Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[Allan Bell]

I went to my local CO-OP shop today for a couple of things (food and cooking foil). When I got to the checkout I realised that I had forgotten my wallet (still sat at home) so had to cancel the transaction and told the chap that I would be back later. Left the shop and was walking back to home to get the wallet when I heard someone calling "Excuse me - Excuse me". Turned round to see what was going on to see a young lady hurrying along some distance behind me. When she saw I had turned round she held up a green carrier bag like the one I took into the shop so I stopped and waited wondering what was wrong.

 

The young lady had been waiting in the queue behind me and had heard what I said to the chap on the till. She bought her goods and PAID for my shopping as well. She told me that she had heard that I had left my wallet at home so, out of the extremely kind heart she obviously has, bought my shopping for me. Did not give me her name or accept that I must repay her and was on her way back to the car park.

 

I turned to head for home feeling I could have cried at that point at such kindness and generosity.

 

I will keep a look out for her when I go back for more shopping and try to repay her.

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

25 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

Ah but did you get a picture of the new smart meter?

Oh yes, licensed quite a few times. Plenty of time for that. Point was, the old one was going out the door so my opportunity was limited. That's on white paper on my desk. Might have been a wink of on-camera flash.

Edited November 8, 2022 by spacecadet

[Bryan]

Some years ago my wife spotted a set of seven unusual old wooden dining chairs in a charity shop, and I was persuaded to agree that we should buy them. They have a rural, possibly French, look to them, solidly built from tree wood, not something that you could buy new. 

 

Inspired by programmes such as The Repair Shop, today I started to try to renovate the chairs. I am using a pack of very fine wire wool and a brew consisting of white vinegar and olive oil to clean the wood, followed by an application of wax polish. The transformation is subtle, there are some dark stains that I can't remove, but there is a definite improvement. 

 

I managed to deal with three of them today, with another four to go. Something to do when the rain falls. When that job is complete I'll tackle the two carvers that were also bought used. They don't match the other chairs, but I like quirky.

 

Our dining table was also bought secondhand, from a bloke at Tynemouth Station Market. That needed the use of an orbital sander to clean up the surface, again followed by a wax polish. 

 

This old stuff is far more substantial than the modern kit you find in the shops, and at a fraction of the price. 

Edited November 9, 2022 by Bryan

[Betty LaRue]

32 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Some years ago my wife spotted a set of seven unusual old wooden dining chairs in a charity shop, and I was persuaded to agree that we should buy them. They have a rural, possibly French, look to them, solidly built from tree wood, not something that you could buy new. 

 

Inspired by programmes such as The Repair Shop, today I started to try to renovate the chairs. I am using a pack of very fine wire wool and a brew consisting of white vinegar and olive oil to clean the wood, followed by an application of wax polish. The transformation is subtle, there are some dark stains that I can't remove, but there is a definite improvement. 

 

I managed to deal with three of them today, with another four to go. Something to do when the rain falls. When that job is complete I'll tackle the two carvers that were also bought used. They don't match the other chairs, but I like quirky.

 

Our dining table was also bought secondhand, from a bloke at Tynemouth Station Market. That needed the use of an orbital sander to clean up the surface, again followed by a wax polish. 

 

This old stuff is far more substantial than the modern kit you find in the shops, and at a fraction of the price. 

Those pieces sound right up my alley. My dining room set was bought from a man who made it. Everything is heavy and solid wood. Soon as I laid eyes on it in a antique shop, although it was newly made, I wanted it. It cost $400 and has 6 chairs. The tabletop is a warm reddish brown, the heavy table legs and chairs are an off-white.

[Betty LaRue]

8 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

I went to my local CO-OP shop today for a couple of things (food and cooking foil). When I got to the checkout I realised that I had forgotten my wallet (still sat at home) so had to cancel the transaction and told the chap that I would be back later. Left the shop and was walking back to home to get the wallet when I heard someone calling "Excuse me - Excuse me". Turned round to see what was going on to see a young lady hurrying along some distance behind me. When she saw I had turned round she held up a green carrier bag like the one I took into the shop so I stopped and waited wondering what was wrong.

