F/8 and be there...

Houston, we have a problem...

2010-03-10T10:48:00.002Z

Google decision spells trouble for this site.

It's been a while - a year in fact - since I've updated this site. This was mainly due to being very busy with our growing family. However, last month I received a disturbing email from Blogger, the service I have used to update this part of the site for the last seven years.

It seems the system which has served me well is no longer to be supported by Blogger, which is owned by Google. At the moment I can select a photo in Flickr and write a blog post, click a button, and then Flickr will talk to Blogger which happily updates this page, and works very nicely without upsetting the other parts of the site. For the last seven years it has worked perfectly. Unfortunately, it seems this is now no longer technically possible, or has been deemed uneconomical - something I find hard to believe for a company with the resources of Google.

My problem is this: I would like to keep on updating this site from time to time, when I can. Sometimes I am busy, sometimes not, and a low maintenance site can always be added to now and then. But I don't have the kind of free time I had 7 or 8 years ago, not enough to rebuild the site and integrate a whole new blogging service into it - possibly having to migrate tens or hundreds of pages. So, from 1st May 2010, this site will go into prolonged and probably permanent hibernation.

My plan is to set up a new, and much simpler, family blog. I'll use Wordpress, and host it at www.horton-szar.com - so not too much of a jump. I'll be working on this over the next few weeks and will keep posts going here till then.

A Sunday Walk

2009-03-21T18:53:00.001Z

Milo runs ahead on a Sunday walk, Fordwich, March 2009

I thought this shot from last weekend would benefit from a sympathetic conversion to black & white. Our friends Mat & Ruth came to visit with their new baby son Ethan - who we met for the first time. Won't be long before he's running around with Gabriel and Milo...

In this shot, there's a lovely view along the River Stour as it passes through Fordwich, and looking lovely in the spring sunshine.

Sulk

2009-03-19T07:37:00.001Z

Gabriel shows his moody side, Fordwich, March 2009

I love this picture of Gabriel in one of his little sulks, a habit he is just starting to develop as he approaches the 'terrible twos'. Fortunately these only last about 30 seconds and then he is smiling again - may it always be this way!

Boys Up Tree

2009-03-18T11:36:00.001Z

Raffy, Monty and Milo climbing trees in Fordwich, March 2009

Here's a shot from a couple of weeks ago, while we were out on the bikes and stopped for a quick break and the boys decided to climb trees...

Abstract

2009-03-14T06:49:00.002Z

Swirl of colours and reflections, March 2009

Rich colours and the gleam of chrome caught my eye the other day, while tidying the garage and putting the boys' bikes away; I had a camera to hand, as usual, and a few minutes of experimenting produced this abstract shot and a few others like it on Flickr. I know, I should probably get out more...

Red Nose Day

2009-03-13T15:04:00.001Z

The boys dressed up for Comic Relief, March 2009

It's Red Nose Day today, with lots of people dressing up and being 'Funny for Money' for Comic Relief. The boys' schools and nursery are all encouraging dressing up for the day, so I managed to get this shot of them all ready to go this morning.

Pond

2009-03-12T13:21:00.001Z

Milo pokes water with stick, Fordwich, March 2009

While out on a bike ride at the weekend, the boys discovered this dark and murky pond complete with dead motorbike. Milo couldn't resist poking stuff with a big stick. It's a boy thing...

Milo in Red

2009-03-10T06:48:00.001Z

Milo dressed for a bike ride, Canterbury, March 2009

At the weekend we took the boys out for the first cycle ride of the year. Milo got to ride on the trailer bike attached to the back of mine, and Gabriel was in a little trailer of his own. We found this community park on the way to Canterbury with a BMX track and skateboard park - I can see us spending a lot of time here over the next few months...

Cakes

2009-03-08T18:06:00.001Z

Freshly baked muffins attract Milo's attention, March 2009

There aren't many things that will grab a small boy's attention like a plate of freshly baked cakes with small chocolate eggs on top... I caught this shot of Milo as he sized up the trove before grabbing a muffin and making off with it.

Bikes

2009-03-05T15:57:00.001Z

Family bicycles, March 2009

A beautiful sunny afternoon today - and while tidying up the garage, Vanessa and I noticed the family bikes all lined up, and realised this needed to be photographed to remember in years to come.

My Four Boys...

2009-03-03T17:52:00.001Z

A rare picture of all four boys actually posing for the camera, February 2009

It's not often that I get a picture of all four boys actually cooperating and sitting nicely for the camera, but over the weekend they all seemed very keen to be photographed.

Peek

2009-03-02T21:51:00.001Z

Gabriel peers out from the play tower, February 2009

I love this shot of Gabriel, playing in our back garden on Saturday, and peeking out over the side of the play tower. The boys were enjoying the first spring weather of the year, and making the most of it running around outside. For the first time in what seems like years, the back garden is not muddy!

DIY Ninja...

2009-03-01T06:25:00.001Z

Rafferty helps me remove the stair gate, February 2009

Yesterday was a busy one, with lots of jobs around the house that needed doing. We had new wardrobes to bring upstairs, and the old stair gate that has defended the little ones from the ravages of gravity for the last five years was in the way. Now that Gabriel is quite adept on the stairs, and probably no more babies on the way, it was time to take it down.

