Category: Birds

Testing Time – 2 March 2017

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Out just before 8am to take the car to the garage for its MOT.  It was looking good after its wash and brush up yesterday.  One of the good things about having a wax wash was that I didn’t really have to scrape the ice from the windscreen, all I had to do was wipe it off.  It’s probably worth the extra 50p for the wax.

After we got home from the garage and had breakfast, I got my selection of photos for Fred and Val ready, then Scamp gave me a lift to the town centre.  Usual coffee and setting the world to rights was put on hold because Costa’s coffee machine was out of order.  After an hour or so the repair was completed and it was business as normal.  Having achieved a quorum of the UBI club, we arranged a prospective date for a meeting, so at least something was done.

I got the phone call to come and collect the car, because once again it had passed as fit for the road with a couple of advisories.  We had completed the UBI business and finished our coffee, so I phoned Scamp and picked up the car.

Went for a walk to St Mo’s and got the two swift shots of Mr Grey before turning for home, because it was a really cold wind.   Scamp made Prawn & Pea Risotto for dinner and we tried the coconut ice cream, but declared it wanting, so it will go down the pan when its all melted.  We think it would taste better made from cream rather than yoghurt.

I’m beginning to miss the sketch-a-day I’ve been doing for the last month, and really need to get back putting pen to paper.  I may get the chance tomorrow, but we’ll have to see how the day pans out first.

A Grand Day Out – 08 February 2017

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8 FebThis will be a rushed post.  It’s been a long day and we’ve crammed a lot into it, although it might not seem so with this compressed or condensed description.

The day started well and we left the apartment with the intention of visiting Scarborough and then heading to a beach, but that’s not how it turned out.  Firstly we made a stop at the Magdalena Grand Hotel to see how the other half live.  The hotel, which is quite grand and quite magnificent is surrounded by a golf course which has the usual water hazards.  However, the water hazards on most golf courses don’t have warning signs saying ‘This lake contains caimans’.  Thankfully we didn’t stop near the water.  We did continue on to see the hotel and to walk the grounds as if we were staying there.  It’s a technique I must learn some time.  We were both impressed with the size and look of the building, but there weren’t very may folk staying there, so we did wonder how profitable it was.  While we were there I got my first decent shots of Frigatebirds.

As we were leaving the weather seemed to take a turn for the worse with squally rain appearing.  It had been threatening while we were trespassing on the hotel grounds, but now it was doing more than threatening.  We carried on to Scarborough, and it did remind me of the English seaside town with the steep hills around it.  Madeleine drove us to Fort King George and old stronghold, now open as a museum.  Loads of interesting stuff to be seen and most of it was open to the public.  That’s where we saw the cockerels and the hens.  They seemed to have the run of the place.  Jaime bought us some Tamarind Balls which are made from Tamarind paste with added pepper made into balls then covered in sugar.  A strange sweet/sour/salty taste.  Hard to define.  Great place to visit.  It was there too we found all these lovely butterflies.  Butterflies in January?  Who would have thought it?  Aha, but this isn’t Scotland.

By the time we were leaving here the rain had started for real.  No longer  squally, but a proper downpour.  After an attempt to outrun it, we gave up and headed with our sandwiches and juice back to the apartment where we had a picnic on the balcony.  Not quite what we’d intended, but at least we were dry for a time.  Then the rain started again and we took shelter inside.  These showers continued all afternoon.  I got fed up after a while and went out to walk along the beach.  Unfortunately, the beach had disappeared under the heavy breakers of high tide, so I sat down and sketched a concrete seat as a possible subject.  It rained again and I had to give up.  At that point Jaime appeared wondering where I’d got to.  We walked back and he showed me the fruits on one of the trees in the hotel grounds.  I must remember to ask him what it was called.  Before we got ready to go out to the restaurant Scamp wanted to dip her feet in one of the hot tubs.  We sat in it for about half an hour while the rain made little soldiers on the surface of the water around us.  What a strange feeling that was.  When we finally gave up the hot tub, we went for a swim in the pool.  The water was remarkably warm.

After our swim we went back to the room and Scamp went to shower and wash her hair.  I grabbed my sketchbook and drew the view from the balcony.  It’s not technically perfect, but it’s a better, and more interesting, drawing than the concrete seat.  IMO.

