Photo Diary January 2011
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Titia's Photography diary - January 2011
I had so much pleasure in writing my lens Photography: December 2010 (it got a purple star), that I love to continue writing my photography diary and my goal is to write on till December 31, 2011. I wonder if I can reach that goal. In this lens you will find my photography, my poetry, photos of the Netherlands (where I live). You'll read what I like, what I dislike and a lot more.
The intro photo is one I made last year, when I found a rose in my garden which was still blooming in the midst of Winter, with frosted petals.
Your Host: Titia Geertman
Updated: 2012-04-01
The intro photo is one I made last year, when I found a rose in my garden which was still blooming in the midst of Winter, with frosted petals.
Your Host: Titia Geertman
Updated: 2012-04-01
Table of Contents
January 1, 2011
It was a pity that there was a heavy fog last night, so we didn't get to see any of the fireworks in the villages that surrounds us.I live close to the sea arm The Westerschelde and each year at 00.00am on New Years Eve, the fishing boats are sending their old safety light rockets up to the sky. It's a beautiful sight, because they have this red flare and they keep hanging there for quite a while, slowly coming down again. I only found one photo, I don't know who it belongs to, but I'm sure they won't mind me using it in this lens. Looking at this beautiful red flare, imagine a shore line full of them.
It was a lazy day today, still a lot of snow and a bit of grey weather. Eating my left over new year's cookies, drinking some warm wine at 'happy hour' when our daughter and son in law came over. We had to heat up the stoves, because Jerry is used to temps of about 23/30C in Dubai and he just hates the cold.
Poll about Fireworks last year?
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January 2, 2011
Another Sunday. Worked on my Zazzle store GoodLifeDesign, really need more products in there. I got an email I love to see, but should get more often: I sold my latest snow landscape Calendar.
I love to see those zazzle emails with 'Sold' in the subject.
I love to see those zazzle emails with 'Sold' in the subject.
Lovely gifts from my GoodLifeDesign store
Dutch Windmill Binders
January 3, 2011
OMG, I went to feed the sheep and my big stud ram wasn't where he should be, on the dyke with the ram lambs of 2010. I immediately knew where I would find him:.....Hop Hop over the fences to join the ewes!!!Damn, he already had his share of lady love and had covered the then ewes assigned to him, but now he was standing amidst the whole group of ewes with the young ones and old ones who were not supposed to get pregnant. I rushed back home to fetch the dog and my hubby.
Back to the sheep and my Border Collie Tipper neatly got them in the bin. Well it took a while because I hadn't been training her for some time and she loves to fool around a bit. We brought the ram home into the barn, because it's useless to put them back in with the other young rams, he would have jumped that fence again as we were gone. Now what to do with him!? I can't let him stay in the barn for a couple of months, he would get very aggressive being on his own. So I phoned his former owner to ask if I could bring him back. She has a big group of rams and lots of space. She said it was ok. Pffff boy am I glad.
Lucky for me he could have been with the ewes no more than two days, so now I have to keep an eye on the last week of May to see if the not supposed to get pregnant ewes, got pregnant. Small chance but one never knows. A surprise I'm not too happy about. I don't like the young ewes to get pregnant too soon. It's like teenage mothers, physically they can have babies, but mentally they're often not up to it. Bigger chance of rejecting their lambs and then I'm stuck for two month bottle feeding them.
January 4, 2011
Got up early to prepare for the trip to the other side of the country to bring back the naughty ram to his former owner. Transforming our Ford Van into a livestock transporting Van. My sheep travel in a luxurous way, in an airconditioned van and still it is sometimes hard to convince them to step on board ha ha. It was still cold, but the snow had disappeared and the main roads were clean. Our van is over 10 years old, it's an automatic and I just love this car. You're sitting high and dry and can overlook the traffic very well. Once I burned the engine when the waterpump broke down, it all went very quickly and I didn't got a warning. We had it replaced by another engine, because that was cheaper than buying a new Van and we would never have gotten the same one back with all the fancy stuff we put in during the years. I can truly say that burned a hole in our savings too. ha ha.From my place I always have to go through a tunnel to reach the rest of my country. It's the famous Westerschelde tunnel, its length is 6,6km (about 4+ miles).
Took both photos while driving.
January 5, 2011
Forgot to phone my sister yesterday. It was her birthday, she lives far away so we never go over there. We're not such birthday celebration types.
I actually hate it to have a room full of people sitting and talking all evening and getting drunk on my birthday. So at one point we just didn't do that anymore. If someone wants to come over just to say hello, happy birthday, it's ok, but we don't plan it and don't ask anymore.
