The banner is for Blog Action Day, and I'll let the site itself explain...

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day?

On October 15th - Blog Action Day, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone's mind.

In its inaugural year, Blog Action Day will be co-ordinating bloggers to tackle the issue of the environment.

What Each Blogger Will Do

Bloggers can participate on Blog Action Day in one of two ways:

1. Publish a post on their blog which relates to an issue of their own choice pertaining to the environment.

For example: A blog about money might write about how to save around the home by using environmentally friendly ideas. Similarly a blog about politics might examine what weight environmental policy holds in the political arena.

Posts do not need to have any specific agenda, they simply need to relate to the larger issue in whatever way suits the blogger and readership. Our aim is not to promote one particular viewpoint, only to push the issue to the table for discussion.

2. Commit to donating their day’s advertising earnings to an environmental charity of their choice. There is a list of "official" Blog Action Day charities on the site, however bloggers are also free to choose an alternate environmental charity to donate to if they wish.

And that’s it.

If they choose bloggers can also promote the initiative itself. However they are also free to simply post on topic on the right day or discreetly donate to a charity without publicizing Blog Action Day.

One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

As you know I don't get any cash off this blog, although it'd be nice that's not why I do it and, to be honest, I wouldn't get any money anyway... but I will be doing a post.

I've said a lot of times what's important to me in blogging is the community, this is a way to have that community not only here but around the world.

I know cynics will say "what good can it do...?" and you know what? Part of me thinks that too.

But I think there's one very important point to remember, why do nothing when doing something costs you but a few moments of your day and, you know what, might just make a difference?

Knew it couldn't last...

Bad night's sleep and messed up head today.

Pah.

I'm taking a leaf from Nick's book, I and some work colleagues are going to the pub...

OK, I'm too knackered to play along with Nick's dodgiest title thing, I suddenly realised people might not realise I was joking

It's a double birthday day

Happy birthday Chyna and Sarah Taylor!

I really, really need to remember to shrink the size a bit before uploading...

...I've had a good day.

Looking around blog a few of the people I consider my closest friends on here seem to have had crappy times today, thing is I firmly believe good things happen to good people so things will turn around I'd hope.

I managed to get a load done in work today and left on time, also got one of the ubergeeks set up to give me training on the system, so that's cool.

Got out with enough time to visit with my sis and go out to road test my new camera, very pleased with it.

So... shock horror... I had a good day.

Course, now I'm in a quandary... do I post photos in here or do I multitask with my digital doodling blog, which was for Photoshop stuff...?

Do you often look at people's secondary blogs or do you tend to stick with their main blog? Inquisitive minds want to know...

...of rail incompetence?

After snow, leaves, rain, staffing...

Delays are to be expected thanks to... the wrong type of train.

Email from the boss...

Can we watch what we play, I've just had a letter from a listener asking why we're playing things with swearing in, the first two lines are....

You don't know what you've got till you lose it,
give up the fucking lot...

Turs out the swearing song? Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi...

You don't know what you've got till it's gone...
they put up a parking lot...

That may even beat the Beatles "girl with colitis goes by" and Queen's "the devil had a sideboard..."

She and her long term colleague have been one of the longest serving pairs on the BBC and now ITV have nicked them in a shocking swoop...

Who is it? Click HERE to find out...

...so this arrived... now I have to wait for the sodding contents!

I had another bad night last night, dunno if it was just exhaustion from a very long day in work but my head refused to work properly, I just don't know where my mind was, sleep was fitful at best.

Work was actually pretty good, I even got to watch the Liverpool game while I was there, but it did seem to go on forever...

Then the hassle on the way home, I nearly never get angry, it's just not me, I often don't see the point, don't just lose your head, find a solution...

Problem is I couldn't find a solution or, in fact, I HAD a solution, pay for the kid, but didn't end up being able to use it, perhaps that was the most vexing part of all...

As much as I know it was right to complain I wonder how it can help the person who needed it, the teenager I don't know who (hopefully) got home at a ridiculous time this morning.

OK, lets look on the good side... the case and memory card for my new camera should be arriving today, followed by the camera probably tomorrow, haven't heard from them yet and they said they'd get in touch when it was dispatched, we'll see, maybe I'll get a nice surprise.

Having to work late I arrived on the train into (insert random waffle about places etc), I would hope you'd know the driver on this route at this time.

Waiting at the bus stop with me were two teenagers, a couple. I would suggest they were around 15, they were polite, well mannered and sober.

I got on the bus first and sat near the front when I noticed the teenagers, I'll even go so far as to call them children, were having a problem, being unable to get together two full fares, only one and a bit.

I was about to step forward and offer some money when the girl had a conversation with the driver, one I thought was finally the driver seeing sense and allowing them to sort out the fare at a future date or even dodge the rules, the bus was next to empty and I can't see anybody complaining about a little rule bending in one case.

However the driver then shut the doors, leaving the boy outside and drove off with the usual tyre screeching takeoff we're accustomed to, leaving the girl in tears on the bus and the boy, starting a walk from XXX all the way to XXX in the darkness at 11.45 at night.

