Photogoddle

Garage Door

2010-03-24T08:53:00.004Z

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My oh my, what a picture! A new art movement has started in the town of Torrevieja in southern Spain. Professional graffiti artists are invited by the local Council to show their work on public wall spaces and on some private property. The aim of this scheme is to reduce the amount of unsolicited defacement of public and private property. One wonders if it is not self defeating.

The Sand-Castle Artist

2009-06-28T11:28:00.002+01:00

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This artist needs to constantly spray his creation to stop it drying out in the hot Spanish sun.

Lunchtime in Torrevieja

2009-06-28T11:20:00.003+01:00

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Una mas por favor. There's nothing like a good lunch in southern Spain. It's one of my reasons for going back time and again.

Linda Strikes For Home.

2009-06-04T19:17:00.004+01:00

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Linda cuts a path through the exhausted and puts on a final spurt at the 8K mark, to finish well up in the women's Mini Marathon in Dublin on Monday.

A Place of Stones

2009-05-19T09:48:00.003+01:00

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Urban Art on the banks of the Landwehr Kanal in the heart of Kreutzberg in Berlin. It was on the route of my 5K fast walk every day during my recent stay in Berlin.

Crumbling Remnant

2009-05-17T07:51:00.004+01:00

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There is still a 1Km section of the Berlin Wall standing, which runs down the north bank of the river Spree at Friedrichshain. It's referred to locally and in guide books as the "East Side Gallery" because the authorities have hired some professional graffiti artists to adorn it with fresh works. A lot of it is in a bad condition and I wonder are there any plans to restore it structurally. It would be a pity if this historic symbol of the 'Cold War' were allowed to just crumble away. It's possible to see the old East Berlin TV tower straight ahead in shot number one.

Beautiful Combination

2009-05-15T08:26:00.004+01:00

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This lovely combo was spotted parked on the footpath in Mainzerstrasse in Berlin. The bike is a 425cc 4-stroke single cylinder, with shaft drive. The whole thing seems to be new, rather than a restoration. A nice bit of retro design.

Spring in Kilmainham

2009-05-12T20:45:00.003+01:00

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I took this shot at the end of April when Spring was well underway in Dublin.

May Day in Berlin

2009-05-12T13:51:00.005+01:00

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May Day in Berlin's Kreutzberg district was blessed with stunning warm weather (25C). There was no trouble, mainly due to the heavy Polizei presence, unlike the previous night, which is called Valpurgisnacht in Germany, when the Far-Left went on a violent and destructive rampage, with many injuries suffered. This blogger enjoyed a few cool beers at the Myfest festival. It was like the sixties, with lots of Neo-Hippies, and no sign at all of Neo- Nazis, who usually show themselves on May Day to counter the left wing demos. By the way, if one looks closely at the larger version of the shot of the bambino's cyclo-pram, it can be seen that it is equipped with disc-brakes. Even Hippie transport evolves through the decades. What a great day!

Treble and Fuzz

2009-04-18T08:58:00.024+01:00

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The Distortion/Treble Booster box is finished. It's very compact and easy to use, having only two controls, a power switch and an o/p level adjustment knob. It was a challenge trying to source a suitable stomp switch, but I eventually got one on Ebay from China, which is just the correct size and height, with it's multiple contacts allowing the unit to be operated in 'true bypass' mode, with the I/P completely isolated from the O/P when the foot- button is deactuated. The circuit itself draws only 150 Microamps of current, from a 9V PP3 battery, so I calculate that if the Axe Man forgets to turn off the power for 8 weeks, the battery will still produce 7.5 Volts, which is enough to operate the system. As for the sound; well it's awesome. Those guys, back in the 60s knew a thing or two about guitar effects. Of course, the idea of using a germanium transistor was purely accidental, as they were the only solid-state devices on offer at the time. However, it was fortuitous that it produced the results that it did, and all because of a basic weakness in the semiconductor technology of that era, namely that the germanium transistor exhibits a reduced gain, or hfe, when the input signal level increases substantially and drives the base current towards zero, leading to an unusual sounding compression and soft clipping of the audio signal output. This weakness was exploited to the full in the original 'Dallas Rangemaster' design, of which this stomp box is a copy, or indeed a clone, in terms of circuit design and component values anyway. Long live Rock and Roll.

