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Another hot one – 12 August 2025

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Temperature reached 28º which is very hot for us Northern types!

We were going in to Glasgow to do some shopping today, but instead of driving in, we caught the train instead. I was looking for a pair of trainers and I think Scamp was just checking out my ability to walk past the Apple shop without going in! In the end I couldn’t find a pair of trainers that I liked and was willing to pay for. Instead, I tried on a pair of Scarpa Terra GTX walking boots. Exactly the same boots I bought in 2022. They have covered a few hundred miles since then, and were worth every penny.

We walked down Buchanan Street after I’d bought the boots and listened with a couple of hundred others to the massed pipes and drums of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo band. It actually was quite stirring music and it drowned out some terrible ‘singing’ from a few street buskers. All the pipers and drummers were in full dress regalia who must have been really uncomfortable in today’s heat.

We had lunch in Waterstones on Argyle Street and were surprised with the quality of the Tuna Croque. I must remember to introduce Alex to it sometime. Pity the coffee wasn’t quite up to the same standard.

We caught an absolutely mobbed train home. It was heading for Edinburgh for the final Oasis concert and had the feel of the crazily overcrowded train we’d been on after Christmas. Glad we weren’t going far on today’s one.

The temperature in the car going home read 31º, but that was mainly because we were parked in the full blast of the sun. Not that there was any shade anywhere in the car park.

We ended up sitting in the garden when we got back, drinking Soda Water and Lime and being surrounded by clouds of butterflies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many butterflies in one place before and definitely not in our garden.

PoD went to a photo I took in Caffè Nero in Glasgow. It’s a combination of two photos and it took me a while to remember how to join two photos together to get the effect I wanted. However I did eventually remember and I was pleased with the final result.

Tomorrow we may go shopping. Nothing special, just Tesco shopping for the messages, to fill up the new fridge/freezer.

A busy Monday – 11 August 2025

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The big van arrived right on time at 9.30am and we were waiting for it.

John Lewis were delivering our new fridge/freezer today. It arrived right on time and the first thing the guy said was “It’s going to be a tight squeeze, through the front door.” I was prepared for that with my trusty Stanley cross-head screwdriver I removed the retaining bolts from the front door and that let me take off the outside handle and the inside one too, plus the big square section key.

That made all the difference and about fifteen minutes later the JL guys were back in their van after getting the new addition into place and removing the old one. One in and One out. Then they were off to another customer. I reassembled the front door and Scamp plugged the new fridge in and we left it to rest for four hours just as the driver had told us to do.

Next stop for me was the dentist for my annual checkup. Apparently my teeth are in good condition, but I’ve a filling to look forward to next week. I think I got off lightly.

After gazing admiringly at this big white box for four hours, we were ready to switch it on for the first time. Again, Scamp had the honour of switching the the fridge/freezer on for the first time. It started making an alarm noise, but we shushed it and told it to go to sleep for a few hours and it settled down.

We walked down to the shops to get some milk and bread and blueberries. I bumped into the guy who used to be the ‘Janny’ at the school, but who is now an assistant manager for the schools in the area. Glad to see him getting on in the world.

By the time we’d exchanged reminiscences and set the world to rights, Scamp was off, carrying the shopping. Despite my argument that it was really my job to carry heavy things, she chased me away and told me to go and take some photos.
That’s what I did and the PoD is a dandelion or a near relative at least, after the morning’s showers.

Tonight’s dance class with Kirsty was Rumba. We managed to get it working quite well, but not every time. Kirsty was happily teaching Scamp how to do the body sways that are such an integral part of Rumba. I just tried to remember the steps in the right order.

When we got back the new fridge/freezer was working silently in the kitchen. Scamp declares that she liked it. That’s good enough for me.

I think we’re maybe going in to Glasgow tomorrow, but for a change, I do’t think we won’t be visiting the Apple shop!

Getting there – 10 August 2025

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I’m hoping I’m nearly at the end of the struggle against the iMac M4. Always hopeful.

It seems like ages since I wrote a blog, but it was just over a week. In that time I’ve driven to, and also caught the train to the Apple store in Glasgow. The Geniuses there have been very helpful, but it really time they started making it easier for the general public to deliver their problematic hardware. It would also be a bonus if they actually tested their iMacs after repairs and changes had been made, considering the distances some of us have to travel and expense of the equipment.

