My Photo Blog

Away with the birdies – 4 June 2015

Posted on June 4, 2015June 4, 2015 by Zogman

I couldn’t sleep this morning so got up to see Scamp off to work, read for a while, finished off a painting and settled down to wait for the gas man to come to service the boiler. You can’t say I don’t lead a busy and active life. What I don’t do is turn on the TV as soon as I get up. I don’t know if I’ve ever turned on TV in the morning unless it was to watch the (few) live Formula one Grands Prix on a Sunday morning – that’s different though. I did get a chance to watch the birds teaching their young to feed and that was a laugh. Didn’t even have to go far, just watched them from the kitchen window.

In the afternoon after the gas man had been and gone, I went in to Stirling by myself so I could window shop without interruption. Wasn’t really looking for anything in particular, just browsing. I knew I had some shots in the bag for today’s POD, so the pressure was off. Just as well, as I didn’t see anything that caught my eye. It was surprisingly warm and almost dry. I think that was the extent of my exciting day. Some days are like that now. Being retired can be such hard work 😉

These young sparrows are learning the secret of hacking into peanuts

I know these sparrows are hungry, but this one seems intent on getting that whole peanut into it's beak. Perhaps it was watching the pigeons earlier when they hoovered up almost a whole bag of peanuts. 365/155 — I know these sparrows are hungry, but this one seems intent on getting that whole peanut into it’s beak. Perhaps it was watching the pigeons earlier when they hoovered up almost a whole bag of peanuts.
365/155

Too late, too late. All the peanuts have gone my friend! Come again tomorrow for more.

Summer comes to Scotland – 3 June 2015

Posted on June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 by Zogman

It’s been a sunny day (with some showers of course – it is still Scotland!). Went to Stirling and felt overdressed in the warm afternoon sun. By the time we came home there was no time to take any photos as I was on cooking duty – voluntarily I must add. Pizza for dinner ( the unhealthy option, but very tasty). Dancing tonight. One hour of the utter hell that chooses to call itself Kizomba. Actually it’s just two self-centred girls showing off to each other and us and along the way teaching us the odd step of what could be and interesting and very sensual dance. The dance itself is good. We’ve tried it a year or two ago with a real teacher. His grasp of English may not have been great, but boy could he put his point across. These two are just amateurs pretending they can teach. I really feel sorry for the ones in the class who have never had the opportunity to see it danced by a real, talented teacher. Thankfully, this was our last class. After a 25 minute lecture on how to move and ‘musicology‘, if felt like giving up the will to live. I almost walked out, it was so bad. Never will I attend any of the classes by these self-styled teachers again. Fin!

After the Kizomba Katastrophe I really needed Jamie G’s salsa class to lift my spirits, and it did! When I came out there was a mayfly sitting on the windscreen of the car. Of course, I didn’t have a camera, but I did have my iPhone. Unfortunately it took so long for the camera app to load and focus, the mayfly took off and left me with a blank windscreen. Then I saw the reflection on the roof of the car. The red roof acted like a Claude mirror and reduced the reflection to the kind of monochrome although mine was a red monochrome as seen here. Drove to the end of Park Road and saw the wonderful view of Glasgow Uni against a glowing sky and couldn’t pass up the opportunity. This time the iPhone worked perfectly, as all good Apple products should. The weather folk say the magic fairies are whispering that summer has gone again for a few days. Oh dear!

Deer Day – 2 June 2015

Posted on June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 by Zogman

Up and out to get the blood taken, then home for a plate of porridge. Lovely warming and more important, filling. On the way to the health centre I had a letter to post. I was walking through our wonderful new shiny shopping centre (spot the sarcasm?) and couldn’t find a post box. Surely they would put a post box in the new shopping centre? You’d think they would, wouldn’t you? Nope. Not a one. I asked one of the security guards and he couldn’t think of one either. Then one of the cleaners put us out of our misery by informing us that she thought there was one about a half a mile away in a remote part of the labyrinth that is the old town centre. Unfortunately, I only had 15 minutes until my appointment and hadn’t brought a torch with me or serum against the venomous giant spiders that live in the dark nether regions of the centre, so I had to wait until I went to Tesco. At least they are thoughtful enough to put a post box in most of their stores. Don’t people write letters any more?

