Drovers Run » Photography

Catch Up

ness — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:45:13 +0000

I’m finally over the worst of this blasted bug that had me plastered to some universal windshield.

Note to universe: This is not an excuse to chuck any more health related curveballs at me okay?

So…no offence to my German mates, but YAY they’re knocked out of the World Cup! The only reason that I’m happy about this is because I *think* that this does give my darling Netherlands a better shot at a win. If de liewe vaderland had been knocked out earlier – then I would have backed Germany for a win, no problemo.

I have tickets for Eclipse on Friday. Can’t. Wait. Am hoping that it having been on circuit for a week, means that the number of shrieking teenage girls has reduced to acceptable levels. Leaving only shrieking adult women like myself who are unashamedly dorky fans of this Saga.

It’s just struck me just how eclectic my music tastes are. One of Chopins piano concerto’s has just finished, having been preceded with something by Muse (of Twilight fame, of course), and right now A Flock of Seagulls are on. Just thought you should know that.

Something *I* want to know, desperately is if any of you have managed to beat my Travel IQ score yet? For you feed-reader beeyatches it’s a button on my sidebar showing my seriously superior geographical general knowledge IQ. Speaking of feed-reader beeyatches, you’re totally missing out on my new weekly updated headers! Who noticed my new template?? Yeh, *not* one of my own designs, as *IF* I could find time to do my own stuff. Snort. This is something that I file under #happyproblem.

Gosh, I totally had something pithy and witty to say about the best weight loss pills ever, but I’ve totally forgotten my train of thought. I was going to bring it into the whole Twilight thing I was talking about earlier. Speaking of which, when I was out cold for nearly three days (read: hiding under the duvet, with a box of tissues, various nasal de-clogging remedies and thick woolly socks on) and dragged the hubby’s laptop to bed, I watched the fourth Harry Potter movie again (Triwizard Tournament) just to look at Robert Pattinson in his pre-Edward days (two years before he was cast in Twilight) and it’s so funny, I think he has about 3 lines in the whole movie, and they’ve totally done something flattering to his eyebrows for Twilight, because day-yam, those suckers were fuzzy when he was wearing Hufflepuff robes and being all wizardly.

Oh dear, Alanis Morisette has just been queued up, and everytime I scratch my nails down someone elses’ back I hope you feel it, WELL CAN YOU FEEL IT!? See what happens when you put music on while you’re working? Sheesh. Sorry, momentary concentration lapse there.

Okay.

Going back to work now, have a super awesome day peeps!

Ooh and go and congratulate Trish on the launch of her photography website okay?

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The Soccer that Almost Wasn’t

ness — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:33:14 +0000

So we went off to kick a ball on Sunday afternoon again.

Honestly, I’ve never been one for soccer, but with hubby having played in the English youth league (yes he was pretty darn good) and with the World Cup on our doorstep, I’ve just embraced it and decided that it’s a good skill for boys to have, and if daddy was as good as he was, then developing our boys potential is just the right thing to do. Plus it means I get exercise, and photo opportunities.

The last time we went out to play a bit, the weather was really cold and rainy, and I hadn’t thought to bring my proper camera, so I only managed to capture some video with my Blackberry. But the boys enjoyed it so much that Skip kept asking nearly every day when we could go again, and Flip, well if anyone so much as tinkles car keys around here, he’s in the car trying to do up his seat belt so he’s always game.

So we set off to a local field.

Only to discover a locked gate. Now the field belongs to a certain group, which we are involved with, and for which we pay fees, so I found it odd that it was locked in the first place, but I suppose that it was to keep out everyone else.

So, we kind of thought that being good citizens we’d rather go to the public playing fields further away, only to find it positively crawling with unsuitable types, which led to a very uncomfortable conversation in the car as we did a 180 and left again.

“Why can’t we also play there Mommy?” Skip plaintively asking from the back seat.

Why indeed…?

Because it’s not safe.

Because we’re the wrong colour my boy.

Because it would be open season on mommy’s camera sweetheart.

“Because there are already too many people on that field darling, there’s no space for us, so we’ll just find somewhere else.”

So we went to Skip’s school.

Locked gates.

So we turned yet again and head back to ‘our’ field that we started at in the first place and thought that since it had little more than a farm gate barring entry (and last time this had been open) we simply walked around it up the embankment and onto the field.