Complaints apart, the M4 iMac really shifts. An Enhanced Super resolution that takes about that takes about 2.5 minutes on average on my old Intel iMac takes about 3 seconds! That’s one of the things I spent the high bucks on. It looks like no more making a cup of coffee while the machine churns through the heavy duty computing.

Scamp has been a tower of strength during the last couple of weeks, offering sensible ways to tackle what I saw as impossible situations. Thank you again and again for being there pushing me in the right direction and telling me it was time I took a wee walk … in the rain if need be!

All in all, I’d say I’m happy with results now. Of course there are always things that need tweaking, but once the majority of the new iMac is stable and probably against Scamp’s better judgment I’m going to do a backup, a sensible Apple backup on an ssd. For seven or eight years I’ve made them and then when I needed them I realised I’d forgotten to make one. Don’t forget the backups.

Spoke to Jamie tonight. I did take a bit of ribbing from him and Scamp, but I deserved it. I’m hoping the blogs will be arriving more often, but no promises.

PoD was a wee red dragonfly.

Thanks for your patience. I’m told I don’t have any!

Dentist tomorrow!

The Rose – 2 August 2025

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Scamp loves roses and this is one of the best.

The rose is the Comte de Chambord, a beautiful pink rose with a lovely scent, but watch out for those thorns. It made PoD.

Another day of fighting against the new iMac. I know you’re probably fed up with it and so am I. Eventually I took Scamp’s suggestion and spoke to somebody, somewhere, I have no idea where, but he, it was a man, has found me a slot in the Apple Store in Glasgow tomorrow afternoon. I’m taking a notebook with me which I hope will be filled with suggestions for solving the problems I’ve had, when I get home.

The rest of the day was a dull Saturday that turned into a comfortably warm one. Scamp and I took turns at watering the garden. First she watered the back garden flowers and veg, then I did the same for the front garden. I’m sure the flowers will appreciate the refreshing water and ‘The Compte’ will be one of them.

Lunch was going to be at Wagamama in The Fort, but we didn’t quite make it there and resorted to Fish Fingers, Egg and Spaghetti for dinner instead. If you have nothing else to eat, you won’t go wrong with FFE&S. Unless you are Hazy!

We watched the qualifying for the Hungarian which turned out to be a less than exciting way of passing an hour or so in the early evening. Hopefully the race will be better, tomorrow.

The new iMac is now all wrapped up ready to go to Glasgow tomorrow. Scamp may go to a utilities sale, also in Glasgow, looking for a good deal on a freezer, a fridge or a combination of the two while I speak to a ‘Genius’.

It’s a busy week coming up with Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday all spoken for in one way or another.

Sunday looks wet and Monday looks very windy. Let’s hope the flowers survive the week.

More flowers – 1 August 2025

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More work struggling against the problems of being a new iMac owner. Who knew something as simple as taking photos and writing about it could be so stressful.

Today’s target was to trim down and cut out some of the clutter that seems to have insinuated itself into the old iMac, meanwhile hoping that once I’d filled up and emptied the bin, it would have the sense to leave the rubbish there and not bring it back again using iCloud Drive. Why can’t it just be simple, like a ZX 81 was, back in the old days of ‘real’ computing? Ah, but I digress.

Both Scamp and I overslept slightly this morning and I won’t say she was late for FitSteps, but she could have been. Me? I made myself some coffee and started the machines, yes, both of them were on the table at the same time. I hadn’t realised that you could sit the old and the new side by side and control them to a certain extent using only one mouse. A lot of swearing was involved, but I did manage to, as Roger Waters said in ‘The Wall’, “Cut out the Deadwood”. Or some of it at least. There are another few Gigabytes still waiting to be chopped out, but when “Scamp returned and mentioned going out for lunch”, I put away my keyboard and shut down both the monitors. Food comes first.

I opted for Borden’s of lunch. It used to be The Masonic (AKA the Chib Inn). It was almost empty when we arrived and we feared that they might have been bought out or was under new management, but a pint of Guinness for me, and a glass of Red for Scamp proved that it was just a passing phase. This was confirmed by a Mac ’n’ Cheese for Scamp and a Steak Pie for me. Both went down well. They also prevented me from driving later, which also suited.

