Category: Dancing

Dancin’ – 16 April 2026

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Back to Glenburn this afternoon to get some exercise, dancing.

Before that, I went for a walk in St Mo’s just in case I wouldn’t have time to grab any photos before we left for Glenburn and I was quite happy with my little collection of flowers and plants. A fair amount of sun to make things bright and cheerful. I even managed to get my PoD which is a Horse Chestnut candelabra just opening up to expose the flower buds.

I had been allowed 45 minutes to get to St Mo’s, grab my photos and get back in time for a quick lunch and an even quicker change before we made our way over to the outskirts of Paisley. I made it just in time with a few seconds before the cutoff time.

The hall was only about half full when we got to Glenburn, but gradually the cars arrived and the hall ended up almost as busy as it usually is. The usual mix of Ballroom, Jive and Latin in the first half, then in the second half it was almost all sequence. Since the schools were still on holiday, it was safe for us to take advantage and dance for almost all the available time. If we’re running a bit late and the schools are open, our journey home takes much longer with parents ferrying their little darlings home.

Dinner was from M&S and was Scottish salmon all butter en croute. It was remarkably good. I think we may have it again some time

We watched an illuminating episode of Grayson Perry interviewing folk about their adventures with AI in America. It really did make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. What are these folk thinking about? Do they live in a different universe from us? One woman claimed she had married her AI ‘boy friend’. The more I hear about AI, the less I want to hear.

Note to self: Thursday Prezzy was a box of grapes, which were deemed to be great!

We watched the final of The Apprentice and agreed that the best woman won. There were no men in the final!

Tomorrow I may be meeting Charlie McKillop for a beer or two and a catch up. Steven may be there too.

Garden Flowers and shopping – 13 April 2026

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Too many showers to risk going out anywhere  to take photos.

Instead we drove to Stirling to do some shopping. On the way there, we passed a few warning signs of imminent road closures beginning today. No reason given, but I’m sure it would be “Essential Maintenance”, it always is. Three months of this on the M80 was what we were told we’d have to look forward to. Oh what fun.

When we turned off to go into Stirling town we had to suffer more roadworks. Thankfully we were, going IN to Stirling. The queue on the other side of the road coming out of the town was much, much longer. I think we’ll try to avoid Stirling for a few months.

We got parked in Waitrose car park quite easily for a change and we filled our trolley nearly to overflowing, but not quite. As usual we bought lots more stuff than we really need, but it’s a comfortable place to “go for the messages in”. Our small Tesco doesn’t have a great selection and if we go to the big Tesco at the town centre it’s always mobbed. Anyway, we got what we wanted and drove home by avoiding the Three Way Traffic Signals and instead drove through the outskirts of Stirling, heading roughly north and then joined the southbound carriageway of the M80 and got home in half the time. Wild weather again with heavy rain. It didn’t feel like April at all.

The rain was on and off most of the rest of the day. I did manage to get a few shots when the sun was shining and my favourite was a deep purple Hellebore called Viv Mirabella. It has been flowering all through the winter and into spring without showing any signs of stopping any time soon.

Not much to say about the rest of the day. We went to Stirling. We went for the messages. It rained. There, that about sums up Monday for us.

Dancin’ – 11 April 2026

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Today we drove to Brookfield after I’d spent about £1,000 on half a tank of petrol!

Well, it certainly felt like £1,000 when I was half filling the tank. However, we were passing through the Straits of Glasgow where your speed is limited to 40mph for quite a few miles. We managed to avoid most of the potholes and all of the mines. The 40mph restriction kept the fuel usage fairly low, but I wouldn’t want to drive like that all the way every day.

Again, we weren’t the last folk to arrive at Brookfield, although we were among those who were given the evil eye by the Teachers.

The order of dance was:

House of Bamboo – A 1958 song by Andy Williams. Just a bit of fun.

Britannia Waltz – A waltz made up by the teachers that I haven’t mastered yet.

Tango Sereda – A tango, obviously, that we’ve both almost managed to get working for us.

Quickstep – A quickstep that I don’t think I’ll ever master. It seems to change every week!

Blue Angel Rumba – I’m getting there, but it requires pushes and shoves by Scamp to remind me of the steps.

Sally Ann Cha-Cha – A silly wee dance where the leaders get a chance to shout “O!” at the end of each sequence with the option to high-five anyone nearby.

An energetic morning for all concerned.

As usual there were new roadworks on the way home with neither workmen or vehicles to be seen. Talked a good game but no work being done. Time wasters, all.

I did take a walk in St Mo’s in the late afternoon after Wordle et al had been conquered.

Scamp made dinner tonight, a prawn risotto. Long time since I’ve had it and it was a nice surprise.

