My Nokia N95: Off for Repair!

Alrighty There People!

Well, no posts at the moment because my N95 is off to have the screen repaired - hopefully.

To be quite honest, I'm quite narked. Not so long back, the zoom/volume control on my N95 stopped working. I was absolutely gutted about this, but contacted Nokia. They told me not to worry, the phone had a 24 month warranty. Fantastic!

I just had to take it to my local Nokia Care Centre (local being a 40 minute drive away).

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the phone had to stay in over the weekend because they didn't have time to fix it. I picked it up, it was fixed, woohoo.

But then - not so woohoo. The screen started intermittently going off. Not totally off, I could make out that there was something on screen, but not exactly what. This happened when sliding the screen either up or down. I also realised that something underneath was catching, but I wasn't sure what it was. I put up with it, until last weekend, the screen stopped working totally.

Now, the phone hasn't been dropped, it's kept in a leather case, and I take good care of it. And this problem started when I got it back from the Nokia Care Centre.

So I wrote to them again, and they asked me to send it in, as I refused to take it back to my 'local' Nokia Care Centre.

The phone went back yesterday, so now I'm using a Nokia 6600. It's like a trip down memory lane!

I'll keep you posted with what' happening.

I may even post the email of complaint I sent to Nokia...

Rubik's Cube

Here's a picture that I took whilst bored at work one day - it's a Rubik's cube!

I love this picture - now I need to find out how to solve it!

Ice on the Window

Yesterday was freezing-literally. I left the house, got to the car, and it was covered with thick ice.

So before I got out the de-icer, I whipped out the Nokia N95, and snapped this pic.

Incidentally, I had to de-ice it TWICE before I actually drove off. Great.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Volume Control

I was waiting to pick my wife up from work one day, and messing around, as usual, with the Nokia N95.

I set the camera to Macro mode, and snapped this shot of the volume control of my Renault Kangoo van. It's no longer used, thanks to my after-market sound system, but I think the photo's pretty cool...

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Eye and The Thames

This is the last night mode image from my London trip: it's a view of The London Eye from across the Thames. It's lit up, the building next to it - I'm not sure what it is - is lit up too, and the atmosphere was brilliant.

That was a great weekend!

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Keys

Whilst we were in London, we stayed in a guesthouse.

These were the entrance keys, lying on the dresser.

I took this picture in Macro mode.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The London Eye

Following on from my pictures at night series, I present to you: The London Eye.

This is a snap I took after riding the eye, and I wanted to capture it in it's immense glory.

Mission Accomplished.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Trafalgar Square Looking Amazing!

Here's another London night shot, and I think I'm going to say that this is my favourite night shot that I've managed so far, because it looks gorgeous.

It's Trafalgar Square, it's pouring with rain, it's dark, but this fountain is lit with funky lights, and there's a statue in the background of a man on a horse. What's not to like?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

London Eye at Night

Here's another night shot: it was just after I'd taken the Big Ben shot (see previous post), and I really wanted to take a photo of the London Eye at night. It was chucking it down with rain, but I managed to get this shot.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Big Ben at Night

I took this picture in the pouring rain, around 7pm on a Friday night in London (obviously!). I set the Nokia N95 to Night Mode, and I think it came out really well-I love the lens flare from the clock and the street lamps.

Incidentally, it's been recommended that I use the Cloudy settings at night too-something I'll try on my next night shot.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The London Eye

My wife and I had just ridden The London Eye. Yes, we had paid the (exorbitant) fee of £17.50 each - yes - each! - and enjoyed magnificent panoramic views of London from above.

But let's not forget that this impressive piece of engineering is an art form of it's own.

Standing majestically on the Thames, towering above the tiny (in comparison) Big Ben, overlooking the river and the tourist sites of this nation's capital.

It's no wonder,then, that I felt inspired, and no doubt obligated, to slowly draw out the Nokia N95 and capture this wonderful image for your enjoyment.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

HMS Belfast on the Thames

So as you know, I was in London at the weekend, and on the last day there I walked along the Thames to get to Tower Bridge.

Anyway, little did I know that moored up along that stretch of water is HMS Belfast, biggest vessel in the Navy, built in the 1930s.

It was far too huge to get into one shot, so you'll have to make do with this, a shot of the front-is it the bow or the stern-I don't know, I'm not nautically minded.

What I did know was that it was going to make a fantastic image.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Shadow of the Eye

This is a picture of the shadow of the London Eye.

