Some stars we lost in 2024

 

 It's coming to the end of the year, and as usual heres a list of just some of the famous people and stars we have lost this year .  Thank you, for making many people happy over the years.

Glynis Johns

Pamele Salem

Maggie Smith

Dave Myers

Roberta Taylor

William Russell

Shannen Doherty

Rob Burrow

Bernard Hill

Steve Wright

Ian Lavender

Kenneth Cope

John Savident

Adrian Schiler

David Wilkie

David Soul

Donald Sutherland

Shelley Duvall

Terry Griffiths

Gudrun Ure

Nicholas Ball

John Anderson

Michael Jayston

Bob Bryar

Barbara Rush

Michale Mosley

Harold Snode

Chris Serle

Duncan Norvelle

Colin Bennett

Arnold Yarrow

Ian Gelder

Earl Holiman

Liam Payne

Stan Bowles

Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Tony Todd

Julie Stevens

Geoff Capes

Timothy West

Ron Ely

Sven Goran Eriksson

Jeannette Charles

Peter Osterhouis

Michale Newman

Ron Yates

Dewi Morris

Tony Spoer

Brian Mcardie

Alan Scarfe

Maggie Smith

Stuart Organ

Terry Joyce

Martin Lee

Jeff Whitefoot

John Clegg

Paul Dianno

Ewen Macintosh

David Graham (dalek voice and parker)

June Spencer

UK Christmas tv... wasn't it awful.

 

 Well it's the 27th Dec now and I've spent most of the last two days home, and some of it watching the Christmas telly.  Oh dear God!

 For a start most of it was old shows that we've seen a million times before.  Then I struggled to find ANYTHING to watch a lot of the time and watched Youtube.

 The Christmas Dr Who episode, was one of the worst stories I've seen, the Christmas star and Joy to the world were so obvious a plot, my cat got it (and I dont have a cat) The acting wasnt bad, but it was slow boring and felt cheap.  I get the feeling Russle T Davis has given up writing good scripts.

 Either way Dr Who needs to stop, its a sad ,shadow of the original series.  Time to rest it and take a good hard look at what made it great in the first place. (and sack Davis)

 So what did I watch, well apart from Youtube I found Dads army film 1971 I think, and I also watched the only good thing on TV over the whole of Christmas and boxing days.  Wallace and Gromit!

 Yes Wallace and bloody Gromit!  They out acted, out plotted, and were funnier than the rest of the Christmas telly put together.   Seriously, the only thing worth watching over Christmas were plasticine, what does that say about the state of the TV these days!

Assorted photos.

 A bit of a random mix of images, all shot on a Canon 6d2 and Sigma 50mm macro lens.

Merry Christmas to you all!

 

 From all of us at Waynesworldblog wishing you all, a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy new year.

 I hope your probalems are small and your presents big!

God bless and reagards. Wayne

 

 

Weird stuff again!

 

 I've mentioned the weird stuff that happens in my house before.  Well more stuff has gone missing.  This time it's two video microphones and a veiwfinder.

 I dont do a lot of video, but I do sometimes do Youtube videos, I mostly used the gopro, but thats got limitations.  Some some years ago I started using DSLR cameras for some videos, now like the older gopros these have issues.

 Sound on both isnt the best, so with that in mine I bought a microphone to go on top of a DSLR, had it for years, they I bought a clip on microphone for talking to the camera.  I aldo have a magnetic viewfinder, this go on the DSLR screen and gives you a magnified view.

 Well.... all three are missing.  I've search the house, gone through all my gear.  Buggered if I can find them.  Now luckly, I do have another microphone I bought last year, this is with a vlogging camera I got around the same time.  This is all still in it's own bag.

.

 The weird thing is most of the stuff thats gone missing is video related, the Bracket, my video like a few things with that, yes they turned up, in one case years later. But it's still odd.

 Plus we've had the lights playing up and a few times I though I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye.... No, I'm not totally bonkers, just close.

Anyway whatever it is, poltergiest or ?  It's a PITA.  I'm now fretting about my microphones, yes I could just replace them, but when I've done this before the originals turned up.

 

Cake

 Very tasty they were too!

Tree lights (part two)

 

The last of the tree lights/deorations pictures taken yesterday while sorting out my gear for today.

Zooming in.  Tried a few other effects like zooming and twisting, but this was the only one I liked.

All the pictures from yesterday and this one either Canon 5d3 or 5d4 with 24-105 and 50mm lens used.(this one is a 24-105L lens)

 

Tree lights (part 1)

 

Not been feeling the Christmas spirit this year... today I put the tree up.

 

 

Sorting out camera bag, and my EDC.

 

 Been busy today sorting out my camera bag and every day carry kit.  The camera bag took the longest, not only did I have to charge up batteries, but clear cards and sort out all the bits and bobs that go in it.

