Category: A Walk

A Dull Day – 28 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

comboOverall, quite a dull day, well dull in as much as we didn’t go anywhere or do anything.  Just a normal working day, but without the work.  It looked like nobody else was working either because few cars moved from their parking places outside the house.  The weather was a lot better though.

The only thing I did do was to go to the Spar shop in Condorrat via St Mo’s of course.  I got a few arty shots and a couple of landscapes, oh yes, and a tin of spaghetti.  The spaghetti came from Spar, not St Mo’s and the landscapes came from St Mo’s, not Spar.  I hope that has clarified the situation.  Tonight’s dinner was fish fingers, egg and spaghetti, courtesy of my walk to Condorrat.

First episode of Maigret played my Mr Bean.  Really quite good, but I kept expecting him to start talking gibberish and was disappointed that he didn’t.  Having said that, I hate Mr Bean with a vengeance and I liked the realism of Maigret.  Worth setting a series link.

Weather tomorrow is to be similar to today, so I think we must get out and “DAE SOMETHING”.  That’s the plan anyway.

April Showers in March – 27 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bI started writing this, sitting in the Winter Garden at the People’s Palace on Glasgow Green with Scamp, having a late breakfast on a sunny intervals day.   We’d agreed this morning that that we’d go for a walk along the Green on this, the first day of British Summertime.  There were a few hardy rowers on the Clyde, but they were few and far between.  I’m guessing that some were absolute beginners just deciding whether or not this was a sport for them.  If there was a day to test it out, a cold, windy one with a strong current would be a good one to dissuade the unsure.  Although there were many sunny intervals, there was also a cold wind and on the way home from the Green we drove through hail showers.  Having said that, the sunny intervals made up for the wetter, windier times.

When we got home, I went out for a walk in St Mo’s hoping for some more shots to bolster the ones from Glasgow Green and the People’s Palace.  I got not one photo, in fact the camera hardly came out of the bag, so all of today’s shots came from the earlier photo-fest in Glasgow.  The daffodils were from our front garden and I have no idea who the sleeping beauty is (bottom right).

It was good to have some longer periods of sunshine today after the clocks went forward, even if we did lose an hour of sleep last night.

Hoping for more sunny intervals and even some short April showers (in March) tomorrow.

Madness in Perth – 25 March 2016

Posted on by Zogman

combo bToday we went to Perth.  It as a plan.  Today, Good Friday, was forecast to be the best day of the holiday weekend.  I needed coffee and Perth is where my preferred coffee bean shop is.  It was also announced last night on the news that Scamp’s favourite ladies wear shop, McEwan’s of Perth had gone into administration and was opening today for the start of the closing down sale.  Soooo, we were off to Perth today.

The road was busy on the way north and every time the traffic started to jam up, I said “Oh, oh!  This is where the queue for McEwan’s starts.”  Actually, the road wasn’t all that busy, considering it was the start of the Easter holidays and it was a sunny day.   But every car seemed to have bikes on the back or a Thule style rack on the roof.  It looked like everyone seemed to want to get out of Glasgow and Edinburgh and head north to the great wide open.  Maybe that was the plan, but it looked like the ‘great wide open’ was going to be closed by the time they all got there.  When we arrived at Perth, there were roadworks on the road into the city.  Like a few others, I bit the bullet and headed back to the swimming pool and parked there, despite the signs saying that these parking spaces were for ‘users of the facilities only.’  I wasn’t sure what the ‘facilites’ were, but I was using the facilities of Perth itself, so I felt secure in my decision to park there.

When we wandered round Perth after getting the essential coffee beans, we found the real queue for McEwan’s.  Apparently it was estimated that over 400 people were waiting to get in through the doors and because the company had paid off more than half its staff with immediate effect last night, only 20 customers at a time were being allowed in.  There were going to be a lot of long faces in Perth tonight.

After our return from Perth, I managed an hour in St Mo’s in a biting north wind.  Got a few photos of some deer and I fed the ducks.  So, that was Good Friday.  Not so good for the hundred odd McEwan’s staff without jobs after this week.

More bright intervals – 23 March 2016

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combo bWent to the gym and then had a swim this morning, or to be more precise, we split it over midday.

After lunch we went different ways. Scamp stayed in and did the ironing, and I went a walk along the old railway. It seemed like a good idea as there were occasional breaks in he clouds and the sun was managing to shine through. Everybody and their dog was out walking today and I mean that literally everybody had at least one dog. Some had two, some had three. One woman went over the score and had five or six of the yappy wee things. I must get a dog. Everyone else has one. I hate to be left out (Joke!) I have no intention of saddling myself with a dog, cat, rabbit or budgie. I’ve got Scamp and me and that’s more than enough.