Raffy was keen to prove his DIY skills, and I love this picture of him using a screwdriver for the first time, while still wearing his gi from his karate lesson.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

2009-02-22T09:37:00.001Z

Milo, Gabriel & Raffy crashed out on the sofa, February 2009

Yesterday we had one of the first sunny springtime afternoons of the year, and the boys played outside all day, and were helping me clear out our garage and fill up a large skip. This provided much amusement and they ran around without stopping for hours - and then promptly fell asleep as soon as they came inside. Monty wasn't having any of this, however, and kept on going strong until bedtime.

Raffy & Gabriel

2009-02-21T06:47:00.001Z

Raffy with his little brother at Wildwood, February 2009

Here's a nice shot from our recent visit to Wildwood last week. Raffy is so good with Gabriel these days and does a great job of helping to look after him when we are out - very handy. Gabriel of course loves the extra attention!

New Scientist

2009-02-20T08:33:00.001Z

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Rafferty at the Kent Science Festival, Canterbury, February 2009
Canon Powershot G9

I took Raffy and Monty to the Kent Festival of Science on Wednesday, which is held at the Simon Langton school in Canterbury, about this time every year. The boys had a great time trying out various cool things and collecting badges - there is far more going on than you could possibly see in one visit, so we'll be coming back next year.

In this shot, Raffy is taking part in a Forensic Science demonstration and is holding a test tube of bright yellow lead iodide...

Face Man

2009-02-19T13:57:00.001Z

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Priceless gurning from Milo, February 2009
Canon Powershot G9

I had to include this priceless picture of Milo, caught at a slightly less than happy moment - which probably had something to do with Monty, who is running past. I should add that our young chap is now three, and going through one of those phases where this sort of thing happens quite a lot... bless.

Box Clever

2009-02-18T07:23:00.001Z

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Monty & Milo settle in to their new home, February 2009
Canon Powershot G9

There's nothing quite like a great big cardboard box - especially if you are a small boy. Monty and Milo were delighted to find this one in the garage and wasted no time moving in and making themselves comfortable. I was going to make a joke about the credit crunch, and downsizing, but then thought this might be tempting fate...

Gabriel

2009-02-17T06:40:00.001Z

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Gabriel all wrapped up in winter clothes, Canterbury, February 2009
Canon Powershot G9

The little fellow is growing up very fast now, running around after his brothers and climbing anything that stays still for long enough. Here's an up to date picture taken 2 days ago...

Monty at Wildwood

2009-02-16T05:41:00.001Z

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Monty and Gabriel having fun at Wildwood, Canterbury, February 2009
Canon Powershot G9

Well, I promised to do better - so actually took a camera with me yesterday when we took the boys for a Sunday morning trip to Wildwood. This is a great nature park, only a 3-minute drive from us where you can see wild boar, deer, wolves, foxes and all sorts of native British wildlife.

I love this shot of Monty on good form, and for once he was actually asking for his picture to be taken!

Milo at the Zoo

2009-02-12T17:42:00.001Z

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Milo playing at Howlett's Animal Park, Patrixbourne, Autumn 2008
Canon Powershot G9

It's been quite a while since my last post - apologies, but life became very busy in December and January, and I hardly got to pick up a camera, let alone take anything worth looking at... I will try to do better for the rest of 2009! Here's a nice picture of Milo playing in the park at Howlett's zoo, which is just a few miles away from where we live.

Breakfast of Champions...

2008-12-14T06:17:00.001Z

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Milo enjoys a continental breakfast with his Uncle Mat, August 2008
Canon F-1n with FD 28mm f/2 SSC lens on Tri-X 400

While hunting through negatives I found this lovely shot from August, when my good friends Mat & Ruth came to visit, just in time for Milo's 3rd birthday. Mat is Milo's godfather, so it was nice to get this picture of the two of them enjoying breakfast in the garden on a Sunday morning.

Broadstairs at Dusk

2008-12-12T11:46:00.001Z

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On a cold wintery afternoon by the sea, Viking Bay, October 2008
Canon Powershot G9

In October we had a lovely visit from our god-daughters, Charlotte, Melissa and Juliet, who came to stay for a few days over the half-term break. They had a fantastic time playing with the boys, and having a household of seven children for a few days was educational for us too.

This picture was taken on a trip to the seaside in Broadstairs. It was a bitterly cold but sunny afternoon, and we had a lovely fish and chip lunch followed by a walk along Viking Bay. However, shortly after this was taken everyone managed to get soaking wet, used up all the spare clothes, and we had to hurry back to the car to warm up...

Misty Morning

2008-12-10T03:29:00.001Z

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A misty morning in Newmarket, September 2008
Canon F-1N with FD 85mm f/1.8 lens on Tri-X 400

After Ruth's party, back in September, I woke early while everyone else was sleeping, and went out to explore the neighbourhood. This was taken at about 6am with a low-lying mist over the countryside. I didn't take much notice of this shot at the time I took it, but on seeing the negatives I like the soft tones and the way the wires lead the eye into the picture.

Cuddles

2008-12-09T06:19:00.001Z

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Gabriel gets a big cuddle from his mum, September 2008
Canon F-1n with FD 28mm f/2 lens on Tri-X 400

I caught this candid shot of Vanessa giving Gabriel a lovely cuddle, one sunny afternoon in the late summer. I think we were having a weekend gathering of some sort, but I can't remember which one...