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Bert’s gone – 25 November 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Bert was still bumbling around this morning, but by afternoon we’d seen the last of him. Off to colder climes.

Just the usual Monday morning. Solved Wordle, but only by the skin of my teeth and then found the Pangram. Not so successful with Angry Birds. Scamp also waltzed through Wordle and the Pangram, then Gummy Drop. My what children we are behind our adult masks.

I parcelled up a USB stick for Jackie and Jaki, then scribbled a note to each and it was a scribble. My handwriting really is so bad that I can’t read it myself at times. Printing I can do no problem, but joined up writing just evades me. By then, Bert was was calming down, gathering his bits and pieces a lumbering off to annoy some Norwegian folk instead of us. That begs the question; Where do these weather systems go after they’ve annoyed us for a couple of days? Is there a home somewhere for forgotten winds? Maybe there is somewhere where they can be wound up again and sent off to annoy more folk in other countries. Anyway, it was lunch time. Sad wee cold meat sandwich for me and a banana on toast for Scamp. Not exactly haute cuisine, but it filled a wee space.

Suitably refreshed, I drove up to Tesco to post the parcels and to get some odds and ends for dinner tonight. Just as I was leaving I bumped into Fred who had a couple of books for me. I’d been carrying some books for him in the boot of the car for a couple of weeks, but, of course, I’d emptied the boot last week. I’ll put the bag of books back in the car tomorrow in the hopes I bump into Fred again soon.

PoD was a grab shot. As I was driving home I could see an interesting sunset forming over Broadwood Loch and just managed to get a few photos of it on my phone.

Just as I got into the house I got a message from Hazy to say that the dentists had removed her bothersome tooth, but they are not allowed to give her the old tooth. How are children these days going to put their extracted teeth under the pillow if the NHS are determined to rob them of those teeth they’ve had for years. I suspect a plan by the dentists to put all those stolen teeth under their own pillows and claim all the shiny pennies for themselves. It was a clever plan, but I’m on the case now!

A calm has descended over Cumbersheugh, now that Bert has gone. I hope he finds somewhere nice to land in Norway.

Tomorrow we may be going shopping. Possibly looking for wool in The Fort.

 

No Snow – 24 November 2024

Posted on by Zogman

When I woke around 6am yesterday’s snow had disappeared. All of it, just gone!

The rain during the night must have been torrential because there was no sign of the snow that was still lying when I went to bed last night. The temperature had risen during the night, but not significantly, so it must have been the rain. It’s a strange climate we live in these days. I blame Global Warming … and Kier Starmer.

It was a usual Sunday. Solved Wordle in four and found the Pangram. Struggled a bit with Angry Birds, but completed the day’s test. What Now? Well, there was the Las Vegas F1 GP to watch and we did watch Verstappen collect his fourth championship in a row.

Scamp decided that there was too much sitting around going on and we needed to get out and go for a walk. If that walk also mean shopping, then so much the better. So that’s what we did. We walked down to The Shops. Not a soul had moved their cars, but I shouldn’t complain, because we hadn’t moved ours either.
We picked some veg and fruit and a bag of Jam Donuts, then we headed back up the hill. Scamp offered to take the message bag home if I wanted to go for a walk in St Mo’s. I took up her offer.

Almost immediately I found my PoD. It’s just a man-made hill that creates the start for the BMX track. I used a low angle and a wide angle lens to make it look even higher. I knew you’d like to know that!
Not a lot of interest to see today and the wind from Storm Bert was beginning to ramp up. Plus there were jam donuts waiting for me!

Back home it was lunch time and today dumpling was the star. Scamp had Egg and Dumpling, I did too, but I added a slice of bacon to it. It’s the saltiness of the bacon with the sweetness of the dumpling I like. The jam donut was lovely too with a cup of coffee.

Both Scamp and I were baking today. She was making an Apple Tart and I was making Bread. It’s a long time since I’ve made bread and it showed with the strange football shaped loaf that came out of the oven. Too much butter and a dough that was too wet. Scamp’s apple tart was delicious with the crisp shortcrust pastry.

We spoke to Jamie later had heard that he is safety officer for his office at work and they are being inspected this week. I know how you feel, Jamie. I’ve been there and done that and came out of it alive. You will too.

Storm Bert is blundering around outside the window and will be doing so until about midday tomorrow, all being well. I don’t like wild wind, so I think I’ll just go to bed and read for a while before I go to sleep.

Let it Snow – 23 November 2024

Posted on by Zogman

This is probably the first snow of the year, and it’s still lying.

