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A Better Day – 18 December 2015

Posted on by Zogman

combo wAh, this was a better day, relatively speaking.

Added another layer of acrylic to my painting while Scamp went shopping this morning.

After lunch, she went swimming and I went for a walk which almost turned out to be swimming as I waded through enough puddles to test my new boots to destruction, but thankfully they (and I) survived unscathed.  It rained all the way on my walk from Auchinstarry to Dumbreck and back along the canal.  There was very little to see today on either path, but I did catch an interesting conversation near Auchinstarry Marina that could easily have been misconstrued from the evidence of a single still photo!

When I got back and had dried out I added some more daubs to the now overloaded canvas, but I’m getting the feel for where I’m going with it now.  Impasto with acrylic paint is great fun to apply, but the very devil to remove.  I think I’d rather just chuck the canvas away rather than try to scrub it down.  It reminds me of colourful artex!

I’m hoping to have a go at the first draft of my 2016 calendar tonight.

I think it’s still raining.

A wasted day – 17 December 2015

Posted on by Zogman

IMG_2978-Edit-Edit- blog--351Have you ever had one of those days where you have everything planned out – then one thing after another screws up? That was today.

It really started last night when my niece phoned up at 9.00pm to say that she had broken the door handle into her kitchen and would I go up and sort it out. Well, as you may remember, yesterday was an ‘Auld Guys’ day in the HorseShoe Bar, so I was in no fit state to drive, thankfully Scamp did the honours and guided us up to our niece’s house. Just like she had said, the handle was broken off at the shaft, so I took the whole lock assembly off and said I’d get her a new one today and fit it for her. As she was going out in the afternoon, she asked if I’d get it done in the morning. I’d already planned to go to the hospital to get my ankle x-rayed in the morning, meet Fred for coffee at noon and maybe, just maybe get some photos taken in the afternoon. Change of plan. Up and out for 9.30am and off to B&Q to get the replacement handle. Replacing the handle was no problem as all the hard work had been done when I fitted the original. That left me just enough time to get back home and dump my tool bag before going up to meet Fred.

We had our usual talk about painting, sketching and setting the world to rights over a cup or two of Java, or as near as you can get to Java in Costa. I was really impressed with some of his Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt copies. Nudes of course, what else!

After that it was over to Airdrie to search the hospital carpark for that elusive space that isn’t too tight, a disabled space, or taken up by some builders rubble. Found one. Right at the back of the carpark. Almost in Coatbridge! Found my way to X-Ray department, handed in my card, confirmed my details and went to wait. After 45minutes had gone by and there was no sign of anyone coming to take foties of my ankle, I went to check at reception. A different lady asked my name and DOB, then said they had no record of me. Had I checked in at reception? I told her I had and that I had handed in my doctor’s referral. Her reply was the noncommital reply most receptionists use when staring at a computer screen: “I don’t know what happened there.” Neither did I, but just after I returned to my seat, my name was called and the foties were took. I was told to wait while they ‘processed’ them. I think this is the terminology for the mysterious process of downloading the images to the computer. After waiting for about 15minutes for the ‘processing’, another nurse came through to say there was a slight technical hitch. What? Another one? This time the computer wouldn’t accept my details. Was it me, I began to wonder? Am I not really here? Maybe I should be at a completely different hospital in a parallel universe. Have I gone through a black hole? No, I hadn’t gone through Coatbridge, just parked near it. However, all was resolved in the end by the IT technician’s secret procedure of switching it off, counting to ten and switching it back on again, then typing the details in by hand. I was free to go, and even better, it looks like there are no bones broken or chipped in my ankle. Just ligament damage. Take paracetamol.

By the time I got out the light had gone and it was back to the twilight world we inhabit from November until February, except when it’s totally dark.

Now tomorrow I plan to …………..  Nah.  Best not go there yet.

Hard Travelling – 15 December 2015

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combo bOut to the doc’s just after 9.00 this morning, then off to Larky to get my glasses fixed after they broke last week. It was no fun driving through about 10 miles of motorway roadworks. I’d hate to have to drive this twice a day, five days a week. It’s never ending too. I think it’s been going on for about a year now and it looks like it will go on for at least another year.

Larky hadn’t changed much, but I did see a strange sight. There was a flock of birds circling round the railway station. At first I thought they were rooks or crows, but then I noticed gulls, starlings and pigeons in the flock too. So strange to see such a mixture of different raucous birds.

Drove back through the same roadworks (there’s almost no way to avoid them) on the way home. I did take one diversion to pick up some icecream from Souave’s in Muirhead, and Edinburgh Rock too, of course.

There was just enough light left when I got home to get out with my new boots and get them dirty, or at least wet – and maybe get some photos. I walked along the railway walk and got what I thought were some good shots of an old twisted tree. When I got back, I realised that it just didn’t work. That’s how it goes sometimes. The boots survived the trip. I managed to get them wet and dirty, but my feet stayed dry. Success!

The morning after … – 14 December 2015

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGot in late last night (well, this morning actually) and didn’t get to bed until about 1.30am. As a consequence, we didn’t rise until after 9.00am. There was no need to rush because it was dull and rainy outside.

