Bills Posts

Over the weekend I finished reading the latest issue of B&W Photography. Ordinarily I would write a piece about an article in the magazine that inspired me. Although I enjoyed reading the mag, there was nothing init that really got my virtual pen going.

I’ve gone back to the Gosport Record. The issue I’m reading at the moment was printed in May 1972. All of the articles are interesting, but the one which talks about the Incorporation of the area as a borough. I’m only going to say a little bit about it here as I need to do a bit of research. You’ll notice my wording above, where I don’t say the Incorporation of Gosport because it is more complicated than you might expect. Alverstoke pre-dates Gosport.

There were a couple of attempts to incorporate. Initially abandoned because it became too contentious, resulting the exchange of insults and threats. The battle was over should it be the Borough of Gosport and Alverstoke, or the Borough of Alverstoke and Gosport? The battle was resolved through a House of Lords enquiry. I definitely feel a Vlog here. That’s why I need to do some research.

The story of incorporation and the struggle to achieve it didn’t come as a surprise to me this time. I’ve read about it in a book I bought quite a while ago; The Story of Gosport in which this event was reported in a bit more detail. I would every much like to get copies of newspaper reports, copies of minutes from committees and if possible the report from the inquiry. The Gosport Record piece mentions specific locations and houses. Are they still there? I can definitely see potential in this.

I’m very glad I bought the records. I am enjoying reading them.

What a cold week it has been. Every day that I have gone out, I have had to make sure that I was wrapped up really warm. It was probably Monday when I went out and during the walk my ears suffered, so I sought out my Balaclava. That has really helped. Then on another morning I was operating my phone camera and I had to do so with my glove off. I could only keep it off for a minute or two. My hand was so cold, it was painful.

A major feature of the morning walks is the #Breakfastclub. As a licensed radio amateur, I make sure that I have my two-way radio with me. Connecting via a special radio on the Isle of Wight (it’s callsign is GB3IW), the way it works give access to hams along quite a wide stretch of the south coast and inland as well. There are of course the regulars on the radio between 0615 and around 0700 Monday – Friday. I stop off and do a weather report (not a Forecast, just a report on the conditions as they are) usually somewhere along the waterfront as I like to announced the tide state. It adds a major part to the walk.

Then of course there is the photography. I have several thousand photos all taken along this area. I suppose I should thin them out a bit, I’m wondering if I could compile 365 pictures for different dates – but not in the same year. The photography is important to me, but I’m not very adventurous – I’m trying to change that and think about different things to photograph. As I promised earlier this week I have an iPhone photography book on the way. I really am going to try and follow that.

Then there is the walking itself. My newly extended circuit gives me about three miles which I know it isn’t a lot, but it is better than nothing. Now, if I stick rigidly to the three miles (actually it’s a bit more than 3.0 miles, more like 3.15, but that 0.15 all helps to make a difference). If I am able to walk every day, by the time I get to Friday that means at least 15 miles completed so over the weekend I only have to do four miles which is fine.

I do have difficulty sometimes in getting up, but usually once I look out the window, and that inspires / drives me to get up and out.

Here’s a link to my first formally released Vlogg;

https://youtu.be/r6eSemzgW8c

Ok, so it is my first, and I know that it is far from perfect. The ways in which it is imperfect are, I’m sure legion. But I am not going in to most of them today. There is one aspect that I do want to explore, and help me I am going to off two video clips each about a minute and a half long. It isn’t anything very exciting a walk along the Haslar Marina pier wall. The important things to remember about both clips is that they were both filmed at the same time, and they were both filmed on the same base; a monopod, with a dual bracket.

The first clip was filmed with the iPhone 12 Pro Max;

And here is a link to the second clip, filmed with a GoPro Hero9 Black;

When I bought the GoPro, I was using the iPhone XR, the camera was OK but the stability wasn’t good and certainly not acceptable for filming on the move. It showed every shake. Having bought GoPro I was absolutely blown away by the stability.

Then I upgraded my phone, and of course when that arrived I was blown away by its stability. Of course I then queried whether or not I really needed the GoPro. Which led me to do the first Vlog, using the iPhone. Of course when I posted it, it was OK, but I was disappointed by the format, it hadn’t occurred to me that it would be like that. It’s obvious really.

