Brassed Off

Well it's only a week before the festive season, and I am completely lacking in Christmas spirit this year for some reason. So much so, that looking in a diary, I didn't even realise that we will be getting the 27th off as a bank holiday.

I've been on a Christmas lunch with my colleagues at work, which despite being very tasty, didn't help me look forward to late December.

Being the last Saturday before the 'big day' Beeston was heaving with shoppers and present hunters. The monthly 'farmer's market's being held in the Square. I bought some brownies from the Beeston based Brownie Company and some vegetarian pies from another local company, that I'll cook for tomorrow's dinner.

Along the High Road I heard the sound of a brass band, which kept being drowned out by the sound emitting from a small fair that was close by. I think they must have been music students from the university, doing a bit of busking and getting people into the mood for Christmas. Sadly it didn't work on me.

Face Off

I decided to go with a manual lens today, and so chose my Nikon 50mm f1.4 to use, from a wide range that I have.

Slightly better weather, so took a walk to the Old Market Square to see if the ice ring was being used.

To my surprise I saw high wire fencing around it, so wondered if something had happened, and it had been cordoned off. But no, things were ok, as I saw that an ice hockey was just about to take place. Only five a side, as the rink isn't that big.

I don't know who the teams were. Presumably some of them were from the local Panthers team. The wire fencing made taking photos difficult, but there were a couple of gaps here and there, so I managed to get a few shots that weren't ruined by black lines over the pictures.

Gangster Times

Here's another tabletop figurine that I came across yesterday whilst out shopping.

A strange hybrid of a labrador's head on a man's body. It's entitled 'Gangster'. Maybe the sculptor has seen too many science fiction or horror movies.

Not something that I'd like on display in our home. I don't think it would look any better if it was of a man's head on a dog's body either.

And yes, I have used the price tag to hide his modesty. If you were wondering about the cost. It's £59.

The Funky Gibbon

Some of you may be old enough to remember an amusing song by The Goodies, called 'Do, Do, Do the Funky Gibbon'. It made the pop charts in the mid 1970s.

Well Gail & I were in a furniture shop this afternoon, when I spotted this rather large gold ape statue sitting on a table and staring at me.

Of course I had my camera with me. If you're into photography, you always do. Just in case you come across something unusual or newsworthy. So I took a photo or two. I wondered if an assistant would tell me off, as the store wasn't particularly busy. But no, I was left alone to snap away.

On Patrol

The Captain wasn't quite sure what was happening. He had heard stories from his men, that there was some strange purple coloured plant that was trying to take over the ground in his area of command.

He hadn't seen any. But hadn't dismissed it, as he trusted his fellow meerkats and the fact that they always told the truth.

So he decided to have a look himself. He got up and had a look around. Yes, it was true, the purple weed had surrounded him. There was no escape.

 Fortunately the assistant at my local B&Q store, picked him up and put hime back on the shelf with his mates.

One Happy Snowman

Today, I decided to take the 7-14mm wide-angle lens out for an airing.

It's not a lens that I use very much, as it can distort the view a little bit, if you're a little bit too close to your subject. But it is useful in the right place.

So here's a scene from the Winter Wonderland, with everyone being welcomed by this big smiling snowman.

I haven't tried a snowcake yet. But I bet they are just like snowballs, being marshmallow and covered in flakes of coconut. The ones covered in chocolate are the best.

Skateaway - 2

Here's another shot from our walk yesterday around the Winter Wonderland in the Old Market Square.

There still weren't that many skaters on the rink. With the big smile on her face, this girl was certainly having a great time, especially as she just about had it all to herself.

She was whizzing around with her blonde hair flowing and her Christmas cardie flapping in the breeze. I've seen lots of Christmas jumpers, but never a cardigan. Maybe she's a trendsetter.

Kissing With Confidence

Much, much better weather today. The sun was out and it was a lot warmer. So my workmate and I had another wander to the Winter Wonderland in the Old Market Square, to see if there were more people about, and some skating on the rink, so he could have another go with my big lens.

When he gave it me back, I just had to take a shot of these two having a romantic kiss by the skating rink. Sadly there was no mistletoe around. So they had to make do with their pints of beer.

Misty Moments

The fog which we experienced yesterday evening was still in evidence today, even in the Old Market Square at lunchtime.

I met up with my workmate who is a photographer too, as he wanted to have a go with my 40-150mm, f2.8 lens. He has just converted to Olympus from Fuji, and wanted to try my lenses out, to see if they would suit his style of photography.

So while he was having a go with that, I was using another lens. So decided to take a photo of the Council House, which was bathed in grey.

Apparently tomorrow's weather should be a lot better, so we'll see what what is on offer for our cameras.