Later when Scamp had her Gems Christmas party, I vamoosed to the gym for a swim. That’s one of the great luxuries of being retired, being able to go the gym when it’s quiet.

Tonight was the last salsa class of the year and as usual it was great fun. Just a mix of dancing and games – daft games. Jamie G had provided us with far too many goodies and it would have been churlish to not have partaken of some of them.

Today’s POD, in fact the only photo I took today was starlings sitting in the tree outside the house indulging in their tuneless singing that they always produce on dull days. Maybe they’re fed up with the rain too.

Cold and Frosty – 13 December 2015

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combo bOut just after 10.00 this morning to make the most of the bright light, blue sky and ground frost.  Just a quick trip to St Mo’s to see if there were any deer around (there were) and if there were any photo opportunities to be had (there were).

I had hoped that Mr Grey would be out near the shore fishing for food, but as I was walking across the road, he was flying above me in the opposite direction.  I did get a shot of two one-footed coots on the icy pond.  I guess it doesn’t hurt so much if you only stand on one foot, because only one foot freezes at a time.  I walked down through the deciduous woods without a sign of any deer, then when I was almost at the small pond, two of them ran across my path about 100metres away.  I walked on a bit and startled another group of five or six younger animals who sped away fast.  I didn’t attempt to photograph them, it was just good to see them run.

Walked on over the hill at the road and got a few more shots of frozen leaves and dried thistles.  The stuff most photogs like me take.  My kind of photos, Scamp calls them.  I liked the light on the pine trees beside the path from the boardwalk and got some good directional light on them.  After that, it was back home for tea and toast.

Didn’t do much else other than make some bread and cook the venison I got yesterday for my dinner.

At night it was the Salsa Christmas Ball.  I think we both had a ball, despite the floor being sticky with something unmentionable and there being very little room to dance when it seemed that everyone was on the floor at the same time.  Because neither of us had work in the morning, we could stay as long as we liked.  We liked midnight as a time to stay until.  By then I’d danced with seven girls which must be a record for me.  Still to see the Photo Booth photos, but I’m sure they will be hilarious.  Great time with great people.

The Far East – 12 December 2015

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combo bActually it wasn’t Japan, it was Embra and it rained.  Went to get some emergency supplies of tea at my favourite Embra establishment.  Just a wee tea shop where the proprietor doesn’t deal in metric measurements, only pounds and ounces.  A great sense of humour and a total disregard for any Politically Correctness.  A breath of fresh air in this world.  Long may he continue to run his shop his way.

After coffee in Nero, we walked through the farmers’ market to get some venison for tomorrow’s dinner.  Then it was along Princes Street to the Christmas Market.  It was as busy as it ever is, but I was listening to a podcast this week and have to agree with the presenter.  He was complaining that German Christmas Markets in this country are now run by Polish people selling goods made in China, and that seems to be as true here as anywhere else in the UK.  Maybe it’s different in mainland Europe.

For a change we went in to one building of the National Gallery and I enjoyed looking at the painting by the Old Masters.  After that we went in to the other building.  What a difference.  It was supposed to be award winners in some national competition.My one abiding memory is of a triptych of three ‘portraits’, like primary school pupils would have painted.  What is the point of that?  I’ve heard one critic try to explain how “Your child couldn’t have painted that”.  In my opinion, her assertions simply proved that they could have.  The Emperor’s New Clothes indeed.

After our cultural adventure we had lunch and went home.  Wet and a bit disappointed.  Sorry Embra, you just didn’t cut it today.

The Magnificent Seven

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnother dull, dark, wet day.  An ideal day to go for a swim in the warm waters of the leisure centre with no need to feel guilty about not exercising first, as the gym is being refurbished this week.  So off we went, both of us, because Scamp can now go when she wants – the freedom of retirement.

After that we headed in to Glasgow because, remember yesterday’s boots trip?  Well, this morning I decided that the boots were just a wee bit too wee for complete comfort.  Parked at Cowcaddens and took the underground to St Enoch’s.  Yes, I know it’s real name is St Enoch, without the apostrophe ‘s’, but it’s alway referred to as St Enoch‘ss, so that’s what it is here.  Got the boots exchanged for a green pair.  Scamp says it’s really my colour.  Don’t tell anyone in Larky that or they won’t let me in again.  This pair are a half size bigger, so that should be fine and dandy.

Technospeak Alert
On the way back to the car, I stopped to get a shot of the underpass at Cowcaddens.  I like this underpass with its interesting graphics and great lighting.  I wanted a bit of human interest and I thought I had the idea subjects when a group of guys wandered through.  There was my shot.  It even had a title “The Magnificent Seven” because there were seven of them.  When I got home and downloaded the shot I was disappointed to see that there were in fact, only six of them.  However, as always I’d taken another couple of shots from different angles.  One of them had a woman walking towards the camera at about the same distance as the six guys.  It was a simple matter to use Potatoshop to clip her out of one frame and insert her into the other one.  There, now it was the Magnificent Seven (Now referred to as the MS).  Isn’t that what they invented Potatoshop for?  The lighting was a bit more difficult to fix.  I tried low key, high key and HDR.  None of them worked for me.  I eventually used a preset I’ve been making good use of this week.  It’s a low key, high contrast monochrome.  The only problem was that the MS were lost against the background.  However, help was at hand with Lightroom’s new radial filter which allowed me to lighten the back wall and make the MS stand out in silhouette.  Just what I wanted.  There, that’s the full story, not the sanitised version that goes into Flickr.  I don’t know what it is with underpasses, bridges and tunnels this week.

