Lonach Gathering 2007

Well, another year and another Lonach Gathering and yet more camping.

The Lonach kicked off on the 25th Aug at Bellabeg, Strathdon with the march of the clansmen (which I missed) and the rest of the day was even better than last year! It did rain but my sunburn shows that the sun came out.

We headed off to set up camp on the Friday. With only 3 if us being there this year it didnt take long to get things set up and by 7pm we were all ready to get the BBQ going for some food-age. By 9pm we were starving because we had problems getting the BBQ going but all was not lost. Nod got his cooker going and then we were set.

The Saturday was busy. With all the usual stalls and entertainment I felt right at home. For people's viewing pleasure I took a video of a Pipe Band playing for the crowd and as part of a competition. They're playing Flower Of Scotland and Scotland The Brave. I shall apologise right now for the swearing you'll hear. That is me and my foul mouth lol.



Here's a couple of pics of our tents. Not that exciting. Pic 1 (our tent) and Pic 2 (Denise and Nod's tent)

After having a tea break back at the camp site, Denise, Nod and myself headed back to the main area and finally got good pics of Billy Connolly (scottish comedian) and if you click here you'll find a picture of his wife Pamela Stephenson (actress, comedian and now clinical psychologist) These are the best pics we've ever got of them.

After spending some time in the main area we called it a day and on the way back I decided to take a vid of Jake. This guy is there every year and every year he can be seen by the road playing for the public. He must make a fortune with his busking. He always wears the same gear and he always plays the same songs but he's brilliant! Denise can be seen in the background in the red jacket and Nod can then be seen and heard saying "Cya next year!"



and just for my enterainment here's a pic of my mum and Denise dancing to the TimeWarp. Maybe my mum will stop by and have a look. If she does...HIYA MUMMY!!!!! LIKE YOU PICTURE?!?! ahahahahaha <3!! Please don't kill me for putting it on here. Our viewing puplic will love it!

All in all we had a smashing time! We're already thinking of things to buy next year to try and beat Denise and Nod and maybe I'll be able to get a vid of Billy Connolly for all to see. If you have no idea who Billy Connolly is then you can look at his website here or check out his vids on youtube here. See how nice I am? I even got you the search page so you don't have to do it yourself! You can also read about 2006 and 2005's Lonach Gatherings here or by clicking the Lonach label at the side. I hope you enjoy watching the videos and looking at the pics.

New Desktop

I'm coming back with the old posts again. Back with my desktop pictures!

This one was found by chance by Luna after I had trouble finding a picture I really liked. It's dark yet calm and suits me just fine. Thank you, Smeghead =)

Kick in the teeth

I guess I asked for the kick in the teeth I was just given. I asked a couple of people online to suggest which of my photos I should think about putting forward in an Amateur Competition. It's all for fun but I was told "none of your photos are worth bothering to add to a competition. Not even for fun" Well thanks for the daily kick in the teeth I seem to be getting these days. Below is a photo I was thinking of entering but now I wont even bother.


I know my photos are not that great. I've taken much much better in the past. I put it down to all the personal stuff I'm going through right now. I don't seem to have the eye for things these days. Oh well. Back to taking crap photos!

Pictures from Scotland

This is a new thing I've decided to do. Me and my camera are traveling. We're on a quest. A quest of great importance. We're taking pictures of Castles/Manor Houses/Anything historic in Scotland.

I decided to start this because I found it hard to find pictures of places to show Luna. I mean, you can find some pictures but some are very limited. My pictures are not bad. They're not great but at least it shows you different things about each place.

So far I've got pics of Glenbuchat Castle which is located on a bluff above the River Don in Aberdeenshire. It was built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnbarrow and his wife Helen on the occasion of their wedding. You can read more about the castle here.

I always have pictures of Leith Hall in Aberdeenshire. Leith Hall was built by the Leith family in 1650 and remained in the Leith-Hay family until 1945. There were extensions added to Leith Hall in 1738, 1810 and in 1904. It was built on the site of the medieval Peill Castle. You can read more about Leith Hall here, and you can also read about their ghosts! I've not been inside Leith Hall yet. It wasnt open for visitors but when it is, I'll be adding more pictures.

I hope people enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did taking them. Loads more historic places to come. So keep checking back for updates. There is a listing on the side of the blog to everywhere I've taken pictures of.