Today’s shots are all of weeds I saw on the walk.  To some they are just weeds, but when you look closely, there are so many little details in them that you miss if you see them as ‘just’ weeds  It’s that and the shapes they make and the hidden colours in them that I find interesting.  Well, they are to me.

There’s a sign halfway along the path I walk explaining that the path follows the route of an old mineral railway which linked various pits and quarries around Kilsyth and Twechar. The sign goes on to explain that the wagons were pulled by little engines called Pugs. I remember my dad telling me about the pugs that pulled the Hutches (small wagons) at the clay mine he worked at quite near Twechar. The sign always reminds me of my dad and his stories and the way he would kind of draw the scene in the air as he was talking Almost like his hand holding an imaginary pencil. Also the way he used to talk. The way he smacked his lips when he was really involved in his story. It’s when I take the time to remember these things that I can see him sitting there telling stories. He was a great story teller.

 

Not very bright intervals – 21 March 2016

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combo bWell, there were a few bright intervals today, but they were few and far between. Since Scamp was going for lunch with Gems, I got the bus in to Glasgow to get my hair cut and have a wander. The barber was a laugh. He was a political hot wire with an opinion and a conspiracy theory about everything. While I didn’t agree with everything, in fact with very little to be exact, it was a laugh and the time passed quite quickly.  He recommended the film Idiocracy which I might just look out for. Wandered round the town looking for inspiration but found none.

I’m on the bus home now earwigging other folk’s conversations. Well, if they don’t want other people to know about their Tesco “disciplinary” then they shouldn’t talk about it on a bus and they definitely should reduce the output volume.  It seems to be the case now that people talking on mobile phones in public assume that they are inaudible to all around them.  If they were speaking to an actual physical person in their vicinity would they speak as loudly? I sometimes wonder if there is anyone at the other end of the phone connection.

Went to salsa tonight and noticed when I was sticking the parking ticket on the windscreen that the time on it was wrong.  When I checked the time of issue, I found that it was almost an hour out.  I wrote a note to the blue meanies that the machine was issuing tickets with the wrong time.  I went back and photographed the display on the machine as the iphone would timestamp the image with the correct time.  What else can you do in such a situation?  If you don’t have evidence of the mistake, it’s your word against the blue meanies and we know who Glasgow Council will believe.  I’ll check the time on the machine next time, and every time for a few weeks at least.

For the umpteenth time and the first time this year, I got a sheep tick.  It appeared on my wrist underneath my watch.  It always seems to be when I’m wearing the same jacket.  I like it, but I think I may dispose of it now.  These things are a menace.

Two in a row – 20 March 2016

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combo bWow!  Two sunny days in a row.  Allegedly this is the first day of spring, but with two sunny days in a row, it could be summer.  Not the start of summer, but summer itself.  Equinox be damned.  Everything could go downhill from here.  Despite the fact that the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, if it’s not sunny tomorrow then it’s a case of “nights are fair drawing in”.  Still, in the spirit of spring, Scamp got the mower out and cut the front grass.  This was swiftly followed by George across the corner getting stuck in and cutting his grass too.  I think he was slightly miffed that Scamp had beaten him to it.  I’d have cut the grass myself, but I know Scamp likes it done to her own formula and if I’d have done it, the stripes on the front lawn wouldn’t have been perfectly parallel, so I let her have first dibs.  Such a gentleman me!

What I did do was take myself off to St Mo’s to revel in the inexplicable second day of sunshine.  There weren’t many creatures to photograph.  No deer, no Mr Grey, not even a frog pushing its head above the pond surface.  What I did have was some low angle light to play with, so I shouldn’t complain.  Took the “Big Dog” (Nikon) with me as Little Dogs (Olys) are getting tired of being the general ‘dogsbodies’.  Managed to get most of the photos taken with ISO settings of under 2000.  It’s amazing what you can do when you have directional sunlight.  I was a bit concerned by seeing what I think was another ‘photog’ walking along the boardwalk.  I don’t know who he or she was, or how they worked out where “St Mo’s” is, but they must know that St Mo’s is mine and mine alone.  Yes, I’m willing to share it with others, but only if they write to me asking for permission first.  So, if you are reading this, interloper, do the decent thing and ask permission before you trespass on my personal space.  You have been warned.

Looking forward to see what tomorrow will bring.  Hopefully more sunshine, I’m not greedy.  Just one more day would be good.

A grey start with late brightness – 17 March 2016

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combo bThe day started off very dull and grey.  Scamp went off to meet a friend for coffee in Hamilton and reported that the weather there was much better than here in Cumbersheugh.  Nothing surprising there with our omnipresent Cumbersheugh Cloud.  I went up “The Toonie” to meet Fred for a coffee.  It’s not as if we don’t have coffee or coffee makers at home, it was just a coincidence that we were both meeting different friends for the same beverege.  Had a natter with Fred and we set the world to rights as usual then the unthinkable happened.  The Costa repair man came in to service the coffee machine and they could only provide tea.  Now I’m perfectly happy with tea, but as far as I know, Fred only drinks coffee and beer.  Hardly ever spirits and never tea.  So we had to either walk to the other end of the centre and enter the dingy Costa there or sit coffee-less in the light.  We chose the latter.

