Website Overhaul

So have been busy today overhauling the website, trying to get rid some of the dross and generally tidy it up and give it a template make-over, bring it more inline with this here blog! 

Surprising just how long it takes though, been at it all day and only really just finished. Have managed to, hopefully, delete some of the no longer used images and claw back some of the 100MB they originally gave me, a pittance by today's standards but not sure there's any way to get more for free.

Was going to remove some of my old Picasa albums too but now they seem to have been sucked in, or at least managed by Google+ I've already learnt a valuable lesson about not deleting because Google+ removes your images EVERYWHERE they appear so when they are gone, they are GONE! So for now they can stay - safer that way.

Wish there was a better way of displaying images and associated text, Simon who gave us the talk on blogging at camera club on Friday said don't get hung up on trying to make everything line up because ultimately it's not worth it. Easier said than done when you are OCD like me and like everything neat and tidy. Tables are my usual GOTO format, the images and text can fit into the cells but it's table width's I struggle with afterwards and usually end up dipping into the HTML code, not that I really know what I'm doing there without copious Google searches! However for my latest page on Firework Photography I tried a different layout format and that seems to have worked quite well so might have to experiment some more with that type of thing.

I've had Elvis 30 #1 Hits on repeat all day and in between sitting at the laptop I've been bopping around the house, shaking my booty to the music, beats my usual Oldies compilation CD of all sorts of stuff downloaded off YouTube as music only, titles such as Allan Sherman - Hello Muddah Hello Faddah  (1963), Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West - Benny Hill and all manner of old songs :-)

Right, time to go eat some tea, and have a break from the laptop by settling down in front of the TV with yet another Columbo movie - taking my mind off what will hopefully be my last week of jury service next week - joy (not).

I'm Back!!!!!

After what seems like an age I've returned to my blog having been given some renewed enthusiasm following a camera club session on creating blogs using WordPress. So I thought rather than try and migrate mine across - probably no small feat - I'd give it a bit of an overhaul. 

So have chosen a new theme - hopefully a little more modern and got rid of some of the out of date stuff at the bottom - now my girl is all grow'd up and married - Mrs Bailey no less (!) the photo of her and James when they were younger seems irrelevant ;-)

Life hasn't changed much anyway in the time I've been out of the loop as it were, still working, albeit in planning now, and enjoying (?) the single life. Julia & James are married - yay - as mentioned above, and living in their own little place so I have Chez Moi all to myself now. Have converted Julia's old room into a photo studio which is where I've spent some time today prepping for this month's camera club competition. We now have, as part of a company wellness & social endeavour, an on-site camera club where we meet once a month and chew the fat over all things photographic. All good fun and a monthly comp keeps us all on our toes and ensures the 'ol grey matter doesn't fur up too much with lack of use :-)

Anyway as I've currently spent all day on the laptop/camera it's about time I got around to having some food so signing off now but HOPEFULLY it won't be so long next time!

Averting Online Disaster

Google+ - what a pain in the arse! Got the app on my phone and somehow it's uploaded every bloody photo/video on my phone up to Google+. Now bearing in mind that I've several photos of the nephews on my phone that I'd rather didn't live online I thought I'd just go to the app and select & delete... No chance, not without it deleting the images off my device too - WHAT??? 

So signed in on the laptop and did the honours on there, not realising that a good proportion of the images I was deleting formed part of my Picasa Web Albums. So I go to my blog and website and find loads of uploaded images and links to Picasa slideshows missing - Aarrghh!!

So to cut a long story short I've had to restore from the Google+ bin (fortunately it has one) and lo and behold my blog and website have been saved :-)

Was going to delete my Google+ account but think I'll just turn off AutoBackup and leave well alone.

Texas Moon CMC - Fancy Dress 2013

Well, posted photos of this year's fancy dress on my website if any of you out there are interested.

Theme was Black 'n' White / Masquerade, didn't know about the Black 'n' White bit till after I'd bought my costume hence the colour! But although it's more Renaissance than Venetian it looked good despite having to sew up three inches of hem!

The Tomorrow People

Anyone out there remember this sci-fi series back in the 70's? I used to watch it (less scary than Dr Who) and was fascinated by their ability to teleport to places. I can remember borrowing one of my Mum's belts and pretending I could too! Walking home in the raw cold which has been our weather this week has made me wish teleportation was for real (minus any dubious references to The Fly!) as I could definitely have benefited from getting back home in the warm in the blink of an eye
;-)