Doctor’s Visit!!!

Courtesy of an email from a friend further North!!!

Kevin had shingles.
Those of us who spend much time in a doctor's office should appreciate this!

Doesn't it seem more and more that physicians are running their practices like an assembly line?
Here's what happened to Kevin:

Kevin walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Kevin said: 'Shingles.' So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Kevin what he had....
Kevin said, 'Shingles.' So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Kevin to wait in the examining room.
A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Kevin what he had. Kevin said, 'Shingles..' So the nurse gave Kevin a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Kevin to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.


An hour later the doctor came in and found Kevin sitting patiently in the nude and asked Kevin what he had.
Kevin said, 'Shingles.' The doctor asked, 'Where?'
Kevin said, 'Outside on the truck.

Where do you want me to unload 'em??'

Quotation of the day from Kahlil Gibran

“The obvious is that which is  never seen

until someone expresses it simply”

Greetings from Jean

Challenges and The Project

 

With next year’s Diploma in mind, I am starting to look at one challenge a week. This week it was “ photomerge” this is 3 pics,merged or stitched together. Same settings,  my  tripod is still down south , so  I used my own ( personal design)  camera bean bag, resting on a post. Night sky from our front patio.I still need to find how to frame and save in another format.

I can now breathe a HUGE sigh of relief, the dreaded project is finished. Hugh thought a  ply sided cover on boxed steel was a good idea for the trailer, and a better idea was to have a “tent like canopy extension” for the back.This will save putting up a  tent!! The first lot of sewing was a disaster, the roof had no fall,( the man did say he told me at the start the roof would need to slope down) ( I think I had a hearing problem that day!!) the sides were the same length, so if it rained, water would pool in the roof.. solution, unpick all the sewing, cut out a new roof, slope the side walls, at the top, so the ground part was level. This was a nightmare of EPIC proportions, can you hear the words…, Divorce, I will leave home, I hate this job, I will never try and do this again.. and so on. The waterproof fabric was so thick pins would not go through,  if they did I had to use pliers to pull them out again,I  used  double sided sticky tape to hold the huge pieces together. It is over 2 metres long, 1.5 metres wide. And my new (temporary,))sewing table is a macrocarpa slab  bolted onto a “Workmate Table”.( all sewing tables etc packed away for the better real estate pics!!)

 

There is also a side canopy, no walls, it was  so much easier to fit, and Dave …( his work benches, huge cutting scissors, and rolls of fabric , not to mention sewing machines set into a level table, are a sewers dream come true)…. from

Tarps and Covers Ltd, 50 Taonui St. Palmerston North, came to my rescue as he did the last difficult sewing, and inserted  some more grommets.

Many thanks Dave, you literally saved me from???

Quotation of the day from  Molière

“ The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it”

Greetings from Jean

Our World

 

This link was on the Photography Forum “ Ugly Hedgehog” that I belong to, and it is so  true. Just right click, and open hyperlink.

http://www.flixxy.com/what-a-wonderful-world-playing-for-change.htm

The southern sky had some gentle hazy shades, framed by the elm and chestnut tree bare branches. This was yesterday afternoon.

 

Further north, at Rotorua, this morning sky heralded in a beautiful day. May 2012.

Quotation of the day, from  Jawaharial Nehru

“ We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty,charm and adventure.

There is no end to the adventures we can have

if only we seek them with our eyes open”

Greetings from Jean

Summer flower buds in Springtime

 

The large poppy plant has buds!!! One is easily seen, the rest very well hidden. This should be flowering in November, at the earliest. Bearded iris, again 3 months too early, what is happening to our seasons? Ducklings  followed their Mum across the driveway, too fast to get a photo, No doubt they are down by the stream, well hidden from  human eyes.

This bearded iris is so early, in a shady spot, sheltered, I hope  all the blooms open, before the winds destroy those fragile petals.

Another view, different camera setting.

