Blog

Hoodie – 7 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bToday I gave in and bought a hoodie. It was another cold grey day. We did have an hour of sunshine around midday but that was it. In the morning we walked to the start of the dunes saw a strange (artist’s?) house with lots of icons on the walls. Just begging to be photographed.  Next door was what we think is a nudist hotel. High industrial looking metal walls and a name that hinted at naturism. We must go back and investigate.

Once I’d decided to bite the bullet and go for comfort over fashion, we walked half way into town and had a look in lots of shops, even venturing into Zara!!  Couldn’t find what what I wanted at a sensible price (€85 for a hoodie? I think not). With that in mind we walked back to our local shopping centre and got one there. Not in the shop where the Indian woman asked “You like it. You not going to buy?”  “Eh, naw”. Finally got one. A bit dearer than the Indian one, but from a much more pleasant seller. The squeaky wheel doesn’t always get the grease.  Just been to the Rambutan restaurant for dinner and it was great. Not the best hotel in the world, but the food is exceptional.

Sunday Stroll – 6 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bToday after breakfast we walked all the way in to Corralejo. It took us some time.  We passed through a shopping arcade where there was an open air craft market and a group singing folk songs.  Further into town I got a cheap, but really comfortable shirt after waiting in a long, long queue. We saw the most amazingly customized bikes, cycles, not motorcycles, covered in shells and goatskin!

We walked down to the harbour and saw painted fish statues, like the cow parade, but fish!  On the walk back we stopped at a bar where we could have danced last night, had we known. Instead we had a pizza, Scamp had a glass of wine and I had a beer while we listened to a jazz guitarist playing Jimi Hendrix covers. Good guitarist, good pizza and the drinks were very welcome because it was starting to get warm.

Back at the hotel we watched a volleyball game in warm sunshine for an hour.

At night we watched the show – Cabaret and then got to dance salsa and bachata in the disco. Knackered now.

First thoughts on Corralejo – 5 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

P3050281- flickr--72--65We are sitting on the balcony with industrial strength G&Ts. This, after “Cooncil” (ie, all-inclusive, local spirit) mojitos and G&Ts and a few beers. Not impressed with the weather.  It’s a bit cool, but still doable. It’s the wind that keeps the temperature down. Went for a short walk along the beach, but swiftly headed for the shelter of the beachside houses. Food in the hotel is fine. Actually quite impressed. Rooms are fine. Nothing fancy, but sufficient for our needs. It’s strange that the temperature is higher after the sun sets, presumably because the wind dies down then. Hoping to go for a walk tomorrow. You know how Scamp loves her walks. Possibly heading in to town. That’s CORRALEJO TOWN, not TOONIE or THE TOON. Just so we’re clear. This isn’t Kansas, Toto.

Lunch, the highpoint of the day – 4 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bNot a lot to say about today again.  Lunch was at The Cotton House where I bumped into a former colleague who worked part-time for us for a while, but who retired a couple of years before me.  Lunch was good as usual.  Barbecued spare ribs are great, but very messy to eat!  I would probably have been better with Scamp’s choice of spring rolls.  Both of us had the same main – chicken chow mein.  Simply superb.

After lunch we drove in to Glasgow, to Staples for me to get a bigger SD card for the new camera.  It was a lovely day with great views of the hills on the way back.  Unfortunately I was driving, so I didn’t get the chance to take any photos.

When we got back, I went out to post a parcel to Hazy (Incoming Hazy!) and break in the new card on the way back home.  I had to wait for about 15 mins while a rain shower made its way swiftly across us.  There were some nice sprinkles of sun across the pond at St Mo’s, but a fair amount of cloud too.  Thankfully the rain stayed away.

That about wraps it up for Friday.

Back in the old routine – 3 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bJackie headed North this morning on the 10.00am bus. Scamp had a Gems concert in the afternoon and I went out for “the messages” then had a quick wander round St Mo’s pond. I got some better photos of the Tufty Duck brigade and some closer views of one of the resident swans. Some 9mm landscape shots finished the photography for today.

