• Sunlight in the Nave

    The Nave of St. John's Episcopal Church, Springfield, MO, bathed in early morning sunlight
    Early Morning Sunlight at St. John’s. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    St. John’s Episcopal Church, Springfield — Today the sunlight was streaming in low through the windows in the nave.

    On the first Saturday of each month I attend the Brotherhood of Saint Andrew’s men’s group meeting at St. John’s. We start with an eight O’clock service (Holy Eucharist), and then go on to have breakfast in town. Today’s breakfast was at the Early Bird Breakfast Pub on Cherokee St. and very good it was too. Good food, and good company, an excellent way to start the day.

    The poinsettias, and altar cloth all set for Christmas and Epiphany (Today is Epiphany) made for another nice photo opportunity too.

    The poinsettias, and altar cloth all set for Christmas and Epiphany . Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Early Morning Sunlight at St. John’s. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    The poinsettias, and altar cloth all set for Christmas and Epiphany . Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Late Night Cleaning and Polishing

    Late Night Cleaning and Polishing – I first cleaned these brass ornaments, belonging to my mother, when I was 4-5 years old. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It seems that I have another minor obsession going on. Having cleaned Katie’s handgun last Saturday, on Thursday I found myself indulging in some late-night cleaning, this time it was my Buck 110 knife that was getting the attention. The brass was looking a little sad and tarnished, so off I went to find some metal polish to clean it.

    The smell of the ‘Nevr-Dull’ wadding that I used to clean the Buck took me back to my youth. It smells and looks pretty much the same as the Duraglit wadding I was given to use as a young lad when I had to clean my mother’s brass ornaments. It was a task I really disliked.

    As it happens I still have a few of my mother’s ornaments that I first cleaned when I was four or five years old. When I’d finished cleaning my knife I cleaned them too. I don’t think they’ve been cleaned in 15-20 years, so I’m going to have to give them a few more sessions before they are restored to their former glory.

    Cleaning them brought back a lot of memories. The donkey in particular, as it was used in many birthday games of ‘hide the donkey’. One of the yachts must have had a thermometer on it at one time — it’s a cheap seaside memento. I have no idea of its or any other of the ornaments’ significance to my mother, but as she kept them 50-odd years they must have had some meaning. For me, they just remind me of my mother and my childhood.

    No matter how much I might have hated cleaning and polishing when I was younger, I now find it a very relaxing, satisfying, and therapeutic task.

    My Buck 110 knife after a minor cleaning session, late night, Thursday. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Buck 110 Knife. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Post script: Sunday morning I got out the leather treatment/polish and treated my writing pad and journal covers. As I said, I have a minor polishing obsession at the moment.

  • Win 10 Updates — Blue screens and software failures

    Windows 10 Creators Edition: finding creative ways of ruining your day.

  • Self Portrait with Camera

    Black and white photograph of Gary Allman posing with a Fujifilm X-E3 camera
    Self Portrait with Camera. Copyright © 2018 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.


    A deliberate grainy look. Shot in quite dark conditions as I didn’t turn the room light on.

    I’m having a bit of a nostalgic selfie binge at the moment. I’ll get over it.

  • DeAtramentis Steel Blue

    Color photograph of a bottle of DeAtramentis Steel Blue fountain pen ink
    DeAtramentis Steel Blue

    I must be writing too much at the moment.

    Another of my fountain pens ran out of ink. De’Atramentis produce some very good inks. This blue is one of my favorites. This picture was taken at my desk — of course.

  • 2017 Motivational Issues Summarized

    The “I can’t give a f**k” is strong in this one.

    — The struggle is real.

  • 2018, a blank page to write whatever you want on

    Quick Refill

    I ran out of ink

    So I needed a quick refill of DeAtramentis Cherry. That’s my current favorite ink (seen with my current favorite pen).

  • Pause and Reflect

    Pause and Reflect (Black and White)

    The tradition used to be to review my year on my birthday.

