I'd always thought that foosty was from north of the border - but happy to share with pals from the North East....and NZ.
But back to Nightski's post.... I bet in a submarine, they are dead chuffed if no-one has foosty smelling feet!
Perhaps Nightski, you can copy our musings and get your cousin's opinion on this?

Evening All,

Like a couple of others here, I was beginning to take photographs and wanting to learn and began by clicking on anything that looked interesting. One link that came up was how to take really amazing pictures - may have been via Photo Extremis - Evan Sharboneau's trick photography site.
Somewhere, there was the mention of the Ugly Hedgehog and it caught my eye. My finger hovered over the mouse button, I know I shouldn't have, no-one forced me to and I already had plenty to do to keep out of mischief....

...Next thing I know, I'm reading this site every day. Learning from Nikonian72, MTShooter, Captain C and particularly as a beginner, from MWAC (come back) - to name just a few, whilst enjoying posts from all over the world from the likes of Erv, gregoryd45, Briace, Bemused Bystander, Danilo, fstop22 and St3v3M along with the ever present laughter that comes from Sarge69 - There are so many I could mention and although we don't actually know them, we all know their names - sometimes better than the people who live across our street. It's the shared experience and the links across continents of this on-line community that everyone enjoys, no matter how we originally got here.

As an example, last week I was parking my car in Edinburgh and found myself behind one of those new-ish, square looking cars (sorry I can't recall what it is called) but bizarrely, I do know, because he once mentioned it, that it is the same kind of car that jerryc41 drives - (silvery grey too). Now if we could harness the information, energy and knowledge available on this site and put it in a bottle, we'd all be rich.... or drunk.
Goodnight All.

Hi Sarge. For quite a while now all the regular readers on UHH must have been aware that you have had this Vietnam trip coming up. Many perhaps will have wondered a little about your time there as a younger man and after forty years what a heady mixture of nostalgia, raw emotion, maybe some sadnesses and hopefully a cascade of delights and fond memories await you. Some places may have changed but so, I'm sure, have you. What won't change is that all the (thousands of) people here on this scrap of cyberspace wish you all the very best on this journey of a lifetime because when it comes down to it, that is most probably what this journey of yours represents, literally. We'd all like to make our own personal journeys, whether across Scotland, the UK, Europe, Africa, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the USA and some folks are no doubt doing exactly this, in some form or another, as we speak. And I personally have been lucky enough to have had more than my fair share.
But for those who are not, we have you!
Get on out there and make every minute, no, every second count. Enjoy it. And we will look forward to enjoying your pictures - but especially your stories.
Best wishes and be safe.
Lindsay

All the best Nehall. Enjoy 2013.

Lindsay

Best wishes Jerry. Hope you're still enjoying your car!

Lindsay

Well Hello again everyone. Here we are, almost exactly 24 hours later. Christmas Day has nearly come and gone in Scotland. It was a lovely day, cool and clear with a gentle breeze and I spent it in the countryside way outside Edinburgh. Santa was kind to all - even me (you know what - I suspect he uses Amazon). And to cap it all, we've been marvellously well fed.

I'm lying in bed writing this having been on the phone to relatives in Australia and New Zealand this morning and friends in Los Angeles this evening. The ones in Orange County were telling me its looking like rain.
It is a very big world we inhabit but we have the ability to make it appear so small. Infact, we now seem to live in adjacent neighbourhoods. Canada is just around the corner. Ireland is just beyond my garden fence. The Dalmahoy Hotel is only about 2 miles away and I was there a couple of weeks ago. Sunny(?) Leith is, literally, just down the road - and I'm going there for lunch tomorrow on the Shore. While the US is just on the other side of the village pond...where, apparently, it could be raining.... Unless you're in Naples / Fort Myers, Florida, where I'm sure I never saw it rain - at least at this time of year.

Thank you so much, all of you, for taking the trouble to reply and agreeing with my sentiment.

It seems we're not alone at all, whatever part of the neighbourhood we live in.
And that is a great, warm feeling - isn't it?

Lindsay

Hi All,

Well it's the very early hours of Christmas Day here in Scotland. The Christmas tree lights are still twinkling and the presents are all gift wrapped and laid beneath the tree.
All is done. All is ready. I hope that there are some presents for me in there amongst the rest and I'm certainly looking forward to receiving them. But there is one particular gift that isn't actually physically there but which I know I look forward to almost daily with a strange degree of anticipation. And that is the daily gift of the UHH in my inbox. I've been a member since the early summer and it has become a very regular feature most days in life.

The Ugly Hedgehog provides a wide mixture of delight, entertainment, frustration, learning, almost personal tuition and a huge amount of detail and interest from right round the world and from many different cultures and beliefs.
We all read info and see images from regular - and not so regular - contributors. And strangely you begin to feel that you know just a tiny little bit about each other. We are not real Family but, somehow, we are - kind of. Does that make sense? I can't believe that I am the only one here to feel this sentiment.