As I said at the top that both videos were made simultaneously, from the same platform as you run them it becomes clear that there is significant diferent in the stability. Overall the GoPro is much smoother and is a much nicer presentation. Don’t get me wrong, if the only camera I have to hand is the phone, it is more than adequate and I will use it, but do prefer the GoPro.

The aim then, is to do the vlog using the GoPro. There is though, one slight problem – I need to be able to plug an external microphone into the camera, but the only way of doing that is to buy an extension pack (it has a name, can’t remember it).

I need to start thinking about the next block and what to do.

Well, here we are. I have been doing this numbered blog for 183 days, 6 months! When I started doing this, I didn’t know that I would still be doing it 6 months later. I’m really pleased. Of course, I would be. Certainly, one of the things that I know has helped has been the roster. At least I know one thing that I can write about, even if I can’t think of anything to write about.

Tonight for example, the topic is writing. The B&W photography magazine turned up a couple of days ago. I’m still only just past the introduction, so nothing to write about there, The there is the Gosport Journal. I’ve already said that the journals weren’t what I was expecting. The book is a collection of journals published between 1971 and 1976. So far the journals have featured a number of articles with a historic aspect. One is a piece about a house, No. 5 High Street. I’m not ready yet to write about that. I have to do a bit of research.

I’m recording my walks Monday to Sunday. So today is day 5. This week I have been able to get out everyday. It has been cold but dry. This morning in particular, I had my balaclava keeping my head and ears warm, which is excellent. I still had to take my glove off to operate the camera on the iphone. With the wind gusting at around 7 knots from the East turning the +0.7C in to -5C I wasn’t able to have my hand out in the open for very long at all, it was positively painful. The walks are always good, and I enjoy them thoroughly.

I don’t think I’ve suffered from writers block this week. I have a perception that the daily posts have flowed a bit. If you can see my Facebook news line you’ll know that I am running a “Fantasy Holiday”. Every week we are visiting a different US State and every day we go somewhere and do or see something. It’s a bit of fun. I’m probably writing a couple of hundred words a diary. I’m happy with this.

I’m supposed to write about the weather tonight. Over the last 4 days it has been cold. Very cold, and it snowed. OK, not much and it was all gone within 24 hours, but it was cold. Now I may come back to the weather, but in the meantime there’s something else I want to write about.

I have to admit that I didn’t think my plan would fall to bits almost with minutes of making my commitment to iphone projects last night. I definitely do want to do it, but unfortunately, not with that book.

The first and most important thing was that within the first two pages, it had stated that the book was aimed at users of the iphone 4 & 5. I use an iPhone 12. Well, I suppose a camera is a camera and it is the technique that is important so that it is 7 generations obsolete doesn’t really matter. Well it didn’t except that whilst the book did have just a little bit about technique, it didn’t have projects. It’s those that I really wanted.

The book was obviously one that was given away free with a magazine, because the other thing it was trying to convince you to do was to buy apps – that are probably discontinued now and also bits of equipment, like lens attachments – which are also probably no longer available. All in all, not a great success. I’m not giving up.

The mission now is to find a book that meets the needs. I don’t really care about equipment, except that the book must be no more than one or two generations behind. It must have technique and projects. So I am now on a mission to find the book. The commitment I made last night is on hold, but most definitely not forgotten. A little bit of research is needed.

The weather? Well, it’s going to be cold for at least the two or three days. An opportunity for some cold weather pictures. Hopefully.

Oh, and I know that for this blog, tomorrow is a special day.

OK, I have been looking for this book, I knew it was somewhere in the house, and i found it tonight;

I have not opened it, I have no idea what it is like inside.

But, how is this for a commitment; Wednesday Nights are the night I write about photography. On a Wednesday, I will start reading a chapter. Over the following week I will try to do what the book suggests, including any projects. I will report on progress or completion of the project each successive week until the project is complete, if I can do it in a week then I will do so. I’ll start reading this one tonight. Let’s see how it goes.

This is a street near where I live. It’s a preservation area, which means that the occupants of the houses have to maintain a certain standard. It’s understandable why. It’s a lovely area.

