southern42

Maybe we should care: "heinous crime of being pretty dodgy at Photoshop" Not sure if this is a sympathetic, fun, or serious response but this sort of remark about editing (pro or otherwise) could have consequences. It seems that editing a photo has not just gone from an acceptable process but has been termed not merely a "crime" but a "heinous crime." So, will we now see the end of edited glamour faces on the front page of the colour mags and see the faces as they really are (topic has been out there for years), or more seriously, in our case, will we see the end of edited-in scenery, smoke and steam instead of the original surroundings of things that run on parallel bits of metal in our full colour muddling mags, calendars, and posters, etc? <<I hope not.>> Or is it only ok done by the publication's pro? Just a thought.

' morning all from red dragon land. Pine cone pundits were placing bets on an all-day wet-day. It seems they will lose their dosh since the cloud is clearing from the SW with lots of blue sky around and the sun is trying its hardest to poke its nose out through the kitchen window - sunglasses 🕶️ at the ready... Warmer at 9.3C. More advanced thinking on the tackling of toot on the flute exercises has been going on in my head. I will see how that transpires later. I think the back of an envelope may come in handy to sort it out ! A few hobbies😩 hobbies😩 jobbies to do. Take care. Be good. Don't believe everything you read! Polly

' night all and nos da.

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sun out occasionally but not at present. Sunglasses were needed at the kitchen sink all of 1 minute. 😂 In other words, by the time I got them on, the sun disappeared again. Toot on flute a bit shorter, today, but a bit better. At least, I finished better than I started! Intermittently playing without the beatbox seems to help taking away some of the tension buildup. Some jobbies to do now - after my mugadecaf which is cooling down a bit. Take care. Be good. Catch it while you can. Polly

' morning all from red dragon land. Happy Mothering Sunday. <<Where's the sun? Who's got it this time?>> Keeping out the sheep (aka buttercup fertiliser) would help! I do love the buttercup when it is in flower but it does produce a large expanding dense mat of leaves. Had a quick toot on the flute, tackling one of the more advanced exercises, an ascending and descending 4-note sequence over 12 notes (octave and a half) to extend my range to the last but one high note. In the process, I drew up three versions of it to include: the top 8 notes; a longer first and/or last note; a change of rhythm; and a different beat (two with 4 beats, one with 3 beats). Thus I keep up my interest and curtail the frustration while I struggle* on to get to the top. *Other more positive words available but I will stick with this one! I don't want to give the wrong impression! Next is sprucing up the place in case I get a surprise visitor - it needs doing anyway, so no worries! But first a mugadecaf. Take care. Be good. Enjoy your day, especially the mums in our midst. Polly

F one hi-lites, so I guess it won't be long before eyes of Mr S. will be closed for a bit. I feel in the toot-ont'-flute mood but I always finish by 9pm so I do not upset the neighbours if the sound leaks out. It is quite high pitched and can be quite penetrating, the bamboo flute more so than my wooden and plastic ones. In desperation, on the other hand, I will do what I call 'soft blow' (a flute whisper!) which produces the pitch but not the volume of sound. Good for going over tricky bits but not as satisfying when playing a whole piece. I have received one greetings card to open tomorrow and wonder if there will be any surprise visits. There was a visitor last year - it was kept quiet and I ended up sprucing up the place when she arrived. Tomorrow, I shall finish today's sprucing up after breakfast just in case! Speaking of which, I have a couple of little jobbies to sort out before bed, as well. Just to say I fell in love with this scene when I first saw it in its initial days on the exhibition circuit. Most inspirational and I still find it exciting. I just wish our 'lawn' was as immaculate and not overgrown with daisies, dandelions, buttercups and clover, just to name a few.

"EM vs P4 vs S4" When I am running coal powered, smoke and steam producing vehicles of the appropriate size which run on parallel bits of metal, I might think about it - but not on here in case the Great Awl is roaming about.

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sun made every effort to come alive this morning but...er...failed. Pity because it is only 6.3C out there and dark in and out. Not had a flute-ont'-floor session this morning, or yesterday - Mr Suvvern has been busy assembling a new cupboard leaving not much space on the floor - meaning: I am not having to keep to the rhythm of the beatbox. So had a pleasant morning's toot playing some new exercises instead. In case you ask, the first set of 8 from a book of 108 exercises. Then finished off with a relaxed going over of the song. In both cases, working to improve sound quality. Huffing and puffing down to a minimum! ✔️👍 3 o'clockses already. Better put kettle on. Take care. Be good. Mind where you go. Polly

(My emphasis.) There are a few here if you are desperate! https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=01fd5b34e9d467a5&rls=en&q=round+tuit&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL85e1tOeEAxUKTEEAHXT_DbwQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1113&bih=712

