A beautiful day to be out and about

We had an errand to run at some point this week and when thinking about our plans, decided to make a bit more of it and have a day out.  We mentioned it to friends, who liked the idea and who agreed to meet us for lunch at a favourite spot. 

Could we have chosen a better day for a jaunt up country?

First stop was here.

We have several Whichford pots in our garden and as I was saying to the potter who spoke to my WI last week, they are the only ones we’ve found which reliably withstand low temperatures without damage – we love them.

Choosing a pot wasn’t difficult and having accomplished the main task of the day we still had an hour or so to spare.

So we headed for Mary’s favourite place.  We were too late for coffee so simply pootled around and ooohed and aaaahed (at the prices, mostly). 

Everything here looks beautiful, though!

Great minds think alike and having already bumped into our friends there amidst the beautiful people, we made our way a little further up the road for some lunch.  Same owners, same gorgeous aesthetic but rather quieter than the farm shop on a Tuesday half term lunchtime. 

The food was delicious.  We each indulged in starters, main courses and puddings and not one of those twelve plates was returned with a scrap on it.  My plate of rhubarb was beautiful and believe me, tasted as good as it looks.

Only one thing was missing.

Pancakes!

Around here

We’ve had a small disaster.

A little sad, but hopefully, something which can be repaired.  Our own fault really, for not heeding warnings of the effects of low temperatures on such things.

We hope those are coming to an end now, and the appearance of my little Navarre daffodil is a good sign.  I treasure this little one and am thrilled to see three buds this year, though it’ll take a while until it is as settled as in its original home I think.

The outlook is still rather wintry here though and we are curious to know what the landowners across there have planned.  New fence?  Driveway?  We’ll see!

Tulip update: yesterday they were looking great.  This morning they were in pieces on the counter. Now they’re on the compost heap!

Christopher is feeling quite at home now and is happy to take a break from his hotel duties for a while.

And if I say I made a raspberry pavlova for lunch yesterday, some of you will know what that means

The start of another fun packed week, then!

Three cameras

I promised some friends I’d post about my new camera and since I’m no good with the technical talk (which can all be found online anyway) I thought I’d offer a few comparisons of my own. 

My old handbag camera is a Sony HX9V

My new handbag camera is a Sony HX60

My big camera is a Canon SX50 HS

Though I like to take photos, my motivation is to capture the moment rather than to create a masterpiece.  I almost always use the automatic setting because I grew up with a point and shoot compact camera and never bothered with stop numbers and so on.  I seem to be able to get pleasing results without the hassle, so I focus on other aspects and keep it simple.  All the photographs here were taken on the auto setting then.

To begin with, the flowers on the windowsill, for colour and detail.  Same order of cameras: old one, new one, big one.  I think the old camera is outdone by the two newer models and prefer the detail and depth of colour captured by the new Sony (middle image).

Poor light levels on the sitting room bookshelf, the big Canon’s extra bright results are evident.  There’s not much to choose between the other two. (Same order: old, new, big)

Teetering on the garden room step to take pictures of the dreary day outside, I found how tricky it is to take identical shots!  Sorry about that.  I think the different levels of brightness are apparent here too.

But here’s the surprise.  I thought I could see some rather lovely lichen on that tree branch.

That one, there – captured at full zoom with my old Sony HX9V.

Seen a little closer with my big Canon SX50HS, 50x optical zoom.

But actually, most surprising of all, seen to best advantage with my new, Sony HX60 30x optical zoom.

How strange is that?  I appear to be able to zoom in more closely (more accurately?) in sharper focus with the 30x optical zoom than the 50x.  Hmmm.

As you’ll imagine, my handbag camera gets thrown into the bag, churns around in my pocket and gets almost daily use.  I don’t “treasure” my electronic bits and pieces as much as perhaps I should – I use them and expect them to withstand reasonable care without the need for protective cases and kid gloves.  Maybe that’s the reason why some bits drop off!  In the case of my old Sony (actually, about three years old) it’s the rubber thumb grip.  Not something which is mission critical, but what’s annoying is that without it, my thumb slips slightly in the direction of that movie button and more than once, I’ve found myself shooting an unintentional show reel.