Just testing the off camera flash kit took a white, changing the batteries in the recievers and testing all 4 recievers and the 2 transmitters too a fair bit of time.

 As for my EDC that wasnt too bad.  I've moved from bunging it all in my trousers (too much weight) to a nice belt pouch, much easier and probabaly better organised if I'm honest, and I had room for a small telescope thingy, handy for checking thigs in the distance.

 After Christmas I might treat myself to a new pouch, I've got a belt trauma pouch, not used much now, but it's bigger than the pouch I'm using for my edc.  The extra room means maybe a few goodies I cant fit now.

A few jokes.... You've been warned.

 

 I get told off for my jokes.  So heres a few, I'll try and keep them clean, but some might be in bad taste.

 

 My mate tells me his wife is brighter than him.  Then the fire brigade arrived and put her out....

 I know a bloke who is better looking than me, has a new van and a cat called Jess....

 My grandfather always used to say if your in a hole stop digging.  Love;y bloke, terrible coal miner.

 Have you seen my new watch?  My uncle sold it to me from his death bed... He's up there now, pinching the lead off the roof.

Well you get the level of my jokes,   I'll get my coat.

Spot colour

 

 Yes I know "spot colour" shots are about as poopular as ebola, but I do sometimes like them, this one not so much.

I think I needed to compose the image better in the first place.  But time was against me and I'd got a better shot of the berries anyway, although that didnt work as spot colour.  But I wasnt thinking of that when I grabbed the shots in the first place.

 I was just getting "some pictuers"  I havent taken many recently, what with my health and the weathers been a bitch here, and I'm a big pussy about taking a good camera out in the rain.  No chance mate.

 

Black and white.

 I've gone for a warm toned black and white with a black border here.

Some more pictures

 

 A few random pictures from today.  Not had a great 24 hours if I'm honest, lots of stress and got pretty wet (and it's cold here at the moment)  Anyway managed to get these pics while getting bread for tea .

TZ80 compact camera.

Peace and quiet?

 Yesterday I watched a Youtube video by a channel called Wandering jeepsy.  The lady who makes the videos seems to car camp in her jeep in desert areas in the US.  Quite pleasent and relaxing to watch.

 Anyway long story short, she's parked up in the middle of the desert, miles from anywhere and a creepy guy shows up, parks about 30 yards away and just watches her for a while, before going.

 Obviously this makes her cautious, is he just nosing, or is he the local loonie who will come back later for a serial killing?  She doesnt know, so she ends up moving to another camp area for safety.  This spoils her day, needless to say.

 Now I feel sorry for her, she just wanted a bit of peace and quiet.  That I can relate too.  I know the feeling of never having any really "alone" time.

 Here in the overcrowded UK it's bloody hard to find anywhere away from other people.  Ok I dont have her worries of creepy stalkers, I dont care, if they pick on me tough, I dont take prisoners (your supposed to feed the fuckers, so bollocks to that) Anyway the peace and quiet bit is the issue.  I'm a sociable sort of bloke, but I do like a bit of quiet time too.

 I've been in a deserted, disused railway station miles from the nearest town, before I've set my tripod up I get " Hello, filimg?" from a passing mountain biker.  Another time I was on my local beach about 3.00 in the morning, a mile or so away from the nearest road.  Yet again I get "Hello, what are you doing?" from the passing loony.  WTF!  Of course he wants to be my new best mate....

 It seems that people dont have the common sense to realise someone on a beach in the middle of the bloody night is either fishing, or gone there for a bit of peace, that means they might not want to talk to every passing village idiot looking for a friend.

 Now for me it's just a PITA, for a woman on her own it's possibly a lot more serious, why dont people give other people space?  It seems odd as children we are told "don't talk to strangers" then as adults we often make a raging PITA of ourselves with some poor sod tying to relax.

So heres a top tip.  If you see me minding my own business, having a bit of peace and quiet, piss off and leave me alone.  Now if you dont it could go two different ways.  I might be friendly, explain what I'm doing and become your new best mate....   Or I might figure a life sentence means bugger all at my ages and I'd get 3 meals a day and lodgings, and probably more peace than I get now . SO THINK ABOUT IT.

Where do socks go?

 

 Where do socks go?   It's not a retorical question, I'm serious!  Where the hell do they go?

 Over the years I must have bought hundreds or even thousands of pairs of socks.  Thin ones, thick hiking ones, you name it I've bought them.  Thats without the Christmas present socks with santas or dad on them.

 So why is it I now have three pairs, one thin smart shoes pair.  One half decent boots pair, and one more hole than bloody sock!  I mean, WTF!  where, how, why????

 Ok I have thrown out badly holed ones after a few repairs jobs, but hundreds!  Not a chance.  So where the hell do they go?

 It's not like theres a gang of highly trained ninja sock thieves on the loose in my area (I checked.  top tip dont phone the police to ask on 999.  I wont make that mistake again)  I just cant figure out where the bloody things go to die.  Is there a planet sock they go home to like old biros?

