Horus's video blog

[Horus]

Saying as I am always telling you all about my walks with little Annie, I thought that I would make a time shortened video of one of our favourite walks. It is about 3 miles long and is a circular walk bringing us back to our starting point, along the way we pass through open fields, along canals, and through woods and fields with crops growing. Sorry that the quality is not very good as it was taken using my small pocket camera, but it will give you some idea of where we go on our rambles. Even as a shortened version it would be a bit long, so I have only made Part 1 to about the halfway point, but if youenjoy watching it I will make the rest of the walk as Part 2.

Speakers on for the soundtrack

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[Kiya]

Lovely video & for you to have fond memories at certain places.

Annie must be very good not hearing a single bark from her ........or did you dubbed it out.

Also like your choice in music .

Look forward to second part

[Horus]

Thanks Kiya, I did dub out a lot of superfluous noise from the camera (and me gasping for breath ) but not from Annie, she is quite good usually and only barks if she is on her lead and meets other dogs (it's a Terrier thing ) off the lead she is fairly quiet, however at home she will bark at the slightest sound outside, which is good.

[Grandad]

Lovely video H, and do post part 2. You certainly have some long walks near you. Seeing Annie in the streams is just like Millie, definitely a terrier thing.

Looks pretty good quality to me for your small Nikon but how do you keep the camera steady, you got a steady cam?

PS. Horus, I have AVS video editor and I know it will do all that stuff that you included like the transitions, titles etc but I have not yet sussed it out. Must get round to that because you do a very professional job.
One question that may be common to whatever editor you use. If I cut out sections of a vid to shorten it each piece then becomes a separate element. If I want to adda soundtrack it only plays in the first segment and does not continue into the second, third, etc. Is there a way to 'merge' the elements so that the sound will run through the whole vid without interuption?

[Horus]

Not being familiar with the one you use Grandad, but usually what happens is that you have some sort of 'timeline' with all your little clips of video in it and with each bit of video you will have a piece of the sound file underneath each clip. So if your shot originally was you reciting "Mary had a little lamb" and you chopped a piece out of the middle, the audio would play something like "Mary little lamb" does that make sense to you? So basically that audio track is useless, (well mainly it is) so most of these video editors allow you to add in another 'audio' track somewhere below the ' video timeline' such as a music track, or to even record another spoken track over the original clips as they play. I hope I am making sense to you but without knowing your particular program myself it is difficult to explain, but basically that is how it usually works.

As to using a steady cam, no such luck, I have over the years perfected using my arm like a gyroscopic gimbal as I walk and it seems to come naturally now.

[Grandad]

I think that is it H. I did not think to add another track but I know that can be done. Thanks for the tip.

[Horus]

Also remember Grandad, that if you add another continuous audio file beneath your 'timeline' of shorter clips, that you can usually chop and edit the added audio file also. This can help you to fit the new track length into your finished video, but be careful that it does not also 'clip' the video portion at the same time as the audio track, you often have to isolate the 'timeline' to stop this from happening.

[Jayway]

This is lovely, the country is so green, I would have cursed you for spreading thistle seeds , I have to stamp on them here and often get pricked, ouch! Did you say nothing at all to Annie? I do see who the boss is and who the gate opener is . . Is your Indian corn our maize, just for animals? Ours is over and the beans are long forgotten . . hope part two has Annie getting her feet cleaned and do you go home in the car?

[Horus]

@ Jay, so many questions
The thistles would have spread without my help Jay, I just like hitting them with my stick
I do talk to Annie as we are walking, but she responds well to a quick whistle if I want her attention. To control her closely I keep commands to a minimum such as "stay" and "come here" or "other way" if she is going in the wrong direction, best not to confuse a terrier they have a job as it is just doing as they are told. I do of course talk to her as we are walking such as "hang on Annie, your dad can't climb over stiles as quick as you go underneath them" but you don't want to be listening to that on a video so I edit it out.

The Indian Corn/Maize is for animal feed although like the broad beans in the field I have tried eating them, the beans are OK, but the Corn is horrible
Later in the year (maybe next month) they will bring in machines that chop the whole crop up into small pieces, cobs, stalks and leaves and spray it back into storage vehicle alongside the machine.