I'm only uploading it for a photo competition, but comments are welcome!

Tower Bridge, London

I was in London at the weekend-and I'm going to post a few pictures that I took there-but I thought I'd start with this one. It's of Tower Bridge.

Now, I initially wanted an amazing pic of the bridge, in all it's glory, which I was going to take from London Bridge. But. When I got to London Bridge and looked across, there was a massive cover over the left half of the bridge, where repairs were being carried out. My dream pic was ruined. So instead, I walked along the Thames for a bit, until I actually came to the bridge, and decided to snap this pic instead.

I think it's great, the architecture on the bridge is awesome.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Bus at Beamish

Yesterday I was at Beamish Open Air Museum-a museum that looks at life years ago, when coal mining was the industry and such.

I was there as event staff for an event, so I didnt manage to take half as many pictures as I would've liked to, but I did manage this snap.

It's the tour bus that takes visitors around the museum. It was moving, I was moving, so I apologise about the quality, but I had to post it.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Swine Flu Merchandise!

I know that this is totally unrelated to the Nokia N95, or photography, but I thought that these Swine Flu T Shirts were absolutely fantastic, and most definitely worth a post! Check them out:

http://swineflu.spreadshirt.co.uk

Beads of Water

It was a very, very damp morning here in Sunderland today. I was well wrapped up, but the cold and damp still penetrated and had me coughing like a miner with the black lung.

Anyway, I spotted this gorgeous plant, whose name I have no idea of, and it was bespeckled with beads of water from the dampness. What course of action did I have, but to take out the Nokia N95 and snap this wonderful sight.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Pear Drops

So I've got this jar of sweets in my kitchen-I don't really like Pear Drops, I think they're gross-but my wife loves them. I was looking at them this morning, and I just thought that the traditional looking sweet jar, combined with the colours, made it look like an awesome pic opportunity. So guess what I did? That's right, whipped out the trusty old Nokia N95,and snapped it.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Remains...

Okay, so maybe a bit gross, but I'm stuck in the house with Swine Flu, so haven't been able to get out this week.

So last night I had a meal which included sausages... And I fried them in this pan. Time came to wash the pan, and all the grease was solidified. Yuk. Add a bit of green washing up liquid, whip out the trusty N95, and there you have today, image!

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

My Entry to the National Trust Photo Competition

Alrighty There!

So this is a snap that I took at Gibside House and Gardens, a National Trust property in Tyne and Wear. It's my wife, looking, as she always does, at maps - despite the fact that there is a massive information board behind her!

So anyway, here's the snap that I took on the trusty old Nokia N95, and this is the link for you to vote for the image so that I can win win win!

http://myphoto.nationaltrust.org.uk/entries/show/5234

(And yes, I know that I have given it the incorrect title and caption, but there's no way to change that now!)

Thanks, and comments, as always, much appreciated!

ATTACK!

I know, I know. I got too close. But it was a fantastic opportunity, and it looked so placid. Guess I was wrong.

I knew I needed to get out of there when it started hissing, and then it opened it's beak. Did you know that those things have teeth? Small, hacksaw like teeth.

This picture may be slightly blurry, because I was making my getaway as I snapped it.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

More Pit Wheel Pics

Do you remember that I posted pics of the pit wheel at the memorial garden for miners last week? Well, here are three more. I was back there yesterday, and I took these. Actually, this is the other wheel in the garden, but I thought it was worthy of three snaps.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Reclusive Swan

I was at Herrington Country Park again this afternoon, in Sunderland. The weather was absolutely fantastic, and we'd been for chips at the chippie. So there we were, on our picnic blanket, eating chips and watching people feed the ducks. All of a sudden, I notice a swan hiding behind a massive rock. So I creep over to it, Nokia N95 in hand, and stealthily take these shots.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Top Hats-My Speciality

Alrighty There! Here is an image of some tasty treats that I made tonight. They're called Top Hats-melted milk chocolate with a gorgeous marshmallow on top!

The reason? Tomorrow we're taking part in MacMillan's Big Coffee Morning, and we're hoping to raise money for the cause, especially as we've just lost a colleague to cancer. So I'm selling these treats to raise that little bit more.

But I just had to snap a picture of them before they all got eaten!

