Month: July 2026

Bleeding – 10 July 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Well, not exactly bleeding, but being bled by the vampires of Central Health Centre. All in a good cause I’m told.

Scamp was meeting Isobel for coffee and a blether and once my bloods had been drawn, I joined them for a blether and a coffee too. Isobel was showing off a few ancient photos of her family, one of which was quite familiar to Scamp and me. It was a photo of a large family group at a wedding many years ago and I think it was a scan I’d made of that same original and then I’d used Lightroom or Photoshop to add colour to it. The clue that it wasn’t my original was the lines that crossed the print. I’d never leave them if I was printing copies.

Despite the heat today, Scamp wanted to work in the garden. It was mainly weeding and I wanted nothing to do with it. Instead, I put on shorts and a shirt and walked over to St Mo’s to grab some photos, because it was lovely and warm. In addition to grabbing some photos, something grabbed me on the leg. It was a dirty big Cleg, also known as a Horsefly. I didn’t hesitate to give it a big slap, flattening it onto my leg. I don’t think it will be biting anyone again. It had managed to bite me and the swelling was there for everyone to see.

The Soldier Beetles were out in force. They don’t bite humans, but they do mate on flowers everywhere. A couple made PoD.

We sat in the garden later and watched the wee fountain in the back garden spurting water at random. After that it was time to go back to the house for dinner which was a Pizza Express pizza. Too sweet and not worth getting again if you ask me.

Tomorrow we’re due to go dancing at Brookfield.

 

Two go dancing – 9 July 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Today we drove to Glenburn for an hour or two’s dancing.

This was our first Tea Dance in about six weeks and we were rusty. Thankfully most other people were too or we may not have survived the comments. As it happened, we acquitted ourselves quite well. Not amazingly well, just enough.

I think we talked more than danced today, but most people were talking more than dancing. That’s what happens when you miss out on your dancing and struggle to remember what comes next in the sequence. At least, I felt that today. Of course, Scamp hardly put a foot wrong all afternoon.

We danced a few sequence dances and a few ballroom dances. No waltzes and certainly no quicksteps. We stayed for the entire class because the schools are on holiday for a month and the traffic is a lot lighter than usual, as a result. If nothing else, today was a good way of catching up with faces we knew.

I grabbed a few shots in the afternoon, mainly from the Schoolgirl rose in the front garden. It’s really past its best now, but it is still flowering. That made PoD. Scamp made a mixed salad for dinner with tuna chopped into it for some body. I was tested to see if I could spot the ingredients and I got them all with the exception of Oregano which was Scamp’s mystery addition. Of course, after she told me, all I could taste was the Oregano!

I have promised one of our neighbours that I’d keep her plants watered. The first couple of days were easy, because the constant rain did the job for me. Yesterday and today are different. The poor wee plants need all the liquid they can take, and that’s where I’m heading now, with a full watering can.

I need to see the vampires tomorrow to get bloods taken for my annual checkup. Oh what fun!

Portree and Buses – 3/4 July 2026

Posted on by Zogman

A mainly dry day with a few sprinkles of rain now and again.

I went for a walk “Round the Policies” as Colin C would say. I took some photos for a while. Later, in the afternoon, Jacki took us for a nice slow run around the top end of Skye and pointed out the changes that had been made in the two years since we’d been on Skye. It wasn’t just the slip that had been upgraded, the main port on Skye had been changed too.

After we reached the top of the island, Jacki drove us down to Portree on the much more drivable two lane road. She was going to meet a friend in the town and we were going for a coffee and a snack. We didn’t want too much because we knew we were going to The Gull later in the day. The coffee was a bit bitter for me and too strong for Scamp.

We were picked up by Jacki later in the afternoon and taken back up to Staffin. We got changed and met the family at The Gull and had a great night. To my delight The Gull sold Spidermonkey IPA. I’d had a couple of pints of it the last time we were on the island, but I limited myself to a pint and a half pint today. Mainly because my stomach was a bit upset. I blamed the bitter coffee for it. Certainly not the beer!