Lunar Eclipse

Lastnight I braved the cold weather to stand outside and take pictures of the Lunar Eclipse (that's a picture I took at the side). It was amazing to watch and I wish I took more pictures after 12am. The eclipse began at 2018 GMT, with the Moon totally immersed in the shadow of the Earth between 2244 and 2358 GMT. It was the first total Lunar Eclipse in more than 3 years.


I took other pictures than just these two. pic 3, pic 4, pic 5, pic 6, pic 7, pic 8. The last 2 pictures might be best viewed either standing up a little or tilting your screen (if you have a laptop) I think I did pretty well considering that I'm still learning how to use my camera and I don't have a large lense to help me with long distance viewing. Hope you like them.

You can read about the Lunar Eclipse and see more pictures taken by others (much much better than mine) here.

Desktop

A change of desktop was long overdue and here I am showing off my new pic. It's of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost who star in....you guessed it (from the screenshot) Hot Fuzz!

Movie Review - Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz
Directed by: Edger Wright
Written by: Edger Wright, Simon Pegg
Staring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent
Plotline: Nicholas Angel is the finest cop London has to offer. He's so good, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, Angel's superiors send him to a place where his talents won't be quite so embarrassing - the sleepy and seemingly crime-free village of Sandford. Once there, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer Danny Butterman, who is a huge action movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy," and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so longs for. As a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and he's out to clean up the mess.

This movie is made by the same guys who brought us Shaun of the Dead and if you've seen that movie then you'll LOVE Hot Fuzz. This movie is full of laughs, car chases, gunfights and twists. It's a must see for any comedy fan. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost don't disappoint the audience with their acting and comedy skills. There's not one wooden performance. Which makes it all the more watchable because you don't get bored half way through. I thought with the movie being 2 hours long that I would be praying for the end to come. In fact...I was praying for it to never end. I loved it. The only negative thing I can say about the movie is that there's too much of the fast sequence scenes that were made famous in Shaun of the Dead. I felt a few of them werent needed but I didn't let that cloud my judgement on the movie as a whole.

Highly enjoyable and most likely to become a cult success as Shaun of the Dead became. So enjoyable that I'm going into see it for a second time next week!! I'd give this movie a rating of 9/10

An evening with Derek Acorah

My Valentines was spent at a show called An evening with Derek Acorah, who happens to be a spirit medium here in the UK. I've never been to a night like this before and I have to say..I was impressed. He got information spot on with everyone he talked with. Just a shame he never had a message for me.

Here is the program that was for sale before the show and afterwards Derek did a signing with anyone who happened to want to wait (tick tock, tick tock) over 30 minutes. I couldn't talk that night. I had lost my voice, which seemed to please a lot of people, so all my talking had to be done by my mother.

I did, however, manage to take my own pictures of him. If no one had gone to a show like this, then you should. I know it's not for everyone but if you believe in spirit mediums, then it's something you'll enjoy. You never know..you might get a message from a loved one who has crossed over.

My only rant about the whole night is the people who happen to go along and either don't answer the medium when he offers information to find the person who the message is for OR for the people who are lucky enough to get a message and just dont seem interested at all. I can't understand why they go if they know there's a chance he could be speaking about your loved one and they say fuck all about it. This happened a lot and it only holds up other people from having the chance of a message.

EDIT:When I said they just dont seem interested at all and wouldn't speak up - There was the women who annoyed Derek (see below)She didn't speak up after him asking her to 3 or 4 times. He was telling her things from this spirit and she was telling him "yes" "maybe" "could be". If that's the case and things arent fitting right, then she should speak up and tell him that it's not fitting right. He would either have offered her more information or tried to find the actual relative that the message is for.
Edit 2:He was calling for someone who might have had a little clue as to who would have been here to send a message. One case of a reading was that he spent 15 minutes trying to find the person who it could have been and no one said anything. Then just as he was about to ask the spirit to leave, someone piped up saying "It's me" Why did it take 15 minutes for them to say it could have been them. He was offering the same information over and over again. Yet it took someone 15 minutes to say that it was them. It was a message from their Dad. It's not like you're going to forget about your own Dad who died just 9 years before.

One women was totally stupid and she annoyed Derek enough that he just gave up. I don't blame him, to be honest. If you're going to pay £15+ for a ticket, then at least put it to good use! I'll be going back for another show if there happens to be one. Might get a message from my Dad or I might not be so lucky at all. It's a 50/50 chance.

Snow snow. everywhere I look...

