Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[wiskerke]

22 hours ago, Cecile Marion said:

Yesterday I learned Sony came out with a firmware update last November for the RX10 IV, my go-to camera. I seem to be taking lots of animal pics during these pandemic days (birds, alligators, rabbits) and the update adds animal eye AF. However, my computer is too old, and my new iPad won’t work, so I seem to be unable to do a firmware update at this point. Now want the update even more. 😕

 

Be sure to use Chrome for all Sony updates. It may not be the age of your computer.

 

wim

[wiskerke]

11 hours ago, gvallee said:

The inter-cooler of my motorhome has a leak. We're in accommodation for a few days. There's a TV set in here. We haven't seen one in over a year. Did we turn it on? Nope.

 

Here it was the dishwasher that started leaking in the middle of the night. Luckily it has a loud alarm.

Now how to open the thing? I've completely taken it apart last year, but I don't seem to be able to find the entry any more. I don't think they put one of these is in there. Just general Gründlichkeit (thoroughness) Made in Germany I guess.

 

wim

[Cecile Marion]

Good point about Chrome, Wim. Thanks. I have a 2011 Mac running OS 10.12 (I think). Requirements for updating the camera firmware are 10.13 or higher. My Mac is so old and clunky that, even after cleaning up a lot of space, it still takes about 30 minutes to fully boot up. Probably best for me not to even attempt a firmware update. 
 

Sorry for you folks with leaks! Makes my “problem” look pretty trivial! 

[Betty LaRue]

Yesterday I killed the aphids on my milkweed. I just checked the plant again this morning and saw a new infestation, being aided and abetted by ants.

Ants farm aphids, and will actually carry them to plants. Ants love the sweet honeydew aphids excrete. Yuk. I guess it’s not that different from what bees do to make honey.

I got out my alcohol and cotton swabs and wiped the aphids down. Dead on contact. I would like my 5 milkweed plants to be alive for Monarch rearing. So far, only one plant has had aphids. But I am ever watchful. 🧐 👀
I told myself yesterday that, forgetting to take pictures of the aphid with my macro lens, that I would do it if they showed up again. Yeah, that. I immediately went into treatment mode again while my camera sat in the house.

I'm sure I’ll get another chance...third time is a charm!

The last time I battled aphids was on my clematis years ago.

I take that back. It was aphids on my trumpet vine flowers.  Red spider mites on my clematis.

Edited July 21, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[wiskerke]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

Yesterday I killed the aphids on my milkweed. I just checked the plant again this morning and saw a new infestation, being aided and abetted by ants.

Ants farm aphids, and will actually carry them to plants. Ants love the sweet honeydew aphids excrete. Yuk. I guess it’s not that different from what bees do to make honey.

I got out my alcohol and cotton swabs and wiped the aphids down. Dead on contact. I would like my 5 milkweed plants to be alive for Monarch rearing. So far, only one plant has had aphids. But I am ever watchful. 🧐 👀
I told myself yesterday that, forgetting to take pictures of the aphid with my macro lens, that I would do it if they showed up again. Yeah, that. I immediately went into treatment mode again while my camera sat in the house.

I'm sure I’ll get another chance...third time is a charm!

The last time I battled aphids was on my clematis years ago.

I take that back. It was aphids on my trumpet vine flowers.  Red spider mites on my clematis.

 

Someone here at some point told us that his/her images of aphids and similar infestations easily outsold pretty images of pretty flowers.

 

wim

[geogphotos]

10 minutes ago, wiskerke said:

 

Someone here at some point told us that his/her images of aphids and similar infestations easily outsold pretty images of pretty flowers.

 

wim

 

I am reminded of the frustration of an expert insect photographer who would have her pictures declined by a well known agency in Spain if they weren't pretty enough.

 

Fair enough it was the wrong agency to be submitting to, 

[Thyrsis]

5 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Here it was the dishwasher that started leaking in the middle of the night. Luckily it has a loud alarm.