    I’d take off for the day and perform some navel contemplation, introspection, and preparation for the coming year.

    Somehow that changed when I moved to the US. Now I use the new year to the same effect. Today, I did a bit of mental housekeeping, some stock taking, assessing, route reviewing, deliberating, and planning.

    2017 was a mixture of exceptionally busy times and bouts of sloth, the latter of which I’d like to blame on burn-out brought on by working too much during the former. I was especially peeved by spending a week of my vacation in the UK working. But, hey, those are the breaks, and we do what we have to do.

    Today I’ve completed my reflecting, and tomorrow I’ll start on the plan for the year to come.

    Finally, 2018 and 2019 are, if I allow them to be, big years for me psychologically. In 2018 I’ll get to be older than my mother, and in 2019 I’ll be older than my father. That’s a couple of tough ‘anniversaries’ to ignore. Coincidentally during our visit to England this year I discovered I still own property there — my parents’ burial plot!

    Pause and Reflect (Black and White)
    Pause and Reflect – Alternate (Black and White)

    Pause and Reflect
    Pause and Reflect – Alternate

    Now I’m off to do the dishes & scoop the cats before celebrating the new year in a few hours time.

    Taking a moment for a self-portrait while reviewing my year

  • Greater love has no step-father than this:1

    Photograph of a disassembled Sig Sauer P238 handgun.
    Disassembled Sig Sauer P238

    to spend his Saturday afternoon cleaning his step-daughter’s handgun.

    While Katie’s away for the Christmas break, she has a friend cat-sitting in her apartment. As a consequence of that I’ve been given her Sig Sauer P238 to keep safe. It’s a pretty little gun, what with the ‘pearl’ grips and fancy scrollwork on the slide. However, I was most surprised to find some rust around the rear sight2, not good for a gun that’s only fired a few hundred rounds (if that). So, I put it aside for some cleaning and TLC while she’s away. Today, with 20°F temps outside, it was just the sort of day to do some therapeutic cleaning and oiling.

    I’ve stripped down the P238 a couple of times, and I’m not surprised that Katie hasn’t cleaned it. It’s a fiddly thing to strip, and fiddly to reassemble too. Of course now I’ve got it clean, I probably ought to take it down the range, check it’s working okay — and then clean it again. I bought Katie some less ‘girly’ wooden grips. I’ve no idea where she’s put them, or I would have fitted them while I was at it.

    Cleaning and checking it, I’ve noticed that the slide lock spring is weak or compromised, and doesn’t always engage when the magazine is empty. Checking online this seems to be a common problem with these little pistols.

    Engraved slide on a Sig Sauer P238


    Overall, I like the size and weight of the Sig Sauer P238 — it makes my ‘compact’ Beretta look huge — the night sights are good, and it’s very well built. Apart from the slide lock issue, I’ve found that the safety is a bit stiff; possibly difficult to operate reliably. I realize the safety has to be stiff to prevent it from being accidentally disengaged, but that begs the question, at what point is it too stiff?

    My only fundamental issue with this style of gun is that I prefer a Double / Single Action trigger mechanism and a decocker, which lets you safely keep a round in the chamber with the hammer down.


    Notes

    1 tongue very much in cheek — for those who cannot detect humor and a play on words when it is intended.

    2 It’s a Sig problem, as I discovered with my Sig P938. It also rusts on the rear sight.

  • Ten Years On: Happy To Be Here

    Happy To Be Here. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I’ve just indulged in a couple of ‘retro’ self-portrait sessions.

    I monitor several sources to alert me of ongoing and upcoming scams using stolen pictures of me. In the process of checking them out, I started taking a wander down memory lane looking at some of my older self-portraits. That, in turn, reminded me that 2017 is the tenth anniversary of my 2007 365 Days project. At the start of the year, I was tempted to give a third year of self-portraits a go. I’m glad I saw the error of my ways and didn’t do it; I’ve been far too busy.

