Tag: Photography

CATALOGUE FRONT COVER IMAGE

An account of the creation of the front cover image for James and Sons February auction catalogue, complete with images, and som,e bonus pictures of very old coins.

INTRODUCTION

The most important thing I did at work today was create an image for use on the front cover of the catalogue for James and Sons general sale on February 24th (we having a First Day Covers sale tomorrow, and a Postal History/ Stamps sale on January 27th as well).

DECIDING ON THE IMAGE

My employer wanted a collection of weapons (museum pieces just to be clear) to feature on the cover, so the plan was to take one image of the whole collection if this could be managed. Thus, to prepare for taking the image, I cleared a table in the shop downstairs on which the items could be posed, reversed the display cloth on said table so that the plain side rather than the red provided a background that could not interfere with the image and set the items out. The lot numbers were 535 through 546, so I posed numbers 536-544 vertically, numbers 545-46 horizontally next to them and lot 535 horizontally either beneath or above the rest of the display depending on which angle one prefers (I have three complete images). Finally, to get sufficient elevation to get everything in a single shot I had position a chair adjacent to the centre of the table so that I could stand on it to take the picture.

THE IMAGES

I emerged with three complete pictures, a close up of lot 535 (which I subsequently augmented with an even closer shot of the maker’s name), a shot of the other bladed weapons and a shot of lots 545 and 546…

FC1
With the sword at the bottom
FC2
With the sword at the top
FC3
One more for luck.

Bayonets (536-544 inclusive)545-6

535 (2)
The image of lot 535 extracted from the composite image
535
535 imaged on its own
535-A
The Makers Mark.

BONUS PICTURES

Of course I have done a lot of other imaging for this auction as well, and the items that particularly took my fancy were these very old coins (lots 101-14 inclusive), which I imaged a few days ago with the aid of the scanner…

110 cropped but not edited
110 over-edited
110 sharpened but not edited.
114 cropped but unedited
114 over-edited
114 sharpened but not otherwise edited.

A MIXED BAG

Some social housing related links, pointers to some stuff on http://www.londontu.be and a couple of extra pictures.

INTRODUCTION

This post has two main strands, pointing you in the direction of items on my website, www.londontu.be and also sharing links to some excellent articles on social housing in the wake of Cameron’s announcement regarding “sink estates” this weekend.

SOCIAL HOUSING ARTICLES

The social housing situation in West Norfolk, where I have lived since December 2005, is such that I was unable to find social housing for myself, and was only ultimately able to move into a place of my own by renting privately. Thus, my first concern with the Cameron plan as announced is that we have not been told what effect it will have on the overall availability of social housing (though we can all guess, given the Tory record on this issue, and Mr Cameron’s steadfast refusal to give a straight answer when questioned). The second and more serious concern is the laughable inadequacy of the £140 million figure quoted by Cameron if the intention was actually to improve the situation, rather than opening up another front in the Tories ongoing war on social housing. A housing estate a stone’s throw from my own flat in King’s Lynn has recently seen a redevelopment project stutter to a halt because £10 million proved insufficient for the purpose. More detail on the Hillington Square project is available on their official website.

That is enough of me on social housing, now for some links:

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM WWW.LONDONTU.BE

The Natural History Museum at South Kensington has a new exhibition coming up which is featured in this youtube clip, which I pressed on to my own website earlier today.

Also, nicely combining public transport and responsible shopping practices, here is a post about my latest London Underground themed purchase.

Finally, I have made use of the fact that the Dafabet Masters, one of Snooker’s triple crown (along with the UK and World championships), is now under way at Alexandra Palace by putting up an appropriate post.

Alexandra Palace

This picture came via google: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rVSI8L_R9pw/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/iOf_mQ2ABr8/s0-c-k-no-ns/photo.jpg

A COUPLE OF PHOTOS TO FINISH

DSCN8591
A Patum Peperium lid with a classic picture.
DSCN8575
A Caspian Gull (?) in central King’s Lynn.

