Beasties – Page 33 – My Photo Blog

Is this your minky? – 11 February 2017

Posted on February 11, 2017February 13, 2017 by Zogman

Today we set off after breakfast for Chaguaramas to walk into the Bamboo Cathedral.

I don’t know what I expected, but I wasn’t ready for the sign warning us to

Walk in groups
Don’t display cell phones or jewellery
Stay in well lit areas

I thought we were going for a leisurely walk. I forgot to pack the AK47 and stab proof vest. Bummer. However, once we walked past the entrance gate, I forgot all about that. This was jungle! Well, jungle with a wide tarmac road through it. The trees round us were enormous and there was some bamboo too, but nothing ‘cathedral-like’. Then we turned a corner and there was the bamboo. Not one or two clumps, but hundreds – everywhere. Now I could see the ‘cathedral’ reference. The bamboo arched over our heads from both sides and met in the middle making it look and feel as if we were walking through a green tunnel. We walked the length of the bamboo tunnel and then started climbing the hill at the end. As far as we could see, the bamboo was finished. We turned to go back and Madeleine stopped to ‘rescue’ a piece of vine from the depredations of some weeds. Jaime managed to wrap some banana leaf round it and tie it off with a bit of creeper to keep the roots damp until we got it home and could replant it. It was a rescue vine. We walked back through the Bamboo Cathedral and just before we got to the high trees, Madeleine notices movement in the bushes at the side of the road. I started mentally ticking off the warnings on that sign, then we all saw the monkeys.

Madeleine said they were Capuchin monkeys. I was too busy trying to get a decent shot of them in the low light that filtered through the canopy. Eventually, I gave up, switched on fast continuous shooting and fired off seven or eight shots at a time, gave the camera time to deal with them then fired off another seven or eight. I tried a video, but the Oly 10 isn’t really up to that kind of task, and when I checked later, there was nothing useable on either video. Everyone had a great time looking for new groups who seemed to appear from nowhere, climb high into the branches above our heads and jump the gap across to the other side Adult and babies all made the journey without injury although some were better at jumping than they were at catching the branches on the other side and there were a few almost tumbles. Once they were all over, they started feeding and it was time for us to move on. Great fun for all. All the time we were watching the monkeys, people were passing by, all saying “Good Morning” and none really batting an eyelid at the monkey gymnastics. I’m guessing this is a normal occurrence here.

When we got back to the car, we drove on to Macqueripe Bay where we descended the stairs, under the screaming people on the Zip Wire above us, down to the beach. Lovely little beach with what might have been a harbour at one end and a sort of short promenade above the sand. The water looked lovely and clear and I wished I’d brought swimming stuff. The whole place had a strange 1950s look to it and reminded me of the Lido at Bothwell Bridge near Hamilton. Lots of folk swimming and just enjoying the sun, but then it was Saturday after all. I got photos of some crabs before they dived down their holes. They were well back from the sea and I wondered if they sneaked down the steps onto the beach at night. From the promenade you could look out past an island to just see Venezuela in the distance.

After the short visit to the beach, we walked back up to the car and Madeleine drove us home via the supermarket which seemed to stock a lot of Waitrose goods. Which made me wonder if it’s an offshoot of that business. We saw all the usual supermarket stuff and then some things you don’t get back home, like Chicken’s Feet again. Scamp even took a photo of the aforementioned delicacy to show to the disbelieving ones back home. On that subject, I did spot a cafe on the road advertising Cow Heel Soup. Apparently it’s a local delicacy and the soup is really good. I just hope they wash the cow’s heels well before making the soup, having seen the stuff that cows walk through!

Lunch was stewed chicken with fried plantain and salad, followed by coconut ice cream. Maybe a notch down from the ice cream we got in Karawak, but still better than anything we get at home.

Today’s sketch is of the house across the street with a bit of M&J’s house added in to set the scene. Actually, after I was finished, I preferred the lightness of M&J’s house to the lumpy looking other house. The perspective is much more pronounced with the viewpoint closer to the small house. Worth another go, I think. Maybe tomorrow.

A Jump, Skip and a Hop – 10 February 2017

Posted on February 10, 2017February 11, 2017 by Zogman

Today we said goodbye to Tobago and caught the plane to Trinidad. Madeleine and Scamp weren’t very impressed with the pilot’s driving skills and I have to say it was a bit of a bumpy ride at times. What I did wonder about was the fact that before it landed in Tobago, it hadn’t appeared on Flight 24 on my phone and there was no airline insignia on the fuselage. A pirate of the skies perhaps? Anyway it got us to Piarco airport on Trinidad and from there Madeleine drove us home, stopping on the way to pick up some Roti which are Indian flatbread wraps holding the main course which for three of us was chicken and for Scamp was veg. Possibly my best favourite of these lunch wraps so far.

