Category: A Walk

Driving and Phones – 14 November 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Friday’s used to be relaxing days. Not today.

Out just about 11am to meet my brother, Alex for a walk in Chatelherault park and a cup of coffee. We sat for an hour discussing the merits and demerits of two Sony cameras, an A7iii and an A7ii. Both were up for consideration by Alex as a replacement for his A6600 camera. Both the A7 series cameras were ‘Full Frame’ which means they produce better quality images than the A6 series. Alex was considering a giant leap in technology. I already had two A series cameras and am really happy with the quality they produce. Finally he agreed to borrow my A7iii for a week or so to decide if it was for him or not. I’ll leave him to decide for himself if the upgrade is worth the money.

To give us a better ‘hands-on’ with the camera we went for a walk across the “Duke’s Bridge’ which was built by the Duke of Hamilton many years ago. It used to be a private road, but now it is open to the public. Once we were over the bridge we visited the Cadzow Oaks, ancient oak trees, some of which are over 600 years old and still producing leaves and fruit.
While we were there a couple passed us riding one white horse and one brown horse. Just to show off, I think, they galloped along the path once we were behind them. Beautiful horses. We both wondered what the view must be like from that height.

Alex had only about two hours free, having to pick up his grandson from nursery, but we made good use of his time.

I drove him home and said our goodbyes. It wasn’t until I was nearly home I heard a strange ticking in the car. I had the radio on, and it wasn’t coming from that, but when it started again, I knew there was something wrong. I stopped at the shops near our house and found Alex’s phone wedged between the two seats!

When I got home, Scamp started investigating and found a message from Alex’s wife saying had I found Alex’s phone in the car? A few hasty emails later I confirmed that I had it and would bring it over.

Our relaxing day with a walk through the woods had become a bit of a nightmare, but Alex and his phone were reunited and all was well in the end.

Dinner tonight was home made Paella.

PoD was a reflection from the Duke’s Bridge of the trees at Chatelherault.

No plans for tomorrow. I hope Alex’s blood pressure is back to normal by now!

Walking in the woods – 9 November 2025

Posted on by Zogman

The day started with heavy rain showers, then the sun shone.

I didn’t believe the weather forecast, but after lunch the sun shone.
I didn’t think it would last, but it did. That’s me. Always the glass half empty.

I laced up my boots and went for a walk, deep into the woods. I hadn’t been in the deep woods for ages, but with the leaves falling continuously these days, there was more light than normal through the trees. I walked for a while, longer than I’d anticipated and by the time I was thinking it would be a good idea to head for home, the good light was gone. Then I found today’s PoD. I’ve no idea what variety of fungi this one belongs to, but I liked the shape and colour so I snapped a few shots of it. If I get a chance in the next few days I’ll go back in and try for some better shots.

I also found a dead drone in the middle of the woods. I meant to photograph its details. Such a simple thing to do with a phone. If I get back to photograph the fungi, hopefully I’ll find the drone at the same time.

Other than that, it was a fairly usual Sunday. Late to rise and wasted most of the day. I really need to get up and out earlier. People post such wonderful photos taken out walking the dog in the morning, or just after sunset. Mayne I should get a dog! (Only kidding, Scamp!)

Spoke to Jamie in the evening and heard about his and Simonne’s week. It seemed like their week had been much like ours, with nothing much to report.

I bought a new pair of boots a month or so ago and haven’t worn them yet.  Yesterday’s walk gave me reason to question if one of my old  boots is leaking. Today’s walk confirmed it. It looks like I’m going to need to get the new boots out of their box and break them in gently.

So far, we have an unbooked day tomorrow. We may go out somewhere.

Going the rounds – 7 November 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Friday used to mean FitSteps for Scamp, but falling numbers meant that Kirsty was leaving it until after Christmas.

With more time to fill, we struggled with the puzzle page in the NYT before we drove over to that cold hole they call Costa in the town centre to meet Isobel. She looked cold and a bit drawn when we met her. No wonder. It’s a great high empty looking cafe that gets a gale blowing through it every time somebody opens the door. It really has very little to recommend it, half a shot of coffee in a big jug isn’t really a Latte, although the Cortado is drinkable.

