 |
 |
When I was walking home from my photo outing on Friday, I found this damp piece of note paper on the sidewalk -- someone's marker doodle, washing out in the rain. It's just one piece of paper, but you see both sides above. I like the symmetrical effect, complete with grit from the street.
Getting those two images to appear side-by-side in New Blogger turned out to be no mean feat. I followed the instructions on this page, which involved dipping into the HTML code. Then I had to tweak the photo sizes and dimensions until I got something close to what I wanted. It wasn't difficult, but it was fiddly, and it's still not ideal -- I don't know why there's so much empty space above and below the images. It looks passable on my computer; I hope it also works on a phone or tablet.
Getting those two images to appear side-by-side in New Blogger turned out to be no mean feat. I followed the instructions on this page, which involved dipping into the HTML code. Then I had to tweak the photo sizes and dimensions until I got something close to what I wanted. It wasn't difficult, but it was fiddly, and it's still not ideal -- I don't know why there's so much empty space above and below the images. It looks passable on my computer; I hope it also works on a phone or tablet.
Yesterday was pretty low-key. I've been debating what to do with our canna lilies over winter. They need some protection, and I briefly brought them inside, but they're big and tattered and I think they also need to die back and have a dormant period. So I put them back out. I'll wait for a frost to nip back the leaves, and then I'll cut them back and put the pots in the shed for a couple of months. Fingers crossed.
Dave and I took Olga to the cemetery together, which doesn't happen all that often. (Dave, you will recall, isn't crazy about dog walks – or any walks, really.)
Dave and I took Olga to the cemetery together, which doesn't happen all that often. (Dave, you will recall, isn't crazy about dog walks – or any walks, really.)
Olga knows that if Dave is going to throw her Kong, she first has to give him her paw. It's just part of their routine.
At last!
While walking in the cemetery we found a nice enameled iron Le Creuset pot beneath one of the spigots, I guess for dogs to drink from. Had I been alone, I would have grabbed it for Dave and substituted some less luxurious vessel – the dogs don't care, after all – but he said he didn't want it. I was shocked! I bet it won't be there long. It's probably gone by now.
Speaking of the cemetery, remember the stained glass windows? Well, I wrote the cemetery managers last week and asked if there's some way I can gain access to the chapel to photograph them. We'll see if they respond.
Last night I had the weirdest experience. We were watching an old episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" from the '90s, and the subject was a murder case from my hometown, Tampa. All of a sudden, on the screen, was a friend of mine, a reporter at the time for the big newspaper in the area. It was so weird to be sitting in London and see someone I know well, looking like they did 25 years ago, on my television! I took a picture of the screen and shot her a note on Facebook, saying, "Look what just popped up on my TV!" We had a good laugh about it.
Last night I had the weirdest experience. We were watching an old episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" from the '90s, and the subject was a murder case from my hometown, Tampa. All of a sudden, on the screen, was a friend of mine, a reporter at the time for the big newspaper in the area. It was so weird to be sitting in London and see someone I know well, looking like they did 25 years ago, on my television! I took a picture of the screen and shot her a note on Facebook, saying, "Look what just popped up on my TV!" We had a good laugh about it.
Finally, some of you asked for Dave's pumpkin pie recipe. He referred me to this YouTube video, which includes a link to the recipe below it. Apparently that's the one he's been following. Enjoy!
Who did you have the debate about the canna lilies with? Were you on "Gardeners' Question Time" this week? A fascinating debate topic. Much more interesting than Trump honing his golfing skills during a deadly pandemic. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns!
ReplyDeleteI am my own best debate partner!
DeleteShows how there's beauty in everything if you look for it, I love the scrap of washed out paper.
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
The colors caught my eye as I was walking -- it's amazing what you can find out there!
DeleteLe Creuset water bowl! Someone is very elegant. What a magical moment on TV. The watery watercolour is very nice. Commenting on blogs, whether Blogger or Wordpress (which I use), has always had its frustrating moments, but since the Blogger updates, commenting has been a crapshoot for me. So frustrating.
ReplyDeleteCommenting usually isn't a problem for me, but posting sometimes can be! (Depending on what I'm trying to do.)
DeleteLooks like it was as cold and clammy there as it is here...I can second Dave's reluctance, Pirate is pushing for a bike ride this morning....
ReplyDeleteHowever it is better once you are out, and it looks like Dave and Olga did enjoy themselves!
Yeah, we're definitely entering the depths of winter. Lots of gray damp!
DeleteLooks like a fun walk. Amazing what you can sometimes find in old programs.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember Marty Rosen? That's who turned up on the program. I was so surprised!
