Tuesday 26 June 2012

COLOUR TABLE NOT SHOWING IN MAC PHOTOSHOP

I  have solved a problem (with the help on Alastair at the end of Skype at the weekend). 

The Colour Table was not showing in Photoshop at the point where you finish working with the image and are at Save for Web and Devices. The Colour Table was greyed out.  I have sorted the problem.

 (Here is my lovely cherry pie I made today!  It must be over 40 years since I made one..... I digress.)


On the screen  (upper right corner as seen in the screen shot* above which is what you see when you are in Save for Web and Devices) you have to make sure the field at the top which sits under Preset,  has GIF in it. Now I do not know what I had before; I do not know if other options work.  All I know is that the Colour Table has returned and furthermore it is still there (as GIF) when I repeat the procedure.   QED.

* When I figure out to get a closer image of this I will post it.







Monday 25 June 2012

POST DENTAL VISIT: RINSE PLEASE!

I hate dentists.  Well, that is not strictly true ... I have nothing against dentists but I hate going to the dentist!  I have spent many years in a dentist's chair and it never gets any easier.  If I have an appointment, as I did today, for a regular check-up - no big deal, I know - I simply write off the rest of the day.

Today was no exception.  I am not in extremis, I am not suffering any pain or discomfort, I am simply "out of gas" i.e. I feel done-in, good for nothing but sitting slumped in a chair with my head in my hands. Over the years (many years!) I have tried to figure out why I am so gutted.  Dunno!  In the end I just ride it out.

So ... to that end, when Maggie said we should meet up I suggested coming to my house so that I could partake of some wine and not have to drive afterwards.  We cracked open a bottle and sat out in the garden.  (If the truth be told I opened it before she arrived as my need was greater, I reckoned.)

However, it turned out to be the first anniversary of her son's wedding and so ... recalling that peonies were the order of the day one year ago ... we picked some from the garden and toasted the happy couple.                      





The bottle we were sampling was one I got from Sainsbury's this week. It was my favourte: Fitou.  It happened to be low in price. I can see why; it was a bit Acid over Fruit in taste but  ... what the heck ... it did the business as a Pick-me-up! I ended up having a lovely swally with Maggie and completely recovered.



Saturday 23 June 2012

THE ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOW

I was through to Edinburgh for the Royal Highland Show today.  This is an agricultural show held once a year in the site next to Edinburgh airport.  Trying to get there by car was a nightmare.  Trying to get to the airport today must have been impossible!


The sign on the way in "All Show Traffic Except Sheep and Pink Keep Left"




Fine Clydesdales were pulling a dray, possibly from a brewery.  There was also a funeral dray in the procession. I think these lovely animals knew they were being admired as they stood there in all their finery!

In the Grand Ring we watched the judging of the bulls. This Charolais below is typical of this fine breed of animal.  Looking at the number and variety made me realize that we who shop in supermarkerts and butchers are very well served by our farmers and other people involved in the agricultural industry. (If Ingleston is about anything it is about the whole "industry" of agriculture -  the costs and the wealth. A champion bull at this show would command a good price for his owner.)



Some years ago I was at this show and recall that it was the first time I had come across this breed of animal.  I recall seeing him up close ... my jaw dropped!  The musculature of his fella's shoulders and hind end were unlike anything I had ever seen before!

____________________________________________________________________________
Above photo taken from British Charolais website here.

Thursday 21 June 2012

ALASTAIRISMS

Alastair and I have good fun together these days.  He is quite chatty and has a very well developed vocabulary.  However sometimes things get a bit turned around ... or back-to-front ... or have the odd gap!

 

Alastair's Pinion
















Today we swithered about what to do with the whole day ahead of us.  It was wet, sort of not-raining type of raining, i.e. puddles everywhere and drip, drip, dripping.  He opened the back door, put his hand out and came back into the house stating, " I tried my pinion and it wasn't raining!"

Alastair's Limpic Torch

There is a lot on the radio and TV about the upcoming Olympic Games 2012 taking place in London and other UK cities.  Alastair was giving me a report on last week's highlight when runners came through our local neighbourhood carrying their Limpic Torch.


Alastair Riding the Alligator
Today in Central Station we had to change trains. This involved a ride on the Alligator!



Tuesday 19 June 2012

THE NEW BALUSTRADE

The balustrade is now in place on the front of the house.  Stuart and his team worked in the pouring rain to erect the structure at the weekend and did a first rate job.  It is stainless steel with toughened glass. Very glassy ... sorry ... classy!


I was across the road at a neighbour's tonight and returned home just as the sun was setting at 9:35 pm.  Not having time to grab my camera I took these photos with my iPhone.


What is not seen is the colours of the spectrum as it caught the edge of the glass.  I will need to work on that!  Also the feel of the handrail is silky smooth - lovely!





Thursday 14 June 2012

GRANDPA PLANTS NAILS

Alastair and I have spent the day together mostly in the garden.  At 4 1/2 he is keen to help ... dig, water plants, fill the bucket with stones and any small jobs involving a ladder or a hose!

He is a "natural" when it comes to using a spade! He stands squarely, presses his foot down smartly and with a tip from me has learned to lever what he is digging by simply pressing, not necessarily with a great deal of effort, on the very end of the handle.  I see a great worker here and and think one is never too young to learn the principles of mechanical advantage.


