18th September 2018
Wow, just like magic all the colours of Autumn arrive and there is no better time in a year than this for "One Man & His Camera" as the reliance upon the weather is crucial and if you miss the opportunity, you will regret the one that got away. Whilst I was driving through one of the many valley's in my part of the world,
I fell upon this poor guy who clearly was dead but it made me realise that cars all too often over accelerate in areas where perhaps they should recognise that not all nature is so good at predicting both speed and reaction of driver and as such, pay the ultimate penalty for what can fundamentally be avoided and prevented if we just reduce our speed a little and expect the unexpected. The problem with our great country is whilst we know these things are out there, we kind of expect them to stay off of the roads and in reality, that is our ignorance and not theirs. It truly upset me to see one of our British wild mammals so perfect but quite still and lifeless and and with no real explanation as to why. I have to assume it was hit by a vehicle and as such, I hope the end was instant and not prolonged suffering. For those who do not regonise this little fella, it is a
British Badger and one of our larger mammals that are really quite rare to see as they are normally a nocturnal animal which in it's simple form means they come out at night and despite the world becoming there play ground while we sleep, they are quite a sight to see and truly a rare event. So sad to see this little guy in such a state.
Autumn as most people who know me will confirm, is probably my favorite time due to the explosion of colour created by what science explains as sugars in the leaves and plant life reaching the end of their time and triggered by the shorter days and longer nights and combination of temperature change and this brings a whole new meaning to colour and beauty. The fruits that line the hedgerow and farms that are now gathering in the crops for winter is so amazing to see.
Here is a typical view of how the leaves are just starting to change colour in preparation for the next stage of life which is to drop the leaves and provide a carpet of colour all around. This picture was taken today at Cannon Hall and is an area I use often to take pictures in order to show this beautiful location to the world in the hope they too may enjoy the spectacle of nature at it's best. Anyone who knows myself (
Peter Hulbert) will tell you, I come alive at this time of year to snap as many opportunities as possible as they don't come around fast enough for me.
Here is a tree lined road that creates a totally natural archway through the beech trees and looks like the road to nowhere and with no return but what I can say is that at 4.30pm it can get quite busy with vehicles using it is as a short cut to the Manchester road in order to avoid the mainstream traffic but if you arrive at a time to avoid the rush hour and are lucky, you might just capture a moment like this as I do quite often. In the early evening, just as it is getting dark, it can appear quite different as the shadows from the trees can make you think you see faces on the trees and arms reaching out. Some might find it quite spooky but as I always say, it's only a tree and unless you believe in the
"Wizard Of Oz", trees won't hurt you. I am going to end this update with a few pictures for you to hopefully appreciate and enjoy from my time out today among-st nature at it's very best. Thank you for your support and appreciation.
This is known as a conker in Great Britain and has been involved in many a championship battle for the conker championship. In it's present state, it is still in it's outer shell or case and waiting to burst out. Below is one that has left it's shell and awaiting to start a whole new life of the tree to which it fell from.
24th September 2018
Here and to the right you will find what is a very typical sight of what the kids call conkers and Im sure they probably have a Latin name that I am not educated to ever say or use but to which I was brought up to call "Horse Chestnut" and comes from the horse chestnut tree. The colour of this nut or seed depending upon your view is stunning and a brightly polished brown and I assume the name chestnut brown comes from. They are not edible that I am aware of and as such I would not ever try eating one or for that matter anything from the forest unless you seek expert advice first but they are a true autumn product of nature and a wonderful and very typical colour of the season. In theory, they are the seed of the tree but are almost always refereed to as a nut. The outer shell is almost always green but can change colour as the year goes on and become brown but is so easily reconised by it's distinctive spiked outer shell or casing and as I was taught by my old junior school teacher, was a practical solution for nature to prevent squirrels and other animals from getting an easy meal and also had the extra use of the spikes to help to prevent it rolling too far away from where it landed by gripping the floor with it's spikes. Im not sure that both of those theories are 100% correct but I thought the world of my old nature teacher and will never question his wisdom, even today and after all of these years as he taught me so much.
Here and below is yet another great sign of autumn and the huge variety of fungi that almost always arrives on any old wood or rotting timber of any sort. Once again, although many varieties of fungus or fungi are edible, unless you seek expert advice first, please do not touch and especial do not eat any of them as some are very poisonous indeed and I cannot even give you a name for these as I am no expert, I am simply an admirer of nature who photographs and captures the moment to share with you all but when it comes to fungi, I always leave well alone as I know how it can affect many people in many varieties of ways. In truth, it provides an excellent service for nature as it breaks down products so quickly and returns it back to the land, ready to start over and I would ask that you admire it but don't damage or kill it as it does much more good than people give it credit for. It is one of natures finest compost creators and provides a start to life in a whole host of ways. For
Peter Hulbert and his world, it is an opportunity to capture the colours and share them only though the lens of his camera.
