Wednesday 8 February 2012

If I had my life all over again...

I'd be a photographer. Yes I would. I love taking photographs. Today's blog is a happy one but nothing happy seems to happen these days without a dose of misery to kick it off - so let's get that bit out of the way first.
For a year now I've been writing various short stories and one work of non fiction, all of which disappeared when my lap top died (My wife has repeatedly told me - 'Once you're finished writing for the day, e-mail yourself what you have done and it means it will never be lost'.)

Of course stupid old 'My lap top will never break' me - has never e-mailed anything. Lap top died and all my work went with it. So the New Year was miserable - a year's work gone in a second.

My arm has become so bad that a solid plastic truss rod has been inserted down the length of my padded splint to stop me from bending the arm - my arm has to be outstretched at all times. You can't drink beer and eat a pepper steak pie at the same time like that - more misery.

Anyway - my three wonderful step daughters all happened to be in our house at the same time - (the eldest lives in her own place, the middle one is never here (always with friends) so to have all three here at the same time is really pretty rare). But I thought 'damn it to hell! Get yourself dressed up lassies and we'll go spend an hour taking pictures of you all together'
The wisest (the youngest), asked how I intended to hold a camera when I can't hold a beer and a steak pie?
"Coz I'm taking this damned truss rod out!"

And off we went to the bushland.

To be honest - I was delighted with the results...








And then Brenna decided to turn the camera on me lol - I had no idea how much this illness had aged me until I saw this - I was horrified, but what the hell - just wait and see the difference in two weeks time (oh and I hadn't shaved coz I can't use my other hand to pull my skin tight lol - not because I was just lazy)...

This is titled 'old tramp living in the woods...'


Thanks to my wife's genius with 'techy' things - I now have a working lap top again, my work has been rescued, I've e-mailed it all to myself, my surgery is 5 days away - things are getting better :)

Rory







16 comments:

  1. Gorgeous shots- and girls! You're looking a little rough around the edges, dearie, but it'll all work out very soon. Glad your wife could rescue your writing, and you do back up and copy your blog, right? Right?

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  2. Err no Laura...waddya mean? I thought it was like 'there forever'?

    Rory

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  3. Beautiful photos. And yes, pain can age you. Doesn't do much for the personality either. Glad you got your stuff saved - I would have suggested taking it to some place that might be able to rescue your hard drive.

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  4. Your pictures are beautiful, as is your face Rory! I'll be thinking good thought for you with your upcoming surgery.

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  5. Look at those beautiful girls. The dog isn't half bad either. You are looking a tad seedy but things will improve shortly. Uh....back up the blog? What?

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  6. Yes! Gorgeous shots!!
    Awesome that your wife fixed you laptop!
    I will be thinking if you, heal quickly from your surgery!!!!
    Xx
    Callie

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  7. Nothing is really ever lost. They will be able to resurrect anything we put on Facebook even 500 years from now. Most techies, which must include your wife, can rescue items, once thought lost, from a hard drive.

    Nice hat.

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  8. Great shots Rory.. glad things are looking up.. about time methinks :-))..
    Errr... how do you copy and back up a blog??( i'm not 'techy' at all...)

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  9. Lovely pictures :) Makes me wanna hang them on my wall - they're that good.
    And you don't look too bad yourself, considering.

    It's nice to read something with this much positive energy, it makes one think that things might change for the better (: which I do believe.

    Hope your surgery goes well!!

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  10. Hi Rory,

    Beautiful photos of your step daughters and what a gorgeous dog too!
    I'm glad you're able to keep smiling.

    Computers are wonderful things until they start going wrong, a bit like the human body really!!

    Best wishes for the operation, Rory.
    Take care, Sue xxx

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  11. Was stumped at what to write on your last (return to blogosphere) message, aside from "Good to have you back - even if only for a week", which seemed too, well, something. Great photos and lovely family. You look like you could be living in the woods around here.
    Well, anyway, good to have you back - even if only for a week.

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  12. P.S. a lesson I hardly pay attention to myself - back up drives. Even then, back them up. I once had an external drive crash and lost about 20 gigs of pics and music. The file that hurt was a collection of about 300 or so songs and their "answer" songs - like the Pearl's "Duchess of Earl", etc. Someday, when I have a few extra bucks....

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  13. Thank you everyone for the well wishes. I really mean it. It means a lot, in some ways it gives me the strength to go ahead on Monday (One option was not to have it done it at all but face the prospect of losing the arm eventually - they gave me the choice because I have chronic emphysema and surgery of any kind could be problematic.) I'm nervous, worried and very apprehensive but with all the well wishes it's gotta work out well - yes? LOL.

    Rory

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  14. I'll add to the good luck for Monday, Rory. If good wishes translate into a result then it's a done deal. Why not? I'm very far, by the way, from being very techno but it strikes me what you need is an external hard drive. This is quite a cheap bit of equipment and it will duplicate your computer's hard drive automatically, so you preserve everything - settings, information, documents, whatever. You wouldn't have to remember to keep emailing yourself. Love, Alec xx

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  15. I'll add my good wishes to the bunch, too.

    BUT ... whattaya MEAN "if I had my life to live over?" It isn't too late for you to put more energy into photography NOW. You're still a young man, and judging by the pictures you took, you've got a good eye for taking shots. So, get that arm fixed up, and then pick up your camera again and show us what you can do.

    Good luck with that surgery. We'll all be sending positive energy your way.

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