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Blue Fountain, Seaham Hall

Today I was at a conference at Seaham Hall and Serenity Spa. It's a very posh place, with elegantly styled rooms and posh names for humble food. So grand is it, in fact, that Westlife stayed there when playing at the Metroradio Arena in Newcastle. But I digress...

Set in a roundabout that is the driveway is the fountain that you see above. The water has got to be dyed, it's not naturally that colour. But the effect of the water overflowing from the container, with the cyclone-like column, was fantastic. I'm not sure how it's done, but it looks great.

So yes, I felt like a bit of a plank as I stood there and casually took out my N95, but I had to take this shot. For my progeny.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

There Once Was An Ugly Duckling...

Okay, so I guess you need to know the nursery rhyme to get the title... But anyway, this is a picture of a cygnet. It's quite a large one, so I think that transformation to swan is imminent.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Fire

So I was in the garden the other day, and I decided to burn some stuff-you know, garden waste, junk mail, that kind of thing.

I hauled out the little cast iron burner, chucked in the goods, some white spirits for good taste, and whooooom, ignition. Burnt the hairs off of my hand too...

So there we have a nice little fire burning, so I decide to whip out the N95 for some photographic action... Here are the results.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Pit Wheel

Friday night I took a bike ride around Herrington Country Park, Sunderland-it's a fab place that I'd never been to, with cycle tracks, ponds, play areas, monuments and great views.

As I was riding around, I came across the Miners' Memorial Garden, and a monument there was a massive pit wheel, presumably from the Herrington coal mine.

Taking out my trusty Nokia N95, I took this picture.

What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Beach at Whitburn

I was out walking with friends last night on the beach of Whitburn, Sunderland. It was around 6pm, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the views from the cliff top were stunning.

I just had to get out the Nokia N95 and take this picture of the sea coming in, it was awesome.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Convertible Piaggio

I spotted this in Pisa, Italy, when I was there in July this year. There were lots of these Piaggio's around, most of them with faded paint and either a flatbed to the rear, or a small panelled area. None were as cool as this-a convertible Piaggio, with cream leather seats and stunning blue paintwork. I wanted to take it home. What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Arches

This is another shot from Fountains Abbey. It was taken inside the ruins of the Abbey, looking up at the arches. I think it looks pretty creepy, and would certainly not want to be there on a night. What about you?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Petrifying Well

This is a picture of The Petrifying Well at Old Mother Shipton's Cave. Apparently, anything that was a source of water back in the day was called a well, so even though this is pretty much a waterfall... It's called a well... Okaaaaaaay....

Anyway, the water is so rich in lime or something that if you hang something up there, as you can see in the picture, within three months it is 'petrified', or turned to stone. But really it's just coverered in slime...

Oh, and you see the two lumps sticking out halfway up? Well, those are hats that belonged to a man and woman, and were put there 150 years ago! Woohoo!

I love this picture because the colours in the dripping lime are brilliant.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Ye Olde Park Bench

As I was walking along by the river the other day, I came across this park bench. It really stood out to me as different from the usual three-plank benches that we see nowadays.

The green paint, the sweeping curves, the gentle setting-it all made for a fantastic picture opportunity that I couldn't pass up on. So out came the Nokia N95, and this is the result.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Knaresborough and Nidd

On Sunday, whilst visiting Old Mother Shipton's Cave at Knaresborough, I managed to snap this image on the Nokia N95.

I was in front of Knaresborough Castle at the time, and the view across the river Nidd towards the viaduct was simply amazing.

I like this shot because it takes so much in-greenery, people, river, boats, cafes, houses-it's fab.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire

On Saturday, I went down to Fountains Abbey, a National Trust site in Yorkshire.

It was a sunny day, there were lots of people around, and it was great. This is just one of the many pictures that I took there-it's a view of the Abbey. It was so colossal and majestic, I would highly recommend it.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Old Mill, Fountains Abbey

On Saturday I went to Fountains Abbey, a fantastic National Trust property. Featuring an Abbey in ruins, a wonderful water gardens, a water mill and a river, to say it was picturesque would be an understatement. Needless to say, there will be a few pictures from this site on this blog in the next few days.

This particular image is of the old mill, used by monks to produce grain. It also shows the outer wall, and the house just over from the river. The site was full of interesting objects-I hope you like the picture as much as I liked being there.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Plasma Gun Flower

I don't know why, but when I look at this image, it makes me think of a plasma gun disguised as a flower. Okay, maybe I watch too much TV, but it's just got that look...