We sat exchanging stories of what had been happening in Isobel’s side of the town and what we’d got up to on our Autumn holiday. Shona arrived just as Isobel was leaving. I got the drinks in for them and then left to go to Tesco. Bought a few things and made the mistake of forgetting to use my Tesco card which meant I paid full price for my goods. I won’t make that mistake again.

When I got back and put the goods away, I grabbed my camera and left a note for Scamp to say that I was away to get some photos in St Mo’s before it got too dark. I wasn’t kidding either. It felt like the light was failing at 1.45pm. I know the time, because that’s when I saw what looked like a bear on its hind legs in the woods at St Mo’s. Of course it was just a tree stump, but …

I headed for home after that, not because I was afraid of bears, but because I was getting cold. Dull and Cold, that about summed up today. I arrived back at the house just as Scamp was unlocking the door, having travelled home on the bus.

The bear shot is there to see on Flickr if you’re interested, but PoD went to a bright yellow leaf sitting on a pile of old trampled leaves. I liked it.

Tomorrow we may be going to dance class. Hope it’s a bit brighter day.

Stravaigin – 29 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Stravaigin is a Scots word that means to roam, wander or travel through, often casually or aimlessly. That’s Alex and me every second Wednesday or Thursday.

This week it was a Wednesday. It suited Alex and it suited me. We met in Buchanan Street bus station in Glasgow, went for a coffee a Nero and planned our day after I’d bored him rigid with my tales of travels in about a dozen different places in the western Mediterranean. Next stop was through St Enoch’s square and down to the Clyde Walkway to photograph some graffiti.

By then the rain was threatening and we decided it was about time for lunch which would be in Paesano, the best pizza restaurant in Glasgow, or anywhere else for that matter.

After that we went over to the GOMA. Alex likes it, but I can take it or leave it. I can’t see the art in this exhibition. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any rotation of the sketches or paintings. Surely there is more interesting stuff hidden away down in the vaults.

From the GOMA we went for a coffee in Nero before we went our separate ways. Just managed to miss the bus, but that meant I was one of the first on the next one, which arrived on time. Amazing!

PoD was a close up of one of the chain link girders that support the suspension bridge across the River Clyde.

No real plans for tomorrow. We’ll see what turns up.

Flying through the air in a metal tube – 7 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

I can’t remember where I read that comment, but it springs into my head every time I’m in a plane.

Everything went like clockwork. The plane was on time we were seated staring out at a dark, wet and grim looking Glasgow Airport but soon we were beginning to taxi and then we were flying. The longest flight we’d been on in quite a few years. Still, the worries were there. Did I lock the back door? Were all the back windows closed? Oh what the hell, we were going to a few new countries and a lot of places we’d not been to in a long while. Just a case of lying back and enjoying it.

Sooner than I thought, I felt the plane begin to decelerate as it started its approach into Palma airport. Everything was going to be fine.

After the traditional first Holiday Beer at about 10:30am we went on a wander around the ship, our ship. Lots of places looked familiar and some didn’t . It was a slightly smaller ship than our previous Tui Discovery 2, but that would turn out to be an advantage. I needn’t have worried about the temperature. This was ‘shorts and tea shirts’ weather.

We went for a walk around the shore area and I caught sight of an aircraft carrier. The first I’d seen in a long number of years. I asked a Police man if it was an old ship, but he said “No. It’s real. It’s for the War”. That sort of took me back down to earth. You forget that although there are hundreds, if not thousands of folk arriving or leaving these cruise ships, there is a real and definite undertone of threat there too. We made an unspoken decision to put I to the back of our heads and not speak about it again this cruise.

On the way back from our walk, we found a ‘Cherry Picker’ being used to wash the windows of the top deck of the ship. I wondered if the bloke at the top had his “Working At Height” licence.  It must be a wonderful view from there.

The day was a bit of a blur. We did go for a walk outside the ship and also around the inside. We had lunch in one of the restaurants and had a few drinks too. There was the usual ‘Sail Away’ party on deck after the final late arriving folk were checked in and we spent a fair amount of time watching the goings on.