By now the kids were pretty pent up, and agitated (as were we), but we thought we’d get them to run it off.

Watch out Ronaldo, here comes Flip!

Watch out Messi! Here comes Messier! (just kidding) Here comes Skip! Although his facial expression is questionable, and the habit of sticking his tongue out when he’s concentrating hard on his sport is definitely inherited from his dad, this kid has got seriously good aim! He got passed Daddy more than once, and Daddy was standing in field Hockey goals, not big soccer ones!

Here Flip brings me the ball so that I can have a turn at trying to get past daddy and into the goal (fat chance).

Whoa there – showing some Brazilian foot flair !!

He really was yelling GOAAAAAALLLLL!!! Even as I am composing this blog post, South Africa are playing France and winning 2-0 I can hardly believe it.

Oh dear, it’s getting worse…

I’m not sure what it is with 4yr old boys (nearly 5) who behave as though they’re 15 yr old girls, but hey, exciting times…

So at this point he’s pretty much annoyed with anything I do, his dad does, his brother does, the sun, the cold, the heat, the grass, the PSI of the ball which wasn’t exactly perfect…oy vey…anyone else have a 4yr old who’s 4 going on 14?

and it all went swiftly downhill from here…

…and daddy decided that the boys must be tired and hungry, so we got in the car and went for a drive during which they promptly both fell asleep.

The End

Actually not quite the end.

Ha ha had you going there for awhile didn’t I?

So who’s just watched the SA soccer team NOT make it to the final 16? Ugh. I’m actually gutted for them. Hope alive, for about 20 mins while they’re were 2-0 up, and then that goal from France. Anyway, at least now, I can start supporting a team that I truly believe have a real shot at winning.

(Excuse me while I have a massive allergy attack and investigate allergy bedding for a second, no jokes, I just sneezed like 17 times in a row!) SA actually doesn’t have a big enough range of this kind of thing. At the UK emporium the other day, I was sorely tempted to buy a whole range of anti-allergy washing powders and fabric softeners and curtain sprays, because when the hay fever hits, it aint pretty.

Okay, I’m going now. Kids to bath, kids to feed (crumbed chicken with potato wedges and veggies, food to cook for kids lunch tomorrow – macaroni bolognese (my turn to feed our self-created playgroup) and soon to be ex-husband decided he needs to stay at the office to watch the game in peace with a beer finish a report. Yeah, as IF I’m that gullible.

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Moon Caught in a Tree

ness — Fri, 28 May 2010 05:41:36 +0000

On my school run this morning. Couldn’t quite capture how BIG the moon looked though, but still kinda cool.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

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Fried Chicken, No Follow and Photos

ness — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:22:53 +0000

Well there’s a varied headline for you.

Okay, first things first. Fried Chicken.

I once made the Pioneer Womans Fried chicken strips. All three of the males living in my household were over the moon with it. (It kicks KFC’s ass royally and is really worth trying)

Since that first time I made it, it has been requested nearly every weekend since.

Yeah, my jeans are really pissed about *that* but moving on.

I have played around with the recipe somewhat, and added my own concoction of spices to the buttermilk and the flour that you use, and the last batch I made, my husband pronounced as ‘ohmuhgoshzisispuhfect‘ whilst burning himself in his eagerness to eat one right out of the pan.

Since I have this dodgy thyroid, I’m really *very* careful with how I prepare foods and most nights it’s strictly low fat grilling that goes on, but I make the exception with the chicken, well, because it *is* delicious and it’s the only food that I ‘fry’ as such.

So yesterday being Saturday, the request for fried chicken was yet again made, and I set about making the buttermilk and soaking the chicken in it. I pottered on, letting Skip stir the flour while I added salt and cayenne pepper and cumin etc and then as I started dipping (in fact yesterday’s version involved double dipping) I suddenly realised that I didn’t have enough cooking oil to be able to be able to finish the dish.

I had barely uttered the words “Honey, I need more cooking oil” when there was a vague tinkle of car keys, shortly followed by the screeching of car tyres in the driveway. About 5.6 seconds later I had two brand new bottles in front of me courtesy of our corner shop.

My mouth literally fell open.

Had I say, needed, I dunno, lettuce, or tomato, or even butter at this stage, it would have been met with a ‘oh well, do without’ comment or something like that. (I must admit, when the PMS is strong with me, the hubby has the same reaction about fetching me chocolate. After 10 years together he’s learned to pick his battles I suppose).

