www.stumbleupon.com
Anyway - I came across this, and had to share. Get some perspective, and realise how lucky you are!
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Perspective........
I found this when I was Stumbling on Stumbleupon. It's a great web site that you can input your preferences into, and it takes you to cool web sites that are related to your interests.
www.stumbleupon.com
Anyway - I came across this, and had to share. Get some perspective, and realise how lucky you are!
www.stumbleupon.com
Anyway - I came across this, and had to share. Get some perspective, and realise how lucky you are!
Sunday, 16 January 2011
favourite Movies......
I thought I'd share some of my favourite movies. If you haven't watched any of these then they are a "must see" in my book. If you haven't seen them for a while - give them a look - great nostalgia.
The Last Boy Scout
Cannon Ball Run
The Goonies
ET
Salt
Silence of the Lambs
Layer Cake
Usual Suspects
Flatliners
Casino
Kill Bill
Pulp Fiction
Oceans Eleven
Fight Club
Into the Blue
All the "Bournes"
Share yours please.
Best
Rich
The Last Boy Scout
Cannon Ball Run
The Goonies
ET
Salt
Silence of the Lambs
Layer Cake
Usual Suspects
Flatliners
Casino
Kill Bill
Pulp Fiction
Oceans Eleven
Fight Club
Into the Blue
All the "Bournes"
Share yours please.
Best
Rich
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Self Portraits using a mirror.......
Hi there,
I have been snapping with my camera today, and it reminded me to write about a good (but obvious) method of taking self portraits using a mirror.
What you need:
A camera - :-)
A tripod if you have one
A mirror
A remote shutter release device (also not essential, but helps with some shots.)
The thing about making them good is to consider the composition, and possibly use some of the settings on your camera to create some effects.
If you have a tripod, then set your camera up on this, and take some time to create a good and interesting background. Now - this is personal preference, and I'm not a professional photographer, but I know what I like. If you apply some other principles to your shots like the rule of thirds, then that can also help make your pictures more pleasing to the eye.
The rule of thirds states that if you split your composition into equal thirds, and have something interesting happening in each, a graduation of scale from one side to the other or your subject matter in one third, it is more pleasing to look at.
Another good effect is to set a longer exposure, and smaller aperture. Do this in the knowledge that everything else in the frame will remain absolutely still, you can slightly move your head during the shot to create a good effect. Also you could try using lighting to create interesting compositions.
I have included a couple of examples below. I hope it inspires you to try some yourself. If you do - please share them with us.
Best
Rich
I have been snapping with my camera today, and it reminded me to write about a good (but obvious) method of taking self portraits using a mirror.
What you need:
A camera - :-)
A tripod if you have one
A mirror
A remote shutter release device (also not essential, but helps with some shots.)
The thing about making them good is to consider the composition, and possibly use some of the settings on your camera to create some effects.
If you have a tripod, then set your camera up on this, and take some time to create a good and interesting background. Now - this is personal preference, and I'm not a professional photographer, but I know what I like. If you apply some other principles to your shots like the rule of thirds, then that can also help make your pictures more pleasing to the eye.
The rule of thirds states that if you split your composition into equal thirds, and have something interesting happening in each, a graduation of scale from one side to the other or your subject matter in one third, it is more pleasing to look at.
Another good effect is to set a longer exposure, and smaller aperture. Do this in the knowledge that everything else in the frame will remain absolutely still, you can slightly move your head during the shot to create a good effect. Also you could try using lighting to create interesting compositions.
I have included a couple of examples below. I hope it inspires you to try some yourself. If you do - please share them with us.
Best
Rich
Friday, 14 January 2011
surfing Wikipedia..........
I am doing a quick Blog today. I've had an interesting week, and am ready to chill for the weekend.
I wanted to share with you a pass-time that I occasionally enjoy. Surfing Wikipedia.
This is what you do. Go to the Wikipedia web site:
I wanted to share with you a pass-time that I occasionally enjoy. Surfing Wikipedia.
This is what you do. Go to the Wikipedia web site:
Select your preferred language, and think of any starting point. It really doesn't matter what it is, because you will very quickly stray from the initial subject matter.
I will do it now, and surf on the word "Surf" just as a demonstration.
Start - Surf
There you go - I didn't even get the Surf I expected. I instead opted for the detergent. I now know that Unilever's biggest competitor is Proctar and Gamble. OK - I also know that they distribute to various places and I opted to click on New Zealand.
Wow - loads on NZ - I am clicking through to Subtropics
Now Coniferous Trees
Now I'm onto Embryo
I won't bore you. The thing is you can surf away, and know that you will always get something that interests you. I have spent hours doing this before and learn a lot from Wiki.
Enjoy. Tell us where you start and finish.
Have a great weekend.
Rich
Thursday, 13 January 2011
an exercise to change a bad habit or get motivated to change or achieve something.......
A good way to really take some action towards something is to consider what would happen if you don't. Think of something you really want to change. It could be anything - your fitness level, your finances, your relationship with someone (existing or imagined!), your diet, smoking, drinking or anything at all really! :-)
This can feel a little painful, but it's worth it and will allow you to shed your fear and live in the now. It's also important when doing this to make sure you have a good half an hour of no interuptions. Turn your phone off. Find a quiet place. Make sure you are comfortable. It's a kind of meditation, and so light a candle if that's your thing, and get yourself centred.
Preparation is the key. Put all of this in place before you read on, or this won't work. I want you to do this properly, and this will take me some time to write and explain, so return my investment in you by doing exactly as I ask, and don't cheat. You will be rewarded at the end for your honesty.
The process requires you to stop at times. When I write PAUSE, do what I have asked, and don't read on until you have done this. Promise me. This is going to take me time to write, so do it properly.
OK - So have you prepared?? If you haven't PLEASE DON'T READ ON. Get yourself set up.
OK - I'm assuming that you're ready and have done all I asked. I respect you for this, and wish you an interesting and enlightening journey. Let's begin. Be prepared to feel all the emotion associated with it. I promise you will feel great at the end and have more clarity.
START
Sit quietly on your own with no distrations. Now consider your life where you are now. Really think about your current situation, the current thing you either don't have, or behaviour you would like to change, and allow yourself to "feel" everything. Take a couple of minutes, don't rush. Breathe deeply.
PAUSE - do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. Once you are focused on this, you need to consider what you want.
I want you to focus on this for a minute, and more importantly the perfect scenario. Imagine a balanced life. Imagine you have changed the bahavious you want to change, or achieved the goal you imagine. Close your eyes and focus using pictures - make them colour, sounds, smells, touch and taste. This process uses what's called the "theatre of your mind". There are no rules, no restrictions, it's all up to you to make it real.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Have you done this? If you haven't thought about the perfect situation? Does it almost seem real because you ave taken the time to really feel it, and imagine it with colour, sound, smell - everything?
Good - Now for the more difficult part.
In a minute, I want you to close your eyes again, and see yourself in 1 years time WITHOUT what you wanted to happen. Not just the actual habit or thing, but all of the things you would have missed out on, or how your energy levels will still be low. I want you to really FEEL how things are with nothing changing. Use all your senses again. OK do this now.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Have you done it? If you haven't stop right now and do it bofore reading on.
OK. Now I need you to do the same thing, but forward yourself 5 years into the future. You still haven't changed, or achieved the thing you wanted. How old are you now? What are you doing? What is missing in your life because you haven't simply gone for it? Do you have any regrets? Really feel it. Don't skip the steps. Do this now for a minute or so.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. Now launch yourself 10 years into the future and do this again. What has happened. How is your physical body and health. What are you doing? What have you missed out on. What are your wider friends and family doing? What do they think of you? What have you missed out on? Again for a minute or so close your eyes and really FEEL the situation like you are there 10 years from now.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. I should think you're feeling pretty rubbish by now, so lets really raise the bar. I want you to project your life 25 years into the future. This will be hard, but really see yourself without what you want. Where are you. What do you look like. What have you missed out on? Are you happy? Do this for a minute or so, and use all your senses.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. I am sorry to have had to do that to you. It will be more than worth it though. The thing is:
Feel relief. Feel thankful for your current situation and that you have the power to bring any change in your life you desire. Bring yourself back to the present. Breathe deeply and give yourself the opportunity to take another look at your future. This bit is amazing. Take your time before you start, because you have just gone through quite alot. Have a sip of water or something. Breathe for a while and feel relaxed in your surroundings and body. All that stuff hasn't happened, so let's design your future the way it will and should be.
PAUSE
So you've thrown away all of the future you just envisaged. Lets do this again. This time, FEEL everything in the theatre of your mind for what would be going on in your life if you go for what you want. In 1 year from now, if you have that perfect relationship, what are you doing? If you have decided to change your diet and take regular exercise how do you look and feel, what are your energy levels like? Where are you? Give this some thought for a minute and close your eyes.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
You guessed it - starting to feel a little better. Now it gets better and better. 5 years get's a chance now. Do it again. Don't skip the steps. Really take time to enjoy the feelings that you are experiencing having achieved what you wanted. If it was a new relationship - are you married (if that's what you wanted)? Do you have children. What do they look like. If you wanted a new house - where are you living. What is everyone doing around you in your new life? Feel everything. Get into minute details. Don't hold back.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK - That's great, now let's go for ten years. Don't rush this. Have a good look at yourself. It's tempting to rush at this point, but really take time to experience your new life as it will happen. What are you up to now??? Amazing! Take as long as you want.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
GREAT! Now let's go for the big one. 25 years from now in your perfect situation how do you feel? Is there a picture of you on holiday somewhere on the wall? Feeling great, fantastic, amazing? Think of EVERYTHING. Take as long as you want and enjoy and relish in the experience!