The Stomp Box

2009-04-04T10:57:00.004+01:00

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Now that my Hi-Fi project is wrapped up, it's back to guitar matters. This is the basic physical layout of the new Treble Booster, with the all important Germanium Transistor. The electronics were designed in the late sixties, and the original Dallas Rangemaster as it was known then, was used extensively by all the great guitar heroes of the 1970s. So here's hoping that it will do the business for Richard, who is a budding guitar hero of the present era of Metallic Rock.

Suspended Wall Mounting

2009-03-15T16:07:00.005Z

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I've mounted the right speaker on a hinged shelf which is supported at the front by two thin polypropylene lines from the wall. The adjustment, including the firing angle, is made by means of two turnbuckles. I found a nice spot on my computer table for the pre-amp and on top of it, on a plinth, the tube output stage. Long live Rock an' Roll.

Finished at Last

2009-03-02T17:29:00.002Z

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The Single-ended tube HI-Fi amplifier and it's power supply are now ready for service. The pre-amp and two loudspeakers are also completed. Hopefully tomorrow will see them produce some good sound.

The Beginning of the End

2009-03-02T08:00:00.002Z

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I've moved into the boiler- house workshop to do the wiring on the last stage of my Hi-Fi project. It should all be finished in the next 24 hours.

Wood and Metal

2009-03-01T07:32:00.003Z

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The bench comes into it's own for a bit of metal and woodwork. It's great to have lots of space to lay things out. The two "hi-end" o/p transformers from Hammond in Canada are waiting in the wings, before being mounted atop the finished chassis. The cut-outs for the 4 tubes and 2 front panel meters are visible. I decided to include the meters in the design to indicate the onset of clipping in the class A triode o/p stages.

The End is in Sight

2009-02-28T18:17:00.003Z

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My Hi-Fi project, that I started back in November last year, is nearing completion. All the metalwork for the power amp. is finished and I have acquired two nice pieces of Ash for the side panels, which have been shaped, sanded and varnished.

Stylish Power

2009-01-08T21:31:00.002Z

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The Power Supply for my Hi Fi tube amplifier is now ready for service. I've added the 100 Henry choke to the HT supply and a 31,000 Microfarad condenser to the heater supply. Hopefully all residual hum will be extinguished.

Our Little Jewel

2008-12-27T13:09:00.005Z

Click on photo for larger version. Courtesy of The U.K. Met Office.

I couldn't resist publishing this amazing shot from space, taken at midday today. It appears that we were specially selected for cosmic exposition.

Microwave Smoothing Choke

2008-12-11T19:11:00.009Z

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This Hi-Fi power supply smoothing choke was made from a microwave oven transformer. The mains and heater windings were removed and the two magnetic shunts punched out. The remaining H.T. winding has a DC resistance of 140 Ohms. The correct gap turned out to be .01 inches. The old transformer was sliced open between the I and E laminations, the gap inserted, and then the two bits glued back together again with 'Araldite'. I glued on four sides and a top, and mounted a set of lugs with captive nuts onto two of the sides internally. All edges and corners were filed down, and a rub of fine emery cloth and 3 coats of black spray-paint will make it fit to grace the deck of any high end audio amplifier. By the way, the inductance measured out at a massive 102 Henrys, with a D.C. current of 160 Milliamps.