Now I’m just trying to figure out what I can leverage as a bargaining chip *next* time. Honey, if I make you fried chicken will you rub my back for an hour?

Okay, onto some internet stuff.

Remember a long long time ago, I talked about Google Page Rank and Alexa? You can read it again at that link. Anyway, after I wrote that, google did this huge swoop on blogs and cut the page rankings of any blogs that appeared to be doing sponsored posting. One of the side effects of this swoop, was that blogging platforms built into their commenting sections, a little tag called ‘no-follow’. What this meant is that when google ‘crawls’ a site to check for new content that it’s little spider bots completely ignored any links with the no-follow tag, grossly reducing the ‘respect’ of the website.

What this meant is that when you left a comment on a popular blog it no longer gave your website a boost. Remember, when a site with a higher page rank than yours links to you, it counts in your favour with google, bringing you bigger traffic and in blogworld traffic=money. So here is me, Ness page rank 2 on my graphic design blog, going to say, a page rank 6 blog and leaving a comment, and baddabing, google looks at me with a bit more respect. (It’s a bit more complicated than that, but then they went and changed things).

So as a result a lot of people stopped commenting on blogs. A lot of blogs that had been popular lost google ranking, and with it, a lot of opportunities to produce content for remuneration disappeared, and I still can’t believe that they axed things the way that they did, but there is some good news!

An enterprising group of people have written some plugins which removes the ‘no-follow’ tag from the comments boxes on websites.

You may have noticed this little graphic now in my sidebar:

What this means is that I have removed the no-follow tags from my comments page, and that if you leave a comment on my blog, it will count towards improving your rank in google. I have done the same for my graphic design blog, my photography blog, and for my magazine blog. So leaving comments on any of those three blogs will count in your favour. I’m just sayin’. If you would like some help removing your own (wordpress) no follow tags, I can help you out with that, it’s the simple installation of a plugin, and then activating it.

A word on linking.

Linking in the blog world is a polite thing to do. It’s proper netiquette, if you talk about someone, say I want to mention something about bathtubjunkie, or Lisanne, or Kristi, or Mel or other Mel, then the correct thing to do, is to pass on the link juice by linking to those blogs. Otherwise it’s like gossiping about someone behind their back. Trust me, it’s appreciated. That goes for re-tweeting things too! You don’t have to retweet everything verbatim, just the things that you like.

In the same vein, if you read something you like, and the blog offers a ‘share this’ button, with links to things like stumbleupon, digg, facebook etc, then if you feel like you enjoyed the post, then share it. Remember, some of us make a living from blogging and any extra traffic is appreciated whole-heartedly! (Feel free to share anything on any of my OTHER blogs, just don’t mention *this* one on facebook please!).

If you’re interested in more stuff about Technorati Tags: SEO (search engine optimisation) or Technorati Tags: SMM (Social Media Marketing) then you might want to subscribe to nessworld, because I’ll be talking about that a lot there in the coming weeks.

Okay, now onto the photos.

We drove a bit to find a nice quiet spot today where Skip could practice riding his new bicycle, and we could push Flip (who is currently awake at 11pm and refusing to go back to sleep I might add…) in his new tricycle. We ended up going to a local cricket clubs sports fields, it was quiet (but not too quiet..that’s never a good sign) but we spotted another dad pushing his son along on his bicycle too, and another guy hitting golf balls, plus the ever faithful ADT security guys patrolling so we felt safe enough to let the kids run wild for a bit.

We made sure that the boys stayed outside the cricket oval ropes, so no grounds keepers would be annoyed by the bike tracks (not that we saw any).

Many of you overseas folks probably think I’m nuts talking about security like that, but in order to survive here (mentally and physically!), you need to be realistic, and alert, and not do anything stupid. So I’d rather be cautious and be aware of who or what is in my surroundings rather than just throwing caution to the wind and saying c’est la vie.

It turns out the local cricket field had a bit of a play area too.

It was such a glorious day, and we even had some running races. I was actually surprised by the sensation of running again. The weather was just right, the temperature perfect, and we were running anti-clockwise around the pitch (the same direction as an Technorati Tags: athletics track) and I had the most vivid flashbacks of training, and competing (gosh is it really 13 years ago already?).

Now before you all think I’m a slow poke and this far behind, I kept running back and forth like a complete nicompoop taking photos and then jogging to catch up again.