Now how to open the thing? I've completely taken it apart last year, but I don't seem to be able to find the entry any more. I don't think they put one of these is in there. Just general Gründlichkeit (thoroughness) Made in Germany I guess.

 

wim

 

Our dishwasher (also German) stopped working this week. It shows an error code so we have ordered the defective part and Ian will replace it hopefully. £80 instead of £400 for a new machine. 🤞

[gvallee]

8 hours ago, wiskerke said:

 

Here it was the dishwasher that started leaking in the middle of the night. Luckily it has a loud alarm.

Now how to open the thing? I've completely taken it apart last year, but I don't seem to be able to find the entry any more. I don't think they put one of these is in there. Just general Gründlichkeit (thoroughness) Made in Germany I guess.

 

wim

 

That Alzeimer shop made me sad. It would have been useful for my father though when he wandered out of the house in the morning and the police only found him in the evening in a complete state.

 

It took the garage almost all day to be able to get the radiator out with the newly installed 4x4 system in the way. Now on top of the inter-cooler leak, our motorhome also needs a new shock absorber. It will have to be dispatched from Brisbane (we're in Darwin). One bulldust pothole too many I guess.

 

I just hope that they'll be able to put back the radiator correctly. We're about to go to a remote area requiring permits, about 10 hours drive on a very corrugated gravel road, no stop allowed along the way and a tidal river crossing at the beginning, only passable at low tide, with crocs on either side. God knows what happens if we break down there.

[John Mitchell]

On 18/07/2020 at 13:27, MizBrown said:

 

I think China has announced it will be testing its vaccine on it military and residents of other selected countries.  We expats wonder who will get a vaccine that's safe out first. 

 

At the moment, the vaccine being developed at Oxford university sounds promising, but who knows. My uneducated guess is that there will eventually be a number of vaccines available, some more effective than others. The fun really begins when it's time to get enough people on the planet vaccinated so that the virus dies down. Mass immunization is going to be a daunting task for a whole lot of reasons. I'm thinking that we're looking at 2022 before there is a return to "normal" life. But please don't quote me...

[MizBrown]

5 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

At the moment, the vaccine being developed at Oxford university sounds promising, but who knows. My uneducated guess is that there will eventually be a number of vaccines available, some more effective than others. The fun really begins when it's time to get enough people on the planet vaccinated so that the virus dies down. Mass immunization is going to be a daunting task for a whole lot of reasons. I'm thinking that we're looking at 2022 before there is a return to "normal" life. But please don't quote me...

 

Fortunately, Nicaragua's anti-vaccers are foreigners, and not all of us. 

[Thyrsis]

7 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

At the moment, the vaccine being developed at Oxford university sounds promising, but who knows. My uneducated guess is that there will eventually be a number of vaccines available, some more effective than others. The fun really begins when it's time to get enough people on the planet vaccinated so that the virus dies down. Mass immunization is going to be a daunting task for a whole lot of reasons. I'm thinking that we're looking at 2022 before there is a return to "normal" life. But please don't quote me...

 

I’ve signed up as a volunteer for taking part in the vaccine studies. Don’t know yet if I will be chosen.

[sb photos]

On 20/07/2020 at 18:42, Cal said:

 

I've had the same debate with myself but for birds. Currently using the APS-C cam with a 70-300 which even at the 300 end is quite restrictive, but also enough for most uses. I tell myself though that apart from the odd long distance photo it'd gather dust and that it's an outlay I can't afford until I sell more Alamy pics. Seems to be working so far...

 

Birds do need long lenses. The crop sensor D7200 and 70-300 just about coped with shooting aircraft at my last visit to an airshow at Old Warden. The 70-300 gets plenty of use with a D750, used to be mainly headshots. It got plenty of use on our North Norfolk coast last week. A 150-600 has gone onto the back burner for now.

[Betty LaRue]

17 hours ago, Thyrsis said:

 

I’ve signed up as a volunteer for taking part in the vaccine studies. Don’t know yet if I will be chosen.

How nice of you! A guinea person. Notice how pc I am. 😁 I’ve heard there are a lot of people volunteering.  I’ve also heard the Oxford vaccine can knock you off your pins for a bit, but I’ve always heard that the more reaction you have, the better your body will build antibodies.