What I did do was book an MOT for Monday, just so I wouldn’t forget and be left without a car this month. I couldn’t be bothered going anywhere to get a PoD, so the close up of the Rudbeckia became PoD. Cropped to a square it fitted perfectly for the first photo of August.

Tomorrow we may go somewhere on the bus or the train, but probably not driving. I quite enjoy these lazy days.

The last day of July – 31 July 2025

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And what a whirlwind month it’s been. There have been a lot of flowers, some insects, the occasional dummy and spiders. There have been a few hoverflies and one or two damselflies but no dragonflies. Not really any landscapes, but a few still lifes or should that be Lives?

Clothes pegs! There was one instance of clothes pegs in the rain. One PoD got Explore. I liked the texture in that one. Then the obscure ones, like the painter on the Cherrypicker, the entrance to a church and the ladies blethering! And bees lots of different bees and a barrel load of butterflies of all shapes, colours and sizes. Quite a collection!

Today has been a bit of a struggle, but I’ve learned a few tricks and need to learn a few more with the super fast, but clumsy new iMac. I think I need to consult one of the experts again to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

If all else fails, I’ll start again with another month of Five Stars.

PoD was a wild geranium surrounded by Cranesbills.

No real plans for tomorrow.

Waiting, waiting, waiting – 30 July 2025

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The new iMac was due to arrive today, so I spent the morning waiting for the big van from UPS to deliver the goods.

Scamp went out to meet with the Witches just after midday and I waited at home. It was a really nice day and I took a chair out and sat in the front garden, reading. I had lunch and although a message said the delivery would be between 12:00 and 14:00, no big brown van arrived. An hour later I got a message to say that the delivery had been rescheduled to 15:00 and finally, it arrived just after 15:15pm.

Since Scamp had been so good at telling me that everything would work out fine, despite my grumpy face, I thought it only right and proper that she should have the pleasure of opening the big cardboard box. Of course, that meant there was another big white cardboard box inside, so she got to open that too. Inside it, everything was packed neatly in more cardboard boxes and Scamp came up with a great idea of filming the unboxing and although we’re still a bit unsure about the exact placement of the internals of the big white box, I’m sure we’ll find a way of repackaging it if needs must.

PoD went to a Fuchsia in the garden. It looked just like a little fairy ballet dancer, or it could just have been my imagination running riot!

Just now, the new iMac is uploading the data from the old one and has been at it since about 5pm. It’s now nearly 9pm and the upload still needs to run for another four hours by my estimation.

Update: It took just over eight hours to complete the entire upload, better than I’d hoped.

Tomorrow probably another deep dive into the mysteries of the iMacs.

Walking – 29 July 2025

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Today, we went for a walk around Colzium estate, but before that I had to face the ladies who like my blood.

It was time for my annual review at the health centre and the first stage of that is to give a sample of my blood for testing. Not something I look forward to, but I guess it is better getting it over with as soon as possible. So I was up fairly early to get it done.

After that the day was our own. After lunch we discussed what to do and where to go. I voted for a walk round Colzium estate in Kilsyth. It’s a fairly short circular walk with offshoots you can take if you’re feeling fit or if you feel the real need for exercise. We stuck to the easiest route we knew we could manage and had a pleasant walk up almost as far as the Tak Ma Doon road, a narrow, twisty road that’s not bad to drive in the spring, summer and autumn, but not in the winter especially if there is lying snow or ice.

We crossed the Colzium burn near the top of the estate and then walked back down the other side. There is usually a quite photogenic waterfall under the wee, old, bow backed bridge near the top, but there was very little water going over the ‘Falls’ today. We thought we’d stop in at the cafe for a cup of coffee on the way back to the car park, but found out that it closed at 3pm. It was now 3.15pm. Never mind, we went for a walk round the Walled Garden instead. It’s a bit overgrown now and really need a bit of TLC, but the flowers and trees are interesting. It also gave us a chance to have a seat. It’s easier coming down from the top of the estate, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Lots of butterflies again today in the walled garden, gorging on the Buddleia flowers.

