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Heading East – 6 February 2016

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combo bWe tried to go to Falkirk today, but got as far as the outskirts when we met the traffic. Everyone seemed to want to go to Falkirk today. We didn’t. We turned and went out over the Kincardine Bridge and drove to Culross. It was a short visit, because as soon as we got out of the car the rain came on and it was bitterly cold. Up until then it had been fairly bright with no sign of the wet stuff. I took some photos around the pier and jetty at Culross but Scamp was looking really cold and miserable sitting around waiting for me, so we headed back west again and went to Milano’s for lunch.

Not much else to report about the day other than there seems to be a morons convention going on next door. Mostly it seems to revolve around them trying to talk.  They seem to have mastered shouting, but are failing to understand the technical aspects of controlling their sound level. I think the bloke’s dog is teaching them, but it’s an uphill task and may be beyond him.

It Rained – 5 February 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt rained all day. High point was going to The Cotton House for lunch. Other than that, it was a bit of a very damp squib. A trip to Robroyston couldn’t lift the clouds. Even the scones I made tonight were underbaked according to my own Mary Berry. I’ve got to admit they weren’t my best. You can always tell how bad it’s been – today’s PoD is flowers, always a bad sign. That’s it I’m afraid. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Another sunny start – 4 February 2016

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combo bHo, ho, two sunny mornings on the trot! This morning I got up and patently ignored the little pink case with the borked Nexus 7 in it. Had my breakfast and headed off to Glasgow to return a pair of shoes. I had that feeling when I left the shop two weeks ago that the purchase was a mistake. I was right. No amount of wearing them about the house would convince me to accept them into my shoe library. Nope, they were duffers as far as I was concerned. I’d hummed and hawed about them when I was in the shop, but as soon as I left it, I knew it was a mistake. Oh well, the return was made without a hitch and I left feeling so much better. On the way back home I made the decision to get the bike out, pump up the tyres and head off for a gentle run in the sun.

The run transpired, the sun didn’t. By the time I was leaving the house, the clouds had rolled in from the west and rain was threatening to dampen my high spirits. However, I was suited and booted (as the lady in the Apprentice said) and I was off. Not a long run, I’d decided, just a gentle breaking in expedition into darkest Tipland. It used to be an open cast mine I think but later it became a tip and even later, recently in fact there has been a lot of test boring on the site. I may be wrong, but I get the sense that it may eventually become a housing development. It will have a fancy name, the houses will be ‘chicken boxes’ and about ten years or so after they are occupied someone will start a petition to get samples taken from the ground. Those samples will confirm the people’s fears that there is methane gas exuding from the ground. If only they had listened to me, I could have told them. But for now, it is usually a good place to see deer in the winter and a great place for damselflies and dragonflies in the summer. No deer today and the damselflies are still in the nymph stage, busy catching water beetles and minnows, unaware of the changes that will come soon in their lives. So it was photos of trees today. That’s ok, some of the trees made interesting shapes and there was almost a bit of form to the sky, almost. Lightroom helped there. After that it was cycle home, have a cup of coffee and dream of warm summer cycling days to come. DV.

Perth – 3 February 2016

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combo bSince it was a bright cheery day, we went to Perth. We had intended going on the bus, but going there was fine, but coming back was a bit of a hit and miss – with our luck it would be a miss, so we drove. It was a really pleasant run up the A9. The scenery with the changing light on the hills was spectacular. We get so used to seeing this scenery in Scotland and we become partly blind to it. I think it’s because we’ve had such poor weather and light recently that we enjoy the world around us when the light returns.

We had come to Perth to get coffee and tea, well, I had come for these essentials as it’s only me who drinks tea and mostly me who drinks coffee. We went for a walk along the Tay and that is where I saw the swan in a newly formed pond created by the recent floods. It was also where we saw the tower on the far side of the river. I think it was really a bit of a folly.

Lunch in Howies restaurant as we hadn’t booked Cafe Tabou so there was little chance of getting a table.

Scamp wanted to look at handbags on the way to the coffee shop and I spotted what looked like a decent pair of shoes in the same shop. Tried them on and decided on the spot that they were fine. Scamp beat me, she got a pair of shoes and the handbag. I wasn’t too bothered because I liked my shoes, they were a bargain at the price and there were no handbags that I liked. I got my caffeine requirement and we drove home, all in sunshine. It’s forecast to rain tomorrow. What a shame.