    However, I couldn’t let ten years go completely unremarked; so, by way of celebration, I decided to take a couple of simple self-portraits standing at my desk. Of course — as I should well know — nine times out of ten there is no such thing as a ‘simple self-portrait’; especially if you haven’t taken a ‘proper’ hand-held self-portrait in many, many, years. For a start, with a different camera you have no idea where to point the dang thing to ensure that you are framed correctly. In theory, with my new camera’s tethering capability, I should have been able to see the picture I was taking on my phone. But the Gremlins were out in force and I could not persuade my camera and phone to talk to each other. Oh well, it had to be a traditional ‘click & chimp’ session instead. And then because I didn’t like the sour expression of the subject (that would be me), I had to set up and try it all over again.

    I decided not to try and ‘copy-cat’ myself, at least one sensible decision then. To assess how kind (or unkind) the passage of time has been, I found a roughly similar unpublished shot, taken back in February 2007.

    Apparently I was having a bad selfie day when I took this. It’s one of over thirty-five pictures I took while trying to get my 365 Day’s project picture.
    Ginger calls this my “intransigent bastard” look. Not quite what I see, but her assessment is probably closer to the truth than I’d like to admit.
    Happy To Be Here. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Taken at my desk using only my monitor screen for lighting. This picture’s a .jpg image taken straight out of camera.

    If I had been thinking I would have dragged out my old camera to take the pictures so that the lens distortion would be the same (anything to make my face look a little less full).

    The conclusions?

    Yes, I am fatter around the chops, I’m thinner on top — unfortunately, that’s the only place I am thinner — a lot greyer, and (interestingly) my nose appears wider. I can’t see a whole load of new lines and wrinkles, but then I’m biased.

    Older? Yes. Wiser? I doubt it. Happy to be here? Absolutely.

    Happy To Be Here – Black & White. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    Ginger calls this my “intransigent bastard” look. Not quite what I see, but her assessment is probably closer to the truth than I’d like to admit.

  • Merry Christmas!

    Four-eyes

    Someone has run off with my Santa hat, so I had to go without.

    If you thought this would be pictures of happy people unwrapping Christmas gifts, or stuffing their faces with Christmas lunch, you are going to be disappointed. I decided that Christmas day was a self-imposed ‘no-camera day’. Apart from one Merry Christmas video to the family, access to technology was limited — and the video took at least five takes owing to technical problems with Ginger’s phone (operator error really, but I’m feeling generous).

    It was a quiet Christmas. Ginger’s parents were away, Katie is hiking in Ecuador, and other family members are scattered to the four winds visiting relatives. So it was only Ginger, Alek, Lanie, and myself at home on Christmas morning.

    I’ve taken to buying goats, and micro-loans … the donations make a difference to someone with a need rather than some unnecessary gift bought just for the sake of being seen to buy it.

    The trouble with Christmas for me is that everyone has pretty much what they need, and things people want are either prohibitively expensive, specialist purchases, or both. As it turned out, the things on our gift lists were fairly modest, comprising practical things we’d normally make do without but were very helpful or much appreciated.

    I have same problem when it comes to gifts for my family in the UK, they have what they need. Therefore, unless I think of a really appropriate gift — which does happen every now and then — I’ve taken to buying goats, and micro-loans on their behalf. They probably think I’m mad, but I’d like to hope that the donations make a difference to someone with a need rather than some unnecessary gift bought just for the sake of being seen to buy it.

    After unwrapping our presents we decamped to Susan and Dennis’ place for lunch. Sickness had taken its toll on the lunch numbers, so there was only seven of us. I had a great time, and the depleted numbers meant I won both the after lunch games we played (I mention this because I am normally trounced by the many eager game-playing members of the family. So, I’ll enjoy this brief, probably unrepeatable moment of gaming success while I can).

    Boxing Day in the UK; December 26th or St. Stephen’s Day here in the US, I was Feeling the need to take at least one picture (and my fumbling over the controls of the camera show that I need a lot more practice with it) so I took the easy route out, and shot some pictures at my desk. I am that lazy (it’s also below freezing outside).