When we walked down to the car we crossed another bridge over the same burn and I spotted two little saplings growing out of a crack in the bridge parapet. That made a decent PoD with plenty of out of focus ‘Bokeh’ to create a backdrop.

Not far along from that we chanced to meet one of Scamp’s ‘Witchy’ friends. Not real witches, you understand, just a nickname. Stood talking the family and then drove home.

Dinner was pasta with thin slices of bacon, a tin of tomatoes and a couple of frozen spinach balls thrown in for good measure. It seemed to go down well.

Watched this year’s final of Masterchef – The Professionals. We are always amazed at the lengths these couples go to to create their sugar and chocolate presentations.

Tomorrow I’m intending staying at home while Scamp is hoping to go out with the ‘Witches’.

Butterfly Day – 28 July 2025

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Scamp and I were in the garden in the morning when I spotted a Red Admiral butterfly, then another and another and a Tortoiseshell too.

The Buddleia bush had been blooming really well this year so perhaps it’s it that is encouraging this sudden influx of colourful butterflies, but long may they continue to visit our garden to feed on the nectar that seems to be very popular. One shot of a Red Admiral grabbed first place in the PoD.

Other than that it was just an ordinary Monday, except we didn’t have to go shopping because we’d bought a decent basket full yesterday. Scamp, of course was pruning and chopping back flowers in both the front and back gardens. I’d had another uncomfortable night with the warm, muggy nights, so I went for a snooze in the afternoon. I know it’s not a great thing to do, because you wake from an hour in dreamland and feel worse than when you went to bed, at least, I do.

We spent about half an hour later in the afternoon practising the Continuous Hover Cross for tonight’s Foxtrot class. It’s a dance routine that is complicated to work through, well, for me it is, anyway, and it doesn’t seem to achieve anything for all its twists and turns. Even worse the man’s steps are totally unrelated to the lady’s. That means I have to learn my steps and not rely on following Scamp’s! After a few runs through, we almost had it taped. Then Scamp got an email from Kirsty to say that she was intending doing a different dance, still a Foxtrot but totally different from what we’d been practising!!

Only two couples were up for tonight’s class, which was good because we had the whole floor to ourselves, but bad because there was nowhere to hide. We stumbled through the steps, or to be more precise, I stumbled through and tried to follow Scamp’s. In the end it almost went together properly.

I was checking my emails tonight and found that a big parcel is due to arrive soon, but with confusing arrival dates. It will definitely be this week, but when which day is not clear. Maybe, just maybe, there will be more than one parcel, one for each day!! No, that’s just greedy.

No plans for tomorrow yet.

Just a little rain – 27 July 2025

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Not torrents of rain, but just enough to keep the plants watered. That’s all we want.

Not a busy day by any means. A fairly easy Sunday. The most work I did was to sew a button on my walking trousers. I can never work out how to direct the needle into the correct buttonhole. It’s such a simple thing, but it evades me every time. I finally got it done and it’s in the washing bag now ready for a shower.

Scrambled egg for Scamp’s lunch. I also had a scrambled egg, but that was unintentional. It was meant to be a fried egg, but the egg had other ideas and eventually I gave in and let it have its way. I added a couple of rashers of bacon to keep it company. The bacon wasn’t scrambled.

In the afternoon Scamp an I went for a walk to the shops and on the way back, I took a walk through St Mo’s while Scamp carried the messages the remainder of the way home. She had some cleaning to do in the house and I was looking for inspiration. I ended up with just a couple of reasonable shots of what might be sycamore keys hanging from a branch. That became PoD on a dull day.

Dinner was Chicken and Pea Traybake which Scamp made for a change. It tasted better than mine, I think. Possibly it was because she used bigger chunks of leek and probably she’s just a better cook than me.

Spoke to Jamie in the evening halfway through a boring F1 GP from Spa. I managed to pick his brains about his coffee maker which I might splash some cash on some day in the future. I also explained my reason for getting a new computer. The old one I’m writing this on is really going downhill fast and it can’t be upgraded. Apple can be such a pain in the backside sometimes.

Hoping for a little bit more rain tomorrow and maybe another shopping expedition to Tesco. What fun!