Hi Fi Takes Over

2008-11-12T14:27:00.016Z

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After a very successful guitar amplifier project for Richard, I have started on a Hi Fi construction venture, which has an Op Amp preamp, a stereo tube amp and 2.5 cubic foot speakers with tuned bass reflex ports. The ports will be interchangeable to give a variety of resonant frequencies from 35 Hz down to 25 Hz. The change is accomplished by simply slotting in a different length of gutter drainpipe, somewhere between 3.5 and 8.5 inches long. One of the speakers is finished and sounds just spot on. The photos clearly show the 35 Hz port in place. Some people might wonder where the tweeter is. It's cleverly mounted within the cone of the woofer. There are actually two tweeters, side by side, so the assembly can't be called 'dual concentric'. I don't believe in mid-range units. I'm trying to emulate a particular sound that I encountered at the start of my career in radio sound, over 40 years ago. Some of my favourite loudspeakers were designed in the 1950s by the B.B.C. and were in use up to the early Seventies. I have not heard anything to match them since. They were called 'LSU/10s'. It was great to hear the rich tones of top notch announcers like Terry Wogan, Denis Meehan, John Skeehan, David Timlin, Andy O'Mahony, Leo Mc Guire, Lorna Madigan, Una Sheehy, Diane Lonergan and Catherine Hogan emanating from these loudspeakers. They were the days. Link to photo of B.B.C. LSU/10.

Kraftwerk

2008-10-18T11:22:00.002+01:00

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I discovered this grainy photo in my archive. It was taken in 1994, during a camping holiday with Richard and Linda, in Germany, somewhere on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Stuttgart. The song 'Fahren fahren fahren auf der Autobahn' by 'Kraftwerk' comes to mind.

The Preamp

2008-08-06T11:22:00.005+01:00

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This is the upgraded preamplifier for the Leak 40 Watt guitar amp. "Tube sound" purists would scoff at the idea of including solid state components, like op amps, in any valve design but my logic is that when you use state of the art op amps like the LM4562, the sound that goes into the tube amp is pristine and has no influence over the final tone, which will be determined by the tubes, and other elements of the design. "Chicken-head" knobs are "de rigueur" for tube amps; a sort of homage to the great days of Rock and Roll, and the American High School hops of the 50s and 60s.

Job Done

2008-07-30T17:06:00.002+01:00

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The Leak amp head and it's 2 by 12 inch speaker cab are now completed. It only remains for me to install the new Op Amps into the preamp and take a listen. I hope it all sounds as good as it looks.

Morning Sky

2008-07-25T08:21:00.002+01:00

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Wednesday morning in Ballybunion started with a very unusual sky. These shots were taken about half an hour after dawn. I captured the waxing moon with my 500mm Sigma zoom telephoto, that I bought recently in New York. It was hand-held, which accounts for the less than perfect sharpness.

Rare Machine

2008-07-20T21:11:00.002+01:00

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Eamonn Galvin astride his 1972 Honda CL 350 twin cylinder street scrambler. This bike is probably the only example in Ireland, as it was manufactured solely for the U.S. market.

Up And Running

2008-07-15T19:54:00.002+01:00

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The workshop and bench are now in service and used on a daily basis.

The Washing

2008-07-10T07:31:00.003+01:00

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Because of a severe lack of funds, I have done no travelling recently. Therefore, no new photos. So here's a shot of my superb line of washing. The humidity was high in Ballybunion yesterday, so they took all day to dry, and even then, they were still a bit damp.

Leak TL40

2008-07-09T15:50:00.005+01:00

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Marshall, Vox and Fender move over, the Leak TL40 is coming to town. The trusty 1950 Leak TL12 is able to push out 40 watts RMS (no aul "peak music power" nonsense here), when driven to full overload and tube saturation. It will be going into it's custom cab when I complete the preamplifier. It was a nice warm sunny day here in Ballybunion, so I thought I would come out of the workshop, into the fresh sea air and do a bit of sandpapering on the speaker cab.

The Anglebox

2008-06-27T12:16:00.008+01:00

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My friend and colleague, Eamonn Galvin got a really great day, at the "meet" (as the Yanks would say), to show off his 1966 Ford Anglia 105E, affectionately known as the Anglebox, I suppose because of it's angular appearance.

The Mother of all Airports

2008-06-26T06:18:00.007+01:00

I decided to republish this post today, the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the historic Berlin airlift. I've added some extra photos.

Photos courtesy of "The First Post".