We're turning into hermits I think ha ha. I like to be alone and enjoy the silence around me.
There are moments in my nature,
no matter what color the sky,
when holding your breath a minute,
you can hear silence passing by.
No frogs, no birds, not even the wind,
not the soft buzzing of a single fly,
fills the air for miles and miles,
that's when silence is passing by.
They won't last long, they're up and gone,
but I enjoy them, you know why?
Each time they're there, I'm one with nature,
along with silence, I'm passing by.
You can find more of my poetry on my lens About Rhyming Images
I actually hate it to have a room full of people sitting and talking all evening and getting drunk on my birthday. So at one point we just didn't do that anymore. If someone wants to come over just to say hello, happy birthday, it's ok, but we don't plan it and don't ask anymore.
We're turning into hermits I think ha ha. I like to be alone and enjoy the silence around me.
There are moments in my nature,
no matter what color the sky,
when holding your breath a minute,
you can hear silence passing by.
No frogs, no birds, not even the wind,
not the soft buzzing of a single fly,
fills the air for miles and miles,
that's when silence is passing by.
They won't last long, they're up and gone,
but I enjoy them, you know why?
Each time they're there, I'm one with nature,
along with silence, I'm passing by.
You can find more of my poetry on my lens About Rhyming Images
January 6, 2011
Our son in law is an IT man and he's been busy these last few days to get our computers up and working again. I had bought a domain name and a hosting package and was planning to turn that into a Zazzle affiliate website, but damn I didn't get it working for ages and I really started to question my IQ level until Jerry discovered that I had bought the wrong hosting package. I had bought a windows package and I needed a Unix package for php files (whatever those are) so I wasn't the dummiest Dutchie after all. Well I didn't know the zazzle store builder was using php files. Lucky for me that hosting package came with a new domain name so I can set up another website and then I have to buy another unix hosting package for the domain name I bought. Are you still with me????
The kids went to Mechelen in Belgium to spend the night there in a hotel, because Jerry has to fly to Dubai again early tomorrow morning and this way they don't have to get up in the middle of the night and drive for two hours to Brussels. Mechelen is only 20 minutes from the Brussels Airport. Next time they'll see each other it will be spring again.
Now you know why I'm always short of hours in a day. Too many hobbies and then Squidoo came along and now I have to squeeze all those hobbies in those 24 hour days and it's like packing a suitcase too full so you have to sit on it to get it closed.
Mechelen, Belgium
Postcards
January 7, 2011
Aha tonight is Voice of Holland time, the semifinals. For those who don't know: The Voice of Holland is a singing contest between four coaches and their protégees. They started off with blind auditions, meaning they had their backs to the auditioner and only had to judge them on the quality of their voice. If they liked what they were hearing, they could hit a knob and then they turned towards them. If more than one hit the knob, the auditioner had to choose his/her coach. So in the end the coaches started with 14 protégees each and each week one was send away, until I think seven for each coach would go to the life performances. Then the public could choose two to be save and the others had to 'battle' in sing offs of two singers at the time and so on, till tonight. There are two protégees left for each coach. I don't know how the voting will go this time. Probably the coache and his team will make the choice and then next week the finals.My favorite is not in the race anymore. It was the reggae singer Lenny Keylard, beautiful person, beautiful singer (a nurse in training in his daily job) and he more or less voluntarely stepped aside last week in favour of his competitor, great gesture.
So I'm all exited for tonight's performances.
Voice of Holland videos can be found in my lens:
"How about some Music"
January 8, 2011
Darn, my bad luck. It appeared yesterday that the sing offs of the Voice of Holland are broadcasted tonight and tonight we have a dinner engagement at one of our neighbours' house. I could think up an excuse of course, but then...they're nice people and a near neigbour is better than a far friend they say, so I'll go to join the dinner party like a good neighbour.
Nothing much today, did some shopping and some laundry, brought my sheep some hay, which they appriciated very much.
That beautiful tree stands on the corner of our neighbour's land. It's a big poplar and I've photographed it many times in each season.
Our neighbour's home
Nothing much today, did some shopping and some laundry, brought my sheep some hay, which they appriciated very much.
That beautiful tree stands on the corner of our neighbour's land. It's a big poplar and I've photographed it many times in each season.
Poll about neighbours
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January 9, 2011
Sunday morning - sleeping in after a delicious dinner last night at the neighbours and we weren't home early. Lucky we could walk home, it's not even a hundred meters and I don't have a hangover, because I don't drink. I used to, but I always got a headache the next morning, so I quit drinking. A rainy day and more to come they say. I'm a bit tired, got out of bed with the wrong foot I think. Seeing my lenses on which I worked so hard, falling like a rock in the ranking isn't the most funny thing I want to see on a Sunday morning.
