My Dewi Sant video reflection uploaded and displayed as hoped for without hassle just after I wok up at eight today. June my sister rang at nine expressing delight and enthusiasm for an outdoor production of Puccini's 'Turandot' by Sydney Opera, live streamed on Sky Arts, starting at seven this morning. She set her alarm to get up early enough to watch it. This is one of series of brilliantly staged outdoor operas the company has staged this year apparently. I think the Aussies have weather on their side, plus plenty of wide open spaces.
The house gas supply is being switched off today to upgrade the piping from street to meter, Clare got up early and raised the thermostat to warm the house through as much as possible before shut down. It's overcast again today but mild, so the house will cool down slower than at night. The gas went off at ten and work was done first at the house gas meter end, then along the supply path. The gas supply was on again at two, pretty good going.
Interesting, a couple of days ago the new said that Ghana would be the first West African country to get a supply of vaccines. This morning's first day vaccination report was from the Ivory Coast. Then in the evening new the vaccination launch in Ghana was reported. It makes me wonder how much guesswork and how much co-ordination is going on in the news reporting editorial office.
Trump has spoken publicly for the first time since leaving office, to a Republican convention, talking about a re-election bid in 2024. A golden image of him adorned the stage before he arrived in person. What do his biblical fundamentalist fans make of this I wonder? Some commentators reckon this self trumpeting behaviour will end up being counter-productive and drive moderate Republican support away to the Democrats. We'll see.
Before I went out for my walk of the day after lunch, I sat down for a while with my Olympus camera and started to explore the 'settings' dial. For the most part, I used the camera the lazy way, leaving the camera set to 'Auto'. When setting it up at the outset, I realised it had a complex set of menus. I found out in the 'Art' menu how to use a black and white photo pre-set but that was all. I was more interested in seeing how well it handled, how easy it was to use, and what sort of photos it gave, treating it like a simple point and shoot device. I felt it was time to get to know its settings better.
I turned its main top left dial to the SCN setting, and was surprised to discover a collection of sub menus that would suit portrait, landscape, night shots etc, but also some unexpected pre-sets, one is for 'macro' shots, very close up to small objects. Another pre-set was labelled 'wide angle'. This really surprised me. The all purpose short telephoto lens I mostly use isn't especially wide angled, but selecting the pre-set makes the field of view far wider. Likewise with the telephoto lens. And I'd been thinking that when the camera shops re-open my first purchase should be a wider angled lens! I've no idea how this works but the pre-set seems to change the aperture width, although there's no physical change to the lens. When I go looking for a new lens (most likely a long telephoto) I'll ask if anyone can explain this to me.
My walk took me up to Western Avenue and the down the west bank Taffside footpath, now dried out at last and no longer treacherous. I stopped to take a photo of the river, and while I was switching on, a Kingfisher emerged from the riverbank below me and flew upstream in full view at close quarters. It was too quick for me to raise and point my camera, but an ephemeral moment of delight. The last time I got a clear, if not so close look at a Kingfisher was in Corsica fourteen years ago. One day I'll get a photo!
Confirmation today of a funeral I was asked about before the weekend, and a request to do another. Both are next week, and I have one this week. It'll keep me busy. Glad to help out my colleagues too. There are still a lot of extra deaths, many of them pandemic related. I called the next of kin about this week's twice delayed funeral, and learned that not only was it a covid death, but that the care home in which it happened was closed down and is subject to police investigation of criminal neglect of residents. This help to explain the double delay. Covid has really exposed the inadequacies of social care for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable, accumulated over decades of under-investment and poor regulation. Sadly, much responsibility for this state of affairs stems from government policy. Reform is overdue. Will it happen as the country recovers from this pandemic, I wonder?
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