When we were at the airport on Tobago, Madeleine showed us the bright yellow fruit she’d picked from the hedgerow along with its delicate wee yellow flower. I think it was a Carailie Vine, but I may be misspelling that. I’ll check tomorrow. It tasted good. Just another of the fruits available on these islands. Even better, this one is free as it grows wild in the hedgerows.

Ori was pleased to see us and after being fed, fussed over and having a run round the garden at top speed a couple of times, lay exhausted in the livingroom. Such a relaxed dog.

While Madeleine was watering the garden earlier on, Jaime picked a Guava from one of the trees in the garden and we all had a piece. Beautiful green colour with soft pink flesh inside. They really do have an amazing selection of fruits here. Unfortunately, one he was trying to harvest looks like it’s been invaded by ants. It’s a Sour Sop. It is a big dark green fruit covered in spikes and is supposed to have a sweet white flesh, but I doubt if we will taste it because the ants have been there first.

Today’s sketch is of a wee sea urchin shell that Scamp found yesterday on the beach at Pigeon Point. It’s a bit rough, but at least it’s done and on time. Maybe I’ll find something more interesting to draw tomorrow. It won’t be the little beastie that Madeleine showed me today, asking what I thought it was. I took a photo and it looked for all the world like a caddis fly larva, but it was much, much smaller. I searched on Google for it giving as much info as I could and it turned out to be a Household Casebearer and it turns into a moth after pupating. Nasty looking little thing. Now gone along with it compatriots under a spray of bug killer. Oh, yes, one more thing. Out of the corner of my eye tonight I thought I saw a bright green light flying around the room, turning on and off. Couldn’t quite catch it though, then I did and it was a Firefly! First time I’ve seen one. It looked like a wee moth with an LED on its bum! And with that thought, I’ll say goodnight.

Pigeon Point again – Still no pigeons.

Posted on February 9, 2017August 24, 2017 by Zogman

Out early again and got to Pigeon Point before the resort was fully open! The benefit of getting there early is that you get your pick of the beach huts. With our one selected and with sun screen slathered on, Scamp and I went for a walk in the shallows. The water was cold, but then it was just after 9am. The sea was much calmer today, so it was time to grab the mask and snorkel and head out to the reef.

Despite the lack of wind and only a slight swell, there was still a fair bit of silt in the water and visibility wasn’t that great. However, it was good to swim in the sea without getting hypothermia. After a while I swam back to the shore and met Scamp who wanted to have a deeper paddle and test the improved buoyancy you get from sea water. We just messed around in the fairly shallow water for a while and she did try a few strokes before we got out again. Sat watching the colours in the sea and sky for a while then had an early lunch of biscuits and cheese, washed down with some fruit juice. After that Scamp and I went for a walk along the beach and watched the pelicans diving for fish. Scamp found a wee bit of coral to take back and then she found a sea urchin shell. Walked back to the beach hut and did a quick sketch of the lifesaver’s hut.

Back at the beach hut, a hoard of americans arrived (lower case shows my respect for them).

The older ones were about our age and were quiet and quite biddable. The younger ones were noisy and american. What more can I say. Each one seemed to want to project their inherent stupidity louder than the last. Big Chief Stupid had his hair shaved at the sides and left long on top. Such a good look. I may grow my hair long this year and emulate him. I won’t, however, plaster my arms and legs with ‘artistic’ tattoos. To quote from Lou Reed “Stick a fork up their ass and turn them over, they’re done!” Actually Lou was quoting from his friend, Donald, so maybe that’s a cyclic quote!? We stayed a bit longer, I had another snorkelling mission then I went looking for a Sarong for Scamp, it being Thursday. Bought one from an old guy sitting on the beach with the sarongs hung up and drying in the breeze. He even demonstrated the different ways to tie it.

Back at the apartment, I wanted to go out and get some pics of the pelicans fishing from the beach that had disappeared yesterday. Today was better, but the waves were now attempting to cover it. Walked along to where the pelicans were, and found a white bull in the field behind me – no fence! I said bye-bye to the bull and made a hasty retreat. On the way back, I found a dragonfly, right next to me on a bush. Dragonflies in February, now there’s a thing! Got lots of photos.

