing this mum is not happy with her lot and as a result is doing it tough. </div>
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Unrelated my sister Nola sent me a link to a photo of a Santa with an amazing set up. That got me thinking that it might jolly Violet up to have a photo with Santa. She has always loved Christmas. So I found The Hunter Valley Santa on Facebook and I made contact with them asking if they were able to accommodate an 86 year old in a wheelchair. They replied to my enquiry saying they would love to. A few days later I went to the venue, "Sinclairs" on Hillsborough Road, Warners Bay, here in Lake Macquarie. I needed to check wheelchair access. Mrs Claus was brilliant. Santa was busy with kids, but Mrs Claus showed me side access easy for a wheelchair and we confirmed a time and date. A few days later Violet frocked up and off we went to meet Santa. </div>
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Santa and Mrs Claus asked the crowd in front of us if we could pop in straight away and from what I could see no-one there minded, even though they had already waited some time. Santa is VERY popular out there! So mum was wheeled in and Santa helped her out of her chair. She sat on his knee, then on his throne and as he was about to help her back to her chair I asked if Santa could dance. He could, so they danced just a few steps and we helped her back into her chair. We weren't there long, but Violet was very very happy at what had just occurred. We collected out images and USB and headed home. She was very excited. I used those images to create her Christmas Cards and had them printed by Redbubble. One larger print was framed and took up residence on the china cabinet. That's were I thought it would end. </div>
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So a few weeks later a woman I do not know posted a pic of Santa and her son Levi, taken at "Sinclairs". I commented on her photo that Santa and Mrs Claus bent over backwards to help Violet get her first ever photo with Santa. I added a small copy of the image in my comment. </div>
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Violet's photo and comment on this lovely photo of Santa and "Levi" was then picked up by the television show "Today" and they created a new thread or page or whatever you call it with Violet's photo and the story. I didn't know anything about it until about 10 hours later when Josh rang me and told me to go have a look and that 6000 people had "liked" it on Facebook. While he was on the phone the "likes", "shares" and "comments" continued to grow. He kept calling new figures thru the phone to me. By morning about 12,000 people had "liked" her photo dancing with Santa. </div>
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Now Violet doesn't really understand how the internet works and isn't on Facebook, but she understood what I said when I told her 12,000 people had clicked a button to say they liked the photo of her dancing with Santa. By the following morning over 21,000 people had "liked" the photo, over 800 had "shared" it on their own page and over 400 people commented on the shot. I showed her the Today story on the iPad and she sat and read every single comment. She recognised just 3 names and spent the remainder of the day smiling and joyous. </div>
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The following day Santa contacted me on Facebook. We had tried to organise a family photo with mum, myself, my sister and all three adult grandkids, but two of the kids were working and one was off in Sydney, so it couldn't happen. It was a very kind offer though. Just another indication of how awesome Santa and Mrs Claus were. Sometime later Santa told me that the local television station, NBN, had contacted Mrs Claus hoping to interview Violet and do a story about her visit with Santa. As Santa and Mrs Claus had been so wonderful to us I offered to get Violet back to "Sinclairs" so NBN could do their story. And so it happened. Violet was as excited as a kitten to be interviewed by the lovely Emma Murphy. She was going to be on the news!! <br />
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NBN played to story on Christmas Eve and put it on their website too. She tells everyone who comes to the house. Shows them the clip on the computer and we watched it a couple of times on christmas day with all the grandkids here.<br />
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So one simple comment about how wonderful Santa and Mrs Claus are had made Violet go viral and she loves it!<br />
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Below is the link to the NBN news story. I hope you enjoy when Violet went viral!</div>
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<a href="http://media.nbnnews.com.au/media/santaphotolady241215.mp4" target="_blank">Click here to see Violets interview with Emma Murphy</a></div>
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Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-62818057088883293932015-12-19T22:24:00.002+11:002015-12-19T22:24:28.946+11:00Free seedsWell this whole gardening thing has become quite a big part of my life. Not that I spend hours in the veggie patch every day though. I am spending more time there now as I am on leave at the moment taking care of my mum. When I do work I usually water a couple of afternoons a week in summer and spend maybe an hour in the patch every sunday morning. But now I am house bound 24/7 so I am spending a little more time tending to the veg.<br />