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Right - bring yourself slowly and gently back in time to the present. Have a think for a minute about the two scenarios you have just allowed yourself to consider; The ying and yang of your future if you will. One - not what you want, the other - Nirvana. Which one do you want to focus on and do everything in your power to go for? I'm hoping it is the latter ;-)
You might want to try this exercise with a friend if they have an open mind and are perceptive to it.
If I were you I'd sit and reflect for a while. Fell content in your power to design your future. You really have all you need to make it what you want. Just don't be afraid to go for stuff. If you get hurt or knocked back, what the heck. All you have is a lesson in how not to get there, so try something else. It's not what you know - it's what you do.
If you don't make mistakes, you won't make anything, and your life will rush away from you. The past does NOT equal the future. You have the power to go for what ever you want, and it starts right now.
Oh - and don't rush, enjoy the journey :-)
Peace
Rich
This can feel a little painful, but it's worth it and will allow you to shed your fear and live in the now. It's also important when doing this to make sure you have a good half an hour of no interuptions. Turn your phone off. Find a quiet place. Make sure you are comfortable. It's a kind of meditation, and so light a candle if that's your thing, and get yourself centred.
Preparation is the key. Put all of this in place before you read on, or this won't work. I want you to do this properly, and this will take me some time to write and explain, so return my investment in you by doing exactly as I ask, and don't cheat. You will be rewarded at the end for your honesty.
The process requires you to stop at times. When I write PAUSE, do what I have asked, and don't read on until you have done this. Promise me. This is going to take me time to write, so do it properly.
OK - So have you prepared?? If you haven't PLEASE DON'T READ ON. Get yourself set up.
OK - I'm assuming that you're ready and have done all I asked. I respect you for this, and wish you an interesting and enlightening journey. Let's begin. Be prepared to feel all the emotion associated with it. I promise you will feel great at the end and have more clarity.
START
Sit quietly on your own with no distrations. Now consider your life where you are now. Really think about your current situation, the current thing you either don't have, or behaviour you would like to change, and allow yourself to "feel" everything. Take a couple of minutes, don't rush. Breathe deeply.
PAUSE - do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. Once you are focused on this, you need to consider what you want.
I want you to focus on this for a minute, and more importantly the perfect scenario. Imagine a balanced life. Imagine you have changed the bahavious you want to change, or achieved the goal you imagine. Close your eyes and focus using pictures - make them colour, sounds, smells, touch and taste. This process uses what's called the "theatre of your mind". There are no rules, no restrictions, it's all up to you to make it real.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Have you done this? If you haven't thought about the perfect situation? Does it almost seem real because you ave taken the time to really feel it, and imagine it with colour, sound, smell - everything?
Good - Now for the more difficult part.
In a minute, I want you to close your eyes again, and see yourself in 1 years time WITHOUT what you wanted to happen. Not just the actual habit or thing, but all of the things you would have missed out on, or how your energy levels will still be low. I want you to really FEEL how things are with nothing changing. Use all your senses again. OK do this now.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Have you done it? If you haven't stop right now and do it bofore reading on.
OK. Now I need you to do the same thing, but forward yourself 5 years into the future. You still haven't changed, or achieved the thing you wanted. How old are you now? What are you doing? What is missing in your life because you haven't simply gone for it? Do you have any regrets? Really feel it. Don't skip the steps. Do this now for a minute or so.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. Now launch yourself 10 years into the future and do this again. What has happened. How is your physical body and health. What are you doing? What have you missed out on. What are your wider friends and family doing? What do they think of you? What have you missed out on? Again for a minute or so close your eyes and really FEEL the situation like you are there 10 years from now.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. I should think you're feeling pretty rubbish by now, so lets really raise the bar. I want you to project your life 25 years into the future. This will be hard, but really see yourself without what you want. Where are you. What do you look like. What have you missed out on? Are you happy? Do this for a minute or so, and use all your senses.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK. I am sorry to have had to do that to you. It will be more than worth it though. The thing is:
NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED
Feel relief. Feel thankful for your current situation and that you have the power to bring any change in your life you desire. Bring yourself back to the present. Breathe deeply and give yourself the opportunity to take another look at your future. This bit is amazing. Take your time before you start, because you have just gone through quite alot. Have a sip of water or something. Breathe for a while and feel relaxed in your surroundings and body. All that stuff hasn't happened, so let's design your future the way it will and should be.
PAUSE
So you've thrown away all of the future you just envisaged. Lets do this again. This time, FEEL everything in the theatre of your mind for what would be going on in your life if you go for what you want. In 1 year from now, if you have that perfect relationship, what are you doing? If you have decided to change your diet and take regular exercise how do you look and feel, what are your energy levels like? Where are you? Give this some thought for a minute and close your eyes.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
You guessed it - starting to feel a little better. Now it gets better and better. 5 years get's a chance now. Do it again. Don't skip the steps. Really take time to enjoy the feelings that you are experiencing having achieved what you wanted. If it was a new relationship - are you married (if that's what you wanted)? Do you have children. What do they look like. If you wanted a new house - where are you living. What is everyone doing around you in your new life? Feel everything. Get into minute details. Don't hold back.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
OK - That's great, now let's go for ten years. Don't rush this. Have a good look at yourself. It's tempting to rush at this point, but really take time to experience your new life as it will happen. What are you up to now??? Amazing! Take as long as you want.
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
GREAT! Now let's go for the big one. 25 years from now in your perfect situation how do you feel? Is there a picture of you on holiday somewhere on the wall? Feeling great, fantastic, amazing? Think of EVERYTHING. Take as long as you want and enjoy and relish in the experience!
PAUSE do this then scroll down to the next part...
Right - bring yourself slowly and gently back in time to the present. Have a think for a minute about the two scenarios you have just allowed yourself to consider; The ying and yang of your future if you will. One - not what you want, the other - Nirvana. Which one do you want to focus on and do everything in your power to go for? I'm hoping it is the latter ;-)
You might want to try this exercise with a friend if they have an open mind and are perceptive to it.
If I were you I'd sit and reflect for a while. Fell content in your power to design your future. You really have all you need to make it what you want. Just don't be afraid to go for stuff. If you get hurt or knocked back, what the heck. All you have is a lesson in how not to get there, so try something else. It's not what you know - it's what you do.
If you don't make mistakes, you won't make anything, and your life will rush away from you. The past does NOT equal the future. You have the power to go for what ever you want, and it starts right now.
Oh - and don't rush, enjoy the journey :-)
Peace
Rich
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Climb a mountain this year - my experience of Striding Edge - The Lake District
It's that time of year that my friends and I book a quest to the hills. Last year we went to climb across Striding Edge in the Lake District.
I was talking with my mate on the way home from work about another trip there this year. You see, we started with the goal of crossing Striding Edge, but when we reached the start of the ridge, the weather was so bad we decided to abort the mission. I learned a good lesson. Take spare gloves, and a snow skiing mask!
Last year's trip started with us catching up in a place just outside Manchester, called Hale, for a sleep over at Pat's, and a meal at the local Italian Restaurant. It was fantastic food, good company, and great camaraderie. We all spoke of how we would conquer the mountain the next day. An early night saw us up in good time for the final leg of the trip; travelling to Glenridding to check into the cottage we had rented for the weekend.
The cottage was just fantastic. Everything we had hoped for. A good usable kitchen for our chef to make our food. Good comfy beds, and an open fire in the small living room. Chris made us some porridge to stave off hunger, and we set off at around 10am for the walk.
The walk starts quite gently, but soon moves to steeper ground, and was good exercise. I was lucky and had a light weight rucksack for my camera equipment, but one of the guys was struggling a little (not mentioning any names), so the P Company ex-army guy came to his rescue and carried his pack. He had two rucksacks on, a proper hard nut, and needless to say we didn't hear the end of it (until something else happened later to deflect the ribbing - more later.)
It wasn't long before we reached the snow line and the going started to get more interesting. The wind was picking up, and we changed into our winter gear. I made the fatal mistake of taking my glove off to clear my glasses, and one of them was blown away in the gale force wind. This is the point at when the rucksack was forgotten and (unfortunately for me) was the subject of torment for the rest of the trip! Luckily Pat had a spare pair of gloves (he's climbed before) and I was no longer in danger of frost bite.
When we reached the start of the edge - the weather got really bad. I could hardly see from snow blindness, so we climbed down into the valley for our lunch.
Chris had pre packed beef stew for us, and attempted to melt snow with his stove. After waiting 30 minutes, we still had ice in the pot, it wasn't working, and at this point my glove should have been forgotten, but oh no - the torment continued.
We continued down the mountain to a great dinner cooked by our chef, and then one of the best nights sleep I've ever had.
The next day we all said our goodbyes, and headed back to London.
I would recommend you book your own quest. It's something to look forward to at this time of year, just after Christmas, and I'll definitely be back to try again with the lads.
Happy Days
Rich
I was talking with my mate on the way home from work about another trip there this year. You see, we started with the goal of crossing Striding Edge, but when we reached the start of the ridge, the weather was so bad we decided to abort the mission. I learned a good lesson. Take spare gloves, and a snow skiing mask!
