What's Made You Happy Today.... ? Options

[lottie]

Lovely family coming for lunch today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Lots of housework to do first (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Tenor Viol]

Happy for today is that I submitted some photos to the photo gallery on a website and they've used one of them! Chuffed to bits.

Shame my camera is so rubbish.

The photographer is by far the most important element in any photograph; not the camera. And I say that as a keen photographer myself. There are many, many people with expensive cameras who don't have a clue what t do with them.

(I would add that film is still miles better than digital, but that is another subject altogether.) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ##

SB

Reason for saying my camera's rubbish I that I found a tutorial on a photography website and decided to have a go at the technique. It involved using a slow shutter speed - 20 seconds, and the slowest mine will do is 8 seconds. I also couldn't get the aperture small anough as suggested in the tutorial. Did my best and was fairly pleased at my first efforts, but am now hankering after a camera that will let me experiment a bit more. Was chuffed about the photo selected for the website though - I've had it printed in the past and it's now hung in my dining room, and it was used as display for a while in a local photography shop.

My dad was a very keen photographer and I have inherited his cameras - all film, no digital, and I'm tempted to get them out and try them out.

Is there a 'B' (bulb) setting on the shutter speed dial? If there is PM me and we'll have a chat about it ?

Happy for today is that I submitted some photos to the photo gallery on a website and they've used one of them! Chuffed to bits.

Shame my camera is so rubbish.

The photographer is by far the most important element in any photograph; not the camera. And I say that as a keen photographer myself. There are many, many people with expensive cameras who don't have a clue what t do with them.

(I would add that film is still miles better than digital, but that is another subject altogether.) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ##

SB

I'd agree, order is: photographer, lens, camera.

[Tenor Viol]

Busy day yesterday: up at 6.30. Took tenor viol (the instrument!) and 'cello to Chester. Risked all by tuning the viol up to A440 to pretend it was a viola in the 'beginners' orchestra at 9. I was doing this for fun, but it was surprising how tricky in places the music was fo the viol. I'm sure this in part due to tuning being different, although range is fine. I was a bit surprised to see a top g (that's the G above the 5th line of the treble clef)! You don't go up there in the music I usually play!

At 10.30 switched to cello for the main orchestra. We had fun with a Harry Potter score and I winced when I saw the next piece - a set of arrangements of Beatles music. I've sung some Beatles choral arrangements over the years: they are always tough - highly syncopated with complex rhythms and harmonies - I wasn't wrong (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) They were very 'Hollywood' style but definitely tricky but quite good fun.

At 1.30 I hot-footed over to the Bolton area for an ad-hoc afternoon of a cappella singing (Palestrina, Dubra (?) and Mendelssohn).

Got home about 6.30 and collapsed in a heap.

[barry-clari]

Cyrilla's two cats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Aw (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) are they really cute b-c?

Yep (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[louise1712]

Cyrilla's two cats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Aw (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) are they really cute b-c?

Yep (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

nothing in particular has made me happy today, I just am (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[barry-clari]

Cyrilla's two cats (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Aw (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) are they really cute b-c?

Yep (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

nothing in particular has made me happy today, I just am (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Oh good (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[corenfa]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

[barry-clari]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

Right, that's it! It's dinner time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[corenfa]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

Right, that's it! It's dinner time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sounds good to me... it's Sunday so it's eat-when-I'm-hungry time.

[Listener]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

Right, that's it! It's dinner time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sounds good to me... it's Sunday so it's eat-when-I'm-hungry time.

any chance of the recipe for the gravy? (or do you just make it up as you go along)

[corenfa]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

Right, that's it! It's dinner time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sounds good to me... it's Sunday so it's eat-when-I'm-hungry time.

any chance of the recipe for the gravy? (or do you just make it up as you go along)

Happy to tell you how I did it today, but it isn't the same every time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

1. Food-process or chop ten onions (obviously, adjust everything to quantity of how much gravy you want)
2. Soak a handful of dried wild mushrooms in hot water, I presume you could also use undried unwild mushrooms but I had a handful of old dried wild mushrooms to use up. Food process the mushrooms if you want it smooth (that's what I did today)
3. Fry the onions over low heat for a long time until they're brown and melty
4. Dissolve a couple of mushroom stock cubes, beef stock, vegetable stock, whatever, in a litre of water
5. Combine a spoonful of French mustard with some honey and balsamic vinegar or red currant jelly or really anything that will make it a bit sweet and a bit sour.
6. Mix everything up and let it boil for ten minutes or so. "Or so" may be longer if you want thicker gravy.
7. Thicken it either with arrowroot or a roux of fat and flour. I used arrowroot today because I wanted to be that bit healthier. I wanted to thicken it mostly with the onions.
8. Season with salt, pepper, more mustard, more honey, etc etc.
9. For extra graviness, scrape all the bits from the roasting pan in. Today it was just roast vegetable bits

[Listener]

roasted vegetables with onion and mushroom gravy

Right, that's it! It's dinner time... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Sounds good to me... it's Sunday so it's eat-when-I'm-hungry time.

any chance of the recipe for the gravy? (or do you just make it up as you go along)

Happy to tell you how I did it today, but it isn't the same every time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

1. Food-process or chop ten onions (obviously, adjust everything to quantity of how much gravy you want)
2. Soak a handful of dried wild mushrooms in hot water, I presume you could also use undried unwild mushrooms but I had a handful of old dried wild mushrooms to use up. Food process the mushrooms if you want it smooth (that's what I did today)
3. Fry the onions over low heat for a long time until they're brown and melty
4. Dissolve a couple of mushroom stock cubes, beef stock, vegetable stock, whatever, in a litre of water
5. Combine a spoonful of French mustard with some honey and balsamic vinegar or red currant jelly or really anything that will make it a bit sweet and a bit sour.
6. Mix everything up and let it boil for ten minutes or so. "Or so" may be longer if you want thicker gravy.
7. Thicken it either with arrowroot or a roux of fat and flour. I used arrowroot today because I wanted to be that bit healthier. I wanted to thicken it mostly with the onions.
8. Season with salt, pepper, more mustard, more honey, etc etc.
9. For extra graviness, scrape all the bits from the roasting pan in. Today it was just roast vegetable bits

Thanks!

[dave brum]

West (6 sharps) Ham going out of the FA Cup. My brother in law will be that angry, he'll be overcharging everyone!!!!!

But he won't be in a very good mood when I've got to see the raving fascist on Friday:-(

[corenfa]

People on facebook may already have seen this, but for those who haven't, this made me laugh

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=248...e=1&theater

[louise1712]

back to band tonight (IMG:style_emoticons/default/yay.gif)

was still (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) anyway (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)