That hurts that hurts that hurts

What am I talking about?  Cutting myself shaving this morning, that’s what I’m on about!  At one time if you cut yourself you got just one cut, but this latest razor I have has three blades so you end up cutting yourself three times not once ... so much for progress then eh?

I went a ride out on me scooter today, just around Dorktown Wednesday market and as usual I took one of my cameras with me – sorry, no shots though.  Off I went into Smudges Place and bought two photo-mags and then off to the Blue Bear for a pint of Youngs’ bitter ... very nice it was too.  Anyway, while sitting there reading me mags I kept reading ‘camera this’ camera that’ and I thought, “Hang on a mow, what is a camera anyway?”  Photography is defined as ‘writing with light’, that’s why in photo competitions you here of ‘authors’ not ‘photographers’ ... I know, I think it’s daft too.  But is digital photography actually writing with light?  See, it’s the electronics inside your little box of tricks that does the writing isn’t it, not you. 

But even when we were using a box of tricks that used film and not electronics, was that really writing with light as well?  Even back in days of yore, you know 4 or 5 years ago YOU didn’t actually DO anything really to the film.  You pointed the box of tricks, if you were that way inclined you played about with a couple of dials and switches and twisted a few bits of metal encased glass and the pressed a little button ... and you didn’t need a licence to do so either!  After that you sent your film for someone else to develop and print for you.  But again, where’s the writing in that?  Hang on ... where’s me dic-n-ary ...

According to the latest Oxford edition a camera is, “a device for taking photographs or recording moving images.”  OK, no writing in that then is there.  For ‘photography it says, “the taking and processing of photographs.”  Not much help there then.  What about ‘writing’ or ‘write’ then, nope, no mention of using light there! Hmmm ... not getting very far am I? 

I sit here looking at my Sony Alpha 350 and 75-300mm lens and I’m wondering if it really is a camera.  I think back to my last film camera, a Minolta XD7, and that really was a camera.  But hang on, I also have a Nikon Coolpix 5100 and there’s another camera on my Blackberry.  Are they all cameras?  Surely not!  Cameras use films don’t they?  Yes?  No?  Oh heck, I’m no further forward and me eds urting again ... I’m off to bed ;-)))          

Dorktown Market plus a bit

Another week has flown by and still no birding.  This week however I’ve not been all that well.  I think I’ve had a dose of flu.  Aching all over hot, sweaty, cold and clammy, shaking and then just make things a bit worse my Metformin decided it doesn’t want to play either and I’ve been feeling bloated, full and gassy all week too.  Anyway, today I thought I had to get out and about and went for work into Dorktown and its market, recently voted Britain’s best street market too!  No idea what they would have thought of it 10 years ago when it w as a lot better. 

 

I took my camera with and got a few shots, not as many as I would have liked but I’m still feeling a little delicate and didn’t want to overdo things.  Here’s one for you then ...

During the summer the council lays on street entertainers and this guy, a magician or illusionist (or whatever he wants to call himself was today’s turn). ...

This man seemed to be powering through town and I thought he looked like a man on a mission

On the way home I sat on a bench by the only the only town cnetre ring round in the UK ... it's even called a 'ringway', and saw some bright arange berries and thought them wortha shot ...

Lovely weather today, nice and warm, too warm some would say so just as a reminder of what it was like here a few months ago ...

Frozen Mount Street park ...

 Ditto ...

Ditto ...

Here’s a clothes shop ... but it was much, much better when was called the Peacock and was one of the best pub in town, just one of many we have lost in town over the years ...

I was asked why I taking a pic of it at the time and the young lass just couldn't understand what I was saying ... oh dear, kids these days!

Manor Court Baptist Church ... I once wrote a history of this place.  At one time there was talk of the congregation here merging with that in here ...

... The URC Chapel on Chapel Street, the oldest non-comformist chucrh in Dorktown.

I've just found this shot again.  It's over one of the doors to the Crew Rock bar on Queens Road, Dorktown.  It's a great pub and taxi drivers tell me its the place they have least trouble with at chucking out time.

