Author: Zogman

A cold wet day – 15 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

I’m getting fed up with writing that same headline. It is cold and it is wet, but it’s Scotland and we get lots of those commodities, so when we get a chance to see the sun for a while, we should jump for joy. There, done.

There are no photos today. I didn’t want to take my expensive camera out in the rain and get it ruined just for the opportunity of taking some photos. I’ve tried hard over the last ten years to take a photo every day and post it with a comment. I think it might be the time for a change. Not a big change, just a chance to miss the occasional photo if there is no reason to post one. Likewise, I’m thinking that taking photos from holidays or just the occasional weekend away might not always generate photos. So maybe a collection might suffice for a weekend’s photography, with bullet points to comment on places or landscapes. I’ll see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, I can always just fall back on an hour or so’s work posting photos and typing up blog posts.

Today was one of those days that were just one rain shower after another. Scamp and I had a lot of work to do, inside. Lots of boxes need to go to the skips. Lots of old and ancient cameras need to be go too. The back bedroom, My Room as I call it (I don’t dare to think what Scamp calls it!) needs a spring clean. It started today and the room looks better already, although a lot of the junk is just pushed to the walls, at least the floor is clear.

Dinner tonight was Mince ’n’ Tatties for me with an extra of beetroot on the side (Sorry Jamie). Scamp had a Mixed Peas experiment that looked very nice. I might ask for a sample for tomorrow.

Later we watched Masterchef the Professionals. How good it was to sit there without someone shouting “Oh Mate!!!”, or grinning like a loon. Just ordinary folk making extraordinary food. Keep up the good work/

Tomorrow we are hoping for a dry day for a change and a chance to dance Quickstep in Kirsty’s class.

I relented and PoD is another view of Fannyside.

Dancin’ – 14 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Today Scamp cleared the snow and frost from the car and I drove us to Brookfield for a dance class.

It was a cold start, but it was good to be driving under a clear blue sky and we made good time to the village hall. I think the clear sky was a blessing because the snow and low temperatures maybe kept some people from getting out too early. Much easier to just turn over and go back to sleep. But we’re both from hardier stock and weren’t bothered with sub-zero temperatures. We were going dancing.

First dance was House of Bamboo. I used to hate it, but now I just treat it as a bit of fun to get us get us out of our winter clothes. Next was the new waltz that Jane had concocted a couple of weeks ago. There was one turn I couldn’t get the hang of, but after asking Jane if she would dance me through it, she saw what I was doing wrong and that made all the difference. Much more secure with it now. Meanwhile Scamp was dancing with Stewart and picking up more tips on the same dance.

Next was Quickstep which we are working through, but both of us agree that we need more practise at home to keep it fresh in our heads. Fishtails are improving.

Final dance was Rona’s Rumba. Rona was a dancer in our class who passed away two years ago, around about now. She and her husband were great friends with Stewart and Jane.

Our Rumba, like the quickstep and the waltz, needs a fair bit of work to get comfortable with it.

As well as the ballroom dances, there were a lot of sequence dances that the teacher use to give us a break from the difficult stuff. Today they were used liberally!

Drove home via the Clyde Tunnel today because there was a lot of congestion on the M8. The Clyde Tunnel cuts off a fair chunk of driving and is useful for days like today.

I went over to St Mo’s later in the afternoon in my new boots that needed breaking in. They are not really new, they’re about six months old, I just kept forgetting (on purpose, maybe) to put them on, until last week when I found a leak in the left side of the old boots. Maybe their time has come.

Dinner tonight was a disappointing Golden Bowl. Tough Chicken Chop Suey for Scamp and equally tough Chicken Chow Mein for me. Maybe it’s time to give them a rest and look for somewhere else.

We watched the Skeleton Sliders from the Winter Olympics. Scary stuff!

PoD was  couple of dried up flowers from last year. Very fragile looking.

No plans for tomorrow. Snow predicted.

Snow on Fannyside – 13 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

First time this year I’ve seen even this tiny amount of snow.