I'll just put kettle on.... Tea Lady

' morning all from red dragon land. Sunneeeeee. Blue sky. Chilly wind when I went out to the bins with the recycling. 5.6C. I forgot to submit yesterday's post and all because I could not remember what I had logged on to say - the cookies monster popping up across the screen wiping out all memory of it - only to find the message I did write, commenting on my lack of memory, did not reappear in the Editor this morning! HOWEVER....I did remember this morning on seeing the sun 🌞 streaming directly into my eyes, again, when popping the kettle on before breakfast. How? Well, I did the same thing as yesterday morning... I dug out the sunglasses! 😎 Yep! For real! The kitchen sink faces south east, getting sun up quite late compared with people lower down the hill. At the moment, it appears at breakfast time. Give it a month or two and it will be quite high in the sky at that time and not be staring me out. ION Yesterday's turn of playing Flute-ont'-floor-in-front-oft'-fire, the time I use the beatbox, went surprisingly well. Two positives: not getting puffed out as much and starting to keep to the beat better. Yesterday's target was to join the end of one line to the beginning of the next. Not so easy when twiddly bits, with hardly time for a quick puff of breath, come just before the first beat of the next line* and my tendency being to panic and mess up/miss out the notes altogether/give up before then, and thus, miss the first beat. I did manage it in the end and I hope it will all come together, today. *Six lines (of which four are repeated) before I get a long note at the end with room to take a decent breath between the lines of the second half of the song. So, breathing technique is all part of the learning process. Whoever said that playing the flute was easier than the piano because you only play tunes on it, needs to try it! The bamboo flute is the hardest of the few flutes I have played, but there are a lot of wind instruments out there which are far more difficult to play. Time to get a shift on, Henry is about to get into action. Take care. Be good. Be prepared. 🕶️ Polly

I don't need telling. I'm Uxbridge: it suits me down to the (under)ground and so many memories of Mum being there when I arrived/departed/we had lunch in the cafe/caught the bus outside in the bus station.

Er...hum...I managed to (accidentally) flip the badge over before it had properly dried...and had to pull it off the paper it landed face down on. <<oops!>> No damage I could see but, as a precaution, I gave it another coat of glossy varnish, then another one when I got up this morning...If I had had my wits about me at the start, I could have touched up the ground-down black lines but I guess it does show its battered history. No wonder he's giving me that look! 😥 Now drying, it lies in wait for its fate.... To keep it flat during varnishing and drying, I just happened to have a suitable bit of packaging, into which I stuck the pin, in my small kitchen worktop box of bitsnpieces. Taking a closer look at it this morning to see if it was just a bit of polystyrene, I saw it was a bit more than that; it is split into three crafted cushioning layers. You live and learn! Mr Pinbadge Orangutan's Big Bro: https://www.betwsrailwaystation.co.uk/dr-sen-orangutan-sculpture/ The palm oil free Coffee Shop from where he came: https://www.betwsrailwaystation.co.uk @polybear and friends: https://www.betwsrailwaystation.co.uk/the-lost-bear/ Link to the 2 minute film at bottom of the page (but, maybe, not for the feint hearted). Off for a toot now and some social company this afternoon. Take care. Be good. Keep your eyes open... Polly

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sunny again. <<Wowww!>> Double figures, too, @10.0C. Do I detect a tad of warming? It did not feel like it in the porch. Toot on the flute. Beat box set at same tempo. Still puffing and panting along line2 but I did manage to play it, in the end, with its repeat. Continuing on from line1 failed miserably, today, so that will be my job to get right, tomorrow. When the varnish dried on Mr Pinbadge Orangutan last night, the middle still looked a bit scuffed up, so I gave it another coat of varnish (total of 4 coats) before going to bed. It was still not quite right, this morning, so I gave it another two coats before going off for my toot on the flute. Came back and gave it just one more coat echoing my flute playing strategy of 4-2-1. Though maybe I could do with learning a different one: Another mugadecaf time. Take care. Be good. Don't rush it! Polly

' night all and nos da. 🥱

I even had a taster this afternoon. I found a pin badge clasp on the floor of the car as I got in it after lunch. Go back a couple of weeks and I had walked into the kitchen with something on the bottom of my shoe - the pin of a badge stuck in the rubber sole. Lucky I was not walking barefoot, I thought. I am now guessing, by the lacklustre of the badge, that it must have fallen onto the car floor as well and got walked upon down the long gravel path into the house. So, one badge smartened up again. No, sorry, this is not a bear but an orangutan, issued by one of the cafes outside Betws-y-coed station - a Mother's Day present from one of the tribe during lunch there. Three coats of the glossy stuff has brought it back to life.