I think I've aready siad that I like Art.  Well, if you keep your eyse open as you walk around you will find art all over the place.  This example was on the wall of a house in Earls Court area of London.

Art can does exsist in any manor at all.  This one was created by hammering in nial to the top of a table in the outside area of a pub in Camden Town in London. 

Well, I think the 12 pics is enough for one day.  Hope you liked them .. . oh yes, the Rochdale sage has been in touch again ... 

A man went to Harley Street in London, having seen an advert for a Gynaecologist's Assistant.

Knowing that nowadays, job advertisers aren't able to discriminate against the applicant's gender,

he was very interested, so he went in and asked the Clerk for details.

The Clerk pulled up the file and read:

"This job entails preparing ladies for the Gynaecologist. You will be responsible for helping them out of their underwear, laying them down and carefully washing their private areas, applying shaving foam to the necessary parts and removing all unwanted foliage, and finally, you'll be required to rub in soothing oils, in preparation for the Gynaecologist's examination.”

Then she told him “The annual salary is £65,000 and if you're interested, you'll have to go to Manchester."

"My goodness!", exclaimed the man, "Is that where the job is?".

She answered, "No Sir, that's where the end of the queue is..."

Nice dreams my readers ;-)))

                  

Two in one day ... I must be getting keen ...

... but I'm not really.  It's just that I'm sitting here just off the centre of Dorktown and I can here a cockerell crowing over in the next street.  What the hell are people thinkingt of bringing roosters into a town center!  Bloody nuuters some folks!

Saturday day out

No birds again today and I have no idea when I might get out birding again.  Things just keep getting in the way sadly.  But on Friday our grandson came to stay for a few days and that is always a pleasure.  Yesterday we took him down to Banbury just to get him out of Dorktown for a few hours.  There’s was a bit of madness in my method of course ;-))) ... I wanted to get some of the pub signs in the town centre, which I did.  Kile (and yes it is spelt correctly, or at least that is how his Mum wanted it to be spelt), was given some pocket money and he bought himself a toy gun.  I won’t say any more about that!  After a pint of Hooky Dark in the 

 and very nice is was too, we headed off to Chippping Norton for the same reason as we went to Banbury.  But I managed to take a wrong turn somewhere or other and we ended up in Hook Norton, the home of the brewery of the same name.  The village itself is very pretty indeed and well worth a visit without the brewery.  Here's a shot of one part of it ...

But rememeber, it was a dull old yesterday when this was taken.

I’d wanted to go there for some time but with Kile with us I couldn’t really do the brewery tour, so that is something I shall have to do on my own sometime in the future.  Jan bought my a Hook Norton tankard while I was having a look around though.  Here it be ...

I was looking at buying some of their beer too but 12 bottles in one go is a tad too much even me ;-)))

We eventually arrived in Chipping Norton and had a quick a walk around – it’s not all that big a town but very nice.  Jan got a tad concerned at one point because one of the doorways we passed had the keys left in the lock, very trusting or just forgetfulness, I don’t know.  

We soon got around the town and then we headed back home via Shipston and Stratford.  I knew that on the way home we had to call in and get some milk, Kile isn’t a big milk drinker but Jan is so we need a lot of the white stuff.  

I called in to Morrison’s just off the A46 in Coventry on the way home and bought a few more bits and bobs while I was there as well as the milk.  One such item was a Daily Telegraph.  It’s the one daily paper I would have delivered if it followed the example of the Times and Independent and went tabloid style.  But I was pretty much surprised to find that the paper had 10 sections plus the magazine and most of it went into the recycling bag!  I have no time for reading about sports, business, spoiled film so-called ‘stars’ and their mardy arse antics.  I’m not into exotic holidays to faraway places, cruising the Med or Indian Ocean or into buying a multi £million house or even one over £150K.  The result is that for me there is a lot of wasted paper in all these weekend publications.  I do however have the Sunday Express delivered, not because I like it as a paper as such but because one Stuart Winter writes a weekly birding column in it.  He also wrote a book called Tales of a Tabloid Twitcher which I also enjoyed reading.