I just haven't enough time to do all the things I like to do and that's very frustrating. I'm not good at SEO, backlinking and all that internet stuff. I'm reading and reading all the good stuff other lensmasters wrote for dummies like me, but sometimes I just don't get it. I'm hopping from one thing to the other, without actually knowing what I'm doing. Reading the topics in the Lensmasters Lounge isn't really helping too, because you'll stumble inevitable upon new internet things and before I know I signed up at Lensroll.com, Kadoodle.com and then they're talking about affiliate marketing, writing articles to earn money and that's where I drown in the internet pool. It all sounds great, but as English is not my native language, I don't see myself writing articles for emagazines. Once you dive in, the internet is like opening the box of Pandora, so after a while I put the lit on and just take a deep sigh, while thinking 'there's another day tomorrow'. Internet and all its possibilities for me is just a bit overwhelming. It feels like they've put me in a Science master class at the University. My mind goes blanc very quickly.
I still have to make my own website. Have to buy the right hosting package to get my affiliate zazzle website going, because then at least I will have a place to make backlinks to my store and lenses. I've never blogged and I don't think I can handle another thing I have to attend to every other day. I don't know how other people cope with all that stuff. I think I'm jealous. Getting no outside traffic to one's lenses is frustrating too. I've used the health check on each of my lenses and they all lack of 'traffic' (as if I didn't know that), lack of back links and then you can hit Squidaholic report and I'm getting frustrated even more when I see all that good advice which will take days to go through.
But then......,
I go back to basic and start working on my lenses and my zazzle store, because I can only do one thing at the time and if your lenses are no good and your store lacks products, you may build a thousand back links, but they won't help you get sales. For the first time in years, I haven't even made and send my New Year best whishing cards yet.
Sigh....don't get upset, I'm ok, really I am.
I just haven't enough time to do all the things I like to do and that's very frustrating. I'm not good at SEO, backlinking and all that internet stuff. I'm reading and reading all the good stuff other lensmasters wrote for dummies like me, but sometimes I just don't get it. I'm hopping from one thing to the other, without actually knowing what I'm doing. Reading the topics in the Lensmasters Lounge isn't really helping too, because you'll stumble inevitable upon new internet things and before I know I signed up at Lensroll.com, Kadoodle.com and then they're talking about affiliate marketing, writing articles to earn money and that's where I drown in the internet pool. It all sounds great, but as English is not my native language, I don't see myself writing articles for emagazines. Once you dive in, the internet is like opening the box of Pandora, so after a while I put the lit on and just take a deep sigh, while thinking 'there's another day tomorrow'. Internet and all its possibilities for me is just a bit overwhelming. It feels like they've put me in a Science master class at the University. My mind goes blanc very quickly.
I still have to make my own website. Have to buy the right hosting package to get my affiliate zazzle website going, because then at least I will have a place to make backlinks to my store and lenses. I've never blogged and I don't think I can handle another thing I have to attend to every other day. I don't know how other people cope with all that stuff. I think I'm jealous. Getting no outside traffic to one's lenses is frustrating too. I've used the health check on each of my lenses and they all lack of 'traffic' (as if I didn't know that), lack of back links and then you can hit Squidaholic report and I'm getting frustrated even more when I see all that good advice which will take days to go through.
But then......,
I go back to basic and start working on my lenses and my zazzle store, because I can only do one thing at the time and if your lenses are no good and your store lacks products, you may build a thousand back links, but they won't help you get sales. For the first time in years, I haven't even made and send my New Year best whishing cards yet.
Sigh....don't get upset, I'm ok, really I am.
Internet makes a lot of things easier, but not necessarily more agreeable.
I have a lot more Christmas greetings in my mailbox, but a lot less visible downstairs at my 'Christmas card pole'.
Debate about Christmas Cards
I notice a decrease in actual Christmas Cards I'm receiving, they are send more and more by email.
I just wondered how people feel about that.
Christmas Cards should be send by snail mail
Yes, I like to receive an actual card
sorana says:
Definitely. I don't like the ecards.
No, by email is good enough for me
Rose Heart Mugs
You can customize them any way you want.
You can customize them any way you want.
January 10, 2011
I've spent most of the day at the computer (uhhhh....when am I not!). Sheep administration and I get frustrated because our members obviously can't read or are just too lazy to do what I've asked them to do and therefor I can't finish my yearly reports. So I got fed up a bit and took a photo of my computer and played a little with Paint Shop Pro, the photo editing program I'm using.
