Random cat with 3 dandelions

Random cat with 3 dandelions, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

Actually not so random, this is one of the senior cat's best buddies, they have a shared basking spot under the front garden hedge. Still ailing, seems like it's an infection on an imploded filling that's causing the problem, nasty feverish dreams last night when the painkillers wore off.....don't want to talk about it because I can't get a dental appointment till next week.......

SO.....MOVING SWIFTLY ON TO OTHER STUFF.......

A couple of arty farty free software downloads for your delectation

'Alchemy is an open drawing project aimed at exploring how we can sketch, draw, and create on computers in new ways. Alchemy isn’t software for creating finished artwork, but rather a sketching environment that focuses on the absolute initial stage of the creation process. Experimental in nature, Alchemy lets you brainstorm visually to explore an expanded range of ideas and possibilities in a serendipitous way.' You can even create art by talking into your microphone......haven't tried that yet though!
Versions available for Mac, Windows and Linux

MyPaint is 'a fast and easy open-source graphics application for digital painters. It lets you focus on the art instead of the program. You work on your canvas with minimum distractions, bringing up the interface only when you need it.' Versions available for Windows and Linux

Last link of the day.....I came across this interesting photography blog yesterday

They say '500 photographers is a weblog that posts 5 active photographers a week for 100 weeks. The photographers can be from any discipline within the photographic range, but they have to be worth looking at and have a certain level of quality. When we get to number 500, we will have a deep database of great photographers.' Today's post was for No 25.......worth a click and a bookmark maybe!

STOP PRESS.....BONUS LINK.....Almost forgot to post this one......Seeing as it's the day after election day, this is as close as I'm going to get to any political comment except to say it's suitably depressing.....just watch out for the soma spray people.....

Click to download mp3s of Side 1 and Side 2

Gratuitous quote.......

"No shoving there now!" shouted the Deputy Sub-Bursar in a fury. He slammed down the lid of his cash-box. "I shall stop the distribution unless I have good behaviour" 

The Deltas muttered, jostled each other a little, and then were still. The threat had been effective. Deprivation of Soma - appalling thought! 

"That's better'" said the young man, and re-opened his cash box.

......not that I'm a pessimistic old git......what me?......nah, no way!

It looks like how I feel....

sanctuary, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

....a bit green and tarnished, definitely battered and feeling it's age......had a stormer of a headache this morning but I'm on the mend, just feeling a bit 'vacant' with the aftermath of the megadeath pain-killers. This is another one from yesterday, it's the Sanctuary Knocker on the front door of Durham Cathedral (there's a few more on Flickr)

OTHER STUFF

A historical timewaster a la bayeux tapestry, create a multiframe story using a library of drag-and-drop embroidered 'bits' (no needlework skills required!) and amaze your friends with your errudition......it kept me occupied for a good 10 minutes!
Link to the Historic Tale Construction Kit

An old one

mosely street, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

This is Mosley St, Newcastle,  the first street in the UK to be lit by electric light.....I made a half-hearted attempt at sorting out my old pics tonight, but obviously I didn't get far, I took this one mid January!!

Late night thoughts.....

......as in when you forgot to throw some stuff in the washing machine for tomorrow.....

.....why, oh why, don't I have a few of those green boilersuits with lapels and one of those sheepskin jackets.....though maybe I'll pass on the cap........
(and don't even ASK why I happen to have this shot about my person!)

Sunday already

Not sure where Saturday went to!

I'm not a huge fan of February.....it's neither nowt nor summat if you know what I mean, with winter hanging on by it's fingernails and spring not quite on the horizon. Plus, I've got sciatica so I'm feeling a bit grumpy (that would be an undestatement!) Having said that it was lovely down on the seafront this morning, still damned chilly though!

OTHER STUFF

Came across this site on Friday that looks like it might be fun for all you photographers out there.... "Noticings are interesting things that you stumble across when out and about. You play Noticings by uploading your photos to Flickr, tagged with 'noticings' and geotagged with where they were taken. Each turn is a day, and at 3pm GMT every day photos from the previous day are imported from Flickr and the scores calculated. Noticings aren't very transient things, like people, and you should only take one photo of each thing you spot."
Link to noticings

Another photography-based link for snappers on the move. I loved this because it's such a simple idea that actually works, a light tent made from 3 sheets of paper and some paper clips......

Find the instructions here

Then there's this online drawing application that runs in any browser.....really quite impressive, shame I can't draw!

Link to Sketchpad

Better get those dishes washed.........

with chips........

....and before you ask it's an elderly lens from an ancient, retired epidioscope that I use as a magnifying glass (rescued from a skip years ago), it's incredibly heavy and the 2" thick lens has a corroded brass housing and I love it to bits, chips and all!
Another boring day at work, nothing else to report..........

Blocked up

Godda cold in by dose....all blocked up and feeling sorry for myself. Made the mistake of going into work on Monday morning and I've been regretting it ever since.....although 27.5 hours sleep in the last 36 HAS made a difference, I'm definitely on the mend! More later.....

Feeling off-colour

Think I'm coming down with a festive cold....it's an afternoon on the couch for me, going out this morning was maybe a mistake! Oh, and it's looking like more snow..........bah, humbug......

Playing catch-up

Thank goodness for paper clips.....a minor kitchen catastrophe averted yesterday  when 'something got blocked' while Chris and Nick were cooking Christmas lunch

I'm still in the recovery position........

Just to prove I'm still in the land of the living.....

.....and I haven't broken the camera.....

