Candes Saint-Martin, my favourite spot in La Touraine.

Saturday 16 August 2014

Using the new to bring the old to life

The long Assumption weekend - including Friday 15th - didn't make all that much difference to me, leisure time-wise. As I don't work on Fridays, yesterday was just another Friday to me. Except for one thing, perhaps. I needed to get my weekly shopping done before 12.30 p.m. as on 'Jours de FĂȘtes', our local supermarket is only open in the morning. The place was very crowded and shopping was a bit of a stressful experience.

Coming home, I made myself a nice pot of 'chili con carne', enough to last me well into the beginning of next week. It's a dish that suits all weather conditions: from steaming hot to chilly and rainy. Since last Wednesday, we don't quite know what to make of the forecasts: rain, shine, wind, more wind and rain, sunny again ...

We've had some rather impressive downpours which yesterday reminded me of a 'deluge' in which we were caught 22 years ago on our way back from a vacation in Normandy. I remembered taking a photo of it from the open door of a bar in Roye on the A1 motorway where we had found shelter from the storm. 

This morning I rummaged through my photo archives. All paper prints (no digital photography in those days), which are still in remarkably good condition, despite their age.

May 30th, 1992, 22 years ago.
I was 35 at the time ... Those were the days!

No need to congratulate me on my memory. I had taken the precaution of scribbling the date on the back of the photo.

Despite the dull weather, the photo does look rather good, doesn't it? I used my brand-new printer/scanner/copier to scan it. I then ran it (only slightly) through Corel Paintshop Pro ... et VoilĂ ! One can hardly tell that is was taken over two decades ago. Click to enlarge; the detail of the rain drops and hail pellets is amazing. I remember my friend saying at the time not to waste good film on such a useless shot. And he was right, of course. But looking at it now, I'm glad I didn't take his advice ... 

9 comments:

Bob said...

I have been reading the blog but haven't commented lately. It's not that I didn't have a comment, just didn't take the time to post. Glad you got the printer up and running. Caution about Epson. It use to be if you had a color and a black cartridge, when one ran out of ink, it wouldn't let you print until you replace the cartridge. Since I mainly used black, when the color would finally empty, i had to buy another cartridge. I found a trick. Take the empty cartridge out and just put it back in and the printer thinks it's a new a full cartridge. Since I don't do photos and the cartridges are so expensive (about $40) I decided to go with a Samsung and Cannon laser printers that only prints in black. After a couple of cartridges, I can just buy a new laser printer. Staples in the US usually have some on sale between $75-$100. Not sure about prices in Belgium, but unless you use color, I suggest a laser printer. Glad you are getting rain, wish we had some here. I don't need a down pour, just a nice long and gentle rain will be fine. Forget the storms!!! Enjoy the chili.

Bob said...

At my age I have prints, slides, 8mm, Beta, VHS, CD, and DVDs. I was fortunate to transfer all my Beta and VHS film to a DVD. What will be next? I have ALL my prints, slides and 8mm movies in chronological order!! On my to do list, I want to transfer my 35mm slides to digital, which will take awhile. You need to starts transferring your prints!!!!!

ladybird said...

Hi Bob, Thanks for your comment (and your email, reply coming up soon).

I don't print a lot, mainly black - to proof-read texts for the office, especially when they are really technical. But I'll certainly keep your tip in mind. Thanks a lot! I rarely (never) print photos these days, but store them on a CD for further use, if necessary.

When it comes to cost, I find that HP is more expensive than Epson ... but only time will tell. Enjoy your WE.! All the best to you and Pat.

Jean said...

It's funny how you tend to remember downpours like that - looking at the rain bouncing off the ground on the enlarged photo.
We've been in a few of those on holiday and when you're on a motorcycle camping holiday it does tend to be extremely memorable!
I hope you enjoyed your chilli, it's one of our favourite "eat and eat again" comfort foods, perfect for inclement weather.

Ken Broadhurst said...

I too switched back from inkjet to laser printing a few years ago, when I realized that there was no reason to print color photos any more.

1992. W. and I, along with CHM, were in Paris, Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley in January. Good memories, even though I caught a nasty cold. So many years ago. I was 43 years old!

chm said...

I like your new banner very much.

ladybird said...

Jean, It's funny how 'bad' memories stick longer than good ones, isn't it? I admire your bravery to go motorbike riding and camping in such weather!

Ken, My new printer is still an inkjet as I like the colours to show the track changes my professional 'commenters' (PM and Legal) make. Much easier to judge which parts of the text need changing. As for Normandy ... good memories indeed!

Chm, Thank you and thank you for noticing. It's pretty, isn't it? It was taken with my old 'Olympus', non-digital camera, which was a present from my parents, some time around 1990. It served me well. I still have it, resting somewhere in a sideboard.

chm said...

Some of my ancestors were from Roye!

ladybird said...

Chm, Roye is close to Peronne. I remember you saying your grandfather used to live there and you donating some of his paintings to the local museum.