Just to keep things in perspective there could be worse things than my computer throwing a wobbly!
These photos are from fellow Fine Line Artist -Gord Leverton in Ontario, Canada. I've left out the one which shows how much driveway he had to shovel to get cars out of snowdrifts and able to access the road! I gather the trick is to have a particular sort of bendy shovel(?).
In the meantime, my ad hoc mid term prize for the best "we're snowed in and not going anywhere fast" blog photos of the latest big snow event in North America goes to the "Last snow photos - I promise" blog post by Tracy Helgeson (in New York State) who is normally displaying very nice colourist oils on panels. (Very nice - do take a look at more of Works by Tracy Helgeson)
We had a big thing about ten days ago. It actually snowed in the middle of London where I live and we had a good two inches and about an inch of it actually stayed until the next day. Of course everything stopped / schools closed / trains were late / people didn't turn up for work! OK - it was a little bit worse out of London but not a lot. However, I'm sure that winter weather generally was a lot worse when I was a child and yet schools stayed open and people still went to work. North America only seems to have 'snow days' when the snow is rather heavier than anything we experience. So what's happening in the UK - whatever has happened to 'getting on with it'? Have we maybe just got too used to having a more comfortable life?
Anyway - back to the computer. I eventually calmed down after the computer announced that Windows had a corrupt file and needed to be repaired after consuming two thirds of the box of chocolates which "He who must not be bored while I sketch" gave me for Valentines Day - along with an exceptionally nice meal - and I'm just pacing myself through getting it sorted. As in "I'm not worried" said in a convincing tone. Getting the big computer fixed is going to take some time. I feel like Captain Oates in the Antarctic - to paraphrase "It's gone out.........and it may be some time".
I now have a working laptop which is fully loaded and updated with latest security software but not a lot of space to load new software and drivers - and I haven't yet been able to link up the printer or the scanner or the back up drive or a (new) USB hub to run the (new) Compact Flash reader. I can't download photos from the camera and can't scan anything so I'm minus pics for the time being except for those that I can get which are already uploaded to my Flickr account (my back-up, back-up image archive!). I suspect there may be quite a bit more on Van Gogh for the next few posts while I work out how to do a barebones installation of necessary software to get things sorted! ;)
...........and finally, I must remember to buy computer mags more often. Have you all read about the backward compatability issues of Windows Vista?
Thanks for the mention Katherine!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, there are plenty of areas of the US where everything shuts down when there is just a bit of snow. They aren't prepared to handle it, don't have enough eguipment and are not used to it. Kinda like our area was last year when we had massive flooding-very unusual here and it was devastating.
We don't seem to have help yourself salt containers on the streets any more which I think is ridiculous. There's a residential road nearby which is on a very steep slope and if there's ice or snow nobody dares move their cars as it becomes quite dangerous - and they used to have one of those salt containers until the council removed it.
ReplyDeleteOn Windows Vista - I wouldn't touch it for quite some time from what I've read (in the magazines I design), not that I need to as the mac-owning member of the family.
And here I was moaning the fact that it is nice and warm and sunny outside and I am stuck inside with a terrible chest cold.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're having those computer problems, K! It must be terribly frustrating, though you're putting a very brave face on.
ReplyDeleteCanNOT imagine reading a computer magazine of any description, which, I'm sure, is my loss ;D.
Keep reporting, please!
Jeanne - get well soon. Nasty colds in warm weather are not nice!
ReplyDeleteJulie - I do so agree about the salt containers - but sounds like that might be your local council. I do know the nasty hill near where my mother lives has got one.
Tracy - there does some seem to be a lot more flooding these days. You'd think people would be doing scenario planning on the basis the trend in terms of climate change is only going to continue.
They're started planting olive trees in Kew Gardens. Apparently we now have the weather to cope with having Mediterranean vegetation!
Hi Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI usually go out on Saturdays to do plein air (from the car in winter). The snow banks are so high on each side of the road that it is just impossible to see anything. It also took me 3 hrs to clear my driveway on Wednesday! This is Ontario! And I love it :)
I have just returned from sunny Scottsdale, Arizona to sunny San Francisco--where the buzz is about an apparent early spring...but back to Scottsdale. If any of your readers are in the area, there are two galleries in town featuring Russian Impressionists, many of the works snow scenes. Like Sargent's white sheets attest, there's nothing more fun than painting snow!
ReplyDelete