No No No…

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Guthlac

Warning. This post contains old man grumbling. You have been warned.

Is there no hope in the world? Have we really stooped so low? A ‘loose‘ remake of one of my favourite films of all time, Kind Hearts and Coronets, has been released. The new movie goes by the name of How to Make a Killing and the trailer looks awful. (Spoiler: The trailer gives you at least 90% of the plot.) Where the original movie had a decaying charm of a world that is no more – it was produced in a post war Britain. This new movie was made in a Triumphant pre Trump Gulf War. Suddenly filthy rich Americans have a whole new taint to them – at least in my eyes.

I’m sure it will do well enough – Glen Powell stars. But it is being released into a world where the USA is no longer seen as the good guy. Sorry to break it to any American who might read this – it’s a changed world beyond your shores. Anyway this is the end of the old man rant.

Testing

The other day was another testing day. This time I was out and about at Watermead Country Park testing my new lens. The results were encouraging and have given me a lot to think about. Of course I also had to capture some images with my big beast to provide a comparison.

The main lesson I learnt is that the new(ish) Sony 70 x 200 mm lens is a great companion to the longer 200 – 600 mm lens. Much food for thought.

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Mad World…

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Guthlac

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places


Roland Orzabal

The world (a bit unfair on Gaia) appears to be going through one of its crazy destructive purges. On these occasions I find walking around a pleasant garden helps restore one’s spirit. In this case the University of Leicester’s Botanical Gardens at Oadby.

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Rabbit Hole…

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Guthlac

The other week I was walking through Leicester City centre when I read a sign saying that Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at the build that was situated on that site in 1586 on her last journey from Chartley to Fotheringhay. Turns out the sign was wrong. The only reason I am able to say that is because I spent an enjoyable day or so digging around in a rabbit hole finding the route of her last journey. A wholly positive pursuit compared to the doom scrolling I recently mentioned.

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Enclosure or Closure…

Posted on March 10, 2026 by Guthlac

I suspect that the latest war that the President of the United States has started has had a profound effect on me. Now, before I get accused of living in a privileged bubble I am well aware that there are many people who, but for this current war, would still be alive. Equally people’s lives have been upended. I am aware of all that. But in my little bubble of irrelevance it has changed me. I have given up much of the internet. Up until recently I used to consume way way too much dome scrolled crap. I blame nobody but myself. Then last night I started to be feed political propaganda ads for causes I didn’t believe in. That was enough. YouTube, like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram no longer get my eyeballs.

Will this last? I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that this morning I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. Scientific empirical research? I think not. Have ‘they‘ won? I don’t know who ‘they‘ are and I don’t care. If the only thing this war has taught us is that life is way too short and wasting those precious seconds consuming the garbage the tech bros are feeding us is a sin. Then at least something good might come out of the billions of dollars being thrown at Iran for no clear reason.

Anyway here is a sketch of gnome I made last night. No doom scrolling was involved. Yippee.

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O Superman…

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Guthlac

Here come the planes.
They’re American planes. Made in America.

Laurie Anderson – O Superman

The other week I asked about the kidnapping of the Venezuelan President ‘…So where were you when you heard the Americans had bombed Venezuela? …’ and rifted on whether it was important or not. In the end I answered my own question:

None of the answers make any sense to me. Perhaps one day the question ‘…where were you when you heard the Americans had bombed Venezuela?…’ will acquire the same sense of importance as the Kennedy question. I do hope not.

Boy time travels a whole lot faster these days compared with 1962. Only a few weeks later we now know just how important the Venezuela event was. America has gone to war or launched a special military action or whatever they wish to call it. They are bombing the Iranians.

No one knows where this whole thing will go. (It would seem that includes the President of the United States.) Nor do we really know why it is being undertaken. (Ditto).

I think the well known Peacenik MTG summed it up quite well…

WTF indeed.

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We Are In Uncharted Waters….

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Guthlac

Before I start I think it is very important to state upfront. I am not passing any judgment on the guilt or innocence of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor nor Peter Mandelson. That is for the investigation and should it come to that the juries to determine. I haven’t got the first clue what they may or may not have done.

What I am interested in is what long term affect the King’s statement might have:

Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.

Charles R.

19th February 2026

I am sure the statement was lawyered to death. However, it is a very powerful statement. You see in Britain all the courts discharge the ‘King’s Justice’. It would seem to me that the King has given a very clear order. This will no doubt be tested when the government starts to drag its feet on disclosing papers relating to the vetting of Andrew and Mandelson. It will no doubt find its way to the Supreme Court where the King’s order will become the centre piece of any argument for disclosure. The Government will have great difficulty arguing against the King’s explicit order. There may be very good reasons why such a disclosure might not be in the public interest.

Unknown Unknowns….Interesting Times.

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Springish…

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Guthlac

It was a lovely spring day yesterday whilst we had a walk around the city centre of Leicester.

Let’s hope it is the first of many. I’m sick to death of all those gray damp days we’ve experienced so far this year.

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Another Task on the To Do List…

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Guthlac

Another one bites the dust…(1)

I’m quite proud of myself. The previous year’s Yearbooks completed before the end of winter. What will I do with myself now?

FN

(1). Nothing is new. According to Google AI (I’ll let you place your own weight on the value of this) the phrase has origins much earlier than Queen in the 1980’s. Maybe as far back as the Iliad. Homer would be pleased.

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Father McKenzie…

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Guthlac

I’m in full blown Father McKenzie mode. Instead of writing a sermon I’m writing the text for my latest yearbook. Far fewer people will read what I write than may well read this post and I find that strangely satisfying. They are letters to my future and reflect what I was feeling at the time of writing.

At least I’m not darning my socks.

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C.M.Y.K!!..!!..

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Guthlac

I’m pulling together my annual art/photography yearbooks and I have hit the CMYK problem.

I know. I know. Commercial book production uses CMYK printers. Normally this isn’t a problem as I usually use a very restricted sRGB colour space and this is usually enough. Not this year. I’m not sure whether Blurb has changed things or perhaps the images I’m using are much blue/green. Whatever the reason I’ve had to use a CMYK colour space. It is hell.

Quick note for anyone not aware of the difference. Most images are created using an RGB colour space. This means the primary colours used are Red, Green and Blue. This is a much deeper colour space and produces wonderfully rich colours. The space can be saved as a 16 bit image ensuring that the colours have a huge range to be saved in. In a CMYK the primary colours are Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. It is only 8 bit.

The above image illustrates the problem. The blue on the left is R: 0 G: 0 B: 255. Once it is converted to CMYK it becomes the colour on the right. In RGB it is R: 57 G: 83 B 164 – quite a change.

(Please note: the explanation is very simplified and if you want to know more then a quick google will open your eyes to a whole load of pain.).

Most images don’t really need any work but when they do they never look the same when finished. It is very frustrating. (I suspect if had to do this more often then this wouldn’t be such a hasle/problem. This time it is and is VERY frustrating! I’m having to reactivate memories that I first laid down almost 20 years ago – my memory isn’t what it was which also doesn’t help.)

Of course you would be quite in your rights to point out that this is the most first of first world problems. You would be right. Nonetheless, it is the world I live in and I am really frustrated!

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