29th September 2018
Did you ever just step back and ask yourself what on earth is life all about and why did evolution decide that this was what I was destined to do. No......well maybe you should spare a thought about life and what it's all about before it's too late. I stopped thinking about my own life a long time ago but moved my focus to others like my daughter "B" & Partner "C" to which I devoted my life to and the thing I have learned out of doing this exercise is that our generation is selfish in so many ways. We wan't more than we need and life itself is so competitive but not naturally productive. We grab everything we can whether we want or need it or not but with little or no thought for someone else who may well need it. Our generation is leaving many problems for the next generation to which in truth we could put right now but don't. Our kids are almost programmed not to enjoy the freedom of fresh air and rarely if ever go into the park, they have become electronic kids and if they have no "Wifi" they are on meltdown for some reason. Why are all the fat kids in cars being taken to school when all the healthy and happy kids are together as friends walking to school. I point the finger at the mothers who need an excuse for a car but in truth, they are killing their kids in the end. The stop their creative ability to be social with their friends and instead are alone on the back seat of the car eating fast food and piling on the pounds in what mothers call
"Looking after them"......!! I am proud that when my daughter was at school, we were poor and had no car but she was so healthy and active.
I would ask you to consider my comments above and if you agree, stand out from the rest and set an example by putting away your electronic life and being sociable with the people you know and share this planet with. How many times do we see people in supermarkets with the phone glued to their ear and chatting total crap whilst they shop. How many times do we walk down the high street and see people heading toward us at full speed and texting and with no acknowledgement that we are ever there. What is the matter with these morons, get a life and look around you. We have a beautiful planet and we all share it's features and spaces but please don't be blind to the beauty it offers by sitting in the car, going to the takeaway or staring into a Lcd screen and hoping that life is in their, it most certainly is not. Life is all around you but you missed it with your single minded focus on social media of BS gossip web sites for morons and fat kids. "Rant over" for today and back to the world and life of
Peter Hulbert for those who care enough to read it.
3rd October 2018
Another day another dollar is the saying but in my case, it's another week and I'm not here to acknowledge how much I made, if anything at all. However, what I would say is why does everyone want to know what you are worth and why do they judge us by money. Some of the best people I have ever known in my life were broke but had more morals and ethics that people who had wealth and should know better. For myself
"Peter Hulbert" I try to avoid ever judging people by money but prefer to value who they are as a person.
So as my life has as many up's and downs as a "Blackpool Fair Ride", My week is just as expected and turmoil is the normal daily routine to which I always say to my friends and family, it's at least exciting and not boring but is it effective and is it beneficial, that's up for debate at this stage and I suppose the jury is out in regards to a real answer. However, judgement is not always judged by progress but how you feel at the end and in my case, I live my life always with a smile and as happy as I can ever be, which is more than many people I know as there in the slow lane of life and simply have no achievement targets and no ambitions and as such, I guess there happy in there stress free way but it would not do for me as I would feel brain dead. Today was quite a laid back day in many ways as I went to my favorite shopping center and managed to arrive just as they were opening a new bar and new place to enjoy some quality time and I was not to be disappointed as it truly was a very nice place to visit and I had a beer as expected but the place was so busy and alive with people and it was nice to see a success story on my door step. Below is a couple of pictures of this very nice place but as I always protect my privacy, I will keep the name secret for now and wait and see how I feel about sharing the name at a latter date.
5th October 2018
Gosh, I was beginning to think that Friday had been cancelled and replaced by a modified Monday or even worse a Tweaked Tuesday which would have meant that I simply missed Friday and had it all ahead of me or worse still behind me and can't remember any of it. So, what is the opinion of my new hide out above, it's a very modern bar and coffee shop to which I rate it so far very highly but it's all about personal choice and for me it was a great choice. It's very rare that I ever get to town now or even the
Meadowhall Shopping Center for some reason, I suppose it's all about reasons why and now so much who but still I prefer to keep away from these places unless I have no choice and instead I head for my fave which is
Fox Valley Shopping where I feel more relaxed and low profile.
Do you ever have those moments when you feel that nobody is listening and more to the point, they want you to do all the work but share all the reward. I spent a whole year keeping away from someone who repeatedly kept saying those magic words "Is their anything I can do to help" and to which I offered instruction, not for myself but for them to clear some negative posts on the web that if they carried out my advice, they would have seen drift away. However, despite the advice of what to do, they do nothing and simply want a large slice of a cake to which I offered a large piece but they wanted more. I have a rule and it's called "F_ckem" as they don't listen and show all the hallmarks of desperation in the line of fire. It's a sad fact that we are what we are and when left to our own devices, we will revert to our default settings and if that is stupid, so be it. I took a long look in the mirror a while ago and worked out that the only person whom I need in my business is looking back in the mirror, everyone else has to demonstrate value and to this day, they show me they are
poundland value and not
Harrods. I hate sounding so arrogant but I know I am so right. The sad pert in reality is that I am tired of wasting time on these idiots and truly wish I had someone of value at the table instead of people who lure me in with a sympathetic overtone and with the hidden agenda of give me something for nothing and give it me now. Sadly, life can be so lonely when you are in business and the only draw for anyone is a reflection of their feeble character which can only be described as shallow and if one removes the money from the equation, you would probably have nobody in your life except God.
