Tag Archives for At home

Blogging 101 a WordPress.COM assignment

Today’s assignment: write and publish a “who I am and why I’m here” post on your blog.

A refresher for me – a pause to come to terms with the ‘new’ wp.COM editor – which I have pretty much avoided until now. I am a photographer. I have blogged for about 10 years and been here on the WordPress platform since 2008. A small gallery of photographs taken in the first 4 days of 2016.

Interview BRO-CCAAB Children’s Motorcycle Charity 2/1/2016
day lily 4/1/2016
hydrangea 2/1/2016
tiger 4/1/2016
redsky morning 1/1/2016
The Recliner Rockers 2/1/2016

Blogging U.

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

Google reader March 2013

Not a big user but I had just returned to look up an article and Google goes and announces its demise. I transfer my modest 14 rss feeds to Flipboard (on my phone – been using Flipboard for ages) and WordPress reader (at my desk). I’m trying NewsBlur but we aren’t getting along yet – I think they may be a tad overcommitted. Still smarting from losing Tweetdeck but things seem to be coming together – have tried Scope works OK sometimes, other times it just jams up the system (Galaxy S2). There will be others – Flipboard is ahead at the moment.

Google reader

Google reader

This item has been backdated 2 days.

Screengrab 13/3/2013.

Updated 16/3/2013.

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

847 items February 2012

847 items

847 items

I have been using Lightroom full-time for the past 18 months to organise and post produce my camera RAW files. The ‘chosen ones’ find their way into two archives, one ‘in the cloud’ ~ the other ~ a local drive. The exceptional ones :) – those that ‘work’ (I should explain at some point) are in turn backed up twice ~ on another drive and cloud account (I also carry a version of this collection with me on my phone). Lightroom is efficient and fast to use (I wouldn’t be without it now ~ though there is a significant learning curve in using it effectively). Integrating my camera phone (NON RAW) files into this system has been a bit of a mission – I admit I may be a bit slow on the uptake – hence there is some slippage which ends up in a folder that expands and contracts as I deal with them. Some are rejects, alternate edits, double ups and PS doodles ~ as well as phone camera files looking for a home or the reject bin. There are currently 847 items in this folder requiring attention. :(

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

Tiger patrol Shakespeare Street Leamington NZ

Tiger, Shakespeare Street, Leamington, New Zealand

Tiger, Shakespeare Street, Leamington, New Zealand

All’s well. Tiger on his circuit – keeping us safe from .. other cats!!  This was taken as I waited for the International Space Station to pass overhead or to the northwest at 22:26. I was either misinformed or looking in the wrong direction. So no. But I am playing with Kelly’s G1X which does ISO 12800 – which is rather cool – well, I think so. It takes photos in the almost dark!

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

Friday 5 October 2012 Instagram

Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432
Leamington 3432

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

Spiralz Rhythmic Championships 2012 Te Awamutu preparations

Spiralz Rhythmic Championships

Spiralz Rhythmic Championships

Trish prepares Hannah this morning (an hour & half of hair, glitter, stretching and just the odd moan) for her level 2 competition at the Spiralz Rhythmics of Hamilton 10th Annual Rhythmic Gymnastic Competition, today, at the Te Awamutu Events Centre.

 Gallery

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

Coco and feijoas kitchen window sill

Coco and feijoas on the kitchen window sill

Two cats both tabbys – Tiger and Coco – patrol our section from their respective next door homes. Tiger is long haired Coco short, their colour and markings almost identical. They scrap they stalk each other – but tend to inhabit our space at different times of the day.

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

AA Rewards no more – how annoying!

I go to use my AA Card when buying petrol at BP and discover AA Rewards no longer exist. AA Rewards (which was simple to understand) has been replaced by AA Smartfuel (which is incomprehensible – to my way of doing things). What has been an enjoyable squirrelling away of points (since 1989) to pay my annual AA membership has been whisked away without so much as a by your leave. Sure I got the glossy AA Smartfuel guff and the new bright yellow membership card in the mail but it didn’t sink in.

OK here we go; AA issued a press release on 11 October 2011. Stink.

© Michael Jeans | +64 27 496 3802 | galleries | michael@michaeljeans.co.nz

9AM Wednesday 11/5/2011

Feijoas and the mower man, kitchen arrangements and a quick trip to meet the ‘PD boys’. Work on Abbie’s new OC. The book is called May 2011 because it is being made in May 2011; the first Blurb book I have made although I have tried. The book is courtesy a collaborative marketing exercise by Blurb and Zenfolio. The photos were taken between May 2010 and May 2011. Not sure how many pages I’m allowed – forum hunting hasn’t helped. To the value of $35US or so? No, around $30US.

Welcome to our new website!

I have just made a new website. The most satisfying to date. Not flash – not trendy – although it does have Facebook and Twitter share buttons :). Satisfying in the way it works for the person who will manage it and for those doing the reading. The software; WordPress. This site sits on WordPress.COM. Apart from the content (the words and pictures) and a strategy to publish (one post a week, two posts a week?? whatever – a plan of some sort)  the tools 1. a blog at WordPress.COM, 2. an HTML editor called Araneae, 3. and a simple image processor called FastStone Image Viewer. OK, being a photographer I also use PhotoShop – but this is by the by. That’s it; all up cost per year (domain name, hosting and email) less than $52.00NZ.  The time taken to put together a site from scratch – anything from 2 minutes to 40 hours – lets say you are up for at least 15 – 30 hours of reasonably intense work. Q and A back and forth with the client – very much a collaborative thing. Cheers Angela!

KFC Krushers full of real bitz!

A hedgehog story. An odd tap, tap, tapping. A rapid tap, tap, tapping. Sufficiently strange to draw me outside at four in the morning. Make sense of it? Armed cats? Early morning panel beating? No, the sound is coming from deep shadow not far off along the road. Movement? Crickets and katydids, the distant swish of cars on SH1. Closer, I see a hedgehog marching purposefully backwards and forwards its face stuck tragic-comically in a transparent KFC Krushers cup. The tapping as he bangs the cup on the asphalt. I try to remove the container but he sees me coming. I am successful the second time. More an observation than ‘story’ otherwise it will never see the light of day!