Early morning trip into the big city, this would have been taken at about  9.00am and the crowds were already gathering for another shop-till-you-drop session.....I did what I had to then came home knackered. Achieved zero this afternoon. The plan for tonight is do the bare minimum of the stuff I should have done/be doing then have an early night....I'll worry about what I haven't done tomorrow!

Graphic adventure

Graphic adventure, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

It was a photograph once....honest! But I've been faffing about with it after I found this video tutorial on which it's loosely based (proof positive I can't follow Photoshop recipes any more than I can stick to the foody variety!) Don't care, I had fun!

Busy day today with lots of student hand-ins, last minute disasters and zero possibilites for the exercise of free will. One day to go!

Low-Res Day.....

.....and a Low-Res shot, but with BIG shoes.
3 days to go.......................................

Buildings in Use.....or then again, maybe not...

Busy day....a (not very good) shot of some of the action of the 'Buildings in Use' final poster presentation that's eaten up most of the day. Just in case you're interested, the brief is for groups of Building Surveying students to find new, innovative and financially viable uses for an existing down-at-heel local building. This year it was the Gibson Street Baths.....a gently decaying Victorian (ex) swimming pool/public baths/wash house a few hundred yards away from the campus. The boys and girls did some impressive work, but the bad news is there were great ideas there that'll unfortunately probably never get acted upon by the semi-fictional client.....no names, no pack drill!

Jeez.....that was serious stuff, not sure what happened there (think I definitely need a holiday!) I know, how about building your own snowflake, that sounds a bit fluffy with a seasonal twist.......

.....you can snip your own here without all that nasty mess on the carpet. I've already done one so it's an early bath for me! Roll on Friday!

Synthetic

synthetic plants, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

Let me tell you, those plants aren't real.....they're truly nasty pretend plants that the uni should be ashamed of. The building you can see through the window used to be a chemical factory (no really!) but when I was a student here it was the place where we did 'Liberal Studies' on a Wednesday afternoon.....with bare boards, clouds of dust and mousetraps in every corner if I remember rightly! These days they're bijou flatlets that students definitely can't afford to rent, the building was sold off years ago to fund some campus redevelopment plan or other. And only the facade remains, they're standard 'little boxes' behind those gracious windows. 

Good news....
Today I picked up my 'long service award', 20 years of sterling service apparently

Bad news....
it works out at only marginally more than 19p per week......

Nearly the same....

Nearly the same, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

....as yesterday, except a bit later and slightly to the left. As you can probably guess, I didn't make it off-campus today, at least not until it was dark.........a bit of a noisily nothing day really

I rather like this one....'love is patient', it's mesmerising.....click and you'll see what I mean

And lastly a bit of annoyingly 'stick-in-your-head' christmas music......don't worry, you don't HAVE to click......


Get Your Own Free Hypster.com Playlist.

Sunrise over City Campus East

Sunrise over City Campus East, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

But I have to admit it was probably the best weather we had all day! I hate Mondays....but you've probably gathered that....

Think I'll indulge in a bit of BetaMaX Xmas later...........

Making tracks

Making tracks, originally uploaded by moclaydon.

Unfortunately I missed all the action.....story of my life really!

 XMAS BONUS LINK OF THE DAY.....

Lets just assume you have a small, but perfectly formed, gift to wrap this christmas (and access to a colour printer).....there's a shedload (as in180!) of downloadable pdf papers here

Welcome to the house of fun.....

.....aka Friday! Met up with the firstborn in downtown Whitley Bay at teatime for the opening of the annual French/Northumbrian farmers xmas market, we were just in time for a bit of surreal carol singing and some (definitely, and I speak from a life-long experience) non-alcoholic mulled wine....the French marketeers appeared to be drinking different stuff from under the table and laughing a lot, but I can't imagine why........

I got the call I've been waiting for all week at lunchtime....the Lab Xmas tree was 'erect' and 'live'. This year I decided it was time to record it in all it's glory and give it the media attention it deserves.....enjoy it's hypnotic power! (HEALTH WARNING....it's been known to make grown men weep!)

Frankenstein's lab

I got a chance to view the mysterious 'Molecular Beams' lab under the stairs at work today, long defunct and being cleared out to make room for yet more building work and renovations. There were lots of strange, dusty bits of kit destined for the skip, puddles of water and and signs saying 'Beware LASERS' in BIG letters.....it was a bit spooky to be honest, quite glad I wasn't down there on my own!

So I've been making Imp's delicious soup tonight.....but of course I had to make some changes (partly due to not having some of the ingredients, and partly because I just can't stick to a recipe no matter how hard I try!) So the leek and the red onion was replaced with a large onion roughly chopped, the chick peas replaced with red kidney beans, and the chilli replaced with a heaped teaspoonful of smoked paprika, oh and I added a tablespoon or so of smoked sesame oil at the end.....otherwise it was exactly the same! AND it was/is delicious!

The boy-in-the-attic tells me he needs to reboot the router thingie, I'll post this now just in case it all goes pear-shaped!

LATER....it went slightly pear-shaped......

Seeing as its now December 1st I thought I'd try posting a daily 'seasonal' link.....ah yes, famous last words, don't hold me to it!
Background listening might be a good place to start....

Wet Monday

Well at least that's Monday nearly out of the way.....bleak weather with sleety showers and a really cold wind. Went out at lunchtime (got wet twice) and had to fight my way through the Xmas shoppers bristling with bags and umbrellas, rather wish I hadn't bothered to be honest. Tell you what, I was really glad to get home, put the kettle on and turn the heating up a notch tonight. Ho hum, onwards and upwards!