Last year's trip started with us catching up in a place just outside Manchester, called Hale, for a sleep over at Pat's, and a meal at the local Italian Restaurant. It was fantastic food, good company, and great camaraderie. We all spoke of how we would conquer the mountain the next day. An early night saw us up in good time for the final leg of the trip; travelling to Glenridding to check into the cottage we had rented for the weekend.
The cottage was just fantastic. Everything we had hoped for. A good usable kitchen for our chef to make our food. Good comfy beds, and an open fire in the small living room. Chris made us some porridge to stave off hunger, and we set off at around 10am for the walk.
The walk starts quite gently, but soon moves to steeper ground, and was good exercise. I was lucky and had a light weight rucksack for my camera equipment, but one of the guys was struggling a little (not mentioning any names), so the P Company ex-army guy came to his rescue and carried his pack. He had two rucksacks on, a proper hard nut, and needless to say we didn't hear the end of it (until something else happened later to deflect the ribbing - more later.)
It wasn't long before we reached the snow line and the going started to get more interesting. The wind was picking up, and we changed into our winter gear. I made the fatal mistake of taking my glove off to clear my glasses, and one of them was blown away in the gale force wind. This is the point at when the rucksack was forgotten and (unfortunately for me) was the subject of torment for the rest of the trip! Luckily Pat had a spare pair of gloves (he's climbed before) and I was no longer in danger of frost bite.
When we reached the start of the edge - the weather got really bad. I could hardly see from snow blindness, so we climbed down into the valley for our lunch.
Chris had pre packed beef stew for us, and attempted to melt snow with his stove. After waiting 30 minutes, we still had ice in the pot, it wasn't working, and at this point my glove should have been forgotten, but oh no - the torment continued.
We continued down the mountain to a great dinner cooked by our chef, and then one of the best nights sleep I've ever had.
The next day we all said our goodbyes, and headed back to London.
I would recommend you book your own quest. It's something to look forward to at this time of year, just after Christmas, and I'll definitely be back to try again with the lads.
Jimmy "Nails" Butler
Chris "Chef" Davidson
Richard "Honey Badger" Davis
Patrick "Mountain Goat" Higgingbottom
Darren "The Beard" Olsson
Happy Days
Rich
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
iTunes and my Running Mix........
I live iTunes. I love Mac's actually.
Just over 2 years ago, I made a decision. It was against my natural instinct after spending most of my life working with PC's. I decided to invest in a Mac. Almost immediately after allowing myself to consider it as a different option to computing, I was hooked.
Mac's are brilliant. They work - nearly all the time. They are cool. The software applications that come bundled are brilliant, and the more Mac kit you get, the better it all interacts with each other to create additional value for your equipment. I may Blog on this at a later date; stay tuned.
Most people have an iPod or iPhone. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite running tracks, so I turned to iTunes, and hey presto - there is a way to do this.
You don't have to have a Mac to use iTunes. It's a great place to store all of your music, buy new music, gift music and create playlists. There is even a new social networking facility on there called Ping. It allows you to find friends, and share your music, and see what your mates are listening to. Look me up - I'm Daviskites :-)
Anyway - this is a short post today. Here is my running mix. Click on the link, and I hope that you find a few tracks that you will enjoy running to. I had a magnificent run tonight. My favourite highlights were Gary More - The loner, and Faithless - Insomnia. BUZZING!
Daviskites Running Mix 1 - Enjoy the ENDORPHIN RUSH!
Best
Rich
Just over 2 years ago, I made a decision. It was against my natural instinct after spending most of my life working with PC's. I decided to invest in a Mac. Almost immediately after allowing myself to consider it as a different option to computing, I was hooked.
Mac's are brilliant. They work - nearly all the time. They are cool. The software applications that come bundled are brilliant, and the more Mac kit you get, the better it all interacts with each other to create additional value for your equipment. I may Blog on this at a later date; stay tuned.
Most people have an iPod or iPhone. I wanted to share with you some of my favourite running tracks, so I turned to iTunes, and hey presto - there is a way to do this.
You don't have to have a Mac to use iTunes. It's a great place to store all of your music, buy new music, gift music and create playlists. There is even a new social networking facility on there called Ping. It allows you to find friends, and share your music, and see what your mates are listening to. Look me up - I'm Daviskites :-)
Anyway - this is a short post today. Here is my running mix. Click on the link, and I hope that you find a few tracks that you will enjoy running to. I had a magnificent run tonight. My favourite highlights were Gary More - The loner, and Faithless - Insomnia. BUZZING!
Daviskites Running Mix 1 - Enjoy the ENDORPHIN RUSH!
Best
Rich
Monday, 10 January 2011
Stargazing with a Digital Camera - DSLR - but careful your head doesn't explode.......
I was inspired last week to try out some stargazing with my camera after watching a BBC program on the night sky. Now - you might think - "all a but nerdy, boring etc", but I tell you, something happened that made it brilliant (well for me anyway!)
When I've looked at the sky before I could vaguely work out some constellations of stars - The Great Bear, Orion's Belt etc. I have looked at the stars with binoculars on a clear night, and you just see more white specs. Not very interesting really.
Anyway - on the evening in question I got out my camera and set it up on my tripod. I pointed it at a random part of the sky (that looked like the rest of the sky!) I set the camera to a long exposure (I'll explain more details in a moment) and released the shutter. I waited in the cold for about 15 seconds. I just saw a load of extra specs on the shot viewed through the back of the camera. Not very interesting, but quite cool.
I took a few more shots, and headed into the warm house to download them onto the Mac and check them out.
Have a look at the shot below - you will need to click through on these to see the larger images to allow you to get the detail:
Now tell me - can you see the "smudge" in the middle on the far left? I thought that it looked a bit odd, and it got me thinking. It looked a little bit like a "small" galaxy. I'd see pictures of galaxies before - taken in brilliant resolution by Hubble etc, and I was convinced that this could be something similar.
I downloaded some free software from the internet called Stellarium, and entered my location, and checked on the sky map in the area I had taken my picture. Sure enough - as I magnified in, I saw what I had hoped for. By complete accident, I had taken a photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy Nebula. A REAL LIFE GALAXY! I was pleased as punch!
The following night, I wandered outside to take some more shots of "my" galaxy. I found a place that was well sheltered from the local street lights, and set up for the shot. I got this one. A bit better and looking a bit more like a galaxy - it's in the middle of this one. :-)
Following the success of my Galaxy, I checked for other stuff that I might be able to capture. There is a Nebula in the constallation of Orion. If you can picture Orion's Belt his sword is just below to the left. I trained my camera into the spot Stallaruim told me to find the nebula and took the following photograph.
Orion's Belt are the three stars at the top on a slant. The sword of Orion is formed by the three stars underneath, the middle one is surrounded by a red halo. That's the Orion Nebula. A Nebula is a cloud of gas in space that is the birth place of stars.
To give you an idea of the size of these objects let me give you an idea of how fast the speed of light is. Sorry if you know all this, but for completeness it puts the whole thing into context.
If you were travelling at the speed of light like superman (or woman) around the equator of the earth, you would travel around our planet 7 times in less than one second (at 671 million miles per hour.)
Now that's quick! That's why the speed of light is used to measure large distances. Given the previous fact, imagine (if you can) the distance that light would travel in 1 year. A very long way. That distance is 1 light year.
Now look again at the image above. The red blob (Orion Nebula) measures 24 light years across! Can you get your head round that!
Once you've imagined that - check this out - the Orion Nebula is located 1500 light years from Earth! The Orion Nebula is still in our own galaxy. There are an estimated 200 to 500 billion Galaxies in our universe!
The original image you saw of the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light years away from Earth! Now that's a blummin' long way :-)
This means that we are looking at an image that is actually 2.5 Million years old - it's taken the light that long to get to us allowing us to see it. In absolute "nowness", the galaxy may look entirely different. We are looking into the past; 2.5 Million years into the past to be precise!
Check out his YouTube video - it is a great way of trying to fathom the fastness of space.
The Vastness of Space
Has your head exploded trying to comprehend all that? Mine is fizzing a bit just writing it.
If you're still with me - great - if I've lost you - I'm sorry, but I have loved seeing these images. They mean so much more that I took the photographs myself with my trusty DSLR and a tripod.
There are many web sites going into great details on how to do this, but for the beginner - try this.
Download Stellarium from here
http://www.stellarium.org/
Enter your address details, and find some easy stars in the sky to get your position. It helps if you know where North is.
Now type Andromeda into the Stellarium search engine. Stellarium will show you where to look. You won't see anything with the naked eye, but you'll know where it is.
Train your DSLR (on a tripod) onto the patch of sky you're interested in, and set your camera to a wide Aperture (e.g. F2.8), use Aperture Priority (usually the A on the setting wheel) and set your ISO to the highest setting you can. Cover the lens with a piece of card when you depress the shutter release button, and remove it after you hear the click. This prevents camera wobble from affecting your picture when pressing the button.
Wait patiently for the shutter to click back, then take some more. Try changing the settings for different ISO settings etc. Retire to the comfort of your home, download the pictures to your computer and see if you managed to take a picture of a galaxy, nebula or alien :-)
If you do - I'd love to see them.
Happy shooting.
Rich
When I've looked at the sky before I could vaguely work out some constellations of stars - The Great Bear, Orion's Belt etc. I have looked at the stars with binoculars on a clear night, and you just see more white specs. Not very interesting really.