IMG_3753Dinner was in Karawak restaurant and it was fabulous.  Callaloo soup followed by Tomato, Basil and Olive salad then a main of steak or shrimp with rice, pumpkin and a sort of ratatouille served in a hollowed out half aubergine.  Dessert was coconut cream cake with ice cream, sorbet or ice cream.  It’s hard not to compare that with what we had on our first night here at the steak and lobster grill and it’s hard to see now how the S&L Grill survives against competition like this.  The waitress worked the table with a great sense of humour that you couldn’t help but appreciate.  The only fly in the ointment was the owner or manager, it wasn’t clear which, who only seemed to be interested in her regular customers and only gave us a cursory glance.  She needs to take a lesson from our waitress.  Nobody it that high and mighty that they don’t need to cultivate new custom.

Well, that was meant to be a condensed description of the day.  I missed out the Karaoke because it was so bad, it wasn’t even funny, and no we didn’t take part.

Third Time Lucky – 03 February 2017

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3 Feb2

We were driving down to Chaguaramas, on the north western tip of the island, for a stroll on the boardwalk, but when we got on to the highway, Jaime discovered that he’d forgotten to take his pills, so we turned at the first available place and headed back.  On the way we stopped to get some fresh fruit from a stall at the side of the road.  At the house Jaime and Madeleine went in to drop off the fruit.  Then it was back to the highway again.  It was then that Jaime discovered that he’d dropped off the fruit, but forgotten to take his pills, so it was back round the loop for a second time, and this time he did remember to take his pills and we headed back on to the highway for the third time that day.

When we got to Chaguaramas we parked and took a walk heading east along the boardwalk.  The boards themselves are not made of wood, but of plastic coated MDF.  A strange choice for a walkway open to the ocean because it soaks up water, expands and breaks apart, but I suppose costs must be cut somewhere.  The area around the boardwalk seemed to be in a state of flux and it wasn’t clear if the area had been developed then fallen into disrepair or if it was still being constructed.  I would venture to say it was the former.  When we stopped to admire a Tamarind tree two Indian blokes came over and spoke to us.  It turned out they were putting in a quote to renovate the boardwalk area and this confirmed my suspicion that maintenance is the problem here.  As we were heading back to the car, one of he security men came over and talked to us and almost his first question was “What do you think about Theresa May?”  I have to say that most of the people we’ve met here have been very friendly and interested in these Scottish visitors.

The short beach at Chaguaramas is well used mainly by coloured bodies.  I think we were the only white faces to be seen.  It’s quite an industrial looking area, but the water was clean.  Apparently the beach is man-made.  Nobody seemed to mind that and lots of folk were out enjoying the water.  All except one wee toddler who wasn’t enjoying being washed in a cold foot bath outside the toilet block.

When we left there we went to the Cruise Inn where the other three had the strongest sangria I’ve ever tasted and I had a Heineken ‘Green Tea’.  We were going to have lunch there, but Scamp suggested we go back next Sunday for dinner and that seemed to satisfy everyone.

On the way home we stopped to buy some Hops Bread which is like a soft roll with a light crust on top.  It’s got a very yeasty smell and tastes lovely.  I’m intending to try making some when we get home.

IMG_3698After lunch which was the recycled remains of yesterday’s curry with a slice of reheated shepherd’s pie for me I started on today’s sketch.  What you see is the second one as I wasn’t happy with the result of the first one.  I’m not terribly happy with this one either.  It’s a bit squint and not all that interesting, but it will have to do.  It’s a sketch and it’s done in time.

Madeleine and Jaime were busy all evening trying to cut through the red tape that ties up all passport applications for Venezuela.   I wish them luck in their quest.

Up in the hills again – 02 February 2017

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2 FebIt rained overnight although neither Scamp nor I heard it.  We were well into dreamland at the time.  However, the raindrops on the myriad of leaves in the garden gave me a chance to grab some early photos.  We had breakfast in the garden.  Back home in February, if you tried that,  the men in the white coats would come to drag you away.  Either that or the paramedics would drag you away to try to cure the hypothermia.  But this is not Scotland, so it was a comfortable breakfast.

