One of the ‘problems’ of this current virus lockdown is the weather. Tongue in cheek observation as its been blooming lovely meant I’ve been outside doing jobs around the cottage and I’ve got a load more still to do. However yesterday was the first wet inside day for what must be three weeks plus ?
So I busied myself sorting paperwork out in our home office as well as starting the mammoth task of sorting my computer(s) out specifically trying to rationalise my photos and videos. Problem being over time I’ve had many computers and when I’ve got rid I’ve copied the hard drives or saved the old hard drives with all the associated data on them. So this means loads of unnecessary files ( work stuff I’ve kept tons of emails and memos !) plus massive amounts of duplicated photos and videos.
So I brought a Mac file duplication sniffer and spend much of yesterday shredding old paper and deleting old duplicate files. I’m now at the stage of having removed all duplicates the software had found a massive amount of ‘similar’ photos, the ones you takes there or four of to get the best one. Deleting this is harder as you have to look at each one to save the right image.
When it’s done the challenge is to then bring all the images to the one location to make a central photo and video repository.
It’ll be worth it in the end and a good use of time.... problem is it seems we have another week of great weather so this project will be shelved for the time being !
One question. - How do you save sort and organise your photos... do you use any recommended software ? Over to you........
I used to call them Quadcopters - that was the name given when I was building them from scratch. It all started on a visit to Scotland to see my good friend John who was building remote controlled aircraft using some new hardware - an intelligent flight controller, fully programable to control fixed wing aircraft or Quadcopters. There is a company called Hobbycraft who were very able to sell me all I needed to build my flying machines.
It was a great hobby, lots of soldering, building programming and planning. We were the 'drone' pioneers. I built two drones one with a camera attached and another to just fly to learn how to control them. I think I enjoyed building them more than flying - and therein was the issue. Where I lived then was in a city - Derby. Lots of parks but not ideal or safe to be flying there. Luckily one of my responsibilities at the University was Security - so I had access to all the sites including a large area of green that was fenced off, my own private testing ground.
This is a short video of my scratch built quad on its second outing testing what was then called loiter mode (gps lock) No camera on board at this time. Taken on the Rugby pitch at my University before it was dug up and a sports complex built there - see later videos.
But the hobby needed more time and access to flying areas so I reluctantly sold the job lot - drones, controllers all my tools and spares. To keep the boating theme, I sold the lot on Ebay to a fella who had two charter yachts in the Mediterranean and he wanted the drones to get some publicity pictures.
I did take it to its place of spiritual conception before it all got sold.... Dumfries and Galloway to fly at John's land that overlook Loch Ryan up the west coast of Scotland. Here is the video.....
I did eventually get another but this was a commercial drone. By this time there was a race to commercialisation of the drone market. DJI being the leader with a raft of others bringing commercial drones out with varying degrees of success. I waited and spent my hard earned on a DJI Phantom 2. It was a good drone, but let down ultimately by DJI's race to the top as they kept bringing out newer drones and committed the sin of not providing spares or firmware upgrades for their older gear. It was a time still of little regulation and I used my drone to take shots for the university - including an impressive New Sports centre.
The university was keen to have more such videos and stills of their (our as it was my university as I'd been there so long and committed so much to it) property and land so I sold my drone to the University. It never happened of course as it got damaged in 'test flights' !!
To keep the boaty context I did take some video and stills of Percy at Fradley.... this one being my favourite, the music is royalty free courtesy of U2.
So why this blog - apart from some self reflection I've bitten the bullet and purchased a new drone. Mea Culpa - yes I did indeed blog about my pledge for change which was about buying less.... and I can assure you I have been buying less and spending less, my trip to the NW500 in Scotland has been canned as has a long weekend meet up with 30 other bikers in Derbyshire and my battlefield tour of Normandy in June.... so I have some money and I did say I wanted to balance the economy (not all of it) using my pension ££'s.
I opted for a DJI Mavic mini... price for performance one of the better drones. Inspired by some of the stunning videos from the vloggers out there. When one of my friends who lives close to John in Scotland was last on my boat Percy one very boozy night we were discussing drones and he encouraged me by saying if he had a boat he could not think of a better 'tool' to use to capture the beautiful countryside we cruise through. Based on my plan for staycations on bikes and boat for the future I think I will get some value for money from this little drone.
Little it is.... the new UK drone laws mean any drone over 250g needs to be licensed by the CAA. The drone I have is 249g's so no need to be registered. However I have taken the test, passed and am licenses and a flyer and owner. I need to put the details of my license on the drone and print out the license should anyone ask to see it while flying (even though I don't need one)
So hopefully when back on board Percy I can give a better idea of where we are and show you some of the views we see..... just need to be back aboard !
Well maybe this was more like 40 minutes as it was to the end of the lane and backwhich is two miles. We chose this as it's mainly in dappled shade and it was 23c today ( Saturday 11th April).