In other news, JIC and Sim checked in from St Lucia with a temperature of 30ºc and sunny skies and we have a couple of days worth of recorded TV to get through in the next few days because I don’t watch TV when I’m in myself.

Looking forward to lunch at The Cotton House tomorrow.

The Wanderers Return – 2 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bI had good intentions today. I was going to the gym or maybe just a swim. I did neither. I lay in bed and read another couple of chapters of my latest book, The Drowned World – JG Ballard, originally published in 1962 and as valid today. It’s the story of earth after the polar ice caps melt. Not due to greenhouse gas emissions or stuff like that, but because the sun has gone mental (Technical Term) and is overheating. Different scenario, same outcome. Amazing book. I first read it when I was about 16 and then went on to read Crystal World, Drought and Concrete Island. Ballard was a really imaginative writer. Years ahead of his time.

After my literary morning, I went to St Mo’s to feed the jucks and get their photos. Unfortunately I got mobbed by a couple of swans and didn’t get any decent shots of Tufty the Tufted Duck.

Went to meet Fred and set the world to rights at midday. Todays discussion bounced around the delights of doodling, (but his were so much better than my po faced perspective doodles) Council Tax reforms, Euroskeptics (and what we should do with them) and former bosses (and what we should do with them). The world would be a much better and more pleasant place if they would let us run it.

Came home and decided the bright sun deserved to be recorded for posterity and with that in mind I took myself off to St Mo’s for the second time today. Saw a Treecreeper. I thought it was a Nuthatch, but realised that it was the wrong colour. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen a Treecreeper, hope it’s not the last.

After dinner I tracked Scamp and the sisters on their flight back home. On dear, my week of perfect isolation is at an end.

First day of Spring? Nobody told the weather – 1 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo b

For the first day of Spring, the weather was really like Winter.  Cold winds and even colder rain showers.  Spent the morning tidying up the back bedroom for the return of the wanderers.  Then in a bright spell, I grabbed the dreaded Micra boot handle and bolted it in place, joined up the cable to check it still worked (it did – did you doubt me?) and fixed the cover panel back in place.  Job done.  £95 for a new switch?  I think not.  All you needed was a 10mm spanner, a Torx screwdriver, a stanley knife, a JB00A push to make switch, a sheet of sandpaper, a hot melt glue gun, a silicon gun and some duct tape, always some duct tape.  Oh yes, and some step by step instructions from a kind gentleman on the net.

Couldn’t decide what to do next.  I’d considered the gym, but I needed some photos for the 365, so a walk was a better option and with a look at the sky, it would need to be a short one.  Managed a dry half hour at St Mo’s.  Nothing very inspiring.  The Tufted Duck was keeping well out of detailed camera shot range and the Oystercatchers were just messing me about.  As soon as I got the camera fired up, they were gone.  Oysters in St Mo’s, who would have thought it.

Quick dash to Tesco for supplies and then home to make dinner.  That’s about it.  Snow forecast for tomorrow morning.  Thankfully I don’t need to be up and out in it.  If it’s photogenic, I may take the camera for a walk.  As Scamp is fond of saying, it all depends on the weather.

Leap Day – 29 February 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bThere’s not a lot to say about today.  Had breakfast in bed.  The first time since Scamp left for Fuerteventura.  Started a painting then got bogged down in it and started to seal up the boot lock for Scamp’s car.  Got it done and tried to fit it, but the plastic box I made around the switch was too big and wouldn’t allow the lock shield to bolt in place.  Had to remove it and resort to silicon sealant.  Messy stuff.  I’ve left it to dry and set overnight and will fit it again tomorrow hopefully.

Went for a drive in the afternoon, but with low light and no directional sunlight, there wasn’t much I wanted to shoot.  Took some photos on Fannyside Moor, but nothing that inspired me to work on it.  It was photos for photos sake.  However, the settings I changed last night seem to make an improvement to the general quality of the shots I took.
<Technospeak> (This indicates the start of a technospeak section JIC)
Found out how to link a MySet to an unused dial position on the camera which is a great advance.  I didn’t know you could do that on the E-PL5 either.  It’s amazing what you learn.
</Technospeak> (It’s ok, you can start reading again, technospeak over)

By the way JIC, here’s an interesting thing to try with your coffee grinder.  I’ve tried it and it works with some coffee, but not all.