Out to Karawak again for dinner. Two waiters instead of waitresses tonight and it was Cajun Chicken for me and Mahi Mahi fish for the others. I didn’t enjoy it as much as last night, but I was in the minority.

Back at the apartment, Jaime, Scamp and I went to watch the limbo dancer. I think now we saw him the last time we were here, but he was entertaining with his fire eating and his clowning around.

We went to bed early because we’ll be up early tomorrow for the plane back to Trinidad.

The not so Common Market – 04 February 2017

Posted on February 4, 2017February 5, 2017 by Zogman

Madeleine found one of the ‘singing frogs’ in the shower this morning and managed to capture it in a jar. It’s a tiny wee thing, no bigger than my thumb nail and that’s it fully grown. After its photo call we let it go back to rejoin its midnight choir.

Just a coffee for breakfast this morning because we were going to the Green Market and Madeleine said we would get something to eat there.

I didn’t realise it was so far away, almost halfway to Yves’ house, or so it seemed. When we got there the market was in full swing and there was lots for these Scottish visitors to gawp at. Dasheen, Yams, Cassava and real live cocoa pods. An amazing variety of fruit and veg that we had only heard about or read about in books sitting on benches right there in front of us. After a quick walk through, we went looking for that breakfast. We all had Empanadas – that’s fried corn bread ‘rolls’ with a variety of fillings. I had beef, Scamp had chicken, Jaime had pork and Madeleine had cheese. While we were sitting there stuffing our faces with these fatty foods, a lady from a local surgery was explaining how high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension are all caused by obesity and too much fatty foods. I don’t think this was the best place to be putting out that message – or maybe it was! I was amazed to find Ortaniques (a cross between and orange and a tangerine) for sale on one of the stalls. I remember getting them in Larkhall away back in the 1960s. I haven’t seen them for years. Three for a pound was a bargain too good to pass up. Another stall was selling juices and they were lovely. Scamp had a mixture of ginger, melon and coconut water. I had passion fruit.

When we were done there, it was back in to town and a visit to another market. This one called the Up Market. It was a sports hall filled with stalls selling lots of different crafts. I bought myself a copper bracelet to ward off rheumatism and Scamp got a pair of maracas to use with Gems!

After that it was time to go home. Nobody really wanted lunch, but there was a good selection of fruit so we had that. You see, maybe that lady’s talk did sink in after all. After the fruit fest, Scamp went out to read in the garden and I staked my claim on a place to sketch Jaime’s hut. Possibly the neatest hut ever. Madeleine says it’s not so neat inside. I’m not sure I believe her. Anyway, this was a pencil sketch for a change. Unfortunately my Staedtler pencil was loaded with 2H lead, not 2B so tone was difficult to achieve. But, like yesterday’s, it’s done.

Tonight J&M took us out to a Chinese restaurant for a meal. The meal was delicious, but the way it was organized with veg being ordered separately from the meat was very strange. Good food and good company. You can’t beat it!

Mojitos & Earwigging – 9 November 2016

Posted on November 9, 2016November 11, 2016 by Zogman

This being our last full day in Lanzarote 2016, we took our time and made the most of it, but took it easy too.

We sat by the pool for a while after breakfast because it was very warm, possibly the warmest of the days, but a cooling breeze kept the temperature within a reasonable range. We stayed there until after lunch when we walked along in the direction of the airport, with the task of finding a coloured strap for Scamp’s case to make it easier to find on the carousel at Glasgow … when the moving belt eventually squeaks into life. After selecting a suitable strap we settled in a bar with two mojitos. Real ones, not the pre-made, out-of-a-bottle ones they ply the unwary with at the hotel, topped up with a teaspoon of their watered down ‘local’ rum. These weren’t the strongest mojitos we’ve had, but they were very tasty and went down a treat.

