Wednesday 8 April 2020

Miscellany

to
Sadly my camera seems to have stopped working
as far as transferring to my computer is concerned.   The last three photographs I have taken seem to have gone into something called 'camera roll' and have not appeared in my picture file.   If anyone out there can tell me what this means I would be grateful.

But I have been greatly cheered by small acts of kindness - the first sent me by friend W this morning - a U Tube of two workmen rescuing ducklings from down a drain while mother watches anxiously on the footpath.   Flat on his stomach in the gutter one man rescues the ducklings one by one - the other man carrying them gently and putting them  down by mother duck, who shepherds them into the grass at the side of the road   When all seven or eight are rescued, all, including mother, are put into a plastic sack and carried to the side of water - mother duck is ushered on and then the ducklings follow. It is a joy to watch.

In another act of kindness friend W rang and asked if I was alright for cash.   At the moment we are urged not to deal in cash - but people like the window cleaner and the gardener need cash and I am slowly running out.   I am ashamed to  say that I have never used a cash machine.   Friend W has offered (and the offer has been accepted) to go down during the evening when there will be few about, and get me some money from the machine.
That's what I call being a good friend.

Another friend, who lives just a few doors away, had gone into town this morning and seen my bottle of milk on the doorstep in the sun.   When she came back it was still there and when she got home she rang me to tell me.   It was warm when I brought it indoors but I hope I was in time.

Now to something really lovely that happened when the postman came - and for which I wanted a photograph.
And which, lo and behold has worked this time.  My Grand-daughter, who lives in Glasgow, sketches in her spare time and sketched this birch tree as it was coming into leaf.   She sent me a photograph.   I admired it and this morning she sent me the page from her sketch book.   Also in the parcel was a little bundle of twigs from the tree and a short piece of prose from her tree book:  'Birch has a long tradition of being used to ward off evil....   The birch brings love, beauty and the hope of  new beginning into your life'.   Also in the parcel was a drawing from my three year old Great Grand daughter which I shall now try to photograph.  (will try again later).   On these dark days such acts as these bring great cheer to our lives don't they.

The weather today is really beautiful - warm, sunny with barely a breeze.   It is difficult to imagine the deadly bug lurking out there - we can't see it.   But sadly the roads will become choked with cars again, the air will become polluted again and once the threat has gone and a vaccine has been made - life will go back to normal.   Of course we all wish for the latter but I don't expect for one moment that it will have made the world in general think in terms of climate change and the way we continue to pollute the atmosphere.

I forgot my own good deed so am putting it on later.   Sorry I still can't post my great grand daughter's painting because my pictures icon seems to have disappeared from my tool bar.   However - to my good deed:   All winter long a butterfly (tortoiseshell I think) has overwintered with me.   For a long time it was 'asleep' at the top of the curtains on my patio doors.   Then when it was very warm in the dining room when we were eating one night it awoke and started fluttering round the room.   My son caught it for me using the glass and card method and put it out into the garage.   This morning I went to the freezer (scampi for lunch) and there it was, fluttering up and down the garage window.  Using glass and card method I took it into the front garden and let it go - it flew off into the sunshine.   I felt really good.   Don't know how long it will survive - but at least it felt the Spring sunshine on its wings.

Thank you to those who told me about finding the photograph in Camera Roll - you will see I found it and it appears at the top of my post - a drawing by my three year old Grand daughter Ula of the bird in the sky, me, her grand dad (my son) and Tess in her basket (she hasn't been to see me since Tess died).

17 comments:

Heather said...

I have seen that video of the ducklings being rescued and thought it so sweet.
The birch tree painting and quotation is such a lovely gift. Something to treasure.
Enjoy the sunshine and your pretty garden.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

There are indeed lots of kind people out there. If you're using Windows 10 and you go to your Pictures file you should find a folder within it called Camera Roll. Double click on that to open it and you should find your missing photos. I hope that solves the problem.

JayCee said...

There is something about a silver birch tree, so graceful and elegant, that I can understand the meaning behind that quotation. A lovely gift.

Gwil said...

Camera roll is where your photos are when you want email them for example. You can try this. Send an email to yourself and click on attachment. If it offers camera roll go to it and attach your photo by clicking on it and when a tick appears ticking on ‚Done‘. That’s just one of my Heath Robinson solutions. I have to make do and mend by trials and errors.

Rachel Phillips said...

I hope all these things work out for you and your friends. It is a lockdown and a hibernation to stop this virus spreading.

Granny Sue said...

Your post really cheered me up. Thank you.

Bonnie said...

What a beautiful picture your Granddaughter drew and how sweet of her to send it to you. I bet it felt good to watch the butterfly fly away in the sunshine. As others have told you the "Camera Roll" should be the name of a folder on your computer. It usually is called the "Pictures Folder" but in the computer world they like to change things. Have a good evening!

gmv said...

Such lovely deeds of kindness.

I love yours with the butterfly.

wherethejourneytakesme said...

Camera roll is the folder where your pictures are stored - look under your file explorer (this has an icon like a yellow file folder) to locate it - this link might be helpful in locating or fixing it on your computer https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/13756/windows-10-fix-missing-camera-roll.
Beautiful picture. x

Bonnie said...

You found the picture! I love it! Your great granddaughter will follow in her Mother's artistic steps.

Joanne Noragon said...

So much happiness. I love birch trees.They are succumbing to climate change over here.

Cro Magnon said...

I do NOT welcome a cash-less society. You know where you are with cash. So many problems are caused by people seeing their plastic as bottomless pits; debt is the cause of so much angst. Give me cash any day!

Librarian said...

Lovely pictures!
Your friend is really kind. Maybe when "all this" is over, you can go to the cash machine with her and she can show you how it works - easier than, say, transferring pictures from your camera to your blog, wich you managed in the end.

Tom Stephenson said...

A few years ago I saw a whole team of firemen rescuing ducklings from a pavement grating. They were all standing around the edge looking down and the mother duck stood with them. In the end, a policewoman carried the ducklings to the river and was followed by the duck all the way.

Jennyff said...

I read on our local town chat page that a lady had got all her shopping shopping and found when it was time to pay that she had forgotten her purse. The person behind her in the queue offered to pay by credit card, over £100 worth, a bank transfer could be made when the lady got home, which she obviously did as she was the one posting about it. She actual named her good Samaritan which was kind. Wonderful, I am not sure if I would have been that thoughtful and trusting, I hope so especially in these awful times.

Gerry Snape said...

How great is the parcel from your granddaughter...we have a birch grove in the field...one tree for each member of the family.Thankyou for this info...glad that there are techie people on your list..I'm no good there. much love.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks to you all.