Couldn’t settle down to do any painting today, so I just slouched around until Scamp came in from work because the rain was coming down in torrents. It was also coming down here, where I was. (that was a joke – ok?) Today was Scamp’s day at the gym, so, as the rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to put some light on the subject, I went out and took some photos. For some reason, the cantankerous Tamron 70-300mm was in a good mood and was willing to play nice. Walking through the woods I chanced upon a young doe. I think I saw her just as she saw me. We had a standoff for just a few seconds, then she was off, but I managed one good clear shot of her. I was pretty sure she hadn’t gone far and sure enough I caught up with her, but she was up the hill and away like the wind. Her coat was a beautiful chestnut brown which glowed in the sun. This time I had switched on motor drive and got a few more shots to work with later. Headed back home and caught up with the same deer again. This time I was upwind of her. She knew there was someone near, but she couldn’t see me. Her tail constantly twitched before she decided that hiding was better than standing in the open. Again, like once before, this deer knew she was safe as there was a burn between us. Even so, she only waited a few minutes before leaving for good.

The excitement was over for the day, but the photography wasn’t. I saw this fern backlit by the afternoon sun and tried a few contré jour shots. I liked the translucent green of the fronds against the dark background. It looked to me like a green Curlywurly. Scamp was quite impressed with the fern, but said the bluebell flowers were her favourite, so that one is for her.

By the time the I got home the weather had calmed down a little more rain, but lessening wind. Tomorrow it’s forecast we’ll have temperatures of around 17ºc. Let’s hope the magic fairies in the weather men’s house have been whispering the truth in the weather men’s ears. That’s how they forecast the weather, you know.

One last thing. On the day when the ex Lib Dem MP Charles Kennedy died, I thought it was crass of the BBC News to headline with the fact that some Swiss football official had stepped down from his post before he was pushed.

What’s more important, a man’s life or an official’s career? Fin.

Rainy days and Mondays – 1 June 2015

Posted on June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 by Zogman

It actually started out quite clear and not all that windy – no rain at all. Looks like the weather folk got it wrong again. Got up and did some washing – yes, I can work the washing machine, I just can’t or won’t grasp the technique of ironing. Breeze was getting up, so I hung out the washing to dry. My talents are almost endless these days. The sun came out for a while and I took the opportunity to grab some shots of the azellia’s that are in full bloom just now. The red ones are Scamp’s favourite flowers in all the garden. The blue one is a new plant for this year. Not many flowers, but it’s early days.

My head was not in a good place this morning for some reason. Just felt a bit down. Later I remembered why. Tomorrow is a fasting blood test, so that means nothing to eat after 9.00pm and only water to drink. How is a man supposed to exist on that? I just keep thinking that after 9.10 tomorrow morning, I’ll be back to a sensible diet. Where I can eat anything I like – in moderation. Moderation being a country I’m usually a stranger in. I hate the fasting for the blood test. I always feel hungry just after the curfew time, no matter what I eat before it. However, it has to be done I suppose. I did a small preparatory sketch for a painting of Trumpan. It’s a view I’ve done before, but in acrylic, not watercolour. Still impressed with the water brushes and the new artist’s quality paints.

Today being Monday, Scamp had her ladies round for a practise, so I vamoosed in the general direction of the gym for an hour. That sounds really good, but it’s half an hour in the gym and half an hour in the steam room and the sauna, with maybe a splash in the pool to loosen up in between. When I came home I just had time to bring in the washing before the heavens opened. By the time we were going out to Glasgow for tonight’s classes, the rain was torrential. Black clouds clogged up the sky and the breeze had strengthened to a gale. Maybe the weather folk weren’t so daft after all. To cap it all, two hours later, when we were driving home there was a beautiful blue sky. Still a bit cool, but dry and the wind had disappeared again. It really is crazy weather these days, but it’s Scotland – Four season’s in one day.

When we got to the house, I saw this big giant snail. I don’t know where this guy overwinters, but he arrives on our doorstep – literally – every year around this time. He’s quite a big fella now and he usually has a tryst with a lady snail in the flowerbed. Unless this is the lady snail …

Just as I am finishing off this blog, the wind is getting up again and the rain is starting to hammer on the windows. I really should listen to these weather folk. They do know what they are talking about. Off to bed now to dream of steak pies and pints of beer and other stuff I can’t have until tomorrow!

