Old Fashioned Photos of Me

I have not been on Befunky for a while. I decide it is time to have a play around. I pick a photo of myself out of the ones on my computer and get to work.

This is the original photo. It was taken only a few days ago.

I take the photo and apply the option called Old Photo1. I think this looks good but  wonder what the other old photo effects would look like. I do some experimenting.

I tried Old Photo 5 on my photo, and this is how it turned out. It is very different from Old Photo 1. I am looking forward to trying the next effects.

Old Photo 12 looks really nice on this photo. I might use it as my profile picture. 

Old Photo 13, like Old Photo 5 makes the photo a bit blurred. I don't think I would ever use this as my profile picture, no way!

Old Photo 17 looks like a B&W picture. It looks crisp.

Old Photo 18 is a bit green. It makes me look sea sick! OH NO!!

Now I look a bit blue-green! I must be cold. I hope I don't get frost bite! Old Photo 19 is not for me. I think that I will stick with Old Photo 12. I think that one is my favourite. Which photograph do you like best?

The Day I Didn't Want to Run

"Come on, it is time to go out running," Gemma-Rose calls up to me, from the bottom bunk. I groan and roll over in my bed. Maybe if I pretend to be asleep she will go away. No such luck. Gemma-Rose knows I am awake.

I drag myself out of my nice warm bed and over to my chest of drawers to get my running clothes. I am secretly hoping that it will rain like yesterday and we won't be able to go out. Again no luck.

I pull my shoes on to my feet and do up the laces. I am trying not to think of my nice warm bed or my head which is aching.

I pick up my water bottle and head out the door with everyone else. Mum is smiling round at all of us, trying to make us feel better about getting up early to run.

"Shall we run on the main fire trail or shall we run laps of the shorter bush track?" Mum asks. Everyone votes to run on the shorter track. The main fire trail has lots of hills and is much harder work.

We run into the bush and I am in the lead, but I am tired and soon Imogen and Gemma-Rose, who are running together, overtake me.

After three laps I am thinking I would like to stop, but determination keeps me running.

Mum overtakes me, but I tell myself that will never do and I run faster, so that I don't fall too far behind. To my surprise I overtake Mum.

After five laps I think about having a drink break, but I don't stop. I keep running. I pretend I am on the treadmill and I can't stop for drink breaks. It keeps me going for a couple more laps.

At seven laps I start telling myself that I will stop when I get to eight. I am sure I am going to stop once that lap is finished.

But when I finish my eighth lap, I decide to run one more. I am so tired that any walker could overtake me, but I make myself keep running with the thought of breakfast.

As I run out of the trees and over to the bench, where we leave our water bottles, I see everyone else has finished running. Mum is standing at the finish line with her iPod. I wonder what she is doing. It looks like she is filming me or taking photos. I pick up the speed in case she is filming.

I run past Mum and around the trees faster than I thought would be possible. I start to sprint and race the last bit back to the finish where the other girls are waiting. I smile to myself as I pick up my water bottle.

It turns out that everyone had stopped at eight laps, and only I went for the ninth. I am glad I made the extra effort to run the last lap.

We walk off home together. I am still puffing and panting, but happy. I am glad I came, even if I had a head ache and was tired. If I had stayed in bed I would not have been able to beat everyone and make that record. I would not have run 5.4 km!

My Piano Lesson

I am excited, Mum has arranged for me to have piano lessons. For the past few years Imogen has been teaching me. She is a good teacher, but being taught by your sister is not the same as having a professional  teacher.

Imogen, Charlotte and I troop up to the front door. I am ready to impress my new teacher. Our teacher opens the door smiling. She is a kind woman and she says that I can have the first lesson.

I am a bit nervous. Will I be good enough? Have I practised enough? All these thoughts run through my head as I enter the music room.

I have only ever played on an upright piano, but my teacher has a grand one. I wonder what it will be like to play on one.

The teacher asks me what scales I can play and soon I am enjoying myself, showing my teacher what I have learnt and what I am learning.

She patiently listens to what I play and fixes up the mistakes. She starts to make things more fun and exciting than I ever thought possible and I listen all ears and try to do as she says.

All too soon my lesson is over. It is Charlotte's turn to be taught. I start picking up my books and folder. My teacher picks up a chocolate and hands it to me. I cannot believe it, nor can Imogen and Charlotte. In all the years that they had been having piano lessons, they never got chocolates. I feel very happy and special.

Piano is more fun than work now. I can't wait for my next lesson.