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The magnificent entrance hall of Berlin's Tempelhof Airport, which is due to close in October this year. A referendum of Berlin's citizens last Sunday, 27th of April '08, failed to get the required turn-out of 25%, so it looks like the closure will go ahead as scheduled. It's an awful pity, because it is truly a magnificent building, and has been dubbed "The Mother of all Airports" by renowned British architect Sir Norman Foster. When you enter through the huge doors and proceed to the check-in desks, you get the impression that you are in a cathedral, with it's high ceilings and polished stone columns. It was built in the late thirties and the airport as a whole is still the largest building complex in the world, and the terminal building is the world's 18th largest building. It is best known, of course, as the entry point for the Berlin airlift of 1948/49. Link to the Wikipedia article.

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Linda and Alan

2008-06-19T20:54:00.008+01:00

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My youngest daughter, Linda, has just married Alan, in the Unitarian Church on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin.

The Toob

2008-06-16T22:54:00.005+01:00

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The KT66 Beam Tetrode valve was described as "the best audio output valve ever made" in the hey day of valve technology. I found out, only recently, that the famous 807 transmitter valve is an R.F. version, with an anode top-cap. This is a modern day copy from China purchased in Canada. I hope it will give the genuine "tube tone" to the guitar amplifier that I am currently constructing.

The Bench

2008-06-16T06:20:00.002+01:00

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The new workshop is now complete and my heavy-duty bench is taking shape. This is the third large bench that I have made in the past 35 years. They all have the same sturdy design, with large timbers used for the frame and legs and all the joints bolted through with recessed nuts and bolt heads.

Ready to Rock

2008-05-16T11:25:00.003+01:00

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Well not quite yet. All the elements of the guitar amplifier are now tested and working, the Leak valve amplifier, the two loudspeakers and the preamp with tone control. The next phase of the project is to make the cabinet and fit all the internal gubbins.

Tone Amplified

2008-05-15T20:18:00.003+01:00

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An hour ago, I finished building the preamplifier stage, with tone control, for the guitar amp. The volume, bass and treble control knobs are machined aluminium and the housing is hammer finish die-cast alum. A test is not far off.

Americana

2008-05-09T05:52:00.003+01:00

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A watercolour by my friend Barry, which depicts the obsession of young Americans in the fifties with sex, cars and rock n' roll.

Spuds

2008-05-08T07:39:00.004+01:00

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My spuds were planted back in early March and they have shot up in the last 10 days. I don't know what variety they are, because the seeders came out of a supermarket bag.

Hi And Lo

2008-05-07T06:36:00.002+01:00

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I've just built a nice little tone control for Richard's guitar amplifier, which I hope to be assembling very soon. It gives a bass and treble adjustment of plus or minus 20 dbs, which should be more than enough to get the right sound.

Making Steam

2008-05-05T06:05:00.002+01:00

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A 2 metre oil painting, hanging in the engine shed at the German Technology Museum in Berlin.

Shadows Of The Past

2008-05-04T05:57:00.002+01:00

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Two friendly gee gees enjoy a bit of Berlin sunshine watched over by their bronze brothers. This day in the capital was the only warm one in the first half of April.

Speed Bahn

2008-05-02T06:45:00.003+01:00

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A commuter train whisks in to Berlin's main railway station, the Hauptbahnhof, as another pulls out.

The Trench

2008-05-01T07:52:00.003+01:00

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I've just dug a 15m trench diagonally across the back garden, to bring power to the newly plastered workshop. The cable will run in 3/4" heavy duty plastic water pipe at a depth of 2 feet. The dig was made very difficult due to slow penetration of a layer of building rubble just inches below the sod.

Unholy Lineup

2008-04-28T07:05:00.005+01:00

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This unusual view of the former Communist East Berlin TV tower and the beautiful St. Marien Kirche is seen as you walk down Karl Liebknecht Strasse towards Unter den Linden.

Indian Melodies

2008-04-28T05:57:00.007+01:00

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This group of South American musicians in Berlin's Pariser platz were wired for sound with every conceivable electronic gadget.

Deadly Transport

2008-04-25T20:03:00.005+01:00

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A beautifully restored Mercedes Benz hearse is used as daily transport by a Kreutzberg resident in Berlin. There are lots of cobblestoned streets in Berlin and they are all maintained in good order and definitely never tarmacked over, ever.

