Well the weekend saw the Salon de Mariage at Bellac come and go. All in all I think it was a very successful weekend with lots of apparent interest from next years brides and grooms to be. Just by watching people look through my wedding portfolios in the Photo Books I had on show made me realise one of the kicks I personally get from my photography. Just watching peoples faces turn into a smile as they flicked through the books made me feel absolutely fantastic,  it is such a great buzz and so rewarding when I see people react like that to my photography. Go me……..

Quick update here. Just got back from a nice little lunch in Bellac and updated the NEW IMAGES gallery on my website. Iv’e been meaning to do it for a while but never quite got around to it so, check them out and let me know what you think …….   http://davidpagephotography.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=1a

Kit Kat our cat has given birth once again to 3 little kittens.  As cliched as it is kitten photos are still very popular with the stock agencies I submit to, all I need to do is think of some original angle to photograph the kittens in order to increase my chance of a sale.  How about  if I could get our English pointer dog to lie down still whilst three kittens attempt to feed from HIM?    Mmmmmmmmmmm – could be the beginning of an idea …………

Well things have been rather hectic here over the past few weeks. The smallholding has been taking up a lot of time trying to get vegetables out of the ground and then stored for winter. Several of the lambs have got fly strike which needed to be dealt with.  Then we had to inject the pigs with a vaccine for “la rouge” and if you have never tried injecting a pig before it’s not easy! I never realised that Pigs could make such a noise!!!!

Anyway things are getting back on track and I am now sorting out a few photo jobs over the next couple of weeks. My list of ideas for photo shoots is getting longer and longer so I need to get some time aside to make sure that I can get these in the camera and then up onto the web site. Christmas is approaching fast and those prints are popular for pressies……….

Well Sunday morning arrives after spending 8 hours in a market stall in the middle of Limoges yesterday. All went really well and met loads of people, the sun shone and I even sold 4 framed pictures and quite a few postcards.  So all in all not a bad day at all.

The car is all unloaded and market debris scattered liberally across the house, which is exactly where it will stay for a bit as the sun is shining so we are all off to the lake for the day.

Friday is here and all preparations for tomorrows artists market in Limoges are nearly finished.  All the photos printed, mounted and framed and all looking good. Product publicity has all been printed and is ready to be liberally distributed to anyone and everyone who passes the stall.  Sunshine is forecast for tomorrow to put everyone in a bouncy, happy, buying mood.

Website is back and recovered and I have taken backups of it this time! The goat kids are in the freezer with the exception of a few chops we had for a BBQ the other evening. All my photo work is nearly back up to date so this afternoon I will be off to move the lambs into some decent pasture and treat them for worms. Later if I get the chance the two remaining Pygmy goats (too cute for the freezer) will be off to their new homes.

Well Wednesday night arrives with the website now recovered (or near enough)! Had a a slight problem with the web site on Wednesday morning which needed a full restore from my internet service provider who apparently stated that they keep backups for the previous 7 days.  So, when I asked for a restore of my web site I waited for a day before they said “our specialists could not find your files, you must have only just copied them up”.  It’s difficult to explain my feelings at that particular time but heh lets try………….

First let us not be afraid to name and shame.  My hosting company is an American company called FATCOW.  Now, as is the way in America customer service is very “slick”. Lots of “how are you’s ” and “I am so sorry for …” which are all totally meaningless as they are just said by rote.  So when I logged onto live chat support the guy asked how I was today. So I told him in no uncertain terms how I felt, my website was down all files missing, can someone please tell me that you have backups to restore my website. The next reply on his crib sheet was “how may I help you” which I would have thought was blindingly obvious if he had read the response to the “how are you today question” . So I explained again and then waited. Support man jumped into life to say we will restore your files within 24 – 48 hours. I was delighted to hear this slick well oiled service was kicking into action and went to bed a happy man.

This morning I awoke, checked my web site or rather the ominous absence of my web site and then clicked once more on “live chat”.  I pre-empted the usual drivel and went on the attack. “I am not well today, I am extremely not happy today. Yesterday you told me that you could resotre my web site. Today I find that you have told me you can’t find the files! Can someone please explain why this is!!!! I waited and then the reply came…… “How may I help you” . I mean what’s the point?

Anyway it transpired that even though FATCOW are suppsoed to backup everything over a 7 day period they really don’t. But if I pay extra money I could buy a proper backup service from them. Oh yeh right.

So the moral of the story is backup your own websites then you only have yourself to blame.

Now where is that wine………

Saturday morning arrives with the decision made that the end is nigh for our two Pygmy goat kids . Yesterday they escaped yet again into the vegetable plot and proceeded to randomly munch their way through carrots, fennel and salad all destined for our table.  The fresh fruit bed also took a munching with rasberries being a firm favourite on the Goats good food guide.

They are currently holed up in one of the shelters in the bottom field where they will wait until this evening when the sun has cooled down and fly activity has lessened. Eric will be coming round to help as we prepare the goats for the freezer or maybe a nice BBQ with a few friends next week? The two adult pygmy goats which we have had for the past two and a half years are more like pets to the family so we will find them suitable homes where they can wander and graze freely as goats are meant to do.

Another sunny day today so to avoid having to think too much about this evenings unpleasant task I think we will all head off to the lake with a picnic a ball and some money for an ice cream after.

Just received my new “livebox” to solve my internet problems.  Plugged it in and both PC’s were up and running within 10 minutes and YAY we now have internet connection back up and flying…..  So I will now press the button to start uploading all the agency pictures that have been queuing up over the past week!

We have some lovely late afternoon light here today so whilst my PC is uploading I will get out and take some fun photos of our Turkeys. We have 12 Turkeys and have just let them out into the middle field to give them some more room now they are getting Christmas sized. They make me smile watching them as they wander around in their flock looking very much like dinosaurs.

David

www.davidpagephotography.com

Before digital cameras I used film and now I couldn’t imagine going back to it.  Before the internet how did everything work, I seem to have forgotten life “before Internet”.  So when my internet connection went on a go slow over the weekend I felt somewhat helpless. I couldn’t e-mail photos to clients, I couldn’t upload photos to any agencies even worse I couldn’t get the English football results! I have now found the problem though it will take a few days to get back to normal service. Meanwhile my agency photo submissions are piling up but it does leave me some spare time to keyword all those images, a job I always put off till as late as possible. I love taking photos and I love the developing process but then after the pleasure comes the pain of keywording each photograph and sending them off to the various agencies.

Best get back to work now as I have spent the last few days trying to sort this internet problem out and now the keywording awaits me as I prepare a new batch of around 100 photos.  The photos were taken over the weekend at the local ploughing competition and festivities afterwards. So how many words can you think of to describe a tractor ploughing a field………………….. farm, farming, agriculture, competition, furrow, soil, earth, rural ……………………………………… Oh to be taking photos instead…