DeleteWe had a lot of cannas once, lining our driveway. At some point in the year I used to go out with a sharp kitchen knife and cut them down to ground level. I suppose that must have been mid winter. They always came back well.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've heard I'm supposed to cut them entirely down at some point. I'm thinking the first frost will trigger that.
DeleteWhenever I see a rainbow I am overjoyed. That it's ephemeral, fading quickly, I do not allow myself to dwell on.
ReplyDeleteLe Creuset? Make mine orange or the dark red. And whatever you do don't drop one of their casserole dishes' lids on your foot. Being cast iron you will limp for at least two weeks. I'd also advise to not fling an even larger casserole dish across the room - in a most unbecoming fit of anger. Not only will you find (by now dried again) pasta in the most unlikely places for weeks, you'll send a K-wire (freshly inserted to realign your lower arm's bones) flying. I had three K-wires. Two did the job.
Olga quite the lady to grant her paw so graciously. Dave quite the gentleman to bow (before he sends her, not so ladylike, on another chase).
U
This Le Creuset was orange -- a small two-handled pot. Dave said he might have taken it if it had a lid. Picky! I'm not even sure what a K-wire is, but I'm glad I wasn't in the room at the time.
DeleteThat piece of doodle paper melting in the rain proves the fact that art is everywhere if you just look.
ReplyDeleteAnd I might have stolen the Le Creuset. Just sayin'.
It was hard for me to pass it up!
DeleteI've never known a freeze to kill cannas. the foliage goes down but they are root hardy. and your formatting looks fine on my desktop.
ReplyDeleteOK, that's good to know! We do get snow here, and I think that would do it, but as long as I put the pots in a sheltered place I think they'll be fine.
DeleteYour found artwork, formatted as you did it, looks like a cathedral window to me. The picture of Dave and Olga is quite regal. It looks as overcast and dreary there as it is here.
ReplyDeleteI probably would have left the Le Creuset pot if there was no lid. But what a very strange thing to set as a dog waterer.
Yeah, the lid was missing. But STILL!
DeleteNice rainbow artwork there. Yes, the new blogger is a bit of a bummer to work with, especially for photos and layout. You did a fine job getting these two images together.
ReplyDeleteLove seeing Dave with Olga. Very sweet.
This is the first time recently I've struggled with New Blogger. But I remember Linda Sue saying she couldn't put pictures side-by-side anymore, and now I see why.
DeleteGood to see that Olga has to jump through some hoops before the chase begins.
ReplyDeleteDave makes her wait for it!
DeleteI wonder how that doodle drawing started out because it has sure ended up as a true work of art. And I'm doubly impressed that you got those two photos to sit side-by-side. I've tried that several times and have had no luck. I have a hard enough time positioning vertical photos and then getting to text to appear in the right spot. It used to work perfectly in the old blogger but now it's a struggle most of the time. How fun that you saw an old friend on TV. I had a surprise watching TV last night too. I've been watching all the NCIS episodes on Netflix for the past few months. Last night I saw an episode with Michelle Obama in it. I don't remember ever hearing that she did a cameo for that show while she was First Lady.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part of the photo thing was getting the dimensions of the pictures right. The code that the linked page provides is set for square photos -- so if you have pics that are rectangular you have to change the dimensions manually to match. Argh! I had no idea Michelle Obama was on NCIS, of all things.
DeleteThanks for the pie video. He makes it look so easy! Olga has Dave well-trained to shake hands with her paw before she will play with him! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Olga really is well-trained. When she came to us she already knew some tricks. She's a smart girl.
DeleteThanks for the link to the how-to. They make it sound so easy! In old blogger I put two side by side, and never tried it again, too difficult. I will book mark the link so I'll have it in case the need arises. I do hope you get in to see the windows, as I would like to see them, as well.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's handy to have that code, even if it's fiddly to work with. See my response to Sharon above about picture sizes.
DeleteI've wanted to put photos of my younger daughter and me side by side(she's my clone), but have no clue how to do it with typepad. It sounds way beyond my expertise! I love the shaking hands routine. Do we train dogs or do they train us? :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if that code would work on Typepad? Seems like it might. It's just HTML. But I've never used Typepad so I'm not sure. You could always just Google "put pictures side-by-side in Typepad" and see what comes up!
DeleteI love the look on Olga's face as she offers her paw. I hope you get inside that chapel to photograph the stained glass!
ReplyDeleteThat's her "WOULD YOU THROW IT ALREADY" look!
DeleteI use PicMonkey for collages like that, but you may recall that they ALSO totally changed how they do things (due, I'm sure, to the discontinuation of flash on so many browsers). I had to email them to figure out how to to collages the way I'm used to. Fortunately they were very helpful. But as you can tell from looking at my blog, the spacing is still weird.
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of Olga giving Dave a fist bump. So dainty!