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The carrots planted back in May are coming to an end and whilst still edible I have let a few of them go to seed to see what happens next. The seed pods are very lovely with an amazing structure. I have never collected seeds before. Seeds are cheap to buy and thats how I plant a lot of my crops. Seed or seedling, depending on the crop. As I have abundant hours spare I thought I could collect the seeds this time and see how they go as my next crop.<br />
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The methodology is to leave the flower heads on the plant until they are jam packed and looking almost dead. It is then that you harvest them. Carrot seeds are very small and solid black in colour. In the flower they have a furry like case around them. The seeds won't shake out on their own, they need a little human intervention. Important to tease them out onto white paper or into a while bowl because there are ants and lady bugs hiding in there. They are easily visible on white.<br />
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One carrot left to seed can produce hundreds of seeds. Seriously hundreds!!! One carrot might produce 3 or 4 flower heads in which case you can collect thousands of seeds.<br />
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So here are some images of the my first foray into seed collection showing the various stages of the seed heads.<br />
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Now I am no scientist, but from what I can work out this is how to harvest carrot seeds!!! I will plant then into a new veggie bed and await the results!</div>
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Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-80317222615779653512015-11-01T16:33:00.000+11:002015-11-01T16:40:43.767+11:00Hidden secretsFor the last 69 weeks I have been working from a 6 metre x 2.4 metre tin shed hidden away at the back of Belmont Court House whilst the 3 old buildings that constituted the Police Station were demolished. Essentially is has been a work site where access was thru a tunnel built of scaffolding and marine ply. It was hot is summer, cold in winter but it housed all I needed to do my job while the rest of the workforce were crammed into other Police Stations in the area. You can fit a lot into a 6 x 2.4 shed! 3 desks, 3 computers, a printer/photocopier/fax, second printer, coffee machine, water cooler and a small, but perfectly functional LOUNGE! At best I worked alone but on one single day we had 12 people in the shed at once. The most we ever had for a meal was 7. I loved the shed as it housed exactly all I needed and had no room for "stuff" to grow. <br />
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The new police station is now complete. I call it the BIG tin shed. It is fairly grand, but not exactly what we need space wise. 3 staff now share two workstations and two computers.... but it is early days and these things may change and evolve in time.<br />
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When the work first began on the new tin shed I mentioned to the Commander that it would be good to put a time capsule into the building. The old Police Station was built in 1964 and for more than half of its 50 years it was too small for its staff. The Station prior to this one was on a different site, up near the Fire Station opposite the Gunya Hotel and it had been in Belmont since the late 1800's. So there was a lot of history that could be contained in a time capsule. The Commander was enthusiastic and nominated a particular Inspector who could be in charge of a time capsule... and that's when I knew nothing would ever happen. I waited to see if the idea ever surfaced again, but it didn't. Demolition of the old station was complete, 11meters below street level dug out and huge concrete piles in situ I decided I wanted to have a little bit of me in the new building, after all I had worked in the one location since 1992! <br />
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Different ideas and thoughts came to me as to how to celebrate time but in the end I decided it was all going to be about me! This new building is likely to survive 300 years so photos wouldn't last, a CD, DVD or USB would probably be unknown to someone in the year 2315. Construction progressed quickly once the build was out of the ground and I needed to make the move or miss the opportunity forever. So one sunday afternoon I went to the local shopping centre and had a small brass plaque engraved with my name, date of birth and work identity number. I felt that was enough. It didn't need flash or showy, just a memorial of sorts.<br />
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Back to the work site monday and I told 2 of the best tradies EVER about my idea. We looked at the plans, worked out exactly where my new office would be and decided on a great little hiding spot. I handed over the plaque and the rest was up to them. Sometime later my phone beeped with a message. Attached was a photo of the plaque in place! Liquid nails oozing from behind it, perfect. A couple of days later my phone beeped again. One of these two fantastic blokes has tidied up the plaque. Removed the excess liquid nails and polished her up a beauty! It was to by gyprocked over sometime later that week. Objective achieved!<br />
