Sunday/Monday ...

Inside Belper North Mill - some machinery !!

... as mentioned, 'twas an early start to get to Belper on Sunday morning - in the car it's just over 50 miles - approx 1hour 30mins - now try it on public transport !!!  Left Mossley 0840 - arrived Belper 1208 !!! All they need to do is to link up Buxton and Matlock Railway stations with "proper" trains - and we'd be in with a chance ... hey ho ..

A brief trip indeed - arriving 1208 Sunday and leaving 1510 on Monday - but we crammed it in - supermarket (gosh !!); outlet shop (gosh !!); local walk (see pics below); Mother-in-Laws (respect); tea @ Sister-in-Laws (good Chilli !); pub - "Dead Poets Inn" in Holbrook (good ale !); sleep (zzz); big breakfast (loadsa bacon); walk (muddy - failed geocache hunt - but ..); carvery dinner ("Railway" @ Shottle); and home via bus, train, train and train (Mrs S on half-term so remaining "daaarn there" with car - me ? left Belper 1510 - arrived Mossley 1845 !).  Fiddled with pictures and ...

Belper Flying Visit

The rain returns tomorrow - must be time to go back to work then ...
.

Week Ending Saturday ...

Not too bad at work - there's been some "managerial tweaking" with our walks to try and balance them - as such next to no overtime this week due to "stupidly long walk" (but I did work my day off !!).  Shorts came out for a few days as well this week - until Friday anyway when the weather turned nasty/wet etc.  Nice butty this week too - the election money came through (will use to pay some of small boy's college accommodation fees !!).

Not too bad today either - finished comfortably in time to get home and then dash out to watch the Championship Play-Off Final 'twixt Derby County and QPR.  With Mrs Smiffy's family from "daarn that way" (and at least two of them at Wembley for the game) there was only going to be one winner (especially when QPR went down to 10 men) .....

..... until the 89th minute ...  

.... Gutted ... but then again having watched the FCUM v Ashton United game not that long back - I can see it from both sides.  Still gutted for all - a few Belper Town buddies were also down there as well.   


Came home and promptly got camera out - it's been a wet one today but the sun came out by 1715hrs ... had a play outside with the reversing ring (earlier indoor stuff here) - have finally realised though that buying a 77mm reversing ring was NOT the best move, as it means I can only put the big heavy 70-200mm lens (backwards) on the camera ...and when you're "hand held" it makes everything a touch tricky (so I've just spent a tenner of that election "bonus" buying a 58mm reversing ring which will work with the 85mm 1.8 lens - - which is MUCH lighter to hold !!).  Anyway - here's a few from the back garden ...

Raindrops on Leaves Etc 24May14

Might wander out for a bit of the Madrid v Madrid game ... but need early night as I'm heading off to Belper in the morning - by public transport (Mrs S went down at lunchtime today).
.

Attention all Entomologists ...

Any clues ??? Snapped via cameraphone on a letter box during today's "work time" ...

I'm going for "beetle" ... but ... who knows ??
.

Cats ...

Don't panic - nowt to do with Andrew Lloyd Webber - just a couple or three pics from cameraphone of the two buggers in our house ...

Berlioz in Work Bag ...

Berlioz in Morrisons Bag

"Where's my tea ?" - Rolo and Berlioz with big eyes

Another lovely day for the "Postman's shorts" ... expecting thunderstorms tomorrow though ....

. 

Catch-Up (Football-Free) (-ish!)

It's been a while ... blame the lack of football I suppose !! Since last post (9th) ...me and Mrs S went to rediscover our youth on the 10th ... watching "Yes" at the Manchester Apollo - what a cracking gig !! They played "Close to the Edge" in its entirety; "Going for the One" in its entirety; and finished with "The Yes Album" (and encored with "Roundabout" from "Fragile") - amazing to see people even older than us (!!) at the gig and on the tram home - definitely £86 well spent (OK + transport + drinks ... £3-90 a can - more of a rip-off than Keswick !!).

Sunday - grim weather so a day in sorting stuff (although I got out to watch the Man City "We are Champions" game).  There followed a grim week at work .. so many election communications it was untrue (although cannot really complain - 4.5p extra for every one delivered - probably not enough to buy a new lens this year - but it will probably cover the cost of the camera repair - yes the 7d is back home - see below !!).

Managed to scratch the first half of the FA Cup Final on Saturday (1700hrs kick-off ?? bloody stupid - but I suppose the TV rules the roost as usual) before home to sort out some food - we had visitors from Herefordshire - I sorted the Teriyaki glazed salmon while large boy sorted starter and Mrs S sorted pudding.

Proud Mum on Canal at Greenfield !

Sunday saw us walking locally ... pics at

Greenfield/Uppermill/Delph/Diggle/Dobcross/Uppermill/Greenfield-18May14

Not too many pics taken - too mch talking with friends we've not seen for a while.  It was nice to have the camera back though !!!  Home - out to buy "Non League Paper" (and sneak into pub to watch Cambridge United return to the Football League by beating Gateshead), food/telly/sleep and then Monday arrived ... all too soon ...
.

Making the best of a bad job ?

Always have trouble taking pictures "in the hills" - weather's always 'poor' and I only ever take the cheap and cheerful lens ('cus it doesn't weigh a lot when climbing 3,000 feet) ... end up with so many "hazy" looking pics - witness Derwent Water:

Aargh !!!  First shout in Photoshop - press "Enhance/Auto Levels":

Better - but still too much 'haze' and even the hills close by are still a bit vague - so I tried to up the "Midtone Contrasts" ...

Getting there - but then, having looked at a lot of postcards, why not bump up the blue (using 'Colour Variations/Increase Blue") ???

... and finally - get rid of those irritating spots (rain drops) with a bit of 'cloning' ...

... well, it's an improvement innit ?? Anyone got any other hints/tips (apart from "Don't give up your day job") ?!?
.

Keswick Weekend ...

Derwent Water in monochrome ...

While others were going through the trials and tribulations of the Evo-Stik League Play-Off Finals ... myself and Mrs Smiffy were up in the Lake District doing some walking and climbing ... a few pictures at

Keswick Weekend

(Congratulations to Belper Town - and commiserations to Ashton United - one thing I NEVER want to do again ... "listen" to a penalty shoot-out on Twitter !!!).
.