Let me just clarify... for the sake of maybe 2 to 3 pounds one of your drivers abandoned a young teenager to WALK from XXX to XXX at a time of night I would worry for the safety of a grown adult.

His attitude to me and to the teenagers was rude and his behaviour was nothing less than reprehensible jobsworthing. The impression he gave was clear, even for fare paying passengers, "it's late, I'm going home, you're all a burden on me".

I travel regularly on the buses and see the occasional iffy behaviour, bad driving or rudeness, but never before have I seen something that has made me so angry, it's certainly the only time I have ever felt angry enough to complain.

There must either be some way to cover emergency fares such as this or some common sense should be applied.

Yours,

AJ

I'm actually so annoyed I might CC in my work email if I don't get a satisfactory response...

Just coming home from work, I was late because I was producing the Argyle match.

Waiting for the bus, 11.35pm, up it comes, grumpy driver but hey and went and sat down.

Pair of kids got on, 15 maybe, and were trying to pool their cash to afford the tickets, seemed they only had enough for one.

We're only talking a couple quid so I was thinking "I'll nip up and give em some cash..." then the driver started muttering stuff and I waited thinking "finally, a bloke with some logic"...

Oh no he fucking didn't.

Next thing we all know he's slamming the doors shut and driving off at 100 miles an hour (as the drivers do) with the girl on the bus and LEAVING THE BOY WALKING.

This is miles, maybe as many as 10 or 15 miles for a 15 year old kid to walk! Of course the girlfriend is now crying and he bombs off... he even had the sheer unadulterated fucking gall to shout at her to leave the money for the one ticket.

What a fucking cunt, he drove off and left a 15 year old kid to walk 10/15 miles at NIGHT because he couldn't bend the rules for a couple quid.

GAH!

I am absolutely, totally, completely FUCKING FUMING and if I thought it would make a gnat's testicle of difference I'd make an official complaint to Stagecoach.

Fucking goddamn arsehole, I felt like hitting him when I got off. Fucker.

OK, Usksider had some success with this so I'm going to try it...

Does anyone of a horticultural bent know what THIS is?

The most disturbing thing is I took it in my own garden and I have no clue...

...taking this photo my MP3 player, on random, started playing... For All The Cows by Foo Fighters

I left work a little early and walked home from the station, snapping as I went, I'm now getting over my buyers remorse for my new camera, helped largely by planning what I'm going to get for it next...

I've decided to be nice and grown up about this, I'm going to save my pocket money in a piggy bank (of sorts)...

I'm gonna put a little bit of cash, maybe an hours wages, into a bank account each week and use that as a savings account for camera stuff, lenses etc. Hopefully in the time it'll take me to save up for stuff I'll learn tricks on how to use it!

Had a great moment on the train on the way home, watching some poor frazzled woman try to explain to her two small brats boys how it wasn't really possible for them BOTH to have the window seat... Felt a bit sorry for her, specially when they were right little sods getting off the train!

And now I shall finish off with a mini rant.

To all drivers in rural areas... when coming across a careful walker in an unpavemented two lane road (who is, it must be said squeezing himself in as much as his admittedly ample frame will allow) you may first think there are two choices.

Choice 1: Give such a wide berth you almost take your drivers side wing mirror off on the other side of the road.

Choice 2: Belt past at 100 mph as close as possible almost removing the passenger side wing mirror on walkers hip.

Actually, shockingly, there's a modicum of choice in between...

But as I took it on a high speed moving train... *

*admittedly just wanting random sun effects and the signals decided to enter my view at a relative 80mph as the EXACT second I took the shot.. but c'mon, luck is a valid creational tool...

"Do you require correspondence in an alternative format?"

Yes, yes I do.

I'd like to apply for correspondence via smoke signals... or a haiku... or, for preference, an interpretive dance routine to music by Jean Michel Jarre...

Done HERE

# The first dimension is Extroversion. People with a relatively low score in this dimension could be considered aloof and quiet. Relatively high scorers are outgoing and enthusiastic, often termed 'Wanderers' by personality experts.
Your score was: Medium Low

# The second dimension is Neuroticism. The lower your score the more emotionally stable you will be. High scorers are prone to stress and will be categorised as 'Worriers'.
Your score was: Medium High

# The third dimension is Conscientiousness. Relatively high scorers will be organised, but can also be quite rigid and inflexible. They will often be seen as 'Controllers'; on the other hand a relatively low score can indicate that although spontaneous you can be careless.
Your score was: Medium High

# The fourth dimension is Agreeableness. Relatively high scorers are trusting and would be classified as 'Empathizers', very people focused and sociable. Having a relatively low score indicates that you are not at all focussed on other people.
Your score was: Relatively High

# The fifth dimension is Openness. High scorers in this dimensions are usually imaginative and eccentric, open to different experiences. They are often termed the 'Poets' by personality experts. Relatively low scorers are practical and grounded and can be relied upon. However they can be closed to new experiences.
Your score was: Medium High

...is what I have right now!

Why is it I now look at photography equipment and WANT it...?

For years I would go ages without photographing anything... and now I'm thinking about tripods, big memory cards, digital photo frames and even...

A digital SLR camera...