 Whatever, it's bloody annoying, not helped by the fact I have trouble finding socks locally to fit me.  

You see here in the UK shoe and clothing sizes are just put on the packaging to take up space, they have no relation whatever to size of the actual garment.  Take shoes, I'm a size 9-11, even a 12 once.  Now my feet havent changed size much since my twenties.  But every time I buy shoes it's a try and see what fits, not just a size 9 or whatever.

 Shirts, used to be sold by collar size, now it's small medium and large, often with no proper sizes.  How hard can it be to put the actual size of the item on the packaging....  Well harder than you might think.

 You see half the clothing we buy is made abroad, mostly made by 10 years olds in sweatshops from what I can gather.  And as it's chaap nasty crap the firm doesnt care about quality control.  Thats why pairs of socks marked UK size 9 to 12 wont even go on my feet, and I'm not wearing bloody clown shoes because my feet are big.

 So if any sock maker, preferably based in the UK has any socks going to a good home, please, pretty please think of poor old long suffering Wayne... (yes me for goodness sake)  I NEED SOCKS!!! HELP!

Leaf it out....

 

 Yes, I know it's a bloody awful pun title, but on the bright side you havent heard my jokes..... 

 Local leaves shot on the TZ80 compact.  I could do with a nice day and maybe get out for an hour, although I'm still not a 100% healty.  My proper cameras need the dust blowing off.

What the hell happened to the world?

 

 Over the last few years the worlds gone mad!  

We've got a war between Russia and Ukraine, we've got the crazy immigrant situation, with half the world coming to the UK because we give them a home for bugger all, unlike we do for British homeless.

 The NHS is in meltdown, badly run, badly managed and totally unable to cope with the millions of people using the service.  Casualty waiting time can be 14 hours and an ambulance can be timed with a sundial they take so long to arrive.  Not helped by GP's still afraid to see patients since covid.

 The joke that passes itself off as our government is proving itself to be easily the worst ever (up against stiff opposition) with the party that used to be for the people now hitting the poor, the old and the infirm.  Labour, really just another branch of the consertives really.

 Russia and Ukraine bashing each other, they used to be best mates, now the rest of the world is stiring the pot (Ukraine has oil) sooner or later we'll need bunkers, oh wait.  We dont have them unlike the twats in Whitehall!.

 Prices have gone mental, I saw the world smallest cooked chicken yesterday, about the size of a sparrow, £6.75.  They are taking the piss, because they CAN!  Prices have more or less doubled in the last two years, dont see wages doing the same.

 Parts of the US have drones invading their airspace, what does their government say?   WE dont know whats happening, but it's nothing to worry about....   bet if it happened over Washington things would be different.  Then action would be taken.  Must protect the rich and powerfull... screw the rest of the people.

A CEO was shot and killed in New York, the police, FBI and god knows who else were involved, $50.000 reward offered.    In 2022 there were 434 murders in New York, I wonder how many had as much effort solving them as a rich person being killed.  None is my guess.

 TV is terrible, the same shit is on every night, despite having a million channels nobody makes a decent program anymore, so they keep showing programes made 30 years ago.  It's that bad the BEST thing I could find to watch on a Sunday afternoon was...  Spongebob the movie FFS!

 The car industry has gone woke, but an electic pink Jaguar... Errr, no thanks, I'll buy a used 3.4 if I want a real Jag, and it wont be pink either.  Yet again none of these idiots have realised your attacking your customer base to appease a tiny minority.  Great you'll sell 20 cars.... instead of 200.000.  Your loss.  Ask Budwiser how woke helped their sales.

 Well roll on nuclear war, bring it on.  I'll press the doomday button anytime you like.  Screw this planet.  It's not worth saving now if you ask me, the loonies are running it into the ground.

Rant over.

 Frankly

Playing in Photoshop

 Yes, I've been playing in photoshop again.  This time I used one of the cut tree images, and did a few different versions.  These were the ones I liked best.  Oil paint and blueprint.

Cut trees

 

 Some of the clean up after the storm.

 

TZ80 compact camera.

 

 

3 pictures...

 

 Three pictures, not the best I've ever takien if I'm honest.  About the best I can do for the moment though.  Shot on the TZ 80 compact.

 

 

Fungi

 

 Got this today, it's just around the corner.  Shot on my phone.

 

 

Storm damage last few pics.

 

 Heres the last of my storm damage pics.

 

 

Storm damage more pics.

 

 Still feeling crap but went out really early to get these before the clean up starts. 

  Years ago I would have gone out in the storm shooting, as I did in the big one in 1987, nearly killed twice in that storm, I ended up ducking flying tin sheets off roof and a 5 ton crane weight came off and landed next to my car (really close) But these days getting older and wiser I say in till the trouble stops.... Mostly...

 More to come

Canon 7d and 18-135mm lens.