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The gyprocking took longer than expected and one day the Commander was doing a tour. I had to fess up to one of the building managers about the plaque, but he too was a great guy and managed to steer the inspection team away from it! Finally it was covered over and I could rest easy. I didnt think anyone would kick up a stink over it. I just didnt want to get my tradies into trouble!<br />
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I've had to take some leave and so I won't be sitting at my desk for some time, but I did go in yesterday to see my new office. While I was there one of the tradies came in and said "oh.. this is our wall" I had a giggle and was so happy that the plan had come together.<br />
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If the building is demolished n 300 years time it is most likely that the plaque will not be found, but that is irrelevant. That fact is it is in there now for the duration and just me and 2 fabulous tradies know exactly where!<br />
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As usual we end with some pics. There are some tradies and some "progress" shots! I hope you enjoy!!!<br />
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The 6 x 2.4m ATCO shed in situ with the scaf and marine ply entry<br />
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Inside the tin shed<br />
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Plaque in place<br />
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Inside the BIG tin shed ... there may well be a plaque hidden away in here somewhere......</div>
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Protecting the anonymity of my partners in crime!</div>
<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-58079429032692254272015-09-05T20:54:00.002+10:002015-09-05T20:57:15.464+10:00Lights, lights and more lightsAs you may have guessed I am a little bit obsessed with photography. My interest was always macro, the world of tiny stuff, bits of things, not the whole, but then in got hooked on the 100 Strangers Project and I wanted to shoot people, people and more people. While I was shooting strangers I was also shooting friends and I wanted to shoot more and more people .... with artificial light. <br />
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I have scads of equipment, lots, heaps and I even know how to use some of it!!! My lenses are an even split between primes and zooms. If I am shooting people I like primes, but for other stuff I usually have a zoom on. As for lighting I have 4 flash heads, 2 soft boxes, 4 brollies and pocket wizards to trigger all this stuff, but after shooting a model earlier in the week I seriously want to move further up the food chain to strobes. I know the gear I have can easily replicate the work I did with the strobes, but the one sole advantage the strobes have over my gear is a modelling light. The modelling light provides me a better idea of what the final image will look like. It shows where the shadows will fall and how two lights blend or don't blend as the case may be. <br />
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This sole advantage is the reason why I am seriously considering offloading all my lighting gear and donating a kidney to pay for some lights that give me shadows!!! I know it is not really logical or valid or reasonable.... but it is not all about logic. It's about wants, not needs!<br />
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Below are some images I have taken... the first three are in my lounge room with my current soft boxes, flash heads and pocket wizards. The second group are shot with strobes similar to those I want to go into huge debt for. The difference.... I no longer know if I can tell!!<br />
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What is glaringly different is the backgrounds. Lounge room verses studio. That's my next big purchase I think!<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-52994137492421144452015-07-05T13:22:00.001+10:002015-07-05T13:22:13.282+10:00Urbex? Well maybe just vast interiors.I love the idea of Urbex, Urban Exploration, but my issue with Urbex is that I am just such a goodie two shoes that I can't agree with trespassing to get the shot. I don't have an issue if others chose to do it (well I do have a bit of an issue) but it is their conscience that must be placated, not mine. I do love vase interiors, unfinished projects and demolitions. <br />
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I have been very lucky to be allowed access to a number of structures that I really enjoyed a wander through. Wangi Power Station was decommissioned years ago, but there is a plan to revamp it for housing. It took a couple of years of wrangling to actually get inside the door and get a guided tour. I have since been contacted by about 25 people telling me that want to break in and asking about security. I tell them they won't set off the PIR's cos the guard dogs will eat them first! Easier was the ask to get into the currently being constructed, Belmont Police Station. I totally understand why the owners of these places want to exclude people like me with cameras. Morisset Hospital is another venue which has public access if you don't mind a bit of a walk in and in my local area there is an old ammunition dump and an underground gun placement that are both open to the public. <br />
