autumn leaves

6 Nov 2011

PHP server upgrades, autumn leaves and lots of coiling

Isn’t it just typical – we get a day of glorious autumn weather on a day when we have other commitments and can’t take full advantage of it. Why couldn’t it have been gorgeous yesterday instead.

Please click on any of the photographs for a larger view.
The first click takes you to a gallery overlay, but you can view the larger originals (which should include the EXIF data) by clicking ‘Show original’ in the bottom left hand corner.

One especially spectacular beech tree, against a perfect blue sky. I just love that combination of colours at this time of year on the odd few days we’re lucky enough to experience it.

Oh no, wait, that wouldn’t have worked either, I woke in the morning to find that my web host had done some scheduled upgrades overnight (I’ve known about it for months, I just didn’t comprehend the potential implications to me) that had stopped my web site working and I spent the day alternating between tearing clumps of hair out that I can little afford to lose, trying to keep my already rampant hypertension under some degree of control and in trying to find someone (Stateside and on a Saturday morning) who knew a lot more about it than me, who could give me a guiding hand to fix it.

As I no doubt post ad nauseum, I love to see sunlight through leaves – it lifts my spirits more than just about anything else. If I can heard birdsong too, that’s a great bonus.

Thankfully I did find a kind soul on the cart developers forum who directed me to detailed instructions for a fix to what was a well known problem with my cart when the PHP version is upgraded on the server. Thankfully, the instructions were very concise and I have just enough experience of modding my own shopping cart to know how to download and edit the code files in question and restore the new version to the server. And I refreshed the site pages holding my breath and was astonished that it had indeed fixed it.

This particular stretch of path is always accompanied by the best selection of birdsong – there’s a good tract of ancient woodland to the right of the wall and it always sounds lovely.

The problem had initially looked pretty terminal, with screen-full after screen-full of lines of error codes and I wasn’t able to even log into my admin panel to see what version of the software I was running – so I wasn’t expecting the fix to be quite so easy to implement and fully expected that my initial efforts might fix one problem, only to have to face the next one presented. So I am extra-ordinarily grateful to have got the right help very promptly and that it only actually required one line of amended code to fix what seemed like a catalogue of assorted problems. Phew!

I just love the rich coppery colours of the beech leaves against a blue sky. This was actually a long way above the ground, but my 700mm lens easily closed the distance.

It wasn’t exactly how I planned spending my Saturday, but having experienced that first sickening lurch of my stomach in the morning when my site got borked, I was thrilled to have it up and running again properly by the afternoon. The only harm done, I suspect, is to my nerves.

As we drew the curtains this morning we were met with the most glorious clear sky and there was even a light white frost on some of the rougher textured surfaces outside. Mr Boo had a long-standing commitment for the afternoon, so we couldn’t go too far before he’d have to leave, so decided to at least enjoy some of the sunshine by doing one of our favourite local walks after breakfast.

It really was a prefect autumn day – clear fresh crisp air with just a little bite to the breeze, wall to wall blue sky and gorgeous golden sunshine – which as it rose in the sky ended up remarkably warm and very pleasant to be out in. I was delighted to get out, stretch my legs, blow the cobwebs out and come home with rosy cheeks and a few photographs in the can.

My work this week – all a bit coil-tastic:

I had reason to re-make an old design for a customer who wanted a variation of something she’d bought some years ago and it enforced me to re-visit a technique I’ve not done for a while – coiling wire to make a rope-like structure. I’ve done various different wire ‘ropes’ in the past, variously twisting or coiling wires of different gauges to get the desired effect.

Whilst I almost always antique or oxidise my copper, I do love to see it all peachy and shiny after tumbling and cleaning, so couldn’t resist taking a ‘WIP’ photograph to show all the textured shiny metal.

This week it was all about coiling. Having done a little practice to establish the best gauges for the effect and weight I was after, I soon established a rhythm for making rope-like bead sections to use within pieces and got totally swept away with ideas using them.

It started with a couple of kilt pins in a series I’m making for the holiday season, as they often sell for gifts for people who don’t wear much jewellery and I had a few in progress. Having done this pair with Indian fancy jasper stones, I routed out some other gemstones of a suitable size and the amethyst came next – and I loved the faceted stone next to the copper, so the necklace soon followed, with its matching earrings. Now that my fingers are starting to recover, I will no doubt do some more – my head is still full of ideas.

21 Aug 2011

But it’s only the middle of August

Anyone has read any of my blog previously will have figured out that I like to be outdoors and preferably amongst trees. If I had my own way, I’d live like a hermit in a log cabin in woodland, spending my time as a camera and jewellery making bum without having to worry about paying the bills.

Please click on any of the photographs for a larger view.

I’ll grant you, you were pretty well hidden there amongst the long grasses, but I did spot you!

I’d be quite happy to live the simple life, I don’t need clothes shops or restaurants and night clubs, I’d be pretty happy to have fresh air, peace and quiet and would even be prepared to grow and manage much of my own food. People talk of the ‘Champagne lifestyle’ if you won the lottery. What I’d buy would be solitude. I’d buy the biggest tract of land I could afford and plonk a nice house in the middle of it. I think I’d quite like to be reasonably comfortable – I’d need a hot shower and broadband connection, but I wouldn’t need gold taps or marble floors.

Come on, play fair, we haven’t even had a summer yet!

Even the leaves that are outwardly green, are starting to turn and the green is becoming more golden.

Both of us work pretty darned hard and often very long hours and it becomes very important to us to get outside – either at the weekend or in an evening. So whenever weather is suitable – and often when it’s not – and we have the briefest of opportunities, we abandon chores and head outside. Thankfully, we don’t really have to go far, we have several nice places to walk within a ten minute drive, so come the weekend, we grab walking boots and waterproofs, camera and walking pole and head out.

A significant amount of the bracken is already turning – not just the odd dead leaf, but great patches of it.

We did one of our usual weekend routes at lunchtime today and I was astonished at how many trees were already turning to their autumnal display – many trees were both dropping leaves and turning colour – is it me, or does this seem to happen earlier every year?

I’m sure in the past, you wouldn’t see any golden leaves until well into September. It’s simply not fair, we haven’t even had a summer yet! Summer never seems to have even got going this year and here we are, already tramping over scrunchy dried leaves and feeling a bite of chill in the air.

I certainly like autumn well enough – but what I don’t like is how it sneaks up on you whilst you’re still contemplating summer and don’t feel ready for it to appear yet. We didn’t get a summer propper, so maybe we’ll get an Indian Summer?