There are hundreds of small stones in the patch we are digging and planting.  Worse still, there are nails that keep cropping up.  They have come from the fireplace ash that we tipped in this corner of the garden all last winter. They were in the bits of board that Iain cut into manageable sizes for our small enclosed Aga wood fire we have in the living room. 


As Alastair observed:

"Grandpa plants nails!"


So here we have Grandma's sunflowers with a new species of plant Clavus photoshopensis.




Wednesday 13 June 2012

GREEN SMILES

If you want children to eat their greens, you have to smile while you are eating yours!


A secret weapon to get children to eat their vegetables has been discovered by psychologists ... simply smile. 

 Source: Today's Telegraph Newspaper here 



Tuesday 12 June 2012

UPSIDE DOWN WEATHER

The television news is full of stories of how there is currently heavy rain and flooding in the south of the country. 


In Scotland we are enjoying ... and have been for a while ... sunny weather with only the occasional shower. 


It's good to get out in the garden as everything is lush and blooming.  Pansies above and aquilegia below.

 

People in the south are a bit put out by this state of affairs.  For example, the BBC news which comes out of London describes this as Britain's "upside-down weather"!  





Monday 11 June 2012

FINGER-LICKIN' GOOD BROWNIES

Ishie (5 1/2 years) and Alastiar (4 1/2 years) are growing fast!  Their trousers are getting shorter and their shoes and boots are needing to go up a size more often.


Alastair and I bake and work in the garden during the morning, once a week, then we go to collect Ishie from school at 3 pm. This week we made Brownies which must, you understand, take the form of a Spiderman Cake!  


The best photos are never possible to take ... by that I mean I wish I had a shot of all 4 fingers of Alastair's right-hand submerged in the bowl of melted chocolate!


I have happy memories of doing this sort of thing as a child; I was always allowed to lick the bowl and the spoon .... and ... oh ...  the MixMaster beaters as well!


Sunday 10 June 2012

THE BEST VIEW IS LOOKING BACK!

The tide was right for locking out at 4 pm today.  Nothing for it but ... off with the warps, out with the fenders, open the sluice gates ....


 Iain



And they are off!  Jim and George in the cockpit with Iain on the bow.


Friday 8 June 2012

GARDEN UPDATE

Everything in the garden today is lovely!

Mairi's lupins

White Iris in a corner


Blue iris in the sun

Wednesday 6 June 2012

DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS 3 - TEA AT CAIRNS

Cairns Church in Milngavie held a Jubilee Celebration Tea Party and invited friends and neighbours   to join them in the hall and on the lawn.  


I spend a lot of time in this building as we practice there with the Young Fiddlers every Tuesday (when we share the use of the buildings with Milngavie Choir and the Chess Club).  We had a most enjoyable afternoon tea chatting to everyone including the Cairns folk who let us have the use of their hall facilities.


There is no show without Punch, as they say.  Here is Iain playing at the front door.  The Rolls Royce on the left and the Mini helped to "decorate" the car park.


As the Queen was busy finishing off her many duties in London this cardboard cutout at the drinks table was a very realistic stand-in!


Top hat and teacups were the order of the day.





Monday 4 June 2012

DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS 2

These are some more photos from the weekend's Garden Party at Kilmory, Argyllshire [55.91386,-5.676069]  (No named on Google map.)  See post previous to this one, i.e. yesterday's for set 1 of these photos.







 



Sunday 3 June 2012

DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATION: SCOTLAND vs ENGLAND

It is the weekend of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration.  The whole country is on holiday Thursday and Friday and then this coming Monday and Tuesday. In London there was a river pageant where the Royal Barge, with the Queen and the other Royals aboard, travelled among tugs, steamers and pleasure craft down the Thames into the heart of the city.

There are street parties taking place all over the country, beacons being lit and villages fetes organised.

 

Where are we in all of this?  In Kilmory, Argyllshire with friends at their Garden Party.

 


We borrowed John and Mairi's tent and pitched it in the garden of our host. Here we are on dry ground, under blue skies and there are no midges!  It has been a good few years since we have used a tent and this test-run was a great success!  (Well, we had the use of the bathroom in the adjacent house which helped!)

We spent the time meeting and greeting old friends and their children ... and their grandchildren ... as well as meeting the locals. The ceilidh in the neighouring house had all ages participating including some lovely lassies from Glasgow who are forming a folk band.  

My favourite contribution, however, had to be a wee lassie playing, on the back lawn, "God Save the Queen" on her flute - a most apt selection for the occasion.


The weather all weekend was fabulous! The colours were quite stunning! These are 2 photos taken from Kilmory looking over to the Isle of Jura.



Meanwhile ...  how did the Queen get on in London?
 
[BBC News] : 

"More than one million rain-soaked people have watched the Queen's 1,000-boat Diamond Jubilee pageant weave its way along the Thames..."

The fine, yet unrelenting, rain did not show mercy either to the soaked singers who gamely sang the national anthem in the closing stages." 







 


Friday 1 June 2012

THE CLYDE BEACHES ARE CLEAN

We've all been out enjoying the lovely weather!  Today we walked along a section the the Clyde - Ardrossan to Seamill. After excellent coffee and scones at the O Really Tea Room in Ardrossan we enjoyed glorious sunshine and clean, sandy beaches walking at low tide.


 Arran from Ardrossan

 Flag irises at Seamill

 Another candidate for Lynn Truss "Eats Shoots and Leaves" book

A fragrant wild rose on the coastal path