Saturday, April 29, 2006

Pencil In The Detail

In the last few days I have been party to a conversation in which the question was raised as to why people would wish to use an eyebrow pencil, and what difference it makes to do so. Sure I have a few stragglers that could do with tidying up, but I'm happy enough that these two with and without pictures show how on blonde eyebrows a bit of filling in with a pencil makes a big difference in framing the eye.

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Friday, April 28, 2006

D Minus Six - Wear Our Different Colours Too

A day that started out more than a little troubled was redeemed by having a camera that I'm still playing around with and learning to produce happy accidents like the one below, and by the magic of music, specifically where one band provided good wholesome entertainment and another did a set substantially more based around familiar material than last time around. Including my favourite song of theirs - hooray.

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Monday, April 24, 2006

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It turns out I've missed out on repeating the big cycle ride I did last summer due to not being organised enough to enter while there were places left - no matter, I have enough things to do and see already. But in the spirit of stretching my legs and pushing my luck, I thought I'd have a crack at a very big hill on my way home, for no reason other my own amusement. Predictably I didn't even get into the bottom of this picture before I was walking, such is the gradient, but I did have a lot of fun. And that's what really counts.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Fashion Crimes Of Yesteryear

Somebody was talking about teenage period clothes. Having a digital camera and nothing to hide, I have very little excuse not to share this fine example of the species Knitwearus Horribilis. I don't expect anyone to be impressed but for at least a week in early 1986 this was the height of fashion. Honest! No, I wouldn't wear it out in public these days, but it still just about fits me twenty years on, and as it reminds me of far more innocent and largely happy times, I shan't be getting rid of it any time soon. 100% acrylic, dontchaknow!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

D Minus Seven

Last night I went to see the wholesome rock n roll experience that is Hayseed Dixie. To varying degrees I enjoy most of the bands and songs they've covered in their unmistakeable way, but I have to say just how much fun it was - they may be accused of being a band with only one trick but if so it's a trick they do remarkably well and with a great deal of spirit. And from a slightly longer perspective, this is something I have been threatening to do for a little while and this is where the countdown starts. Ok, there are one or two anomalies, both in terms of what is and isn't included and exactly where it starts, but to all intents and purposes last night was my 493rd gig. At some point very early on I realised that I couldn't remember exactly who I'd seen where and when, and I pieced together a list that I've found it easy to continue over the years. It's safe to say I'm glad I started the list when I did. Now, how's your head for statistics?

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Monday, April 17, 2006

Second Time Around

Just starting to look forward to getting back to work, it occurs to me that I'm rather replicating a familiar pattern. In the mid to late 1980s I spent five consecutive easter holiday periods in foreign parts, which undoubtedly helped my foreign language skills (as was the point) but did me a lot more good than that in terms of growing up, seeing a bit of the big wide world and shaking off the chains of my parochial hometown. Some things you can barely see in close-up, and it's only as you move away you get sufficient perspective to see what's really going on. These days my easter trip (four consecutive years and counting) is probably my first priority in terms of getting away, partly because the place has an awful lot to offer and partly because for just four holiday days I can get a full week away and an extra day of acclimatising to being home again. I can certainly say that it's very much in my plans for next year. It's good to get away, but it's at least as good to know where my home is.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Circle Back Home

So here I am again, slightly more sunkissed, and substantially wiser. I've had the chance to get to grips with my digital camera in far greater detail, and learned not to attempt to operate it when sleep-lagged; that's how editing the pictures to free up a few more mb of space can go horribly wrong when the Erase All command is pressed when only one picture is supposed be being removed. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to open the battery compartment as soon as I realised what was happening - I lost forty or fifty very good shots, but I was duplicating most of them on slide at the time, and while the stuff I've lost is a pain, I can get back to where they were taken and reproduce them next time around. So I got away with it, just about. And in the meantime, I have plenty of shots to crop and upload but here's someone else I spotted enjoying the sunshine while I was away.

Friday, April 07, 2006

My Bags Are Packed

And I'm nearly ready to go. Have a good week!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Style Restyled

For the last few days I've had the twin roles of sharing the dubious benefits of my hospitality and tour guide skills, and being the beneficiary of some style advice that is long overdue. It's fair to say that in recent times my appreciation of what suits me, and what I can get away with and still feel comfortable in has shifted a little - I nearly got rid of some stuff a little while back but knowing that this opportunity was coming I kept most of it so I could subject my thinking to someone else's scrutiny.

It was pretty satisfying then to find those hard-won conclusions being agreed with. As a result, my wardrobe has been thoroughly assessed, and there are a few things set to be disposed of. And having identified what didn't work, the next step was a quick wander around the shops looking at stuff together, and an afternoon of someone enjoying the liberty of targeted shopping spending someone else's money.

That seemed to work out as fun on both sides, and with that and a later spin around somewhere else, my wardrobe is now half a dozen items better off. So I can recommend the personal shopper experience, whatever form it comes in - the gentle nudge into hitherto unfamiliar territory was very much appreciated.


Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Martin Gilks RIP

This is a rubbish picture of Martin Gilks, drumming for my favourite band. He died on monday - he was 41. There really isn't much to say to that.

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