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Addenda

It seems that my blog has become unmanageable.  Not by me you understand but by the host.  Whenever I try to load pictures nothing happens, nada.  It can be frustrating.  So, not to be outdone I am going to try and create an addendum.  In fact I thought I might add several starting this month with 11/11 to 11/12 then 11/12 to 11/13 and so on.  Assuming I live that long.  Worthy of a try methinks.

So, if you wish to continue follow the link, http://aconabikegoldendays1111-1112.blogspot.com/view/classic

It may take me a day or two to organise the new addition, still it might be fun watching me struggle around.

See you on the other side ?

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Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, in Shropshire.

We have just returned from a week in Shropshire.  We stayed in a lovely cottage about 5 miles from Ludlow. The local landscape is breathtaking.  

Once I have sorted my pictures out I will post some of them.   You might well be surprised.

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18th. CAMRA Westmorland Beer Festival.

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Last night Mike and I had a stroll to the beer festival at the town hall.  It seemed better this year as the hall had been laid out in a more sensible fashion.

The barrels are ranged along the left side of the room with the food on the right.  We sat on the stage which gave us a good view of the whole scene.
I tries four or five beers, perries and ciders and my favourite was Wonkey Donkey from Swallowfields of Hertfordshire.  At 5.5% abv this is a very tasty still cider, slightly cloudy with a strong apple after taste.  Swallowfields also make  decent perry at 6.5% a classic perry, slightly petillant with a subtle flowery perfume.
Washed down with the wild boar pie from Peter Gott along with the mature Lancashire cheese and a hunk of sour dough bread, delicious.
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So there we have it.
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All's well that ends well, or is it ?

Having read quite a lot of the stuff on Chris White's facebook campaign regarding the photographing of his daughter in a shopping mall and all the hullabaloo that followed once an over zealous security guard became involved.  I have to say that the wider issue here, that of the power of the individual who is prepared to use social networking sites as a means to redress what appeared to be a serious grievance.
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I applaud the shopping mall management for apologising and, in my opinion, doing the right thing regarding the incident.  They have made their position a little clearer too with regard to the taking of photographs so, hopefully, that attitude will spread around all the other malls and places of public resort that seek to try and stop photography by claiming some nonsensical justification such as anti terror legislation whilst harassing people who wish to take photographs.  Which, incidentally, was never written with such bans in mind.

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Don't get me wrong though.  I still think that Big Brother should continue to watch over us and, if someone is up to no good then the police ought rightly to have sufficient powers with which to investigate specific incidents.

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I'm a photographer, not a terrorist.

For a while now photographers have been targeted by police and enthusiastic security guards when taking pictures of what may be regarded as 'sensitive sites'. The appear to include shopping malls and seemingly random places in and around cities. I myself have been ticked off in places as far afield as Plymouth and Jerez. The mantra seems to be that 'terrorists take pictures of their proposed target.' That may well be so however, just how many terrorists would take the pictures openly. Surely even your learner terrorists use covert means to take pictures of their next atrocity. Come to think of it, why would they take pictures anyway ?  Perhaps it is for the before and after effect in their last family album.

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So, it was with a great cheer that I greeted this news lately. In essence Chris White took a picture of his 2 year old daughter eating an ice cream inside a shopping mall in Glasgow the security guard nabbed him and the police were called. Mr White, obviously not a man to be messed with immediately began a campaign on facebook and, as you can see had the ban on photography decision reversed.
Well done Mr. White.
facebook campaign
 I hope the ice cream came up to par too.