Anyway - on the evening in question I got out my camera and set it up on my tripod. I pointed it at a random part of the sky (that looked like the rest of the sky!) I set the camera to a long exposure (I'll explain more details in a moment) and released the shutter. I waited in the cold for about 15 seconds. I just saw a load of extra specs on the shot viewed through the back of the camera. Not very interesting, but quite cool.
I took a few more shots, and headed into the warm house to download them onto the Mac and check them out.
Have a look at the shot below - you will need to click through on these to see the larger images to allow you to get the detail:
I downloaded some free software from the internet called Stellarium, and entered my location, and checked on the sky map in the area I had taken my picture. Sure enough - as I magnified in, I saw what I had hoped for. By complete accident, I had taken a photograph of the Andromeda Galaxy Nebula. A REAL LIFE GALAXY! I was pleased as punch!
The following night, I wandered outside to take some more shots of "my" galaxy. I found a place that was well sheltered from the local street lights, and set up for the shot. I got this one. A bit better and looking a bit more like a galaxy - it's in the middle of this one. :-)
Following the success of my Galaxy, I checked for other stuff that I might be able to capture. There is a Nebula in the constallation of Orion. If you can picture Orion's Belt his sword is just below to the left. I trained my camera into the spot Stallaruim told me to find the nebula and took the following photograph.
Orion's Belt are the three stars at the top on a slant. The sword of Orion is formed by the three stars underneath, the middle one is surrounded by a red halo. That's the Orion Nebula. A Nebula is a cloud of gas in space that is the birth place of stars.
To give you an idea of the size of these objects let me give you an idea of how fast the speed of light is. Sorry if you know all this, but for completeness it puts the whole thing into context.
If you were travelling at the speed of light like superman (or woman) around the equator of the earth, you would travel around our planet 7 times in less than one second (at 671 million miles per hour.)
Now that's quick! That's why the speed of light is used to measure large distances. Given the previous fact, imagine (if you can) the distance that light would travel in 1 year. A very long way. That distance is 1 light year.
Now look again at the image above. The red blob (Orion Nebula) measures 24 light years across! Can you get your head round that!
Once you've imagined that - check this out - the Orion Nebula is located 1500 light years from Earth! The Orion Nebula is still in our own galaxy. There are an estimated 200 to 500 billion Galaxies in our universe!
The original image you saw of the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light years away from Earth! Now that's a blummin' long way :-)
This means that we are looking at an image that is actually 2.5 Million years old - it's taken the light that long to get to us allowing us to see it. In absolute "nowness", the galaxy may look entirely different. We are looking into the past; 2.5 Million years into the past to be precise!
Check out his YouTube video - it is a great way of trying to fathom the fastness of space.
The Vastness of Space
Has your head exploded trying to comprehend all that? Mine is fizzing a bit just writing it.
If you're still with me - great - if I've lost you - I'm sorry, but I have loved seeing these images. They mean so much more that I took the photographs myself with my trusty DSLR and a tripod.
There are many web sites going into great details on how to do this, but for the beginner - try this.
Download Stellarium from here
http://www.stellarium.org/
Enter your address details, and find some easy stars in the sky to get your position. It helps if you know where North is.
Now type Andromeda into the Stellarium search engine. Stellarium will show you where to look. You won't see anything with the naked eye, but you'll know where it is.
Train your DSLR (on a tripod) onto the patch of sky you're interested in, and set your camera to a wide Aperture (e.g. F2.8), use Aperture Priority (usually the A on the setting wheel) and set your ISO to the highest setting you can. Cover the lens with a piece of card when you depress the shutter release button, and remove it after you hear the click. This prevents camera wobble from affecting your picture when pressing the button.
Wait patiently for the shutter to click back, then take some more. Try changing the settings for different ISO settings etc. Retire to the comfort of your home, download the pictures to your computer and see if you managed to take a picture of a galaxy, nebula or alien :-)
If you do - I'd love to see them.
Happy shooting.
Rich
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Open Water Swimming - Blowing away cobwebs
Whether you would like to try open-water swimming in a race environment, or purely for fun. There are many things to consider, and a hive of resources available to get you started.
We have probably all done some open water swimming at some point in our lives. The most obvious place we will have experienced this is in the sea. If you are UK based, like me, then this is a tentative affair, with various scurries in and out of the water due to the temperature. However, once some sort of acclimatisation has occurred, it is a wonderful feeling to swim in the open-water of the sea, aided by the extra buoyancy experienced due to its high salt concentration.
There are numerous web sites that can assist you in your research of the sport. Here are some worth looking at below. These are mainly UK based, but if you search in Google on "Open Water Swimming" in your area you will find the best resources.
http://www.bldsa.org.uk/ - The British Long Distance Swimming Association
http://www.swimclub.co.uk/ - Good UK based online forum to speak to fellow swimmers and get specific advice
http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/swimming/open-water-swimming/ - Good general Swimming website for the UK
www.greatswim.org - Great web site if you fancy doing an organised swim in the UK this year.
http://www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk/- London Triathlon web site
Prior to any type of open-water swimming, it is important to ensure that you are safe. Firsty, check that you have the permission required to swim in the region you have selected. You can check for local swimming clubs in your area via the web.
Secondly - don't go swimming remotely alone. Find a swimming buddy, and use common sense with regards to the gear that you will need. If you are not in a remote location, this could simply be changes of clothes relevant to the prevailing weather conditions. If you are more remote, then first aid kit, mobile phone, extra clothes, food and DRINK are essential.
Prior to swimming, ensure that you do some warm up exercises and stretch thoroughly. Due to the often colder conditions, it is easier to suffer from cramps when swimming in an open-water environment. Indeed - when I last participated in the London Triathlon, there were some racers that pulled up less than 20 metres into the race after waiting treading water at the start for 5 minutes, then taking off like a torpedo. Be careful, and listen to your body. Start with small and safe swims and gradually move to greater distances in more exposed places if you wish.
There are a couple of schools of thought when it comes to wearing wet suits. The more traditional "free" swimmers will turn their noses up at the thought of wearing a wet suit, preferring instead to wear the minimum of clothing (if any at all!) If you do decide to wear a wet suit then the additional buoyancy is great.
For UK conditions you can manage comfortably with a 3mm wetsuit, but for winter conditions a 5mm or 7mm suit is better. A wetsuit also affords some emotional as well as physical protection from the various creatures you will inevitably encounter when swimming in open-water! :-)
One of the most memorable things for me about swimming in open water was when I took part in the London Triathlon. My goal was purely to finish the race. With 1000's of athletes taking part the organisation has to be good! "Waves" of athletes go off at different times. When your time is near, you move to the starting area with the other competitors (usually about 300 in total for each wave.) Everyone is fully kitted out in wet suits, swimming caps etc. There is a guy on a microphone, and they play amazing music to you all in an area I call "The Pit". It is making me shiver just imagining the experience.
When race time comes near - the MC starts to get things revved up BIG TIME. He asks everyone to shout and chant, and it truly is one of the best experiences I have ever encountered. It felt really tribal. By the time you walk through to the edge of the water everyone is so charged up it's amazing.
Then it's into the water to swim to the starting line. With the additional buoyancy of the wet suit, it's easy to tread water whilst everyone waits for the fog horn to start the race.
Once underway, it's important to be aware of those around you, and to pick your line. I found that when swimming front crawl, I would raise my head slightly to look forwards, which makes it easier to stay in a straight line. Take your time, and pace yourself, as it is all too easy to get carried away in the moment.
If you do find yourself getting into any trouble, there are marshals in kayaks that will quickly come to help you. They also have frog men for extreme emergencies.
One other thing to mention here. THERE IS NO SHAME IN SWIMMING BREAST STROKE! I say this form experience. Not a great deal of people do, but I did, about one third of the way through, and was far from alone. It's absolutely fine.
At the end of the swim you get out of the water onto a floating pontoon (really easy - even when knackered) and then run to the transition area. There are always loads of spectators cheering you on and it is a massive BUZZ! You will run through a spray curtain (which cleans you off a bit) prior to getting to the transition area. Most people take their suits off en route to save time in transition (well to the waist anyway.) It's well worth practicing this, as you can save loads of time in transition with practice.
Anyway - that's the end for now. I might tell you about the rest of the race at a later date. This post was about open water swimming, so I'm sure you don't want to hear about the bike or run stages right now.
I hope this has inspired you to give it a crack. If you do - let me know. If you have any advice for others, please post a comment. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun.
Best
Rich
if you feel your friends would like this Blog, please send them a link. http://daviskites.blogspot.com/
We have probably all done some open water swimming at some point in our lives. The most obvious place we will have experienced this is in the sea. If you are UK based, like me, then this is a tentative affair, with various scurries in and out of the water due to the temperature. However, once some sort of acclimatisation has occurred, it is a wonderful feeling to swim in the open-water of the sea, aided by the extra buoyancy experienced due to its high salt concentration.
There are numerous web sites that can assist you in your research of the sport. Here are some worth looking at below. These are mainly UK based, but if you search in Google on "Open Water Swimming" in your area you will find the best resources.
http://www.bldsa.org.uk/ - The British Long Distance Swimming Association
http://www.swimclub.co.uk/ - Good UK based online forum to speak to fellow swimmers and get specific advice
http://www.swimming.org/britishswimming/swimming/open-water-swimming/ - Good general Swimming website for the UK
www.greatswim.org - Great web site if you fancy doing an organised swim in the UK this year.
http://www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk/- London Triathlon web site
Prior to any type of open-water swimming, it is important to ensure that you are safe. Firsty, check that you have the permission required to swim in the region you have selected. You can check for local swimming clubs in your area via the web.