Just thought I would post a picture of the NOT so lovely snow that we have here in Scotland. The level of snow comes up past your ankles. The only ones loving the snow is the dogs! Maybe if I was 10, had a sledge and warmer clothes, I would go sledging down the huge hills behind my mums house. Thank god I'm not 10 anymore. There's no sign of it letting up. I just want it to stop =(

Malika

Today, my mother and I went to purchase a new puppy and here she is. This is Malika, a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She's 11 weeks old and she was one of two puppies left in the litter. That takes the total of ridgebacks in our household to 3 and the total to 4 dogs all in all. We're running out of space and my mum told me she wants MORE dogs. I don't think I can handle another dog!

Man and Baby poster

Who would have thought that the above poster would have adorned 5 million walls since it's release in the 1980's. This poster was considered to cheesy to be art but in 2007 it's considered a collector's item, and yesterday a limited edition print from the posters original negative fetched £2,400 at auction.

The poster that came to be considered the ideal of the "New Man" wasnt without it's share of lies, addiction and tragedy. What people didnt know about was that it was thought up by a gay guy, who later died of AIDS, was shot by a guy who ended up with a drug addiction due to the money he earned, and starred a guy who ended up sleeping with over 3,000 girls.

The poster was created by the Athena chain of art shops after the company's art director, Paul Rodriguez, came up with the idea. The photographer, Spencer Rowell, took the pictures and it was shoot in London in 1986 and took all of 20 minutes to shoot. The model used was Adam Perry, who went on to become a highly sought supermodel. The baby was named Stelios Havatzias, who now lives in Cyprus with his family.
Paul Rodriguez was diagnosed HIV positive and died from AIDS in 1993. Spencer Rowell went on to make thousands after refusing a one off payment and settled for taking 10% of the profit made from selling the poster. He used the huge cheques to fund a lavish lifestyle, which unfortunately also developed him a drug addiction. In 1994 he declared himself bust. Adam Perry was once described as the "worlds most promiscuous man" by GQ magazine. He used his notoriety as a pin-up to bed 3,000 women but financially for him the poster deal was a disaster. He had his fee reduced on the day of the shoot because he turned up with a sunburnt chest. He is now setting up a multimedia business.
The Athena chain didnt escape the curse of the poster and eventually went into receivership. In 1995 all but a few of its 157 store closed down. The only person not to have suffered any curse is Stelios Havatzias. In 2004 he was traced to his family home in Cyprus, where he lives a normal teenage life. He did say that he was only paid £32 for the whole shoot and his family werent even given a copy of the poster. They had to buy it themselves.

With me being only 7 when this poster was created, I didnt see the hype that it caused. Once I hit the age of 15 I wanted a copy of the poster for my wall but never managed to fullfil that dream. These days, I'm going to settle for it now being on my blog.

Wanted Christmas Presents

It doesnt happen very often but this year, I was given christmas presents I actually wanted!

The first present is a digital camera.
The Fuji Finepix S5600

Bought to me by my mother. I've hinted enough for a digital camera. I wanted to start getting back into photography and this camera will do just nicely!
Just a little list of specs...

Key Features
Image Sensor Type CCD
Resolution 5.1 Megapixel
Optical Zoom 10x
Camera Type Standard Point and Shoot
Lens
Interchangeable Lens Not Interchangeable Lenses
Optical Zoom 10x
35mm Zoom Lens 38 - 380 mm
Digital Zoom 5.7x
Focus Type Autofocus & Fixed Focus & Manual
Focus Range 35.43 in. to Infinity (w) / 78.74 in. to Infinity (t)
Macro Focus Range 3.94 - 78.74 in. (w) / 35.43 - 78.74 in. (t)
Focal Length 6.4 - 64 mm
Image Quality
Camera Resolution 5.1 Megapixel
Video
Video Resolutions 320 x 240 (QVGA), 640 x 480 (VGA)
Video Speed 30 fps
Video Format AVI
Storage
Memory Type xD Picture Card
Compression Type JPEG, Raw Image
Flash
ISO Speeds 100, 1600, 200, 400, 64, 800, Auto
Flash Type Built-In
Flash Functions Auto Flash, Fill-in Flash, Flash Off, Red-eye Reduction Flash, Slow Sync
Viewfinder / Display
Viewfinder Digital
LCD Panel With LCD Panel
LCD Panel Size 1.8 in.
LCD Screen Resolution 115,000 pixels
LCD Protected Position Without LCD Protected Position
Included Features
Self Timer 10 Sec., 2 Sec.
Built-in Microphone With Built-in Microphone
Tripod Mount With Tripod Mount
Dimensions
Height 8.4 cm
Width 11.4 cm
Depth 11.2 cm
Weight 0.4 kg
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories 16 MB Memory Card, 4 x AA Batteries, Lens Cap, Shoulder Strap, Software, Strap, USB Cable, Video Cable
Release Date October, 2005

