An Age of Magic

Capturing those memories

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I wonder how many people these days actually keep a photo album. My parents kept several, my grandparents tended to just store their photo’s in a box and their parents, well, if you could afford to buy a camera then you were really lucky. This is going back to the early part of the twentieth century you know. Would you believe that I have several very good quality photographs of my great great grandparents? and these were taken in the late nineteenth century! They were looked after and cared for, you see.  These days I am wondering what to do with some of them, one or two in particular, as they are one-off originals and to lose them to the ravages of time would be an absolute tragedy.

I have seen first hand what happens when you place photographs inside those sticky-back (adhesive) paged photo albums; they deteriorate in time, just a few years in fact. I have lost some very precious photo’s of my kids due to having done this because the glue used in those photo albums destroys the photograph. Fortunately though the process of restoring and enhancing photographic images has not only become more advanced in recent years, but more diverse and far more creative. The simplest photo’s can become works of art nowadays, as long as you are very careful as to who you employ to do the job.

I have had several digital photo enlargements done in the last few years and all of them reproduced onto stretched canvas. Basically I like a photograph to retain it’s ‘natural’ look, especially when that photo is an image of people, namely my children. Of course, there are many different ‘finishes’ that a good professional studio can offer you nowadays but you really must consider the type of image you are having reproduced and how it should be presented.

If you love to take photo’s of for example, sunsets and waterfalls, I would highly recommend going for the ‘lusion’ option. This process will give your image the added depth you never thought possible. Any light you have managed to capture, or colours, will be brilliantly enhanced and what a great showpiece it would be in your home! And hey, lets face it, not ALL of us are expert photographers! We might take a great photo but sometimes that photo could benefit from some really expert and professional assistance.

Photo’s are our favourite way of preserving the past…let’s preserve them and treasure the memories.

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Being prepared

One thing that we all need to be ready for are the situations in life that can be, in an instant, life changing.  Learning CPR, for example, is something all parents need to do. But it would not hurt for the rest of us in the community to learn the basic skills associated with a medical emergency.

The most common medical crisis these days is a cardiac arrest and the immediate forerunner to this is an Irregular Heartbeat.  Such a thing can happen to almost anybody and when you least expect it.  The more you are informed about such a situation the better you will be prepared if you are ever caught up in such.

If you know someone who suffers from an Irregular Heartbeat then please get educated, be aware and, more importantly, be prepared. 

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A great Xmas buy for stargazers

If you have a kid that loves to star gaze then there really is only one decent thing you can buy them for Xmas this year…if you haven’t done so already. A good astronomy telescope.  A good telescope will give them a window on the universe that they never knew existed…it will also get them out of your hair for a certain amount of time each evening.

Whilst a good strong pair of binoculars will usually enable them to view the moon, in clear conditions, nothing can beat a good telescope. It will enable them to see further than they ever imagined plus they have the added bonus of the inclusion of software that enables them to record and download onto their computer what they view.

I would say that astronomy is a wonderful interest to encourage; there are millions of people around the world that share this interest and plenty of legitimate websites and associations that they can join to further their knowledge and interest in this past time.  What a wonderful introduction to science you could give them on Xmas Day!.

Popularity: 23% [?]