…and lastly…

This little dude.

Boy, oh boy. He melts my heart daily. My older boy, is at an age now, where he melts my heart, periodically, and has me tearing out clumps of my own hair inbetween. Right now, the little dude is at an all time high in terms of cuteness factor. He is talking, a LOT. But only about 20 percent of it makes any sense. Physically he is very big for 20mths, so people sometimes wonder why he isn’t more vocal, but he’s really still technically a very little dude. So today when I said to the husband, “I wonder if he wants a yoghurt.” Through all the baby talk I heard, “Yah, I wanna yah-yah.” Then he went to the fridge and pointed at the yoghurt, followed by going to the cutlery drawer and helping himself to a teaspoon. We were *so* impressed! Of course, I’m sure your kids were all doing higher mathematics at this age, but my boy? Gosh I couldn’t be prouder!

Hey, Lotus just announced the prizes for her Weekly Winners of 2009!

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Thus Spake Ness

ness — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:18:31 +0000

Okay, so I’m a little melodramatic at times.

But still we’re 1 day down and another 14 to go before I’m remotely back to my regular schedule of being able to get anything done without first doing 1.7 billion things for the little people in my life.

I love them, to bits. But Sheesh! There is a reason why wine was invented by women.

It wasn’t?

Okay, well, we’ll pretend that it was mmkay?

Perhaps some kindly farmer eons ago, took pity on the woman in his life (or women for that matter) and created a beverage that calmed her wild spirits after a long day of berry picking, butter churning and I’m damn sure there were fig leaves and animal skins just strewn about the place that needed constant picking up, just like modern day socks and undies. The fact that the woman/women clean passed out after enjoying it repeatedly night after night was simply a bonus for that dear old farmer.

Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s how it happened.

Anyway, the Fleur du Cap Chenin Blanc was uncorked at precisely 05h01pm yesterday afternoon, MP3 players were attached to speakers and the revelry began.

Needless to say we spent the next hour in the pool (38 deg centigrade outside) we thus totally ditched bath time for the little dudes (hey, chlorine cleans too!) and I was back at the grindstone the moment their darling little heads hit the sack, because I am clearly a sucker for punishment.

You see I’m trying to redevelop my vanity URL. The domain that is actually a ‘myname’ dot com and which promotes my graphic design and photography services and lists my contactable details and you know, general malarky that you’re supposed to have these days if you want to be taken seriously as a designer/photographer/creative person with techie perks. That is totally aside from all the real paying work that I have to do to. The exercise bike that I need to grace daily with my rear and of course the food that needs to be prepared and laid before these other people that live in my house.

Dear friends I seek not sympathy, just ears to hear and voices to murmur in agreement with me.

Thus spake Ness.

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New Camera Equipment

ness — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:03:59 +0000

Okay, so I’ve only rented these pieces for the weekend, but I am *so* already enjoying them.

My kids are going to feel like the papparazzi have moved in for the weekend.

Until I fetch them from school (which should be happening in about -5mins) this girl has been putting up with the constant onslaught of the speedlite 580EX and the f2.8 24-70mm…

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I feel like I’ve just given birth

ness — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:40:53 +0000

Okay, maybe that’s too graphic a description.

But put it this way, there has been lots of soul searching, talking myself ‘up’, being my own ‘rah rah’ committee, lots of deep breathing, and to cut a long story short I just emailed off the proposal.

What have I got to lose? Except maybe for a few fingernails while I wait to hear if I have been awarded the opportunity.

I decided that instead of trying to sound like something I am not (what I am not, is a highly experienced, arrogant, photographer, who doesn’t get out of bed for less than $10 000 a day).

I decided to be me. To present the proposal as best I could, on my terms, state what I can do, how I will do it, and to say that I looked forward to the opportunity, and that I was firm in my belief that I could delivery the type of results that they need for this shoot.

This way, if they decide they want to go with the highly-experienced-arrogant-truckload-of-equipment-photographer, then it’s because that is what they want. If they decide to go with me, then it’s because *I* am what they want.

Want to hear something interesting?

Here’s my November horoscope cut and paste verbatim:

On November 11, talks go really well. Mercury, the little chatterbox, will signal Uranus, planet of genius, and you’ll be every inch the rock star.

The new moon in your professional success sector, the tenth house, will appear on November 16, the moment you’ve awaited all year.

