Monday, July 29, 2013

Cabin Fever....ALREADY.

This is my world view now. 
Only one week down and I'm already having nightmares that Doctor Chaotica has captured me. He then proceeded to put me-NOT in a CELL- but in a huge contraption that looked like a hospital morgue body cooler, but the body coolers were the size and shape of a huge bank of oversized rural mailboxes. Just big enough to be placed IN, but no room to wiggle so much as a finger or toe. 
He said I had to be placed in one of those and my punishment time was 4-6 weeks. 
Hmmmmmmmmmm......
Sound Familiar?
 The exact length of time that I have to stay on crutches and not put weight on my broken foot.
I told Doctor Chaotica that I couldn't possibly do that because I was claustraphobic and I would DIE if I couldn't move around and begged him to put me in a cell.
Of course he wouldn't and I woke up gasping for breath as they closed the door on that tiny little breadbox of a punishment hole.

I'm going to go nuts before this is done and dusted!
****************************************************************************************

On the upside, I was able to wear a dress I had tried on a month ago and was too tight to get on OR back off once I saw it was still too small. I was in floods of tears.
Today it went on easily, went off easily- and then back on again for the day!! 
I figure I have lost at least 10 lbs(almost a stone)
 in the past month for the dress to be this loose on me now.

I guess all that upper body workout propelling myself around on those stupid crutches does have its benefits after all.

And BTW- if anyone tells you that one little change doesn't have that big an effect on your diet- they're LYING.
When I first put my mind to losing this weight I stopped drinking regular sugary soda and only drank water or Diet Coke/(or any sugar free soda).
 I dropped 15 lbs in the first month and that's the ONLY change I had made at that point. 
One small change at a time.





Sunday, July 28, 2013

Told You So.......

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/27/pornwall

Read it and WEEP.

Get Naked & Take Pictures!!!!






Okay, so by now I know everyone's heard about the David Cameron Internet Pornography Debacle.

I want to know just how far this is going to extend. And I think a LOT of people are wondering the same thing. I also think this is thin ice material.

See, I like to take pictures- as in photographs. And I photograph a LOT of stuff....Landscapes, trees, insects, people, food...etc. I've also been thinking about dabbling in some Boudoir Photography. I think I would be good at taking those kinds of photographs.....tastefully done, you know? Is Boudoir Photography considered a type of soft porn? I don't think so- but some of my relatives would VERY STRONGLY disagree.

Now, I can see people not wanting their kids seeing porn on the internet, but isn't that what PARENTS are for? To police their OWN childrens lives? Since WHEN is it the governments job to do that? And it's a really slippery slope when government wants to take CONTROL of or CENSOR ANYTHING. Once they have been allowed to censor ONE thing in our lives, a precendent has been set.
 How far does this ban go? Hard core? Soft core? Anything with a nipple showing...or a butt?

Then how far will it go afterwards?????...Too much leg? No Abs showing? No Backless photos, please. And in some cultures(some people from those cultures that live here in THIS country, too - as well as many OTHER countries) women can't even show their hair or faces except for their eyes.

Where do they draw the line? And why aren't more people objecting to this?

I'll tell you EXACTLY for why. Because the majority of people either don't look at porn (or more likely don't want to admit that they do )and therefore they say/think it doesn't affect them.

They'll bloody well be singing a different tune when the police come knocking at their doors because they posted a photo of Junior and his girlfriend(who was wearing a strapless mini frock) going to the prom because the little lady was showing her shoulders and too much leg. No cute naked baby(on his/her tummy) after their bath photos either. No photos of the family frolicking in the waves  or lounging on the beach in their swimwear on holidays either.

Then what's going to come next? Books that contain anything worse than cotton-picking...no wait- that would be considered a racist phrase in some cultures......How about Dern. Or Darn.  No words containing anything refering to genitailia either. I can see Book Burnings in the makings.
How about so called "Indecent" clothing? No shorts(too much leg), no tank tops(too much arm and shoulder exposed).....No lacy undies(Someone might see a strap or a peek of the lace and get excited!)...No stockings, that's lingerie, people!!! Only thick cotton or wools allowed for any and all clothing- all other tyes of materials are just too suggestive and could drive otherwise intelligent, sane people to all manner of deviant behavior!