An Uneventful Sunday – 31 May 2015

Posted on May 31, 2015May 31, 2015 by Zogman

I’d hoped to get out cycling again today, but the weather was against it as predicted by the weather report last night. High winds, gusty high winds which is worse and squally rain. Up at 8.00 to put on my dinner – pork osso bucco in a red wine sauce. Why such an ungodly hour of a Sunday morning? Well, it was so it could be slow cooked for about 6 hours. After that, I did a bit of painting. Just a couple of sketches. See below. I don’t see them setting the art world afire with their beauty or demonstration of skill, but they’re mine and I’m quite pleased. I’ve seen fit to display them below. Please don’t download them and colour print them. Giclee dear, giclee. Printing is for letters and spreadsheets.

Dancing later this afternoon at the Garage and for once I really did enjoy it. On the way to the Garage, I passed this lane and decided to add it to my album entitled “Peein’ up closes and lanes” on Flickr. The title comes from “The Copper’s Song” by the late Hamish Imlach. Just another wee bit of nonsense. When we came out, I saw a better shot, but there was a bloke pacing up and down the lane and I didn’t want folk asking any awkward questions. “Here mate, whit ur ye daein’?” “Is that a camera or a fone?” “Gonnae gie us yer fone mate or dae ye want me tae gie you a dooin?'” It is Glasgow after all and Rangers had just lost an important match to Motherwell, so discretion is the better part … etc. the photo needed a bit of post processing, it being from an iPhone, not a ‘real’ camera. Did levels and stuff then used Sergé’s settings for shadows and highlights. Then I noticed that the sky was plain white. Chopped a bit of believable grey cloud from another photo and pasted it in in Photoshop. Looked much better then.

Got home to much more peaceful weather and even a bit of late sun. First of June tomorrow and snow predicted for high ground. Oh dear!

A Sunny Saturday – 30 May 2015

Posted on May 30, 2015May 30, 2015 by Zogman

It’s Saturday and I’d decided I wanted to go to Stirling for a curry at the Indian Cottage. It used to be good and I had become addicted to the Chicken Tikka Chilli Boona, but they recently changed the menu. Gone is the CTCB also gone is Scamp’s Vegetable Dhansak. We had lunch there a few weeks ago and weren’t all that impressed, but decided to give it another go. Bad move. The lunch was much worse than before. This time we may be gone for good. This used to be one of the busiest curry shops in Stirling. If you weren’t there by 1.30pm you would have to queue for a seat. Now it’s half empty. Maybe that’s an indictment of the maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Hey get me with ‘indictment’ and ‘maxim’, and this from the boy that didn’t get his O Grade English!

Got back early, and dissatisfied but at least it gave me time to go out cycling for a while. A chance to see if all that gym work was worth while. Headwind going out, as per normal and it was a struggle. So disappointed. For God’s sake, I’ve been going to the gym for two whole weeks now! That’s forty minutes not the cycling machine thing. Surely I would be fit by now? What did I pay my gym fees for if it doesn’t make me fit? Total waste of my time and money. I’m not a happy ‘gym bunny’. Anyway, the cycling is becoming a means to an end, not an end in itself. It’s a device for getting me to places to take photos, but the Kona is still a lovely bike. Much better than the heavy mountain bike with front suspension. It never ceases to amaze me how well it accelerates,even in a headwind.

On to the photos, and a warning to JIC and Hazy – There will be technospeak :

I like these three trees and I’ve photographed them many times. Today I didn’t have a lens that covered them adequately, so I did the next best thing and shot nine frames with the Panasonic 45-200mm with the intention of stitching them later. This time I took the long route and used Autopano. It’s a bit more circuitous than just plain “merge to panorama in Photoshop” from Lightroom, but it does have the advantage of giving more control. I was impressed with the basic output, but tweaked the exposure in Lightroom to give a more interesting result. I’m pleased with it. That’s why it’s my photo of the day. 365/150

The next ones were just luckies. I saw them while tramping through the grass, thinking that I had to be very careful as I’d listened to a program on the radio yesterday about sheep ticks infecting people with Lyme disease. I’d got a tick bite about a year ago when we were in Skye and became ultra cautious, checking every day for the telltale ‘target mark’. Thankfully it never appeared, so it looks like I’m clear this time. Having said that, it pays to be cautious, and take these things seriously. With all my antics chasing deer with my camera, I forget that these wee beasties are attracted to deer as well as sheep and can make your life a misery. Anyway, no ticks were found today, but I almost missed the ladybird making its way down a grass stem and next to it a couple of Bonking Beetles, bonking. Yes, I know they are also called Soldier Beetles, but that’s not half as much fun. I liked the luminosity of the grass and the colour contrast with the insects. Both shots taken with the 45-200mm Panasonic lens with extension tubes to get the close up shot I wanted.