Secondly - don't go swimming remotely alone. Find a swimming buddy, and use common sense with regards to the gear that you will need. If you are not in a remote location, this could simply be changes of clothes relevant to the prevailing weather conditions. If you are more remote, then first aid kit, mobile phone, extra clothes, food and DRINK are essential.
Prior to swimming, ensure that you do some warm up exercises and stretch thoroughly. Due to the often colder conditions, it is easier to suffer from cramps when swimming in an open-water environment. Indeed - when I last participated in the London Triathlon, there were some racers that pulled up less than 20 metres into the race after waiting treading water at the start for 5 minutes, then taking off like a torpedo. Be careful, and listen to your body. Start with small and safe swims and gradually move to greater distances in more exposed places if you wish.
There are a couple of schools of thought when it comes to wearing wet suits. The more traditional "free" swimmers will turn their noses up at the thought of wearing a wet suit, preferring instead to wear the minimum of clothing (if any at all!) If you do decide to wear a wet suit then the additional buoyancy is great.
For UK conditions you can manage comfortably with a 3mm wetsuit, but for winter conditions a 5mm or 7mm suit is better. A wetsuit also affords some emotional as well as physical protection from the various creatures you will inevitably encounter when swimming in open-water! :-)
One of the most memorable things for me about swimming in open water was when I took part in the London Triathlon. My goal was purely to finish the race. With 1000's of athletes taking part the organisation has to be good! "Waves" of athletes go off at different times. When your time is near, you move to the starting area with the other competitors (usually about 300 in total for each wave.) Everyone is fully kitted out in wet suits, swimming caps etc. There is a guy on a microphone, and they play amazing music to you all in an area I call "The Pit". It is making me shiver just imagining the experience.
When race time comes near - the MC starts to get things revved up BIG TIME. He asks everyone to shout and chant, and it truly is one of the best experiences I have ever encountered. It felt really tribal. By the time you walk through to the edge of the water everyone is so charged up it's amazing.
Then it's into the water to swim to the starting line. With the additional buoyancy of the wet suit, it's easy to tread water whilst everyone waits for the fog horn to start the race.
Once underway, it's important to be aware of those around you, and to pick your line. I found that when swimming front crawl, I would raise my head slightly to look forwards, which makes it easier to stay in a straight line. Take your time, and pace yourself, as it is all too easy to get carried away in the moment.
If you do find yourself getting into any trouble, there are marshals in kayaks that will quickly come to help you. They also have frog men for extreme emergencies.
One other thing to mention here. THERE IS NO SHAME IN SWIMMING BREAST STROKE! I say this form experience. Not a great deal of people do, but I did, about one third of the way through, and was far from alone. It's absolutely fine.
At the end of the swim you get out of the water onto a floating pontoon (really easy - even when knackered) and then run to the transition area. There are always loads of spectators cheering you on and it is a massive BUZZ! You will run through a spray curtain (which cleans you off a bit) prior to getting to the transition area. Most people take their suits off en route to save time in transition (well to the waist anyway.) It's well worth practicing this, as you can save loads of time in transition with practice.
Anyway - that's the end for now. I might tell you about the rest of the race at a later date. This post was about open water swimming, so I'm sure you don't want to hear about the bike or run stages right now.
I hope this has inspired you to give it a crack. If you do - let me know. If you have any advice for others, please post a comment. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun.
Best
Rich
if you feel your friends would like this Blog, please send them a link. http://daviskites.blogspot.com/
Saturday, 8 January 2011
My most commonly used websites - add yours.....
Here are some of my top web sites. Everyone should check these out at lease once. Many, if not all, of these may seem obvious, but I am adding them here so I can check in a few years time to see how things have changed. You might enjoy a similar exercise.
I spend a lot of my leisure surfing time on Facebook. I also use the BBC for news, and am a heavy YouTube user for learning new skills. I mainly use my own music library on iTunes, but do frequent Spotify and LastFM. Most of my photo sharing is via Facebook, but Flickr is also a good site. I have just started Blogging on Blogger, and am an occasional Twitter user (or Tweeter - whatever!) I am a member of some useful groups on LinkedIn for business. I do most of my shopping on Amazon, apart from more specialist items. I love Stumbleupon to find new interesting web sites.
So that's about it! I'd love to hear your additions and web habits. Please post your comments below.
I spend a lot of my leisure surfing time on Facebook. I also use the BBC for news, and am a heavy YouTube user for learning new skills. I mainly use my own music library on iTunes, but do frequent Spotify and LastFM. Most of my photo sharing is via Facebook, but Flickr is also a good site. I have just started Blogging on Blogger, and am an occasional Twitter user (or Tweeter - whatever!) I am a member of some useful groups on LinkedIn for business. I do most of my shopping on Amazon, apart from more specialist items. I love Stumbleupon to find new interesting web sites.
So that's about it! I'd love to hear your additions and web habits. Please post your comments below.
www.google.co.uk - Best search engine on the web.
www.facebook.com - Social networking, finding people, staying in touch. Fantastic.
www.wikipedia.com - Information on anything - for free.
www.youtube.com - I find best for How to stuff. e.g. how to play xxx on guitar.
www.bbc.co.uk - Best news website.
www.amazon.co.uk - Best shopping web site.
www.ebay.co.uk - Best auction website.
www.blogger.com - Best Blogging website.
www.findaproperty.com - Best UK property website.
www.last.fm - Great free music website. Like your own personal radio, based on your favourite genre.
www.spotify.com - Great free music site.
www.stumbleupon.com - Takes you to great web sites based on your interests. Great random fun.
www.flickr.com - Photo sharing website and community
www.twitter.com - don't really see the hype or use too often, but I feel I have to include it.
www.linkedin.com - Best business social networking site.
www.imdb.com - Best Movie website
Writing that was quite interesting. I spend more time on many of these web sites, than I do watching TV. How our habits are changing! I may ask my son to do the same.
Also - let's have some feedback on what will be the next big thing on the web. 2011 - 2020 - what will we see. Who will be dominant? What new webventions will we witness. How many near overnight Billionaires will be created?
Discuss.
Rich :-)
www.facebook.com - Social networking, finding people, staying in touch. Fantastic.
www.wikipedia.com - Information on anything - for free.
www.youtube.com - I find best for How to stuff. e.g. how to play xxx on guitar.
www.bbc.co.uk - Best news website.
www.amazon.co.uk - Best shopping web site.
www.ebay.co.uk - Best auction website.
www.blogger.com - Best Blogging website.
www.findaproperty.com - Best UK property website.
www.last.fm - Great free music website. Like your own personal radio, based on your favourite genre.
www.spotify.com - Great free music site.
www.stumbleupon.com - Takes you to great web sites based on your interests. Great random fun.
www.flickr.com - Photo sharing website and community
www.twitter.com - don't really see the hype or use too often, but I feel I have to include it.
www.linkedin.com - Best business social networking site.
www.imdb.com - Best Movie website
Writing that was quite interesting. I spend more time on many of these web sites, than I do watching TV. How our habits are changing! I may ask my son to do the same.
Also - let's have some feedback on what will be the next big thing on the web. 2011 - 2020 - what will we see. Who will be dominant? What new webventions will we witness. How many near overnight Billionaires will be created?
Discuss.
Rich :-)
Friday, 7 January 2011
When I'm Happy I............
I was thinking today about what makes me happy.
Have a quick go at this...
What makes you Sad??
What makes you Happy??
Many people find it really easy to moan about all the things that make them sad. If you find that you are able to more quickly think of stuff that makes you unhappy, compared to stuff that makes you happy, it's worth taking some time to think why this might be the case?
There are a couple of mind processes at play here. The first (and often quoted) reason is that "there are just loads of things that aren't going right for me at the moment!" The second (and more reasoned answer) is that people tend to get more of what they focus on. If you are focused on bad stuff, then you will get more bad stuff. Good news though - if you do the opposite - guess what!
Are you a person who focuses on "Haves" or "Have Nots"?
How about trying for a week to feel gratitude for all of the things you can be grateful for. When you wake up, when you are driving to work, when you are eating your lunch or even right after you have had a disagreement with someone. I think you'll be amazed at how your perspective of life will change, and more importantly how many more "Happy" experiences and feelings you will begin to attract.
The reason I wrote this is because I was feeling unhappy, and in just a few paragraphs - I'm feeling better.
One more thing - I read a great line today. "It's not what you know, it's what you DO!" A wise person, whom I have deep respect for, reminded me recently that theory is one thing, and putting it into practice is a whole different ball game. How true.
Have a great weekend
Rich
Have a quick go at this...
What makes you Sad??
What makes you Happy??
Many people find it really easy to moan about all the things that make them sad. If you find that you are able to more quickly think of stuff that makes you unhappy, compared to stuff that makes you happy, it's worth taking some time to think why this might be the case?
There are a couple of mind processes at play here. The first (and often quoted) reason is that "there are just loads of things that aren't going right for me at the moment!" The second (and more reasoned answer) is that people tend to get more of what they focus on. If you are focused on bad stuff, then you will get more bad stuff. Good news though - if you do the opposite - guess what!
Are you a person who focuses on "Haves" or "Have Nots"?