This will be your moment to make your move to a position that will yield more power, responsibility, and prestige. If you already have a job like that, you can present an idea to a client or top boss – your timing will be perfect. This month, however, you will be able to get the victory you’ve craved for some time – it is now within your grasp if you want it. With Venus in your tenth house, the buzz about you is so positive.

It would be a shame not to reach for something big. After all, you’ve got the deck stacked in your favor.

With Uranus sending out-of-the-blue lightning bolts to that new moon on November 16, you may find yourself mulling over an offer that will come straight out nowhere, as if in a dream.

Uranus will also see to it that the salary offered you would be excellent. You need not sell yourself too hard – be confident. You definitely have what it takes.

Now, I’m not the moon-child type who puts a lot of stock in things like this, but I do take note, of when things look good. This particular astrologer has had some very valid points, which have helped me in the past. While I did not decide to go for it, solely because of this forecast, it certainly helped me to feel as though it’s not just me going forward, but that the universe has big plans for me, and that it’s now or never, so why not jump? I may just learn that I can fly.

Lastly, have you guys started Christmas shopping yet? I picked up a few items for my mom, and boys from a craft market locally, which are really nice. I’d really like to get the hubby something swish like a bluray player, or even a flatscreen TV (if the mun-nay were more forthcoming), but for now, I’m still wracking my brains as for what to get him.

Any ideas anyone?

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Running and Screaming

ness — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:50:42 +0000

Pop quiz hot shot.

Remember that movie?

Anyhoo, here’s a pop quiz for all of you.

Actually it’s not so much of a quiz as a question, and of course it’s totally optional. In fact never mind. I’m going make a hair appointment, apply some under eye cream, put cucumbers on my eyes and log off now.

Just kidding.

So here’s the thing…

What do you do, when like, all your planets are in alignment, and jupiter is in the seventh house (or your house, or the house of, oh never mind, let’s just say they’re all exactly where they’re supposed to be, for things to be going well okie dokie?)

…and, it would appear that a fairly large opportunity presents itself.

Or at least appears to present itself, when someone approaches you.

In order for this opportunity to be fully realised, you will need to move out of your comfort zone.

Like so far out of your comfort zone, and into the next zip code.

Like as in the thought of this opportunity becoming yours, is enough to send you running and screaming, to hind in a corner, suck your thumb and wish you could just disappear? Maybe some rocking back and forth, with alternating fetal positions would help?

The thought of the opportunity becoming yours, you being awarded it, and then actually being successful at it, (though this is a far distant finish line, and the self imposed hurdles named ‘confidence’, ‘self-belief’, ‘self esteem’ and a hundred others stand between you and this distant finish line) would be enough to seriously catapault your career.

Bring you some much needed mun-nay, and the proverbial boot up the arse of your career that you should have had a year ago anyway, if you weren’t so busy procreating, mothering, and avoiding any type of job-related success at all?

Pop quiz hot shot. What do you do. WHAT DO YOU DO??

…

Right now running and hiding is the most desirable option.

But the thought of success…keeps this little spark inside of me alive.

This little spark that says I am talented, can do anything, can achieve anything, and will be a success if I only put my mind to it…

…

Let’s just say that while I can’t say too much now, I can say this:

Photography

Request for Proposal

International Catalogue

(now excuse me while I go and sh*t in my pants!!)

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Photo Restoration: Great Great Grandpa’s 19th Century Beard

ness — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:39:01 +0000

Well, Guten Tag to great-great-grandpa August. Make sure you pronounce his name properly… Saying Ow-Goost should do nicely.

In case you missed it, do go and take a look at yesterdays post of Ow-goosts wife Vil-hell-meena and the restoration that I did on her half of the photograph.

Here’s the original scan of Great-great-grandpops. He has fared slightly better than gg-grandma in terms of the aging of the photograph. So not too much work to do on him other than remove a scratch that is running downwards through his left eye (HIS left) and down on to his cheek.

Of course the whole photograph has discoloured over the years – well I suppose that’s not really a term one uses for something that was monochromatic in the first place. Let’s just say that it has aged and dramatically yellowed with time.

Isn’t it amazing that it’s lasted so long? At least 150 years. Amazing.

So um about that beard gg-pops? Was that fashionable at the time?

To have even been photographed all those years ago, he must have been a man of some standing, and judging by the fine detailing on the tie, it appears to be made of silk.