We watched the sun go down when we got back to The Cabin and started packing for the long drive tomorrow.

There wasn’t much to tell about the journey south. Except perhaps the fact that the driver looked very like one we’d met before, name of Popeye. I won’t say it was him bombing down to Fort William, but it did look like him.

The drivers changed at Fort William and I believe the new driver was Russian. Very aggressive stance, but with a soft side. He managed to squeeze a single girl on to the bus at Luss when it looked like she would be left behind and have to wait for an hour alone. Well done that man!

Got off the bus in Glasgow and walked round to the X3 stance and got that bus home, exhausted even if the hadn’t done anything but sit on our backsides for eight hours.

Would I do it again? I think I would. Scamp used my old ‘on ear’ headphones all the way down from Staffin and I was similarly wearing mine. I think we might get an offer of a stay-over some time in the winter, all being well. The Cabin is magical.

A room with a view – 2 July 2026

Posted on by Zogman

A much brighter day than yesterday. Still the occasional rain flurry, but just an all round better day.

We struggled with the fancy toaster cum baking oven cum roaster. A sort of jack of all trades orange box. Once we worked out where the bread went and how long we should toast it for, we managed three slices each of a wee loaf. I had blackcurrant jam on mine and it was delicious.

Later in the morning we walked round to Jackie and Murdo’s house and had lunch there and sat and talked for a while, enjoying the entertainment provided by Grian.

Murdo took me on a ‘spin’ to Staffin Slip. While he had a blether with one of his pals, I went for a walk and got some photos, mainly of sheep with their fleeces hanging off them. They didn’t seem to mind. Then I walked down the slip and got a few photos of the rusted cleats that could be used to tie up the boats. There were no boats hauled up today.

There were a lot of boats that had been hauled out and left in the boatyard for cleaning and repair. They were a good subject, but I didn’t want to linger. Murdo was waiting, patiently for me to finish and a lot of the workmen were getting ready to leave after a long day I’d guess.

I walked back to meet Murdo and found him, still talking with his pal. He suggested we should go for a longer drive, and I asked if he’d take me to Duntulm Castle, which he did. The castle is really a ruin on a promontory that sticks out into the sea. It’s a fair climb out to it and an easy one to slip from, so I was being careful. A cold wind was blowing in from the sea and I was glad to have it at my back when I walked back. After that we went back towards the house for dinner.

I got out early and went to photograph one of Murdo’s old rusted tractors, lying on the grass beside the path. They looked great and I was pleased with the photos.

After dinner, we were driven back to The Cabin and watched the sun go down. Just over 70 photos taken.

PoD went to a view from The Cabin.

No plans for tomorrow.

Four days on Skye – 1 July 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Day 1.

As you can see, it was raining when we reached Staffin, but the scenery was amazing, the light, equally good and the Cabin was pure excellence.

The day began with a taxi ride to Cumbersheugh Town Centre then a bus to Broxden, outside Perth to change buses to the Inverness bus. Then the long slog up to Inverness. A fairly comfortable run up all things considered and with us wearing his and her’s headphones we just watched the scenery slide by.

An hour or so in Inverness with enough time to grab a sandwich each and a cup of coffee. Scamp had been there before, but it was a long while since I’d trod the Inverness streets, so I went for a walk round the narrow streets of Inverness. When I returned the old diesel carriages had just pulled into the station and we settled into our seats. It was a single track for most of the journey east to Kyle of Lochalsh, and some lovely scenery. It would certainly have been better without the rain, but we weren’t caring. Eventually we reached Kyle and met Jackie, Jaki and Grian who wasn’t sure at all who these strangers were, but was fairly happy to put up with them for the run back to Skye and Civilisation.

In Skye we were dropped off outside The Cabin. We had had a look in the door about a year ago, when it was still being tidied up, but today it was fully fitted and we were given free rein to go wherever we wanted. What we did most was just sit on the two seater sofa and gaze admiringly out to Staffin Bay. Even in the rain it was elegant and almost unreal. It took me a long time to realise there was underfloor heating and fresh roasted and ground coffee. No expenses spared!

TBC.