Virtually Office Friday - happy eclipse!

[byslantedlight]

Morning - happy eclipse, everyone who was under it! This was going to be an entirely different post, about how it was cloudy, and my camera was broken, and I'd not sorted out glasses or even an old Pringles container... and then just as I was about to put out my porridge, there was a shout from the yard "Come and see this!" and I thought oooh - have they got viewers? And ack, cos no they didn't, but the sun was under cloud and they'd caught a glimpse under it and were looking... Don't look! I said, but it was too late by then, one girl said she'd been watching for three minutes... and then it turned out that when the cloud moved, you actually could get a half-visible shot on a phone cam (which is all I have left to me, right now - why didn't I think to fix my camera with the telescopic lens and remote control before the eclipse?), and then... well... I didn't look, but I couldn't resist aiming my own screen...










I must admit that my eyes are bit sore, but I think that's because I woke up with a stonking headache again... *headdesk* I must also admit that I forgot I left my porridge on the stove, and... burnt porridge... *headdesk headdesk* But a far more fun eclipse experience than I'd been expecting! *vbg*

So - it's 10.30am, I've not started work, but I did have a Calor gas delivery and then a total solar eclipse going on before breakfast, so... *g* Right - the rest of today... Too much proofreading, but on the bright side it seemed reasonable when I started it yesterday, and in theory it's actually an interesting project this time - an assessment of LGBT+ rights in Europe!

Oh! And - and-and-and! I am officially an archer, because I went and joined the improver's group last night, and that means joining the archery club, and that means joining the Grand National Archery Society! And I got to shoot bare-bow (no sights, which is so much better for me...) and we got six arrow at a time rather than three, and... and... *vbg*Happy Friday! And the sun's coming out in blue-skyed glory even! Now, if only my headache would go away...

The Work Plan...
Work pgs 3-10
Supermarket trip for fresh air and non-screen etc.
A thousand attempts to get rid of my headache
Work pgs 11-14
Finally headache (mostly) gone
Work pgs 15-20
Fiddle practice
Work pgs 21-30
Work pgs 31-40
Work pgs 41-50
Work pgs 51-60
Work pgs 61-65
Hack-track walk
Writing... writing...
Book train tickets for next week - damn, forgot to take my diary for times etc...
Course assignment

Comments

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Great pics of the eclipse. I saw one somewhat similar years ago in Phoenix (except it wasn't cloudy.) It was so eerie, everything getting darker, but in a different and strange way to the sun going down.

And how odd that you do better with no sights in archery! They were a great help for me. I didn't know they gave you the option, to be truthful.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm just really chuffed that I got to see the eclipse with the peeps in the yard after all - and to take photos on my camera phone, which I just didn't think would work at all! It was also cool because something similar happened in the 1999 eclipse when I was in the Isle of Man. We went all around trying to find somewhere that wasn't cloudy, and in the end too the tram up Barrule (tallest hill/nearly mountain-but-not-really), just for the strange light and was looking up cursing the cloud when it cleared and I accidentally caught a glimpse of the sun with a bite out of it! No camera that time, but I saw it when I wasn't expecting to!

You can shoot any kind of bow you like in the club. Most people shoot with sights, and I was the only one there last night who didn't, and most of the blokes not only had sights, they had all the other contraptions that you can put on a bow and still call it a bow... which seems weird to me. Apart from feeling more comfortable shooting bare-bow, it's more what I imagine archery to be - the actual archery rather than all about the kit... But of course I say that now... *g*

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Lol, yes, I remember when I took archery in college. Nearby to our field were the guys who shot for the archery team. Their bows looked like some sort of futuristic weapons, with all sorts of what thought of as "cheats" attached.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Their bows looked like some sort of futuristic weapons
Yes! And they had special stands for them that took up all the (very small) space behind the non-shooting line and that I was sure I'd trip over at some point... I expect I yet will! I was also rather bemused to be told that since I was shooting bare back, they'd give me an allowance as far as the points etc. that you needed to progress through the badges,cos it was harder... they should have been giving the people with kit handicaps I reckon, not making out that they were doing me a favour because I'd be less good at it! They're the ones cheating!

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Wow, your photos are wonderful - the cloud and the eeriness - lovely! Thank you so much for those!

And conga-rats for the archery, that must be such a satisfying feeling! *vbg* Good shooting there!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm reasonably chuffed with the pics, considering it was my camera phone with the zoom pulled in. The cloud definitely makes the pics, though!

And yeay archery - thank you! It's quite nice to think that after... well, many many years on this planet, maybe I finally have a sport that I do...! *g*

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Love your eclipse pics! I got better ones with my non-digital camera in 1999.. with a backdrop of Alnwick Castle! But today was nice, too. I could watch from my bedroom window and now the cloud is gone and the weather is nice. I should really make time for a short walk... working from home makes me faaaar too lazy.
Congrats on becoming an archer! I hope you keep having fun.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I still think wistfully back on my non-digital camera - I miss it... Although right now I'm missing my SLR digital camera too, so I should get that fixed... How fab to have eclipse pics with a castle, I bet they're great! I rather wish I'd thought this morning out better, but I just didn't at all... Still, it turned out way better than I expected, so bonus!