 

New Glasses and Other Stuff

The story of a failed pair of spectacles, plus a few other bits.

INTRODUCTION

This post covers the new glasses in the title, a day at the races and a new badge.

THE GLASSES

This is a story that spans some months. First one arm came off the frame (and as the picture at the end of this section will show, refixing it properly was an impossibility). Then the second arm detached itself in the same way. I visited the Eye Man, an independent optician in Fakenham, to see what he could do, and as a proper repair job was impossible he did a band-aid job for which he did not charge.

That band-aid job then ceased to function properly, so eight days ago I obtained my prescription from Specsavers and took it to the Eye Man to have a new pair made. The Eye Man had an unexpected delay receiving a delivery, so it was only yesterday that I was able to pick up the new glasses, which by the way are a great success. In the mean time, the old frame developed one final problem at the tail-end of its working life – the frame had slightly warped, so that the left lens was no longer tightly held – and fell out several times.

I conclude this section with a picture of the defunct pair of glasses…

Specsavers

A DAY AT THE RACES

New Year’s Day was a race-day at Fakenham. I was staying at East Rudham, there being no buses, and attended along with several other family members. My mother had two huge wins, which between them left her some £200 in credit for the day (even though she paid for day memberships for all five of us), and all of us save one had a win somewhere along the way. I have some pictures from the day…

DSCN8370DSCN8371DSCN8372DSCN8373DSCN8374DSCN8375

DSCN8376
The Prince of Wales Suite (rather more crowded than for a James & Sons auction) and Tote tower.
DSCN8377
A packed house in the grandstand (we were watching from the other side of the course, having crossed early to save a bit of time getting out)
DSCN8378
Fakenham church tower in the distance.

DSCN8379

That evening my nephew set off some sparklers in the courtyard…

THE BADGE

Yesterday was my first day at work in 2016, and a colleague gave me an old badge (I had earlier given him one of my calendars) which he had got hold of. As a public transport user and proud supporter of Bring Back British Rail I was delighted with this…

DSCN8415DSCN8416

 

Neurotribes (Book Review)

A review of a book that will surely come to be regarded as a landmark in the history of writing about Autism.

INTRODUCTION

Another Christmas present, this time a copy of Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and how to Think Smarter About People who Think Differently”.

A DEFINITIVE VOLUME

I was delighted to receive a copy of this book. I had heard good things about it, and I noted instantly the presence of a foreword by Oliver Sacks (if you have not yet read Uncle Tungsten I suggest you rectify the omission asap) which could not do other than improve the quality of what was on offer.

It is beautifully and clearly written, providing a detailed history of the development of Autism research and the understanding of Autism from the disastrous early theories of Kanner and Bettelheim which caused a vast amount of unnecessary suffering through to the present era.

Of course there are still many many problems with the way autistic people are treated. Here in the UK for example 75% of adults with an Autistic Spectrum Condition are unemployed and a good portion of the remaining 25% (including me) are in low paid and/ or part time jobs.

If you are interested in a warts-and-all history of Autism and Autism research this book is a must-read. Although as understandings change over time there will be additions to this book I do not foresee any need of subtractions.

DSCN8363

Future Plans

A post setting out future plans after a quiet period.

INTRODUCTION

It has been a while since I did anything on either this blog or my website, www.londontu.be due to it being Christmas, and me spending a few days with family. I will be resuming posting properly from tomorrow, and for today will let you know what is in store and share some recent pictures from work.

FUTURE POSTS 1: THE BLOG

I have several ideas for posts on the blog:

  • A review of Steve Silberman’s book Neurotribes
  • A review of Jerry Coyne’s Faith Versus Fact
  • A review of Robert Harris’ Imperator
  • Something about Spectre, which I saw on Boxing Day

 

THE WEBSITE

Other ideas besides these will occur to me, but at the moment I have two definites:

  • A post about some London Underground playing cards
  • A post about London: A History in Maps (three of the maps do relate specifically to London Transport.