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I'm not sure what I like most about there forgotten and damaged places. Maybe it is just seeing what remains. A few have colourful graffiti, but I prefer them without. With the new construction of Belmont Police Station it was the vast interiors that I really enjoyed. Open, yet enclosed spaces. <br />
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All of these spaces can be dangerous to those are more interested in their cameras than where they are walking. It is important to be aware of your surroundings and not just what is happening in your viewfinder. Staying safe is paramount.<br />
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As per usual here are a few pics.<br />
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Morisset Hospital<br />
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Gun placement </div>
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Ammo Store</div>
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Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-1674107998341895832015-05-24T18:57:00.001+10:002015-05-24T18:57:40.186+10:00100 Strangers... a work in progressWell it seems like a bazillion years ago, but it was only around July 2011 I first saw a book by Neil Winch about his 100 strangers project. I don't know where he found out about it or what got him started, but I was fascinated. The object was to photograph 100 strangers. So that's introduce yourself, explain the project, find out a bit about them, get the shot and say goodbye within minutes. The aim is to get a well lit expressive portrait. I thought it was way too hard for me to attempt, but I was hooked. Roll on August and I still hadn't taken a shot, but I found myself at the Cessnock Regional Art Gallery for an exhibition. I had my camera and there were people everywhere.... I spied Stephen James, one of the exhibiting artists. I had to act. It was now or never! To my absolute surprise he agreed and the shot was taken. By September I had 14 in the bag and I met up with the adorable, talented, witty, charming and delightful Chris Belyea for a walk around Sydney. He challenged me to a "first to 5", portraits for the day and he won... but ever the gentleman said I had won, which was very much not the case! <br />
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By February 2012 I was up to Stranger 38 when I again went to Sydney to meet Neil Winch, who had flown up from Melbourne. He, Peter Grifoni, Evan Robinson and another guy met up for a stranger shoot in Newtown. The boys were prolific shooters, Peter even dragging cafe staff out into the street for his shots. They produced some amazing work that day. I bagged just 3. On the trip down by train I began to feel very unwell. In fact I had to leave early and got back to Central to wait for a train north when I was overwhelmed with sickness. Upset, ill, crying I rang Chris Belyea. I knew he would be a the voice of reason. He offered to drive into Central, pick me up and drive me home to Lake Macquarie. I didn't accept. That journey would have taken him more than 5 hours, but we talked. He offered options. Travel as far as I could north and when I could travel no more he would come and get me. Knowing I had an alternative to passing out on the train gave me the courage to go on and I made it initially to Hornsby, then Wyong and finally Morisset. Chris ringing and reassuring me all the way. <br />
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Towards the end of March 2012 Chris and his wonderful wife Sally came up to Kurri Kurri for the Nostalgia Festival where Sally enjoyed the music and the mayhem and Chris and I shot Strangers. I was struggling with no energy and feeling ill, but I bagged 3 great shots that day. Less than a month later I was diagnosed with cancer. My last shot was on ANZAC Day 2012, no. 50. I knew I would be out of action for a time. I began shooting sporadically after that. For a long time I couldn't even carry my camera. Shots came in slowly. ANZAC Day 2013 I shot Chris. Just 10 Strangers over 12 months. I began to think I wouldn't ever finish the project. Chris is a member of the Galston Uniting Church Men's Choir and they travel to Rathmines to sing at every ANZAC Day. I shot him and his wife that day. Chris too suffered from cancer. I was too ill to attend the 2014 service. Roll on ANZAC Day 2015 and we met again at the Rathmines Service. Chris had spent most of the last 12 months in hospital and I had only managed 5 Strangers in 2 years. He encouraged me to keep going.<br />
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So now it is May 2015 and I picked up the camera again. I bagged Stranger 66 yesterday at Maitland. She looked so interesting and her story reflected her look. Just 34 to go. At my current rate that would take well over 5 years, so I need to lift my game and get it done! <br />
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Here are some of the players. You can see them all <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nammo/sets/72157627426152748" target="_blank">here</a> :<br />
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#1 Stephen James. Cessnock Regional Art Gallery.</div>
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#17 Kristen. Shot in Sydney with Chris Belyea.</div>
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#41 Lee. Shot in Newtown with Neil, Peter and Evan.</div>
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#46 Tony the Quiffer. Shot at the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival again with Chris Belyea.</div>