It's really pouring rain all day. The fields around us look terrible. It's heavy clay and the water can't get through, bad time for the farmers, because they just sowed the winter grain and lot of fields are just blanc.
Paint shop Pro
You can find older versions of Paint Shop Pro at Amazon dot com
Paint Shop Pro 7
The Program
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate
Paintshop Photo Pro X3 Ultimate
PaintShop Photo Pro X3 Limited Edition
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 VideoStudio Pro X2
Photo Restoration and Retouching
The Books
Picture Yourself Learning Corel Paint Shop Pro X2
PaintShop Photo Pro X3 For Photographers
Photo Restoration and Retouching
Paint Shop Pro Photo XI for Photographers
January 11, 2010
Tonight is photoclub night for the first time this year. New things to discuss, new plans to unfold. We have our annual exhibition starting on Ascension day June 2 until the next Sunday. Last year one of our assignments was 'moving camera'. You had to move your camera on the moment you clicked, resulting in surprisingly beautiful abstract photos. January 12, 2011
It's been pouring rain for days now and it won't stop this week. Nothing else to do than to work on my Squidoo lenses, looking outside and getting depressed by all that water, hearing drip drip from a leak at the chimney, resulting in a huge leaking stain on my study wall, which I turned into a Rhyming ImageI just love to fool around with my photos, making digital designs out of them which I use on the products of my GoodLifeDesign store
Winter Haikus
quiet evening
drops of rain against window
nature's music heard
reflection of flames
dancing shadows on the wall
no picture needed
not another sound
even the birds stopped singing
seeking sheltered homes
January 13, 2011
I opened my mail and....I almost fell of my chair. I stared at an incoming mail from 'Purplestar @ squidoo dot com, saying that my lens Photography: December 2010 was awarded with a Purple Star. I really couldn't believe my eyes. But it was true. At the same time all my lens rankings dropped to beyond 300 or 400.000+ and I knew that must be a glitch or something, so I clicked on Squidu to find out it indeed was. But my Purple lens had reached Tier 1, sitting there at 42 total. I knew it wouldn't last, but it was such a joy to see it standing there for the moment.
I was a bit proud too and thought...so this is how it feels when you have a Tier 1 lens and it's sitting there in the Top 100.
Thank you, who or whatever caused the glitch for presenting me this short moment of fame.
13 has always been my lucky number.
January 14, 2011
Ok, venting is over, back to work.Let's see...it's still raining, 6 days in a row, now that is depressing LOL Don't put on your nice red dancing shoes when you plan to visit me, because every step you take here where I live, you will sink in heavy muddy clay. It's boot time and not the fancy ones, because one shouldn't walk with high heels in muddy clay. Found a fancy one though at Amazon that I must show you. (noticed the price?)
Few of my Dad's funny illustrations, which he made for us some 60 years ago.
Keychains You can find more in my store GoodLifeDesign
Keychains You can find more in my store GoodLifeDesign
January 15, 2011
It started as a normal day, grey and watery outside, not too hot inside (it was still early) and I worked on this lens. It was only halfway the month, that I decided to follow up my Photography - December 2010 lens.So I had to work hard to catch up. Most of the time I leave little notes of what happened in a day on my email calendar, so it wasn't too hard to remember how the first 14 days had passed. Only thing I had to do was looking up the photos and interesting Amazon
stuff.Every day my hubby takes the dogs on a bycicle trip of about one hour so they can loose some energy when they don't have to work with the sheep. So today was not an exception, but after a while I got a phone call, saying that Tipper (the blonde one) had injured her foot and that I'd better st ep into the car and get him, because she was severely limping and he saw some blood. They weren't very far and seeing the injury, I decided to drive through to the vet for a closer inspection, because you never know how deep a little hole can be.
Well, that was the best decission I made today, because it wasn't the little hole that caused her to limp, it appeared she had broken one of her toes and an important one it was the vet said (in human hands: our ring finger). As a dogs toe is too small to operate on, they put a splint on it and that has to stay there for at least 6 weeks. During the whole operation of taking x-ray photos and bandaging the foot, Tipper didn't make a sound, which was almost not normal the vet said, because she must've been in a lot of pain. So home we went and the vet told me to keep an eye on Tipper in case she became uncomfortable with the bandage, because in that case it could be too tight.
All evening Tipper didn't walk on her leg and she was biting at the bandage all evening, plucking all the protective cotton out.
