Month: April 2025

Another hot day – 30 April 2025

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I didn’t think it could be hotter than yesterday, but it proved me wrong.

I phoned Alex in the morning and apologised because I couldn’t make time for a photo-walk. Just one of those awkward weeks when neither of us were available at the same time.

It really was another day for not doing very much. Scamp was off at midday for coffee with Annette. I stayed home and read for a while in the garden. I’m nearing the end of Tainted Cup, Hazy.

I was hardly out of the garden all day. I hadn’t slept well last night, because it was so hot and I had hoped to grab a little shuteye in bed with the windows open, but that just didn’t happen. Anyway, it was very comfortable sitting in the garden watching the world go by.

When Scamp came home she decided to walk down to the shops to get dinner which turned out to be a stir fry, a rather spicy one. We both agreed it had too much ginger.

Watched the first “Glow Up” of the year. The usual format with some humans and some wanna be’s. A bit disappointing.

PoD was taken in the garden, of course. It was a purple aquilegia. Quite a delicate looking one.

I think we may be dancing tomorrow if it cools down a bit.

A day for sitting in the sun – 29 April 2025

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I did go for a walk today, but didn’t find any damselflies. There wasn’t really all that much to see, but it was good to be out in the sun.

Later in the afternoon I walked down to the shops to get some peas for Chicken & Pea Traybake for dinner. I also brought back a box of ice lollies, just for fun. Scamp and I had nothing much to do, so we sat in the front garden and enjoyed the sunshine and the lollies!

PoD was a dandelion with half its parachutes blown away. Spreading the seeds for next year’s flowers.

Got a strange message from Adobe, telling me I had some illegal software on my iMac. I can’t see how that could be, since I have a subscription. Must investigate.

No plans for tomorrow, although Scamp has a lunch date with Annette.

Gettin’ New Glessies

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Off to Larky to get my eyes tested. Just a normal routine eye check.

I was a wee bit apprehensive about having my eyes checked after being told the during my last test that I was borderline for being able to drive. However, that was before Mr Sharma gave me the two magic bottles and instructed me with “This Bottle ONCE a day. This Other Bottle TWICE a day … This Bottle ONCE a day. This Other …”
Y’see Mr S, I did remember it. Your repetition method worked for me!

I needn’t have worried though, it was Euan doing the testing and I trusted him. As it turned out he hadn’t met Mr S, face to face, only corresponding through emails. Lucky man.

Long story short, I did need glasses, actually two pairs of glasses, one for reading and one pair for distance. At Scamp’s insistence, I ordered scratch resistant lenses! They should be ready tomorrow, or by Wednesday at the latest.

I couldn’t see well enough to drive after the eye dilation drops Euan had used and although it wasn’t really bright sun outside, I was glad I’d remembered to pack a pair of sunglasses. Because of the drops, Scamp had to drive us to Brookside garden centre on the outskirts of Larky. Just outside the wall if you know what that means! A flat white of decent coffee and a roll ’n’ link sausage for me, a latte and a roll ’n’ scrambled egg for Scamp. Now that we were fed and watered, we went for a walk round the plants and magically we walked out of the shop with a big box full of roses and other flowers. How that happened, I do not know.

I felt happy enough with my eyes, so I drove back home Scamp got busy planting all the new stuff we’d bought and I put my boots on and walked over to St Mo’s. I managed to get a Large Red damselfly. My first this year and unusually early in the season. It was earmarked for PoD, but was beaten to the line by a wee Amber Snail. Tiny thing. It was crawling down a blade of the now sprouting Flag Iris plants that abound behind St Mo’s school. The iris leaves are an almost luminous green in the spring.

It’s Monday and that means Pasta. Today’s pasta was Carbonara, and it was a good one. Plenty of taste from chopped up bacon and lots of Parmesan in the sauce.

Scamp’s smart watch is proving to be less intelligent than its name and has been playing up for a while. Now it seems that Google who now own the license are closing down the FitBit side of things completely, so she’s looking for a new watch. I’ve made suggestions, but she really wants to see what she’s buying, which makes perfect sense. We may go looking later in the week.

No plans for tomorrow.

Your own bed – 27 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

There’s nothing like it.

This was a day for catching up. I feel I’ve been harnessed to this keyboard since I woke up yesterday. Organising, copying and pasting. There must be an easier way to do this, but I can’t find it tonight.