It thought this one would be OK as a black and white;

I don’t think it’s too bad – It’s a pity though about the TV antenna. Something it appears you can’t escape even in a conservation area.

In my mornings walks I pass along several streets with different character; residential, open, quite wide roads with homes side on, several tower blocks, shops, churches etc. I really should be doing more to explore opportunities here. There will be lots of them. It’s getting my eyes used to seeing those opportunities.

There’s one particular website I follow. Personally I think it is a bit strange, but it never ceases to be interesting, here’s a link;

http://workingpictures.blogspot.com/2021/02/shrink-your-bill.html

Now I think I probably aspire to something a little more artistic. But, who can define artistry – this has been discussed on a number of blogs I follow, and even goes back 25 years to when I was on Compuserve; what is and isn’t art? We had some quite strong arguments back then. It was interesting, entertaining and definitely educational.

I think the lessons I need to take is to just take pictures, but I acknowledge that I do need to think about composition as well. I’ve been a bit busy over the last few weeks but with a bit of luck I should be able to do something about my photographic abilities.

It snowed. Not much, but it’s there. Luckily it was very patchy which meant that walking was easy, I didn’t find icy pavements anywhere. The forecast for the next 24 hours is more cold temperatures but no more snow for this area. Hopefully when it does freeze (has it thawed? I doubt it, it has been cold all day) the pavements will have been dry and I will be able to walk tomorrow.

I hunted out my balaclava for this morning’s walk. It just made things so much more comfortable. There wasn’t much going on at the waterfront. I had missed the Mon St Michell coming in. That’s because I went the anti-clockwise way around the circuit. I like going that way round. It means that after I give my weather report to the #Breakfastclub, it is the short leg home, probably about a mile and a nice cup of tea. These last two mornings in particular have proved the value of going that way, given how cold it has been.

Just thinking about it, I haven’t visited The Falklands Gardens, the Tidal Clock and the fountains. Haven’t taken pictures in that area for quite a while now. Must change that.

It was cold this morning. With a negative temperature as I left the house and a stiff breeze blowing giving a -5C windchill, I could have done with a bit better cover on my head. I need to look out my balaclava, it’s a nice bright blue one. It’s somewhere about.

Tonight, I am supposed to write about my current book, but ordinarily I would be writing about one of my magazines, Country Walking turned jump last week. I’ve read it, and enjoyed doing so. But, unlike most editions, this month’s didn’t having me jumping up and down with enthusiasm. Normally, there’s an article or two that drives me to write.

We went out for a walk on Saturday. Not by chance, we walked past Richard Martin’s Gallery. For quite a while now, there has been, well not a book, a collection of leaflets by the Gosport Historical Records Society, I presume the fore runner to the Gosport Society. The leaflets were written in the Seventies. Fifty years ago. This is a history book.

I’m still on the first leaflet. The first article was a reproduction of an article written in 1802 about a person entering Gosport for the first time. Let’s just say it wasn’t very complimentary. It was mainly a sanitary affair. A very interesting read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6eSemzgW8c

OK, something a bit different tonight, and I don’t know if this is going to work. Me playing with Vlogging. I went out and recorded this this afternoon. I did go out for a walk, and I was so focussed on doing the videoing that I didn’t take any pictures, so here’s a picture I took on the Misty morning walk earlier this week;

It wasn’t too bad a week for walking, even though it did rain on one day and I didn’t leave the house at all. I still managed to clock up 24 miles. OK, I know that people do a lot more than that, but it’s more than I needed to do for the Walk 1000 challenge.

I do confess, that it is really difficult to get up some mornings, and usually it’s midweek for some reason. But having a challenge does help and I do feel guilty when I don’t go for it.

I think the best walk of the week was the one where there was silence apart from my footsteps and a single bird singing. There was just something really calming about that moment and that was quite special. Having said that though, it is very rare that I don’t enjoy an walk. There is always a sense of satisfaction when I get home.

Today, I walked the normal anti-clockwise version of the walk I do during the week. It was very nice to do it in day, it certainly made a bit of a change.

Next week promises to be interesting. It looks like it is going to be quite cold. It’ll be a case of making sure I wrap up warm.