While we were there we were earwigging a scam being played out by an old white haired bloke with a beard and his wife behind us. Scamp was shocked at the length of the claws his wife had, you couldn’t call them nails, these were full-on talons. Anyway the old beardy had got wind of the fact that a bloke who owned a bar in Arrecife had a backup battery for his own bar that he didn’t need and wanted rid of. According to his electrician friend, the bloke in Arrecife didn’t know what it was worth and would be happy to sell it on for a fraction of what it was worth. OK? The scene has been set.
So, old beardy bloke and Eagle Claw are plotting their pitch to Mr Arrecife. They decide that they’ll tell the bloke they are interested in his backup battery to use to keep their two fishtanks running when there is a power outage. The electrician has already told them that this battery will run all the electrical requirements for a bar; fridge, freezer, air-con, pumps, lighting, the lot for 10 hours, and they’re going to tell the bloke that they want it to power their fish tanks. It made we wonder just how bit these fish tanks were, or how ingenuous they thought Mr Arrecife was. Beardy thought they could get the battery for under €400. The phone call was duly made and either the electrician was playing both sides against one another, or Mr Arrecife wasn’t as stupid as Beardy thought, because a figure of €1500 was being bandied about. The call ended with Beardy telling Eagle Claw that he could probably beat him down to around the €400. I hope he’s got a good baseball bat to beat him with, either that or he’ll have to threaten Mr A with Eagle Claw. We’ll never know the outcome.

We walked back to the hotel and while Scamp went for to grab some more rays, I went for a last walk over the lava rocks. Now, not all of the wilderness is rocky, there are dried up riverbeds, Arroyos that occasionally carry enough water to allow plants to survive and it was one of those areas that gave me the little green leaves. Like I found in Fuerteventura there are lots of shells here, embedded in the soft dry clay and the lowering light brought out their textures. At last, I found myself a dragonfly. Apart from the unlucky pair laying eggs in a swimming pool, this was the first dragon I’d seen. It was very delicate and thin, not like the big bruisers we get in Scotland. However, the light was getting poor and I grabbed a couple of shots and then headed back to the hotel.

It was a Rock Show in the theater and it wasn’t quite dire, but it wasn’t all that good either. There was a lot of shouting, enthusiastic applause and whistling coming from about four folk at the back of the audience, quite near us. It was totally unwarranted and I have to admit, I think they were ‘Rent-a-mob’, bought in to encourage some interest in the miming and aping on stage.

That was it, apart from a G&T on the balcony to finish the bottle and the initial packing. Another holiday draws to a close.

First Full Day – 4 November 2016

Posted on November 4, 2016November 5, 2016 by Zogman

A more relaxed morning than yesterday! Unfortunately it was still raining. Just a shower we told ourselves but the sky gave a lie to that. Breakfast was the usual holiday hotel fare and of course we had too much of everything. Notables were the big slab of butter you could cut for yourself to spread on the bread you also cut for yourself. Butter was white and unsalted and also quite delicious.

After breakfast the rain was going off so we waited a while and then headed off in the direction of Puerto del Carmen. It’s a fairly long walk and the weather was improving so we took our time. Our objective today was to find the cheapest bottles of Gin and Tonic. Although we are all inclusive, it doesn’t go wrong to have the makings of a G&T for sitting on the balcony watching the world go by. The hotel provides us with as much drinking water as we want, free of charge, which is an improvement on some places we’ve been to. WiFi is also free, but only in the reception and only for two devices at any one time. Not a real drawback. To get back to the walk, we wandered down the road checking prices as we went. Stopped for a beer in a wee roadside bar. Checked that a really good Asian restaurant we’d been to was still there. Usual holiday stuff. Then we walked back, and it was getting real holiday hot now. Forgot to get the gin and were appalled at the price they wanted for it in Hyperdino (usually the cheapest, so we hadn’t checked it). I volunteered to walk back to the cheapest shop to get some and also some tonic. Finally arrived back, just in time for lunch. We were a bit more modest in our lunch selection, really just a salad.

After lunch, Scamp went to sunbathe and I went for a walk over the rough lava rocks to get some photos.

Booked dinner in the Asian restaurant in the hotel for Monday as Saturday and Sunday were fully booked. At night we waited for a while for the Flamenco show to start, but gave up on it after a while. Had a drink in the lounge and then went back to try again. The show is supposed to start at 21.30. At 21.45 they started the presentation of the awards of the day for the Kiddies Club. That was supposed to happen at 20.30, so it looked like they were running at least an hour behind. We, or to be more exact, I couldn’t be bothered waiting that long, so we headed for bed. Scamp was keen to demonstrate that she, as Genghis Pathfinder had discovered a faster way to get from the main building to the room and, for once, she was right. Full marks for Pathfinding, Scamp.

Less food tomorrow and hopefully some sunbathing with the possibility of a swim too.

Nursing – 25 October 2016

Posted on October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 by Zogman

It could have been my chosen career, but I chose a different path. That, by itself saved the populace from a bad case of genocide. Scamp has the cold and I’ve been doing my best be head cook and bottle washer.