Not only that, but over the years, the scene selection button on the top has worn a little looser than it was originally, and it has a tendency to slip around.  Occasionally, I’ve questioned the cause of a sub-optimal photograph, only to find later that it was taken on a completely random setting.  Both this and the thumb grip issue are mere minor irritations but are gradually becoming more frequent.

I was pleased then, to see the newer model had a redesigned arrangement of controls which would reduce the likelihood of inadvertent switching of settings.  There’s a new manual override too, which might mean I change the habits of a lifetime?  The on/off button is relocated to that area too, which is something to get used to but otherwise, the settings and general interface remain much the same.

The new camera is slightly bigger all round and slightly heavier too, but nevertheless, it’s likely to be my camera of choice for almost all occasions, the more so since the zoom appears to be as good if not better than the larger, more cumbersome Canon.  I’m delighted with my choice and look forward to giving it a good workout on our adventure next month.

I might even share some of the results

Scary Tuesday

I admit to being easily scared and I too would have jumped had I stumbled across my furry collar like that!  One way I deal with scary thoughts is to put them into a category of “things not to think about right now” but of course, eventually, they do have to be dealt with.

A procedure was needed.  Simple, routine, day surgery which needed a general anaesthetic in Gloucester Royal.  Thankfully, those who have been in charge of my care so far had acted promptly and done their best to make sure I didn’t have to keep that little worry in my mind for too long and the NHS system worked wonderfully in my favour. Because what’s simple and routine for some, is very scary and rather worrying for others.  I include myself in that group, having inherited the worry gene from my Mum quite some time ago.

So yesterday, my view of the world was a little different from normal. 

This isn’t something I’d normally be blogging about.  As well as the “no need to worry about this right now” category in my mind, there’s also a “something to keep private” category as well.  But I felt I had to share what I think was exemplary service from everyone involved, because all too often we hear of anything but, especially where the NHS is concerned.

I worked out, it was more than 40 years since I’d had a general anaesthetic (I know, strange when I’m only 34, isn’t it?! )   I freely admitted to feeling scared at the prospect and though I could manage it all to some extent, as those around me were wheeled off for their treatment, eventually, of course, my turn came closer and I couldn’t deny it any longer.

Fortunately, each member of staff I came across from the moment I arrived was a true pro.  Every one of them introduced themselves beforehand, explained what their role was and reassured me of their best.  Not rocket science, I know, but nevertheless, not something to take for granted.  Ahmed the charming anaesthetist assured me that he was going to be by my side throughout and Jose, the delightful young surgeon promised me she’d come back afterwards and give me her honest opinion.  I was confident that I was in capable hands!  No worries there, then. Well…not quite so many, anyway.

Of course, I’d expect the medical staff to be thoroughly professional and have the highest standards. What I found most reassuring was that everyone was like that.  Nurses, admin staff, cleaners – every single one of them did their best to make sure I was ok and comfortable.  I really couldn’t have asked for more.  What’s more, I wasn’t privileged in any way.  The treatment I had was the same for everyone, regardless.  First class healthcare available to all whenever it’s needed.  Not exactly free, because (i hope!) we all pay our taxes, but free to all intents and purposes and one of the huge benefits of being born when and where I was.  Once again, I found myself counting my blessings.

Bravo Gloucester Royal, then.  Thank you, NHS.  I won’t say it was fun but it wasn’t anything like as bad as I feared. 

Not that I want to make a habit of it, you understand.

Sometimes, it’s hard to be a hero

But I can’t imagine why my Hero squealed when he came into the studio and caught sight of my fur collar there by my desk.

I’d worn it when we went out, first thing Saturday morning, but as the temperature rose, I took it off and put it in my bag.

Nothing to be scared of.