October 2016 – Page 3 – derrickjknight

Stymied

Progress on the computer front has ground to a halt. Yesterday’s senior advisor had undertaken to telephone me to enquire about my reloading of Sierra.

He phoned just before lunch. When I told him I had managed to load one picture, very slowly, he decided I should insert an external hard drive onto which the entire contents of my iMac should be downloaded; and I didn’t take in what else; I told him I didn’t own an external gadget and lived too far away from a source to buy one today. ‘Don’t phone me, I’ll phone you’ was the essence of my additional phrasing. No way was I going to spend more hours on the phone on something that was likely to be beyond me.

What I didn’t know when I spoke to him was that I would be unable to load any more pictures, even at the rate of Aesop’s tortoise. When I discovered this I called a Peacock. Peacock Computers of Lymington, that is. Their James is to visit in an ambulance tomorrow, and take Mac off to hospital.

It seems it needs a heart transplant, in that the hard drive is likely to be on the blink. This was confirmed when I could send no more than five pictures by e-mail to my Windows laptop, and, later not even turn it off. Sometimes you need a good surgeon.

Not to worry. I could, after all, put the photos directly into the laptop from the cameras. Couldn’t I?

Well, no. You see, when you upload photos onto your computer, you have an option to delete them from the camera. That is what I always do. So they, like maggots, are trapped inside the Apple. Stymied.

At least I could add the e-mailed pictures. Ah, but. Hopefully coincidentally, the ‘attachment display settings’ on the sidebar in WordPress has disappeared. This means I can only put small or ‘standard’ pictures on, and they can’t be enlarged. I have sent a query to WordPress Happiness Engineers. It is a bit worrying that there is an unresolved forum thread about this problem.

Here’s one I made earlier, in which Louisa holds Emily in one of the pictures I sent to my granddaughter two days ago. That will have to suffice for today, and act as a further taster for the earlier post.

This evening we dined on lamb and mint sausages, mashed potato, and crunchy carrots and runner beans; followed by Normandy apple tart and evap. I drank Collin-Bourriset Fleurie 2015.

Gnawing An Apple

This morning, I did a bit more lateral thinking about my computer problem. I did not really know whether my connection problem was a fault of WordPress or Apple. How could I be sure about this?

Well, with a stroke of genius, I determined that if I e-mailed a picture from the Mac to my Microsoft laptop I could attempt to load it from there. I did. It worked like a dream.

Here is the result. It is Aaron up a ladder.

Somewhat strengthened by this I telephoned the Apple helpline. I really cannot bear to give a blow by blow account of the next four hours I spent on the telephone, resulting in my having to reload Sierra. This process occupied a further three hours after which I successfully uploaded one image, but it took ages.

That’s it. Enough gnawing for today.

There was only one thing to do. That was to return to The White Hart that we had discovered yesterday, for a meal. We did just that. I enjoyed such a plentiful steak meal that I couldn’t consider a dessert. I only regretted that I had not brought my camera with me. I had just about enough of dealing with pictures today, and I still have a lot to upload for yesterday’s post. Jackie’s choice was New Forest chicken followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice cream. She drank Becks and I drank Otter.

No Resolution

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This morning Aaron began taking dead branches out of the cypress tree. As can be seen, there is still much colour in the garden. I photographed him and made him an A4 print which I cannot upload, receiving the same message as yesterday. I tried several times and have come to the conclusion that the problem is a direct result of the loading of the new Sierra Mac operating system on Friday. I cannot phone Apple because the help line is not operating at the weekend.

My granddaughter, Emily has asked me for some of her baby pictures for a project at her workplace. I sent her a link to an earlier post, ‘Emily Goes Wandering’ which she had already seen, and is pleased with.

I then e-mailed several scans of earlier prints. First Sam holding his niece;

then Louisa cradlng her;

and finally me.

This afternoon Jackie drove us to the beach at the end of Tanners Lane. On a mild, sunny, day a number of families were enjoying wandering among the donkeys, or searching for crabs in the rock pools. Sunlight glinted on the water and provided the clouds with highlights.

Jackie played with sea shells as she sat on a wooden breakwater within reach of Portsmouth’s spinnaker.

Boats and buoys bobbed.

Just as I was about to photograph the shadows cast by a tyre swing suspended from a stunted, gnarled, tree, the facility became occupied by a young girl. I found her mother and asked if I could photograph the current scene. Once the mother had recovered from her initial thought that I might have wanted the child removed, she was more than happy to grant her permission.

A young man from East Boldre told me that, on just one day in the year, it is possible, at low tide, to walk across to a Spitfire normally under water. He had done it when he was twelve, ten years ago. That looks like a subject for tidal research.

After passing a pheasant-filled field on our way home we stopped for a drink at the The White Hart in Pennington. We received a very friendly welcome. It is not unusual in English pubs to have free nuts or crisps available on the bar counter. Here we were given roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding with mint sauce.

The walls were decorated with photographs of the area in bygone days. One of a knife grinder from 1900 reminded us that our streets had been visited by one during our childhood: mine in Stanton Road, Raynes Park, South West London in the 1940s; Jackie’s in Penge, South East London in the 1950s.

