Tag: At home
Ra
It’s just a pity some folk find it necessary to disrupt the lives and peace of mind of their neighbours. OK, so in posting this I run the risk that someone will get a thrill because their handiwork has been noted and is on the Internet. Equally, I would hope a quiet word from one in the know along the lines that one’s free time might be more valuably spent could be a good outcome. It’s the small things.
The Waipa Community Forum. Join up – join in.
Still some way to go. A rationalisation to the look of the sidebar as well. Site map count: 1,569. Oh, and faster loading through reduction of front page by about 40%.
There is a bit of catching up going on here – working back in time. The self inflicted hiccup is yet to be repaired – hopefully during today. There is quite a bit of recent material in the pipeline – so do come back when you have a moment. The latest WordPress.COM innovation is the live tweet embed shown below.
To compound matters …
I must have got my dates wrong – on top of everything my image server is undergoing scheduled maintenance 24 hours earlier than I had thought. So we wait …
This is a major, and I still can’t believe I could be so stupid but, I have deleted the entire October 2010 folder on my server. I did the same thing – on a much smaller scale – a couple of days ago. I thought I had learned my lesson but no. So no tears – I must admit I was tempted. Many apologies – the images will be reinstated as quickly as possible.
Self inflicted image server fail!
The broken links scattered back through this past month’s entries is entirely my fault. I deleted an entire server folder last night. A new experience and not something I’m rushing to repeat. Normal viewing will return gradually during the day. Also; while here – please note – my image server will be down or intermittent between Friday the 5th November 17:00 and Saturday the 6th November 01:00 NZDT for regular maintenance.
One of the things one does, when blogging, is to watch the incoming stats. This does become a bit of an obsession. I use the inbuilt WordPress.COM stats which shows page views, made public as above, set when I moved to this platform in September 2008. Also public is Sitemeter (which shows both unique visitor numbers and page views along with a whole bunch of other stuff) going back 12 months and the fun FEEDJIT Live which displays visitors in real time along with the page/post they landed on. In terms of staying on top of my game the visitor search terms revealed in the WP.COM stats influence my use of tags and categories and to some extent the titles I use for new posts and the SEO friendly excerpts that compliment them. Lastly we have this which is a list of NZ based blogs (those with public stats.) that can, at the best of times, be a bit flaky – which, at the time of writing 1102 3/11/2010, is showing no data. If you look here the monthly aggregation of this data has me at 61 out of about 230. I first appear on this list in May 2010; 63rd of 163 then June 2010; 46/186, July 2010; 68/198, August 2010; 74/214, September 2010; 69/227 and again October at 61/226. All this suggests that folk are visiting specific subject posts – those indexed by Google (c/w michaeljeans.com) – and that I have a modest daily following. Nice!
*michaeljeans.co.nz 2010-11-03-1122 About 5,900 results (0.13 seconds)
**michaeljeans.com 2010-11-03-1122 About 3,320 results (0.12 seconds)
Michael Jeans +64 27 496 3802 michael@michaeljeans.co.nz michaeljeans.co.nz
I was born in Cambridge and grew up at Whitehall. Went to Whitehall School, Cambridge High, Massey and Waikato Universities. I live in Leamington – the southern half of Cambridge – on the western banks of the Waikato River. I have been making photographs for four and a half decades for enjoyment and livelihood. I have blogged since 2004. I make and maintain a handful of websites for others.
My online presence MichaelJeans.co.nz began life in 1998 – showcasing my photography. Latterly it has evolved into a journal (something I have kept much of my life alongside the photographs – and some video – of people and places made along the way). My weblog is currently complete from July 2008. Archive material is added as time allows. My website has a significant though not exclusive Cambridge New Zealand focus.
Published: 27/11/2010
The Waipa Community Forum
Dave Homewood of Wings Over Cambridge fame has established The Waipa Community Forum. Join up, join in.
This is a six month project – I’m in no rush. I got my first mobile phone in 1991 and have had 6 or 7 since. Uniden, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, GTran & etc. I’ve managed to break one – the rest have lasted the distance. My current is a Nokia 2125 CDMA; my favourite and the most long lasting – 4 years? It makes and receives calls, it makes and receives the odd text and it fits snugly in the fob pocket of my jeans. Next year the Telecom NZ CDMA network will shut down. I need a new phone. So going all out what do I want? – the obvious and the wish list.
Cambridge New Zealand – local press
Very roughly Your Cambridge News advertising 66% content 33%. Cambridge Edition 60% advertising, 40% content. Saturday Herald section one around 50 / 50. Just saying.
Getting this all together has taken some fairly long hours – it looks simple enough but there is a bit of the jigsaw about it all – all I need now are the photographs. Suggestions gratefully received!
I don’t actually have a logo. I have tried various over the years but keep returning to text – often with a different font each time – so no consistency there. This morning someone asks for my logo, so I make this. It’s OK.
Cherry tree, Shakespeare Street, Leamington, New Zealand and three photos (from the same avenue) two years ago.
And yes, I am here
Thank you for asking. And yes, the quietest month blogging since September ’08. There is some catch up to be done and soonish the beginnings of a project that will stretch through until November.
WordPress.COM announce and roll out, in the past few hours, inhouse Share this: Cool. Perfect.