Later, Jaime drove us up into the Northern range again to visit Mount St Benedict monastery where he had worked as a teacher some years ago.  The road there was one hairpin bend after another.  It was a bit like climbing up the Quairang but with about five times that number of corners.  The view from the top was worth it.  A beautiful panorama right over the centre of Trinidad.  We met the some of the monks and got a quick tour round the buildings.  With its remote situation it makes an excellent retreat centre if you can drag yourself away from the views.

As Jaime drove us back down and through the university grounds, Madeleine phoned up an order for lunch which we picked up on the way home.  Lunch was Indian with Curried Mango, Channa and Aloo, Pumpkin Curry, Curried Chicken, Spicy Bodi beans and Daal.  All mopped up with Paratha.  Curried Mango was my favourite followed closely by Spicy Bodi and Pumpkin Curry.

After our carry-out lunch, we were far too full to do anything strenuous, so we lazed around the garden for a couple of hours.  We watched two IMG_3679iguanas climbing the mahogany tree in the park behind the garden.  I sketched the new house next door.  There were too many different angles to make it look realistic and I got the perspective wrong on the door.  Never mind, it’s all a learning experience.  I finally after about three bum steers got it posted on FB in 28 Drawings Later.

Oh what a beautiful morning – 23 January 2017

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Not such a beautiful day.

Went out early on Scamp’s recommendation to get some photos in the remains of the overnight frost and in the watery sunshine.  Glad I did go out when I did, because the temperature rose sufficiently to melt the frost and the clouds rolled in to hide the sun, making it just another milky sky day.

Lost for something to do while Gems were practising, and after processing the photos, I got yesterday’s cloth and started on the beta version of the bowtie.  It took me until the early evening to get it finished, but it’s done now and although it’s not perfect, it is pretty much like what I wanted.  Made a mistake with sewing together the two halves of the first side and had to cut off the mistake should have stitch ripped out the sewing.  The upshot of cutting off the mistake was the tie was about 20/25mm too short.  It’s a strangling bowtie.  However, as I said, it’s the beta version and much better than the alpha version made from an old pillow slip.  This one I can wear (as long as I don’t have to breathe).  Onward and upward as they say.

Scamp didn’t want to risk Salsa class tonight on account of her recently removed stitches, so I stayed home too.  Sort of regretted it later, but it did allow me to finish the sewing.

That’s about it for the day’s adventures.  I think I’ll need to get a dog.  I keep getting strange looks from the dog-walkers over at the pond.  They can’t understand why I’m walking around with a big black bag and no dog.  Maybe they think I’ve got a wee dog, just a tiny wee one and I keep it in my bag.  Maybe they think I’m a dog thief.  Nobody seems to walk there without a dog.  A girl today told me her dog’s “pure scerred” of men (scerred rhymes with heard).  It might have been scared, but it was doing its fair share of growling at me.  It was a mongrel, but there was a decent bit of Ridgeback in its genealogy and I was getting “pure scerred”of it too before it loped off to give a collie a good sniffing.  At least she didn’t ask me if I had my tiny wee dog in my bag.  I was only joking about getting a dog, by the way.  We’ve enough to contend with, with the two fluffy, yappy things on one side of us and the howling wolf look-a-likes on the other side.  Strangely I just realised today that since the howlers started, the yappy things haven’t yapped.  Maybe there’s a hierarchy of vocal communication among dogs.  I must ask the girl with the “pure scerred” Ridgeback cross.

My PoD was the little silver beads which were in reality thawed frost on cowparsley heads.  It’s amazing what the macro lens shows you.

Oh yes, and the other thing I did today was finally put the Christmas decorations in the loft to rest until December.  A bit late, but not nearly the latest its been.

Tomorrow looks like it will be a lot like today.  I’ll be bag packing and clearing up from the bowtie construction, so I doubt if I’ll notice.

In The Wild – 18 January 2017

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Today we drove to The Fort in what used to be Provanhall in Easterhouse.  Where Scamp was brought up.  It certainly doesn’t look like it now.  It’s a Retail Park.  We were just getting out of the house for a while because it was depressingly dull and the howling dogs next door were doing my head in.  People who want dogs as a status symbol and who go out to work leaving neighbours to put up with their howling should be prevented from keeping pets.  They obviously don’t care about them and leave others to suffer from their noise pollution.  Maybe NLC will be visiting them soon.