I woke about 6am and there was no snow. I surfaced again about 7am and everywhere was white. The temperature had risen just enough to be in the snowy zone. Not long afterwards, Scamp’s phone started ringing. Every one a cancellation. It only took about 20 minutes for the final decision to cancel today’s dance class to be announced. We didn’t have a lot of snow, but we were both more worried about what we’d meet on the way to Brookfield and even more apprehensive about the conditions we’d drive into on the way back. It was a relief to snooze or read for an extra half hour in bed.

The snow continued on and off for most of the morning. I tried another variation on yesterday’s photo of the birds. This time, just the arial antics of the starlings dangling from the cages with the suet blocks on the tree branches, but none of them were clear enough for me.

After a plate of soup with a slice of toast for lunch, the snow stopped for the day and I got today’s real PoD which was a water drop hanging from a branch of the climbing rose at the front door. For once I captured the water drop forming a lens through which I could see an upside down but clear image of the house behind ours. That was easily the best shot of the day. I had thought of going out to get some snowy pictures, but decided what I had would be good enough. Besides, it was beginning to rain.

Dinner was Kashmiri chicken curry from a Holy Cow concentrate that claimed it was a heat level 2 of 5. It lied. It was very, very hot. I don’t want to know how hot a heat level 5 would be. Probably hot enough to melt the plastic bag it came in!

We watched Franco Colapinto demonstrate how to completely destroy a £12 million F1 race car in about 10 seconds. When the camera turned to views of the mechanics you could read their minds that said “Bang goes any chance of a couple of beers tonight.”

We will wait until tomorrow before we make any decisions on where we’re going, if we’re going anywhere!

Another cold morning – 22 November 2024

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Scamp caught the bus to meet Isobel in the morning, while I took the easy option and edited this week’s photos. I managed to pull four or five shots up from the depths of this week’s efforts. Usually I’m complaining about there being no direct lighting, but the harsh light from the low sun was a challenge in the last seven days. Never happy!

While I was making my coffee later in the morning, I spotted a blackbird pecking away at half an apple sitting on the compost bin. I grabbed my camera, but by the time I got back to the kitchen it had flown off. I left my camera waiting, just in case it came back. I think it might have because the apple was now lying on the ground. The blackbird might have gone, but five sparrows were now having a communal bath in the warm water of the bird bath I’d poured a jug of hot water into the frozen bird bath and by the time I’d had a quick look round the garden and replaced the fallen apple, the water was cool, but no longer frozen.

Once I was inside again and the coast was clear, the birds returned. I spotted half a dozen sparrows, a couple of dunnocks, two blue tits, a robin and a gang of rowdy starlings. Our garden must have been the only place for miles around where they could drink and have a splash. Poor wee things.

When Scamp returned, we walked over to Broden’s for what has become a Friday lunch. Not every Friday, but usually every second one, especially in the winter. Bumped into George Taylor in Broden’s, sneaking a pint after getting some messages!

When we were walking home there was just the hint of rain in the wind. The first rain we’ve had in about a week, which is probably another reason the birds find our garden a real asset.

Scamp took pity on them and hung up a couple of holders with slabs of fat and seeds inside. It wasn’t long before the starlings found them and started squabbling to be first to stock up on the food.

PoD was a robin. Maybe the one that was waiting impatiently for its turn at the bath.

The weather fairies are predicting wild weather when Storm Bert rolls in tomorrow bringing wind, snow, thunder-snow and rain. They have been warning about it for the last week, so we’ll take the warning seriously.

I’m not sure if we’ll be going to Brookfield tomorrow. It will definitely be a case of “It depends on the weather”

Another fairly early rise – 21 November 2024

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Well, it was before midday. That’s early for us.

Scamp had managed to get an appointment to see the doctor about the tremor in her right hand. After examining her and checking her arm movement he told her to make an appointment to get some blood tests done, to rule out the possibility that it was her meds that were causing the tremor. Luckily we managed to get an appointment in the afternoon to get the blood letting done.

I also spoke to one of the receptionists about the results of the ECG I had done last month and found out it was normal, which is good. It must be the first time I’ve been described as ‘normal’. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or a slur! You’ll be happy, Neil. You were the one who convinced Scamp to set a date to get some awkward things done we both used “Neil’s Rule” today

Back home it was coffee time and also time for a slice of dumpling. A dumpling Scamp had made yesterday. Partly cooked in the slow cooker and partly nuked in the microwave. The smell yesterday was a powerful reminder of ‘clootie’ dumplings my mum used to make by tying the mixture up in a cotton tea towel and then boiling the dumpling in the pressure cooker, the biggest pot she had. I never liked the thick skin on the dumplings, but I do now. Isn’t it funny how your tastes change as you get older.

