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Round the ponds – 3 May 2026

Posted on by Zogman

A dull start to a dull day.

One of those days that never really got started. The furthest I got was a walk around St Mo’s pond. I did get a host of photos, but the best by far was a clutch of Mallard ducklings out for a swim with their mum. That made PoD.

Scamp did a lot of tidying up and later we watched the qualifying F1 race in Miami which was a little bit short of scintillating. The commentators tried hard to make it exciting, but it didn’t work.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Hopefully we’ll get some sunshine too!

Rainy Day – 2 May 2026

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Off the leash today.

Scamp was off with the rest of the ‘Witches’, exploring the sights of Liverpool. She was due back home in the early evening, so I had a chance to get some photos and maybe even read for a while.

I finally got the first of my EDiM sketches completed to my satisfaction and after a bit of jiggery pokery, found out how I’d put them online two years ago. It wasn’t nearly as complicated as I thought it would be, mainly because the Facebook app I was using did all the hard work for me. One done and another to go.

It was one of those days when the weather didn’t seem to know what to do with itself. Rain one minute and beautiful sunshine the next. I did get a few photos in the garden, but they were quite poor.

Later in the day, I got the message to say that Scamp and the rest of the girls were on their way home. They were intending to travel up to Glasgow, but given that the city is an absolute mess now with different roadworks every week, we eventually settled on changing the destination to Hamilton for ease of parking.

A bit of frantic tidying up of my room was needed and I also managed to grab a bite to eat when I had time. Then the sun chose that time to shine again, so I took the chance to improve my earlier photos with a group of dandelion seed heads grabbed in St Mo’s with just enough time left over to drive down the M8 to Hamilton Bus Station, pay for parking and wait for the ladies.

They were all quite organised and we drove back to Cumbersheugh with partly told tales from all the ‘Witches’. How many of them were true, I wouldn’t know.

After the ladies had been returned to their doting husbands Scamp and I shared a Large Fish Supper and a wee glass of gin or whisky.

We have no real plans for tomorrow.

The first day of May – 1 May 2026

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According to my mum, I should have been out washing my face in the May morning dew. Instead I was taking photos.

I dropped Scamp off at her friend’s house and drove home to have breakfast, but I’d already put a camera in the boot of the car and it was such a beautiful day …

It would have been a great shame to go home for breakfast and then find the beautiful morning light had turned to a damp, dreary drizzle. It was never in doubt. The photography had to come first. I’d a few shots in the bag when I noticed the fisherman on the other side of the pond. Finding the best approach, down the slippery banking to the pond is downright dangerous and I was toting a new lens that I didn’t want to drop in the pond, but half a dozen and a little more photos later I’d not only not fallen in, I’d also managed to climb back up and on to the path without any slips or slides. I took a few more photos, but I knew the best of the day in the camera bag. I took the long way home and had breakfast.

The rest of the morning was collecting meds and shopping. I even took the wee Blue car to the car wash, half expecting the operator to say that famous phrase “Hopeless cases not accepted”. Instead he put me through the car wash, possibly because nobody else was using it today.

I dropped in at an old friend and stayed blethering and catching up with him for about an hour. Then I made lunch and found a note from Scamp saying her meds were due today too, so not having anything else to do I drove over to the medical centre and it was RAINING!

I’ve started my first EDiM (Every Day in May) sketch, but now I can’t remember how to post them on Facebook. I’ll need to check with my old versions of EDiF. I also planted a final batch of Maris Piper potatoes.

That’s about it. Normality will probably reign tomorrow.

A better day – 30 April 2026

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Shona was going home for a few hours. and we were going for lunch.

Shona was meeting with one of her best friends for a blether and for tea. She’s really been a powerhouse these last three days. Thankfully, the pressure on her is gradually releasing now, and she, herself, is relaxing a bit. Today she made some decisions about Paul, and that must have been hard. We, too were destressing.

We drove to Torwood for lunch. Just a couple of Toasties and a chance to talk about gardens and other simple things. Scamp got a couple of plants and they are now growing in tubs in the back garden. I’m sure there a lot more waiting to be found in Torwood!

Came home via M&S and we loaded up, on veg and things for tonight’s dinner. After that I put my boots on and went for a walk in St Mo’s where I got some photos of Larch Needles. Larch being one of the few conifers to drop their needles in the winter. One of them was guaranteed a place as PoD.