Stopped at the Costa at Robroyston with the intention of going to Asda for essential shopping later.  When we came out, we couldn’t be bothered, so we decided to go home instead.  That’s what we did.  Scamp is out tonight at the choir carol service.  I offered to go with her, but she quite rightly said that I’d hate it, so she went on her own.  May start a painting later, or maybe I’ll just heat a pizza because it’s Friday.

Boots – 10 December 2015

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combo bI went in to Glasgow today to get some paint – one tube of paint to be exact. Scamp was singing in the afternoon, so this got me out of the house too. I’d been looking for a new pair of boots. My old well worn Goretex walking boots were beginning to let in water. After five years of solid use that’s not surprising. For months now I’ve been looking for a replacement pair without much success. Today I chanced by Clarks in Argyle Street and there was the exact boots I was looking for. I’m not saying how much they cost, but the cost was proportionate to the cost of the old pair they are replacing. When I walked out of the shop I passed a camera crew recording interviews with passers by. On the local TV news tonight, there I was in the background. Hey, I was on the telly.

I went for the bus home, but when I got to the bus station a fire alarm started. Everyone just ignored it to start with. It’s Scotland. We find it hard to get excited about fire alarms, burglar alarms. If WW3 started we’d probably just stand and watch the bombs dropping thinking “where are the hidden cameras then?”. Eventually, when the fire wardens in their red Hi-Vis jackets appeared, people grudgingly exited the buildings. It was cold, the wind was gusting and there was a threat of rain (maybe it would put the fire out) so I decided to use my time constructively and went to John Lewis to have a cup of coffee and a scone. When I came out, the emergency was over and everything was running normally (i.e. there were no buses for Cumbernauld for about 30 mins). When I got home Scamp was gone to her gig(!) and the sun was out, so I went to take some photos. Walked along the Luggie again and used the 9mm lens a lot. I also used a Lightroom preset I’d made up to process the decent shots.

Last night the Mac crashed. Black screen, no sign of anything happening. Not a sound. Not a flicker. I eventually powered it down. Not the way you’re meant to do it, but by holding down the power button. You’re not meant to do that because it can cause problems. It caused problems. Every time I opened Finder (Windows Explorer to the MicroSofties) it would take about a minute to produce the goods. I eventually found out that it was a corrupted .plist. If that means nothing to you, don’t worry. I don’t understand either. All I know is that the repair I found on the net was convoluted, but it worked. I think. I’ll know better tomorrow when I try a reset. I can’t be bothered to do it tonight. It’s been a long day, but I’ve got a new pair of boots!

Oh yes, here’s the repair code:

In Terminal type

cd /Users/User/Library/Preferences/  <Where User is your user name>

rm -fr com.apple.sidebarlists.plist

rm -fr com.apple.finder.plist

Logout

Then Logout from the apple menu

 

Perf – 9 December 2015

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combo bToday we went to Perth. Not Perth, Australia, but Perth, Scotland. Rather than drive there, or bus there, we decided to train. It was a lousy day. Dull, wet and windy. The train seemed to be a great idea and the trip north was very comfortable. I don’t know why they built the railway station so far out of town. Maybe the town centre was meant to be near the bus and rail station, but someone decided that a mile or so further down the road was a much more sensible situation for a town centre. Not to worry, the walk would do us good.

The main reason for the trip was to get more coffee and a Chrissy Prezzy for me. I was allowed to choose it, but after we got home it had to go to Santa until the 25th. After the purchases we went to The George for lunch: Fish & Chips (x2). It was lovely. By the time we came out it was just after 1.00pm and you could already see it was getting dark. I got some photos of some statuary near the river. After that we fought through the wind and rain on our way back to the station, only to find out we had a 45min wait for the train. A 45min wait on a metal seat next to a couple of joiners who were building a wooden box about two metres long by one meter wide by two metres high. I think it may be a waiting room, a new concept in Perth Railway Station. Even the dismal 1950s bus station waiting room is luxurious compared to Perth Railway Station’s waiting facilities: a metal bench that seats four. Food for those waiting is catered for by a drinks vending machine and a chocolate vending machine – superb! The station does have a sign saying ‘Welcome’, but that’s where the welcome ends.

Thankfully the journey home was quite excellent. Just under an hour for the entire journey from Perth Railway Station to Home. Scary though. Not the journey, but the amount of water that was passing by the windows of the train. So much water. Flooding everywhere from Perth to Stirling. It’s then you realise how lucky we are to live on a hill.