Scamp had a piece ’n’ egg for lunch and I had a smoked fillet of mackerel. It was lovely at the time, but it does repeat quite a lot and comes back on you, tasting more and more oily every time. I’ll maybe give it a miss the next time I’m looking for something ‘different’ for lunch.

I went for a walk in St Mo’s but couldn’t find anything interesting to photograph, then as I was about to walk home I saw today’s PoD through the trees. Someone managed to push a shopping trolley about half way across St Mo’s pond. The ice on the pond isn’t really very thick, but the water underneath is at least waist deep and very cold. Maybe the contents of the empty bottle gave them Dutch courage to try this dangerous game.
Don’t try this at home kiddies!

No snow yet here, but we are getting worrying weather warnings for Friday and Saturday. Maybe someone should tell the weather fairies that it’s still Autumn and not Winter for more than a week.

No FitSteps this week because the teacher has a bad cold. I think Scamp may be intending to meet Isobel for coffee at Costa.

 

 

A photo walk in Glasgow – 20 November 2024

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On a cold day we decided to stay in Glasgow city today.

Met Alex at the bus station as usual, and as usual, we went for a coffee to discuss exactly where we’d go. On the way down Buchanan Street we noticed water bubbling out of the subway. It flowed down the street, guided on its way by piles of sandbags that channeled it down into an open sewer near West George Street. No idea where exactly it was coming from or whether it would be on its way into the Clyde, further down the street.

Coffee in Nero and then a walk down Buchanan Street took us to ‘The Shows’ in St Enoch Square. Not much we hadn’t seen before, so after a cursory look around we continued on to the Clyde Walkway.

Again, there were graffiti artists hard at work on their murals using ladders and countless paint canisters. We watched them for a while, both of us trying different angles and viewpoints to get that elusive perfect composition. I was nearly there with a couple of shots, but nothing that would be posted to Flickr just yet.

When we walked back through St Enoch Square I found my PoD which was a bloke gazing out of a bay window with an advert for a Thai Massage parlour below him. I’m not saying it told a story, I wouldn’t dare!

Lunch was in Paesano as usual, a quiet Paesano for a change. Usually around midday it’s full to bursting, but not today. Maybe because it’s midweek or maybe folk are being more careful with their spending as we near Christmas. We both enjoyed our lunch. Alex time to pay.

Light was beginning to fade a little when we walked around George Square but we managed a few more shots before we headed up to the bus station, only to find that there were barricades preventing us from getting near the bus station. After checking with one of the many council workers milling around we found it was because a ‘suspicious package’ had been found and there would be no buses running for quite some time.

We turned tail and walked down Buchanan Street, Alex to Central Station and me to Queen Street. A phone call to Scamp got me a lift home from Croy. Thanks again, Scamp!
Alex did the same and got a lift home from his station with Carol.

Just after 10pm there was an announcement that 3 men were ‘helping police with their enquiries’ and a controlled explosion had taken place, but no dangerous materials had been found. Wild place Glasgow on a Wednesday night.

No dancing tonight as the teacher has a heavy cold and doesn’t want to pass it on to us gentle souls.

Hopefully going to the Town Centre tomorrow for some relaxing shopping.

Meeting Shona – 19 November 2024

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After we defrosted two days worth of ice from the car we drove up to the town centre.

Met Shona in Costa as arranged, then I went to the bank to find out what happened yesterday with a purchase I’d made, or tried to make online. I was buying a bit of software from a one-man company I’d dealt with before, but after I’d paid for it, the transaction seemed to pause. I decided to cancel and try again today. Then I received a message from the bank asking me if I had attempted to make a purchase and gave me the name and address of the company. After a debate with Scamp, I messaged back to say “Yes” I’d attempted to make the purchase but had cancelled the transaction. A reply came through to tell me if I still wished to purchase the £7 software, to wait 10 minutes and try again. By this time I was fed up with the waiting and texting and went to be after I’d checked that no money had been taken from my bank.

Anyway, I checked with the bank and was assured that all the messages were from the bank and not a scammer. That put my mind at rest. I could go back to my coffee and a blether with Shona about her problem child, Ben. It’s hard to believe that in a couple of years he’ll be 18 and an adult! Poor Shona.