How about trying for a week to feel gratitude for all of the things you can be grateful for. When you wake up, when you are driving to work, when you are eating your lunch or even right after you have had a disagreement with someone. I think you'll be amazed at how your perspective of life will change, and more importantly how many more "Happy" experiences and feelings you will begin to attract.
The reason I wrote this is because I was feeling unhappy, and in just a few paragraphs - I'm feeling better.
One more thing - I read a great line today. "It's not what you know, it's what you DO!" A wise person, whom I have deep respect for, reminded me recently that theory is one thing, and putting it into practice is a whole different ball game. How true.
Have a great weekend
Rich
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Limited or Limitless? Self set boundaries....
I was thinking about something that happened to me some time ago on the running machine.
I was set a specific program on the treadmill that speeds up and slows down over the 25 minute workout. It also automatically changed the hill setting. I had been running on the same program for about 3 weeks, and feeling fitter every day. I decided to ask my trainer to change the program, and make it a little more difficult.
We discussed what I wanted, and I had an idea of what was near the maximum I could achieve without falling off the machine and embarrassing myself in the gym! The program started with a warm up, and then got more difficult towards the middle with a cool down set for the last 5 minutes. On the old program I had to sprint for 60 seconds on speed 14.5 at the hardest part, and I asked my trainer to put this up to speed 16, and increase the difficulty of all the other variables by 10%.
Anyway - I came to do the program for the first time, and I was absolutely out of it by the time I got to the hard sprint in the middle. The warm up had been harder, and I was really pushing myself.
I cranked my iPod up to full volume and hit my favourite song for the nasty bit and dug in. I was ready do drop by the time 55 seconds came up, and was yearning for the next 60 seconds when I could go to a jogging pace. My legs felt like lead weights and I was blowing really hard.
What happened next is where I learned my lesson. The 60 seconds came and went. To my surprise and abject horror, the settings remained the same and I continued with the fast sprint! My instructor had programmed the machine for 120 seconds not 60; I had a decision to make. Push through it and see how long I could manage, or quit.
Now - I really did think about hitting the stop button, I really REALLY did, but I went for it. That 60 seconds was painful - I am not recommending it! The thing is though - that I managed it, and managed to finish the whole program. I really surprised myself. The limit that I had set was not easy, and I was forced to go harder than I thought I could through sheer surprise.
I put this down to a couple of things. I was emotionally blindfolded to the additional minutes sprint - it was a surprise. By breaking down a seemingly 2 minute impossible sprint (for me) into 60 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a final 2 sets of 15 seconds (this is how I mentally got through each section), I had broken the challenge into smaller parts, and fooled my brain.
I then found a really cool video on YouTube the other day which reminded me a little bit about how we set our own limits. I will share this with you at the end of this post, but want to impress upon you that to a large extent your limits are your own.
Suspend your disbelief occasionally, and see what you are capable of. You might surprise yourself!
By the way - don't go to the gym and set the running machine to full tilt without asking someone first. I don't want to be responsible for any heart attacks, but I think you get my point :-)
Happy days to you all, and here is the link I mentioned from YouTube. It's 6 minutes long, but I promise if you stick with it, you will love it. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but then hey - I am easily pleased.
Rich
I was set a specific program on the treadmill that speeds up and slows down over the 25 minute workout. It also automatically changed the hill setting. I had been running on the same program for about 3 weeks, and feeling fitter every day. I decided to ask my trainer to change the program, and make it a little more difficult.
We discussed what I wanted, and I had an idea of what was near the maximum I could achieve without falling off the machine and embarrassing myself in the gym! The program started with a warm up, and then got more difficult towards the middle with a cool down set for the last 5 minutes. On the old program I had to sprint for 60 seconds on speed 14.5 at the hardest part, and I asked my trainer to put this up to speed 16, and increase the difficulty of all the other variables by 10%.
Anyway - I came to do the program for the first time, and I was absolutely out of it by the time I got to the hard sprint in the middle. The warm up had been harder, and I was really pushing myself.
I cranked my iPod up to full volume and hit my favourite song for the nasty bit and dug in. I was ready do drop by the time 55 seconds came up, and was yearning for the next 60 seconds when I could go to a jogging pace. My legs felt like lead weights and I was blowing really hard.
What happened next is where I learned my lesson. The 60 seconds came and went. To my surprise and abject horror, the settings remained the same and I continued with the fast sprint! My instructor had programmed the machine for 120 seconds not 60; I had a decision to make. Push through it and see how long I could manage, or quit.
Now - I really did think about hitting the stop button, I really REALLY did, but I went for it. That 60 seconds was painful - I am not recommending it! The thing is though - that I managed it, and managed to finish the whole program. I really surprised myself. The limit that I had set was not easy, and I was forced to go harder than I thought I could through sheer surprise.
I put this down to a couple of things. I was emotionally blindfolded to the additional minutes sprint - it was a surprise. By breaking down a seemingly 2 minute impossible sprint (for me) into 60 seconds, then 30 seconds, then a final 2 sets of 15 seconds (this is how I mentally got through each section), I had broken the challenge into smaller parts, and fooled my brain.
I then found a really cool video on YouTube the other day which reminded me a little bit about how we set our own limits. I will share this with you at the end of this post, but want to impress upon you that to a large extent your limits are your own.
Suspend your disbelief occasionally, and see what you are capable of. You might surprise yourself!
By the way - don't go to the gym and set the running machine to full tilt without asking someone first. I don't want to be responsible for any heart attacks, but I think you get my point :-)
Happy days to you all, and here is the link I mentioned from YouTube. It's 6 minutes long, but I promise if you stick with it, you will love it. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, but then hey - I am easily pleased.
Rich
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
A conversation with my Daughter - what our children can teach us...
I've just had a great conversation with my 9 year old daughter. Here's some background first....
For Christmas, Christina (9 years old) was presented with a massive box of e numbers (some stuff called Rainbow Dust). It's the kind of stuff that is basically a long plastic tube of sugar that has been made into different colours, and then mixed with some chemicals that makes kids go loopy. If you are a parent - you know the stuff I mean.
Anyway - She comes into the room and says (with her best puppy face on) - "Daddy - can I have a rainbow dust?"
At this juncture - you have a number of options as a parent. You see, you don't want to dash the hopes of the little mite, and at the same time you don't want to seem a push over. All this needs to be balanced with doing the best for your prodigy. It's a tightrope.
I always find that the best initial approach is to get more information. So I started with the following:
Dad: "Have you had one already today?"
Christina: "Yes."
Surprise, Surprise. A good demonstration of truth, and delivered in the feeling that this will gain her some extra points towards achieving the goal. Incidentally - great that she didn't just go and get one without asking - in the moral horseplay, she's ahead already.
Dad: "When did you have one?"
Christina: "Hmm - I can't remember"
This basically translates to "quite recently." After some pondering I strike on a gem of a response - interlaced with some risk, but go for it anyway.
Dad: "If you were me, would you let you have one?"
Christina frowns; you can see the cogs turning. She wants to demonstrate that she can do the right thing, but she REALLY wants a rainbow dust. Pause - Pause - Frown - Searching for an answer.
Christina: "Probably not."
Eurika!
Dad: "Well - I tell you what darling - it's up to you if you have one or not. The decision is yours. I trust you to do the right thing."
Christina: Frowning more "OK, I won't have one. Can I have a yogurt?"
Dad: "Yes"
Christina: Feeling that she has some control again. "Can I have two?"
Dad: Proud that she is trying for more and living on the edge "Yes"
Christina: Wanders off happy.
This of course made me smile. It also reminded me that as adults, we often don't have the guidance of doing what we should, as opposed to doing what we want. I wonder?? I might start asking my children if I can have that new guitar, or the extra helping of pudding on a Sunday!
Have a great day.
Rich
For Christmas, Christina (9 years old) was presented with a massive box of e numbers (some stuff called Rainbow Dust). It's the kind of stuff that is basically a long plastic tube of sugar that has been made into different colours, and then mixed with some chemicals that makes kids go loopy. If you are a parent - you know the stuff I mean.
Anyway - She comes into the room and says (with her best puppy face on) - "Daddy - can I have a rainbow dust?"
At this juncture - you have a number of options as a parent. You see, you don't want to dash the hopes of the little mite, and at the same time you don't want to seem a push over. All this needs to be balanced with doing the best for your prodigy. It's a tightrope.
I always find that the best initial approach is to get more information. So I started with the following:
Dad: "Have you had one already today?"
Christina: "Yes."
Surprise, Surprise. A good demonstration of truth, and delivered in the feeling that this will gain her some extra points towards achieving the goal. Incidentally - great that she didn't just go and get one without asking - in the moral horseplay, she's ahead already.
Dad: "When did you have one?"
Christina: "Hmm - I can't remember"
This basically translates to "quite recently." After some pondering I strike on a gem of a response - interlaced with some risk, but go for it anyway.
Dad: "If you were me, would you let you have one?"
Christina frowns; you can see the cogs turning. She wants to demonstrate that she can do the right thing, but she REALLY wants a rainbow dust. Pause - Pause - Frown - Searching for an answer.
Christina: "Probably not."
Eurika!
Dad: "Well - I tell you what darling - it's up to you if you have one or not. The decision is yours. I trust you to do the right thing."
Christina: Frowning more "OK, I won't have one. Can I have a yogurt?"
Dad: "Yes"
Christina: Feeling that she has some control again. "Can I have two?"
Dad: Proud that she is trying for more and living on the edge "Yes"
Christina: Wanders off happy.
