Here’s my next instalment of journal entries. This month I got the result for my latest group project, enjoyed a lot of Queen’s music, bought various comedy DVDs, and watched the Queen Mother’s funeral on TV, among other things. so I hope you enjoy!
Continue reading “Journal – April 2002”Journal – January-March 2002
Welcome to my first ever set of personal journal entries. This is the first time I’ve started keeping a diary, and the first time I’ve written anything about my life online. I just thought I would start these during my first year at university to see how it goes. I’ve edited entries where necessary to protect the privacy of myself and others, remove out of context references, etc. But I’ll be adding relevant links, photos and videos where possible too.
For those who are curious, I am using assistive technology at university, funded with help from the Disabled Students Allowance, as I use magnification and speech software, a CCTV video magnifier, and a scanner with OCR software so I can import typed notes and pages from books. I don’t often use speech generally, but it’s essential when you have a ton of stuff to read! I’m also living at home, as I’m close enough to commute by train, which saves a huge amount on accommodation costs.
But anyway, let’s get on with the journal, which I hope you find of some curious interest and a bit of fun!
Continue reading “Journal – January-March 2002”Video Journal – Guernsey – July 2001
This is a quick post to share a bit of footage I recorded during a trip to the beautiful island of Guernsey, a place I’ve visited quite a few times because I have an old school friend who lives there. The videos are on my travel playlist as well. They’re not audio described, but if you are able to see them then I hope you enjoy them.
The first video shows some of the beautiful scenery in Guernsey and the nearby island of Sark, while the other shows us taking a walk around an interesting sculpture park. Both videos replace the original soundtrack with music, as I didn’t want to feature my friend or his family without their consent, and there isn’t much of interest to hear anyway to be honest, it’s the visuals that count.
These are the last videos I shot using my old S-VHS camcorder, which I’d also used for holidays in America and London. Fortunately I was able to use an adaptor to watch the tapes in a regular VCR. Which in turn meant that when I got a dual VHS & DVD recorder some years later, I was able to copy those videos on to DVD, and from there I was able to create digital copies.
So I’m very glad I’ve been able to keep all of these videos, as they’re wonderful souvenirs. And I hope you like them too!
Video Journal – London & France – August 2000
When I was young my family and I used to visit London a few times a year to spend time with our relatives, during Easter, summer and Christmas. So naturally we would often go out to see the sights. And once I’d bought a camcorder for my America trip, it was only natural to take it with me to London to get some footage of the city, along with a few other locations that we visited on day trips.
So in this post I’m going to share some of those clips from 2000, which are also in my travel playlist. They’re not audio described, but if you are able to see them then I hope you enjoy them!
Continue reading “Video Journal – London & France – August 2000”
Video Journal – America – May 2000
In May 2000 I was lucky enough to be part of a school exchange trip to the USA. Students from the Kentucky School For The Blind had previously visited our school for the visually impaired in Exeter (today known as the InFocus charity), and then later we had the opportunity to visit them in return. I bought an S-VHS camcorder especially for the occasion, and ended up recording a lot of footage. It’s not professionally shot or in high definition of course, but I’m pleased I captured so much.
So here I want to share some of that footage. It’s the first holiday video I ever made, and to date it’s still my favourite, as it’s the only time I’ve ever visited the United States so far. The videos are all in my travel playlist as well. They’re not audio described, but if you are able to see them then I hope you enjoy them!
School Journal – Snowdonia Trip – May 1998
This diary was written when I was 14 years old, by the teachers who took us on a field trip to Snowdonia in North Wales. We had a fabulous time, and it would be lovely to go back one day. I’ve been able to scan it into my computer and convert it to text using OCR, and have also included a few photos I took as well. So I hope you enjoy!
Continue reading “School Journal – Snowdonia Trip – May 1998”