First Wall

2008-04-24T18:25:00.003+01:00

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9 am. and I am nearly half way up the first wall. Mixing and plastering on your own is no joke.

Holy Smoke

2008-04-23T18:28:00.004+01:00

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A study of my brother in law, Joe Dillon. The carboniferous exhalation is frozen by the flash.

The Plastering

2008-04-23T16:00:00.005+01:00

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The plastering has begun, or is it more accurately called rendering, when sand and cement are used. It's such a long time since I did any of this kind of work, I decided to start on a small section which is a buttress on the original garden wall. I'm looking forward to the rest now, even though it will be back-breaking work.

Suspense

2008-04-23T08:48:00.005+01:00

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A twin-engined propeller plane is suspended over a viewing platform which extends high above the street below at the Berlin Technology Museum in Kreutzberg. The famous television tower in former East Berlin can just be made out in the lower right of the shot. Photographing against a bright sky background is not easy and this shot has had a lot of computer manipulation. I always shoot in "raw" format to allow more latitude for tweaking the shot later.

Kaiser Bill's Monkey Is Missing

2008-04-18T09:05:00.003+01:00

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The organ grinder in Berlin's Alexanderplatz is content to use a toy monkey for his performance. The more civilized European countries do not allow the exploitation of animals in this manner, which is a good thing, but the use of animals for medical research and for sensitivity testing in the cosmetics industry is still widely practiced.

Berlin

2008-04-17T21:48:00.002+01:00

I've just returned from Berlin. I'll post some nice shots in the next few days.

Mission Accomplished

2008-04-03T15:08:00.006+01:00

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My grandson Simon dismounts after a spectacular 40 minute chopper flight over Manhattan last year. Grandad had to sit in the back. Everything in New York is great value, with the Greenback at such a low compared with the Euro, at the moment. We both agree that of all the places we have been together, New York New York beats them all. We can't wait to go back.

The Wall Ties

2008-04-02T08:27:00.008+01:00

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Whoever built my shed, soon to become my workshop, didn't bother to connect two of the walls together, which has meant that they have separated by about 3 inches over the 40 years or so since construction. To halt this migration and to prevent a catastrophic collapse, I have welded up a couple of heavy-duty angle brackets, rawl-bolted them to the left wall and through-bolted them with exterior plates on the right. The cemented-up gap can be seen in the middle.

The Door

2008-03-31T13:38:00.005+01:00

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The door is now hung on my new workshop. I gave it 3 coats of tough acrylic paint to withstand the Atlantic onslaught that we get over here in Ballybunion during the winter. I painted it battleship grey to contrast the new white masonry paint that I will apply during the summer.

Broadcasting from the Bench

2008-03-30T17:37:00.007+01:00

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One of the very first broadcast transmitters to use the new "Thermionic Valve" technology, photographed through it's glass cabinet which unfortunately obscures the shot somewhat. It's output power was 1 Kilowatt and it can be viewed in the Frankfurt Communications Museum on the banks of the river Main close to the city centre. Link to Frankfurt museums guide.

Dry at Last

2008-03-28T14:41:00.004Z

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The roof has gone on to my workshop at last during a weather window (no pun intended) here in Ballybunion.

More of the Ballybunion Parade

2008-03-27T08:35:00.003Z

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These people do a very important job here on the west coast.

Bahia del Puerto

2008-03-23T20:33:00.005Z

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The apartment block in Torrevieja, in southern Spain, where I lived for four years after my retirement. The Google Earth satellite photo shows the building in the centre.

Wall Remnant

2008-03-21T08:31:00.010Z

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The only remaining section of the Berlin Wall. It's about 100 metres long and not far from "Berliner Mauerpark". The plaque is slightly further up Bernauerstasse, marking the route it took along that street. By the way, I notice that those "high Nelly" ladies bikes are extremely popular in Berlin, even with the men!

Roof

2008-03-20T16:29:00.005Z

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St. Patrick's Day was ideal for a bit of roof work. No wind, no rain.