The temperature outside as I’m writing about is -1.3ºc, or so our trustworthy Oregon Scientific thermometer tells us. I imagine it will drop even further overnight.

I’d things to do today and after I’d posted a card to Val and then dumped the old Dyson which has now been replaced with a new Shark. After that I took myself over to Fannyside to get some photos. A lot more snow over there, probably because of its elevation and the constant cold wind that cuts right through you no matter what you are wearing, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. I just had to get out and get some photos.

PoD went to some tyre tracks in the snow, the warm sun was melting the snow by the time I got there. Luckily I found a road, sheltered by a stand of Scots Pines that had held onto their snow,

Other than that it was just a normal Friday.

Tomorrow we may be going dancing if the weather plays nice.

I wasn’t at my best today – 12 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

I wasn’t at my best today.

A morning in bed and I was feeling a bit better, with Scamp being my nurse. Just an ache in my back that Paracetamol worked wonders on.

We were due to go to John & Marion for lunch and it seemed a shame not to go. We had Salmon with crumbled breadcrumbs, Tender Stem Broccoli, Baby Potatoes and a thin slice of orange. Pudding was Bramble Tart, with coffee and water for Scamp.

We got a surprise Save the Date card from Ross and Chris for their wedding on 7th November 2026. Scamp was delighted and so was I. Two great guys, we’ve watched Ross grow into a lovely man and I have no doubt that Chris will be any different.

There are no photos today, because we discovered this afternoon that Jaime passed away today after a short illness. An hour or so later I got a message from Val to say that his wife, Jeanette passed away last week. I hope they both rest in peace.

Walking in the rain – 11 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp was entertaining Shona today and I was meeting Alex.

Scamp gave me a lift to the station and I had only a few minutes to wait before our train came which was handy because the rain was tipping down. In Glasgow the weather was just the same and I walked up Buchanan Street then parked myself in the bus station. For once I’d forgotten my headphones, but I didn’t have to wait too long for Alex to appear. I explained to him that I was on a timer. I had to be back in Cumbersheugh by 3.15pm at the latest to get my bloods taken.

As usual we walked down to the nearest Nero and had a coffee. I told Alex about yesterday’s disaster and he suggested some remedies I hadn’t thought of, but none of them were really practical and I think he knew that, he was just trying to help. I showed him the A7iii and explained what was wrong, but when he pressed the shutter button the lens worked. No screech from the internals, it just took the photo. Now, remember we were in a fairly noisy cafe and it could just have been that noise that was covering up the sound of the screech, but the more I tried to make it screech, the quieter it became. Neither of us could understand it. Maybe my brother is a magician, but don’t tell him I know that!

We wandered into Princes Square, partly to be out of the rain and partly to see what was new on their displays. There wasn’t much, so we decided to have an early lunch. Round to Paesano and I volunteered to pay. More discussions about cameras and the reason for the recent failure, but still without a sensible answer. Paesano was really quiet. Usually around midday it’s just a wall of noise with everybody shouting to be heard and making the noise even louder. Today it was half empty. Maybe it was a holiday week for the school kids. Holidays in teeming rain. Yes, that sounds like Scotland.

Outside we walked into the GoMA (Gallery of Modern Art). Only one or two new displays, nothing interesting again. It was nearly time up when we came out and we both walked up to the station. I had about fifteen minutes to spare before my train was due and Alex was going for another walk in the incessant rain. We said our goodbyes, he went for a walk and I got on the express train then phoned Scamp to tell her I was on my way home.

I dropped Scamp at the house and drove to the medical centre. After cruising round and round the lines of cars, I finally got parked, got my blood taken and went home.

Dinner tonight was tomato soup, home made, of course. Watched a bit of the Winter Olympics from somewhere in Italy where the UK went from being second to being seventh in a matter of minutes. I don’t think they like us much, these Olympians!

That was my stunning day. I got home and the camera had started making its scratchy noise again. I have a Sony 16-35mm f4 lens which I was going to sell just before Christmas, but it started the squeaky noises and I put it on the back burner. Today it’s been working brilliantly. Not a cheep out of it. I just can’t make head nor tail of these big lenses these days.