 

PICTURES

Just a few today, featuring stamps that will be going under the hammer on January 27th…

575602602-a602-b602-c550s380-a399399-a399-bU-B

Great Centenary Charity Auction II

An account of last night’s presentation at Fakenham Racecourse.

INTRODUCTION

The first Great Centenary Charity Auction was held on June 28th 2015, and the Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London benefitted to the tune of £20,000. The second auction, for which we have already received some donations, will take place on June 29th 2016. This post is about an event that took place last night at Fakenham Racecourse which was simultaneously a presentation of certificates for those who had contributed to the success of the first auction and the official launch of the second.

GETTING THERE

The journey there was uneventful, and I arrived very early, having walked direct from Oak Street where the bus drops off down to the racecourse. Once I had located the event, which was happening at a…

NEW VENUE

Rather than use the same venue that had been used for the auction, we were in the newly opened Cool Roxy Owners and Trainers Bar (named in honour of one of the most famous horses to have raced this course).

DSCN8281

Within the bar was a nice display which served as a backdrop for the presentations.

The bar itself had some very interesting features…

Because we had the great good fortune to have the head of The Royal British Legion, John Crisford, taking part in the presentation we also had a standard bearer…

DSCN8279

THE PRESENTATIONS

Auctioneer and Director of the Great Centenary Charity Auction David James told everyone the names and a bit about each person who was collecting a certificate, and they received their certificates and posed for a photo (one of the pictures of someone posing with their certificate looks different from the rest because the official photographer could not do the photograph of himself!).

SOME CLOSE UPS OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

Here are some of the more important documents for you to see…

Certificate
A hi-res scan of the certificate.
DSCN8224
The flyer for the auction
DSCN8257
Info about the Blast Injury Studies Centre
DSCN8264
Early donations for auction II

A SMALL MISHAP ON THE WAY HOME

The plan had been that since there are no buses running from Fakenham late enough for me to get home under my own steam my parents would give me a lift back, but they forgot. Thankfully, a very helpful member of staff at the Bull on Bridge Street was able to locate a taxi, and my parents covered the fare for me. By the time I made it home I was too knackered to check and edit the photos, so I attended to that at 6:30 this morning, before setting off for work. I will conclude this post with a few mor pictures that are tangentially connected to its subject matter…

A Monday Mixture

INTRODUCTION

Not really a proper post this time, just a few unrelated things to get down and a handful of pictures.

WHICH? LAUNCH SUPER-COMPLAINT AGAINST RAILWAY COMPANIES

Which? have launched a super-complaint against the railway companies demanding that they make it easier for customers to claim refunds (good timing, as we are firmly in the season for delays). I have three links for you to follow up:

  1. The post I have just put up on my London transport themed website
  2. Which?’s own press release
  3. Which?’s petition, which I urge to sign and share.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!

 

STRICTLY – A RETROSPECTIVE

Strictly Come Dancing is over for another year. On Saturday night we were privileged to witness a spectacular grand-final in which tremendous stories attached to all four of the pros who had guided their celebrities that far. For Giovanni, it was his first series on the show. At the opposie end of the experience spectrum, Anton has been involved as a pro on Strictly since it started but had never previously made a grand final – 13th time lucky for him! Kevin made history by guiding a third successive celebrity partner to a grand final appearance (and for my money should have won the series). Aliona, the sole female pro to guide a partner to this year’s grand final also made Strictly history by becoming the first pro to guide two partners to a series victory (also Harry Judd in 2009).

The grand final was so superb that even the Judge Jeffries of the dance floor (aka Craig Revel-Horwood) managed to locate his 10 paddle.

SOME PICTURES TO FINISH

DSCN8053

DSCN8054
Christmas tree without using the flash – does better justice to the lights.
DSCN8055
Christmas tree with flash – does better justice to the tree.

DSCN8057DSCN8058

AN ANTI-CUTS MEETING IN NORWICH

Brief coverage of an important meeting that took place in Norwich this Friday.