So it is to You that this is addressed: the expert, the beginner, the interesting, the funny, the talented, the dogged, the teacher, the student, the arty, the techie, the regular contributor, the many silent "lurkers"....and to the Moderators of the site.
It is a real pleasure to me to be involved, even in such a small way, in your photographic lives. Thanks for the invite. I'm so glad I came.

Best wishes to you all this Christmas and Holiday season and throughout the next year.

Lindsay

Hi Bill and everyone, thanks for your funny comments and sensible suggestions. Took it out for a look and to make sure it all worked ok. It did, thankfully and it appears to be a good, solid piece of kit. Life at the moment is too busy however so I'm going to be patient and wait for Santa! All the more exciting.

In answer to your question, this model isn't TTL capable and is just me dipping my toe into flash - and I paid less than £50. It has two bigger brothers - the 565EX (c£102) and the new 568EX (c£125) both of which I believe are TTL.

Below I've pasted one of many good reviews on Amazon about the Yongnuo 560II from a much more experienced sounding photographer. By the way, it came from China in only 6 days.

"6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent additional flash unit 7 Oct 2012
By D. Chisholm
Amazon Verified Purchase
Ordered this unit to use as an additional remote flash, so it was never going to be attached to the camera.
As described, the unit is fully manual, so fitted my requirements. It works well when combined with the rf602 receiver/trigger combo - able to shoot up to 1/250 x/sync with no problems at all. This unit has S1 and S2 slave modes but probably won't utilise that function as I always use triggers.
Build quality - very good. It's about the same weight and size as the Canon 580exii. The flash head will also fit the StoFen diffuser for my 580exii.
The recycle time is very good - probably on a par with my 580exii. There is a connection for an additional power pack which helps speed up recycles.
The controls on the back are very easy to figure out - in fact haven't even looked at the instruction book yet.
The pullout wide diffuser panel and white reflector seem robust enough. It comes with a protective pouch and stand.

Buy this model of flash unit if you only require fully manual operation. There is no TTL, but there again you aren't paying for it. Its ideal for strobists or those who know how to use manual flash settings. At this price you could build up a great portable lighting kit.
If you are looking for a flash unit to use on-camera - then you are best looking to some of the other models from YongNuo that have TTL.

This is an excellent piece of kit for the price and in the right hands with the right knowledge you would be able to get some great results".

There you go. Best of luck.
Lindsay

Hi All,

My first flash, a lovely new Yongnuo YN 560 II Speedlite was delivered yesterday. Now, it is meant to be a Christmas present and will soon have to be wrapped up and put under the tree.... But, by chance, it was me who took the delivery and no-one else, as yet, knows.
Does this mean that I get to spend some of the weekend playing with my new toy..... or should I own up and hand it over?
Suggestions please...(but be quick...)

Oh yes!

Hi Sarge,
Its always a bit of a problem with UHH covering so many time zones around the world - its Saturday morning here in Scotland, so its the middle of the night wherever you are and almost Sunday in New Zealand so I thought I'd start a new thread to keep it current.
Been reading your posts for the last 9 months or so since discovering UHH and have particularly enjoyed them. Don't post much, just read, absorb and if possible learn. It's a funny thing about an on-line community such as this in that you begin to feel that you get to know a small slice of the personality behind the avatar and the comments, as many people here must be aware. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we'd all like to bump into you at a party - it would undoubtedly be a lot of fun.
Lived in Naples Fl, myself for a couple of years about twenty years ago and was regularly in Ft Myers. I am sure that you and your family are going to love your new life and we, at UHH, are all looking forward to enjoy your continuing stories.
Very best of wishes - and hope you're enjoying the drive/some sleep/breakfast/lunch/dinner...

Hi JR1.
Just catching up on a couple of days worth of postings and saw yours.
Although the focus of the UHH is clearly in the US, there seem to be lots of people from all over the UK and many other countries who follow the posts and even contribute. I see that you are new to the forum? I'm from Edinburgh and have only been registered for a couple of months on the site. But, inadvertantly, it is one of photography's best kept secrets... Enjoyable and interesting, as educational as you'd ever want and sometimes, very, very funny. It has lots of characters, whom I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know.
Lindsay

Hi there Pat, Delighted to hear that Edinburgh is one of your favourite places - it is mine too. Despite having travelled all over the world and having seen many fabulous sights, as Dorothy once said, there is no place like home. It helps having a nearly 1000 year old castle perched on an enormous pinnacle of rock right next to the main street. And the rest of Scotland is designed to look atmospheric in the mist..... Which is just as well. Lindsay

Hi Eric, Thanks for the Hello. Pics coming soon hopefully. Lindsay

Hi Alyn, Went past Blair Castle recently while heading up north. It's beautiful. At least that's the one near Blair Atholl in Perthshire. There is also a Blair Castle in south west Scotland which, interestingly, is up for sale just now if you'd like to get it..... A snip at about $12.5 million. If you get it, can I get an invite to the housewarming party.... See you there. Lindsay