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#60 Chris of the Glaston Uniting Church Mens Choir.</div>
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#66 Kate. Shot at Maitland yesterday.</div>
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-31585548776266768932015-05-09T17:55:00.000+10:002015-05-09T18:09:43.361+10:00A Garden update.. the Autumn edition.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the evening of 20 April Lake Macquarie and other parts of the east coast suffered some significant storms. The high winds and torrential rain lasted for 3 days. A lot of trees came down, a lot of property was damaged and a couple of people lost their lives. I got off lightly. The power was out for 36 hours and the phone .... a whole lot longer, about 6 days!!! As a result there was a lot of damage in my veggie patch. Some root veggies like carrots survived unscathed, but others, like ginger and garlic were awash. I'm not sure if they will survive and prosper, only time will tell. Above ground crops were badly affected. All the corn was lost, an entire bed of it. Although it was planted late in the season and may not have been overly productive anyway. I thought the broccoli was a goner, but it seems to have survived and the first heads are ready for harvest. The silverbeet was lost, the spring onions flattened and the peas and beans and all their climbing framework was lost.<br />
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After the winds abated and the lawn began to dry out I cleaned out beds 1,3,6,7,9 and 10 and replanted with new seedlings. 20 silver beet, 4 mini cabbage, 8 brocollini, 8 cauliflower, 2 rhubarb, spring onions and a mix of different varieties of peas and beans. There are still 4 beds unresolved. Today the sun is out and bed number 11 is getting a makeover. The basil in it was flattened, but has much young edible leaf. It will have to go though and then the bed will be built up with a bag of moo poo, and a handful of troforte M, Searles 5 in 1, dynamic lifter, blood and bone and some lime for good measure. I try to feed the soil, not the plant and it has worked for me so far... but I might be doing it very wrong.<br />
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I'm not sure what I might plant in bed 11. Possibly more beans but it will be dependant on how the rest of the veggies are coming along and what is in stock at the nursery. The yard needs a lot of work, there are two mid sized trees right down the back, both are harbouring dead limbs. One assaulted me as I tried to remove it.... one is far to big for me to attempt. Both might get a visit from Mr Nextdoors chainsaw later today if I see him!!! <br />
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Last Autumn white moth decimated my broccoli crop. So I visited my local hardware and built a frame of PVC covered curtain rods and plastic corner pieces that allowed me to drape mosquito netting over the frame and effectively exclude the moth. This works well but the framing cost nearly $40. A few weeks ago I saw flexible pvc coated metal rods that were 180cm long. I bought 3 at the enormous amount of $2.80 each and they work in the same way. They are only suitable for lower growing crops like cauliflower and cabbage, but work well to exclude the moth and uses less drapery in the process! Still looking for the ideal solution, but I am moth free this season!<br />
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As usual, photos follow.<br />
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This is the set up with the 180cm bendy poles and mossie net. Underneath is 4 drumhead cabbage and 8 broccolini I think the broccolini might grow too tall.</div>
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As the sign says!</div>
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Wish I could get more of these markers, they will last forever and are pretty groovy!</div>
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Snow peas, not my favourites, but I couldn't get any sugar snap ones. I usually plant peas and beans from seed, but after the storm took everything I used seedlings to speed up the process.</div>
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This time I used carrot tape as my last 3 attempts all failed. </div>
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Pilchy, on guard duty!</div>
<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-6880524958667708372015-04-05T13:09:00.003+10:002015-04-05T13:09:59.393+10:00Taking Stock: MarchI follow a few blogs and LOVE <a href="http://theeverydaymiracles.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Everyday Miracles</a> Thought I'd give "Taking Stock" a try it and see how it goes...<br />
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Making: A list of the jobs I need to complete today.<br />
Cooking: A huge vat of pumpkin soup from the last of my summer crop of butternut pumpkins.<br />
Drinking: Water, but nowhere near enough!<br />
Reading: "The Bounty" by Caroline Alexander.<br />
Wanting: To knit a blanket for the end of my bed. Problem is I haven't knitted in 30 years and even then I wasn't very good at it.<br />
Looking: At the computer screen a whole lot more than I should!<br />
Playing: Words with friends with Mert in the USA.<br />
Deciding: Whether to post this or not!!!<br />
Wishing: I wasn't Diabetic when I see all the Easter eggs in the supermarket.<br />
Enjoying: The company of Terry at work. I enjoy being on the building site and laugh a lot during the day.<br />