    Here’s the details on some of the items of swag

    Ginger got a swanky Fitbit to replace her Flex (no pictures). It gives her a lot more health / exercise information which is useful for her exercise regimen. She also received some pretty blue glass from the kids.

    Lanie bought me the special glasses I’m wearing at the top of this post. They have exchangeable magnification lenses to help me with close-up work and include a light for working in those small dark places one finds oneself in — like inside the washer, where up to now I’ve had to try and work blind.

    Photograph of a brass Zippo lighter with a butane insert
    Ginger bought me this brass lighter for those occasions when I want a little more bling than my everyday carry silver colored lighter case. I guess I should have wiped the insert clean.

    Ginger bought me this brass lighter for those occasions when I need a little more bling than my everyday carry silver colored lighter case.
    Ginger bought me this brass lighter for those occasions when I want a little more bling than my everyday carry silver colored lighter case. I’ve yet to decide if I will keep it exclusively for special occasions, or if it will supplant my current EDC lighter case.

    Ginger bought me this brass lighter for those occasions when I need a little more bling than my everyday carry silver colored lighter case. I’ve yet to decide if I’ll retire the silver case or not, I think this brass case needs a bit of use to give it a well loved and worn look. So far it’s only collected a few scratches, it needs a lot more to give it character.

    My main present from Ginger — new speakers for my desk. The lower quality Logitech one’s I had will be moved to the workshop.

    Finally my main present from Ginger was this pair of desk-top speakers. I spent ages going through reviews before I selected these to go on my list. They are a luxury item that I wouldn’t be able to justify buying for myself, my old Logitech speakers worked fine — though they weren’t very high quality. This pair are more than good enough for my modest needs (before some audiophile picks holes in them).

  • The Road Goes Ever On

    The Road Goes Ever On

    I loved the way the light caught all the compressed leaves on the trail.

    Taken on the White Trail at Busiek. It looks like there’s lens flare on the tree trunk. It’s not, it’s a trail marker.

    You can see all the pictures taken today here: Ginger and Gary on the White Trail at Busiek

  • Trees and Sky

    Trees and Sky

    Taken while we stopped for a breather on the White Trail at Busiek.

    You can see the rest of the pictures I took today here: Ginger and Gary on the White Trail at Busiek

  • Ginger and Gary on the White Trail at Busiek

    Can you tell I’d just stuffed a chocolate bar in my mouth? … Photo by Ginger

    We managed to get out on a quick four-mile hike. The weather was very mild but windy. Nice for mid-December. We stopped at the high point on the White Trail to catch our breath before the descent back to the trailhead.

    Busiek White Trail in December. The trail branch on the right goes up to a small stock pond.
    Busiek White Trail in December
    Trees and Sky
    Trees and Sky
    The Road Goes Ever On I loved the way the light caught all the compressed leaves on the trail
    December 16, 2017 | www.breakfastinamerica.me | Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved
    Ginger powers away while I check my pictures
    Trail-side rock
    Trail and rock
    Walking down the switchbacks. The ‘bike friendly’ route includes a load of switchbacks where there used to be a very steep climb.
    Oh well you can’t win them all. It looked like a good picture … The lesson is that I needed to get closer to blur the background more (Or had my 35mm lens with me). This was at the top of a steep bank. I thought I\’d climbed high enough and nailed it, but not so.

  • On becoming more forgetful

    is not taking my medication regularly making me forgetful?

    Or, is it the other way around?

  • I splashed out on a new anodized shutter button

    FujiFilm X-E3 with a red anodized aluminum shutter button
    FujiFilm X-E3 with CamDesign 10MM Diameter Red Metal Convex Soft Shutter Release Button – Close-up of my new red shutter button. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    When I bought my Fujifilm X-E3 I also bought a red enameled shutter button to go with it. I didn’t like the way it looked, so I replaced it with an anodized button.