Eventually we agreed we’d had enough and went to bed. We’d been up since about 6am and it was now about midnight. Time for a bit is shut-eye … after one more glass of wine perhaps.

Tomorrow is a sea day with the chance of a dance class.

Getting Closer – 6 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

I always get edgy as we get nearer to the day we fly. This was no exception.

Were my cameras packed properly? Was the batteries charged? Was my checklist ok? Did I have enough warm clothes, because, despite what Scamp never tired of telling me, it wasn’t going to be all that warm where we were going.

Eventually I bit the bullet and went for a walk in St Mo’s. Taking photos is what I do to calm down and it worked. Not a lot of photos, but enough to take my mind off the possibilities of things that might go wrong and concentrate on taking some photos of the autumn leaves. Do they have autumn in Palma?

But first, another chance to worry. Would the taxi arrive on time. It did. I was soooo glad that I’d agreed with Scamp that we wouldn’t take our car, because the poor taxi driver had to manage the lane changes that were needed to get us through the roadworks that will be with us until May 2026, or so we’re told. We got to the airport just a little later than he’d predicted, paid him and walked over to dump our cases in the check-in hall. With the cases gone, my stress levels started to decrease. A glass of beer with a glass of expensive wine for Scamp and I was beginning to believe we could do this. Heavens, it sound like we’re a pair of bank robbers instead of just a couple of oldies going on holiday.

I knew we wouldn’t sleep much but we set our watches and phones anyway, and we did begin to drift away ………..

Tomorrow would come in its own sweet time.

Much calmer at last – 5 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today I think Storm Amy has left the building.

It was much quieter this morning and we only had Wordle and Strands to worry about. If that doesn’t make sense to you, I’d suggest you look for puzzles in New York Times, online of course. Once we had solved the puzzles it was almost lunchtime and Laura Kuenssberg’s morning battle with politicians. Today it was Kemi Badenoch and she was a much feistier opponent for Ms K. It was a close fought battle, but I do believe this round went to Laura.

After lunch I started changing things around and putting stuff away. It only happens once or twice a year and it usually doesn’t last long before I get fed up or get side tracked after finding something new to play with Today it lasted for almost a half hour before I got fed up, put my boots on and went out for a walk.

It was just damp today, never really amounting to rain. That dampness created a host of different fungi growing in the grass. My favourite was the Star Pinkgills you see here. Described in First-Nature as “Definitely not one for the pot!” I took their word for it and photographed the pair, but didn’t touch … just in case!

Last night our next door neighbour knocked at the door and said his wife had made too much chicken soup and would we like some. Yes please was the answer. We had it today as a starter for dinner. We both agreed it was lovely. Scamp had made pan fried trout for our main with broccoli. Dessert was Bramley apple pie. Not home made, M&S. The next best thing.

We watched what could have been a really exciting F1 GP from Singapore. It was spoiled by the childish complaints of Oscar Piastri who basically said he wanted to win. Tough son, that’s the way the cookie crumbles I’m afraid.

We spoke to Jamie and I did feel sorry for him. Back from a weak hill walking in Wales and now having to drive all those miles in the darkening gloom of autumn. At least he wasn’t moaning like Piastri who my spell checker thinks should be Pastry!!

Pod was the Star Pinkgills, although I just missed a clump of Ink Cap fungi that had just gone over into a black slimy mess.

Tomorrow, it’s more organising, I’m afraid. The blogger’s work is never done!

Still fighting Amy – 4 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Storm Amy, the first named storm of the season was still clinging on to Scotland today. I don’t know who named her, but she wasn’t behaving in a ladylike manner. Gale force winds and heavy rain battered the west of the country. Although there were some respites, it wasn’t a great day to go out anywhere.

Scamp and I had a couple of exchanges to make in M&S, so we drove there. There were a few trees blown down on our route to The Fort in the east of Glasgow, but nothing we couldn’t handle. We debated whether to have lunch in Glasgow or to just head for home. A splashy rain shower settled that discussion and we drove home.

Lunch was tea and sandwiches as we watched the weather systems come and go across the Campsie Fells from the comfort of the house. No sense in going out in the squalls that were coming in the western winds. Later in the afternoon I did give in and took the A7c out for a walk to St Mo’s with the intention of getting a fish supper for two at the local chip shop. I wasn’t long out when I wished I’d taken a warmer jacket. The wind was icy cold.

