CACTUS FLOWER IN THE GREENHOUSE

This is a picture of a cactus flower in the greenhouse and the smell is better than any perfume.It came out 1 day ago and lasts for 2 then dies.



NEXT CAMERA FOR EBAY

I am pleased to say that the collector who purchased the Zeiss Baby Box camera was very happy and gave a feed back Quote " Delighted,camera in superb condition (unlike some ebay junk)", so lets hope this one again goes to a good home.

Rollei 35 LED

The size of this 35mm film camera is 95 x 70 x 60mm and was made in 1978.It features red and green LED lights in the view finder which indicate when the correct exposure is achieved.To aid compactness the front lens is pulled out from the main body and twisted anti-clockwise to lock in position.To return the red button on the front face has to be pushed in before the lens is twisted and pushed back otherwise damage will occur.

The camera is in near perfect condition and any white flecks that can be seen are not on the camera but where I have lightly cleaned the exterior body.This will be put onto ebay next Thursday.

VISIT TO A DOG RESCUE CENTRE

Today I went to a local dog rescue centre http://www.appledown.co.uk/  just to have a look and it makes you wonder why people get a dog in the first place if they are not going to look after them. Most were large dogs which owners could not afford to keep so they just turn them loose.
The kennels and runs were clean with one block for boarding kennels and the other for the strays and unwanted dogs.
The staff were friendly and showed me around after I had advised them of the type of dog I wanted which was small and about the size of a beagle.There were about 12 dogs in their pens and as I walked past each one I made a mental note of the ones that barked,came to the front of the pen or showed no interest.
There was one that didn't bark,didn't come right up to the front but stayed about five feet away with his ears pricked looking intently at me but not in a menacing way. He was a bigger dog than I wanted but there was something about him that when I got home I rang the centre to see if he was found locally as they don't rehouse dogs in the same area as they are found.From my description they couldn't find the dog I meant so Saturday I will go and have another look.Watch this space.

DOG UPDATE

Today I went to see a Welsh Springer Spaniel breeder who advertised on a web site and claimed she was Kennel Club registered,she also claimed she showed at Crufts and had entered dog shows and won.
Now at the best of times I am a bit of a cynic but I will describe what I saw and you can make up your own minds.

On arriving at the house which was a terraced three bedroom in a through road I saw a small wooden run with a towel slung across it in the grassed front garden which was about 30' x 30' the front gate hanging off it's hinges.Knocking on the door set off barking from inside which, OK is normal for any dog. I was welcomed by a pleasant woman and on entering over the threshhold could get no further due to being surrounded by jumping barking dogs and puppies who congregated around my feet preventing me from moving in case I stood on one. Ushering me into the back kitchen I could not believe my eyes,one large wire cage had four mature dogs inside while the rest of the puppies totaling seven scurried around yapping and trying to bite my shoes.The back door was open which led out to a yard about 60' x 30' covered in gravel which had a shed and a kennel.

Inspecting one of the puppies I had a feel of it's body and before I said anything she said it had a fat stomach. Now after reading a book on dogs the alarm bells started to ring as this could be a sign of worms,that's me being the cynic, so I asked if they had started their injections yet and she said no as she liked to let the new owner take this on which was fair enough as the puppies were only 8 weeks old but again it made me think.

The puppies were very nice and appeared to be well and living in clean conditions which I suppose is what you would expect from a KC registered breeder, but being in such cramped conditions and in such a confined area did not give me a good feeling and I began to feel sorry for the neighbours living next door and at the end of the garden as well as the dogs.She obviously thought the world of the dogs and took them for walks but I'm afraid if you breed dogs I think it should be in a large area away from close neighbours, I say this as we had a Rottweiler breeder living next door for 3 years whose pups used to escape and the smell and flies during the summer were appalling until we got the landlord to shift them out.
So needless to say I made my excuses and left. One thing I learnt was that the Welsh Springer Spaniel is too big to keep in our house as we only have small rooms so I will be looking for a smaller dog.Watch this space.

WHICH DOG ?

After three years at home being a permanent carer I feel my fitness is gradually diminishing and need something to get me out of the house for an hour or two a day, not only that but something to enliven and give interest and enjoyment to mum who is housebound and later on when I get a narrowboat to be able to live aboard without any problems.

Many years ago we used to have a Dalmatian Pointer cross which was a valued member of the family and I think a smaller dog with similar facial features would bring back happy memories for her.
After looking at many pictures we have come up with the following dogs :-

Welsh Springer Spaniel

English Springer Spaniel

Now I have read all about the habits and nature of this type of dog and am prepared for all of it's mad ways, that is the reason it's name will be Max after Mad Max,both variants are lovely but which one to choose ?

Once we have decided I will start a story in the blog on his escapades and upbringing which will help prevent my brain from going soft and also the transition from living in a house to narrowboat when the time comes. 

Another Vintage Camera for Ebay

This is the next vintage camera for ebay.
It is a vintage Zeiss Ikon Baby Box Tengor

This was made by Zeiss Ikon Germany in 1934 with a model number of 54/18.The size is very small being 80 x 60 x 60cm.
It is made of pressed steel with a black leatherette covering.
Film used is 127 format and you can get 16 images on one film.The lens is a fixed focus with an F11 aperture with a shutter speed of 1/25 sec and a Plus B setting.The lens is a Goerz Frontar with a blade shutter.
 It has an empty film spool in the back and the shutter will not work unless the wire sight frame is pulled up out of the body of the camera.
There is a socket for a tripod and a threaded hole for a shutter release cable.
It has what is called an achromat lens which is two very thin cemented together lens elements although this cannot be detected by eye.
For a quality finish the capping paddle on the self return release has been  mirror plated so when you look in the front of the lens you see a mirror instead of a plain black hole.
When taking a picture there is no need to worry about aperture,shutter speed or focusing,just frame your picture and take the photo.To change from portrait to landscape simply turn the camera on it's side.

I am adding details to these cameras on my blog as I refer prospective buyers from ebay to this site for more details about each camera and hopefully be of interest to you .

I hope this goes to another collector like the last camera which was sold to a photographer in Cantley QC Canada who not only collects vintage cameras but also takes pictures with them.

Back lit frosted leaf

I took this to show up the patterns and colour of a dead leaf which would otherwise be missed.