A good day’s cycling and a tailwind to look forward to on the way home. Hooray!

Edited with Ecto.

Payback day – 29 May 2015

Posted on May 29, 2015May 29, 2015 by Zogman

Yesterday, Scamp was my taxi driver. Today I was her driver. Seems fair. She was going in to town for a ‘witches day out’. That would take too long to explain, so I won’t bother. Enough to say that she had a great day and I had a day to do what I wanted. what is known as a Win-Win situation, I believe.

As it happened, without trying too hard, I got a lot of stuff done. Painting, grass cutting (gasp!), meeting friends for coffee and a natter, organising appointments. I could almost do with a secretary these days. Where did I find time to work?

I was thinking I would go out cycling today, but the weather just kept getting in the way, as weather sometimes does. I took some photos as I usually do, instead of cycling. The lavender flowers were interesting in terms of colour and of texture. The pigeon just happened to be there and was interesting because of the contrast between the feathers and the dark background.

Hopefully more generally interesting stuff tomorrow.

Hazy, this was Ecto.

Stravaigin’ – 28 May 2015

Posted on May 28, 2015May 28, 2015 by Zogman

It was one of those days when you can’t settle down to anything.
Started off making a mat for one of my first acrylic paintings, in fact
it might have been my first since I retired. Selected some photos from
Skye to use for painting and sent them to Dropbox to share on the
Samsung Note. So much easier to paint from the 10″ screen than from the
7″ screen of the Nexus. Dropbox is one of my favourite apps of the
moment. It was good before the Note appeared, but with the extra 48GB
for connecting the Note, it’s much more interesting. Only for 2 years, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes.

So, I decided to go in to Glasgow for a wander – Stravaigin’. Nothing to go for, but I thought I might get some photos in the sunny spells, or OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA even if I was daring, in the showers too. Scamp offered to drive me to the station so I could get the train in and be there in 15mins rather than in the 45 boring mins it takes on the bus. Sorted. I pay her back tomorrow by driving her to the station.

Walked through the town down to the Clyde and got some shots on the Clyde Walkway. Wandered round the centre of town for a while, window shopping, then got the train home.

When I got home the light in the garden was wonderful for a short while, so I made the most of it and managed another set of flower shots, but more carefully taken than some of my “stop-gap” last minute shots … I hope!

The day after the long drive – 27 May 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 by Zogman

As usual on the day after a long drive, it was a lazy day where Scamp did most of the driving. Lazy morning then off to the gym for half an hour and after that, a swim to relax the muscles, not that we did very much. When we came out the rain had started, so we went local for lunch and watched the rain in the afternoon. I also struggled with the vagaries of off-line blogging progs – apps. Still not settled, but either Ecto or MarsEdit are the front runners at present. Kizomba and Salsa at night. Who says we don’t have an active life style?

Today’s shots are grab shots from the garden. Both taken in the rain. Both taken with the 70-300mm lens which behaved perfectly. What is its problem?

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Homeward Bound – 26 May 2015

Posted on May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 by Zogman

DSC_2570- blog-146.jpg All good things must come to an end, and so it was for us as we left Digg and Staffin and Skye behind and headed back down the road. We stopped for a while at Eilean Donan castle for coffee and a scone. I wandered round the exhibition of photos celebrating 100 years of something – wasn’t really interested in what. Most of the photos were clichéd shots of the castle, with only a couple that held my interest for any time. Needless to say, those were B&W. The worst ones by far were the ones that had accidentally (I hope) fallen into a bucket of Photomatix and had turned out all grungy with too light shadows, too saturated colour and too sharp detail. Just dunk them in the HDR mix, drag them out and that’s it done. Hmm, I used to play with HDR too, but you have to be so careful not to produce rubbish from what could be a decent photo. End of rant.

I took some photos of the castle. It’s difficult to get a ‘different’ viewpoint for this well known piece of stonework, but I tried.

Coffee over and photos taken, we got back on the road and after stopping for lunch at Spean Bridge, and re-fuelling at Fort William our next stop was Loch Lubnaig where we parked up at the new parking place at the side of the loch. A wee bit clean and tidy, but much better than the way it was before with a load of dodgy characters overnight camping and leaving the area in a real mess. The sun came out when we were there and I did manage a few shots in good lighting before we drove the final few miles home.

Loch Lubnaig photos:

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