As an aside the lane we live on seems to have been renamed in the last few years. Talk to any of the locals around here and they'll say the've walked the Sprink and when we viewed the house the first time* it was advertised as being on Sprink lane. The Sprink comes from the word spring as there is a spring on the lane. In fact where the Falconry centre is now used to be a pop factory using the water from the spring !
It was a lovely walk .....
Our new tenants were making chicks as we left
I think this is a hover fly ? (might need to click on the photo to see it full res )
Simple beauty
The valley starting the green up
The dappled woodland lane walk - beautiful.
Got to love the little Wren scuttling about in the lower branches on the slopes
There is the Caldon canal down there ...
Can you spot it yet ?
There you are - super zoom on the camera
The village of Ipstones across the valley from us where I was cycling the other day as part of my exercise....
Lovely to have the cows in the field behind the cottage - they were certainly enjoying the sun and the very green grass. It must taste so good compared to the silage they have been eating all winter.
*We viewed the cottage some years ago and liked it but were not in a position to offer at the time as our house was not sold. The lady we brought it off was the person who purchased it after we viewed and did all the jobs needing doing then decided it was too far from the station for her commute to London so we got the benefit of all of her hard work.... fully how things turn out !
No we have not broken the rules and no one should for the health of all of us specially those true hero's (and I don't use that descriptor often) in the National Health Service.
Our lovely boaty neighbour has been keeping an eye on Percy for us as we are starting to miss our time aboard something fierce. I fitted the new starter battery some while back now, a month ago I think and I never even tried to start the engine !
In hindsight I am pleased I visited the boat to complete the rewiring which was to connect up the solar panel as on the first trip I did not have the right cable to make the alterations to the location of the fuse to the controller. The last visit was to check the cover for the panel which pleasingly fitted first time based on a lot of remote pondering of how it all might need to go.
I brought the cover back to the workshop to paint but I think I have used up all my red oxide that I am hoping was the colour used for the base when I remade that. Link here and it was over a year ago !!
So today I've ordered a tin from Midland Chandlers to be delivered. I'd ordinarily have nipped over on my bike to get it but again - STAY PUT .....
Back to the blog title Mandy has sent us some pictures of Percy patiently waiting for our visit. We'll be out cruising soon I'm sure. My estimate is mid June .....
It was one of my favourites as a child. Those who may never have heard of it he was a fella who lived at number 52 Festive road London who went visiting a fancy dress shop and the owner (a Fez wearing man with a moustache ) gave him a costume and then Mr Benn left the shop by a magic door at the rear to have an adventure based on the consume he was wearing. Of course each story carried its own moral - so all good stuff and made me the man I am today. Interesting if slightly controversial observation that somewhat explains my approach to such things... he never dressed up as a woman as I recall ?
Anyhow during our lockdown times I feel I have worn a few different costumes....
Film director
IT consultant
Delivery driver
Gardener
Electrician
Joiner
Cleaner
Cyclist
Walker
Motorcycle repair man
Charity worker
Children's entertainer
Painter
Photographer
Mechanic
Cook
Landscape gardener
Builder (chimney repair)
Scaffolder (never took a tower scaffold down before)
.... plus no doubt quite a few more to come yet !
So its good times despite the restrictions. Life is what you make of it.
If you have not made somebody's day happier, if you've
not appreciated something good that has happened to you and you have not felt thankful for being alive, then you have wasted that day of your life on earth.
No we don't own multiple properties, just the cottage we live in. Having rented (for working away purposes) and kept our own property I'd not like to have the multiple property responsibilities despite always holding the view that property is the best type of investment.
Anyhow the story....knowing I had some hard timber landscaping of the rear courtyard to our cottage to do I purchased a large mitre saw and stand for the workshop (read saw mill now). Part of my apprentice test jobs on the new saw I decided to build a bird box. There are plenty of on line instructions on how to do so.
We have seemingly two large communities of Blue tits and Sparrows flying between our large Privet hedge and the gardens of our near neighbours so it was a toss up on the hole size for the two eventually I opted for the larger sparrow size hole. I put it up a week or so ago and it looks like we have our first tenant.
There has been much singing to attract a mate which has been a joy to watch and listen to.
Thank you for the comments on my last post. I'll respond there, I'm a little saddened there was not more engagement especially on my FB page as I posted the link there. I suspect many, in fact the vast majority are expecting the world to carry on as before - you reap what you sow..... I'll do my bit for my conscience, my sons and daughter in laws and most importantly my grandson.
Anyhow... last night I took Leia out for her pre bedtime wee and was struck by the stillness of the night with a bright moon and the valley owls singing their eerie tunes. In fact it was a super moon so I got my camera out put it on a tripod and shot the moon !
Got to love our moon !
Anyhow that's todays blog, I'll tell you about our new tenants next time !!