More info: It's an unidentified plant (perhaps you can help?) that I saw in the garden at Wallington House, a National Trust property. I think it looks absolutely awesome, it's colours are great and the way it's half open, half closed really caught my eye.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The River Nidd at Knaresborough

Let me tell you, first of all, about this great app for the N95 called Panoman. It uses the camera to take a series of pictures-going, for example, from left to right-then stitch them together to make a panoramic shot. It's with that fantastic app that I've taken this picture.

So we're in Knaresborough visiting Old Mother Shipton's cave. It's okay, but not fantastic. The scenery, river and views round about, however, are amazing. After strolling along the river for a while, we came to a waterside cafe, where I had a most delicious chocolate milkshake, and my wife had a jam and cream scone that was so nice that the local wasps wanted to get in on the action...

It was from this vantage point, at a crease in the River Nidd, that I took the above shot. Now, I haven't yet been able to get onto the PC to check out the resolution and image quality, but from the screen of the Nokia N95 it's looking good... We've got the river, boats, trees and more. What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Oh, and one more thing... I've got something VERY EXCITING to say... So check back tomorrow for that!

The Walled Garden

First of all, I must apologise for my last post. The image quality was awful, but I only realised that once I saw the image at full resolution. Hopefully, this one will be better...

This is the walled garden at Wallington House. It was fantastic, and I'll be adding some of the flowers that I took photos of later.

This was a scene that I managed to snap from on top of the wall,overlooking the garden. I thought that the colours were beautiful, and the arrangement of the garden was fantastic.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

The Gnarled Bark

I took this picture at Wallington House, near Morpeth, Northumberland, on Wednesday.

Wallington House is a National Trust property, and the house is really nice. But the grounds are nicer...

This image was snapped on the way to the walled garden. It hasn't come out as well as I wanted it to-but I must admit, I was in a hurry, and didn't really take any time in getting the shot ready. I just whipped out the old Nokia N95, snapped, and left. Reminds me of that joke about the panda... Anyway...

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Alnwick Garden Tree House

So you all know by now that I went to Alnwick Garden on Monday. One of the big attractions there is the tree house.

Now, this isn't a tree house in the conventional sense. It's huge. By huge, I mean MASSIVE. It's got it's own restaurant, that's how big it is.

There are swing bridges to get from one area to another. If you think of the Ewok village in Star Wars, you're getting there.

So it was only right that I capture this image. It in no way does justice to the sheer scale and awesomeness of it, but I think you'll get the idea...

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Planet Flower

This gorgeous flower was in the grounds of Alnwick Castle. I don't know what it is, so if anyone can identify it, I would be much obliged.

I was amazed at the spherical spikes, and it reminded me of those jazzy 3D wallpapers that you can download. I think I may have found my new background image...

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Erupting Water

Here's another shot that I took at Alnwick Gardens when there on Monday. There are quite a few water features within the grounds, apart from the main water displays.

This one I found just off the main walkway. It was a constant jet of water and I thought it looked fab.

As I took out the Nokia N95, I wondered how best to capture the image. I decided that sports mode should allow the most detail, so that's what the resulting image is. I hope you like it!

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

95 and Still Smiling!

I just thought I'd share with you this picture of my 95 year old grandmother-in-law. She was born in 1914 and has seen lots of changes in her lifetime!

She doesn't like having her picture taken, so I had to slyly angle the Nokia N95 to get this fab shot, at a coffee shop in Alnwick Gardens on Monday. Of course, I did show her it afterwards, and she was quite impressed. What do you think?

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Statue in the Garden

This is another shot from the Alnwick Garden trip that I took on Monday. This was just before we entered the Rose Garden. I'm not sure of the meaning of the statue, or whether it's something new or slightly antiquated, but I thought it looked really cool.

Notice the detail on the second image of the monkey!

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Leafy Walkway

I was at Alnwick Gardens on Monday-what a fantastic place. The water fountains, the maze, the Poison Garden-with Home Office approved Cannabis-and this, a simple corridor with ivy growing all over it.

I took loads of snaps on the Nokia N95 at Alnwick, so I'll be uploading them here asap.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.

Wearmouth Bridge

I took this picture a couple of months back, when we had some blisteringly hot weather. We'd taken our bikes from the National Glass Centre all the way to the Stadium of Light, and were heading back.

I thought that this view was fantastic, so out came the Nokia N95 and this image was snapped.

Comments, as always, much appreciated.