Vil-hell-meena’s frock is certainly nothing to sniff at either, because again, one can see that this is a fairly swish looking fabric with intricate detailing.

Again, I can’t imagine what it must have been like all those years go, battling the elements in a harsh environment, in a colony so, so far from home.

Anyhoo. Here’s a closer look at great-great-grandpops.

I find myself staring at this photograph and wondering what was he like?

Did he smoke a funny shaped pipe?

Was he a kind man?

I know that they had a fair amount of land and kept horses (there’s a piece of my own personal puzzle solved) but I suppose in those days it was a case of HORSE or WALK.

Amazing to think that he would never have laid eyes on a car in his lifetime.

What would he think of aeroplanes these days?

Of Cell Phones and the Space Shuttle?

Of walking on the moon, and a possible mission to mars!?

When you think about it, we really are only just a few spandex suits away from the future as envisioned by Buck Rogers, Star Ranger of the year 2025.

Did he know his waistcoat buttons were undone? Did he care? Did he look at the photograph later when he would have received it, and smack his forehead and give the German Namibian colonial equivalent of ‘Doh!’

Did things like life insurance leads exist back then?

Anyway, here’s the final piece after having restored, reshaped, flipped and recolorizing the newly restored photograph.

I had it printed out to A4 for my mom, and well without tooting my own trumpet, it looks really great.

At first I restored it to pure black and white. But there really is something romantic, about a subtle sepia hint, just a little something to show that it’s not merely a constructional piece, but that it represents something which has really witnessed the passage of time.

I’m glad that I’m going to have a piece of family history to show my boys one day.

Where ever in the world we end up living, I’ll be able to show them a piece of their family history, and I will be able to tell them about August and Wilhelmina Schroder the German husband and wife who left their native land of Germany and boarded a ship, to go and live in a colony at South West Africa (Namibia).

I suppose in a way, history is sort of repeating itself.

…

I wonder what my butt will look like in a spandex suit in 2025?

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Photo Restoration: Hey There Great Great Grandma!

ness — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:34:24 +0000

Yes, this is indeed my great-great-grandma.

My moms-dads-moms-mom.

In fact, “Guten Tag” might be a more fitting greeting, since they were fresh off the boat from Germany, arriving in the colony of South West Africa, which today of course is known as Namibia (made famous by being the birthplace of Brangelina’s first biological child).

Her name was Wilhelmina Schroder.

Das ist very German ya?

It’s odd. Because my father is Dutch (born and raised in the Netherlands and emigrated to South Africa in the 50′s) I’ve always felt more dutch than anything else (My stubborn streak. My sense of humour. My distinct LACK of humour on occasion. My bluntness).

However, while the Dutch usually turn their noses up at the Germans in general (they’re still bitter about World War II and with good reason…) there’s something about German culture that has always felt a bit like home for me. (NOT the nazi bits okay?)

Now I know why too.

Don’t you love digging around in your ancestry? It’s always so deliciously fraught with scandal too. (More on this later).

I can’t help wondering what made Wilhelmina (and her husband August – who you can’t see in this picture the way I’ve cropped it.) Get on the boat all those years ago, and swop the beautiful countryside of Germany, for the barren wastelands of the Kalahari desert. I mean okay, so it’s not like they could just take off on a cruise or select from a bunch of a miami vacations packages. When they got on a ship to go somewhere it took *months*. It cost a *lot*. If you were going, then you were going for good, so you had to be sure about your decision.

Ok, I’m exaggerating, all of Namibia is not barren and lifeless.

Well mostly not.

Well okay, so most of it IS desert, but still, I wonder with what sense of adventure and pioneering spirit they set off for the deepest darkest (driest) Africa all those years ago.

I nearly forgot the reason for this post too – because look here – I set about restoring the photograph!

Here’s my great-great-grandma after I’ve scanned in the disintegrating photo of her and August Schroder, and worked a little Photoshop magic with it…

Yeah this is the point where you slap your foreheads in awe and say WOW! How did she *DO* that!? Where you email me and beg me to restore parts of your ancestry to former glory, and promise me all your worldly goods and first born children to do just that.

Have a look side by side…

Okay. Maybe not.

But still, it’s cool right?

Coming tomorrow: August Schroder My Great-Great-Grandpa, and his very thick, no good, very 19th century, scary beard.

Jawohl.

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