It's madness to let this thing go thru, people....We are one step away from something we don't even want to name!!!

Open your eyes and your mouths- because even if you don't look at porn, this IS going to affect you eventually.

Mark My Words.



Saturday, July 27, 2013

HELLO

Sitting in the parking lot of TESCOs while my husband did our weekly shopping..........Just a few people thought they would say Hello from Haydock....
 Crazy Lady Photographer sitting in the parking lot......
Oh- wait....that's me.
Nevermind.
:-)
 She musta saved some money today!! Nice smile!
 He musta spent more than he wanted. Not too happy!
 Peek-a-boo! I see you......barely.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Realization Dawns.......


OH NO!!!!!!!!



I just realized I can't go on a Photowalk til my foot is healed and I'm off crutches!!!!!!!


Monday, July 22, 2013

Sigh......Just Call me Grace.

This is what happens when you take "The Road Less Traveled.


I went for a photowalk yesterday afternoon, as has become my almost habit on a Sunday before Tea-time. I went into the park and got some lovely shots of what seemed to be "Dad's Day in the Park", along with a few of other things happeing there too.
You can see them here.....

Lavada's P52

Well, I thought, I have a bit of time before a) my camera battery runs down and b) I have to head back home to start tea, so I just moseyed down towards the other park that Jeanne had told me about last weekend. There was a sign saying it was like 4 miles or so to the town, and I knew my cam battery wouldn't last THAT long, so I decided to stroll down and see the lay of the land until my cam battery emptied and then I would head back home.

The stroll down was awesome-I called it the Road Less Traveled.....


and got some really nice shots, (only a few of them are on the P52 Blog til later this evening.), saw some interesting peeps and scenery and then about a mile or so down that RLT(Road Less Traveled), my Olymus informed me it was finished for the day, so I packed it away in my bag and turned back towards home.

Now along that RLT, there was a couple of rough patches. Spots that stretched across the enire width of the road/pathway. In these rough patches were stones and bits of sharp rocks and cement imbedded in the road/pathway.
And on top of those stones are lots and lots of what looks like Cotton fluff. It's so bad it looks like it's snowed.
Well, I had negotiated these patches once when I was walking up...and was specifically why I put the Olympus away before walking back. It was a tricky stretch.

The first one I got thru fine, the second one is the one that got me.

I was picking my way thru- very carefully, I might add,- and I felt my shoe catch and turn, and before I knew what was happening I heard a pop and a ripping sound(no it wasn't my clothes) and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. My knee was hurting, my foot was burning and throbbing and my palms were stinging as well. I sat up, dusted my hands off and took inventory, thinking OMG- I don't wanna have to call an ambulance and have a team walk me out of here on a stretcher.

I sat there a few minutes. Checked out my skinned knee(God I had almost forgotten how painful those things can be too since the last one I got was a good 25 years ago- but altho bruised and skinned, it would heal and was a minor boo-boo), my palms(stinging but not scraped), the elbows(not a scratch on them)  the shoulders(Left one a bit sore but expected), and the back(pulled a muscle and is sore but again- to be expected and nothing major).

Then I tried to stand up. Not happening. I crawled over to the side of the path, took my shoe off and just sat there, feeling, to see if I had bones protruding anywhere because of the way the right one was burning. No protruding bones or blood....maybe it's just a bad sprain. It was already swelling and bruising up, so I got my phone out and texted hubby to let him know I had taken a tumble and I was trying to get home. I waited for a response, but after 10 minutes and not getting one, I figured he was still recording and had the headphones on and hadn't read it yet. So I put my shoes back on, pulled myself up and hobbled back towards civilization.

I passed a set of steps, but by-passed them thinking I wasn't sure I could negotiate them. At that point I was hobbling a couple steps and resting a couple minutes. I had made it about 50 yards past the steps when a fellow walker stopped and asked me if I was injured. Apparently, she had been watching my slow progress as she came down the pathway from the opposite direction. I started to say no- I was fine and just kind of blow it off, but I realized I was in a bit of a jam and was fading fast. So I told her yes, I had taken a tumble. She asked where I lived and when I told her she said that the steps I had looked at and by-passed was a shortcut to my house if I could make it up the stairs. She also offered to call an ambulance, but I seriously thought it was just a bad sprain. I have had them many times before and they hurt just as badly as a break does.