[Betty LaRue]

17 hours ago, sb photos said:

 

Birds do need long lenses. The crop sensor D7200 and 70-300 just about coped with shooting aircraft at my last visit to an airshow at Old Warden. The 70-300 gets plenty of use with a D750, used to be mainly headshots. It got plenty of use on our North Norfolk coast last week. A 150-600 has gone onto the back burner for now.

I have a 100-400 on a crop sensor camera. And sometimes that’s not enough. The thing is, I can hand-hold my camera and lens.  There is always the danger that when going longer, that:

1. you have to have it on a tripod.

2. It weighs so much, you groan when thinking of taking it out. So you don’t, very often.

3. It’s not one you feel like you can walk around with, so you need to pick a spot and set it up.

When I shot Nikon, the camera and 80-400 lens was just heavy enough that I was not able to last very long walking around with it, and had to use it at least on a monopod, so that was added weight. Where I got the best use was on my back patio, where I had bird feeders, a photogenic tree I planted for that purpose. I was able to sit in a chair, in the shade, use the monopod and get the shots I wanted. Win/win.  But I wasn’t often successful away from home other than using a beanbag on my car window and shooting from the car.
 

My Fuji X-T2 and 100-400 is lighter, just enough. Although with my back issues, the weight, such that it is, stops me from walking much with it. 

Think of all those issues before you get a honking big lens. Age and physical condition matters. 
Betty

From the car using a beanbag

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[Bryan]

On 21/07/2020 at 14:10, wiskerke said:

 

Here it was the dishwasher that started leaking in the middle of the night. Luckily it has a loud alarm.

Now how to open the thing? I've completely taken it apart last year, but I don't seem to be able to find the entry any more. I don't think they put one of these is in there. Just general Gründlichkeit (thoroughness) Made in Germany I guess.

 

wim

 

Some years ago we purchased a dishwasher branded German, while coincidentally our friends bought a cheaper model. I was not pleased to note that, other than for the name on the machine, the two units were identical. The saga continues, ours failed just after the expiry of the warranty, while theirs soldiered on for years. We decided not to have it repaired and I took over the dish washing responsibilities. Provided that we are not overrun by visitors it's a task I quite enjoy, you can listen to the radio while you work, and there is a sense of achievement in seeing a job well done.

 

No hard feelings, we now have a German washing machine, and that has lasted rather better than lesser brands bought in the past.  I certainly don't intend to start washing our clothes by hand.

 

Re today's bad thing, it's currently raining torrentially, so we'll be stuck in the house for a while - but, every cloud, the squashes and beans on the allotment are thirsty creatures and could do with a long drink.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Bryan

[Inchiquin]

4 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

I took over the dish washing responsibilities. Provided that we are not overrun by visitors it's a task I quite enjoy, you can listen to the radio while you work

 

 

 

As a well-known song from Not The Nine O'Clock News might have said:

 

At the sink you must be brave and tireless,

At the sink you can listen to the wireless

 

Alan

[gvallee]

7 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I have a 100-400 on a crop sensor camera. And sometimes that’s not enough. The thing is, I can hand-hold my camera and lens.  There is always the danger that when going longer, that:

1. you have to have it on a tripod.

2. It weighs so much, you groan when thinking of taking it out. So you don’t, very often.

3. It’s not one you feel like you can walk around with, so you need to pick a spot and set it up.

When I shot Nikon, the camera and 80-400 lens was just heavy enough that I was not able to last very long walking around with it, and had to use it at least on a monopod, so that was added weight. Where I got the best use was on my back patio, where I had bird feeders, a photogenic tree I planted for that purpose. I was able to sit in a chair, in the shade, use the monopod and get the shots I wanted. Win/win.  But I wasn’t often successful away from home other than using a beanbag on my car window and shooting from the car.
 

My Fuji X-T2 and 100-400 is lighter, just enough. Although with my back issues, the weight, such that it is, stops me from walking much with it. 