By the time I got back home, carrying more requests from Scamp, Shona had returned and we had Fish Risotto for dinner. Then we took Shona back home to prepare for more relations coming to visit and hopefully help.

I had bought a new camera bag from Amazon a couple of days ago, but it was just a little bit too small, so I bought another, larger one today. One will go back to Mr Bezos’s house and one will stay. If neither of them suit me, both will go back.

Scamp is off with the ‘Witches’ tomorrow, so it will be an early rise for both of us.

Going Home – 23 April 2026

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Waiting for the bus. The waiting is always the worst.

The bus arrived just after breakfast. Stewart did the checks and we all got on. Then some strangers, the germans who had plagued us since we arrived, decided this was our bus. After some sharp words from Stewart and Jane, they got the message and left to a chorus of expletives that I’m sure they understood!

With the germans disposed of we said goodbye to Calpe for this year and we settled down to the long journey to Alicante and the airport.

Despite the horror stories we’d heard about the queues at check-in we sailed through the new customs checks. Our plane arrived in time and that’s when things went awry. Nobody was telling us anything, but someone passed the message that a passenger on a previous flight was ill and paramedics had arrived to deal with the situation. Finally our flight was boarding after a wait of about two hours.

The flight was fine and we arrived in Glasgow late but happy to be there. We got the airport bus to Buchanan Street bus station, then got the X3 back home.

I’d say it was a lovely day, but I’d be lying.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The Germans!
  • Two bus drivers both trying to communicate with the germans
  • The lack of information at the airport in Alicante
  • How everything fitted into place when we got to Glasgow
  • Even the cases arrived ahead of the predicted time

Despite everything, would I do it again? In an instant!!

Thank you Scamp for your patience. I know I’m a pest.

Tomorrow, it’s back to Auld Claes and Purrich!

Last Full Day – 22 April 2026

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We went to The Coffee Box for coffee in the morning. Two Cappuccinos with a large Tiramisu for Scamp and an equally large Apple Tarte de Pom for us both to share.

Watched the cyclists limbering up. It must have been a race or a club outing, because there were always loads of them going out in the morning.

We found rows and rows of painted wooden ducks for sale outside one of the shops, but we knew we were almost overloaded with the stuff we were bringing home as well as our clothes and my camera gear, so reluctantly we had to leave them for some other boys and girls.

The weather was a bit cooler than it had been and there were occasional banks of mist and fog rolling in from the sea, sometimes almost covering the mountain on one side and the posh houses on the other side of the bay.

Dancing again at night and another lively time. Eventually Stewart turned off his amp and most folk just talked for a while. Others who hadn’t started their packing left a wee bit early.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The coffee and pastries in The Coffee Box
  • The cyclists clogging up the roads and pavements
  • The wooden ducks
  • The mist on the mountain

Another early rise tomorrow. I know we’d both like to come back here.

 

 

Sweet Bay Salsa – 21 April 2026

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Today’s dance was Sweet Bay Salsa. No sign of Salsa! There was a fair bit of shuffling to one side and another and some waving of hands in the air, and that was about it.

Scamp wanted a second look at a dress she’d seen yesterday in the avenue of shops that look out onto the sand and the sea. Usually the ‘second look’ just means she’ll walk out with it and a smile on her face, but no sale today.

Next we walked round to The Coffee Box. I thought the Americano was just a little bitter, but Scamp agreed. More of this company’s pastries and a seat outside.

We walked back along the promenade and just missed the wee train. It’s a bit like a small tractor made to look like a train engine pulling two carriages. We seem to see them all over Spain and Italy.

We walked back along the prom, checking out more architectural high-rise buildings, proving that AutoCad is still alive and kicking. Eventually we walked back to the big supermarket ( My MerKat ) for tonic water and Scamp bought that dress.

We were just in time for the wee train’s return and found it was full of Spanish pensioners, they sang their wee hearts all the way round the circuit!

In the evening we danced for two or three hours. We sat with Barry and Cath and laughed all night. I think we were all beginning to flag on our third day.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The wee train ride
  • The indecision on Scamp’s face looking at that dress
  • Finding all sorts of strange sweeties in the supermarket
  • “My Merkat” What a name for a supermarket

Last full day tomorrow.

The Coffee Box – 20 April 2026

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Woke at 7am and dozed until just after 8am. That’s early for a holiday!

The lifts in the hotel seemed to be constantly full and there didn’t appear to be any stairs, then a cyclist showed us how to access the stairs that would take us down to the breakfast room. Thanks for that, whoever you were.

