Today I shall be Mainly...

[Stanley]

That's what I think when I look out of the shed window Sue. There's little doubt now that summer is a wash out in Barlick! Good job I can go straight into the shed from the kitchen, no walking down the garden in the rain to get in there! However, the slugs are having a whale of a time!

[Sue]

I spent the day cutting out a complex Chinese brocade jacket. It was the very first thing I drafted myself about two years ago and went drastically wrong. This is version two with a few modifications to the fit. Today, when it is raining again, I shall cut out the lining. Actually yesterday was drier than forecast but cool. Today will reach a maximum of 17 degrees, normally we are basking in28-29 at this time of year. I agree the summer of 2017 is a summer that wasn't. Bet the sun starts shining the day the kids go back to school

[Stanley]

You could be right Sue! I have a day out on the canal with Uncle Bob and Paulette and my old mentor Steve and his wife June on August 31. It would be nice if we had a good day then....



I shall be maintaining standards finishing this slide valve.....

[Sue]

I did a bit of cleaning yesterday and rearranged the furniture in the lounge. Bob has finished plumbing the sink in the old grain store and a although the lining on the walls and ceiling aren't finished I now have functioning art room.

I shall wash the cupboards out today and put my art things in there. I was given an easel by a friend before we came here. She was downsizing as she is moving house. So I can set that up too. All should be good when our friends Wendy and Keith come in a couple of weeks.

We have some visits planned, Monets garden and the Bayeaux tapestry, but Wendy and I will also do some art if the weather is bad here. Wendy is a very talented artist. I think Monets garden is going to be a bit battered and flowerless unfortunately

I have creatively been adorning an old table. When we first set up the place here we were a bit devoid of furniture so we accepted anything we were given. I painted an old mahogany table in a shabby chic style to match the kitchen. This has long since been replaced with the furniture from the kitchen in the cottage in Anglesey. So I have sanded the paint down and decoupaged the top with local newspaper articles that reflect our life here. I shall put a couple of coats of varnish on and hey presto we have a casual table ideal for doing jigsaws on as our jigsaw board fits on it perfectly. We have completed FOUR this summer.

Talking of Anglesey the sale trundles on. We keep being asked things like have we got the plans for the extension, when we're the double dazed windows put in, is it cavity wall insulated. All things done before we bought it 20 years ago. Anyway the sale is going through, hopefully we will complete shortly after we return home

[Marilyn]

I am on my 6th jigsaw this Winter...
I have made a decision to go slow on it, to give Hubby a chance. He has been so busy for weeks that he only puts about 10 minutes in as I finish off cooking dinner. So I am basically leaving the last quarter to him. ( I have done the hardest bits! - and it was hard too - had to use a magnifying glass to search every damn rock on a cliff!!!)

[Marilyn]

I am quite taken with the thought of your decoupage table, Sue.
Hope we get a photo...
I have a few boxes I am still hopeful of getting round to decoupaging ( I used to do it years ago).

[Stanley]

My version of decoupage.



I shall have to stop building now the cylinder is complete. I have to design the rest of the engine and write for the paper....

[Sue]

Another cool day but at least sunny. We got out and about, a trip to a local market, lunch out, a visit to friends, Bob trimmed several shrubs in the garden and I cleaned the art room Bob has created. It still has no ceiling only roof rafters, and no plaster board on the walls but is absolutely functional. I have put a photo on gallery but for the life of me can't remember how to insert it. Don't all laugh

[Wendyf]

[Stanley]

That looks fine to me Sue! I wish I had as much space in the shed......

[Tripps]

I have put a photo on gallery but for the life of me can't remember how to insert it. Don't all laugh

I won't be laughing Sue - I spent some time last night trying to post pictures and failed. It was hard / impossible to navigate round the categories to decide where to put them, and I had a print out Panbiker's instructions in front of me and still couldn't do it. I managed eventually to upload them to the gallery, then came to a halt. One was of the flowers on my mint, (I think yours are on steroids Sue), and the other was of the first plums on my tree.