Goodbye

We received some sad news early this morning. Gail's mum Eileen had died in the nursing home that she had been in for the past few years.

She was only in her seventies, but had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimers disease some years ago. In fact, remembering back, it wasn't long after Gail & I got together that, the early signs were developing. Forgetting things, or repeating what she had said.

So alas I didn't really have the opportunity of getting to know her as my mother in law. Which is sad in itself, as I have never had one before and wondered whether the stories about them were true or not.

Besides Gail, she had another seven daughters and three sons. A whole football team of offspring in fact. Sadly for them, their father died in the late 1960s, so some of them, including Gail never grew up with a father. So their mum did a wonderful job of bringing them up alone and probably with very little money.

Fortunately love struck again some years later, when Eileen met her second husband. And were together a number of years, until he too passed away.

I didn't see my new mum in law that often, as we lived in a different part of the county. But when we did meet up, you could tell that she wasn't very well. Then one day she just had to go in a nursing home, and then her quality of life deteriorated over time. Not through lack of care, as it was a lovely home with caring staff, but through the illness getting worse and worse, until she ended up bedridden and unable to do anything. Just lying there, her spirit trapped inside a dying body.

So the news came through in the early hours that she had passed away. I'm not a religious person in any way, but if there is such a thing as 'heaven' in whatever form it takes, then hopefully she is reunited with her two husbands, her brother who died in an accident and all her friends that had gone before her. And that they are all having a great time, happy and illness free.

So I would just like to thank Eileen for creating my darling Gail, who I love so much, and sorry that I didn't get to know you as much as I would have liked. Rest in peace Eileen.

Model Love

Well all of the shops now have just about done all their Christmas windows.

Marks and Spencer's have done a great job with one of their window displays. It features a table groaning under the weight of food. Something that M&S is famous for.

But I was more interested in the two mannikins that have been posed in a romantic clinch, complete with mistletoe. Their blank faces make them look like robots. Maybe the window designer had been listening to Kraftwerk's Computer Love.

Life Is Full Of Ups And Downs

Here's a shot of the helter skelter that is part of the Winter Wonderland in the Old Market Square.

The interesting thing is that it appeared in the summer too, when it was part of the Rivera and beach event, and situated more or less in the same place.

In fact I think most of the stalls and rides are making another appearance. It's amazing what a few different coloured lights and some fake snow can do to change their appearance.

Skateaway

Now the the 'Winter Wonderland' was officially opened last night, I and my photography pal from work went down to see if there was anything worth taking a photo of, besides the usual fake snow and Christmas trees.

The ice rink has returned and slightly bigger than last year.  There were quite a few people going round and round. Some were pretty good, while some kept falling over. It's not something that I've ever had a go at. Nor rollerskating, or riding a skateboard, as I have a fairly poor sense of balance. I even have to hold onto something if I stand on one leg.

I noticed this woman in a dayglo red jumper, and thought she would make for a good subject, as it would stand out from the white of the ice. It took me several goes to take a decent photo of her, as sometimes other skaters got in front of her, or she was moving too quickly to focus properly.

I'm quite happy with the composition, but its just a shame that she's not in a more dynamic pose.

Night Lights

Don't worry, Nottingham's Council House hasn't been taken over by witches or aliens, it's a shot from the fireworks tonight, as the Christmas lights were switched on, and the festive season has officially begun in the city.

Paralympic swimmers Charlotte Henshaw and Ollie Hynd who won medals in Rio pressed the red button, overseen of course by Robin Hood, Santa Claus and the Lord Mayor. Then a five minute firework display began, which was enjoyed by the thousands who had packed into the Old Market Square for the event.

The city council has purchased a lot of new decorations, which is great, as the previous ones had been on show for at least three years running.

I shall have a look at them another night when there isn't so many people about.

Castle Keep

There was some good news in Nottingham today, as it was announced that the castle had won a £13.9m award from the Heritage Lottery to help with the proposed five year restoration project.

The whole scheme is going to cost nearly £30m and would include a new visitors centre, the opening up of some more caves and the installation of a glass lift, which will take you down from the castle to the Brewhouse Yard area and the museum there. Very Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Naturally Robin Hood, aka Tim made the announcement in the grounds at a big press and media gathering, which sadly I missed due to being at work.  I still went to the castle, just in case there were some more press about, and Tim was still posing for the camera. But they weren't. And it was raining too. That very fine rain that seems to get everywhere.

So I had a wander about and took a few photos. Fortunately my Olympus camera is weather sealed, so I didn't have to worry about any of the rain getting in. There wasn't really anyone around. So I left and went into town to see if anything was happening there.

Snow Going

I had a very long and difficult drive to Manchester today. It took just about twice as long as it should have.