Waiting: For a phone call from my haematologist<br />
Liking: The Health app on my phone.<br />
Wondering: When the next Ad Astra girls lunch will be?<br />
Loving: My reading chair. Soooo comfy.<br />
Pondering: The endlessness of washing up.<br />
Considering: Paper plates!!! (see "Pondering" for further clarification)<br />
Watching: One Giant Leap (again).<br />
Hoping: The nursery has some cauliflower seedlings in today.<br />
Marvelling: At how quickly radish seeds break the soil.<br />
Needing: To go for a walk.<br />
Smelling: A tiny vial of "Rochas Man" that I found in the bottom of my bag.<br />
Wearing: My favourite bracelet.<br />
Following: The treechanging life of Rebecca on <a href="http://hambyhomeinstead.blogspot.com.au/p/hello.html" target="_blank">Hamby Home(in)stead</a><br />
Noticing: How well my veggie patch springs into life after rain as opposed to regular tap watering.<br />
Knowing: My garden will never feed us totally, but we enjoy what we produce. <br />
Thinking: About retirement and when I should leave full time employment.<br />
Feeling: The huge bruise on my calf after it met the tow bar!<br />
Admiring: The great work my sister is doing in her home renovation.<br />
Sorting: My photography props into manageable piles.<br />
Buying: Stuff I don't necessarily need!!!<br />
Getting: Hungry! I should stop typing and have some breakfast!!!<br />
Bookmarking: A load of new blogs I found through this project!<br />
Disliking: The failure of some of my late summer crops. My soil is slightly acidic and this affects propagation and growth.<br />
Giggling: At the antics of Georgia the beagle every time I visit my sister.<br />
Snacking: When I shouldn't!<br />
Coveting: The brilliant photography of others.<br />
Helping: Lauren with her Ikea shopping list. It is not a burden let me assure you!!!<br />
Hearing: The birds twittering outside as the rain had momentarily stopped and the sun is trying to break through.<br />
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As always, a few images to end this post.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span>Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-23882097353188059232015-03-12T20:17:00.000+11:002016-05-29T16:48:48.665+10:00I'm pumping iron!Yeah ok, get off the floor and stop the laughing. As if I am ever likely to turn into a gym junkie!<br />
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As part of my seemingly never ending cancer treatment I am now pumping iron... directly into a vein! So the story goes after the Radioactive Ablation in February 2013 my iron levels have continued to sink. I've had every test known to man to work out whats gone wrong, all with no definitive result. <br />
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Initially the GP thought it was a consumption issue. I simply wasn't eating enough green leafy veg and steak. But I thought I was. I increased consumption and the only thing to rise was my bad cholesterol!!! So after about 10 months he added oral iron tablets into the mix (just what I needed, yet another tablet!!!) 6 months later... the iron was still dropping so I was referred to a gastroenterologist. <br />
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I saw him and he decided I needed a endoscopy, colonoscopy and a natty little camera inserted into my belly to plot the course of my gut to find out what was wrong in there that iron just didn't like being around. Of course He also extracted a HUGE amount of cash from my wallet which, once again, my private health insurance failed to cover. The camera came back with some magnificent pics of my intestine. Pristine! Absolutely smick! I saw them, my guts look great!!! So this ruined his belief in that I had Coeliac disease, a new cancer, ulcers or intestinal bleeding. His final report read something along the lines of "it's obviously a consumption issue". So that was a total waste of time and money and back to the GP I go. <br />
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All the time my iron levels are falling even lower and as a result my energy levels are heading southward at an equally alarming rate. The "normal" range for which I was aiming is between 15-45. Prior to meeting up with the Gastroman I was running at between 6 and 8. So back on the steak I went. This time with daily double doses of iron in tablet form. Naturally you would expect a rise, however slight.... but no. I dropped for 6 to 4 and finally to 2. Getting out of bed, walking to the car, preparing a meal, working all became such a burden that I was perpetually exhausted (and grumpy).<br />
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Neither I, nor the GP could work it out. I found a line on an American website that said Radioactive Ablation messes with SOME peoples blood, but nothing more than that. The post said it was an "uncommon side effect" but neither the GP or the Gastro believed it. <br />
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So I spoke to my friendly pharmacist about it. He suggested I speak to the GP about inter muscular iron injections. I did, but the GP gave me three reason NOT to do it. 1. It can cause immediate heart problems and his surgery does not have a resus room and 2. It can cause horrible skin staining 3. inter muscular is not a good way of absorbing iron. It has limited efficacy. So in desperation he wrote to the Mater Hospital asking them to triage me for an urgent iron transfusion/infusion. But they refused. As I was not in active cancer treatment I did not fit their criteria. <br />