This of course made me smile. It also reminded me that as adults, we often don't have the guidance of doing what we should, as opposed to doing what we want. I wonder?? I might start asking my children if I can have that new guitar, or the extra helping of pudding on a Sunday!
Have a great day.
Rich
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
The Honey Badger - My favourite animal
Well it all started some time ago when a friend of mine told me about the Honey Badger.
Honey Badgers (Mellivora Capensis) are pound for pound, recognised as the toughest creatures on the face of the earth. Also known as the Ratel the Honey Badger is found throughout most of Africa. They are named “the most fearless animal in the world” in the Guinness book of world records. Some quotes are that:
They make love for 24 hours straight.
Check out my web site for pictures and news on this amazing animal.
I even have my very own Mascot - Buster. He was rescued and lives with his human “parents” Vernon and Tone in Hoekwil, Wilderness, South Africa.
Join our Facebook Honey Badger group here:
Monday, 3 January 2011
What I'm reading - My Booky Wook 2, Russell Brand - My Review eouw euow euooow..
Well well well. What a great read I am having at the moment. Brand's style is funny and playfully intellectual.
Russell likes to blither on, in his pixie type way, with an outpouring of grandiose musings in a multitude of personalities. His brutally honest portrayal of his feelings, and quite frankly cringeworthy antics kept me hanging in for more as I skipped happily through every page. For a man with an ego the size of his appetite for sexual craziness (trust me - massive), he talks in detail of his past as an addict in one breath, and then of his utter glee at his stardom and transformation in another.
From how he coaxed Kate Moss to his seedy lair, to his meeting Katie Perry and subsequent engagement and the (hang on - can't do powers of ten on this keyboard) women in-between, through to his relationship with Jonathan Ross and his meetings with Morrisey..... a long sentence to attempt an expression of the breathless nature of reading this book..... every chapter is a gem.
I'll try to give you an idea of how much I enjoyed this book. I have 2 children, and a personal childlike fanaticism with Christmas. I even had to procure some valium to help me relax and get a modicum of sleep on Christmas Eve, alas to no avail. I still found myself awake at 4am, eating Marmite on toast, with little more than 3 hours of interrupted and excited sleep. I even woke up before my kids, and that just isn't normal for an adult when Santa's visiting :-)
Christmas day was a blur of excited children, marathon cooking and far too much food. By Christmas evening, I was absolutely knackered, and wandered off to bed and expectant "tranquil sleep land" at around 10pm.
I had received My Booky Wook 2 for Christmas from my wife, and had been looking forward to starting the first chapter all day. I though I would manage about a paragraph before my body finally gave in to fatigue, but was amazed to find myself squinting at the clock at midnight after scorching through the first few chapters.
I eventually went off to sleep a contented and happy man, and dreamt of strange antics embodied and accented by the ego of Russell Brand.
A bit like Marmite is Russell, but I have to say - I like Marmite, and I love this book. It's great escapism, and I highly recommend you read it.
As for those who don't like Marmite - The SWINES! :-)
Have a great day.
Russell likes to blither on, in his pixie type way, with an outpouring of grandiose musings in a multitude of personalities. His brutally honest portrayal of his feelings, and quite frankly cringeworthy antics kept me hanging in for more as I skipped happily through every page. For a man with an ego the size of his appetite for sexual craziness (trust me - massive), he talks in detail of his past as an addict in one breath, and then of his utter glee at his stardom and transformation in another.
From how he coaxed Kate Moss to his seedy lair, to his meeting Katie Perry and subsequent engagement and the (hang on - can't do powers of ten on this keyboard) women in-between, through to his relationship with Jonathan Ross and his meetings with Morrisey..... a long sentence to attempt an expression of the breathless nature of reading this book..... every chapter is a gem.
I'll try to give you an idea of how much I enjoyed this book. I have 2 children, and a personal childlike fanaticism with Christmas. I even had to procure some valium to help me relax and get a modicum of sleep on Christmas Eve, alas to no avail. I still found myself awake at 4am, eating Marmite on toast, with little more than 3 hours of interrupted and excited sleep. I even woke up before my kids, and that just isn't normal for an adult when Santa's visiting :-)
Christmas day was a blur of excited children, marathon cooking and far too much food. By Christmas evening, I was absolutely knackered, and wandered off to bed and expectant "tranquil sleep land" at around 10pm.
I had received My Booky Wook 2 for Christmas from my wife, and had been looking forward to starting the first chapter all day. I though I would manage about a paragraph before my body finally gave in to fatigue, but was amazed to find myself squinting at the clock at midnight after scorching through the first few chapters.
I eventually went off to sleep a contented and happy man, and dreamt of strange antics embodied and accented by the ego of Russell Brand.
A bit like Marmite is Russell, but I have to say - I like Marmite, and I love this book. It's great escapism, and I highly recommend you read it.
As for those who don't like Marmite - The SWINES! :-)
Have a great day.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Plan for a GREAT 2011
OK folks. It's that time of year when we all jot down a load of New Years Resolutions. I can see you now - struggling to decide what to put. Is that realistic? Will I stick to that one? I know - let's put "get fit....."
Sound Familiar? Well - this is a GREAT time to set some goals for the year ahead. What is most frustrating for many people is getting past week 1, and sticking to your intentions! I'm here to tell you, that if you just make your list in a slightly different way, then create some new habits, your chances of success are infinitely higher than before. Why not take a little extra time to make your list, and really describe what you are GOING (not trying) to achieve in the year ahead :-)
The thing about goals are that you need to feel rewarded by their attainment, but you also need to be able to "enjoy the journey." Many people split goals or resolutions down into a check list to make sure that they are suitable, and more motivational.
Oh that reminds me - it sounds obvious, but the first thing you MUST do is write your resolutions down! Make them into a compelling list, draw pictures and doodles on them, make them fun - do whatever you like, but commit them to paper. Just write whatever comes into your head. Take a good 10 minutes doing this. Use different colours, put your favourite music on, turn up the volume, and go mad - it's your life - go wild!
You should have a good list. Now write H for High, M for Medium and L for Low Priority next to each one. Then rewrite the lists in High, Medium and Low Priority order. Then for each list write Easy, Medium or Hard next to each specific resolution / goal. I want you to have a balanced list of resolutions. I'd then like you to pick your favourite Easy, Medium and Hard from each list, and start the exercise below with each of these.
If this all feels like a lot of effort - have a word with your subconscious. This is FUN. You are planning a better you! A more enjoyable life! Why not make some time to do this, and really allow yourself to feel excited, and enjoy the process.
OK - for each of your favourite resolutions I would like to you apply the following technique to make sure that you have GOOD GOALS.
A good way to do this is to use the SMART technique.
SMART goals exhibit the following characteristics:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T - Time based
So - let's take a common New Year Resolution - Get Fit. This can manifest itself in a New Years Resolution list in a number of ways. You could simply write - Get Fit. Or you might write Join a Gym.
The problem with both of these is that Get Fit is not really Specific enough. Join a Gym may help you reach your goal, but there is no mention on how you will USE the gym. You need to get specific. So a good start might be
"I will get fit this year. This will make me feel healthier and give me more energy to accomplish my other goals. It will give me a sense of achievement, and allow me to lose the 20 lb's I need to shift. I will feel more confident, and will look great on the beech during my summer holiday. My friends will comment on how good I am looking, and how my mood is elevated for more of the time."
Now that's specific!
So now we must make it measurable. Specifically - how many times will you use the gym per week. What do you see as the pitfalls in your plan, and how can you make preparations for when they occur, so you can stay motivated?
Remember - if you are not used to exercise, be kind to yourself in the early stages. If you are not joining a gym, but going running, then start by walking, and build up gradually. There s nothing worse for demotivation than running off at the pace you remember you could the last time you excerecised to find you are in pain, a world of suffering and aching badly the next day. Take your time. There is no rush, just consistency and commitment that win the day with this one!
So - I will attend the gym every day for a year - could be a good goal. BUT - be honest with yourself. If this Achievable and Realistic? Will you have the time? I would recommend that you write something like this.
"I will attend the gym at least 2 times per week on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. As my training plan evolves, I will review this on a monthly basis. If I manage to get to the gym in additional to this base commitment, then GREAT!"
The above also includes an element of the T in Time. It also allows some space for review and overachievement.
So let's go back to our original goal - Get Fit. Well - another thing about goals, is that they work better if you have a target, and also if you have support.
How do you measure "Get Fit"? It could be by weight loss. It could be that you prepare for an event. e.g. Run 5k, 10k, Run a marathon, do 50 press-ups, 100 press-ups, 1000 press-ups! Choose your longer term goal, and aim for it. Do another quick SMART check on it. Is it realistic? If it isn't at this point, then break it down.
There is NOTHING to say that you can't run 100k of you are committed to do so. What you will need is patience, and the ability to break this goal into more manageable chunks. Aim for 1k. Celebrate. Then 3 k - celebrate, then 5k etc. You will get there in the end if you keep moving, are motivated, and apply the principles above.
Finally - don't go for an "all or nothing" approach. If you fail to hit any stage of your goal, it's a learning opportunity, not a failure or an EXCUSE to stop. If you manage to get to the gym once in a week, revaluate your goal. Why did you miss your target this week? Do you need a friend to come with you for more motivation? Are you getting bored - if so change your exercise plan. Variety is the key - don't just do the same thing week in week out - you will get bored. All this should be fun!
So here is an example of a good goal to "get Fit".
