2008 — 12 October: Sunday
It was not unknown for Christa and me to watch two episodes of Boston Legal back to back in an evening... but four?... that's a new record. I'm pleased to report no perceptible fall-off in quality of this latest season. Still, I do need to get some sleep before the next walk.
Tonight's picture of that inveterate traveller, Christa, taken by Peter...
Christa (somewhere in Germany?) in late July 1993
I don't know exactly where she was, (I've certainly never been over that bridge) though I know she had Peter with her for two weeks. They both loved to travel; my preference was (and is) to stay at home, surrounded by all the toys1 and comforts carefully assembled there. We cordially agreed to differ. Besides, see how happy she looks? I also remember they came back a day early, somewhat traumatised by their first visit to the graves of Christa's parents. (Recent picture here.) G'night.
A very misty morning...
But time enough, yet, for some sunshine to appear. Breakfast to eat and lunch to pack meanwhile. It's nearly 09:00 and it's just occurred to me, as I glanced at the time display on one of the satellites and realised (yet again) it's on GMT that we will be soon, too. Good grief, it's exactly a year since I was up in the loft fitting some extra lights — a task that I have yet to resume.
It's reported on the BBC Radio 3 news that four of our largest banks are "looking for assistance" which is, it seems, a euphemism for requesting billions of pounds to help ease their financial indigestion. My, how things change.
I note young Mr Fry is "dorking" about high-end portable music. "There is surely no climb to perfection more impossible of completion than that of the ascent towards the ultimate high-end sound system" — I think my bank balance reflects the basic truth of that sort of assertion. (Source.)
Off we go!
Guess who forgot to brush the mud off the trousers from our last walk? Too late now. Time (10:01) to set off.
And back...
... just after 16:10 to the unpleasant news that Junior got a flat tyre on his way back home yesterday, but all is now well. A very pleasant six miles in the initially slightly misty sunshine. We spotted this chap and, after Mike had captured him, I did the necessary Indiana Jones flapping to persuade him into flight. Click the pic...
Today's "Watch the birdie" in East Meon
Mike took a lovely shot of the church in East Meon, knowing (as he pressed the shutter) that the old devil converging verticals would raise its ugly head because he was forced by the lie of the land and his telephoto into shooting from "below". My Photoshop Elements contains a filter tool that offers the ability to correct such camera distortion, and here's an example of it in operation. I'm not claiming it's a perfect cure — indeed, I've deliberately left in the lamppost on the left as the consequent distortion of the shape of the lamp portion clearly shows up the limitations of this "correction". Click the pic...
Correcting the converging verticals
An alternative solution
There is, as ever, more than one way of skinning the cat. Rather than sitting at an unhealthy PC screen for extended periods while listening to a depressing radio report on the "progress" in the "war" on "terror", you can simply walk a mile or so out of the village in the fresh air, cross a couple of fields, chug up an impressive number of contour lines, and thereby gain an entirely fresh perspective on the building in question:
I wuz right!
Last Monday I opined that one of the Raymond Chandler parodies from the radio ought to show up on "Pick of the week". It just did — well chosen, Joan Bakewell. But now, at 18:18 (having loaded the washing machine, abluted the body, and set three items to record on one of the PVRs later this evening) it's jolly nearly time to hit the road again. I'm predicting a delicious meal, followed by a high-definition viewing extravaganza (possibly "Serenity"). We shall see.