It’s been quiet around here in the last few days. Not that there’s been a lack of things going on, just that most of it hasn’t been bloggable.
I’m enjoying an online class, mostly for fun but also with a fair bit of professional interest. Jessica Sprague and Heidi Swapp’s “Mouse Paper Scissors” is an interesting combination as the title suggests and the quality of both class materials and teaching is first class. So far, I’m soldiering on without the box of goodies which accompanies the course – hopefully the postman will deliver that sooner rather than later.
Anyway, my Photoshop knowledge and skill level is increasing daily and I like what I’m doing. Hooray!
The potential photo of the day above, (which didn’t make it in the end) represents a whole new saga we’ve been writing here. The story of the Indian Visas is turning into something of a lengthy tale and the gleeful reaction of the owner of the small photo shop in Cirencester rather revealing. Since we were last in India, the regulations have changed and now, the visa application needs to be accompanied by two photographs of passport quality but each measuring 2” square. Home produced digital printouts are generally not accepted because of the paper quality, we were advised, so we spent £16 to get the real thing. What good business for photo suppliers big and small!
In the meantime, my hero has completed around half a dozen of the long and very detailed application forms, each requiring information of our parents’ birth, our travel history during the last few years and more or less everything else about us apart from our glove size.
Whilst he’s been form filling, I’ve been doing a little bit of therapeutic crochet. Following the French pattern has introduced some challenges but I’m pretty much ok now with the “mailles” and “brides”. However, I’ve not concentrated enough to establish the pattern in my brain yet and could simplify the process somewhat by translating a brief summary of the pattern on a small card. In English.
Then finally, finally, I thought it about time I recycled nearly ten years of minutes, agendas and other paper associated with various work I’ve done, thinking that if no-one else keeps a record of this, then hard luck. I’ve not referred to any of this in ages but “sure as eggs are eggs” (as my Mum would have said) I’ll bet that someone will ask me if I have one of those papers in the next few weeks. In that case, I shall say “tough!”
Needless to say, it took less time to refill that space with other stuff.
Fortunately, in between all of that, the sun has shone and there was time to enjoy lunch with an old friend and colleague, attend a terrific concert with friends last night and go for some good walks in the village. This morning, the Bergenias in one of the gardens down our lane were stunning – ours are still in bud and not quite in this league yet!
So that’s that. Life.
Isn’t it fun?!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 10:26PM 