When I came home, via Tesco as I was cooking tonight and Dobbies because I wanted to be self-sufficient in mint for mojitos, the weather was definitely brightening up, so I got my boots on and went over to St Mo’s to get some foties.  Got a couple of shots of a pair of deer and a lot of contre-jour ones against the low light.  The monochrome one of the trees was a happy accident.  I was trying to  work out how to use my phone to geotag the photos in the new Oly and just took a grab shot.  When I got home, I found that I had indeed geotagged the shot but it was unremarkable and was destined for the bin.  I must have pressed a hot key that did a basic conversion to mono and when I was doing a final check of shots for the bin, I liked the result.  Not PoD, but interesting enough to save.  Have a look at it on Flickr viewed on the lightbox (press L) and see what you think.

Back in the old routine – 15 March 2016

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combo bIt was a struggle but today we set off for the gym and a swim. The gym was tough, but I did my 6 torture devices and proceeded to a busy pool where I managed a couple of lengths without bumping into anyone, but gave up as more people entered the water. Went and sat in the steam room for a while before finishing off with five minutes in the jacuzzi. Exercise done for today.

Managed a short walk through St Mo’s later in the afternoon and caught a couple of oystercatchers unawares, then got another shot of a duck lifting off. Took “The Big Dog” (yes, JIC your terminology is rubbing off on me) with me today with the Tamron in place. It seemed to behave perfectly, mainly because I was limiting the ISO to about 3000, not its usual 25000. At least that gives the lens a fair chance to show its mettle without having grain the size of golf balls.

Other than that, it was a dull day with a cold biting wind, not a bit like yesterday. Might as well have been in Corralejo!

Last full day in the sun – 11 March 2016

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combo bMaking the most of the last full day. It started with grey skies, but by the time we headed off after breakfast, the sun was breaking through. We were headed again for Corralejo town. Basically it’s north to the town or south to the dunes. East is the Atlantic and there is no road west. We wandered round an open air market and I was thinking about buying a Rolex watch, but I couldn’t decide between it and a Breitling. Both were €35. I decided to think about it. Scamp was taken by a woman’s scam, selling wine bottle openers.  She had a slick pitch, but was no match for Scamp.

So we are now sitting in La Cantante in Corralejo having a mojito after another of their excellent tuna pizzas. On the walk back to the hotel. On the way we passed a wee shop selling souvenirs and I got two shirts for €6. A bargain at twice the price. Ok, they were so thin you could spit peas through them, but bright cheery colours to match my sunny disposition.

When we got back, there was just enough sun left for an hour or so on the sun beds. Then it was back to the room to pack. 🙁

As you can see there were a lot of photos taken today.  To get a better look at them, visit my Flickr page by clicking on the mosaic.

Another day in the sun – 10 March 2016

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combo bToday started like yesterday with a search for a couple of sun beds together. We found them by the pool just outside the flat and that is where we stayed most of the day. The day began earlier with a sensible preparation for the sun. Rather than be caught out like yesterday we got thoroughly covered in sun cream. Then it was off to breakfast before we faced the sun.  The sun was not so constant today which was a blessing really because it was too hot yesterday.

WARNING!  MAY CONTAIN TECHNOSPEAK
After lunch we rested for a while beside the pool and then Scamp decided it was time for a walk. I’d said I wanted to do some painting on the dunes, so we headed up the road to the mini Sahara again. I didn’t get any painting done, but I did confirm my suspicions that this end of the dunes is a nudist beach. Couldn’t settle on a suitable spot for a painting and was getting exasperated with the camera occasionally overexposing. So started off back when I hit on the idea of doing a complete factory reset. I’d just done it when I realised that the over exposure only happened with the old kit lens. I checked it and sure enough, no matter what aperture setting I set on the camera, the lens aperture was stuck wide open. That would explain the overexposure. At least the overexposure in the camera. The overexposure of the blokes in the bushes was another matter entirely. Anyway, the reset seems to have made the E-M10 useable again.

Dinner tonight was in the Spanish restaurant where we had tapas to start with and then I had shoulder of lamb that simply fell of the bone – delicious and Scamp had salmon which apparently was quite good too. Pudding was banana flambé which was good, but with little evidence of any flames. Not like mine at all!

Tonight’s show was billed as Radio Gaga, but announce as We Will Rock You. Actually, it was better than the full length show we went to see in The King’s in Glasgow. The cast were all miming, but that didn’t affect our enjoyment. Sometimes enthusiasm is better than ability.

More pictures of the architect’s house, a desert shot and a cat for Hazy!