INTRODUCTION

This meeting took place at Blackfriars Hall in Norwich on Friday. It featured an excellent panel of speakers plus contributions from local activists.

GETTING THERE AND BACK

With the meeting starting at 7:00PM I had either to arrange to stay overnight in Norwich or get back to my flat at about 1AM. Fortunately I was able to find somewhere to stay overnight in Norwich, which made the event more manageable.

THE MEETING

The meeting was well worth all the travelling to get to and from it. There were many excellent contributions, both from the platform speakers and from local activists. As for one piece of future activity, there was a leaflet awaiting us on the seats…

DSCN7994

For the rest of this post, I have two sets of pictures, first those showing aspects of the meeting…

My second set of pictures focus on the hall itself, which is in a building called The Halls, which adjoins another historic hall, St Andrews Hall.

Although I stress once again that I enjoyed and appreciated every contribution, I have also to say that I was drawn to this meeting by the presence of two particular individuals, Jo Rust (who showed considerable enthusiasm about my presence when we met just outside the hall as I was heading to take my seat) and Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK who was as impressive in person as he is in the pages of his blog.

Please share this and help spread the word, especially about January 16th.

 

NAS West Norfolk

An account of a couple recent events run by NAS West Norfolk, with some photographs.

INTRODUCTION

This post covers two recent events run by the National Autistic Society West Norfolk branch. Read, enjoy and please share!

A FAYRE IN THE FENS

On Sunday a Christmas Fayre took place at Walton Highway Village Club  (a few miles outside the town of Wisbech) raising funds for NAS West Norfolk. Judging from the hour or so during which I was present it was an extraordinarily successful event – the place was heaving, and lots of stuff was sold at the various stalls, including two bespoke calendars, each of which raised £5 for NAS West Norfolk.

THE NAS WEST NORFOLK COMMITTEE CHRISTMAS LUNCH

This took place today at 12:00 (I had booked a day’s leave for the occasion) at the Lynn Restaurant. Although this is situated practically underneath my flat I did not, as people who live closest to venues often seem to, arrive last.

As part of the festivity we were doing a ‘secret Santa’ whereby we each bought someone whose name we had been given a gift, and had to ensure that they did not know who it was from. This went splendidly. I have put up a post about the gift I received on www.londontu.be and suggest that you visit this post for more information. The gift that I had purchased as part of this was probably the second most popular behind the one I received!

DSCN7825
The picture I took of the other diners in our group.
DSCN7827
The photo that includes me.
DSCN7837
Secret Santa struck gold with this gift!

Incidentally, the picture above was my second shot at the Tea Towel, the first had been spoilt by the fact that the lens was steamed up. I cleaned it up and tried again (using nothing more sophisticated than a Glasses Wipe – £1.49 for a box of 54 wipes from King’s Lynn LIDL).

I opted for garlic bread to start, followed by spaghetti Bolognese. Both were excellent.

 

 

CUSTOMISED CHRISTMAS GIFTS

INTRODUCTION

This post was inspired by Anna of Anna’s Art who put up this post about painting rocks to turn them into Christmas presents.

THE CALENDARS

While I would be very unlikely to produce anything worthwhile by painting rocks as I have no talent for that sort of things many people have noted that I possess a talent for photography, and at mother’s suggestion I used this to design calendars for use as Christmas presents. Here are some photos of the completed calendars, made to my specifications by Vistaprint:

DSCN7778DSCN7779DSCN7780DSCN7781DSCN7782DSCN7783DSCN7784DSCN7785DSCN7786DSCN7787DSCN7788DSCN7789DSCN7790

Save for the front cover which does feature a composite image all the photos used were single pictures, and with no exceptions all were of things seen within walking distance of my flat in central King’s Lynn. Those of you who follow me on twitter will recognize the August photo, because that forms the basis of my current thank you message.

Maybe you have a talent that you can use to produce presents that only you could provide.