While Scamp wandered round the shops, she left me in the creche that is Waterstones book shop.  It’s just a small book shop, but has some interesting new drawing books and it was one of them I tried to enter into my new app, Airtable.  That’s when the honeymoon ended.  I couldn’t get a signal on my iPhone.  Unusual in a shop these days when everywhere seems to offer ’free’ WiFi.  Yes, it is free, but you have to ask for the password and obtaining it is sometimes like pulling teeth or stone exsanguination.  Today was different, no 3G or 4G and no WiFi and therefore, no Airtable because it needs to download your database from ‘the cloud’.  I opened Bento and it obligingly added my book to the database I’ve been using for about five years.  When I returned home and Googled “No offline access Airtable” I found that over 40 people had registered the same complaint and the desire for that offline access.  I filled in the questionnaire and became number 44 in the list.  I don’t expect much will be done in the short term to fix this, but what is the point of making an app for a portable device that demand internet access.  In a perfect world, 24/7 internet would be the norm, but I live in Scotland where even the trains don’t run on New Year’s Day.  We’re one step away from horses pulling carts along the street.  What surprised me most though was the number of complaints from users in the US.  It appears that away from the cities, they are as bereft of trustworthy internet access as we are here.
So…. The search for a replacement for Bento continues.

When we came back from The Fort and I’d taken the wrong turn coming out of the carpark for the 100th time, there was just enough light to grab some shots of Mr Grey at St Mo’s.  Then the light mysteriously disappeared and I headed home for mince and tatties with ‘roop’  (AKA Beetroot).  But I didn’t do a treasure hunt, JIC 😉

I was a helper at Shan’s beginners salsa tonight.  Oh dear, I wonder why these poor beginners keep coming back.  This is not entertainment or education, this is purgatory.  Badly explained, badly demonstrated dance moves with as little humour as Marcus Wareing.  I felt embarrassed to be helping in this class and I don’t think I’ll be back again.  Jamie G’s class by comparison was a bundle of laughs as it always is.  Unlike normal classes, all the moves tonight had ‘real’ names, and mostly Spanish names too.  Great fun.  Nobody ridiculed or made to feel small.  He always denegrates himself rather than pour scorn on others.  A great teacher.  Many could learn from him.

Being a roadie for tomorrow Gems tomorrow when they head the bill at the Link on Cumbersheugh.

Geese – 15 January 2017

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Half past one in the afternoon and I’m standing in the middle of an old coup that was previously a spoil tip for a coal mine. Now it’s just wilderness and I’m watching and listening to skein after skein of geese flying overhead heading north. What do they know that we don’t?

That was written much earlier in the day.  I’d cycled to the tip and by the time I was heading for home, an hour and a half later, the skeins were flying west, south and occasionally north, but not east.  By that time the light was failing and I imagine that these birds had been flying since first light some eight hours earlier and are now looking for somewhere to roost for the night.  There are quite a few fields around Cumbersheugh where geese feed and then roost.  That would explain the apparently contradictory flight paths.  It was great listening to the skeins as they ‘talked’ to each other.  Some will say that’s not true, that they don’t communicate, but if you listen, it does sound like they are sharing information with each other.

While I was walking around the tip, I got a few shots of folk on top of the Kirkie Volcano.  It’s really a pit bing (spoil heap), but from this angle it looks just like a volcano.  One day I’m going to walk up it and take some photos from the top.  East Dunbarton Council should really make it into a visitor attraction with a wee coffee shop at the top.  It would make a fortune.  I may suggest it to them.

It was a lovely day today with a few showers of rain, but the temperature was decent, very decent for the time of year with highs of just over 10ºc.  Not quite shorts and tee shirts weather, but not far off it.  I did wander around in my shorts for a while, but it was too cool to cycle in them.  I saw the moss fruiting bodies (Green Blobs) when I was putting my cycling ‘longs’ (the opposite of shorts) back on and was quite impressed with the colour the camera caught.

Tomorrow is back to Gems in the afternoon, so I need somewhere to go.  Not sure where yet.  😉

Snow – 12 January 2017

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Today dawned with snow on the ground.  Within fifteen minutes, there was snow in  the air too, but no time to gaze admiringly at it.  We had to be showered, breakfasted and on our way to Wishaw General Hospital ASAP.