We do go home in the car as it is a bit too far to walk to that church, Annie does usually get her feet and tummy dried off with a big towel before getting in, although I do have a special washable waterproof seat cover as she insists on sitting in the front with me and yes she does have a little doggy harness and seat belt

[Horus]

If you want to see Part 2 of my Walk with Annie, here it is:

Speakers on

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[LovelyLadyLux]

Ohhh no no no no - The walk can't END without going INTO the church to SEE it! AND you didn't walk through the most interesting part too - the graveyard!

Lovely walk H although I didn't envy you the high thistles. Little Annie definitely seem to know the route - how many times you figure you've done this walk for Annie to be so confident? And the farmers don't mind? The paths seem pretty worn so am assuming they're getting used by a few to walk through the fields. Ever get dairy cows or ?

You also noted at one point that the farmer was leaving a boundary for the wildlife. What kind of wildlife would frequent the boundary?

And if Annie is poking her nose in badger holes don't you worry that if it is home it might pick a fight with her?

Annie's paddle was almost a full body dunk!

[Grandad]

Very professional Horus, I really liked it

I have never bothered with video always preferring stills but you have encouraged me to explore my video editor and find how to use all its functions.

I am still amazed how you manage to hold that little camera so steady, even climbing over all those styles. As Annie is the focus of your film with no people can I suggest that the commentary could have been written in the first person as if she was telling the tale. just a thought but as I watched it I read the captions as if Annie was saying them

Great stuff H and other people now have the benefit of seeing the result of all your editing efforts. Well done. You have certainly set the bench mark

[Horus]

The walk can't END without going INTO the church to SEE it! AND you didn't walk through the most interesting part too - the graveyard!

Actually I have done some of the churchyard in another video I have taken, but not yet finished
I cannot film inside because unfortunately it is locked during non service times, to deter thieves I suppose

Little Annie definitely seem to know the route - how many times you figure you've done this walk for Annie to be so confident?

Lots of times, but we can vary or make combinations of the various paths and lanes, last week for example we probably did around 20 miles on these paths.

And the farmers don't mind? The paths seem pretty worn so am assuming they're getting used by a few to walk through the fields.

In this country LLL we have what is known as 'A right to roam' and this resulted in a network of historical and permitted footpaths that can be found all over the country. A farmer may plough or plant a field, but if a footpath crosses their land you are free to use it, even if that entails walking through the crops, they also have a legal duty to install and maintain the stiles. It is difficult here to enforce the law of trespass because it is a civil offence, so providing you leave when requested to do so by the land owner you have committed no offence. We have a very strong tradition of maintaining 'rights of way' in the UK and most are sign posted as may be seen from the posts or gates in my video that have a small yellow plaque on them to indicate a paths direction.

Ever get dairy cows or ?

Yes, where it is pasture land the farmer may legally keep cows in the field, they may even keep a bull in there too
It is then up to the walker to act accordingly, for example there are usually signs to say "keep dogs on leads". However that to me is bad advice, while it may stop a dog from worrying sheep or cattle it is IMO a dangerous thing to do. Cattle will often charge at a dog, so if its on a lead then you will likely get trampled in the charge, best that the dog can escape and run off should that happen, of course an off the leash dog should be one that is obedient and not rampaging around the cattle. I tend to avoid any field that has cattle in it, unless I can quickly cut across away from where they are grazing.

What kind of wildlife would frequent the boundary?

All sorts, you would be surprised, especially insects and birds that thrive in the un-cultivated grassy areas, mono culture crops treated with fertilisers and pesticides are no good for nature, especially our wildflowers which thrive in these 'set aside' areas. Also a hedgerow or wide field boudary can form a safe highway for other mammal such as foxes, rabbits, badgers etc. to get from one place to another, great swathes of open fields are not conducive to wildlife.

And if Annie is poking her nose in badger holes don't you worry that if it is home it might pick a fight with her?

I do not actually let her poke about near the Badger sets (and in this country it is illegal to interfere with a badger set) she just sniffs the air. In any event it is very unlikely that we would encounter a badger during the day as they are nocturnal and the 'sets' are usually quite deep.