 

The young lady had been waiting in the queue behind me and had heard what I said to the chap on the till. She bought her goods and PAID for my shopping as well. She told me that she had heard that I had left my wallet at home so, out of the extremely kind heart she obviously has, bought my shopping for me. Did not give me her name or accept that I must repay her and was on her way back to the car park.

 

I turned to head for home feeling I could have cried at that point at such kindness and generosity.

 

I will keep a look out for her when I go back for more shopping and try to repay her.

 

Allan

 

That is a pay-it-forward thing, Allan. I was picking up fast food in my car at a drive through window. When I got there, I was told the woman ahead of me had paid for my food. So I did the same, waiting for someone who looked sad and alone another time behind me at the grocery store. The idea is to be gone before they realize you paid because you aren’t looking for thanks or accolades.

[Bryan]

Your dining room furniture sounds to be in a different league to ours Betty, ours bears the the scars of incidents over its long life, while it is a motley collection of dissimilar pieces. 

 

Back to today's good thing, this morning we spent time with a group of young local school kids planting daffodil bulbs. The residents association had managed to secure some local authority funding and had bought 1000 bulbs and some planting equipment. The bairns were enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy being involved, but some of them struggled to dig holes so we adults had to do most of the heavy work. Despite wearing gloves I've a blister on my hand, but it didn't rain, and we're all looking forward to seeing the springtime display.

 

[NYCat]

I went to a concert by the Voices of Ascension this evening. Glorious.

 

Paulette

[gvallee]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

Your dining room furniture sounds to be in a different league to ours Betty, ours bears the the scars of incidents over its long life, while it is a motley collection of dissimilar pieces. 

 

Back to today's good thing, this morning we spent time with a group of young local school kids planting daffodil bulbs. The residents association had managed to secure some local authority funding and had bought 1000 bulbs and some planting equipment. The bairns were enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy being involved, but some of them struggled to dig holes so we adults had to do most of the heavy work. Despite wearing gloves I've a blister on my hand, but it didn't rain, and we're all looking forward to seeing the springtime display.

 

 

I think it was in Oz (or perhaps the UK ) where they had young people doing Community service planting bulbs in a town. When they bloomed, it said f**k off. Say it with flowers...

[Allan Bell]

6 hours ago, gvallee said:

 

I think it was in Oz (or perhaps the UK ) where they had young people doing Community service planting bulbs in a town. When they bloomed, it said f**k off. Say it with flowers...

 

Must have been Oz. The children here are nice, polite, quiet and not prone to swearing.😉

 

Allan

 

[gvallee]

4 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Must have been Oz. The children here are nice, polite, quiet and not prone to swearing.😉

 

Allan

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me. That's the Aussie spirit. Larrikins!

[Betty LaRue]

13 hours ago, Bryan said:

Your dining room furniture sounds to be in a different league to ours Betty, ours bears the the scars of incidents over its long life, while it is a motley collection of dissimilar pieces. 

 

Back to today's good thing, this morning we spent time with a group of young local school kids planting daffodil bulbs. The residents association had managed to secure some local authority funding and had bought 1000 bulbs and some planting equipment. The bairns were enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy being involved, but some of them struggled to dig holes so we adults had to do most of the heavy work. Despite wearing gloves I've a blister on my hand, but it didn't rain, and we're all looking forward to seeing the springtime display.

 

Mine had been distressed to having scars on the tabletop, and I’ve added a few myself since buying it through normal wear & tear. The painted legs and chairs were sanded to look like natural paint wear-off. I do like old things, or things made to look old if it is done expertly. I have a few pieces that are natural antiques that proudly show their wear. One is a chest on turned legs, painted a soft yellow many years ago, now the paint is chipped and worn. The men doing renovations when we first bought the house coveted it and asked if I would sell it.

Of course, the answer was a resounding NO!

Table…you can’t see the scarred top here. Behind it is the yellow antique chest. This picture was taken in our previous house.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Bryan]

Looks great Betty !