    After a couple of weeks of use, I have decided that I don’t like the orangy-red color and shiny finish of the enameled button, so I have changed to the anodized shutter button pictured above, a CamDesign 10MM Diameter Red Metal Convex Soft Shutter Release Button. The enameled button came with little rubber washers, so I’ve used one of those to hold my new red anodized aluminum button in-place. (By the way, ‘Splashed out’ is $7.99 for two buttons and a lens/wristband.)

    I much prefer the color and finish of this button. I just wish that the supplier would provide washers too, instead of the unwanted wrist/lens band.

    FujiFilm X-E3 with a red anodized aluminum shutter button
    The red shutter button in place. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    The picture below shows the enameled button on my X-E3 (left) compared to the red anodized version on the FujiFilm X-E2s (right).

    Photograph of a FujiFilm X-E3 & Fujifilm X-E2s camera.
    FujiFilm X-E3 with red enameled shutter button & Fujifilm X-E2s with a red anodized button.
    Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Updates

    • July 2025. Eight years since I first bought it, and it is still in place and working fine. Highly recommended.
    • May 2021. It looks as good now as it did on day one, which considering I take my camera out backpacking regularly and that has taken its toll, is as good as you can get. I’d buy another if I somehow lost this one, no question. It makes the shutter so much easier to use, especially when holding the camera one-handed.

    A note about the links. The links marked with a this icon – – are affiliate links, if you buy through them, it doesn’t cost you more, and I get a tiny percentage which helps me offset the cost of keeping this website running. However, please buy from the source that makes the most sense for you!

  • Blue Glass Collection

    Blue Glass display on four wall mounted shelves
    Ginger’s Blue Glass Collection. Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    As the sun gets lower in the north the sunshine streams into the office.

    This afternoon I noticed that the sun had got low enough to shine on the wall opposite the display shelves, lighting up Ginger’s blue glass collection. I’m more of a ‘red’ person myself, but I have to admit, it does look pretty.

  • At My Desk — Black and White

    Black and white photograph of Gary Allman standing at his desk

    Working from home has its advantages,

    I can wear comfortable clothing without (too much) ridicule. In August I bought a lightweight utility kilt to see if it would be any good for hiking. It was, and I was very impressed. The kilt was very comfortable and also practical.

    A special offer from the vendor tempted me to buy another. I’ve been wearing a utility kilt most of the time at home since our hiking trip in August. It’s a lot more comfortable than shorts or linen pants — my other preferred clothing. And that explains why I’m wearing a kilt in the photographs I took today.

    I have no idea what’s going on with my hair in the above pictures. The backlighting makes it look like I have a Mohican cut. 🙂

  • At My Desk — Color

    Color photograph of Gary Allman standing at his desk

    Working from home has its advantages,

    I can wear comfortable clothing without (too much) ridicule. In August I bought a lightweight utility kilt to see if it would be any good for hiking. It was, and I was very impressed. The kilt was very comfortable and also practical.

    A special offer from the vendor tempted me to buy another. I’ve been wearing a utility kilt most of the time at home since our hiking trip in August. It’s a lot more comfortable than shorts or linen pants — my other preferred clothing. And that explains why I’m wearing a kilt in the photographs I took today.

    I have no idea what’s going on with my hair in the above pictures. The backlighting makes it look like I have a Mohican cut. 🙂

  • Playing

    I’m suffering from a severe lack of motivation at the moment.

    I can’t be bothered to go out and take pictures, but the urge to press the shutter button remains, So I pick random objects and take quick — typically fairly badly executed — pictures of things on my desk.

    Here’s the latest bunch.

    This was in my cracker at the diocesan Advent lunch.

    Clockwork Snowman

    I take pictures of my journal when I feel the need to take a picture, but lack the inspiration to go and find something to photograph.

    Another Journal Picture

    This was my response to a question on one of the Bullet Journal Groups I’m a member of. The Question Was, “How do you decorate your journal’s cover page?” Well, this is as cutsie as mine gets.

    Cover Page
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