January 16, 2011
I was up early this morning and Tipper still didn't use her leg to stand on and she was a bit restless, so I called the vet and he ordered me to come over. It appeared that it wasn't the bandage sitting too tight, but Tipper had developped a fever, probably caused by the little injuries that got infected a bit. So she's on the antibiotics now and this evening she was so much better, almost her old self again.I don't think she will understand why there's no more playing ball after dinner and no more bycicle trips for a long time.
On 20/12/2010 I made a little video when they were playing ball in the snow. I don't have a youtube account yet, but I placed it on my FB page. Dixie and Tipper playing ball
Don't mind the end, I just forgot to shut down the camera.
Tipper is the athlete.
And today I got the message that I had hit the top 40 list for the 75th time, but I never actually saw my name on that list, untill today. I was right there when the message came through, ha ha.
January 17, 2011
I had to do some shopping for my Mom and I had to fetch my old tv, which was still standing at her place, so I took along my hubby for the heavy works. When we came back, Tipper had ripped off her bandage, so back to the vet we went. Darn, if she is planning to do this every day, I'm in for a treat, then I better leave her at the vet for the whole 6 weeks LOL, no that would certainly bankrupt me. Her fever had gone down, but still not far enough. This time she got a bright pink bandage. Each day a new color, a kid would have been jealous.
Sunsets
I got nice comments on this lens and one of them is from Raphaelo, a giant lensmaster, asking about my sunrise and sunset photos. Well, as it has been pouring rain for the last 10 days, we've seen no sunrise or sunset at all, only grey sky filled with wet drops. But....on the internet everything is possible, so specially for this quest, I took a dive in my photos and dug up some sunsets.
If I put a frame on my front window view landscape, I see 1/3 of land and 2/3 of sky and I've seen the most beautiful, but also the most peculiar sunsets and colored skies since we moved in here about 30 years ago. So Raphaelo: these are for you. They were taken in the nick of only 20 minutes on January 12, 2004. I've never seen anything like it since. Time is local time
If I put a frame on my front window view landscape, I see 1/3 of land and 2/3 of sky and I've seen the most beautiful, but also the most peculiar sunsets and colored skies since we moved in here about 30 years ago. So Raphaelo: these are for you. They were taken in the nick of only 20 minutes on January 12, 2004. I've never seen anything like it since. Time is local time
Sunsets for Raphaelo
January 18, 2011
Nothing much today other than to work on my pc for the sheep association and being a bit lazy.At 19.30pm I was just about ready to go to my photo club meeting when I discovered Tipper had ripped off half her bandage again. So in stead of going to the photo club, I took Tipper to the vet again. This time she got a nice red bandage and home we went, but first I drove to the gaz station to get some cigarettes and when I wanted to start the car again it didn't do anything, the battery was as dead as a dead duck.
Called my hubby to come and give me a push with the battery loader (well I don't know if it's called that way, but I'm sure you know what I mean) and so he did. But when driving home, my head lights were not as bright as they should have been. Anyway I got home all right. Have to get it to the garage to check it out.
It didn't take Tipper too long to show she wasn't all that happy with the new bandage and by 2.00am that night she had bitten a big hole in it to get to the little injuries she has on her foot. They probably got itchie and she wants to lick them. So I put her in the bench, because I couldn't do anything about it at that time.
January 19, 2011
What I feared happened. She had bitten her bandage and her splint to pieces and I called the vet again.This vetenarian practice is a long term family business. When we came to live here, the old vet had just turned his practice over to his two sons and a third son had his own practice in a nearby village. At present both 'sons' have retired, leaving their business to two sons and a daughter of one of them. The daughter married a Belgian vet and moved out. The two remaining sons have hired 4 new young vets and it's a florishing practice. People come from far to let them treat their animals. So Saturday we had Eveline, Sunday we had Mark, Monday we had Jelle, Thuesday we had Eveline again and today we had Han. Two more to go and we've had them all.
It was time to think up a strategy, because this couldn't go on this way. First he thought about a muzzle, but I wasn't too happy about that, because she would have to wear it 24 hours a day and I thought it would be too frustrating for Tipper and for us, because she couldn't go get a drink either.