Surfing in Ballybunion

2008-03-16T11:27:00.002Z

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Simon surfs the web from the newly constructed "Internet Cafe" (guest room) in my wee housheen here in Ballybunion.

P.S. There's also lots of real surfing too here on the beach in Ballybunion.

Workshop Works

2008-03-13T19:21:00.007Z

I'm working on an old shed in the corner of my garden in Ballybunion with the intention of making a new workshop for myself. It's progressing nicely.

A tiny portion of the Atlantic can be seen to the right of the lone house with Kerry Head in the background.

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The first thing I needed to do was tie the two unconnected walls together. The steel angle brackets can be seen in the left corner. Then the old leaking roof was taken off.

Spingtime Serenity

2008-03-01T18:30:00.003Z

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Early February in southern Spain. The temperature is 23 degrees. Why did I ever come back to live in Ireland. I suppose I missed the cold damp miserable weather.

La Mujer del Mar

2008-02-29T15:10:00.006Z

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A bronze figure looks out to sea hoping and wishing her fisherman husband will soon return safely. Her right knee is well worn from tourists and holiday-makers sitting for a photo at the promenade in the Mediterranean fishing port of Torrevieja.

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More "Arte Urbano" on this "up and over" garage door in Torrevieja.

Glue Clamp and Screw

2008-02-25T18:13:00.006Z

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I love doing a bit of gluing and screwing. This was the making of my guest room. I put a sign on the door which reads "Internet Cafe" to entice my grandson to come and visit more often.

Remnant of Terror

2008-02-21T17:16:00.007Z

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This is what remains of the SS barracks at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, 15 km from Berlin. It's amazing that it has not been knocked down as it does not comprise part of the memorial site adjacent to it The shots are not great because I had to squeeze the lens through a chink in the fence which protects it from close scrutiny and I suppose to keep out any Neo-Nazis who might want to use it as a sort of macabre shrine. Link to Sachsenhausen Memorial Centre.

Colours of the Med

2008-02-18T15:43:00.004Z

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A majestic palm on the prom in Torrevieja in southern Spain. A nice splash of colour at this time of year.

Lateral Thinking

2008-02-17T11:05:00.002Z

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The authorities in the city of Torrevieja, in southern Spain, have tackled the scourge of graffiti by inviting the best local artists to cover every available public space, and even the walls of private property, with "official graffiti". The city is awash with "Arte Urbano".

Berlin Kitchen Wall

2008-01-27T19:00:00.000Z

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A mural in graffiti style on the dining room wall of the "Alkatraz" Hostel in Berlin.

Collin's Bakers

2007-12-17T20:25:00.001Z

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The coat of arms of the Dublin Baker's Guild preserved and restored on the wall of one of the entrances to the main square in Collin's Barracks in Dublin.

Metal Cleaner

2007-12-14T19:56:00.001Z

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The street sweeper in Madrid's Plaza Santa Anna. It reminds me of the quirky bronze figure of usher Jim Mulvaney outside the Screen Cinema on Dublin's D'Olier St.

Bike or Trike

2007-12-10T20:08:00.001Z

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A 19th century railway inspector's track bicycle, or is it a tricycle, on display in Berlin's Technikmuseum. A real boneshaker. I wonder how it felt going over a set of points.

Softly Softly

2007-12-09T12:21:00.002Z

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These two policemen were part of the operation to control the potentially violent confrontation between Kurds and Turks at the recent "hands off Kurdistan" demo in Berlin. They don't carry any weapons and sport longer hair underneath their casual style caps, unlike their tough uncompromising colleagues who are waiting nearby in their thousands to wade in, if the softly softly approach fails to have any effect. I couldn't help but notice the slouchy stance, which is not typical of a German policeman or woman. I suppose it's all part of the psychology of diffusion. Another interesting point is the use of English on the vest. You'd wonder will there be any of the German language in common use in Germany in twenty years. Even the TV adds now are about 50% English. It makes me ask myself if there is any sense in continuing with my German language studies.