Leamington New Zealand – Pīwakawaka
Pretty frocks – 13 February 2010
Tools
Portobello Microbrewery
Blogging Cambridge NZ
Visitors. Gardeners, sellers of art – though mention of Main Street and Victoria Park suggests zero local knowledge. Wings over Cambridge and it’s associated forums. This seems popular – self promotion. Oh and this chap – I guess I mention his name from time to time is following me on Twitter. That was him this is me. Our local wedding video empire – with an oh so cute Maungakawa road trip – short but sweet. And last but not least this – though I think we are merely the random location in someone else’s masterpiece.
Baskets
Journeys 5/09/2009
7:06AM
I did not know that
It has been a funny old day. I’ve been scanning images for kwtjubilee. Discovered there is a WordPress Word Camp in Wellington the weekend beyond next. Thommo’s memorial service is on Thursday not Friday as I had surmised from the transposing of days and dates in the weekend’s paper. At West End Bowling Club which is close to Northgate and NPGH – at 3PM. There was a frost this morning – a surprisingly heavy one – I have spent the day, a day which has been bright and sunny, inside in airconditioned isolation. The mystery that is Twitter, as opposed to the Twitter of ‘media’ reputation, is beginning to dim as I slowly see it’s potential. New folk are following me. I rather like Russell Brown‘s take – an RB original I am sure –
Essentially, Twitter is poetic, and Facebook is administrative.
My use of both will fall into the adminstrative camp. I may be wrong. Friends, real live actual friends continue to find me on Facebook which is heartwarming. Having folk follow me on Twitter is gratifying and is beginning to shape how I use it to amplify posts here at my blog. I read bits of Until Next Time and will return to it. And this sublime eulogy.
And honest I did not know this. If you are on a PC and reading text in any contemporary browser ( FF3.5, EI8, Chrome or Safari 4) place your finger on the Ctrl key and roll the scroll button on your mouse. So simple, so obvious – but who tells you these things until someone randomly mentions it – Duh – I think it may have been there for a while.
A frost means a sunny day
Dad & Fred
Bruce Jeans assists reporter Katrina Lintonbon research an article she is writing for Cambridge Edition on Bruce’s grandfather, builder, Charles Potts. Charles Potts built the Cambridge Court House home now to Cambridge Museum one hundred years ago. Photo: Friday 17 July 2009.
Recent Fred Potts links.
4 July 2009 Cambridge Heritage
23 June 2009 Fred Potts Ctd.
1 December 2008 Celebrating Fred Potts
14 November 2008 A sunny Cambridge afternoon IV
Winter sun
Camellia
Waipa District
An off site aggregation of Waipa District posts here going back 11 months or so.
Winter solstice harvest
Dream catcher
Be kind to pigs week?
Autumn Leamington NZ
In the news today
Water beads
Early morning visitor
Webcam self portrait :)
Defrosting feijoa
2008 – My list
Favourite album: Raising Sand Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Favourite song: Through The Morning, Through The Night
Favourite singer songwriter of all time: Robert Johnson
Favourite blog: The Daily Dish (followed closely by Public Address)
Favourite writer: Oliver Kamm (followed very closely by Abbie Jury)
Ripening plums
This year’s Sharps Early crop is lighter than 2007’s bumper one. Far and away my favourite plum – I have known it all my life – harvested, as it is, at this special time of the year. Our tree is a cutting from the tree at Whitehall. Dad is still making relish from fruit frozen last December. His plum relish seasoned meatloaf is very tasty.
The short history of a tree: Dad says he is fairly certain the tree comes from the Scholes farm, next door to ours, at Whitehall (if you have reason to visit Whitehall Quarry – the remnants of this orchard can be seen to your left as you come up the rise from the bridge after leaving Whitehall Road). Trees grown from cuttings from the Leamington tree can, in turn, be found on properties on Mount Pirongia, in Te Puke, at Maungatautari and here in Leamington – if you know where to look.
Celebrating Fred Potts
Dad works on two frames made from timber from the Cambridge Court House. The frames will be included in an exhibition featuring the work of Bruce’s grandfather Fred Potts at the museum – the Cambridge Museum – in the old court house building.
Kees comes to visit
Kees Sprengers came visiting this afternoon. So great to see him. We talked photography – what else. Looked at his recent work.
Tiger
Tiger is our next door neighbour but treats our corner section as his own. At the moment he is bothering the nesting blackbirds on the Noel Street side of the house. The blackbirds for their part kick up an almighty fuss, when he is mooching about, which can be quite penetrating – a performance that occurs more that once a day at the moment. Rest assured the nest is well placed in a cat inaccessible part of a modest, but dense, camellia.
Road works
I have some comments to make here. Later.
Edited: 8/11/2008 21:14
Of structure v aesthetics and things that go bump in the night or why did we get a makeover when there are more pressing roading issues in need of attention?
This is purely anecdotal and I certainly don’t have any of the facts in front of me.
Shakespeare Street faired poorly during this past past winter. At one stage there were potholes galore. These have been patched. Like many streets Shakespeare has a rather patch work look and feel about it.
In my experience there are two major problems (there may well be others) in Shakespeare Street.
Lets assume that Shakespeare runs north south (which it roughtly does).
There is a structural problem immediately south of the intersection with Campbell (opposite BP). I am not sure what the problem is but it appears to involve water. Ground water or not it seems strange that this has not been addressed.
Closer to home just south of the intersection with Noel there is a fundamental design flaw in the road which has (empty) Fonterra truck and trailer units – along with others – rattling the foundations of the houses around about day and night.
Both are structural issues. So why is it that a couple of seemingly OK pieces of roading have been resealed?
Update 12:42 09/11/2008: Corrected a couple of typos.