Then he thought of puting up a cap. Not too happy about that either because we lack a bit of space around our furniture, but I said I would try it and home we went, this time with a light and dark blue bandage. Well, it didn't took very long to discover it was a disaster. The other dog Dixie, almost got a heart attack when she saw Tipper coming towards her with the cap on. She ran away as fast as her legs would let her and besides that, Tipper couldn't lay in his bin with it. It was like 'move head...bam, move head...bam' and she got all nervice about it. So I took it off and will return it to the vet.Then my hubby came up with a good idea: to wrap something around the foot and leg which was not heavy, but bite proof and he went to the store, came back, disappeared in his 'all tool barn' and within 30 minutes he came up with this:
He's a genius, isn't he, simple and at almost no cost, a bit of chicken wire, some tape, some band-aid to keep it from going up and a small soft bandage around her ellbow to keep it from falling off. In the meantime I had removed Tipper's bin and placed her bed right on the floor, so she had more space to stretch her leg. Tipper is very relaxed. She can walk with it, she can choose a comfortable position to lay down and up till now (0.30am) she hasn't touched it. I hold my breath to see if it will all be there in place tomorrow.Well I'm sure you're not expecting that I really will hold my breath till tomorrow, because then I won't be able to tell you how it went, will I. I praised my hubby a lot and told him he should apply for a patent on this 'Paw Cage' as I call it. To be continued.
I think I will turn these photography diaries into a book once they've ended, just like I did with my Rhyming Images
Border Collie gifts
Poll injured pets
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January 20, 2011
It was a rather nice day today, we saw some sun and I got that itch when looking into my garden. There has so much work to be done, but it's still too early for most chores. Perfect time however to prune and trim here and there. Well, not here and there, but actually all over the place.Couple of years ago we bought a semi professional chopper with two other neighbours, because we all have a lot to chop each year.
I'm a bit tired and it is late again, so I will finish this tomorrow.
I just came across this silhouette I made few years ago. Someone on a graphic/poetry website showed us how to do that and it was fun, but I forgot to write it down and save it and now I don't know anymore how I've done that. Must be made in Paint Shop Pro, because I don't use another program, but darn, I hate that if I forget things. I'm getting old. All I know it wasn't much work and a lof of fun.
January 21, 2011
Well actually nothing much happens overhere. I get up, eat something, then go upstairs to work on the computer, either for the sheep pedigree book or working on lenses that never seem to get finished, because I keep bumping into interesting lenses by other lensmasters and then I'm off reading, only to realize it's noon again. So that was a very long sentence and I normally don't do that, but what the heck.I had to do some shopping for my mom this afternoon, but I decided to drive to the garage first because my little Daihatsu van was acting up last Thuesday and I didn't want another emergency stop in the middle of nowhere. It took them quite a long time to find out that it's probably the dynamo, so I wasn't very happy, because that's an expensive piece of equipment as I soon found out. Will cost me about 350 euros ($470) and they had to order it. Darn, I'll never get rich this way.
As it was already late in the afternoon, I soon had to drive with my lights on and going to mom was out of the question. I drove home as fast as I could and will go to mom tomorrow in the big van.
Just a little Summer Joke.
Look how the Dandy Sparrow is checking out the Tramp Blackbird,
who had just taken a bath.
January 22 and 23, 2011
I'm taking two days in one, because Im behin and it's rainy weather and I spend most of my time at the computer starting a new lens about Valentine. No, first I started one about my blind cat Kyra through the Squidpaws, until I discovered I couldn't change the theme and then I deleted it again and started a 'normal' lens about her. I didn't get far though, because I had to look up some html tricks and then I click lenses and then I start to read and then I'm lost. It happens all the time. So SquidooHQ.....NO I can't make a lens in 5 minutes as you stated somewhere. Ok, YOU can make a lens in five minutes, but then I have to fill it with text and pictures and other gadgets and stories and that will take another couple of days, at least for me.
And then I thought that I ought to have at least a Valentine lens and then I spend another hour or so searching for the right name using the Google keyword search. Finally came up with one, so I started my lens. Then I spend another hour to figure out the code for a centralized text with a colored border and I almost gave up when I got it right. I've copied and pasted the code right away in my 'how to do things' page, because I know I will forget how I did that when I need it again. And I won't reveal the words I said during that trial process, because this lens has to stay G-rated.
And then I thought that I ought to have at least a Valentine lens and then I spend another hour or so searching for the right name using the Google keyword search. Finally came up with one, so I started my lens. Then I spend another hour to figure out the code for a centralized text with a colored border and I almost gave up when I got it right. I've copied and pasted the code right away in my 'how to do things' page, because I know I will forget how I did that when I need it again. And I won't reveal the words I said during that trial process, because this lens has to stay G-rated.
January 23, 2011
I was late this morning and that means the day is short and loaded with all the things I could have done this morning if I had been awake on time. Brought my mom some stuff she needed, hair spray. With her 99 years she still wants to look good. Worked on her computer to pay some bills. The weather is still lousy, raining and the mud is everywhere. That's the toll of living out in the country where the soil is pure clay.
