Book Learnin'

Who needs toys, books are where it's at.

Nikon D300, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/60 at f/2.8, ISO 320

How To ... Bemusement

Sometimes you just need to grin and bear it.

Sometimes you just need to bear it.

No matter what is going on around you or being done to you, you know there is nothing you can do to change it.

It's at times like this when you just need to zone-out and try to forget that in years to come this moment may come back to haunt you ... it's time to look 'so lost in thought as to be unaware of one's surroundings.'

This third instalment in the How To ... series is for when laughing just isn't right - How To Look Bemused.

Resolutions

I've been tagged by Neil after he created his own little meme. Neil wants to know what my New Year's Resolutions are. Normally I don't make resolutions, but this year I have.

I must first apologise to others that have tagged me where I haven't (yet) responded, but this one needs doing now if it's to be done at all. So, without further ado, here are my five:

• Fix the lights - we have two sets of lights in our living room at home and one of them has been broken for, literally, years. It's time to get them sorted out.


• Fix the boiler - our boiler currently has a problem and stops working when it gets hot. Not a good thing for a boiler. 'Rebooting' it seems to fix it for a time, but I resolve not to let this turn into another broken lights situation.


• Get a bit fitter - ah look ... my third resolution is almost a direct copy of Neil's third.


• Drink less - I don't tend to binge drink (except maybe when on a night out, but that doesn't happen often), but I do tend to have a drink almost every evening. I think I should probably reduce this a little. Doing this might also help with the previous resolution.


• Do better next time - ah, a cop out - I only have four real resolutions, whereas the challenge was to create five. This is just one example of how bad I am when tagged. Next time I'll try harder.

How to ... Chuckles

This second in the How To ... series is on a less serious topic than the first.

Unlike the previous instalment it can be easily practiced on one's own, although for the sake of all-round amusement I would suggest attempting simultaneous rehearsal among a group of like minded individuals.

Lastly, while the previous lesson was demonstrated through the use of an instructive image, this one requires a video to convey full tutelage.

Dave's Photo Blog is proud to present How To Make Full Use of Your Laugh.

How To ...

In what may or may not become a series - depending on future inspiration and opportunity - I would like to unveil the first, and possibly last, post under Dave's new How To ... brand.

These nuggets of momentary wisdom may (or may not, the author accepts no responsibility for what you do with the information) provide valid and useful life-lessons for the otherwise uninitiated.*

The photo below demonstrates, quite nicely I think, How To Look Intellectual While Sleeping.

Now go and practice. If you cannot find someone to help mark your efforts and offer advice and tips for improvement you could either set up a time-lapse camera so that you may rate yourself 'offline' or train in front of a mirror, one eye at a time.

* I've recently been writing lots of technical and sales-y documentation at work and am full of caveats and verbosity. Does it show?**

** That's a rhetorical question.

Raspberries

Looks like we have taught Matthew his first lesson - how to blow raspberries at people. It's all very funny ... for now. He currently thinks that sticking his tongue out at people is one of the greatest japes in the world.

Are we naughty parents? Maybe, but its still fantastic to see him smile and laugh. It might just be a little embarrassing if he decides to parp at a passing pedestrian.

Sony DSC-T200

First Smiles

Matthew has now been with us for seven weeks, and while that time has flown past so quickly we almost don't realise how long its been, its also difficult to remember or imagine life before having him with us.

He is certainly growing fast. He might be just above average weight for his age, but last week he hit the 98th percentile for height. He's currently as tall as an an 'average' baby twice his age!

Apart from being lanky like his dad he also started smiling a couple of weeks ago and is now more interested in things going on around him. Taking photos of a baby that has just started smiling with a massive SLR is tricky as they mostly react only to another smiling face, and the camera tends to cover that up (a small P&S that is also able to shoot video has been ordered from eBay and is in the post). However, here are a couple I managed to capture last weekend.

 

Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/30sec, f/2.8                                      1/60sec, f/8, flash

Visitors - the aftermath

After all the visitors we've been entertaining over the last few days, both Matthew and his Dad are tired and take a nap.

Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/30sec, f/4, ISO-450

Visitors (2)

Of course the Granddads are just as excited as the Grandmothers when there is a new baby around (although maybe they try not to show it as much). Here are a couple of shots of them so they don't feel left out after seeing the last post.

 

Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/30sec, f/5, ISO-500                              1/20sec, f/2.8, ISO-360

Visitors (1)

When you have a baby you get a lot of visitors and in our case the first were the new grandparents.

For both my parents and my wife's, this is the first grandchild, so there is a lot of excitement all round. Lots of presents for the new arrival too - Matthew probably now has more stuff than me, we'll soon need to move to a bigger house.

Here are a couple of shots of Granny and Nanny (names they have chosen themselves).

 

Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/80sec, f/2.2, ISO-640                             1/40sec, f/5.6, ISO-100

Matthew Has Arrived

A while back I mentioned that I was soon to become a father. Well that day arrived on Monday with the arrival of Matthew Christopher (which might help to explain the lack of posts in the last week - been a little busy).

