Showing posts with label nephew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nephew. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Ooooh …

You know, I’ve GOT to confess, at times like this, I’m glad I managed to keep hold of the copy of iDVD that came with my Mac Mini, I really am.

It’s meant I could put together a DVD for my Aunty Bella: basically … ?

Basically, of all the photos me and the rest of the family have taken of Jude, in his first year of life.

Sad, I know.

But, hey … !

That’s families for you.

If nothing else, though … ?

I thought I’d share this lot with you.

Let me know what you think …


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Just as an additional point … ?

The tune on that is called Beginnings, and is by a chap called Alexander Blue.

You can get a copy — quite freely — from Jamendo: here

Wednesday, 25 May 2011

An Umbar Knight … 

Isn’t copyright a complicated issue … ?

It is, though, isn’t it … ?

Take the picture: it’s called Dragon and Child, so you know, and by an artist who posts to Deviant Art, called Rinpoo Chuang.

And owned by him, I should add.

The reason I mention it … ?

Is because — unlike most of the stuff on Nik Nak’s Old Peculiarisn’t covered by the Creative commons license I use for the Teasers and question sets.

It’s covered by the usual copyright law in everyone reading this post’s home country.

There’s a reason I’m mention this, as well …

Do you remember me mentioning a friend of mine, called Carly … ?

And how I was pleasantly surprised she’s a published poet … ?

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Well, I was …

And she is.

And … ?

Bless her, Carly’s also very graciously given me permission to put one of her poems — The Umbar Knight — here. Hence the attached Copyright notice, and details of where to buy the anthology she’s in at the foot of the page …
The Umbar Knight*

Slip unto a knight’s full slumber,
where sylvan burns a deepest umber,
where folksongs ebb away from rhyme,
replaced on this dusk a chorus of chime.

Shut out this land where heathens race,
as urchins scroll for treasure'd embrace,
using mischief through love, by con by malice,
seeking out gold emerald gems, merlin chalice.

Yet, brave are thee with much honour and stealth,
for no beast nor vagrant shall risk their health,
as bless’ed born thee with an awesome attire,
in your crimson river coarses passion and fire,

And to this dragons bow and all evil repents,
for your gift in heart is a’ heaven sent.
now as the leaves whip up on a reverie,
be, I’m proud of you and those dreams so free,

Oh sleep on, sleep deep and child listen well;
your physique maybe small like a winters' fell.
but you'll grow down roots of greatness bespoke,
for the acorn shells the strong mighty oak.

So slip unto a knight’s full slumber,
where sylvan burns the deepest umber.
where folksong ebb away from rhyme,
replaced on this dusk a chorus of chime …
Bless …

Now, I’m going to be frank, I’m no poetry reader, usually.

But I enjoyed that … !

What touched me … ?

Is that Carly, bless her, originally wrote The Umber Knight for her nephew to help give him some confidence.

And, the other day … ?

Turned to me — on Facebook Chat, I should add — and asked if I’d like a poem.

And then, through FB’s chat service, recited to me, and dedicated it to Jude, my nephew.

I was deeply touched, I’ve got to honest.

Help, deeds or advice offered freely between friends is always deeply appreciated.

And why we treasure them, and do as much as we can for them.

But just occasionally … ?

Just occasionally, I think a line of poetry, just when one needs it … ?

Can work small miracles.

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* The Umber Knight, is © 2010 Carly Burns and reprinted with her express permission. It’s available as part of The Power of Poetry anthology, from United Press, 2011. To order copies, contact United Press, here. For further details, please contact United Press at info@unitedpress.co.uk.

Thursday, 30 December 2010

Belated Pressie … 

You know, now I come to think of these things, it seems that sometimes stuff get’s …

Overshadowed …

Meeting my nephew — especially as I don’t have children of my own — was rather powerful.

I’m getting mildly broody, I’ll be honest.

So the fact that I actually got a few pressies, this Christmas … ?

And was thinking about raving about them … ?

Looks a touch less important than it did.

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None-the-less, having already thanked the relevant gift-givers … ?

I did at least want to mention the fact that my Mum, along with Anna — the eldest of me two kid sisters — and Ruth — the youngest, and Jude’s mother — had clubbed together to get me an LaCie external hard drive.

A 1 Terabyte, LaCie one, that’s slowly becoming home to the piles of backed-up movies, tv shows and other extraneous bit’s and bobs that I’ve built up, over the years.

And one that comes equipped with USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 interfaces.

Given the age and model of my Mac Mini … ?

I’ve hooked them up via FireWire 400.

Daisy-chained through my exterior optical drive, also hooked up via FireWire 400*.

And I’ll happily confess, the actual copying is going at an impressive rate of knots!

I’ve just copied 124.7 gigabytes of data from my old Maxtor USB external drive over to the LaCie — and I can’t help but think of it as HAL — in just under an hour.

It’s looking like the other 150 gigs is going to take about the same amount of time!

Like I say, I’m impressed … !

If ever I need to store disc images and need to burn them to disc … ?

Looks like I know where I’ll be keeping them …

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Something else I know I’ve been given … ?

Is a copy of Terry Pratchett’s latest novel, I Shall Wear Midnight

Now, I know that I wasn’t totally stunned with Unseen Academicals.

And frankly … ?

Was fearing the worst for Tiffany Aching.

Now, I’m only half-way through I Shall Wear Midnight.

I’m loving it … !

I tell you what.

I’ll put up more, when I’ve finished it … !












* If I’ve understood thing’s correctly, part of the speed difference between USB 2 and FireWire 400/800 is the fact that FireWire doesn’t chew up as much CPU capacity. Again, from what I understand, Macs have always used it in preference to USB 2 to help deal with the amount of video work many film studios choose to use them for. How the introduction of USB 3 will affect, I don’t know but for me … ? Well …