You wouldn't want to step into the ploughed land, you'll be walking on high heels in a mum, because it's sticky. The eldest daughter Iske May came over for dinner, she loves salmon so I took some out the freezer, seasoned them and put them in the oven. Wish I could go fishing again, but it's still so windy and that's not agreeable to sit outside a whole day and it's a 1,5 hour drive. I've too much to do to lose a day for the pleasure of fishing, alas.
The days are passing and we still haven't gotten around to chopping the pollard willows. In one month and a bit my ewes have to go in that meadow to give birth to their lambs. Another busy time ahead of me. Not that I have to help them, but you always have to keep an eye on them, because there's always a chance that things are not going the way they should. I hope they will be all good mothers and that I don't have to bottle feed lambs. It's sweet and fun, but also very time consuming, it's like having a baby for two months, feeding them every three hours.
We'll see and hope for the best.
You wouldn't want to step into the ploughed land, you'll be walking on high heels in a mum, because it's sticky. The eldest daughter Iske May came over for dinner, she loves salmon so I took some out the freezer, seasoned them and put them in the oven. Wish I could go fishing again, but it's still so windy and that's not agreeable to sit outside a whole day and it's a 1,5 hour drive. I've too much to do to lose a day for the pleasure of fishing, alas.
The days are passing and we still haven't gotten around to chopping the pollard willows. In one month and a bit my ewes have to go in that meadow to give birth to their lambs. Another busy time ahead of me. Not that I have to help them, but you always have to keep an eye on them, because there's always a chance that things are not going the way they should. I hope they will be all good mothers and that I don't have to bottle feed lambs. It's sweet and fun, but also very time consuming, it's like having a baby for two months, feeding them every three hours.
We'll see and hope for the best.
January 24, 2011
Got a phonecall this afternoon from the folks that bought some ewes from me few months ago. I had lend them a ram and now he started to act up and they were afraid to go into the meadow. Grown rams of our breed can be become quite dangerous when they get it in their head that they have to defend their territory. They're heavy guys and you don't want any part of your body meet with their horns, it's like getting a hard punch with a heavy sledgehammer and they can break your legs. But now he had started to attack the ewes too and that's not a normal behaviour. So he had to be removed and the only route for these rams is the route to a big herd or the route to the butcher and as the big herds are at a distance of a 5 hour drive, this fellow's route was the shortcut to the butcher. You just don't want to mess around with these guys when they're mad at you. He had done his job anyway.I don't have a picture of the ram, but it's one similar as the ram I'm showing here. I always tell them when they misbehave, that they will end up on our plate, but some rams just won't listen to good advice.
Some of you might say 'How can you eat your own sheep', but then I say 'I'm eating meat anyway and I know exactly what I've been feeding my sheep. I've given them a good life and now they return the favour'. If you're breeding you just can't keep all the animals and especially not all the rams, because they will end up killing each other when they're fully grown and their hormones kick in. These rams can mate as early as 4 months old. Oh well, seems I have to write a lens about my sheep some day. I can write a book about it.
Sheepish Gifts
Posters you can choose your own size.
January 25, 2011
Time flies, six more days and this lens is finished, 11 more to go. I worked on my Valentine day Presents lens most of the day. Lot of work to choose all the products. I always choose what I like, but that might well be not what people might like, so it's always a gamble. Let's see how it goes for a while. I haven't been lucky to draw a lot of visitors in with my other lenses. I really don't know how others manage to get 5 figure visitors a week. I think I'm jealous, I want that too. Nothing more satisfactory then knowing you did well. Up till now I haven't been able to convince Google that I work real hard to make nice lenses. LOL
January 26, 2011
Two Year Moon - remembring my friend Marge Tindal
Just look her up on my lens Photography and Poetry because she wrote the most beautiful moon poems and also published a book of her own, containing beautiful Native American Poetrry.
Bless her soul, she's been missed by all who knew her.
January 27, 2011
Found this mouse nest in one of my book boxes, couple of years ago when we were cleaning out the barn. An intelligent mouse I guess. None of the books were damaged.
Ok, today I went to the vet again, because Tipper's bandage needed to be replaced. She had lost her plastic outside protection couple of times and it got all wet and that's not good. She got a green bandage this time, but I think they put it on a bit tight, because she was chewing on the iron in the evening and that's a sign she's not comfortable with it. So let's hope for the best, because she has seen 5 different vets so far and some of them twice. I didn't take a photo of Tipper this time. If you've read this lens, you know what she looks like, so this time it's green.