After a bit of um-ing and ah-ing about whether he really wanted to be born on the 13th, or try to leave it for a few more hours, he decided he would enter the world on his exact due date after all - looks like he has his dad's sense of punctuality at least. Lets just hope he doesn't suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia. I've also been told by a number of people that he has my nose, but I don't see it myself.

I guess there will be many more posts in the coming months with photos of my little boy, but for now here are the first couple - one taken just after we got him back from hospital on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.

 

Nikon D200, Sigma 30mm f/1.4
1/60sec, f/3.2, ISO-800                                 1/100sec, f/1.4, flash

Eight Things About Dave

I have been 'tagged' by Livingsword. Normally I would ignore these things and move on, but this one I'm going to do - if only because I am off work with a cold and it has given me something to do.

First, there are some rules to this game:

• Each player must post these rules first.
  
• Each player then posts eight random facts/habits about themselves.
  
• At the end of your post, you should choose eight more people to tag - list their names.
  
• Leave the eight people a comment telling them they’re tagged.

So, here are eight things about me that you may not have known already.

1) I used to smoke. I don't think I was ever really addicted in the same way that many people are - I could go hours, days or weeks without thinking about a cigarette - I just liked a smoke. Some months I would smoke a lot, but I was never anywhere near a 20-a-day guy. All of a sudden a couple of years ago I just went off them - no idea why, but I haven't smoked since and have no desire to again. One thing I do know though is that if I was ever going to have a hangover in the morning, it would always be worse if drinking had been combined with smoking.

2) I'm going to be a father in less than a month! We don't know yet whether it will be a boy or a girl, but we have names chosen for each. I can't tell you what they are, but I can say that I wanted to give a boy the middle name Xavier (pronounced X-avier, like in X-Men, not like in Spanish), but was over-ruled.

3) I probably spend far too long sitting in front of a computer - at work, at home, anywhere.

4) I don't eat my five a day. In fact its probably a rare day when I eat three.

5) My favourite Italian restaurant, outside Italy, is in Tallinn, Estonia.

6) I've never been in trouble with the police. The closest I came was when I was probably ten years old ... walking home with my mum on a snowy day I was hanging back a bit and threw a hard snowball at a passing car, hitting the windscreen. The car slowed and I ran, telling my mum I wanted to get home quicker. The car followed me and caught up - the driver told me that the snowball could have broken his windscreen and caused an accident and he should have dialled the fuzz. That scared me senseless. I saw the car driver several times in the following couple of years, but have no idea if he ever recognised me again.

7) I have never given blood. Or had a blood test taken (to my knowledge).

8) This is my one hundred and second blog post. I wasn't sure I would keep this going for very long, but I'm still here.


So now I have to choose the people I am going to tag. I don't really expect all of them to reciprocate and play along, but they get tagged anyway:

• Neilly Done
  
• Ming
  
• The Jiffler
  
• Mrs. Jiffler
  
• Kiran
  
• Sara
  
• Ludivine
  
• SuffolkGirl

Kitesurfing

The stretch of coast between Hayle and Gwithian in Cornwall is popular for water sports, especially when its a little windy. The day I was there two weeks ago it was more than a little windy and the kitesurfers were out in force, with the view over to Godrevy lighthouse full of power kites.

Towans and dynamite

In the late 19th Century an explosives factory (the National Explosives Works) was built in the stretch of dune land - called the Towans - near Hayle in Cornwall. The factory survived until 1919, but explosives were still stored in the area until 1960, in various 'huts' dotted throughout the dunes.

Now those huts are ruins, and when walking the Towans between Hayle and Gwithian it is quite common to spot a few roofless concrete structures poking up between the dune grass.

Both pictures taken with the Nikon 12-24mm wide angle lens.

Porters

Its a common misconception that a sherpa is the same as a porter. This isn't true - a sherpa is a mountain guide, and a group's guide will often hire separately one or more porters who actually do the carrying.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that our luggage is being carried by Yaks, and not by porters, but we still see many porters on our trek and its amazing to see how much they can carry - often overtaking us uphill.

The first photo below shows a group of porters all wearing the same 'uniform' - these have been hired by an expedition and are on their way up to base camp to set up before the foreigners turn up. The second photo is of a group heading up between Lukla and Namche for the weekly market. These guys are probably carrying over 30kg on their backs, but they still manage to make it up the climb faster than our group did last week.

 

They might be almost superhuman in stamina, but even porters need a rest sometimes.

 

Chito Chito

Day 13, and as predicted yesterday I have a lie-in this morning. Its not that I don't want to get up at six a.m., honest, but my legs are a little shaky after the long walk yesterday and I have no energy - it seems Snickers can only keep a guy going for so long before real food is needed. So, after the 'wake up tea' another three hours sleep is in order, followed by a leisurely breakfast while we wait for those who did manage to pull themselves out of their sleeping bags to return from the climb.

Once we do set off, we're heading steadily downwards - the high altitude is still a problem so the speed isn't high, but the climb down the hill into Duglha is great, especially when passing groups struggling upwards. That's what we looked like just two days ago!