Flowers on Friedrichstrasse

2007-12-08T19:03:00.001Z

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Almost every railway station in Berlin has at least one flower stall. This display is at one of the exits from Friedrichstrasse.

Uptown Snowballs

2007-11-27T18:29:00.002Z

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Simon getting ready to drop a snowball over granddad. This shot was taken on a bitterly cold day in New York during the big snow storm in February this year. Central Park is in the background.

Broadway Glint

2007-11-25T19:37:00.001Z

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A view towards New Jersey from the junction of 45th Street and 8th Avenue taken from the 25th floor of the Milford Plaza hotel. I wanted to correct the vertical orientation of the shot, which was skewed due to steadying the camera on the windowsill, but the computer programme clipped the top of the tall building, so I decided to leave it as shot. (All the buildings are tall).

Anti Kapitalismus

2007-11-22T21:07:00.001Z

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Some suburbs of Berlin are covered in graffiti. This anti G8 slogan was sprayed onto an apartment wall in Neukolln using a stencil.

Der Wirt

2007-11-20T17:05:00.000Z

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The friendly landlord of the Berliner Treffpunkt pub, just off Friedrichstrasse, takes 5 minutes to pull a pils. He won't be rushed and and the wait is worth it.

Stationary Flight

2007-11-14T19:36:00.000Z

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A beautifully restored Bucker Jungmann Bu 131B biplane from 1941 hanging vertically by it's nose from the roof of the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin's Kreutzberg suburb. The shot was taken with my Lumicron 8Mp and was flipped 90 degrees on the computer. Great picture quality from a €100 "point and shoot" camera. Please see larger version.

A Rose By Any Other Name

2007-11-13T21:43:00.000Z

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This lonely flower has lost it's way outside a Berlin apartment.

Colourful Kurd

2007-11-07T17:48:00.001Z

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A colourful Kurdish woman attending the "Hands off Kurdistan" demo in the mainly Turkish suburb of Neukolln in Berlin last Sunday. I took this shot with my "point and shoot" Lumicron just before sundown.

Architectural Mistake

2007-09-18T12:02:00.001+01:00

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A disused Garda barracks that was built in British times on the main road between Limerick and Tipperary. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to note down it's location. The story goes that it was constructed from plans that were intended for use in India, hence it's colonial appearance. This mistake happened more than once in Ireland and other parts of the Empire.

Spikes

2007-09-13T21:31:00.001+01:00

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Deep Yellow

2007-09-12T08:47:00.001+01:00

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I think that sunflowers are at their peak right now. I don't know anything about botany but I presume that the yellow powder on the leaves is pollen dropping down from the flower. (See high resolution image).

Beautiful Beast

2007-09-11T20:54:00.016+01:00

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A beautiful retro style Triumph twin. Aah, they were the days. This impressive machine was spotted near the Plaza Mayor in central Madrid.

A reflection of myself in the chrome timing cover taking the shot with my 8mp point and shoot Lumicron.

Foynes Fog

2007-09-11T16:28:00.000+01:00

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Foynes Port at 4.30 am. This is a 4 second time exposure taken while banks of fog were rolling in along the Shannon estuary before dawn on Sunday morning.

Rotten Encounter

2007-09-08T09:01:00.001+01:00

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A nice little reminder of what bin charges have done for the environment. This lot of domestic waste was photographed on the pedestrian walkway along the bank of the River Dodder near Donnybrook. Even Dublin 4 has has not escaped the fly-tippers.

Lord Norbury And The Bronze Beast

2007-09-07T04:38:00.001+01:00

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A fine piece of urban art which adorns Wolf Tone Park in the centre of Dublin. The park was a Church of Ireland cemetery up to recently and has been turned over to the people of the city even though the remains of the interred are still there. As to be expected, this nice open space in the middle of Dublin is blighted by the large number of drunks and drug addicts who spend the day there drinking and fighting. Among it's more infamous residents is Lord Norbury who is best known as the judge who sentenced Robert Emmet to death. The following short biography is published on the Irish Courts Service website.