Went to salsa and learned an interesting new move and an intersting sequence in bachata.  Other than that, it was cloudy all day and it’s raining now.  Hope the rain keeps away tomorrow to get this boot lock fixed on the Micra.

Old Boot – 28 February 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bI think Old Boot was the name of the dog in the newspaper cartoon “The Perishers” away back in the mid ’70s. However, the old boot that took up most of my day today was the boot lock on Scamp’s Micra. A couple of weeks ago, with no prior warning, the boot refused to open when the release was pressed. I first thought it was the release mechanism that was at fault, but after a few sprays of WD40 it still refused to open, so it was on to the Internet to find out if any other hapless motorists had had the same problem. More importantly, had they solved the problem. It turned out that the problem itself was the microswitch in the boot handle becoming corroded or otherwise borked. Back out again and tried the test they suggested and indeed it appeared to be the switch that was causing all the bother. Nissan replacement part £95 + labour + VAT. Finally I found two useful pages on the Net explaining how to go about the repair using a Maplin microswitch costing around £2.00 Inc VAT. That sounded more like it. Since Scamp was not desperate to get it repaired pronto, I decided to wait until she and her sisters were off on holiday and do the job then. Today was that day. It was a fairly easy job, thanks to the aforementioned instructions. I only diverged a little from them in the fitting of the replacement switch. The lock assembly is sitting. on the table now neatly soldered (actually the soldering is awful – it would get you an instant fail in any metalwork or electronics course) and glued together. I’ve not got to weather seal it and it can go back on the car as soon as possible. One more Brownie Point for me.

It was a lovely bright, dry, almost warm day which is why I chose to do the job today. No point in mixing electronics and water. That’s probably what damaged the old switch in the first place. Went for a walk later in the fading light to try to get some photos with the new camera. After spending ages setting it up last night, I changed the settings, deleting all my changes – dummy! As a result, the shots are not as good as they could be. I think I’ve managed to get almost everything back again now. This camera is an amazing piece of technology, but is so easy to get wrong. One wrong button press and bang everything is back to stage one. I should know better, but I don’t. Story of my life, I think.

Boats, Bridges, Bikes and Accents – 27 February 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bBeautiful morning. Seemed a shame to waste it, so I got my bike on the rack and drove over to Culross (sorry Hazy, take that look off your face). I parked and cycled along the footpath back to Kincardine. The going was fairly easy. A few slight slopes, but nothing very strenuous. However when I was freewheeling down one hill, I just thought it might be a bit of a challenge on the way back. Took some photos of the bridges, Kincardine and Clacks (short for Clackmannanshire Bridge). Why are people paid to decide the names for bridges, then come up with a mouthful like Clackmannanshire Bridge? They know fine well that the folk that stay there and the ones that use it will make up their own names for the crossings. Clacks Bridge sounds so much better. Nothing to do with Diskworld though.

While I was there an old guy wheeling a bike came along. I say ‘old’ but he was probably about the same age as me. He spoke to me, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.  I thought he might be Polish. He repeated it and still I couldn’t make him out. It was only when he turned and said very slowly, “It’s nice to see a bit of sun” it twigged that he’d said “It’s a grand day”. His Fife accent was so thick it was almost impenetrable to my Lanarkshire ears. I agreed with him and he went on his way to the boat yard where he laboured a bit hauling a rowing boat down the jetty and setting off in it.

I’d just finished taking shots of the bridges and the mountains beyond and was ready to come home when I turned and saw the three wee boats sitting on the water with the beautiful cloudscape behind. Camera back out and got another load of pictures. The Oly isn’t tamed yet. It kept overexposing (sounds naughty, but it just means the photos are very pale) so when I got home I changed the exposure setting to Auto. That’s something I never do.

The run back was uneventful except, remember that hill? I was right, it was a killer on the way back. Got my blood pressure up and my pulse racing. Does you good to get out somewhere on a real bike, not a computer simulation.

Sirloin steak for dinner. It was lovely and I felt I’d earned it today.