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My GP is a real trooper. He found a private haematologist here in the Hunter who would see me. I just had to wait 3 months for an appointment!!! I saw him and he, unlike Gastroman charged me a reasonable amount and 7 days later I was sitting in the Mater getting hooked up to a bag of fluids. Yes, the Hospital that wouldn't do me 3 months earlier, were now happy to have in in their facility.<br />
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I was hooked up at 8.30 am and unhooked a bit after 2pm I think. There were 8 chairs and 2 beds in the room and they were on high rotation all day. I was there the longest and chairs either side of me had 3 and 4 people thru them while I just sat and sucked up the goodness. On the central storage rack I counted over 40 IV set ups in the morning. When I left there were probably 4 or 5 still hanging there, yet there were still about 12 people in the waiting room! The staff were on the go all day. <br />
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Some weeks on now and the results has been....less than staggering. In fact I have not felt any relief at all BUT it will take more than one transfusion get me back to "normal". The Haemo man has decided that "occult gastrointestinal bleeding" is the cause. What that means is the Haemo man disagrees with Gastroman. Thing is I really don't care WHAT is causing it, I just want to feel normal again!!! The doctors are expecting great numbers, as am I.... but only time will tell.<br />
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As per usual a few images but be aware some might find them confronting.<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-19129593541868066712015-02-21T10:21:00.000+11:002015-02-21T10:21:05.644+11:00I'm really not cheating on you!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Optical Delusion, my beautiful blog. <br />
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I am really not cheating on you. You are still my number one. My favourite, my first. The thing I've got going over on Wordpress with Lauren is a side project. Something I've hankered for for a long time. Something you can't give me. <br />
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You see in Optical Delusion we are one, alone, but never lonely, we talk about our life and, for a long time, about the illness, then the recovery and the veggies... there is always lots about the veggies. We talk about the primary things. The camper, the plans, what's really going on. Over there on Wordpress it is a totally different world. It's not just me, it's my favourite Ranga Lauren too. We discuss ideas, themes, schemes but express it all in images not words. We have guest bloggers too talking about their world and showing us their take on an idea floated. Yes, true, we do post more regularly, we try for ever monday night, but sometimes work gets in the way and it has to be later in the week. Oh and we struggle with the formatting. Damn thing is so hard. It resizes our pics and changes our margins and generally drives us both to despair. Monday nights can be quite maddening. Where as you are simpler and easier and stick to the visual world, normal English language stuff. I'm even having to rely upon 1st year uni HMTL to try and rectify Wordpress formatting errors. You are the simpler solution Optical Delusion.<br />
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So don't feel neglected, I am not cheating on you. <a href="http://westsidegirls.net/" target="_blank">Westsidegirls</a> is just an aberration. A image aberration.... oh and a whole load of fun too!<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-22450933387769664692015-01-18T20:30:00.001+11:002015-01-18T20:30:56.223+11:002015! Here we go!Well 2014 was pretty good. No new cancer, still having some side effects from treatment but realistically I'm very lucky and pretty good! Working in the tin shed is going ok. It's pretty squishy at times, but it won't be for much longer. The new building is progressing as expected. New car is going well too. Needed some new tyres and yesterday, a new windscreen. My first ever windscreen after the biggest stone chip I have ever seen! Started taking a few more photos too. Something that I have been missing out on in 2014. <br />
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Started a new collaborative photographic project with associated blog. I've been wanted to do this for some time, but couldn't find a suitable collaborator. But she was under my nose the whole time! Lauren and I met about 7 years ago and started shooting together. We are vastly different and 17 years apart in age. The idea is to photograph the same subject each week and see how similar or how different our shots are. It's called Westside girls and here is the link! <a href="http://westsidegirls.net/" target="_blank">Westside Girls</a> . <br />
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The veggie patches going ok too. The crops are booming, yet I still haven't got my head around true crop rotation. The original single veggie bed has swelled to 12. For the first time I've grown rockmelons and for the first time I've lost some veggies to something other than insects. The corn has been stripped and I can only assume that a very smart possum has worked out how to do this and a couple of the rockmelons appear to have been attacked by lizards. Still in the grand scheme of things it is ok to be feeding the native animals a share of the bounty! <br />