As part of the nursing program, I was also the driver who took us to Costa Robroyston for a cup of brown water and a spot of Costa lunch. Can’t say I was any more impressed with the coffee, but served as a skinny cappuccino, it’s almost palatable. Hark at me, “Skinny Cappuccino” no less! Quite the man about town.

After we came back I went out to get some photos and maybe, just maybe, a sketch. The sketch didn’t happen, what I did do was get some photos of underpasses, of which we have quite a few here, to sketch from the computer later. It’s a bit of a cop out, but it sounded feasible. I took the shots and they looked ok. I took some spiders’ pictures too in St Mo’s. They seemed quite pleased that I was showing an interest in their web building and posed happily while I snapped away. Mr Grey was sulking in the cold water of St Mo’s pond. Do birds have nerve endings in their feet, I wonder. I also wonder if there should have been a question mark at the end of the previous sentence. That’s the sort of thing that I would know if I had been paying attention in English back in Larkhall Academy, but I didn’t and I don’t, know that is. Strangely, my English teacher was a Mr Grey too! I took this Mr Grey’s photo because of the reflection in the murky waters of the pond.

While I was taking my research photos of underpasses for the proposed sketch (it didn’t happen either), I turned a corner and almost bumped into a guy lurking in the darkness of the underpass. At first I was a bit concerned, then I realised he was just a schoolboy, presumably from St Mo’s, also presumably ‘dogging it’. In other words he was ‘bunking off’ school. What we, in the trade, called a ‘school refuser’ and what the pupils called a ‘dogger’. That has nothing at all to do with dogs and also nothing to do with secluded carparks after dark. Or so I’ve been told!! Ahem, I’ve also been told that when one is in a hole one should stop digging, so I’m laying the spade down now. Anyway, I marched through the underpass and got the shot from the opposite side once the boy had scuttled away in the general direction of the school. He obviously hadn’t, to quote Guy Garvey, “perfected that simian stroll”. What he should have done was amble on in the general direction of the school with that look that said “It’s alright mate, I’m just on my way back from an appointment with my dentist / my doctor / my social worker” (delete as appropriate). Instead he just looked like he was a rabbit caught in the headlights. Maybe it was the first time he’d done it. Maybe he had a good reason. Maybe he’s on the path to become a repeat offender. That made me think of another musical reference: “Razzle in my Pocket” – Ian Dury. Listen and you’ll see what I mean.

Anyway, photos took and still no sketch for the day, because the underpasses hadn’t fired my imagination. Also, I don’t like sketching from photos now. They seem to lack the vitality of sketching from life. After washing up, I took a cup of good coffee upstairs to read while Scamp was watching her Tuesday soap, and there it was, today’s sketch. It’s a bit cheeky to title it as the First Coffee. It was hardly the first coffee of the day as I’d had my Sudoku Cup at about 11am and you can’t count Costa brown water. It was the last cup of the day though and, like the spiders, it posed very patiently for me. It wasn’t even cold when I’d finished. Success. Just in case you’re interested the paper is 110gsm Fabriano Sketch and pen is a Micron 0.3 with a bit of shading from a pale grey brush pen.

Tomorrow? It depends on how Scamp is feeling. Maybe the gym for me, but we’ll wait and see how the invalid is.

Another day waiting for the aerial man – 12 October 2016

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 by Zogman

The bloke who was going to take down that bloody aerial failed to turn up today. Different bloke from the last time, different day, same result. Now he says he’ll be here tomorrow. Do we believe him?

Went out early for some photos in the sunshine in St Mo’s. Got one of Mr Grey preening. Unless he’s lost a lot of weight, I don’t think this is the real Mr Grey, more likely it’s a body double. The real Mr Grey has probably flown south for the winter and he’s arranged this substitute to make it look as if he’s still here. The body double probably even collects the real Mr Grey’s Giro. Yes, I know that we don’t do Giros any more, but unemployed bird still use them, because they don’t do internet banking. Anyway, the green leaves were growing from a storm felled tree. There must have been enough continuity between trunk and roots to keep the transfer of sugars and starches. The landscape is from St Mo’s and is of clouds breaking over the Meikle Bin above and beyond Kilsyth. The wee spider was climbing a tree and if you look closely at the Flickr version, you will notice that he’s got his safety rope securely fixed to a branch. Even spiders have to be careful these days.

I’ve been following “The Constant Doodler” and today’s Inktober sketch is my first attempt at his signature One Line drawing where his pen never leaves the paper until the drawing is finished. It’s much more difficult than it looks. Try it sometime and you’ll discover just how much planning is required before you start.

