Egyptian Geese revisited and pictured!

Well the promised card reader arrived from Ebay today - and the card from my camera is not compatible. This is spite of the fact that it was actually listed on the Ebay description, which is why I chose that particular reader from the several dozen models available. I was deeply disappointed, and have emailed them for advice, but in the meantime I fiddled and played and got all sorts of error messages but eventually managed to download the pictures I took on Saturday by way of the USB lead supplied with the camera. What software (if any) it was using I'm not sure - I'd downloaded a Windows 98 update from the Camera site (the only free update available) then when I plugged the camera in XP 'detected' it as new hardware, offered to find the software, claimed it couldn't and it wouldn't work, and it did... So now for today's second technical question - how to put a goose on a blog?

And at the third attempt, it's even more or less where I wanted it to be! So there you are, that's three new things I've done today.

The first new thing was a Tai Chi class at lunchtime. I imagine that when one knows what one is doing it may be destressing and relaxing, but I can't even walk the way I'm supposed to without falling over at the moment, let alone do a 'hip brush push' at the same time (if that's what it is called). Very great concentration is required and I can see that it will be good for my coordination and balance eventually, so I shall persevere with it for a while.

It is interesting that I have had to learn yet another 'correct' way of standing and breathing - yoga posture and breathing are different from pilates, and tai chi is different again. I wonder which is really the ideal? None of them seem quite natural to me...

Egyptian Geese

The Egyptian Goose is neither a goose nor from Egypt. It's not very British, not a native, but this afternoon there were a pair of them paddling up the river Avon (not 'that' Avon, either, but the one in the South Hams). They very obligingly came out of the water and posed for photographs, too.

We were looking at a boat for sale moored on the Avon near Aveton Gifford, out towards Kingsbridge. Ron was clambering all over it and I was watching swallows swooping down for mud for nest building when these strange birds suddenly appeared. They are actually shelduck, not geese, and only the second pair I have ever seen - the last time was in Holland on the Markermeer in 2002.

So why is there no photograph accompanying these words? Ah, well...

Last week I acquired a new printer through Freecycle. A rather posh one, all singing, all dancing, photos and faxes and scanning and everything. With card slots so that I could get the pictures from my outmoded digital camera - so old there's no software for it any more - actually on to the computer. Or so I thought. When we got home from our expedition I was keen to admire my wildlife shots (and some pictures of the boat). Unfortunately, however, the printer is so new that it doesn't accept the old photo card. Ebay will sell me a card reader for £6.95, thank you very much, and when it arrives I'll have something to try it out on.

This totally outmoded camera is probably less than ten years old. It takes very good photographs, and I don't see why I should replace it, but I may have to if I can't get it to work. Time was when good quality equipment lasted, now it's not supposed to...