PoD was a cheeky we grab photo of a lady admiring some photos in the GoMA.

Tomorrow we’re intending going to John & Marion’s for lunch tomorrow. Haven’t been to Hamilton for ages.

 

 

Another dull day that got worse – 10 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

A day with not a lot to recommend it.

I spent most of the afternoon setting up my Benbo tripod. It’s a really awkward device to use, but its one saving grace is its adaptability. It’s quite heavy for its size but that’s sometimes a benefit for stability. Anyway, I got it set up the way I wanted it and got a few photos, only to discover that the lens was set to manual focus which means that everything was blurred.

After lunch I started again, but the light just wasn’t as good then and although I did get the shot in focus, I wasn’t really satisfied with it so I tried again. That was when I heard a scratching noise from the camera when I pressed the shutter, and a screech. Something in the camera or the lens was making the noise. Either I’d a tiny bit of grit in the lens or in the camera itself. I checked both my cameras with ‘good’ lens and they were fine. The noise was coming from the 24-105mm lens, the one I use every day.

I did a bit of reading and it might be repairable, but first I tried a suggestion from one photographer online who suggested turning the camera off and racking the lens back and forward about seventy times to release whatever was making the noise. It did seem to help, but not fully. I also tried warming the lens barrel as this might soften the lubricants in the lens barrel and allow it to be released. If that doesn’t work I’ll have to get a quote for a repair.

PoD was one of the last photos taken with the dodgy lens.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to meet Alex for what will probably be a long blether, given the above. Then I intend to get back to Cumbersheugh for the vampires to take some of my blood.

An afternoon in the Toon – 9 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

This afternoon we drove in to Glasgow, looking for a table cover.

Every time I drive in to Glasgow these days there is another road pattern to negotiate. Today was no exception. Where there had been two narrow lanes to reach Buchanan Galleries, today it was one single lane going downhill. How you get back up that hill is anybody’s guess.

I did get parked in the Buchanan Galleries and chose a suitable table cover to give our Christmas table cover a wee rest. I’m typing on the ‘Snowman’ table cover that’s been on the round living room table since mid December 2025. Hopefully we’ll replace it with the new one tomorrow.

With the table cover purchased, we went our separate ways. Scamp went to do some shopping in Glasgow and after dropping off the table cover I went to the Nile Barber to get my hair cut. We met up back in Buchanan Galleries and drove home.

I’d grabbed a couple of photos when I was walking back from the barber. One photo of some pink primulas became PoD. I was tempted to remove the photobomber who walked past the flowers just as I clicked, but then I realised he was part of the image and kept it in.

We went to Kirsty’s dance class in the early evening and found instead of six of us preparing for the Quickstep, there were five children of varying ages and two adults who seemed to have turned up out of the blue. I pitied Kirsty who had to teach six adults who were looking forward to the quickstep class and at the same time teach seven children and adults who looked as if they hadn’t danced in years. Hopefully everything will work out fine next week. I hope so.

We have no plans for tomorrow.

Green Shoots – 8 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Green shoots need water and they got plenty today.

We spent most of the morning working through the Wordle puzzles. Nothing difficult, but some of them made me smile. By the time we got through them, it was almost lunch time and that meant Laura Kuenssberg. Usually she can be relied upon to destroy any politician, but today she was up against an old hand at this politics lark, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, His calm style belies a very clever brain behind those eyes. Like him or loathe him, he’s a cool customer, rarely flustered.

After lunch I decided I could manage to get a few shots in the garden. My target for the day was a pot of deep chocolate brown Hellebores. However, almost every time I tried for a photo a rain shower would force me inside. Eventually I gave up and went upstairs where I knew there was a tray of recently emerged Antherinum seedlings. They became the PoD. Hopefully I’ll get the shot of the hellebores another day, a dry day perhaps.