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Glorious sunshine this morning when I met a friend at a local(ish!) garden centre for an early lunch, parking being so much easier at 11am. The meeting had been postponed from last month so lots found to chat about. I also bought a nightlight similar to one I had bought for a Christmas present, only instead of an led light source, it has come with a candle <<urrrrghhh!>> so now I will have to order some before trying the nightlight out! <<boohoo and all that>> I was thinking of getting an led with mains cable or solar version, anyway, though the nightlight will be on the northwest side so not much direct sunshine there - scarce commodity so far, this year. Looks like more mackbwck time spent googling.... Toot on the flute I think I spoke too soon....Tough going this afternoon with a target of playing the first line twice followed by the second line twice to the beat. Without the beatbox, I did at least manage to do it a couple of times though I think, by then, I had rectified one or two issues - enough to say it may be worth continuing the battle. Opticians booked for an appointment end of next week so new glasses should be decorating my face soon. 🤓 Then it will be thinking about getting back into some muddling. <<Yippeeeeeeee!>> Take care. Be good. Light up the place.

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sunny 5.5C. Nice in the sun though I only went out to the bins. So lazy today but lunch is had and there is Henry to get into action before my toot on the flute. Just hope I can keep up with the beat, today! If 36 bpm seems slow, think of it this way, when I tap my foot it will be at 144 bpm to keep those 1/4 notes in time. In my earlier days of piano and Western flute music, 120 bpm could be noted above the score but I do not ever recall playing things at anywhere near that speed! "Do not do fast" became my motto. A right turn around, now. Best get a move on. Other things to do as well. Take care. Be good. Take it easy. Polly

' evening all from red dragon land. Warmer out than it was this morning 3.0C. Not that I am going anywhere. Two sessions of toot on the flute by the fireside this afternoon, either side of lunch. On Line 2, I was struggling big time to keep beat at the prescribed 36bpm. Not much better the second time but I did manage a couple of rounds of the line sort of on the beat. Break the notes of the beat (crochet) down to a quarter (semiquavers), and add some twiddly bits in between and it feels like I am racing round trying to keep up with the F1 teams. At least I am not getting quite as puffed out as I was a week ago! Time for mugadecaf, then a quick toot (enjoyment session!) before watching whatever is on tv at 9 of the clock.

*$$$$$$$$ for short! Hat coat...

' morning all from red dragon land. Happy birthday wishes to Ian. Blue sky. Jack distributed a lot of his white stuff around the area overnight. Sun just arriving above the nor'west facing hill to dispel it. 1.0C risen to 2.9C Brrr and brrrrr. Snow above 2000ft so that lets us off! 😁 Family tracking stuff to pass to and fro between family members to do today. Sis has been busy sorting out stuff that belonged to mum. So quite a bit to get on with. I shall, however, have a toot on the flute in front of the fire while I still have the chance. We usually let the fire go out last day of March, clean the stove and sweep the chimney, unless it gets really cold, and let the storage heaters take over while necessary. That is my day sorted. Take care. Be good. Take a deep breath before you start. Polly

or winklepickers

' afternoon all from red dragon land. Sun n showers. Temp rise from 2C-4C. Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus Mynd i Gaerdydd 2023

The common question I frequently got was: What makes you think you can do this job?" It was not the question itself that bothered me but the snooty, looking down their noses attitude that came with it, especially when I came with higher qualifications than required. Maybe I should have given a 👑 mightier than thou 👑response but I still would not have wanted to work for them! 😂 It was bad enough working in an element of an us and them environment - the academics v* support and domestics as then called. Unfortunately, it got worse the longer I worked there and consequently aided my earlier than planned decision to go. Unfortunately, the attitude of a few more-senior staff was most demeaning and would put you in the trash can with Oscar but without the "love" 🤪. Fortunately, most more senior staff I encountered treated me with more respect and in many cases expected/asked me/us to work well above grade because they knew I/we had the requisite skills and knowledge. *I worked on both sides of the fence. Who remembers this, then...? 🤣 Take care. Be good. "Look on the bright side of life." Polly

...but it was this pic from my diy school history book that stole my heart. It was about this time (age 7) that I saw four similar manuscripts (probably in the British Library) that led to me becoming a calligrapher and graphic designer. Interesting use of my favourite pair of colours.* Also, seeing shapes and not seeing the detail within - two arms have been obliterated! That was overcome (in much later years) by a tutor's remark which I turned into: Look in the shadows which joined other tutor's expressions, such as: Draw what you see, not what you know. Make it really ace. *I carried on using red dots in geography to mark city, town and village names in the days when you had to draw the maps for your GCE O and A level exams, not be given them as I noted was the custom by the time our kids did their exams (GCSEs). If I had not had to learn to draw such maps and diagrams (the sciences) I doubt I would have remembered much at all! It also lent itself to making use of spider diagrams and flow charts in later life.