Today I delivered my first photographic masterpieces to The Storehouse for display. Two gems of the snapper’s art are now available to be fought over by the establishment’s clientele; two more returned home with me because the management prefers scenes with a Highland setting, so Namibian wildlife is not wanted. Shame that wasn’t made clear earlier.

A Speyside squirrel and Black Isle gulls could become my first sales, for take-up of my online offerings has not so far been a roaring success.

But more opportunity knocked last night in the shape of Mrs Snapper who darkened my door to deliver the news that she’d taken it upon herself to book me the last available stall at a pre-Christmas arts and crafts fair to be held nearby on the last Saturday in November. What a star.

Serious printing, mounting and framing operations will begin as soon as I’ve ascertained from the expert which images are likely to be most popular in the festive retail frenzy. This time next year we could be millionaires, Rodney.
The Pentax was in action again today. Inspired by yesterday’s snap of Kessock Bridge, I returned to another viewpoint to see what could be made of the structure when it’s shrouded in fog. Not much, as it turned out, but one image was worth keeping. I’m undecided whether I prefer it in colour or black and white.

Band Update: Shaker Lite convened at Gordon’s studio tonight, for Jim is again hanging about with roughnecks on oil rigs, but progress was slow without him. Matt, Adam and I are also still getting used to the acoustics of the studio, which seem very strange after the booming hollowness to be found inside Mulbuie Hall. Despite that, improvement was made. This time next year we’ll be stars.

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.

Tags: flash fiction, sixwordstories

dailyfoodie
Delicious, ambitious, and occasionally nutritious dishes make for an eclectic, all-you-can-eat feast. Whether you're searching for recipes for your next dinner party or you're jonesing for a late-night brownie fix, your cravings are sure to be well sated. A warm and inclusive community that welcomes all orientations, from carnivores to vegans, from gourmands to junk-food junkies. Guaranteed bias-free, food-positive, and pan-epicurian.

Tags: dailyfoodie, food, photography

Bess has chosen an unfortunate time to become well enough to be released into the great outdoors – frosty weather doesn't suit a cat who prefers to keep her paws warm and dry. The threadbare hole in her fur coat makes things worse.

On just one occasion has Matchgirl had to chivvy a reluctant moggy back indoors, fearful that over-exercise would cause a relapse. Every other time the frozen feline has turned towards the front door first and waited impatiently to be let back into the warmth of The Rural Retreat.


Yesterday evening, after leaving a garden enveloped in almost sub-zero temperatures, Bess ignored the comfort of her basket and instead seated herself as close to the radiator as she could get, her baldy bits just inches away from its soothing heat. This may have been done by chance, but the expression on her face suggested she knew exactly what she was doing.

Although her fur is regrowing steadily it might be a month or more before her coat is even close to being repaired, so Matchgirl believes a stylish cat jacket may be necessary to keep her pet snug during forays into the Arctic wilderness that will soon surround the Retreat.

However, Bess would be sensible to decline the offer – if Mr Marten were to see her in such a cissy outfit she'd undoubtedly be ousted from her role as the Retreat's top predator.

Matchgirl reluctantly left the Retreat and the convalescent today for another flying visit to Shetland. I've been warned not to let Bess overdo things or risk Matchgirl's severe displeasure.


Returning home after depositing the jet-setter at Inverness Airport, I stopped along the way to snap the sunset's afterglow behind Kessock Bridge and the Wester Ross mountains. Very pretty.

Today the front door of The Rural Retreat was thrown open and Bess re-entered the outside world for the first time since she stumbled across our threshold, badly injured, almost two months ago.

Earlier, she’d clamoured to be let out, but when her wish was granted she hesitated for a few moments, uncertain that her long confinement indoors was really at an end. Then she strode boldly forward into the damp, leaf-strewn garden, shadowed by a protective Matchgirl, to investigate what had changed in her absence.

Also watching her was a small flock of disgruntled birds, unhappy that the resident predator was once more on the prowl. No doubt lots of anxious rodent eyes watched too.

She returned of her own accord after only a few minutes, but on two more occasions requested that the door be opened for increasingly lengthy explorations of her domain, which included a rather shaky ascent of our willow tree’s lower branches. The cat-flap won’t be unlocked just yet, for her outdoor forays must be supervised for at least a week.

All this activity was hard work for a cat who still has to build up the strength in her rear legs – not long after her final exploration she was tucked up and snoring in her basket. With luck she’ll sleep past 5am tomorrow. And so will we.

Cromarty Camera Club’s keen snappers assembled this evening for the weekly gathering which this time featured the projected image competition. Members submitted two entries, to be viewed anonymously then voted on by everyone. I had high hopes for my two submissions: Forest Solitude and Ross-shire Shadows.

So it was a little disappointing that neither found favour with my peers. The images didn’t even scrape into tenth place (out of forty).