When we came home I struggled again with that bloody Nexus 7. I’ve decided it can’t be fixed. I’ve tried everything I can. I think someone has been at it before me and without knowing what they have done, I can’t undo it. I’ve learned a lot in the process though. Mainly, leave well alone when it’s been bodged by somebody else.

I’m walking in sunshine – 2 February 2016

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combo bFor a time today, the sun shone.  It was so good to walk in the sun.  After all the dull, heavy feeling weather we’ve had this winter it was good to feel the sun on your face and to see shadows.  It’s surprising just how much it means to see the effects of the sun on your surroundings.  According to the weather fairies we are to have more sun tomorrow.  Bring it on!

Went to the gym and had a play around on the machines.  I’ve still got a few to investigate and a few that I can happily discount as ‘not for me’.  Went for a swim afterwards, but the pool was busy so we spent most of our time in either the sauna or the jacuzzi.  I don’t mind, it does you good to just get out these days.

After lunch I went for that walk in the sun and when I got back one of Scamp’s friends had brought her Nexus round for me to have a look at.  The first thing I noticed was that the back of the device wasn’t seated properly, so I suspect somebody had been there before me.  Second thing was that the machine was totally dead – not even the empty battery sign which usually means it’s been left on or something has shorted somewhere.  I worked with it all night, but the whole thing is totally ‘bricked’.  A very technical and appropriate term for knackered.  I don’t see it working again any time soon.  In an attempt to reset it like I did with my own Nexus, I had to use the PC.  What a brick that is.  Windoze 10 wouldn’t start – grey screen – no message – no pointer.  Powered down, then back on – just the same.  Left it charging for about 15 minutes and a message appeared “configuring updates 100% complete”  So that’s what the bloody thing had been doing.  It would have been good of Win10 to at least give me a clue what was going on in its tiny mind.  After another 3 hard resets, it started working, though grudgingly.  That’s why I don’t mind paying the hefty price for a Mac.  It just works.  Usually.

White Rabbits (x3) – 1 February 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe traditional greeting for the first day of the month.  It’s meant to bring you good luck or something.  Let’s hope it breaks the seemingly endless chain of storms that are sweeping Scotland.  Today it was Storm Henry’s turn to wreak devastation.  Henry is quite a noisy and blustery storm, he’s still rumbling around outside as I write this and will be there tomorrow to catch the unwary so we are told.  Some businesses in Glasgow let their workers go home early because of him.  They probably had their hours cut though.  Charity stops at the office.

Didn’t see any rabbits today, white, brown or striped red and yellow.  I did see three deer though.  The were feeding in a public park near the path to Condorrat, right next to a swing park.  They saw me, but pretended they didn’t and seemed quite unconcerned.  I could almost hear them saying “Oh, it’s just another old codger taking photos.  Ignore him and he’ll go away after he’s got his shots.”  So I did get the shots and they did ignore me and I went away.

“Gems” had invaded the house by the time I got back so I took the car out for a run and tried for some photos down by the Luggie, but there was nothing stirring and it was getting really dull so I headed home with an empty SD card.

Went to the Bachata class again tonight and although it was the fat bloke, he was much, much better than last week’s wannabe.  “Junior Instructor my sharny arse” as DCI Steel would say in the latest Stuart MacBride book.  Books are a real pain.  Did you know the pages don’t light up?  You have to physically turn the pages too.  The pages don’t turn when you touch the right hand side of them.  How old-school is that?  If you want  to look up a word you have to use a special app called a Dictionary you can’t just ‘long press’ the word.  Worse still, the Dictionary app is a book too.  I think there’s a conspiracy here by the book makers who are trying to get you to but even more books.  It won’t work though.  There will always be a place for a Kindle.