I did manage to get a couple of decent photos of reflections in a pool that had been a path a couple of days ago. The water in the big pond was a lot deeper too. The swans and cygnets were drinking clean water for the first time in a long while. The flooded path became PoD.

I walked over to the chip shop and was heading home with two fish suppers in a bag when I turned a corner and found the path blocked by a couple of big trees. At first I thought I could walk round them, bus soon realise that wasn’t going to work so I headed back the way I’d come and found a path that would take me by a slightly longer road to miss the trees. It only took a few minutes, but saved me a long walk round the park. The fish and chips were still hot when I got home.

We got some sad news this morning. Anju, a long time salsa dancer from our classes in Glasgow when they were run by Jamie Gallagher had died last night. Anju was a lovely Indian lady with a wicked sense of humour, and great fun to dance with. We’ll both miss her, even although we haven’t seen her for a while. We’re hoping we’ll be able to say goodbye to her properly this month.

Tomorrow we intend to tie up loose ends and check everything twice.

 

It rained – 1 October 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Nearly all day!

I think it’s still raining. Maybe it will tire itself out soon, but after listening to the weather forecast after dinner, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. We’ll just have to wait and see. High winds forecast for the weekend.

Scamp was out in the morning getting her nails done – professionally. I sometimes do a bit of nail painting for her, but I can’t claim to be as neat and tidy as those who do this sort of thing for a living.

I kept myself busy clearing up the back bedroom and finding places to put all the stuff. After lunch I began collecting things that I’d need in the coming weeks, finding things that I really didn’t need and remembering things that I should have added to my list weeks ago. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow or the next day, or the …

I managed to do a backup of the September photos using Microsoft NTFS for Tuxera. A bit slower than the more expensive versions, but the fast iMac balances it out. As I’ve probably mentioned before, Apple software can read an NTFS formatted disk/SD card, but can’t save to that same format. With NTFS for Tuxera it can. Fiddly to start with, but after a bit of tweaking it worked.

Late in the afternoon I grew tired of organisation and went for a walk in St Mo’s. I took the A7c and a 16-35mm f4 lens. I tried and failed to get those low down to the ground shots that the folk on Facebook seem to be able to create. I think I just need some practise. What I did get was a decent shot of a snail sheltering under the seed head of a cow parsley plant. That became my PoD.

Dinner was potato, cabbage and egg for Scamp and if you substitute bacon for the egg you get what I had.

Tomorrow I believe we may be going to a Tea Dance.

More Shopping – 30 September 2025

Posted on by Zogman

I don’t really enjoy shopping, especially for clothes. You guessed it, today we were shopping for clothes.

We drove in to The Fort on the outskirts of Glasgow. I admit that my trousers and sweatshirts are getting worse for wear. Some have holes in them, but that simply gives them character, I think. Some are stained, but again, that increases their ‘lived in’ appearance, at least in my opinion they do. Alas, not in Scamp’s opinion. I came out of M&S with two new pairs of trousers, one pair will be going back, too big. Then I was enticed into NEXT and managed to please Scamp by finding a short sleeved shirt going for a song, and a blue tie which didn’t match the shirt, but just because I liked it. This shopping thing can be fun.

We had coffee and a cake in Tinderbox which is not a patch on the old Tinderbox that used to be in Buchanan Street in Glasgow. Watery coffee, but the Pastel de nata made up for it. Another book plus an interesting one added to my book list and we headed for home.

Back home I set to and cut out the fabric for a bow tie I’ve been promising to make for over a year now. I bought the fabric in Jersey last September and then got some interfacing in Dunfermline a month or so later. A photo of the composite became PoD. That was lucky, because the rain appeared just as I was starting the construction and looked like it was staying for the rest of he day, so no outside photography today.

We watched the Bake Off and were disappointed that the person who left just seemed to be having a bad day. Felt it was a pity.

Not a lot else to say about today. Scamp is intending to have her nails done tomorrow. I won’t have mine done, I might take my baggy trousers back instead.