Hello my dearest watchers... it has been too long.

I'm not back to start putting photos online again. I'm not motivated towards that area of creativity anymore. Maybe I'll return one day, maybe not. I know I haven't been around but I appreciate those who have been of great support to me over the years who may still be watching my dormant account.

The reason I'm back is to promote something I plan to do in 6 months.

I'll be aiming to raise a good sum of money for charity by driving a 1965 Morris Minor around 9,000 miles through Europe, some of the Middle East and eventually to Cameroon in Western Central Africa. Which might be a bit of a challenge.

The charity I'll be raising money for is Send A Cow, and I need to raise £1,000 for them aswell as attempting to cover the costs for the trip.

To learn more about the trip, the team and the charity please stop by one of the following sites for more information.

[link] - The Official Site for the Team

[link] - The Africa Rally homepage with more information.

[link] - The Facebook Group

[link] - To donate straight to Send A Cow


Thank you all for your time, and should you chose to then also your donations.
With love,
Dave

syrus says: get out of your houses and enjoy life!
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=SqueakingShoeless elected me as a deviant to answer some questions. Ever ready to do my deviant duty I will attempt to answer in a relatively humerous and informative way, if at all possible.

1. Four of my favorite jobs
1. Calder Connect Co-Operative (3-C). I worked on the board of this local, community broadband company while living in the North of England. It was a great time in my life, though very stressful toward the end, but it's an experience that has shaped my life since in more ways than I could count.
2. WestCall. Out of hours medical emergency helpline for the West of Berkshire. My current job, and one I enjoy thouroughly. It's the perfect balance of work and play for me, plus it's doing a job that can make real differences to peoples lives.
3. Colin Denyer Motorsport. Working as a classic race car mechanic and pit crew for 8 months. A fantastic experience and oppertunity.
4. Samaritans. UK based charity for supporting people emotionally in their times of distress or despair through many means of communication. Even though it's not paid I guess I should really class it as a job. It takes up enough of my time. Having been a "Sam" for 2 years I can say I would only give it up for one thing. Even that would be a push. I'm a trustee of my local branch and have been helping out with training new volunteers since joining. I feel I am forever endebted to Samaritans for making me the person I am today, for being an experience above all others. Words cant explain the changes that have occured in my life since being a part of this fantastic organisation.

2. Four of my favourite local places
1. Wellingtonia Avenue. A road in Finchamstead, Berkshire, that is long and straight and lined by Redwood trees. It also happens to be a national speed limit road which is a great detour to work whenever I have the time.
2. Simons Wood. A wooded area in Finchamstead, Berkshire. I spent a lot of my youth riding my mountainbike around this place and have subsequently done many photoshoots there.
3. Windsor. Known for being where the Queen lives sometimes, and for the Castle that dominates the town. If I could live anywhere in the South this would be home.
4. The Gig House, Wetherspoons. It's not the classiest of venues in Wokingham, Berkshire. But it's cheap, and there's almost always someone I know there. Good times are always had.

3. Four of my favorite foods
1. Duck Breast. I love the taste of Duck, plain and simple.
2. Apple Crumble. I make a mean one!
3. Mango and Strawberry frozen yoghurt. I've only successfully made this once or twice but my brother does it well.
4. Spaghetti Bolognese. I've made it well once or twice but my Dad cooks it well and often. A good combination.

4. Four of my favorite international places
1. Rome, Italy. Of the 5 mainland Italian cities I've been to this is the one I have to go back to. Great experience.
2. Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech, Morocco. A very tranquil place in a very manic city. A must if you're in the country/city.
3. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. The most fantastic building I've ever been in. St. Isaak's Cathedral was impressive, but I could live in the Hermitage and not get bored of it.
4. Etna, Sicily. How can I describe standing a couple of meters away from fast flowing molten rock? I can't. Just go and experience it for yourself. Walking back in the dark is a must.

5. Four names of people I am tagging
1. ^thespook - because he tagged me ages ago (no, I haven't forgotten) and I still haven't posted.
2. :marksda1: - currently in Mexico so I know it'll be a while till he can repost but I'm sure it'll be interesting.
3. *12d3 - we invaded Italy and came out the other end relatively unscathed.
4. *ivoryacidlust - because I delight in reading any insights into this persons mind.


Normal service will be resumed shortly (larf). I almost motivated myself to post some of my first last (sense?) wildlife shoots. I know I've got some photos that I like there, just don't know if I like them enough. I know 2 of them are so so close but not quite perfect for my liking. Maybe I'll put them up anyway, but I need to expunge a lot of crap from my gallery soon.
Anyway, still hasn't happened just yet... I have had other things to worry about.

I got my date for my operation yesterday. They had a cancellation so I'm in next Friday. Scary stuff.


So yes... life is going on. Party like there's no yesterday.

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syrus says: get out of your houses and enjoy life!
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Sweet Jesus H Christ! I bloody did it!

Nearly 18,000 keystrokes later my Russian journals are amalgamated, assimilated, emancipated and mash potatoed!

I have lost my mind in the process, so just reassure me that it was worth it.

[link]


Life long, eat phosphor.

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syrus says: get out of your houses and enjoy life!
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Well... I spent about an hour trying to stitch one of the panoramas I took. Got so desperate I even loaded it up in Panorama Factory which did a worse job than I did. So I'm leaving it for now... Might just submit 2 of the 5 photos stitched, we shall see.

Got a load more Hermitage Interior shots to come today. 4 in one series, 3 in another. One of the 3 is a lomo effect again... because it looked like it needed it. Could have just tweaked the contrast... but I'll let you good people be the judge of my artistic follies.

Yes... I'm still no closer to "stitching" my Russia journal together either. I'd love to say I've been busy, but that would be a lie. Maybe it'll happen today. I need to do a few other important things though (I've been putting them off too, and they really are more important than sharing my incessant ramblings).


Anyhoo, that's that.

Edit: a long time watcher of mine suggested I do a tutorial for my lomo effect. The comment has not been ignored, it's still in my MC just to remind me. I do plan on doing one, but I now have 3 shoots to get through, including about half of my Russia one, before I can even contemplate it. Thanks for the comment though! You know who you are!


Edit 2: Looks like my next trip is to Estonia from the 9th to the 13th of July.

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syrus says: get out of your houses and enjoy life!
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Well I've started uploading my Russia shots. I've decided to just do them chronologically and pretty much as I'm post processing them. So I'll stop at 8 for today, maybe do another 8 or so tomorrow and keep at it like that.

Quite happy with the 6 shot stitch, other than starting it at the top rather than bottom... maybe I'll redo it some time though. There's only one stitch I'm not happy with and if I redid it bottom to top it wouldn't be so much of a problem.

Anyway... that's that. I did a wildlife shoot in a local park today... got some good'uns and nearly got a fantastic shot of a swan in flight. (If I do say so myself)
They'll come after Russia though.

Oh, I also took a photo of my car. Which some people may get to see. Maybe.


'sall for now.

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