Annie's paddle was almost a full body dunk!

Yes she does tend to plunge straight in she has on occasion gone under and had to swim for real, that usually dampens her enthusiasm

[Horus]

Thanks Grandad, when I did this video I only intended to show you all on here the places and countryside where I took Annie for a walk. I never really intended it to be anything in particular other than to show you the places I talk about in my posts and where some of my pictures are taken. As I put the clips together I had to shorten them considerably or it would have run for well over an hour and no one would want to watch that When I ran it through it was obvious that it needed some sort of explanation as to where we were and what you were seeing, so I added the text narrative. One of the biggest problems with taking any video is incidental noise from your clothing or the wind and even your own breathing can sound like gasping at times so often have to be deleted. To avoid this you would need a seperate microphone to pick up the sound properly and long periods of silence are also no use either so I decided to add a bit of music to make it more watchable, so there you have it, I never intended to produce a proffessional video, rather just give you all an insight to our walks.

You comment on me always keeping the camera steady, well all the bits of me stumbling over the stiles, getting stung by nettles, falling over in the mud and gasping for breath after climbing that steep bank were all cut out.

[Kiya]

A lovely video with you & little Annie I wish we had walks like that up here........well I suppose there is but, you have to drive to them first.

I was beginning to hear your breathing after the two mile mark......tell me do you & Annie have a nap after that long walk ? am sure I would.

And the thistle's I don't think I've seen them so tall up here

[Horus]

I was beginning to hear your breathing after the two mile mark......tell me do you & Annie have a nap after that long walk ? am sure I would.

That's not surprising Kiya but to be serious, the camera will pick up your breathing very easily as it is near to your face and I was a bit chesty at the time. As to the nap, well Annie certainly has plenty of those usually on her return it is stuff her face into her drinks and biscuit bowls then have a lie down in the conservatory.
Me? I usually fall asleep after my dinner.

[Horus]

This is another two part video of Annie and myself taking a stroll along a section of the Trent & Mersey canal. In this stretch the water in the canal has to be lowered from its height at the Harecastle Tunnel in North Staffordshire to the lower level of the Cheshire Plain. To do this a series of locks were built within a seven mile section, some were very close together, it was hard work opening and closing the locks, so this section aquired the name of 'Heartbreak Hill' by the people who worked the canals. Today it is the setting for liesure boats to navigate this canal just for pleasure, it is also very scenic especially in the Summer months and like all canals it has a lot of history attatched to it.

Here is part one, speakers on hope you enjoy it

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[LovelyLadyLux]

Terrific video Horus. Very touching tribute to your lovely wife too. Seems the two of you must of spent lots of very special time in a very special place.

Definitely Annie and Rolly are two peas in a pod. Isn't it amazing that terriers just fly to the "alert" with tails a wagging?

"Thomas" looked pretty interesting too. Am curious - Gas motor? or electric?

[Horus]

Thanks LLL, yes I was only thinking this morning that we knew each other for 50 years and were married for 45 of those years, so yes we had many special times together.

Yes Terriers are incredibly alert and rarely miss anything, Annie will also chase away any pigeon that dares to land in a tree or on a fence nearby, but the tail goes into instant 'wag' mode as soon as she sees someone. My daughter and I laugh at her various wag modes, it starts off as a normal side to side wag, then changes to an up and down wag as the excitement increases, finally it rotates like a propeller as it becomes uncontrollable, especially if it is my son in law visiting.

The barges are usually fitted with diesel engines as they are more ecconomical to run, some still have the original ones although many have been fitted with a modern version, they make a distinctive sound as the 'chug' along. Some smaller ones mainly used as day hire boats are fitted with electric motors, but these are not practical for more than a days use as the batteries would need recharging. Many will have full central heating as well and everything is designed to run off the diesel engine or its fuel supply, but some still retain a working 'stove pot' for heating that takes coal, coke or wood.

[Kiya]

Fantastic video, really enjoyed it & you brought me to tears at the bench, thank the heavens we have memories & special places

Great engineering those locks/canals I was about to ask how long is it between each lock but, I think you answered at end of video .