Oh, and ha - I know what you mean about working from home making you lazy too. It's so easy to go out for just a mile around the hack track here, without even leaving the property, and yet I do not do it every day! I swear I'll get better... Glad to hear your cloud's gone too - I reckon it was waiting across the UK until the eclipse was done, and then it just whooooshed! off... *vbg*

[moonlightmead.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely - I think the clouds make it more atmospheric, actually.

I didn't think to take photos upwards. There would have been all these leaves in the way anyway, mind you. But I saw it upside down on the ground!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I really appreciated the cloud in the end - just enough for a bit of drama, and so that you could take photos (in fact when they cleared further you couldn't get a picture of the sun at all, it was too bright. Of course looking at it upside down on a pavement was the sensible way to look at it - next time I shall be far more organised!

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, such GORGOUS eclipse pics!!!
Thank you so much for sharing, they're soooo great!!!

We had sunshine, no clouds at all this time, and I was so excited, and somehow I thought I missed it, because somebody said it would be around 9:30 am, and only for a few minutes, but at 10:30 am the light became somehow muted, there was still sunshine, shadows everything, but darker than before....so I went outside, and took pics with Mr. Maus' tablet, because mine says there's not enough storage, and now I can't post them and and and....I had a fabulous time all on my own, I do hope Maus saw it at school, they prepared the kids to watch it...
And I haven't worked a bit today, I talked with the tablet support for almost an hour, and I still can't figure it out, I might have to call them again....
And my cold got a good hold on me today, it's really starting to annoy me....

But, BEAUTIFUL pics from you and archery and bare bow and GREAT shot!!!!!
I hope your headache will get good NOW!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Hee - I'm quite chuffed with them. Next time I shall make sure I have a proper working "good" camera, and see if I can do even better! How fab that you didn't have any clouds and got to see it and take some pics that way! I didn't think to take pics on my tablet too - I should have tried that as well, cos of course it has a camera too... I hope you can download yours though, and that you'll post a couple for us... *g* (I tend to use Dropbox with my phone now, which will automatically download photos I take on my phone or tablet to my laptop when I have a wireless signal - it might be worth giving that a try if all else fails?)

And yeay - I actually got two golds in one round of arrows, but didn't take my camera down to the targets that time... but even when I stopped getting golds (cos I was trying to hold the bow "properly" which I hadn't been before) it was all good fun... *g*

I'm still not working - my eyes are aching with headache, and I think I'm going to go for a drive to the supermarket, and see if that clears them a bit. Then I'll start work properly this afternoon, and hopefully whoosh through it... Good luck with yours!

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

Oh yay, excellent pics! I thought to myself as the eclipse nothing much was happening here oooh I hope slantedlight gets some shots of this down there in westcountryland :D And you did! Thank you!

And you are officially an archer, how cool is that? I think you may need a special cloak, hat, and horse now :D

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I just wish I'd had my fancy camera with it's zoom lens up and running - I'm kicking myself now for not saying sod it to work and going out to find the wee wee screwdriver that I need... But yeay - glad you liked the mobile-phone camera shots - phones are quite impressive these days, really... *g*

And yeay for officially archering!

I think you may need a special cloak, hat, and horse now
Oh, yes!

[ali15son.livejournal.com]

Those are beautiful photos . We had a wonderful view of the eclipse in wigan but sadly I didn't capture it on camera .

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you - glad you had clear enough skies too!

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

The eclipse was huge fun wasn't it? Not easy trying to iron and watch that at the same time. *g* Great photos.

Carl's Once Upon a Time post is up in case you haven't seen. Here: http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/once-upon-a-time-ix

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Heee for ironing and eclipse-watching at the same time - now that's multitasking! *g* I'm quite chuffed with the pics - camera phones are pretty impressive these days, aren't they (actually even mine is more a 'those days' one at this stage...)!

I've been meaning to go and check Carl's page ever since I saw that today was the 20th (already?!) - yeay that the challenge is up! I nipped over earlier, and found myself in a dilemma again... I was trying to keep book posts separate, but yet again I've ended up mostly making them here after all. I think I may just have to revert to my lj for it again after all. There's only so much time I can spend online these days, it turns out, and it's nice when people talk back, so... *g* Ooh, I'm quite looking forward to picking up one of the fantasy books from my shelf now! Although I'm wondering how I'll manage the categories this time, I've not got that far yet!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Yay! You got photos - fabulous! We had cloud here too, and I reckon it was better because of it, because you could see what was going on every so often.

And now you're officially an archer! Do you get to wear green tights, grow a pointy beard and rob the rich to give to the poor? Um, no, probably not, now I think about it. But still. You get to do the pointy stick, don't mess with me thing - cool!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay photos! I'm quite impressed with my camera phone, actually, it did much better than expected, especially under the conditions! I totally agree about the cloud though - you could actually see the eclipse, and there was added where is it? excitement... *g*

Ooh, it's been years since I wore tights, and even then I preferred stockings... robbing the rich doesn't sound bad though - the buggers rob us easily enough... And had - yes - pointy stick thing! *g*

Ha - that was supposed to say ha pointy stick, not like having pointy stick and then losing it... *headdesk*

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Lovely eclipse pictures. I'm not on the right continent for this one, so I'm glad people are posting some shots.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was nice to be on the right continent for once - there's been far too many things that I looked forward to for years when I was a kid, only to be in completely the wrong part of the world when they happened after all..!

[unbelievable2.livejournal.com]

Fab photos! :)) And well done on the archery! :)))

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *g*