Other than that, it was another dull day after the promise of the morning’s weather. There was a bit of rain in the evening and more if forecast tomorrow. Maybe that will give the aerial man another excuse to avoid the demolition of the bloody aerial. But then you never know. Maybe tomorrow we’ll be celebrating the removal of this piece of roof architecture.

Clingfilm – 11 October 2016

Posted on October 11, 2016October 11, 2016 by Zogman

A strange title, but hopefully all will become clear – like the clingfilm 😉

Lazy start to the day, but that usually happens on a Tuesday after a busy Monday with two hours of dancing and an hour of driving, then preparing the photos, posting them and then blog writing. I’m not moaning about, just explaining why we almost broke our self imposed rule of Up By Ten. The light seemed to be improving in the morning and I grabbed a few shots of the Gazanias in the hanging basket with their covering of raindrops from the showers during the night.

What to do with the rest of the day? We couldn’t decide where to go, because we had decided we’d go out. Dinner was sorted and we needed nothing extra for that. It was finally settled when Scamp said we didn’t have any cling film and that called for a visit to Lakeland. Scamp also wanted to get some flowers to plant in my raised bed for some winter colour. We could achieve both aims with a visit to Lakeland and Dobbies just outside Stirling. What exciting lives we lead when our day revolves around Clingfilm and Pansies!

We came back from Stirling over the Tak ma Doon road. Usually it’s a scenic road with plenty of opportunities for big-sky landscapes. Today heavy clouds had rolled in and everywhere was dull. Oh well, I still had the pics of the Gazanias to fall back on. Just to make sure, I went out to bother the wildlife in St Mo’s when we got back. Just missed Mr Grey, but he saw me and was off like as shot. More snails up trees. It seems that they favour Ash trees. Disturbed a couple of deer and this time I got a shot I liked. One young doe ran when she saw me, then turned and watched to make sure I wasn’t following, giving me the chance I needed to take the shot. I don’t know what kind of fly was on the tree in the other shot. It looked a bit like a mosquito, but on closer examination, the head looks more like a Jenny Long Legs (Crane Fly). Don’t know.

Today’s Inktober (Number 11) is of Monday’s Daily Sudoku which was completed yesterday (Monday) and was lying on the coffee table in front of me, so, like the hand yesterday, it wasn’t going to go anywhere. Fred P can do quick portraits or caricatures of people sitting near him in Costa and they always look like the subject. I just can’t draw fast enough to grab a likeness. It’s all about confidence I think. Anyway, I’m happy enough with today’s quick sketch. Made some more fruit scones tonight. I did think of sketching one of them, but they move off the plate too quickly.

Don’t know what’s happening tomorrow because we’ve got clingfilm now, so possibly no need to go out. Jamie G our Salsa teacher is off on business tomorrow, and we don’t know who will be taking the class. It’s not worth driving for an hour through Glasgow’s Wednesday evening traffic only to find it’s a, how shall I put this, less entertaining teacher. Maybe we’ll stay in and watch a film instead!

I have seen the future and it works, sort of – 3 October 2016

Posted on October 3, 2016October 4, 2016 by Zogman

I couldn’t stay living in the past, I simply didn’t work for me. After I’d tasted the future, the old fashioned way of working in Mountain Lion was passé. I longed for all those little tweaks that could make life so much easier. It had to be done. I reinstalled El Cap via the Carbon Copier disk. Hazel still didn’t work, but I found a strange workaround for the NAS. If I access the drive as a ‘guest’, access is so much faster than if I login as me, with name and password. Weird! The main thing is it works. I’ll just have to rewrite the rules I use a lot with Hazel. Sorry JIC, I should have explained yesterday that the Hazel I’m referring to is not a person, it’s an app. A very clever app that files stuff away according to rules you write for the purpose.

While Carbon Copier was reinstalling the Capitan, I went for a walk to get some photos and to clear my head. Saw at least four dragonflies down near the Luggie. I also forgot to mention that summer is not over yet, because I’ve recently seen swallows still flying and feeding themselves up for the long journey south. The last sighting was last week. It’s easy to tell when you see the first swallow in spring, but it’s more difficult to record the last sighting.

I’m going to bed. I’ve had a long day and am knackered. Tomorrow I intend to do a little computing, some painting and some photographing. Kizomba was much better than the last mob. I think we might stay with this pair. Even if it took us an hour and fifteen minutes to do the 20 min journey into Glasgow tonight. There must be a better way, after all, it’s the future!