We finally learn the phrase 'chito chito' - Nepalese for 'quickly quickly' - as we begin to pick up speed and we reach our next stop, Pheriche, mid-afternoon.

On day 14 we arrive back in Tengboche after a tortuous walk through the snow (the weather has finally changed: its snowing and the paths have become extremely slippery). Each day the monks at the monastery gather twice to chant - once in the morning and once in the afternoon - and we make our way over to the monastery for three o'clock to sit and listen.

 

Later on, back at the lodge, it appears that the appetite is back to normal. Just in time too as this is the place to try the local specialities of Snickers and Mars Pies. They are both pretty good, but I'd have to go with the Mars variation as my favourite - like a cross between a profiterole and a deep fried Mars bar. Mmmmmm.

Base Camp

Day 12. Today we attempt to reach Everest Base Camp.

There's a lot of walking to fit in today, so its an early start - we are woken at five to be ready to head out by six o'clock. After a meagre breakfast (appetite is still not what it should be) and attempts by everyone to thaw some drinking water near the stove, we're ready.

We head out into the slowly lightening day and begin the three hour walk to the final settlement on the trek, Gorak Shep, at about 5200 meters. The sun won't make it high enough for us to benefit from its warmth for over an hour, meaning that all the water we thawed just freezes again - I get brain freeze each time I try to take a sip (check out the link - apparently your brain doesn't actually freeze!). Just after nine we finish the climb to Gorak Shep - time for an early lunch.

At ten thirty we leave for the three hour walk to base camp. The climb is not great - about another two hundred meters - but the walk is difficult: the path continually climbs then falls, air is thin, energy is scarce due to lack of food, and because the route has only been open a few days the trail hasn't yet been worn into a proper path and in many places is simply loose stone which could slip us over at any moment.

At about half way, we can see base camp in the distance. Its at this point that I start wondering whether to continue. I'm fairly sure I can get there, but I'm not so certain about getting back. Its time for a chocolatey treat. Fortunately I stocked up on Snickers at Gorak Shep - they might have been expensive, but they were well worth it.

Reaching base camp itself is quite an emotional moment - I made it(!), but I am still wondering about the walk back. There is absolutely nothing here either - its too early in the year for any expeditions to have come this far and the only things around us are mountains, glaciers, another couple of walking groups, and a crashed helicopter. Its very tranquil and, contrary to belief not covered in litter - although that may be because there are no camps here yet.

Everest itself is barely visible from here - behind the helicopter we can see the glacier up which those attempting the summit will climb, then, peeking out between the sides of Nuptse and Khumbutse we can see only a small portion of the highest mountain in the world.

The views are amazing though - the weather has still held for us and the sky is amazingly blue this high up. We stop for as long as we can in the cold, which gives us enough time for some group photos to prove we made it, followed by another Snickers - energy for the walk back.

 

Another three hour walk brings us back to Gorak Shep (another Snickers is consumed on the way - all in all a three-snickers day). Tomorrow we are supposed to be having another early start for a walk up Kala Patthar before breakfast - I know it would offer much better views of Everest, but I might just have a lie-in.

Kathmandu

I'm back!

I realised I may have been a little misleading in the last post. I wasn't walking up Everest at all - just to Base Camp. I was away on a trip organised by Exodus ... and it was great.

It feels weird to be home after so long away - especially so because I had no contact with the outside world for almost the entire time away - there is still no mobile reception anywhere on the trek route, and internet access is sparse and wasn't used except to send the odd e-mail home.

Over the coming few posts I'll be explaining what we actually did and how it was - accompanied by photos of course.

Days 1 and 2 of the trip were both taken up with travelling to Kathmandu from London. Not helped much by a delay to the second leg of the journey, meaning ten hours in Muscat airport. Fortunately, access to the business lounge made this slightly more manageable.

Day 3 was given over to a brief tour of Kathmandu and a free afternoon. Nothing too strenuous to start with! Here are some shots from the tour.

 

Wet Wales

Went to Wales this last weekend - to the Brecon Beacons to be precise - to climb some of the peaks around there. The plan was to cover six of the peaks on Saturday, including the highest, Pen-y-fan. Thought it might be cold, it being January and the middle of winter - didn't really count on it being so windy! We managed three of the six, then decided to call it a day and head back before we all got blown home.

Sunday turned out nice though, and we had a pleasant stroll around Talybont Reservoir before heading back home - refreshed and ready for another week.

One question is outstanding for me from our meal at the local pub: why does everyone have such a problem with me wanting custard on my chocolate fudge cake? Answers on a post card please.

Here are some photos from the trip - first from Saturday, with John and Ming looking wet and a bit miserable - and that's the start of the walk.

And here are a couple from Sunday around the reservoir - the scenery and one of John just as he's spotted a kite.

 

Published!!

I just heard the other day that I've been published! Well, one of my photos has anyway.

My Dad is a church minister and has just moved to a place called Wisbech. He and my mum went on holiday last month to Sri Lanka, and while they were there they collected money and bought a fishing boat for one of the locals. Those two things together got them a spot on page two of the local Wisbech paper, and a photo I took of them before they moved made it in too.