The furthest I went today was a walk around St Mo’s, once the rain had e stopped, and the only photos I got that were worth posting were of a wee black fly sitting on a branch of gorse. I think it was the pretty yellow flowers that drew me to it. Anyway, that was PoD

Dinner tonight was a slice of salmon each, pan fried with a few peas, carrots and potatoes. (No tomatoes, Scamp!).

A bit Thank You to Scamp for planning the previous week’s holiday and for coaxing me into it. (I didn’t really need very much coaxing!)

Tomorrow I’m booked to see the Optician in Larky. Oh what fun!

It Rained! – 26 April 2025

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The last day of the holiday and it rained.

We amended yesterday’s plan and drove down through Glencoe to the Green Welly at Tyndrum. Stopped there for a late breakfast / early lunch in the restaurant. Scamp had a Roll ’n’ Scrambled Eggs and I had a Roll ’n’ Sausage – Lorne sausage to be precise. Both were rated excellent. Mine was thick and cooked medium rare, just the way I make it myself. Obviously a classically trained chef, like myself. Then it was back in the car and on into the rain again.

I remember a teacher at school telling us how he always drove through Glencoe with the Speed Limiter set to just below the legal limit because near the ski lift there are so many places for polis cars to hide. With that in mind I did the same today and found it’s much better than having Cruise Control. I’ve never liked the SL, but today it worked for me. I think CC works for motorways, but SL is better for normal roads.

After driving at a maximum speed of 50mph, when we reached the M9 motorway it felt illegal to be travelling at 70mph! It was a drag of a run down from the Green Welly. Not a lot you can do but keep in the tyre tracks of the car in front. At least Glencoe has an interesting backdrop.

Today there was the Devil o’ the Highlands Footrace, a challenging 42-mile trail ultramarathon along the West Highland Way in Scotland, from Tyndrum to Fort William. The race features a scenic route with 6,500 feet of ascent, mostly on trail. At least that’s what it says on the Running Life blurb. I don’t have a clue what all that means. Scamp watched them running their races while I tried to keep the Wee Blue Car on the black and between the white lines.

PoD was a last look over the Caledonian canal to the Nevis Range. Hopefully we’ll be back again, some day.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The number of bends from Crianlarich to Callander.
  • How slow it is to to drive at 20mph through Callander.
  • How scenic Scotland is when there’s nowhere to stop and take a photo.
  • How miserable it is to drive in drizzle
  • How good a roll ’n’ sausage or a roll ‘n’ egg is when you’ve had nothing since yesterday.
  • How great the feeling is to come home to a warm house.

 

The start of the long drive home – 25 April 2025

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A great week of weather and family had almost come to an end. Jaki had brought Grian to say bye-bye before we left. One last wave from the end of the drive and we were off. Heading south on a cooler day than the last ones, but probably better for that. Scamp filmed the hoards at Store and I tried to avoid most of the potholes. You can never avoid them all, but if you miss the majority, you’re doing well.

PoD was a photo of Ben Nevis from Neptune’s Staircase.

Things I’ll remember from today:

  • Feeling that summer was over when the clouds rolled in.
  • Filling the tank at Portree almost to overflowing.
  • The drive over the Skye Bridge, feeling like we were flying.
  • Climbing up the hill after Cluanie with no cars in front of us.
  • Going out for a walk up Neptune’s Ladder with Scamp before dinner.
  • Disappointment with the Chicken Tikka Masala served to us by what might have been an Indian family.
  • Wishing I’d had Scamp’s Fish ’n’ Chips!

Tomorrow we are intending to have breakfast in Morrisons, do some shopping in Fort William and driving home.

 

Is this summer? – 24 April 2025

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It certainly feels like it. Long may it continue, but the weather fairies say the weekend may be wet. We’ll see, they’ve been wrong before.

Today we decided on a less stressful morning. I quite fancied driving a couple miles north to Loch Langaig. It’s more like a lochan, than a loch. It sits high above the road and collects water from the surrounding hills then passes it through some gentle falls down to the sea. It’s position muffles the noise of passing traffic with only the sound of the burn breaking the silence

When we got there, today, a girl was erecting a bell tent beside the loch. Then she started carrying seats, tables, a cake tin and a bottle of champagne. I wandered off to look for possible photo opportunities round the other side of the loch. While I was away, the girl told Scamp that she was building a picnic for a couple who had been married today at daybreak on Quiraing. She asked Scamp if she was “ ‘One of the ‘Easterhouse Girls’ ” I could imagine Scamp’s hackles rising and her replying “Provanhall, if you don’t mind!!” However, Scamp kept her cool and Alex, the girl, explained that she knew Jackie.