Think of all those issues before you get a honking big lens. Age and physical condition matters. 
Betty

From the car using a beanbag

 

 

How wonderful Betty!! I bet you were pleased by the results.

I also have the 80-400 lens which is infuriatingly slow to focus. I use it hand held with a crop sensor on high ISO in situations where birds are moving around much. If the situation is suitable, I use my 500 mm on a tripod with a sidekick bracket.

[Ed Rooney]

Great bird pic, Betty!

 

Bryan, I've been washing my clothes and my dishes by hand for some time now. 

 

 

[Thyrsis]

On 21/07/2020 at 19:42, Thyrsis said:

 

Our dishwasher (also German) stopped working this week. It shows an error code so we have ordered the defective part and Ian will replace it hopefully. £80 instead of £400 for a new machine. 🤞

 

New part arrived and installed, all working fine, phew. Good to have a handyman husband! 

[wiskerke]

1 hour ago, Thyrsis said:

 

New part arrived and installed, all working fine, phew. Good to have a handyman husband! 

 

Great!

No such luck here so far. Wet socks once more.

Now on the tiles in the scullery, not in the kitchen where we have hardwood flooring that does not like water at all.

Phew dodged that one.  😬

 

wim

 

 

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Sally R said:

 

Around the time I started doing stock photography I read an article by a woman who said her best selling image was of a wart or some kind of skin infection she had (can't remember exactly what she said it was). So yes, the not so pretty things are sometimes the best sellers.

 

Ah, another missed opportunity. My wife got a spine from a prickly plant, probably a Zucchini courgette, stuck in her finger and wasn't sure that she had got  all of it out. In time a swelling  developed and she was in some pain. The nurse at the local surgery thought it was a wart and prescribed treatment for that, but, fortunately, a doctor that we know took a look and his diagnosis was a granuloma and he recommended that it be removed by surgery. He duly obliged and the condition was cured, but I never thought of taking a photo!

 

All you gardeners out there, wear gloves when dealing with prickly plants!

Edited July 23, 2020 by Bryan

[Bill Brooks]

Chauffeur's day off, just when the Bentley needed washing.

[sb photos]

11 hours ago, Inchiquin said:

 

As a well-known song from Not The Nine O'Clock News might have said:

 

At the sink you must be brave and tireless,

At the sink you can listen to the wireless

 

Alan

 

At the sink you must be brave and tireless,

At the sink you can listen to the wireless. 

 

And I do, listening to Radio 4 Extra. If there's a good play on the washing up takes for ever.

Edited July 23, 2020 by sb photos

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

Ah, another missed opportunity. My wife got a spine from a prickly plant, probably a Zucchini courgette, stuck in her finger and wasn't sure that she had got  all of it out. In time a swelling  developed and she was in some pain. The nurse at the local surgery thought it was a wart and prescribed treatment for that, but, fortunately, a doctor that we know took a look and his diagnosis was a granuloma and he recommended that it be removed by surgery. He duly obliged and the condition was cured, but I never thought of taking a photo!

 

All you gardeners out there, wear gloves when dealing with prickly plants!

The year and a half I lived on a farm, my sister and I often played in the pasture. I was 8. I fell down once, and got a scratch just above my knee. The next day my knee was very swollen And painful. I limped. Kids at school asked what was wrong, and I was too embarrassed to show that tiny scratch. It got very infected. One day, maybe a week later, I gently pressed on each side to get the puss out. Out came a long cactus needle.
I was happy to have it out. The last time, when I got a cactus needle in the end of my big toe, my stepfather carved it out with his pocket knife while I sweated blood. Didn’t want a picture of that ordeal.

[Betty LaRue]

13 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Great bird pic, Betty!

 

Bryan, I've been washing my clothes and my dishes by hand for some time now. 

 

 

Thank you, Ed. The scissor-tailed flycatcher is Oklahoma’s state bird. I became fascinated with them as a child. They perch on posts, fences, stick ups and watch for insects, then swoop in and catch them. Then go right back to that perch. That’s what my bird was doing.