One thing etc

It started with me wanting to link several photos to produce a panoramic view, so I bought new software - Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. I had already jazzed up the Lions web site with a redesign, but then I embedded one of the videos produced by international headquarters. It struck me that a video of our own club activities would be a better idea and I started making noises about club members with video cameras. Then I wondered if I could use still pictures to produce a slide show, and I discovered some free software that I downloaded. It wasn't until after I had done so that I realised Photoshop Elements could be used to make a slide show. Great! But what about a soundtrack? So I downloaded some more free software (Wavepad Sound Editor) which seems to be just the job for editing background music which can then be added to the slide show as a sound track. But some of the slides will need a spoken commentary, so today I bought a new toy - a microphone. It works; I know because I have found time to test it, but I still have to work out how to get the volume just what I want and how far it should be from my mouth to avoid the sort of splutter one gets when it is too close. And what else? Oh yes, I remembered that Paint Shop Pro can be used to make animated gifs, which can then be saved as video, so I tried my hand at one for the first time for, ooh, at least ten years. I think it's quite fun. Click here to see it.

But I really don't have the time for any more tomfoolery. I have a case to pack and a car to load as we are off tomorrow, through the tunnel and away from all the fuss about MPs' expenses. I know our lot are pretty bad, but the cynic in me (or is that the realist?) says that the same thing happens in other countries - and a lot worse in some. Not that that makes it OK here, but let's get these things in perspective.