 

Two  drakes and one duck, on our front lawn. One male was not welcome, and the pair did their very best to send him on his way.

Quotation of the day,author unknown

“ A single flower should be treasured as much as the whole bouquet”

Greetings from Jean

Quads on the Farm and in the Snow

 

This is a post for a friend in US, to show him a  “ Rhino and other quads, in working mode. This is in  Otago, South Island, New Zealand, A real farm “workhorse ”, so versatile, better than the quad when it is snowing.Even a comfortable seat for the dog too!!

This is as far as they went , snow in the Ruahine Range, August 2011, on a Suzuki Quad, one of Hugh’s photos.

Daring, as he went across the stream to get the firewood

 

Too steep, too heavy a load, too little power to get back up the bank!!!

Pity Kevin had to tow his own quad out, Hugh  steering it up the bank, thigh waders on just in case!!! 

High on a hill at Piropiro, Pureora Forest Park, New Zealand, May 2013.

 

In the grass, Central Plateau, North Island, New Zealand. Photo  courtesy of Hugh.

 

Quotation of the day,  author unknown,

“ Farming life is one of patience, 

the seasons, and nature ,all work together  in their own time”

Greetings from Jean

Spring Flowers

 

Spring flowers are blossoming every day, glorious colours. Golden King Alfred daffodils, bright orange/yellow lachenalia, white snowdrops, winter rose flowers in different shades, all with nature’s green shades as backdrops.

Lachenalia , maybe “ reflexa”

 

Hellebore or Winter Rose, drooping flowers that like  a shady place

 

Bright white  Hellebore

Blowin’ in the wind, against the Elm Tree trunk

A  vase full of “ King Alfred”, in all their golden glory.

Quotation of the day, from Gerard De  Nerval

“ Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature”

Greetings from Jean

My New Toy!!

 

August 5th, Trade Me auction, and I was the successful bidder !! Just  think,  I might need to travel to Otago to collect it, one sure way of having a holiday…, meantime family will pick it up for me later in the week.

A Vanguard tripod,  my very own. One step closer to next year and 

“Diploma in Digital Photography.”

I have reasoned that if I gradually gather all things needed for the course, by the time I start, will have them all. On the other hand, might be way too old!!!  Me, not the accessories…

Photo courtesy of Trade Me.

 

The little Gorilla Pod was great for my smaller camera, and  is now  used with a GoPro Hero video camera.Great for when you want to get time lapse videos from a window, and OK, while waiting to buy a suction mount, which is far superior!!!

Another form of easy to carry camera support is “ The Pod”, but I might have to purchase a ‘long lens” to justify the need. They come in different sizes, and the inner bag with beans/pellets/or sand can be taken out for lightweight travelling, refill it when you arrive. Photo courtesy of the internet.

Quotation of the day, author unknown,

“ All good things come to those who wait”

Greetings from Jean

Small and Large Projects!!

 

The smaller jobs have been done, modelled  and delivered to the new owner. Quincy is so warm and cosy in his fleece coats, and stays dry in the rain. Felicity was a very unwilling model, ears back, frowning as only she can!!! Maybe next time Quincy will  be the one in front of the camera!!

 

The  LARGE project is ongoing, I have run into snags, on a big scale, a few mistakes, enough to make me want to pack it away. Bleeding fingers, lots of tears one day, as it all went horribly wrong!!!  Dave, the lovely Tarp and Canvas man in Palmerston North,  is  coming to my rescue on Thursday, some sewing is too hard for my Bernina. One tip he gave me , and it probably saved me/ my sanity/ and patience,   many times, when sewing heavy duty waterproof fabric, use double sided sticky tape to stick the two pieces together, when pins will not go through!!! Perfect solution, just be careful not to sew through the tape, as the needle gets gummed up.

Sneak Preview…Look at those Golden Grommets!!!

Hugh perfected these after some trial efforts.

Quotation of the day, author unknown

“ If your work load is too large for today, leave some for tomorrow”

Greetings from Jean