Sunday update - Vlogs

I like blogging. It's a way for me to keep a record of the things I do and the things I think about. I also like v-logging but I really don't find it very easy to do. I'm a big fan of v-logs and watch several channels on YouTube run by everyday folk. They are interesting and it's possible to learn so much from them. The problem I have is that I'm not really any good at expressing myself on a video as I am here in text. I like making videos, particularly about my meagre efforts at self-sufficiency and of course my model railway hobby. I just don't like to see or hear myself in them. I suppose I'm a bit of a perfectionist. If I'm reading from a cue then that's fine, I'm quite comfortable with that, but freestyle and I'm all over the place. I suppose practice could possibly make perfect but I'm too impatient for that. I have tried reading from a cue - it works provided you like your videos very documentary-style. The thing about the videos I have seen posted on YouTube is the ease in which they've been made and the rapport between the 'presenter' and the camera. Maybe I should just practice some more...
Another important factor in all this is that the v-logs I watch are made by people who live alone. They also have very few distractions around them. Maybe that's where I'm 'going wrong'. I have family around me - my wife and son. We have a dog too but she doesn't get in the way at all and is probably used by now to hearing me talking to myself...
A channel on YouTube I'm enjoying a lot is 'rickvanman'. There are hundreds of videos on a range of interesting topics and they are made by a guy who some years ago decided to ditch his humdrum factory job for the life he now enjoys. It's well worth a look. It did take me a while to understand what this guy was all about but I think I now understand him and appreciate his videos all the more for it.
I'd really like to start looking seriously at expanding my self-sufficiency project and seeing if it's possible to grow some other vegetables. Cucumbers certainly interest me as do onions so I may look into starting these relatively soon.

My tomato plants have really shot up in the last week. There are new shoots, leaves and firmer looking stalks. A couple of the plants have also begun to flower which I'm really pleased about. There's an area of the garden I've been told by my wife I may be able to dig over for planting. Ideally I would really like to construct a large frame which I could then cover with plastic. We'll see. The ground will be challenge enough and a lot will depend on the quality of the soil.

V-log progress, good food & getting old

I'm making progress finally with my v-log. I've been having no end of problems with MS Movie Maker which seems to have a mind of its own. The constant crashing and freezing drove me mad so I just had to find something more stable and reliable. I eventually found it - Serif MoviePlus X5 - it really is superb with every special effect imaginable. It took a while to master but I've got the hang of the basics and I've nearly completed my first v-log. In fact it should be ready for uploading to YouTube tomorrow evening. There are two items in the v-log, my tomato plants and a small piece about my generator - both on the subject of self-sufficiency. I'm hoping it will be of interest to someone.

Probably the food retailer's best kept secret has to be Farmfoods. I began shopping there a few months ago more out of curiosity than anything else. The stores are basic but the quality and range of food is excellent. Prices are good too and £10 can really go a long way. So that's my recommendation to anyone looking to save money but not compromise on quality. Advertisement over.

There may be some good news regarding my lost money. I'd read recently that most purchases made using a credit card are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Until recently this did not extend to debit cards but now it does. As my parents funded my training, they made an appointment with their bank and I understand it all went very well. We have some forms to fill in and I need to send copies of the various letters we have sent including stuff from the solicitor and the court. If they do refund the initial fee (£1,140) that'll be great. I will send details of the solicitor fees we had to pay (a further £1,000) in the hope taht they may look kindly on this also. Well, it's worth a try...

It's supposed to be getting hot apparently. Well not here yet. I'm by the Wash and it's been cloudy all day. OK it's been humid but nowhere near the sizzling temperatures predicted. Tomorrow is supposed to be properly hot... Call me boring but I hate it, especially that stifling heat you simply can't escape. The only thing I enjoy about hot weather is the inevitable storm that follows. I believe there are storms forecast for Tuesday.

I'm more sure than ever that I'm 'getting old'. I used to be able to do many things at the same time and listen to several things going on around me. Now though I just can't seem to cope with more than one thing. Quite often, my son will be having a grizzle about something in one ear and the TV news or something similar is going in the other. I find more and more that my head just cannot cope with it. I actually feel it overloading. OMG, I am becoming so much like my father. I make strange noises when I get up and down, I moan about the cost of everyday things, I don't like too much noise and my son's running about the lounge after dinner gives me indigestion. I'm 38 for goodness sake!

I want to go to Lowestoft tomorrow. There's a vintage bus rally down there organised by the East Anglia Transport Museum. But we can't go... I've been told by my wife that we can't afford it. The truth is the event is actually free but the petrol we certainly can't afford. It seems that days out and trips in the car are things of luxury. It's so sad that we now can't afford to travel, to see friends and family or to take a trip to somewhere different. It seems we're not alone, I heard on the radio that more and more people are cutting back on trips in the car. So sad...

I shot some footage today of the model railway I'm building. I've taken many photos but never taken any video. I'm quite pleased with the raw footage and after a bit of editing, I'm sure I can make it into short video for YouTube. I have a channel on YouTube, 'MattLincs' where I upload everything to. Wow, I am becoming creative...

Australia calling...

I like YouTube. It brings us things from around the world that we wouldn't normally see. Sounds and pictures are brought to us in seconds from all reaches of the globe - some in stunning high definition - if you have the bandwidth.
I was browsing YouTube the other day, not looking for anything in particular, when I stumbled across some uploads from a guy living in remote Western Australia. He has uploaded a set of v-logs - a kind of video blog - which provide a fascinating insight into his rural life and interests. Living in a remote part of the country, he doesn't have access to mainstream broadband (as he describes in one of the v-logs), therefore his uploads are quite sporadic with long periods in between. Nevertheless, I do find them uniquely interesting and I have already learnt so much simply from watching them. Something I didn't know previously was how to find out how much gas is left in a gas bottle. Apparently, if you pour boiling water over it, the part that remains wet and doesn't condense is where there is remaining gas, therefore giving an indication of the gas level.
I'm sure he won't be everyone's cup of tea but he's certainly worth a look. He can be found by searching 'glen1040' in YouTube.