The sky, on our departure from the pub, was so enticing that we nipped over to Lymington to have a look at the sunset.

Anyone who feels deprived of photographs is advised to follow the link above. Otherwise, we must pray that the Apple help line can get to the core of my problem tomorrow, and I can insert the photos I took today. (It was not until 25th that I managed to complete this task)

This evening, we dined on superb chilli con carne and savoury rice. I drank more of the Madiran.

Resolution

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I spent much of the day wrestling with the problem of uploading the photographs to yesterday’s post. There were still eight more to do by the time I went to bed.

I was constantly running out of time for the process, and receiving the message that the connection was lost. This is not particularly unusual, but the internet connection was not down. After many attempts with only three successes, instead of just having another go, I sat back and did some lateral thinking.

The lost connection, it seemed to me, may be between WordPress and my computer. It was as if I were being timed out.

Customarily I scan at a rather high resolution so that, if I wished, I could make large prints without pixellation, and similarly readers could enlarge images if required. This, as usual, on this occasion was 3200. Reducing it should reduce the time, so I tried 600. This loaded very quickly but did not permit much enlargement by readers. 2400 was partially successful, in that it was hit and miss as to whether I ran out of time. Eventually, I settled on 1200. It remains to be seen whether that will work with large prints, but at least readers can produce a decent enlargement.

Here is a token picture from those to be found on the now complete version of https://derrickjknight.com/2016/10/07/boating-and-fishing/

Could this problem have anything to do with uploading Siri yesterday, I wonder? This seems to be a disembodied voice which invites a question from me. It frightens the bejabers out of me.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s choice chilli con carne with scrumptious savoury rice. She drank a mix of Hoegaarden and Bavaria, and I drank Reserve des Tuguets Madiran 2012.

Boating and Fishing

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On another low key day Jackie drove me to Lymington to collect my laptop, the battery of which had needed replacing.

Later I scanned the last of the colour negatives of the French holiday taken towards the end of 1985.

In the evenings Matthew, Sam, and Louisa liked to sit and contemplate the pool;

Jessica kept an eye on proceedings.

One day Matthew, starting with Sam, took family members in different combinations on a paddle boat trip on a local lake.

Louisa joined in, as did Becky, whose trailing arm is visible here;

and, later, Jessica.

Back at the gite Matthew, with an improvised rod and line, went fishing,

and introduce Sam to the pastime. The little chap made his own rod.

Before bed, Sam and Louisa made an exciting den with kitchen furniture. The scabby knees still look impressive.

This evening Jackie produced an excellent meal of Chicken fillets marinaded in sweet chilli and mango, on a bed on vegetable rice. The vegetable included onion, mushrooms, peas, beans, sweet corn, and carrots. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Barbera d’Asti.

Despite repeated attempts, intermittent loss of connection has made it impossible to load most of today’s pictures. I am giving up and going to bed, hoping that there will be some improvement in the morning.

October 8th. All pictures are now inserted

On The Beach (1)

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Today was largely overcast with the occasional glimpse of the sun. Jackie drove us to Mudeford and back.

We began with Avon Beach , which this couple walked along.

Maybe they reached as far as Friar’s Cliff Beach to the left.

The spray from the waves whooshing onto the shore reflected the red-brown tints of the seaweed they brought with them.

Gulls picked their way among the vegetation and the myriads of flies rising from it.

Dogs periodically dashed after the birds.

They would probably be astounded if they ever caught one.

Bobbing up and down amidst the choppy surface, the gulls showed how surfing should be done.

Especially the synchronised version.

A family stepped out on a stone breakwater,

then one member photographed the others as I focussed on the Lifeguards Hut.

Periodically the sunlight slashed the horizon,

or pierced the clouds with gentler Jesus beams.

We moved on to Mudeford Quay, where the above photograph was taken.

A series of motor dinghies braved the choppy waters.

They battled through conflicting currents before turning to starboard and slaloming a series of buoys on their way to the open sea.

We think this is another Lifeguards Hut on a spit opposite the quay.

This evening we dined at Royal China in Lymington, where we enjoyed the usual excellent food and friendly service. We both drank Tsingtao beer.

Save Our Stream

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Feeling considerably brighter today, I began by tackling two weeks administration. This involved settling bills, correspondence, and collecting a delivery that required a signature.

Jackie drove us to Lymington to retrieve the package from the sorting office. Almost across the other side of the High Street is situated Peacock Computer Systems where we took my HP laptop for a diagnosis. The charger has been plugged in but the device doesn’t charge up. The diagnosis is that it needs a battery transplant and is on the waiting list for a replacement.

After this we travelled back to Old Milton where we purchased a new dehumidifier to replace the old one which was crying in pain. It seemed sensible to detach it from its power source and buy an new one. We found one in The Home Appliance Centre, took it home, and went on a drive round the forest, where,

the sun-streaked tarmac came hurtling towards us as Jackie drove between the trees.

There are many streams in the forest. The one that demanded my attention today was at Furze Hill near Fordingbridge.