Problem is I'm a real amateur so I figure my camera is good enough, I look at the pics I've taken and wonder why I need anything better but I don't really have much experience re cameras.

*Thinking time*

- A child's behavior will improve in proportion to the distance she is away from the parent.

- Two is equal to two, except when referring to time. Two minutes of tantrum lasts 20 times as long as two minutes of quiet time.

- The choice of a preschooler's best friend corresponds directly to the distance the friend lives from your house.

- The chance of a surprise visit by your parents-in-law is directly proportional to the size of the mess in your home.

- A child will always eat exactly what she has loved for the past year---unless it is the only food in the fridge.

- The ease with which a toddler acquires the ability to say a word increases with its likelihood to embarrass a sailor.

So, the painting that was supposed to be done today has also had to be put off after a sudden shopping trip when the computer chair broke when I sat on it, it's about 9 years old now and has taken a lot of punishment, the base finally broke contact with itself, meaning the seat leant back and sideways and dumping me on the floor...

Pah...

And breathe...

Doh... here's me uploading nice high res pics to Flickr and I've just found out via a chat with Subs the only ones on public view were the medium 500 pixels wide versions...

See, we all learn new things *changing Flickr options*.

Had a nice experience today, I think I've blogged before about liking random acts of sociability and had another one today.

Snapping off photos and I realised after taking one that a guy (and his gorgeous Alsatian) had waited for me to take the shot so they didn't walk into view. the convo went thusly.

Me: Thanks!
Him: No worries, I hate it when people walk in front, is that the Fuji 6500?
Me: No, it's the one before, the 5500 actually...

Cue 10 minute chat about cameras, memory cards, photoshop, file formats...

It was great, totally random meeting with a guy who has the same model of camera as me which led to a great waffle

So, after the stopping of my plans did I...

A: Compose a sonnet to the beauty of garage doors.

B: Discover a cure for man-flu.

C: Read War and Peace.

D: Go wandering with my camera.

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Congratulations to everyone who chose option D... that'd be everyone then.

If anyone is interested at all I've just measured it in the funky G-MAP PEDOMETER and can announce I wandered for 4.2128 miles today...

However, the bit that disappointed me was when I got to the playing fields and specifically the children's playground, you know when everyone says "kids are yobs because they've got nowhere to play" well THIS is where kids can go play, it's great, lots of things to mess around on etc.

So, on a gorgeously sunny Saturday afternoon how many children were enjoying the playground?

Two.

And they were only using it as a quiet place to sit with their bikes.

Even on the playing fields and they are HUGE there were only a half dozen spectators for a cricket match that was in a break and one child on a bike.

The sad thing is (and I know I sould like an old bloke here) I'm sure they were all indoors playing "Playground 360" complaining how they only reached level 3 on the climbing frame of got beaten in SeeSaw wars...

I'm glad I got out in the sun and explored, I'm blessed where I live, I know that.

So my plans for today were to sand down and undercoat the front door and the garage door ready to be repainted tomorrow.

Only I've hit a slight glitch in the plan.

not only is the wood surround of the door rotting enough to concern me slightly (not a problem now but may be) but the door itself is a bit knackered and appears to be cracked around some of the rivets, cracks a few inches long apiece.

So... I've decided to make a clean breast of it and buy a new garage door, I'll probably paint it afterwards but we'll see.

Of course the problem is I don't know if garage door fixers also do the wooden surrounds... I fear not but I don't know, also not sure what they'll be charging.

However on brighter news it's still gorgeous out there and we had a visitor this morning.

There was a heck of a racket going on when I went out and it was coming from our dwarf conifer (well, it SAYS dwarf, it's as big as the house...) and when I moved a bit to look this feller leapt the gap to our big silver birch and scrambled up a good 50 feet into the very top branches... all I can say is thank the God's of photography for big zoom...

So, todays ups...

My PC is finally in full working order.

Snapped some more pics.

Sunny.

Found out Celebrity Big Brother is cancelled.

and downs...

Had to work.

Took over two hours to get home after leaving work.

Worked 3 hours of unpaid overtime.

All in all the plusses probably won... but it was very close!

So... anyone fancy a picnic?

Nobody on any type of messenger at the moment and my friends posts on the home page still have a couple from last night!

*looking at the time* I suppose it is early... in fact far TOO early but that seems to be the way of things over the last couple weeks, if I could charge for all the extra hours I've ended up doing I'd be loaded.

Ah well, tis the way of life, sit back, breathe and think of nicer things...

Remember it's the weekend tomorrow!

To see what these are about (if you haven't seen already) look at the blogpost below.

For full sizes of these and a LOT more they're on my Flickr Page.

The start, a wall at work...

Playtime...

The river...

Bath...

Mural...

Me...

Village life...

And finish...

...but in a good way.

Do you ever feel like you're living on rails? The same few steps to the car or the same bus stop, standing in the same place at the station, taking the same steps.

Walking a route that has become so commonplace you do it on autopilot and if we could track our footsteps we'd find we deviated not more than a meter from the footfalls of yesterday.

Today I rebelled.

If you've read my previous post you know this idea was in my head anyway but it became more formed as the day went on.

I didn't skive work, even though I've amassed many an hou