While I was off scouting out potential photos two French (?) blokes appeared one with a camera taking the same photo you see here, the PoD. I won that game, because I had already taken the shot and I had a bigger camera. They wandered off round the loch and started climbing up to the rock face at the top.

Then the wedding party arrived. Man in a suit and lady in a floaty white dress followed by a photographer who beat both the French bloke and me, because he was toting about four cameras on various slings over his shoulders. Some folk just like to show off.

At that point, we headed back to the house because we were going to Hungry Gull for lunch; Scamp, Jackie, Murd, Jaki, Mairi and me. Star attraction though, was Grian the smiling boy. Food was great and the draft Spidermonkey IPA I had was lovely, and so was the Kombucha drink Scamp had.

With lunch over we went back to sit in the sun in the little sunspot at the house. Soaking up every last minute of a busy, but also relaxing day. While we were there, I say the first two swallows this year! I’d already heard the first cuckoo earlier in the week.

Tomorrow we’re homeward bound.

Going to the big city – 23 April 2025

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Today we drove to Portree. The big city.

The potholes seemed to be worse on this side of the road and the traffic was almost as bad as yesterday. The road surface coming in to Portree from the north was even worse than on the way up.

Portree itself was absolutely mobbed. People everywhere.We parked in one of the few parking places up near the nursery, then we walked into the town. We couldn’t see any of the shops we remembered. No butchers, no clothes shops, not sure if there was a bakers, but plenty of shops selling cheap tourist tat for not cheap tourist prices. We walked round the town twice before agreeing we would just head back to Staffin.

Scamp filmed some of the queues outside Storr, but the worst place was where a herd of Highland Cattle were being photographed by numpties who had just parked their cars in the road to record this spectacle. I counted half a dozen cars abandoned on both sides of the road so eejits could take photos. We drove home shaking our heads.

We drove back to the house via The Slip. It used to be a great place to walk and take photos. Many’s the time I went fishing for mackerel or lythe there from the rocks. That was before the fish farm arrived and collapsed. That same fish farm’s collapse also led to work stopping on half a dozen industrial unit next to the slip. Now it seems that dozers and cranes haul materials from one part of the site to another … before hauling it back again, giving the impression that work is being done. Another wasted opportunity.

Our mood changed when we visited Grian and his mum in their house. Thankfully Jackie was driving. You just couldn’t help but smile at this wee boy. Even I got a smile from him!

Back at the house I took some photos of the sheep and lambs on the croft as well as Murd’s old tractor.

Tomorrow we may be going out to lunch.

Over the Sea – 22 April 2025

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After breakfast we said goodbye to our B&B host and also to Fort William for a while and we pointed the blue car north for a couple of hours. We had agreed to stop at Eilean Donan for a comfort stop. For the first time in ages, we had to pay to park at the castle also known as the Biscuit Tin, because it is on more biscuit tin lids than any other. I think the charge was to help pay for the massive car park that had sprung up in the last couple of years.

  • Lots of decent patient drivers.
  • Lots more crazy drivers driving at 30mph on the A82.
  • Coffee at Broadford when we were on Skye.
  • Saw a bloke sitting on a seat at the back of his truck in Broadford.
  • Looked like a home made job.
  • On the lookout for potholes all the way to Staffin.
  • Got caught on two potholes just before we would have turn off.
  • Drove down to the slip and went for a walk.
  • Busy place now. New buildings where the old slip used to be.

Ham, Cabbage and Potatoes for dinner. Hoping for a lazy day tomorrow.

Driving to Fort William – 21 April 2025

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On Thursday, Scamp suggested a few days in Skye might clear up my problems with photography. Did I want to drive or take the bus? I jumped at the chance to drive to Skye – in two stages. First day would be from Cumbersheugh to Fort William. Second day would be Fort William to Staffin.

  • Weather was drizzling rain for most of the way.
  • Stopped at The Green Welly for a comfort break.
  • Saw a train of old carriages pulled by equally old double header diesel engines.
  • That stop also gave us a chance to get the give the sat nav the coordinates for the B&B
  • Sat nav got the wrong road, but Scamp remembered where we should be going.
  • The B&B was the same, but the owners had changed.
  • Went to The Lochy for dinner. Fish ’n’ Chips and Scampi ’n’ Chips.

Hoping to head for Staffin tomorrow morning.