Of possibly more concern was that two of the three images which received my highest marks (we don’t vote for our own) didn’t make it into the top ten either, although the third was the winner.

This suggests I’m rather out of step with many of my fellow club members when it comes to judging what makes a good snap – not very reassuring just days before several beautifully framed masterworks are placed before the public for their purchasing pleasure, among them the very squirrel that received such a decisive thumbs down.

Let’s hope that buyers judge differently from photographers or before long the walls of The Rural Retreat could be covered in unsold artworks. On the bright side, it would save redecorating…

The empire strikes back

In recent weeks, we've taken huge steps towards blocking spam accounts on LiveJournal. In fact, we've suspended as many as 30,000 accounts in a single day! We've implemented several pre-emptive measures to prevent the creation of spam accounts, and we've honed our detection of suspicious content. Spam bots are a crafty lot, so we'll continue to refine our tactics and keep up the good fight to keep you safe from spam attacks on LiveJournal.

RSS feeds again

If you're addicted to xkcd_rss, icanhaschzbrgr, or other syndicated feeds, we're pleased to report that we've resolved the update error that was mucking up your RSS feeds. While content was being pulled correctly, it wasn't being posted to the feeds themselves. Late last week, we finally nailed down what we hope was the root problem, so content should post properly. We thank you for your patience.

Wii have killer CSI Deadly Intent contests!

c_s_i

If you're a gamer who loves CSI, have Wii got news for you! c_s_i is sponsoring killer contests. Simply post a question to a member of the CSI crew. The winner will get a free copy of CSI: Deadly Intent for Nintendo Wii (with a retail value of $39.99) and get their question answered by a member of the CSI writing team! There's also a fantastic monthly contest. To enter, join c_s_i, play the online version of CSI: Deadly Intent, and respond to a two-part query for a chance to win a Wii! Entries will be judged on composition and originality. Sorry, but you must be a U.S. resident and over 18 years old to participate. Check out the rules here.

Enveloped in postcards

Last week, we asked you to send in postcards to help us decorate our drab concrete walls. Here's a photo of the results so far! Thank you so much and please keep them coming! You can mail them to Frank the Goat, Esq., c/o LiveJournal, Inc., 539 Bryant Street, Suite 210, San Francisco, CA 94107. Be sure to include your username, since we'll be giving ten random users paid account credits.

Photos of the week

If you haven't visited our new LiveJournal photo community, you're in for an amazing visual trip. LiveJournal users from around the world will take you on a scenic journey to everywhere. Post your own pictures or kick back and enjoy at lj_photophile. You can view some of this week's awesome photos after the jump. Please start tagging with geographic location, since we'd like to track all the places around the world represented in this community. Keep on commenting too!
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Tags: csi, photos of the week, postcards, rss, spam, writer's block

Is there a kind of health insurance I can buy in the UK that will cover me traveling in the US for a couple of months, say?

EDIT: How good/reliable is it, and can anyone recommend a company to go with?

Tags: insurance, travel

Picture framing is one of those overlooked skills, taken for granted in a world that’s too busy to think about such trifles, but its practitioners are heroes.

In my continuing quest to derive some income from my photographic skills (such as they are) I’ve come to an arrangement with the management of The Storehouse at Foulis Ferry near Evanton, for not only does this establishment serve fine food to weary A9 travellers and hungry locals, it also offers a place for artists to exhibit and sell their work.

A small selection of my efforts will soon grace the walls there. However, before that can happen the chosen prints must be mounted and framed. Mounting is easy; framing isn’t.

I could get a professional to do the job, but you need to book them weeks in advance and their expertise commands such hefty recompense that any potential profit would be wiped out. So I’m doing it myself.

This doesn’t involve saws, glue, varnish and glass-cutters – I know my limits – just an exchange of cash at a craft shop in return for ready-made frames. An easy job, you’d think.

Where the dust comes from is a mystery. Slip the mounted print into the frame, turn it over to check all’s clear, turn it again so you can bend down those annoying metal tabs that hold the back in place, turn it over again to admire the finished job. Then curse because flecks of wood are stuck between the glass and the mount. For the third time.

Breaking the glass in one of the frames was the final straw.

I’ll get back to it tomorrow.

Hey folks, I couldn't find this in the history but feel free to yell at me if it's there.

I'm planning on making smores on bonfire night but my local importer doesn't have any graham crackers in stock. Apparently they're over £6 a box right now so he isn't bothering to order any. He suggested I substitute digestives but that just seems ... wrong.

Does anyone have a good substitute for graham crackers, specifically for making smores?

Edit to add: Thanks everyone for the help. I eventually found ginger thins, ginger flavoured cookies that are almost the exact consistency of graham crackers and they worked wonderfully. Not exactly the same taste but really yummy with a bit of spice.

Tags: food
Current Mood: hungry