Got a call that one of my ewes had jumped the fence again, but by the time I got there, she was in again. Darn, still don't know where she's going over, always the same ewe and then I'm lucky the rest isn't following her... yet. Drenthen Heathsheep are intelligent too and as the saying goes: the grass is always greener outside the fence than inside.
January 28, 2011
Well, here we go again. The dogs were outside and heard something that aroused their suspicion, so they raced to the end of the garden and then Tipper came back without her bandage. She got hooked by a rose branche and so at noon I went to the vet again. She got a new bandage and this time I asked if they couldn't give me some bandage material to take home, because I had seen it done so many times, I had no trouble doing it myself when it happened again.
And believe it or not....not a hour later, I could practice my nursing skills.
And believe it or not....not a hour later, I could practice my nursing skills.
January 29, 2011
My willow trees of ancient years,
have seen a lot of laughs and tears.
Their bark not smooth, have been lived through,
the chopped off branches soon renew.
They edge the borders of my land,
like living statues, there they stand.
New grown crowns wave soft in breeze,
they are my favorites of all trees.
When I am sad, they weep with me
and just like theirs, my mind flies free.
They twist their lifes around my soul,
when I am bruised they make me whole.
January 30, 2011
We started to give the willows their 3 or 4 year haircut. This time 12 willows were overdue, we actually had to do them last year, but couldn't get to it on time and when it's March, it's too late. This year we're late too, because of the bad weather we had last month. Well it looked gorgeous with all the snow, but not suitable for cutting willow trees and then we had lots and lots and lots of rain. It still is cold, around freezing point, but there's not much wind now.In the meantime I'm developping my nursing skills, because Tipper keeps losing her bandage. I just got a new package from the vet. This will be a huge bill I fear. She's got her third splint now and they cost about 7 euros a piece, the bandage rolls cost 5 euros a roll and then there's the soft bandage underneath and the band-aids. So that's 3 splints and about 10 times a new bandage so far in 14 days and we have still 4 weeks to go.
January 31, 2011
Last day of the month and the last day on this Photography Diary of January 2011. Finished 31 days and 334 days to go. The longest 12 lenses I will make and I wonder who's ever gonna read them all.
I just realized that this niche of lenses I'm building now will give everybody on the internet insight in what I do, what I like or dislike, actually a lot of insight in my personal life. Does that bother me? Mmmm....no I don't think so. I'm quite open about what tickles me and what difference does it make if I tell my story to a few people or to the whole world. Most of them forget about me a sec later anyway.
I just realized that this niche of lenses I'm building now will give everybody on the internet insight in what I do, what I like or dislike, actually a lot of insight in my personal life. Does that bother me? Mmmm....no I don't think so. I'm quite open about what tickles me and what difference does it make if I tell my story to a few people or to the whole world. Most of them forget about me a sec later anyway.
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About Me
You might like this too
- My Photo Galleries on Pbase.com
- Pbase.com is a photo gallery website where I've stashed a lot of my photos.
- Titia's Rhyming Images
- My five little 'Rhyming Images' books, with my photographs and poetry.
- GoodLifeDesign
- My zazzle store GoodLifeDesign, where you can find lovely (customizable) gifts for your family, friends and yourself.
You CAN make a difference
Many small amounts = one big amount = quality of life for many animals
The Society was formed to alleviate the injustices animals faced then, and we continue to battle cruelty today. Whether it's saving a pet who has been accidentally poisoned, fighting to pass humane laws, rescuing animals from abuse or sharing resources wi
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plrang Apr 27, 2012 @ 6:14 am | delete
- It's always nice to watch such diaries with photos. I had a 365 days diary in 2011, that was a hard time! :)
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flicker
Mar 8, 2012 @ 12:40 pm | delete
- Enjoyed the stories and the photos. Well done!
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GetSillyProductions Apr 1, 2011 @ 6:30 pm | delete
- My favorite photo on this lens is the one in the tunnel
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Geekgurl
Feb 23, 2011 @ 10:54 pm | delete
- I wish I could be that good at taking photo's! I like how the dog's cast was originally brown and went to "hot pink". Great information. I loved your pictures and stories.
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ohcaroline
Feb 16, 2011 @ 9:31 pm | delete
- Great collection of photos...and enjoyable reading about life in the Netherlands. I really liked visiting the Netherlands a long time ago. Very interesting country.
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by Titia
I'm an amateur photographer and poet. I like to combine the two and call them Rhyming Images. You will find them in many of my squidoo lenses. I like to... more »
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