I've done it before, and I won't be beaten, I'll try again later.

[PanBiker]

Open your image in gallery.
Copy the contents of the first box under the image (Image-URL)
Navigate to your post and place cursor where you want the image.
Click insert image icon (Small Mountain) and paste your previously copied string between the [img] codes.
Using CRTL V and then the END key is the quickest way.

Sounds more complicated than it is.

[Tripps]

Bless you for your patience Ian - that's about the tenth time you've explained it.

I think we're there.

[PanBiker]

It looks like the penny has dropped Tripps, well done.

The Gallery is not the most intuitive add on from a working point of view, however it is the best (and only) option available for the platform.

Unfortunately we are more or less stuck with the categories that Doc created a few years ago, certainly for existing images uploaded. I can generate new categories but need to be told what folk want. I looked at creating one for all my amateur radio images. Creating the album is no problem but moving existing images within the gallery is a nightmare as you can only do them one at once, there is no multiple select and move option.

If anyone does want a different album category please say so.

[Tripps]

Ian - I see there is a facility for a personal album. I tried to create one but wasn't allowed to.
At least I'd be able to find my pictures if I had one, but does this make them 'private' - and thus would not be desirable.

[PanBiker]

I can create personal albums and set permissions on them. We can have a play around if you wish.

The gallery is a separate module and has a separate permission system to that of the board. I should also add that there are no instructions on how it works!. The gallery is currently set to allow all users access to all images. It's the easiest to configure.

I have made an album for you, can you see it in your profile or the gallery?

[Stanley]

One bit of advice I'd give is that if you want to retrieve your images easily, name them with subject and date and keep a copy in a file on your own hard drive. The search facility on the gallery is not perfect and you can always find them again in your own copy and repost. That means there are duplications in the gallery but nobody has ever told me it has a limit.
I wrote three articles yesterday, it's a toss up whether I write more or go into the shed. I am tending towards writing......

[Sue]

Open your image in gallery.
Copy the contents of the first box under the image (Image-URL)
Navigate to your post and place cursor where you want the image.
Click insert image icon (Small Mountain) and paste your previously copied string between the [img] codes.
Using CRTL V and then the END key is the quickest way.

Sounds more complicated than it is.

That's what I thought I did! However the image won't open to reveal that magic URL

[Sue]

Open your image in gallery.
Copy the contents of the first box under the image (Image-URL)
Navigate to your post and place cursor where you want the image.
Click insert image icon (Small Mountain) and paste your previously copied string between the [img] codes.
Using CRTL V and then the END key is the quickest way.

Sounds more complicated than it is.

That's what I thought I did! However the image won't open to reveal that magic URL

. However I see Wendy did it for me. Thankyou Wendy

[Sue]

That looks fine to me Sue! I wish I had as much space in the shed......

I am very pleased with it Stanley.
Cleaning the window that had never been opened or cleaned before incited me into cleaning all the windows and frames in the house ( of which there are many) in and out yesterday. Well that's that job done for the next 13 years!

[Christian]

Washing, then contemplating stripping & trimming the dogs. Looking a bit unkept at the minute, not that they care.

[Stanley]

Christian, thanks for reminding me, it's time Jack had a good brushing! I shall be washing this morning as well, free leccy from 9AM!
Sue, you've reminded me of a question that is said to have been asked in an Interview at Oxbridge. Applicants were asked to define the difference between transparent, translucent and opaque. The best answer was "The windows of this examination room were once transparent, they are now translucent and if not cleaned will soon be opaque".
I wrote another two articles yesterday and so will be looking in the shed. I have to design the interface between the cylinder and the flywheel as this will determine the size and shape of the bed.

[Sue]

It's a local Breton festival today. It's usually a roasting hot day, especially when watching the dancing. It won't be today, I can see that as I look out of the window on thick cloud again. No rain forecast and 22 degrees. At least it will be dry.

[Stanley]

Reports of below freezing temperatures in N Ireland Sue.....

[Wendyf]

Lovely day for Trawden Show. I might need wellies and a warm coat though!