Category Archives: personal

amusements, food+drink, memes, personal, photography, thoughts

Listography – Products

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Slightly late with this week’s Listography entry, as proposed by Kate Takes 5. This week it’s all about products — specifically those top five products you couldn’t live without.

So in the interests of not frightening the horses natives, here’s my sensible list:

Laptop or PC. I don’t mind if I have a laptop or a desktop PC; I’m happy using either; both have advantages and disadvantages. But I’m a fish out of water without instant access to the intertubes and all my documentation.

Bed. I need my sleep. I need oil tanker loads of beauty sleep and even then it doesn’t do any good. Bed for me is a haven; not just somewhere to sleep but somewhere to relax, read, think and even on occasions watch TV. Yes, we still live very much in student mode, even 40 years after the event!

Camera. I always carry a camera. You never know what you’re going to see. Mostly it’s dull, but very occasionally it isn’t. And I like photographing people and the odd things that go on around me; especially people. Even at home my camera sits to hand on my desk.

Beer. Well we’d better have something to sustain us. I don’t drink a lot of beer these days; I’ve switched mostly to wine in the interests of trying (and failing) to lose weight and control the diabetes. But I love beer and couldn’t do without the occasional fix. And anyway, what else does one really want to drink with curry?

Glasses. As in spectacles. I’m as blind as a bat without my glasses, which I’ve worn since I was about 14. They are such a part of me that I don’t know I’m wearing them, so I’ve never even bothered to think much about having lenses — and not too much point now as I’d still need reading glasses. I like my varifocals; unlike many people I’ve never had problem with them.

So there you are. What are your top five things you couldn’t do without.

memes, personal, photography

[19/52] 2.05 PM


[19/52] 2.05 PM, originally uploaded by kcm76.

Week 19 entry for 52 weeks challenge.

As you’ll see if you work out the angles, this was taken from the passenger seat the other day. I wanted to capture the combination of camera, wing-mirror, a bit of self-portrait, the traffic behind us and the traffic beside us at the lights.

food+drink, memes, natural history, nudism, personal

Ten Things – May

Number 5 in my monthly series of “Ten Things” for 2011. Each month I list one thing from each of ten categories which will remain the same for each month of 2011. So at the end of the year you have ten lists of twelve things about me.

  1. Something I Like: Nudity
  2. Something I Won’t Do: Wear a DJ/Tuxedo
  3. Something I Want To Do: Have Acupuncture
  4. A Blog I Like: Whoopee
  5. A Book I Like: Brown, Ferguson, Lawrence & Lees; Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain & Europe
  6. Some Music I Like: Caravan, In the Land of Grey and Pink
  7. A Food I Like: Whitebait
  8. A Food or Drink I Dislike: Sheep’s Eyes
  9. A Word I Like: Amniomancy
  10. A Quote I Like: I like small furry animals – as long as they’re tasty. [Lisa Jardine]
environment, history, links, music, personal, pleasures, sexuality, thoughts, topographical

Weekly Interesting Links

OK guys & gals, so here’s another weekly, but doubtless occasional, new series — links to interesting sites I’ve come across during the week but which haven’t made it into a full posting.

An article by my friend Potter-san on the Soul of Okinawan Music. The music of Okinawa (the southern-most tropical islands of Japan) is a fun eclectic mix of their native music and just about anything they can import. Try it! I was surprised how much of it I liked.

Also advance information on the London Okinawa Day 2011 on Saturday 25 June. I’ve never managed to get to this annual event but it sounds like it should be a fun day. Anyone want to get together a party of us?

On a totally different subject, a thought-provoking item Should Young Teens be Prescribed Hormonal Contraception? by Prof. Kate Clancy. All the more powerful because Clancy is American and her stance is totally contrary to the prevailing American ethic of total teenage abstinence.

If you are interested in your family history and have forebears who worked on the railway you might be interested in the Railway Ancestors FHS.

In view of the week’s biggest event (at least here in the UK) history buffs may be interested in Medieval Weddings.

One of the most misunderstood areas of the law as it affects anyone involved in literary or artistic ventures is copyright. Fortunately the British Library describe the duration of UK copyright in one easy flowchart. But I suspect I shall have to continue to explain intellectual property law even to our literary society trustees. 🙁

And finally, here’s a super eco-idea: use cardboard packaging impregnated with seeds to rejuvenate the environment. No sorry you can’t have the idea, it’s already been done by Life Box.

memes, personal, pleasures

[17/52] Pussy Porn


[17/52] Pussy Porn, originally uploaded by kcm76.

Week 17 entry for 52 weeks challenge.

Over the long weekend we’ve started the process of clearing out the rat’s nest known as our study. Progress has been slow, but steady.

Anyway I was sitting at my desk early on Monday morning, and trying vainly to wake up, when I heard this rustling sound. I checked and the pickled pussy wasn’t in Noreen’s chair so I thought “oh well she’s probably burrowing under Noreen’s desk somewhere”.

Some minutes later I heard the rustling again, and turning round saw Sally emerging from the cardboard box which was stacked inaccessibly behind my chair. This had clearly been sleeping place for the night having clambered over various obstacles including my big camera bag.

Just what is it about cats and boxes?

memes, personal

Ten Things – April

Number 4 in a monthly series of “Ten Things” for 2011. Each month I list one thing from each of ten categories which will remain the same for each month of 2011. So at the end of the year you have ten lists of twelve things.

  1. Something I Like: Koi
  2. Something I Won’t Do: Bungee Jumping
  3. Something I Want To Do: Travel from Wick/Thurso to Penzence by Train
  4. A Blog I Like: Art by Ren Adams
  5. A Book I Like: Lewis Carroll; Alice in Wonderland
  6. Some Music I Like: Monteverdi, 1610 Vespers
  7. A Food I Like: Butter Beans
  8. A Food or Drink I Dislike: Pernod
  9. A Word I Like: Merhari
  10. A Quote I Like: The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. [Flannery O’Connor]

Image from 123RF Stock Photos.

personal

New Endings, New Beginnings

Well there it is then. Late yesterday evening, after the eulogies, the presents, the flowers and the party, I finally managed to prise Noreen away from the bomb site known as her museum office, for the very last time.


The car on the way home looked more like a flower shop than a taxi.

So we are both now persons of much time and leisure but no money. Good sleep, no alarm clocks and a lovely sunny day bode well for the future. Culture shock all round!

We celebrate next week by having the guys in to gut and rebuild the bathroom. Should be a fun mess!