Face Painting – 31 January 2016

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combo bThe last day in January and I was off to a sketching workshop at Cass Art. It was Ok, but no better than that. Most of the workshop was based on portraiture and I was interested in that as it’s one type of art I’m not confident about. His (and he is Jake Spicer) pitch was very gentle and believable and his tasks easily completed in the time given. I drew Fred and he drew me. Both were likenesses. However, I felt the whole workshop was quite two dimensional with very little depth. I also had a look at his book which was quite expensive for what it was with lots of space in it to practice your techniques. I’d like to see how big the book would be without that wasted space. To quote Dragon’s Den, “I’m not going to invest”, but Quote of the Day came from the woman who was drawing and being drawn by an older man “That doesn’t look like me at all …” Sorry missus, but it does bear a resemblance to you. “… and mine looks exactly like you!” Only if he lived in Picasso-land.

After we got home and I had had my lunch, I went for a walk to St Mo’s in the rain to investigate just how high I could push the ISO and still get an image. The answer appeared to be 12000 ISO. I fed the swans and the coots, then went for a walk through the woods to find some deer, but they were sheltering somewhere else from the rain. Came home and got ready to go to salsa.

Enjoyed the dancing at the Garage and came home to a dinner of soup and crab ravioli. Lovely.

Rained almost all day and it’s going to snow tomorrow according to the weather folk, and more high winds of course.

Deep and Crisp and Even – 30 January 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt snowed during the night. When we woke it was bright white sunshine that was coming in the windows. Such a nice difference. Yes, I knew it was going to cloud over and there was the chance that we’d have more snow during the day, but for a while it was sunny.

Had a relaxed start to the day, no need to rush on a Saturday now. Let the workers do the rushing to make the most of their weekend. Us retirees can take our time. Finished the book I was reading “Strange Loyalties” by Wm McIlvanney. It was a bit of struggle finishing it, rather like wading through treacle at times, but good use of language. Full review on Goodreads (3/5 stars).

Luckily we had planned on a bus journey to Glasgow because I didn’t fancy driving anywhere today with blizzards forecast for everywhere in Scotland. As it happened, we didn’t see any blizzards, but there was a bit of snow as we were driven in to the great metropolis that is Glasgow.

This being our anniversary, or the anniversary of the day we met, we went for lunch. Today’s choice was Charcoals. I had Rara Gosht and Scamp had Chicken Dopiaza. They were both lovely – not cheap, but lovely. We wandered round ‘The Toon’ for a while and then came home on the bus.

By the time we got back most of the snow had gone. It was a great day.

Today’s PoD, in fact the only one worth talking about, was taken outside the Apple building which is being ‘modernised’. A nice bit of business acumen there.

Galloping Gertie – 29 January 2016

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combo bStorm Gertrude gave us a glancing blow last night and early this morning.  Gusts approaching 80mph apparently and around 6.00 this morning it certainly felt like it.

The worst of the wind had abated by lunchtime and we went for a swim.  There wasn’t much pleasure in driving and with all the travel restrictions due to the wind, so a swim gave us a short run and a wee bit of gentle exercise too.

After we came back, I was tempted to go out and take some photos, but the wind was still there and it was pretty cold.  I decided to take some shots in the garden instead.  The viola is a pretty wee thing and is flowering well, even in this cold weather.  The birds were photographed through the kitchen window and turned out better than I expected.

Snow and more high winds predicted for tonight and most of tomorrow.  Should be interesting.

One day this weary winter will be gone – 28 January 2016

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATitle comes from a Loudon Wainwright song and it sums up my feelings quite succinctly.  Another still life as evidence of the darkness outside from dawn to dusk.  Dusk being about 5 minutes after dawn.  After that, total darkness reigns.

Today we went to 1 Devonshire Gardens for lunch.  It was a retirement present from the Malleys for Sheila.  This was a full dress occasion – suit, shirt and tie.  I even got shaved.  It was worth it.  Food was really excellent.  Service was excellent too, just what you’d expect in a place like this.  Because we knew that “drink would be taken”, we went on the bus, in fact buses because we got the bus from the centre of town to the restaurant.  That was a first for us, travelling IN Glasgow by bus, but it was a necessity today because it was a 20 minute walk from the subway station and it was raining.

After our delicious lunch we went back in to the centre of town to pick up my beautiful artwork from Sunday’s class in Cass Art.  It’s still sitting in  the bag until I have the courage to look at it again.  I’m only glad that I didn’t buy the paint they were pushing at the class.

Now we are getting ready to batten down the hatches before Storm Gertrude arrives with its 80mph wind gusts.