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Category Archives: photography
Dissecting the radio
Today I performed an autopsy, or dissection if you prefer, on Shana’s clapped out old transistor radio. I still don’t know one electronic component from another–although I suspect that some of the big fat blue things lurking in the set’s innards might be capacitors. And I’d be at a loss as to how to reassemble the darned thing, even if I hadn’t chucked the whole lot in the bin after I’d done taking snaps of it.
That’s not to say it wasn’t an educational experience though. Our natural curiosity led us to do a quick web search on the name that was printed on one of those big blue doodads. As a result, we found out all about the highly successful–but occasionally controversial–component maker, Nichicon.
See the rest of the radio autopsy pictures here.
Tomorrow, I’ll be dissecting the telly. Oh hang on though: University Challenge is on tomorrow. Right, change that to the day after, then…
Posted by in photography
Rainbows
Late afternoon on 26 October, after only a brief shower of rain (so short that we hadn’t even realised it had rained) we saw a rainbow. Not long after came a second one, much brighter and more intense in colour than the first. By a combination of trigonometry, squinting and guesswork (not good attributes for bomb disposal work, I must admit, but sufficient for most of life here in elderburbia) I calculated that the pot of gold traditionally supposed to be at the end of the rainbow would be located halfway down the chimney of the former Park View insane asylum (now closed and boarded up, but with the secret tunnels underneath left accessible if you know where to look).
BTW (whatever that stands for), feel free to click on the rainbow pictures in order to huge-ify them. But be warned, the experience is so realistic that it may blow you out of your chair.
The other end of the rainbow, I worked out, ended somewhere around Lincoln’s South Park roundabout. This would lead gullible treasure hunters not to a pot of gold but to a poop scoop disposal bin; however, if you fancy yourself as a bit of an alchemist, why not give it a whirl and follow the ‘bow next time there’s some afternoon rain in our part of the world.
In the second pic, taken by Shana, who bravely hung half out of the window to get the shot, while I held onto her slippers and marvelled at what a surprisingly loose fit they were (!), you can see a second, fainter rainbow. Could there have been two pots of gold after all? Was this a missed opportunity for us both? Oh well, back to doing the pools next week, I guess. Now then, how about Lincoln City for a home win…
…nah, perhaps not!
Posted by in photography
Supermoon: World Exclusive
Tonight, if you look up at the sky, you will see a ‘supermoon‘. Here’s the science bit: usually the moon is about 238,000 miles away from Earth (give or take…) but this weekend it is only 221,000 miles away, and it’s called a supermoon because its close approach just happens to coincide with its also being a full moon. Heck, I think I need to sit down a moment so I can take it all in.
While I was sitting down overwhelmed — and thus missing all the moon action — Shana was so excited that she dashed upstairs and hung out of the bedroom window. (Safety first: don’t try that at home — especially not ours.) It was all in a good cause, though. She wanted to get a photo of the supermoon specially for all our loyal readers. And with it being a whole seventeen thousand miles nearer than usual, she didn’t have to use the zoom setting. Result: camera batteries won’t run out so fast.
So anyway, here it is. Supermoon: a world exclusive. (I think that’s what journalists call a ‘scoop’.)
Eh? Oh, there it is. I put it at the top of the post instead of the bottom.
Posted by in photography
Wagtail inspects water pipe burst
A water pipe near one of our neighbours’ houses sprung a leak yesterday. Anglian Water engineers came along in a van, inspected it, sprayed their equivalent of a post-it note in blue paint on the pavement (’3″ cast’), and left, so presumably it isn’t urgent and can wait till after the New Year festivities and related hangovers have worn off.
Meanwhile, there’s a puddle outside which is getting larger and deeper. Shana swore she saw a shark’s fin break the surface earlier, but I remain sceptical. This little wagtail seems to like all the mud, though.
(Here’s a tip: click on the little wagtail and he will miraculously increase in size — just like the puddle!)
Posted by in nature notes, photography
Big ice. Really big ice.
Shana says that men always exaggerate. She’s right, of course, and I’m the proof: our online grocery delivery is cancelled owing to adverse weather conditions and suddenly we’re both going to starve; one sneeze and I’m sure I have flu; and even a single cough is — what else? — consumption (it’s what Keats died of, you know).
Naturally then, when I saw this seven-and-a-half inch Damoclesian whopper dangling from the ledge outside our living room window, I just had to tell Shana.
“That’s one hell of an icicle,” she said.
“That’s no icicle,” I replied. “That’s a bloomin’ stalactite!”
Did I say it was seven-and-a-half inches? Well, so did the tape measure. Looks more like eight-and-a-half to me, though.
Posted by in photography