The dappled sunlight increased its beauty;

the clear blue sky rippled in the breeze-stirred shallows;

the browns of pebbles and bed of the stream discoloured the impression of the clear water above them,

blending with reflections of sky and greenery to produce pleasing abstract paintings.

We have had such a dry year that the water was quite shallow,

yet the scene was quite magical.

Sometimes serendipity plays a part in a blog post. So it was today. I had not realised the significance of this one of all the streams in the forest, until, further along the road, we came across this sign:

Naturally I had to investigate. A barking dog alerted the people who lived behind the poster to my presence. There ensued a conversation about a five year battle by http://friendsoflatchmore.org to prevent the filling in of a large stretch of land above Latchmore Brook. Apparently this will change the course of the water and cover an important archeological site. Otters which frequent the local stream will, it is believed, be driven away by pollution.

The views of these who wish to carry out the infill may be found at http://www.hlsnewforest.org.uk/info/100/latchmore

We drove on to Latchmore and eventually lunched at the Hyde-Out cafe at Hyde, before a gentle trundle home. Many people were eating outside. At one point, a little boy aged about six made an impressive entrance and demanded: “Where’s the cake?”.

Before dinner, despite the paucity of clouds, we drove down to Barton on Sea to admire the pastel shades of the skyline at sunset.

The moon and walkers aided this composition.

We then dined on fish fingers, chips, and baked beans, followed by ice cream. Good nursery convalescence food.

The Prop

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On another recuperating day, I scanned a batch of colour negatives from a French holiday in the autumn of 1985.

Here Becky is first amused,

then contemplative, in the garden of the gite.

Once Sam had given her a push,

Louisa was proud to work the swing on her own. Most children wait until they are older to acquire the permanently scuffed knees. Not, game for anything, Louisa.

Behind the wire netting beyond the children lay a pair of old cartwheels.

What more could a photographer require in the way of props?

This evening we dined on roast pork, boiled and roast potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and runner beans. Jackie drank sparkling water and I drank Barbera D’Asti Superiore 2012.

Play Of Light

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On another beautifully sunny day we continued our recuperation indoors. Never mind, we could look out of the windows watching the light play about the garden.

I spent much of the afternoon retouching the scanned images of some rather speckled black and white negatives from friends Tony and Liz’s wedding in 1984. Sunlight was also dramatic on that day.

Apart from this photograph of Tony’s delightful stepdaughter, Cherie,

I have chosen to post only my own family members, beginning with Becky. I was intrigued by the light playing around the room as we gathered for the ceremony.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what Sam is thinking?

Jessica looks rather wistful here.

She is holding Louisa, and they are soon having fun; while Becky, reflected in the background,

enjoys a conversation with Cherie.

The little ones soon ended up on the floor.

I can’t remember what Louisa had done to her head. Maybe she had butted a jam jar. It hasn’t permanently spoiled her beauty. (Becky has provided the answer in her comment below).

This evening, for our dinner, Jackie produced roast pork, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, crunchy carrots, broccoli and runner beans, with perfect, tasty gravy,

What We Didn’t Do

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Today Jackie and I both suffered a bit of a relapse on the cold front, so we just spent a day indoors.

We had been intending to go to Wroughton where Paul, Danni, and Thea were running a 10K race in aid of Prospect Hospice in memory of Chris. Five hours driving was clearly out of the question for Jackie, so we thought we might manage two of the other events for the day instead. One was the final day of Margery’s exhibition, ‘Hanging Around’, from which would go on to visit Mum on her birthday. We did neither.

The first thing we didn’t do was gardening. Aaron and Sean of A.P. Maintenance did, however, complete their work on the grizelinia hedge and filled a trailer with cuttings which they took to the dump. A further pile of logs has been retained for another of their customers. These young men are ace recyclers, performing community services such as this.

Aaron’s kind and gentle nature is also apparent in this photograph of a Goliath moth he thought we would like to see. The creature is perched on an index finger of his strong, scarred hand.

This afternoon, the race over, Danni sent me an image on a Facebook chat bearing the caption ‘We didn’t think you’d make it?’ It was good to be missed, but nice that my doppelgänger stood in for me.

Paul then e-mailed me this photograph of the assembled company. From left to right on the rear sofa we have niece Fiona, sister Elizabeth, great nephew Jasper, and nephew Adam; in front we have great nephew James, sister-in-law Frances, nephew-in-law Paul, niece Danni, nephew-in-law Andy, and niece-in-law Thea. Well done the runners in what I gather was an uphill course.

I cannot resist posting this photograph made by Mike Nicholson on 26th January 1987. I may look hot and bothered, but the the Fareham 10 mile road race I ran in aid of Adam’s day nursery, when he was not much older than the son he holds on his lap today, was competed in sub-zero temperatures, which is probably why, according to my watch, I managed it in 64 minutes.

Margery’s exhibition is moving on to Southampton City Art Gallery next spring, so, unless it stays on the walls of the Clarke home for a while, we will be able to see it then.

Finally, I settled for phoning Mum, who sounded so much brighter than she had just over a week ago when we last visited her.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s luscious lamb jalfrezi; spicy cauliflower bahji; and colourful onion and red pepper rice. I drank Doom Bar.