UK weather improves

Having been back in England for seven weeks we seem to be getting some proper summer weather now. Initially it was very wintery despite having delayed my return from Oz by six weeks to try to miss the English extended winter of dull, cold and wet.
Anyway we now have some decent sunshine and the opportunity to watch cricket, and some sporting events on tv such as the Tour de France.

I decided to sell my Samsung WB850F compact camera as I was no longer using it. Having paid over 300 GBP for it, I thought that I would put it up for auction on Ebay. The starting price was £5 and at the end of the seven day period it reached £115 having received a good number of bids.
There was no reaction from the winning bidder for a day, then I got an email saying that they had made a mistake and were pulling out of the deal. I was surprised that Ebay allowed this but they do. With 24 hours since the winning bid, I found that other bidders had already made other arrangements and so I was going have to keep my camera.
I needed to reclaim my Ebay selling commission but Ebay will not let you open a case for two days. Then they will not let you conclude the case for a further four days even though it was quite clear that the sale was gone.
You would have thought that I could leave negative feedback for the bidder that won the auction and then reneged on the deal, but no, Ebay apply no penalty to the bidder and I cannot leave any feedback.
So what do we all learn from this :-
1) Selling on Ebay is risky as the winning bidder can pull out of the sale with no penalty or negative feedback.
2) Opening a case within Ebay is a slow and unhelpful process.

It is hard to feel anything other than that of being taken for a sucker by Ebay.

I'll be using Gumtree in future. No fees or commission with them.

Last week I went to spend a couple of days in Weymouth with a friend from college and my early days as an EMI apprentice. The weather was mixed, but I enjoyed the trip. I noticed a town called Affpuddle while en-route. I am not sure that I would want that name as part of my address.

Now to enjoy the next few sunny days.

Peewit

Thumbs up Panasonic TZ30, thumbs down Samsung WB850F

It has been a pleasure over the last couple of months to be able to go out and about with a camera that you know will just work when you want it to. I am talking about my new Panasonic TZ30 that is my ideal compact, travel zoom. I no longer have to plan to take a photo, knowing that with the now redundant Samsung WB850F that it would probably not start or would take out of focus photographs. During my year of using the WB850F it went back to the repairers three times and became so frustrating that I had to replace it.
So here are a few unplanned grab shots taken while visiting areas around Sydney.

Spotted overhead when I walked around Iron Cove. Iron Cove is also the place where a lot of people go for a run or cycle, being a flat path around the bay.

 

Tied up at the Overseas Passenger Terminal

 

Rabbits in Curraghbeena Park. Using zoom from my apartment window.

 

About to dismantle the mirror at the MCA.

 

Farm Cove

 

Crane at Garden Island

 

Manly ferries in Autumn sunshine.

 

Middle Head panorama.

 

Local favourite.

 

Sitting in the sun at Circular Quay.

 

The bus at North Head.

 

Fishing at Bradleys Head.

 

'Two up' on Anzac Day.

 

Cruise liners leave Port Jackson.

 

Looking towards Long Reef.

 

Steam at Sydney Central station.

 

Footplate controls.

 

Double banked for trip to Moss Vale.

 

Sails in the sunset.

 

Manly ferry.

 

You have been warned.

 

Sunbathing.

 

Footbridge.

 

Parsley Bay.

 

Vaucluse House.

 

Foggy morning.

 

The local ferry from my window.

 

At the Quarantine Station.

 

Many passengers from England came to journey's end here.

 

Strange.

 

Globes.

 

Observatory view.

 

Oh well, I have enjoyed this trip to NSW. Back to the UK next week and a british Summer I hope.
However, at the moment it is still a deal warmer in Sydney than it is in Surrey.

Peewit

More Lumix pics

Having retired my less than one year old Samsung WB850F camera as just too unreliable, I went out on a couple trips just armed with my new Panasonic TZ30. Here are some of the photos that I took.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm pleased with the camera so far. Peewit