The second gift is a Logitech X-230 speaker system for my comp

Specs...
-32-watt RMS stereo speakers with FDD2" technology for PCs and CD/MP3 players
-FDD2" dual driver satellite technology produces a uniform soundfield for full, rich sound
-Dynamic, real-time bass equalisation maximises bass response while minimising distortion
-Ported subwoofer design displaces more air for deeper bass
-Headphone jack enables private listening
-Master volume & subwoofer level controls placed for quick, convenient access
-Satellite speaker stands rotate for easy wall-mounting
-Windows® or Macintosh®
-2-year guarantee
-Full product support

I got loads more presents but these are two of the biggest ones. I'm very happy. I'll be having hours of fun with my new camera and the speakers? It'll be so good to not have to wear headphones, like I have done for months now.
The very next thing I'm about to do? Watch 24 season 5 on the computer with the new speakers! Jack Bauer/Kiefer Sutherland's voice is going to be all that more hot.

Reason to watch

Yes, it's back. The reason to watch section and today I'm listing Scott Maslen as a reason to watch a TV show. Scott Maslen appears on the TV screen in the UK, staring in the number one police show The Bill. He plays the part of Detective Sergeant Phil Hunter. A real women charmer and dodgy cop.

It's easy to see why he's the number one reason (in my opinion) the watch The Bill. Sexy as all hell. He rates 8/10 for me!

New Skin for Winamp

This seems to be happening all too regular these days..I got bored! YES..bored! I started off by fixing every bit of info on every mp3 I've downloaded. Which wasnt much. I've not long got this computer. So I'm lacking in the mp3 stakes.

Then over a cup of tea and a Steven Segal biscuit of the biscuit world (twas a hobnob), I decided that I would try downloading a new skin, for my winamp, to replace my MMD3 skin (which seems to hate me because I can never get it to work right. That didnt happen before when I had it on my old computer).
After much checking out of skins, I decided on a skin called Anunaki110 v1.1. I then sat and picked through, what seemed like, 100000 different colours for the skin (as you can guess. My life is so full of events at this moment in time) and the finished result is the screenshot of the winamp player above.

If my life got any more exciting, I wouldnt be able to keep up. I swear!

2 by 2

I thought I would share one of the many games I use to pass time while online.
This really isnt an interesting post BUT I wanted to show just how brilliant I am at this game lol.

Level 96, doods! I actually got up to level 98 before I lost but never took a screenshot before starting that level.

If you're ever bored, get your ass onto yahoo games and play them all! I might even dazzle you with screenshots of rocket mania.

Back with the old - Desktop

I'm not even sure anyone cares about my new desktop looks but I dont give a toss. I shall continue to post away =)

I've gone for a 24 look again. Hope it shows Daniel that even though Lost is cool, it can never beat 24 in my eyes!!

Past desktop pics: 10/05, 12/05, 01/06, 03/06, 07/06

Funny?

A little message for some people who might do both of these things *smug face* There's one person I know who visits here and he should take notice of this pic. Although I know he'll laugh at it.

all in one go

Ever tried something new and hated it? When Coke Zero came out here, I gave it a try and hated the taste but for some reason I now love it. Buy at least a bottle a day

great coke taste. zero sugar

It still can't beat diet coke!

With my Gran's brother being up for a holiday, I've not been spending much time with my gran. More so for the fact that he drives me bloody crazy. Example: We're going to my mum's tomorrow. He's never been there before and my gran told him that it can take an hour to get there (35 minutes when I'm driving). So he gets his map out to see which way to drive there. Now I had told him that he can follow me so he doesnt get lost. Upon him reading the map, he decided he knew how to get there better than me. Told me that I was wrong in my directions. Pisses me off, so he does or is it just old age rearing its ugly head and making me get pissed at everything these days?

Pyper

It had to be done. I had to post a pic of my beautiful cat, pyper.

She might be the horror of my life but she's a horror I couldnt live without. I mostly end up screaming at her but at the end of the day, she keeps me company at night. Her purring beside my head, while she massages her claws into her blanket, helps me drift off to sleep without a care in the world.

Potatoes...

I bought some potatoes today. I hear singing coming from my cupboard.