Now I’m sure we are all of the way that our snooze paper gets the facts in twist.  Well, the Sunday Express today has done it again and this time in relation to one of the top stories currently enthralling much of the British public in not the world wide public.  I am of course talking about THAT WEDDING and the extended family of one of those involved!  According to Sunday Express Price Harry is now rather chuffed that his big brother Wills will now have to call him Sir when they are both in uniform.  Who the heck advises these writers?  Look at the offcier rank structure of the RAF and the Army :-

RAF                                                    Army

Pilot Officer                                  2^nd Lieutenant

Flying Officer                                Lieutenant

Flight Lieutenant                          Captain

Harry is now a Captain and Wills is a Flight Lieutenant, but here’s thing folks, they are of equal rank.  The only thing that may put Harry in a senior position is that the Household Cavalry (both the Blues and Royals and the Life Guards), are the senior regiments of the Army.  However, in reality, both men (listen to me speaking of men!), both little boys are of the same rank in reality.

Lucky for me I was able to miss the all mention of footie yesterday until I got home and watched a bit of the news.  To escape it this afternoon I’m sat at me ‘puter tip-tapping away at this and will get on with my second book in a short time.  But I did get to watch the London Marathon this morning.  Now those people do deserve the respect of all of us!  The elite runners of course are at the top of their game to be able to take part and although I respect them for their efforts my real respect is for the thousands of fun runners who follow them around that 26 mile route.  Year before last I cocked up and forgot it was on and went on one of my regular trips down there and got caught up in all the crowds.  Here’s some on Whitehall ...

Oh how I would love to do what they have done. 

Fate of course has to give things a bit of nudge doesn’t it.  Here we are with 2 major footie matches being played darn the Smoke and the London Marathon on too and there’s a major fire in a junk yard under the M1.  The traffic congestion must be horrendous around there now.  I’m pleased I stayed here in Dorktown, for once the better place to be.          

           

Today's xecond helping ...

Well, I sat and watched Lewis and wrapped myself around a really nice bottle of red wine, and enjoyed them both.  It’s only just lately that we have had the ‘pause’ and ‘catch-up’ buttons and I have to say that I am sorry that it took me so long to get the  box that allows it, it’s really great.  After Lewis I watched the Sunday evening show, Louis Theroux: America’s Most Hated Family in Crisis. I’m not really surprised by it seeing as it was in the USA and Americans always seem to be over the top with everything they do anyway.  But what worries me is that the church concerned was a Baptist church.  “Why?” you might ask.  Well, I was a member of Manor Court Baptist Church Nuneaton for quite some time and I wrote a history of the church for its 150 year anniversary (I gave it the title of Hats and Coats) if you wish to look it up.  During my time in membership I also took and passed the Baptist Union diploma in Theology and another such diploma presented by the London Bible College.  So the top and bottom of it is that I’m no dummy when it comes to the Bible.

However I have to say that what I saw on TV this evening is more than a little disturbing and not only because of name of the church involved.  By their reckoning I am headed for hell, why, because although I don’t agree with the gay lifestyle I am willing to allow them to live that life if that’s what they want; if a couple wants to have sex before marriage then so what?  All through the program they kept quoting the Bible as their reference but there was one scripture that was plainly and obviously absent ... “Judge not lest you be judged!” (in the king Jimmy, or King James Version ... have you ever noticed how many of these far out groups use the King Jimmy and not the more modern versions?). 

It seems to me I, with the quote above in mind, that these people are way out of line and they certainly seem to be the sort that turn of so many people away from the Church – not the capital C, not lower case.  They seem to have a twisted outlook on the Christian faith and my hope is that the folks of the UK don’t think that the whole Church is like that.

But what of Louis Theroux himself and his motives?  Was he trying to bring information to the people of the UK or was he just trying to make the group look as bad as possible?  He openly admitted that he was not a believer so I have to wonder just why he went back for another go at the group.  Confession time folks!!! I don’t like, indeed I hate football.  So what?  If invited I wouldn’t go out and make an anti-football film.  So why would anyone want to go and make a film that is about a subject that don’t have any belief in?  

What ever, I’m off to be bed ... the wine is making its presence felt.