Firstly there were some roadworks on the M1, so speed was restricted to 50mph, instead of the usual 70mph. This of course resulted in vehicles going at 40mph, and sometimes coming to a standstill.

Next came some rain, which made driving hard work, as there was so much spray about. It was like being in a car wash.

Then when I got on the road that runs through the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire it was snowing. And snowing quite hard at times. In fact in one part, there was no movement of traffic at all. I think we were all stuck in the same spot, or moved very slowly forward for almost an hour.

Finally when I reached Manchester, there was a lot of building work going on. So roads were closed, a few diversions or single lanes. There was one particular main road that had single file traffic on each side, and on the side I was on, there must have been about twenty buses all in a queue, and not going anywhere. So that added to my journey time.

The return journey was a little easier, except for the dreaded roadworks on the M1. But what got me, was the fact that I couldn't see anyone working. But isn't that always the way?

Supermoon

There has been a lot of publicity recently about the moon being the closest to the Earth for a long time.  In fact the next time won't be for another sixty years or so.

It's been nicknamed the 'Supermoon'.

Due to the skies being cloudy over the weekend, I didn't get the opportunity of getting a night time shot, but the moon was still visible early this morning, so I thought I would take a daytime one instead. Especially as the sun was out and it was a clear blue sky.

Lighting The Way

There's a new photo studio in Beeston that opened earlier this year called The Flour Mill. And yes, you've guessed right, it is based in an old Victorian flour mill.

Sian the owner has done a great job of turning it into a working space for artists. It's one large, light airy room that has been painted white.

I visited the studio for the first time a few months ago to interview Sian for the magazine that I write for, but returned today as the studio was running its first photographic workshop. All about lighting.

There were eight of us in total, and the workshop was led by professional photographer Nick Dunmur. He first went through the main types of lighting. We then split into two groups and practiced what we had learned, using ourselves as models.

This is my version of Steve. I used a bit of side lighting, just to highlight his face and body, but wanted to keep it quite dark, almost mysterious. Just enough information to see who it is, but not why they are there.

Farewell My Friend

2016 hasn't been a good year for stars of the entertainment business. First there was David Bowie, then Prince, Ronnie Corbett, Victoria Wood, and now Leonard Cohen.

I came into Cohen's world quite late. Around 1994, when an old neighbour of mine lent me his copy of 'The Future'. I played it a couple of times and was hooked.  A bleak musical look into how the world might be if we go on the way we are. Some deep and meaningful lyrics. Not just the usual "I love you baby" songs.

So I searched out his back catalogue and found great songs like 'Suzanne', 'First We Take Manhattan', 'The Tower of Song', and of course 'Hallelujah'. Songs about love, death, power, alienation. Certainly something special in all those lyrics of his.

Sadly I woke up this morning to the news that Leonard hadn't. But at 82, it wasn't unexpected. In fact I read somewhere that he was getting prepared for it. His latest and 14th album "You Want It Darker" was only released three weeks ago.

I was going to put the album on my Christmas present list, but out of love and respect for the Canadian poet, I bought it today and am plying it whilst writing this. The title track is quite religious in a way and illustrates through words the state of the world today. It even includes the line "I'm ready my Lord", which probably means that I am now prepared for death and waiting to go.

Besides not making anymore albums, I'm sad that I never got to see him in concert. So I'll just have to make do with videos on YouTube, and pretend that I'm in the audience.

So he's now taken up residence in the Tower of Song, where I'm sure his gravelly voice will be welcome to those that like his style of music.

A Tale Of A Tale

As there hasn't really been much to watch on terrestrial TV lately, we're having a go with a free trial of Netflix.

Because I've read so many comments from people ranting on about Breaking Bad, we watched some of the first episode, but didn't really get on with it.

So looking at what other programmes were on offer, I picked a series called 'Once Upon A Time'. And we are hooked. We are now watching about three or four episodes a night. Which is great, as over 120 have been made so far.

The basic plot centres around this small American coastal town called Storybrooke. The people go about their business, completely unaware that they are actually characters from traditional fairy tales, who have been cursed by the evil queen, who is the mayor of the town. Another antagonist is Rumplestiltskin, who masquerades as the town's antiques dealer, and richly played by Scottish actor Robert Carlyle. The school teacher is Snow White and a waitress is Red Riding Hood.

There is a protagonist of course, in the form of a woman called Emma Swan, who just happens to be the daughter of Snow White's and Prince Charming, and her eleven year old biological son called Henry, who was adopted by the mayor as a baby.

We have now started on series three, and who should make an appearance but Nottingham's own folklore legend Robin Hood. He did pop up briefly in series two, together with a pregnant Maid Marian. But this time he appears to be on his own, but being helped by the Asian soldier Mulan.

Series three takes place in Neverland, where Peter Pan is a baddie and has kidnapped Henry.