Dinner tonight was an old favourite, Chicken and Pea Traybake. It takes a good hour to cook, but the oven does all the work

We spoke to Jamie later. Simonne is in Italy this week on a training course for her new job and Jamie is working from home, and looking after Vixen too.

Two guys knocked on the door in the evening, asking if we owned a taxi. I told them no and asked why. They said there was a taxi sitting across the road, up against a wall. As soon as I saw the taxi, I knew it belonged to one of our neighbours. He wasn’t too pleased when I told him, but he quickly got it back into place. Neither the two guys, nor our neighbour could come up with an explanation. Still, nobody was hurt and there was no damage done, but it’s a puzzle that will stay with everyone until it is solved.

The seedlings in an egg box was the PoD and collected a few comments.

Tomorrow I may go and book an appointment with the doc for a blood test and a check up. It’s almost due, so it has to be done.

Dancin’ – 7 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Out early as usual on a Saturday.

We drove over to Brookfield, a fairly easy drive to light traffic but clouds and occasional rain. What we’ve come to expect these wintry days.

The class started with a quickstep, but not one we already knew. Almost everyone else seemed to be happy with it and although we did bring this fact to the attention of the teachers, we didn’t get much instruction. Luckily I had Scamp to tell me what the teachers were doing and after I’d added in a few steps from Thursday’s Tea Dance, it began to come together, but teachers are there to teach, not to get partners to make up for their shortcomings. I don’t think Stewart believed we’d not done this dance before. For the first time in ages I wasn’t impressed with his teaching.

What I will say in his defence is that he did intersperse some units with a couple of sequence dances, mostly ones we knew. Given that we’d had a tough start to the day, I did actually enjoy most of the class I think Scamp did too.

We drove home with about a million others, all heading in the same direction as us at about 15 mph and in the rain again. It was a stop/start drive, but after half an hour or so the traffic picked up speed and thinned out. No rhyme nor reason to it. I’m sure you’ve all seen this feature of driving in the past. Nobody seems to be able to explain why the roads get snarled up and then just return to normal with nothing to explain it. I wish I could be in a helicopter to watch the changing traffic patterns from above. It would be an interesting thing to investigate.

I chose the M74/M73 again and everything went smoothly back to the house. Lunch was toast and beans. A simple menu that just hit the spot.

Later in the afternoon I went for a walk through St Mo’s and got a few photos, a very few. My favourite and PoD was two magpies discussing world problems in a tree. Magpies, the Darth Vaders of the Avian world.

We’d hoped to have a Chinese dinner, but Golden Bowl in Condorrat was closed until the 13th of the month, so it was Fish ’n’ Chips instead. Lovely fish, but too much chips. We watched the Olympic Snowboarding and Luge while we consumed our dinner, wondering why people put themselves through these dangerous looking games. Good fun to watch, but I can’t see it catching on in Cumbersheugh.

As far as tomorrow goes, we have no plans. Not ever Snowboarding.

Another grey day – 6 February 2026

Posted on by Zogman

It’s becoming monotonous.

I’m really getting fed up with all this rain. Can’t somebody do something about it.

Scamp went out to FitSteps in the morning. While she was out I worked out the last few February I’d missed in the past week. That’s the problem with deciding to do a photo a day. You forget just how much time it takes.

I’d like to say we did lots of things today, but we didn’t. I went out in the early afternoon into the cold east wind that’s been blowing for the last week and a bit. I’d offered to do some shopping while I was out, and picked a photo of a weed of some description sneaking out from a metal cable support. I thought it looked interesting. Then I walked round the back of St Mo’s school and from there down to the shops and back home. It was just as I was reaching the house I realised those two photos would have to be the PoD for today.

Scamp made a curry from the Mowgli book, but wasn’t. Impressed with the finished article, saying there was a funny taste from it. We tracked that ‘funny taste’ down to a tablespoon of English Mustard I’d put in as stated in the instructions. I don’t know how the English can eat this stuff. I can’t even abide the smell of it. I think we’ll use a different recipe in future.

That’s about it for me for today. Hoping for a dry(ish) day tomorrow, just for a change.