Isobel was in Costa too with her granddaughter and one of her pals. “Ok, here comes a ray of sunshine!” She said. I think she was talking about my orange jacket, at least that’s what I think she meant, although she has a good line in sarcasm, has Isobel!

We said goodbye to Shona who was heading for Tesco while we were off to Stirling to go to Waitrose.
Scamp said she wasn’t needing much, but eventually we filled four bags with what we bought and most of it wasn’t bottles of anything … for once!
Roadworks right outside Waitrose meant it took us almost 10 minutes to get out of the car park, with no sign of any work being gone on the road!

A walk in St Mo’s in the afternoon gave me a chance of more early winter photos. The PoD was a cow parsley plant in front of some lovely sunset light through the trees. The light is technically called Bokeh and is much sought after by photogs.

A cold day, but an interesting one for a change.

Tomorrow I’m intending meeting Alex for a walk and a blether and maybe a pizza.

Another cold day – 18 November 2024

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That was about all you could say about today.

As you’ve probably guessed, the blog posts from Wednesday onwards have been written as catch-ups. Sometimes I manage to scribble down a few notes as the day goes on, but mainly they are written ‘on the back foot’ so to speak. Hopefully most of the backlog is now dealt with and it’s up to date news you’re getting.

With that said, there wasn’t much of interest today. I made a pot of soup for dinner. It was meant to be for lunch, but I was too late in getting it started. It was fairly good and should last until at least tomorrow. I have a habit of making too much soup or putting far too many vegetables in it and the result is a stodgy mess. Today’s was much lighter than normal and that in itself improved the taste.

I got out for a walk in the afternoon and brought back two decent photos. PoD went to the carefully cropped shot of the ice crystals between the wooden planks of the boardwalk over in St Maurice’s. It was really cold out and even with my Down jacket, one circuit of the pond was enough for me. Again I’d left it just too late to catch the good light. I must teach myself that the days are indeed growing shorter every day and leaving it until it’s getting dark just makes the processing take longer.

I emailed Alex and it looks as if he’s free on Wednesday for a photo walk or maybe just a wander followed by a blether in Paesano. The frosty weather looks as if it might last until Saturday without much let up before then.

I think we’re meeting Shona tomorrow for coffee. I might even come along just for fun.

Another lazy Sunday – 17 November 2024

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We seem to be waking earlier than normal these days. Don’t know why.

It was a Wordle morning, then a half hearted listen to Laura Kuenssberg over lunch. Lunch today was an omelette each. Both of them were “what have we got in the fridge omelettes”. The best kind.

After that I went for a walk in St Mo’s and today’s PoD turned out to be a little posy of Ragwort wild flowers. There were a load of warnings about them on the net. I knew they were poisonous to eat, both for humans and animals, but I didn’t know they could cause irritation if touched. Must be more careful in future.  Anyway they made a bright spot on ano otherwise dull day.

Watched Strictly and were disappointed that neither of the couples we’d chosen to leave came a cropper. Such a shame. Maybe next week then.

Spoke to Jamie and heard that things are going smoothly and they are well organised for Christmas. I’m glad to hear that, because I haven’t done a thing about it this year, not that that is a great surprise.

The threatened snowfall didn’t occur after all the warnings. It did happen above and below the central belt, but we avoided it. However according to the weather fairies it will be cold tonight. Temperatures of -4º c predicted.

We’ll see if that transpires.

Recovering – 16 November 2024

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Since the teachers were off to Edinburgh to watch the rugby, there were no dance classes, so Saturday was nominated a day of recovery.

Sitting admiring the sun shining on the vase of Alstrumeria flowers in the morning I grabbed my camera and took a few shots that turned into the PoD. It was the refractions that took my fancy.

We drove to Falkirk in the late morning and collected two necklaces Scamp had put in to a jewellers there to have their catches replaced, one of them over 50 years old.

Next stop was Morrisons for a bit of gentle shopping, but as Morrisons is totally different from Tesco or Waitrose, there were a lot of things there we couldn’t find elsewhere. Things like Spelt bread and miniature tins of wine that are convenient for Scamp to take to evening socials at Brookfield. I now take zero percent Guinness instead. The result was that we bought more than we intended, but without vastly overspending.

On the way home we stopped at B&Q to get a new toilet seat. I’ve been going to replace the old one for almost a year and today was the day to get it done. It was a lot easier to replace than the previous one and that’s all you really want to or need to know on the subject!

We watched Strictly at night and picked the two folk we thought would be leaving the show tomorrow. Nice to see the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool again. We must go back there some day.

That was about it for a rest and recovery day.

Tomorrow we may be due some of the white stuff.