Most of the breakfast food was either cold or congealing or both. Not very appetising anyway. At least there was plenty of fruit and we finally managed to get breakfast.

Out in the streets there were lots of coffee shops. We chose one at random calling itself The Coffee Box. Two Cappuccinos, a Chocolate Croissant for me and a Neapolitan Crema for Scamp was a much better start to the day than breakfast in the hotel.

We walked round the bay almost to the Peñón de Ifach (Calpe Rock) which is a 332-meter high limestone mountain. We walked back to the town, admiring the amazing architecture, especially the great brown tubes with circular holes which were rooms in a complex.

Lunch was a Spanish Omelette for Scamp and a Bocadillo Especia which is basically a large filled sandwich, for me.

Tonight’s dress code was ‘Tropical’ and we managed to fulfil that task. We danced almost until the end of the night, but had to give in before the evening finished because we were exhausted

Another great day.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The poor quality food
  • Hardly any labels on the food
  • The size of that mountain
  • Bocadillo Especia
  • The Coffee Box

A Very early rise – 19 April 2026

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We were up at 3:45am, bleary eyed and hoping the alarm was wrong, but knowing that BOTH alarms couldn’t be wrong! The taxi arrived at 4am, exactly the time we’d asked for. After that the driver got lost TWICE trying to get out of the estate! However, he managed to find his way out and we were driven over to Glasgow Airport without wasting any time. Almost straight through the check-in and wandered into the main building with the other lost looking souls.

After we’d had the usual expensive breakfast we got the call to the gate. Unfortunately, they only wanted us on the plane, and once we were all aboard we got told that frost during the night had turned to ice and the wings needed de-icing. Also, as a result, we’d missed our take off slot. Isn’t it great when a plan comes together 😡.

Once the wings had warmed up and we were in the air, we just sat there for about three hours before we landed at Alicante and descended into the warm sun of Spain.

After we signed in with our passport and facial recognition we were shown to our Beniconnect bus that would take us to Calpe ( also known as Calp ). Another hour’s journey brought us to the resort itself, and after more signing and waiting for the slowest computer in creation, we were standing in a lovely room on the fourth floor with a spectacular view across the sea to the horizon.

The first thing we did was get changed into more comfortable clothes and find a shop that sold beer. There were a few! Later we walked around the town and took in the sights.

Dinner was a bit of a mix up with a load of quite arrogant germans (am I allowed to say that – well, I’ve just said it!) who would rather walk through you instead of around you. None of them ever smiled. It seems they liked to think they more important than us. They’re not. Note the lower case ‘germans’ to show what I think of their attitude.

We were dancing in the evening. I think we maybe had a bit too much to drink, but the company was good. Thankfully we had our own ballroom for dancing in.

Hoping for more sun tomorrow.

Busy doing nothing – 18 April 2026

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One of those days when I managed to keep myself busy, but didn’t actually do anything worthwhile. I’m getting quite good at it.

We went over to Condorrat to get some rolls for lunch and to post a birthday card to one of Scamp’s witchy friends. Wandered past what used to be called Brodans, but is now in the process of being converted into an Italian restaurant. Maybe next year at or around this time, it might open its doors. So far all that has been accomplished is a few holes have been drilled in the wall and a bit of plastering has been scraped off part of the wall. Wheels turn slowly in Condorrat.

The rolls were converted into Egg Rolls for Scamp and a Bacon Roll for me. I don’t know about the egg rolls, but the bacon rolls were the best I’ve had for ages.

I was eventually coaxed into going for a walk in St Mo’s. It had been a rainy morning, full of April Showers, but the afternoon promised some good weather. I took on the challenge and went for a circuit and a half of St Mo’s pond, carrying the wrong lens as usual. Most of the photos were of blossom from the trees in the park. PoD went to a Dogwood branch backlit with a warm background bokeh. I quite liked it.

Dinner tonight was Fish ’n’ Chips from the local chip shop. Fish was delicious, but the chips were just reheated potatoes. Could do better!

We watched an episode of Gardeners World tonight. It was about the new area in Regent’s Park. It opens to the public on or about 27th April. Looks like an interesting place to visit, Hazy / Neil. Oh by the way, Hazy, I’m still struggling through “A Drop of Corruption”. It’s a bit of a slog, but an interesting slog!

All seems to be well here. Speak in a few days.