 

Now today I managed to get a fire going at the allotment, and with a strong westerly blowing it carried the smoke away from the nearby houses. So far no complaints ! I managed to burn all of our fruit prunings, along with some offcuts from an unruly rosemary plant, it made for a wonderfully scented fire.

 

Then we discovered that Sainsbury's are again offering a meal for two for £12 (it used to be £10, but c'est la vie !)  So we indulged in salmon en croute, with potato dauphinoise, and some of our own veg, washed down with a glass of dry white wine (bottle included in the deal), and finished with a lemon cheesecake. Very canny indeed !!

 

Ok I feel slightly guilty about the extra packaging involved, but for an occasional treat I can live with that. 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Bryan

[Rebecca Ore]

Made peanut butter from scratch (local market shelled and mostly de-skinned peasnuts).   Roasted them in my clay comal and then used my Oster blender to grind them.   Added some pomace olive oil while wishing for a 1,000 watt blender.  A bit of salt, no sweetener.  This homemade peanut butter is better than the oversweeted peanut butters, even one made in Nicaragua and sweetened with honey, with no added oil.  First time, I made it with oven-roasted Maya brand peanuts, same oil and bit of added salt.  This time, a bit less than a pound of peanuts make a bit less than the weight listed on the commercial peanut butter with honey label.   Also, may be possible with dry roasted salted peanuts, but I prefer to control the amount of salt.

 

My comal.   These are still commonly made and sold here, and are commonly used for making tortillas and roasting cacao and coffee.  The white bits are calcium chloride used to coat comals used for cooking anything sticky.   I had to keep stirring the peanuts while roasting them, but they didn't take long to brown a bit.   Clay comals should never be washed with soap, and generally can just be brushed out.  I used it on my gas cooktop. 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Rebecca Ore
clarification, I hope

[Betty LaRue]

I have had an to-outside door in my sunroom, Echo’s room, that I haven’t been able to use for a couple of years. Once opened, I couldn’t get the locks to work after closing. Settling problems, I’m sure. Striker not lining up and bottom of the door sticking.
My son paid for a repairman to come out this morning and fix it. The door leads out to my backyard patio, so will be handy to use again while barbecuing.

It’s nice having loving children.

[Ed Rooney]

 

My last submission of 7 images has just passed QC. That means tomorrow my port will be 10,000 images. 😀Yippee! 

[Betty LaRue]

My grandson (missionary) and family are within a few hours of being home for Thanksgiving from Mexico.

I have my white bread and homemade cornbread broken into chunks on the counter drying to be made into dressing (I don’t stuff the bird).

Braved the store and found every ingredient I need for my contribution to the Family Thanksgiving dinner. We expect around 26 family members. We have a sign-up sheet for everyone to say what food they are bringing so there won’t be duplicates and the meal will be well-rounded. Usually turkey & dressing, macaroni & cheese, many vegetable sides, pre-dinner snacks including fruit and raw vegetable platters with dip, pecan & pumpkin pies, cake, bread rolls & whatever.
Besides the dressing, I’ll  bake a chocolate turtle cake, which is done by poking holes in a baked chocolate cake. Then drizzling caramel sauce over to soak into the holes. Topped with stabilized whipped cream, then sprinkling shaved chocolate and toffee bits over. Then a thin drizzle of more caramel sauce. Yum.

The pies will be made by my two daughters, whom I taught well.

[Ed Rooney]

 

Betty, I'm thinking about maybe having a tomato and cheese sandwich and a beer. I hope the Wampanoags won't be upset.

[Allan Bell]

MMmmmmm! Wish I could be there.🤠

 

Allan

 

[Allan Bell]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

My last submission of 7 images has just passed QC. That means tomorrow my port will be 10,000 images. 😀Yippee! 

 

 My last submission of 76 images has just passed QC, That means my port tomorrow will be 6,390 images. Slowly, slowly catchee monkee.

 

Allan

 

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

 My last submission of 76 images has just passed QC, That means my port tomorrow will be 6,390 images. Slowly, slowly catchee monkee.