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As for the other Bounty that plays a part in my life, William Blighs Bounty, I did not spent a lot of time reading about it in 2014. Although some great new books have been written about the Bounty, and other fascinating maritime history, I have not been doing much reading of late. Seemingly a side effect of having some holes burnt into my brain as part of my treatment. The desire to read is still there, but I find I can only read a few pages before sleep overtakes me and a big heavy book smashes me in the nose. Hopefully I will get more reading under my belt in 2015.<br />
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So what else do I want for 2015??? Well not a whole lot more really. I'm essentially very happy with my lot. I am hoping for some relief from the annoying side effects of treatment. I'd like to be sleeping consistently better than I am. I'd love to spend a whole lot more time with camera in hand taking some quality snaps and sometime I'll be taking the camper for a spin. Yep, this is the good life!<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-81978516580862582532015-01-01T09:21:00.001+11:002015-01-01T09:21:48.419+11:002014...Gone, but not forgotten!2014 in pictures... my pictures.<br />
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Roll on 2015. Lets have some fun!<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3339814115353412342.post-81721240541250540812014-12-21T21:59:00.001+11:002015-12-10T15:27:09.116+11:00Let them eat cake!"Let them eat cake!" she said. <br />
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When challenged by Terry the Tradie to make a Christmas cake like his grandma used to make I thought I best rise to the challenge. Initially I made a version with a bucketload of scotch. A classic 8 inch fruit cake baked in a slow oven for about 2 hours 20. I gave him a quarter and asked for an opinion. He was very happy with the result. We discussed options like more dates or less grog or different grog. Different grog intrigued him and we decided the thick orange liqueur Cointreau would he his choice for christmas day. I set out then to replicate the first, substituting Cointreau but found the it quickly stuck to the bottom of the boiler and needed more liquid so as not to burn. <br />
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The second Cointreau cake was a better consistency than the first and so it is the one he will receive tomorrow.<br />
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The cake is very easy to make. Today I am making 4 smaller Whiskey versions and I thought I would blog as I go.<br />
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First up you need to soak a kilo of mixed dried fruits in half to a whole cup of grog of your choice.<br />
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Then you need to hack 15 or so pitted dates.<br />
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Then a about the same in glace cherries.<br />
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Into the boiler goes 125g of butter, a teaspoon of ground dutch cinnamon, three quarters of a cup of brown sugar and more liquid. You need a cup of liquid in total. It can be all grog, all water or a mix of both. <br />
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Throw the fruits in now. The groggy mixed fruit and the dates and cherries. All in together. Onto the stove top she goes and the butter, sugar and liquid will begin to simmer. Lots of stirring so that it doesn't catch on the bottom is required if you use all grog, or the thicker liquers like Cointreau. It needs to simmer for 3 minutes then cool down.<br />
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When its cool you need to beat 2 eggs and add the beaten eggs and another cup of grog to the fruit mix. <br />
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They need to all be mixed up well before you add a cup of self raising flour and a cup of plain flour, sifted of course! Then whack it in the cake tin of you choosing. Round, square, whatever. This mix suits an 8 inch tin.<br />
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If you are going to ice it (which I HATE HATE HATE) then the process ends there, otherwise you can pile up more mixed fruit or almonds and cherries or pecan nuts and jazzy up the top.<br />
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The tins need to be wrapped in 4 layers of newspaper and tied off with string, then onto a sheet of cardboard and into the oven at about 160 degrees for a smudge over 2 hours. If the skewer comes out clean, then she's done.<br />
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Now most people skewer the top of the cake as it exits the oven and sprinkle over more grog. Not me. I use my insulin needles to draw up more grog and inject it directly into the cake. (eerrr clean fresh unused needles of course) . You can continue to feed the cake this way for a couple of weeks... depending on how high you want to blow when you get pulled over for a RBT on Christmas Day!<br />
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The end result is pretty good and Terry the Tradie agrees.<br />
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<br />Nammohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13502487989957157917noreply@blogger.com0