Tried driving the M73 on to the M74, but it was gridlocked, so change of plan Nº 1.  I’d come off at the M8 intersection and take the M73 back to Cumbersheugh and thence through Airdrie – a nightmare at this time of the morning with the school run in full swing, but at least the traffic would be moving.  Change of plan Nº 2.  The M8 looked clear and running well, so round the roundabout and on to it.  At the very least, we were heading east (the right direction).  The rest of the journey was without incident.

Arrived at the hospital to find that the computer hub was down and nobody could access patients’ notes.  However, we were seen within minutes and twenty minutes later Scamp was ‘under the knife’ so to speak.  After the procedure was complete, we drove home unfortunately squashing a fox on the way.  Poor thing had no chance, and I had no chance to avoid it.  Such a shame.

By the time we got home, the sky was blue once again and I managed a walk across to St Mo’s.  Not a lot of interest to photograph, but I liked the water drops on the cow parsley.  Where would I be without cow parsley?  The female mallard seemed to be paddling around in a dream and I got quite a few shots of it.  By the time I was coming home,  the blue sky was gone and the snow had started again.

Tonight there hasn’t been any more snow but it was freezing hard the last time I was out.  More snow and wind forecast for tomorrow.

Ne’erday – 1 January 2017

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Ne’erday to Scots, New Year’s Day to the rest of the world.

Made some bread in the morning and left it to rise while we went for our traditional walk around Broadwood Loch.  It was a bright morning and the sun was quite blinding, reflecting on the water of the loch.  Got some photos of the gulls sitting on the fence at the outfall of the loch.  We used to call them seagulls when I was young, but these birds have never seen the sea, far less paddled in it.  The furthest they get is foraging in the various landfills around the country.

Further around I got some shots of cormorants stretching their wings to dry.  It appears that these birds have also rejected the maritime life for the more sheltered inland waters.

Lots of people taking the opportunity of getting out in the sun, even if it was cold like today.  Allegedly 5ºc, but a cold 5º.  There was a bit of a breeze which probably made it feel even colder.  However, when you’re walking and talking you don’t feel the cold so much.

When I looked at the photos once we got back, I wasn’t impressed, so I grabbed my camera and headed out again, alone this time, to St Mo’s.  Scamp was more interested in watching the ballet on telly.  Got some landscapes taken with the Oly 5 and some more burds had their photo taken with the Nikon.  I managed just over an hour out before the light started to fade, but at least I got some better shots this time.

Dinner tonight was roast chicken with roast potatoes and mixed leaves.  Very nice.  Pudding was panna cotta with crushed raspberries.

Struggled to understand the latest Sherlock while I struggled to understand the first Sudoku of the new calendar.  Eventually solved the Sudoku but got lost somewhere in Sherlock.  Nothing strange there.

May go out somewhere tomorrow, maybe not.  It depends on the weather.

Christmas Day Blues – 25 December 2016

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“And so it is Christmas, and what have you done?”  Well, not a lot really.  According to my fitness gizmo I took 2475 steps and walked 1.13 miles, was active for just 20 mins while burning 1790 calories.  In short we stuffed ourselves silly and because of the horizontal rain and 60mph gusts outside we hardly ventured past the door.

Christmas dinner was Rib Eye Steak for me and Trout for Scamp with a starter of Chicken Forestiere for both of us.  Pudding was the killer for me.  It was a Winter Fruits Trifle with Plums, Clementines, Amaretti biscuits soaked in sherry, Caramelised Condensed milk with Mascarpone topped off with Whipped Cream.  I may, just may have burned 1790 calories, but compared to the two helpings of trifle I had it looked like a paltry excuse for exercise.  That was the worst overeating I’ve done in years.

We both enjoyed opening our prezzies, just like a couple of weans, then sat down to a cup of coffee.  Afterwards we spoke  to Hazy and JIC, Hazy by Skype and JIC by phone and both seemed to be having a great time.  But then, they didn’t have two helpings of Winter Fruits Trifle to contend with.

Today’s PoD is a Goldfinch, one of a bunch who now frequent our birdfeeder.  They seem to love the little black sunflower seeds and dine almost exclusively on them.  We don’t see them in the summer, only in the winter.

Heading for bed earlier than usual to try to sleep off this enormous feast.  Hoping for calmer conditions tomorrow and our usual pasta for dinner.