• A🐄🐄🐄🐑mile walk

    Dead stuff
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  • My family worry about me when I go out for a hike!

    Next time my family worry about me when I go out on one of my solitary hikes, I’ll remind them of this video. The nonchalance regarding the obvious dangers is truly bizarre. Watch until the end to see the majestic finale. Best watched full-screen, in HD and on a big screen.

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  • 13 miles!

    I extended my occasional 10-mile walk with an additional loop at roughly half-way, and what a delightful stretch it was. There were plenty of walkers out on a lovely spring-like day and I got chatting to a delightful man as he enjoyed his picnic. A retired headmaster, his walks were more like 3 miles and he seemed quite impressed with the length of my walk. Nice to have met you, David!

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  • Headley Heath



    On a lovely, sunny morning the yellow butterflies were out in force on Headley Heath, but too quick for me and my camera.

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  • My first Python code

    For a challenge I’ve tried to teach myself the Python programming language. It’s a big language with many features which I, as an ex-programmer from many decades ago, am unfamiliar with. But I’ve managed to write and test the code below, though I’m not sure I want to take this much further. I’ll see…..

    import csv
    from datetime import datetime
    from operator import attrgetter
    #======================================================
    # A re-creation of my Reminder program from several decades ago!! My first Python program!
    #
    # Version 0.1 04-Mar-2021 In the beginning
    # Version 0.2 07-Mar-2021 In the beginning 
    # Version 0.3 07-Mar-2021 I'm finally happy!
    #======================================================
    class Reminder:
        def __init__(self, myRec):
            self.Date = myRec[0]
            self.DateTimeConversion = datetime.strptime(myRec[0],"%d-%b-%Y")
            self.Message = myRec[1]
    #======================================================
    # Function GetReminderData to get the reminder data
    #
    #
    # Read each record in the file
    # Ignore any blank lines 
    # Add each record to the list myReminders
    #
    def GetReminderData(myFile,myReminders) :
        with open(myFile) as csv_file:
            csv_reader = csv.reader(csv_file, delimiter=',')
            line_count = 0
            for rec in csv_reader:
                if rec == []:
                    pass
                else:
                    line_count += 1
                    p = Reminder(rec)
                    myReminders.append(p)    
        csv_file.close()
    #====================================================
    # Function HowManyDaysDifference to get the number of days between today's date and a text date
    # This is my weird code - what a palaver!
    def HowManyDaysDifference(TextDate):
        today_object = datetime.now()
        mydate_in_datetime = datetime.strptime(TextDate,"%d-%b-%Y")
        tdiff = mydate_in_datetime - today_object
        diff_in_days = tdiff.days
        if diff_in_days >= 0:
            diff_in_days += 1
        else:
            tdiff = today_object - mydate_in_datetime
            diff_in_days = -tdiff.days
      
        return diff_in_days
    
    #==================================================
    # Function PrintList to nicely print the data
    def PrintList ():
        mySectionSeparator = "-" * 75
        tChange = True
        print ("\n" * 10 )
        print ("         Welcome to my Python Reminder program!")
        print (mySectionSeparator)
        
        for i in sorted(myReminders, key = attrgetter('DateTimeConversion')):
            nDays = HowManyDaysDifference(i.Date)
            if tChange and nDays > 0:
                tChange = False
                print (mySectionSeparator)
            if nDays == 0:
                t1 = "     Today    "
            elif nDays == -1:
                t1 = "   Yesterday  "
            elif nDays == 1:
                t1 = "    Tomorrow  "
            elif nDays < 0:
                t1 = '{:4d}'.format(-nDays) + " days since"
            else:
                t1 = '{:4d}'.format(nDays) + " days until"
            t2 = i.Date +t1
            print (t2,i.Message) 
        
        print (mySectionSeparator)
    #=================================================
    # This is the MAIN  program
    #
    myFile = 'C:/Users/Mike/Documents/Documents/MyPythonCode/Reminder.dat'
    
    myReminders = []
    
    GetReminderData(myFile, myReminders)
    
    PrintList()
    
    

    And the output is….

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  • Get Thy Bearings - Donovan

    This is rather nice.

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  • Berlin bookstores

    I’ve just started reading this second-hand, 1973 paperback  – a Christmas present from my son’s German girlfriend. Admire the book’s yellow pages – it’s 48 years-old! The enclosed bookmark says the book came from one of the many Berlin bookshops selling English books.

    Astonishingly, Berlin bookshops are considered ‘essential services’ during lockdown and allowed to stay open – we in the UK can only dream.

    Here’s a rather nice article detailing ‘The best English bookstores in Berlin‘.

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  • The sun shone for 20 seconds

    On a 10.4 mile walk taking just over 3 hours, the sun came out for a mere 20 seconds. Fortunately my camera was primed and ready to shoot.

    A grey day.

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  • A walk to Ewell

    Ewell postbox
    Ewell pond
    Cheam Art gallery
    New life out of old
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  • Not an artist

    What have I talked myself into? I casually suggested to my daughter that on a Zoom call I could do some painting with the little ones. So I invested in some gear, and here is my studio setup. My daughter suggested acrylic paints but I did find it all a bit fiddly squeezing bits out of tubes – oh for a paintbox! I think I’ve verified my opinion that I have no artistic skills as well as no shame, but early days, eh! If nothing comes of it I can pass on my materials to Chloe and Iris.

    First review from the little ones:

    “Iris said “wow!”…Chloe observed that you’d paid attention to that video you’d watched! And she wants to know where’s your next one!”

    See my progress here….

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