Lord Norbury - the "Hanging Judge"
John Toler was born in Co. Tipperary in 1745. He was admitted to the bar in 1770, and as a strong supporter of the Government, he attained many offices, including that of Lord Chief Justice, and was eventually ennobled as the Earl of Norbury. He was also the Solicitor General and a member of Grattan's Parliament. Later by bribery and deception he reached the Bench to become a corrupt and fearsome judge. He had poor legal skills and used his power to intimidate lawyers and defendants with his sarcastic wit and twisted sense of humour. His courts were like a wild theatre. His most famous trial was that of Robert Emmet, in which Norbury continually interrupted and abused Emmet when he was making his speech from the dock, before sentencing him to death.

First Off

2007-09-06T19:46:00.001+01:00

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The Killimer-Tarbert ferry disgorges it's load after crossing the River Shannon at first light on Monday. An empty tanker makes it's way down the estuary to the Atlantic.

Heading Home

2007-09-04T09:01:00.001+01:00

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Two German street entertainers who were a regular sight on Dublin's North Earl St. They told me last week that they are been forced to leave the capital due to constant violent abuse and harassment at the hands of drunks and drug addicts who abound in the city centre. The last straw was when recently one of them was stabbed in the arm with a syringe.

Early House

2007-09-03T08:48:00.000+01:00

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A quaint little pub in the village of Asdee County Kerry from where Jesse James' ancestors emigrated to America in the 19th century.

The Early Crossing

2007-09-03T08:24:00.000+01:00

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At 7.15 am this morning the first ferry of the day prepares to dock at Tarbert ferry port in County Kerry having taken on a selection of trucks and cars at Killimer in County Clare on the opposite bank of the River Shannon.

I'm Keeping An Eye On You

2007-09-02T08:09:00.001+01:00

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A relic of bygone days. How many sights like this remain to be seen in Dublin or indeed in Ireland. This friendly jee jee seems quite happy at work outside the Corporation fruit market in Dublin.

Burlington Buildings

2007-08-30T07:06:00.001+01:00

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O'Neill's public house on the corner of Suffolk St. and Church Lane in Dublin's city centre. This is the Church Lane entrance at twilight on Friday evening. The city gets ready to rock. I can't find any reference to Burlington Buildings on Google.

All Aboard

2007-08-29T08:24:00.000+01:00

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No. 4004 is about to leave Hueston station in Dublin for Cork. It's a nice new clean train but maybe, when the novelty wears off, Iarnrod won't bother to wash it and it'll become a dirty greasy aul machine just like a lot of the older trains. I wonder are there any plans to electrify the Cork-Dublin line.

Yet Another Dublin River

2007-08-28T13:14:00.001+01:00

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The Camac River as it flows towards the Liffey, taken at Bow Bridge in Kilmainham.

Another Dublin River

2007-08-27T11:15:00.001+01:00

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The River Dodder winding it's way to Ringsend photographed between Ballsbridge and Donnybrook.

Lavish Surroundings

2007-08-27T11:00:00.000+01:00

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Part of the magnificent interior of Ryan's of Parkgate St. in Dublin.

Civic Surprise

2007-08-18T14:15:00.001+01:00

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This is the first lifebuoy I have seen in Ireland that is intact, fully functional and not vandalised. It was spotted on Litter Strand in the Shannon estuary in North Kerry.

Transparent Fingers

2007-08-14T14:46:00.001+01:00

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My friend George Cheng who has a great passion for life and living. I'm trying to figure out why the window is visible through the top of his hand. The only explanation that I can come up with is that the shutter speed is slow compared with the flash duration and he raised his hand quickly during the open shutter period; the light from the window, because of the slow shutter speed, exposing onto the image sensor more or less equally with the reflected light from the flash. If anybody has a better explanation please comment.

It's a constant source of amazement to me how good the picture quality is from my 8Mp €120 Lumicron which I bought on Ebay, brand new. It never misjudges the exposure, when in auto mode, which is more than can be said about my Sony A 100. It is manufactured in Taiwan by Skanhex, which is a little known company who used to supply them to Tesco. Mine even has the Tesco brand written into the metadata on all shots taken with it.