27th October 2018
I'm going to start today's update by announcing that it is officially national rant day today in the world of
"Peter Hulbert" and my rant is about to start with a degree of passion and reasonable. insult. I will start by building the image in your mind and story to provide an insight to the issue and problem I encountered to create my rant. Some time ago, I damaged a bath panel and as such it needs to be replaced and as it was an unusual shaped bath, it was always going to be a problem. However, I went to
"Wicks" which is a DIY store in my City which is where the bath came from when purchased. After a very short conversation with a member of staff who gave all the signs of needing the
"Samaritans" he explained that they didn't stock the panels required but could only be ordered online and as such I went home and started searching. I eventually found what I required and placed an order, which was delivered a few days later. This as it happens turned out to be the wrong size and I subsequently returned it and the lady despite being ignorant and rude, did in fact offer a re-fund and suggested to re-order a new one online the right size, also saying if that was wrong to bring it back also. As such, I went ahead and re-ordered and this week it finally arrived and once again, it was wrong and this morning at the first opportunity I returned it and this is where I met the morons from outer space. I was spoken down to be a male who should have longer arms as he acted like an ape and his limited ability to communicate only extended to checking his mobile phone for answers. However, he said I will refund you for the panel and walked off before I got any refund. I needed some glue and saw blades so went to find them and hoped he might return but nope, not now and not ever. As such, I tried to catch the attention of a member of staff who simply chose to ignore me and her accomplish came in stead, she was like the neanderthal ape that lived. After going through the whole story again, she said "We don't give refunds" to which was a lie as I got one last Sunday for the same problem and the lady said order a new one and if that's also no good we will refund you.
"I hate liars"........especially lazy liars....!! However, I responded by saying "That's not a good encouragement for repeat business" and she turned to me and said
"Read My Mind" to which I responded by saying
"I have and it's hard work"........
How F_cking Rude Can This Woman Be..
She then spent the next 5 minuets not knowing what numbers to put into her till or how to refund or do almost anything whilst a very long cue of people built up behind and she cared not one f_ck about that. All I can say is if
Rude Ignorance Was A Fine Art, Wicks Would Be Picaso.... Rant over for today but only for today. I just want to leave it on a nice note though and say that in the skies for the next few weeks at dark you can see Uranus or if you go to Wicks you will see more than a few arsholes and all called staff.
I always feel that if it sounds like an elephant, smells like an elephant and looks like an elephant, it is most likely to be an elephant and after being treated like sh_t, I thought I would go and eat some sh_t from the pub and here it is for you all to enjoy that moment when my heart screams out and shouts "Attack" at the top of it's voice. The problem with sh_t food is it tastes so good when you are hungry and when your not it still plugs the gap between starvation and diet although in reality it does not cover diet too well. A burger, chips and onion rings hit the spot like a guided missile and the fall out was most satisfying in so many ways, all topped off with what I call the work-mans wine (Beer) and a couple of burps and coming down from the frustration caused by the Wicked Bitch Of The West I was soon back smiling and laughing at my morning of pure misery at the hands of customer service at Wicks and thinking "F_ckem"....!!
For those who were expecting a picture of my beer at this point in time, I don't wish to piss you off too as I have pissed off too many today and as such here is the one I had and if you send me your name I will toast you the next time I have one in honor of your memory and support for beer drinkers world wide. I will at this point draw attention to the name and branding of which suggests to me that it is Bavarian, German or similar but I confess that I have no idea of it's origins but know only where it is going and where it will stop on it's journey through both my kidney's and liver but like all good medicine, it cured the feeling of misery and hit the target of intention with such accuracy that would make any military personnel proud of that moment in time that they fired and hit the spot first time.
I am always banging on about places and my City often creeps into conversation and as such I thought I would share a little of it with you all today. Whilst I moan on about things, it truly is a Man thing to do that when in reality it is an exceptionally good city and as you can see with the image to the right, it is quite a picturesque place to take pictures. We are blessed by being on the edge of the Derbyshire dales and moors and having the luxury of being in God's Own Country at the same time and as such, perfection was always a place called home. Nobody ever said it was perfect but it truly comes close in so many ways and the diversity of culture that is so attracted by both of our Universities creates a wonderful platform for this mixture and diversity that comes from far and wide. The city has worked hard at it's image and recently due to the extensive work in cleaning up the area in order to develop and attract nature back to the city, a local environment officer was called to examine what must have been such a rewarding and satisfying result for the River Trust Authority when they found a salmon that had died and washed up on the river bank and this was such an exciting moment as it now confirms that the river is cleaning up at long last. We are not disappointed at hearing it had dies, as in reality, this is a sign that it has already mated as dying is the next stage after re-producing and shows that there is a realistic prospect that this animal has completed it's lifespan and ended on a good note with hope for the future.