 

Allan

 

 

I have always gone for the pile em high and as a result sell em cheap mode of operation, but I'm wondering if that is the best way to earn money?

 

I'm considering a cull of near duplicates but not necessarily of non sellers, as a long standing non seller sold today.  🙃

 

Looking, as I do, at the photos in the papers, and trying to find particular shots, I am frequently amazed at the number of very very similar live news photos that some folk upload. On occasion I balk at the prospect of looking through tens, even hundreds, of very similar images. I suspect they would never get through QC if they had to use that route, or maybe thinking has changed recently ?

Edited November 15, 2022 by Bryan

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

 

I have always gone for the pile em high and as a result sell em cheap mode of operation, but I'm wondering if that is the best way to earn money?

 

I'm considering a cull of near duplicates but not necessarily of non sellers, as a long standing non seller sold today.  🙃

 

Looking, as I do, at the photos in the papers, and trying to find particular shots, I am frequently amazed at the number of very very similar live news photos that some folk upload. On occasion I balk at the prospect of looking through tens, even hundreds, of very similar images. I suspect they would never get through QC if they had to use that route, or maybe thinking has changed recently ?

I remember when I joined, it was usual to see close to a whole page of similars by one contributor. It put me off, no way if I were a buyer would I search through 30-40 images of near carbon copies with minute differences to find the best one. My eyes would immediately glaze over. Good for Alamy scattering those on different pages now. 
Those contributors that caused the change sort of punished some of us, though. If I had a picture of chocolate cake up close, another with copy space and another in portrait, it would be nice for a buyer to see the three offerings near each other so they could pick the one that best served them without having to search multiple pages.

[Harry Harrison]

9 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

If I had a picture of chocolate cake up close, another with copy space and another in portrait, it would be nice for a buyer to see the three offerings near each other so they could pick the one that best served them without having to search multiple pages.

You do kind of get that now though don't you? There's that little 'same contributor' symbol on the thumbnail that shows similars, very small I know but you can click on them. Then when you go to the main details page there they are again, slightly bigger, under 'Stock photos by the same contributor'. 'View all' takes you to all their images though, the same as clicking on the contributor name. I'd have preferred it if it just took you to all their similars. I'm not 100% sure how these similars are determined, I think Wim explained it once, corresponding to the keywords in the search I suppose.

[Allan Bell]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

I have always gone for the pile em high and as a result sell em cheap mode of operation, but I'm wondering if that is the best way to earn money?

 

I'm considering a cull of near duplicates but not necessarily of non sellers, as a long standing non seller sold today.  🙃

 

Looking, as I do, at the photos in the papers, and trying to find particular shots, I am frequently amazed at the number of very very similar live news photos that some folk upload. On occasion I balk at the prospect of looking through tens, even hundreds, of very similar images. I suspect they would never get through QC if they had to use that route, or maybe thinking has changed recently ?

 

I do not usually do the pile 'em high business either, but as QC takes a longish time to look at my images I thought I would give it a go to get more images through quicker.

 

When loading two batches of twelve images and waiting QC my backlog of images was building up.

 

Allan

 

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

You do kind of get that now though don't you? There's that little 'same contributor' symbol on the thumbnail that shows similars, very small I know but you can click on them. Then when you go to the main details page there they are again, slightly bigger, under 'Stock photos by the same contributor'. 'View all' takes you to all their images though, the same as clicking on the contributor name. I'd have preferred it if it just took you to all their similars. I'm not 100% sure how these similars are determined, I think Wim explained it once, corresponding to the keywords in the search I suppose.

I forget about that function, Harry. Used to, it seems it was more obvious, but maybe I’m getting selective blindness! 

[sb photos]

10 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

 My last submission of 76 images has just passed QC, That means my port tomorrow will be 6,390 images. Slowly, slowly catchee monkee.

 

Allan

 

 

My port has just exceeded 4000 images since starting to contribute in 2017. I continued uploading during lockdowns but my numbers were reduced. Should be able to continue adding 1000 per year, likely more.