She walked with me, helping me negotiate the steps- up one side and down the other. Then she insisted on walking me all the way to our building where she left me to it since I was positive Paul would have looked at his text by now and should be looking for me or waiting to come get me if I texted him again saying I couldn't make it.

Little did I know that his phone was in the car with a dead battery and he was still inside waiting on me to get back from my walk. So, I ended up dragging myself up the stairs to our 2nd floor flat on my own.


As soon as I got in I stepped into the shower to get myself cleaned up a bit and cool off. After the shower I hopped into the livingroom, where we accessed my injuries together. A huge bruise was forming on the side of my right foot and it continued to swell as you can see from the very top photo above. But again, During our marriage alone I've had at least 10 sprained ankles/feet and they were fine after I iced them and had a good nights rest  keeping the weight off it. So that's exactly what I did yesterday......iced it down til bedtime with a bag of frozen peas and then went to bed. I kept it elevated all evening and night and had taken ibuprophen directly after my shower when I got in.

This morning at 5AM, I got up to go to the bathroom thinking it should be good to put some weight on now, and about fell over when I did so. No weight again. I made it to the bathroom after about 15 minutes and when I got back to the bedroom, Paul told me to get dressed, he was taking me to the A&E/ER.

So we did.
They gave me pain tablets(3 of em) manipulated it(OMG that was awfully painful WITH the pain meds, let alone without), sent me for x-rays, and then told me I definitely had broken it. The same injury Rooney and Beckham got during the World Cup is what the nurse said.

Anyway, Out of work today- back tomorrow. On crutches for 4-6 weeks.

I shouldn't be allowed out on my own.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I Need Another Battery for my Cam.

For the stories behind the photos, go to www.lavadasp52.blogspot.com/july17,2013 .







 Always something interesting going on at the park. 
Went for a long walk, snapped a few photos as I went.
 Loving this weather.

I need another battery for my cam tho....after around 65 photos, it goes deader'n a doorknob.
That's not enough to get started good!!!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Quiz Night.....

Waiting for Paul to get off work so we can head to the pub for Quiz night...... I got creative.







There's one in every crowd.... LOL!


The we walked to the pub for the quiz. There was  seven teams, I think. It was a BLAST!!!











Sunday, July 07, 2013

Another Walk In The Park.....

 I follow ThatNikonGuy...both on his website and on FaceBook.
 His advice on one of his videos is to switch things up a bit. If you do portraits, try landscapes. Well, I photograph mostly landscapes...cityscapes..holidayscapes.....nature shots......just about ANYTHING  but people. I don't have the patience to work with people, especially when it comes to DIVAs.

But I needed a challenge....something to take me out of my comfort zone and I decided to give photographing people a whirl today and went for another walk in the local park. 
Before heading out, I even messaged Matt-(ThatNikonGuy)-and asked for advice on how to approach people to get their permission to photograph them. I'm a bit shy when I first meet people so I really needed a bit of direction......

 His advice- walk up, introduce yourself, say you're taking pictures and you'd love to take theirs, smile and take it. He said some people will say yes, some will say no- but nos are no biggie.
One of my 'chosen sisters' reminded me that her REAL sister and one of MY 'chosen sisters' asks, then offers to send the best of the best to them via email-if they would like.

So off I went to the park and I did EXACTLY as they both said.
Worked like a charm. I think, however, that women can get by with the email thing with less suspicion than guys could tho.

Anyway, here are the best of the best for today's outing before my Camera Battery ran down and I had to come back home for a re-charge.

Enjoy!!


  Mike had the CUTEST Corgie, but the doggie ran off.
 Ummm...Wrong way dude.....you wanna go DOWNSTREAM.
 I told you it was the wrong way.
 Curmudgeon. Didn't much like having his photo taken by a stranger even if she was way off taking it with a zoom lens. This one had eagle eyes, he did.
Happy to oblige once he heard my Southern accent and had a bit of a chat with me. :-)
 Victory!(They had lost the ball on the brambles and had one HECK of a time getting it free!)
 Soaking up the rays....
 Happliy Ever After.....
Lost in Thought...

&

Kayaker