"I will get fit this year. This will make me feel healthier and give me more energy to accomplish my other goals. It will give me a sense of achievement, and allow me to lose the 20 lb's I need to shift. I will feel more confident, and will look great on the beech during my summer holiday. My friends will comment on how good I am looking, and how my mood is elevated for more of the time.
My definition of fit is as follows. I will lose 20lb's in weight slowly ad healthily through exercise and moderation of my diet. I will get my resting pulse rate down to 65 beats per minute. I will train to compete in the local 10k run in September this year. I will draw up a training plan over the next 2 weeks and stick to this. I will attend the gym at least 2 times per week, and take up Tennis and Golf to provide variety. I will ask my friends to join me to provide a welcome social element to my training. I will continuously check on a weekly basis that I am progressing toward my goal, and will not be affected negatively by any setbacks, but will learn from them and change my plan to suit my needs.
When I achieve my goal, I will CELEBRATE, evaluate the process, and see what worked and what didn't. I will then be excited to set a new goal, and continue to enjoy the process and healthy habit of getting and being fit!"
I hope this has helped you. If you feel that your friends would benefit, please recommend they read my Blog.
Have fun - and stick with it. I'd love to hear your feedback, successes and setbacks. You can do it. I know you can. :-)
I used the above technique to train for a Triathlon. I didn't break any records, but completed the race, raised a load of money for charity, and felt an amazing sense of achievement. Oh - and I got quite fit as a side effect :-)
Happy New Year....
Sound Familiar? Well - this is a GREAT time to set some goals for the year ahead. What is most frustrating for many people is getting past week 1, and sticking to your intentions! I'm here to tell you, that if you just make your list in a slightly different way, then create some new habits, your chances of success are infinitely higher than before. Why not take a little extra time to make your list, and really describe what you are GOING (not trying) to achieve in the year ahead :-)
The thing about goals are that you need to feel rewarded by their attainment, but you also need to be able to "enjoy the journey." Many people split goals or resolutions down into a check list to make sure that they are suitable, and more motivational.
Oh that reminds me - it sounds obvious, but the first thing you MUST do is write your resolutions down! Make them into a compelling list, draw pictures and doodles on them, make them fun - do whatever you like, but commit them to paper. Just write whatever comes into your head. Take a good 10 minutes doing this. Use different colours, put your favourite music on, turn up the volume, and go mad - it's your life - go wild!
You should have a good list. Now write H for High, M for Medium and L for Low Priority next to each one. Then rewrite the lists in High, Medium and Low Priority order. Then for each list write Easy, Medium or Hard next to each specific resolution / goal. I want you to have a balanced list of resolutions. I'd then like you to pick your favourite Easy, Medium and Hard from each list, and start the exercise below with each of these.
If this all feels like a lot of effort - have a word with your subconscious. This is FUN. You are planning a better you! A more enjoyable life! Why not make some time to do this, and really allow yourself to feel excited, and enjoy the process.
OK - for each of your favourite resolutions I would like to you apply the following technique to make sure that you have GOOD GOALS.
A good way to do this is to use the SMART technique.
SMART goals exhibit the following characteristics:
S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic
T - Time based
So - let's take a common New Year Resolution - Get Fit. This can manifest itself in a New Years Resolution list in a number of ways. You could simply write - Get Fit. Or you might write Join a Gym.
The problem with both of these is that Get Fit is not really Specific enough. Join a Gym may help you reach your goal, but there is no mention on how you will USE the gym. You need to get specific. So a good start might be
"I will get fit this year. This will make me feel healthier and give me more energy to accomplish my other goals. It will give me a sense of achievement, and allow me to lose the 20 lb's I need to shift. I will feel more confident, and will look great on the beech during my summer holiday. My friends will comment on how good I am looking, and how my mood is elevated for more of the time."
Now that's specific!
So now we must make it measurable. Specifically - how many times will you use the gym per week. What do you see as the pitfalls in your plan, and how can you make preparations for when they occur, so you can stay motivated?
Remember - if you are not used to exercise, be kind to yourself in the early stages. If you are not joining a gym, but going running, then start by walking, and build up gradually. There s nothing worse for demotivation than running off at the pace you remember you could the last time you excerecised to find you are in pain, a world of suffering and aching badly the next day. Take your time. There is no rush, just consistency and commitment that win the day with this one!
So - I will attend the gym every day for a year - could be a good goal. BUT - be honest with yourself. If this Achievable and Realistic? Will you have the time? I would recommend that you write something like this.
"I will attend the gym at least 2 times per week on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings. As my training plan evolves, I will review this on a monthly basis. If I manage to get to the gym in additional to this base commitment, then GREAT!"
The above also includes an element of the T in Time. It also allows some space for review and overachievement.
So let's go back to our original goal - Get Fit. Well - another thing about goals, is that they work better if you have a target, and also if you have support.
How do you measure "Get Fit"? It could be by weight loss. It could be that you prepare for an event. e.g. Run 5k, 10k, Run a marathon, do 50 press-ups, 100 press-ups, 1000 press-ups! Choose your longer term goal, and aim for it. Do another quick SMART check on it. Is it realistic? If it isn't at this point, then break it down.
There is NOTHING to say that you can't run 100k of you are committed to do so. What you will need is patience, and the ability to break this goal into more manageable chunks. Aim for 1k. Celebrate. Then 3 k - celebrate, then 5k etc. You will get there in the end if you keep moving, are motivated, and apply the principles above.
Finally - don't go for an "all or nothing" approach. If you fail to hit any stage of your goal, it's a learning opportunity, not a failure or an EXCUSE to stop. If you manage to get to the gym once in a week, revaluate your goal. Why did you miss your target this week? Do you need a friend to come with you for more motivation? Are you getting bored - if so change your exercise plan. Variety is the key - don't just do the same thing week in week out - you will get bored. All this should be fun!
So here is an example of a good goal to "get Fit".
"I will get fit this year. This will make me feel healthier and give me more energy to accomplish my other goals. It will give me a sense of achievement, and allow me to lose the 20 lb's I need to shift. I will feel more confident, and will look great on the beech during my summer holiday. My friends will comment on how good I am looking, and how my mood is elevated for more of the time.
My definition of fit is as follows. I will lose 20lb's in weight slowly ad healthily through exercise and moderation of my diet. I will get my resting pulse rate down to 65 beats per minute. I will train to compete in the local 10k run in September this year. I will draw up a training plan over the next 2 weeks and stick to this. I will attend the gym at least 2 times per week, and take up Tennis and Golf to provide variety. I will ask my friends to join me to provide a welcome social element to my training. I will continuously check on a weekly basis that I am progressing toward my goal, and will not be affected negatively by any setbacks, but will learn from them and change my plan to suit my needs.
When I achieve my goal, I will CELEBRATE, evaluate the process, and see what worked and what didn't. I will then be excited to set a new goal, and continue to enjoy the process and healthy habit of getting and being fit!"
I hope this has helped you. If you feel that your friends would benefit, please recommend they read my Blog.
Have fun - and stick with it. I'd love to hear your feedback, successes and setbacks. You can do it. I know you can. :-)
I used the above technique to train for a Triathlon. I didn't break any records, but completed the race, raised a load of money for charity, and felt an amazing sense of achievement. Oh - and I got quite fit as a side effect :-)
Happy New Year....
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Art by Kerry Darlington
I'd like to share with you some photographs of work by one of my favourite artists, Kerry Darlington.
I originally encountered Kerry's art in a local gallery in Surrey, England. We had just decorated our bedroom, and were looking for something that represented tranquility and spiritual restfulness. I am a big fan of nature, and everything magical; Kerry's work immediately jumped out from the other paintings in the Gallery, and we just had to make the purchase.
It was only after we had acquired some of Kerry's work, that we discovered some of the inspiration behind much of her art. Kerry, like me, had enjoyed the writing of Enid Blyton as a child, and was particularly captivated by "The Magic Faraway Tree" series. The books describe an enchanted world centred around a magical tree where numerous characters live and play. You will see much of this magic in Kerry's work; much of her subject matter involves elf and pixie like characters, amazing colours, original media techniques and deep emotional meaning and attachment. I have included a link at the end of this post if you are interested in learning more about Enid's books.
Our initial investment was from Kerry's very popular "Tree of Life" series of paintings. We were lucky enough to catch one of her early originals from the Gallery. Subsequently, we purchased a second "tree" for installation at Kingston MRI. Feedback from the patients has been fantastic - Kerry Darlington's magical tree continues to provide a comfortable and tranquil environment in the reception of this private facility in Surrey, England.
Kerry has been nominated for numerous awards, most recently shortlisted as finalist for the Fine Art Trade Guild 'Best-Selling Published Artist 2010' Award.
Last year I was privileged to meet with Kerry and her husband Cris at their studio in Wales. What can I say - what a lovely experience. Kerry and Cris were so welcoming, and really took time to talk to me about their work.
For more information on Kerry's work you can visit her web site
Kerry's Blog
The shots below are a selection from my private collection, and must not be reproduced without permission. I do hope you enjoy them.
Kerry Darlington and her masterpiece - Tree of Life.
This work measures 8ft by 4ft and took Kerry 3 months to complete.
Kerry Darlington in her studio
Kerry and I - February 2010.
Cris and Kerry Darlington
This shot shows the 3 dimensional nature of Kerry's style. The work is layered and lacquered to achieve Kerry's original, and often imitated, style.
More information on Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books can be found here
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