Something is still wrong with the SSL in Namecheap. I’ll need to find out what tomorrow. More time wasted.

Off to bed now. No real plans for tomorrow.

The Far East – 4 April 2026

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Today we travelled to the Far East, Edinburgh to see how the other half live.

The weather was kind to us to begin with, but the weather fairies had said we should bring a brolly. We ignored them, but perhaps we shouldn’t have. We walked our usual path from Haymarket, up Morrison Street then through the canyon of Ladyfield before crossing to the Nero on Lothian Road. Best coffee I’ve had in weeks in there, then the walk over to Castle Terrace and the farmer’s market there. I was looking for a couple of pieces of Hogget. Hogget is the word used to describe a lamb in its second spring or summer. The meat is richer than lamb, but not as strong as mutton. I find it hard to get in butcher’s, but am usually able to get some in the Edinburgh farmer’s market. So it was today. In the fridge I’ve now got a couple of chunks of Hogget chump chops and a Cannon of Hogget in the fridge. Apparently you can cook a hogget cannon like you would cook steak. One lot will hopefully provide dinner for me tomorrow and the other will go in the freezer for me to find later in the year.

By the time we were clear of the farmer’s market, the rain was getting heavy, so after a wander round the outdoor markets of the Grassmarket, Scamp decided we should have lunch in Petit Paris. A real French restaurant. We both went for the same menu: Soup of the day, (loaded with veg) and Fish of the Day which was Coley with Mash. I didn’t think I was hungry until I’d finished both plates and would have licked the plate if I thought I’d get away with it. A half a glass of red to wash it down because I was driving when we got home.

By the time we left the rain was heavy. We walked up West Bow and shook our heads at the Harry Potter nutters standing in the rain before they spent a fortune on magic wands and top hats and other things that only foreigners buy. Ourselves excluded, of course.

Next we made our way back down the steep Mound to listen to a gospel choir and then on to Princes Street gardens to watch the annual Passion Play. We only stayed a while, but by then we were soaked through, so we headed for the station and with minutes to spare, caught the train home.

Tonight we watched an excellent adults cartoon and then, The Greatest Story Ever Told. An Easter story that started life in the mid 1960s. I’ll admit I had never seen it before.

Wish we’d stayed longer at the Passion Play, maybe next time.

PoD went to cranes reflected in a new glass-fronted building in the city.

Wind is getting a bit stronger tonight. Hopefully it will be gone by tomorrow. No plans for Sunday.

Dancin’ and School Ties – 2 April 2026

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Strange mixture.

Today started with a bit of shopping. Quite a large bit of shopping too, but it was all basic foodstuffs … boring. We had a cup of coffee when we got home and realised we had about 15min to get ready for our afternoon out in Glenburn for today’s Tea Dance.

After a frantic scrabble, we headed off to this Paisley offshoot and arrived just in time. It was the usual format of mainly ballroom dances in the first half and sequence dances in the second half. We usually leave about half an hour early to avoid the schools coming out and clogging up the roads with little darlings who are picked up by doting aunts, uncles, grans etc, because the poor things can’t walk long distances. It was different in my day. We had to walk to school and back again. It toughened you up etc, etc …
Anyway, the weans would be out and enjoying themselves when we left at the end of the dances.

The drive home was much swifter than it usually is. I’ve a plan for the fastest way to get to Glenburn and a different route for returning. It might seem daft, but it does work, for me at least.

I took a camera and lens out for a walk in St Mo’s when we got home and got a photo of a school tie hanging from a lamp post. I don’t know what the scribbles on the tie were, but just to be safe, I removed some of the writing.

We’re hoping to go to have coffee with Isobel and Shona tomorrow and maybe a quick lunch afterwards. If everything works out, of course. Storm ‘Dave’ looks as if it’s going to show up at the weekend. Let’s hope it’s not as violent as the weather fairies are predicting.

Dancin’ – 28 March 2026

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We drove to Brookfield for today’s lesson.

We drove through rain and hail to get to Brookfield for today’s lesson which was less than scintillating. To much recapping of dances we’d done before. Nothing at all that was new. I felt it was disappointing and a lot of treading water, meaning that for the second dance we’ve had, it was a bit underwhelming. I didn’t enjoy it.

I enjoyed the drive back home, even less. It seems that every time we drive to or from Brookfield, the route is slightly different. Different road layouts and longer queues. I gave up in the end and went via the Clyde Tunnel. At least you are driving between 30 and 40mph for most of the way and there are traffic lights to ensure that you get your chance to get on to the M8 at the end. Driving over the Kingston Bridge is a lottery. Some days the traffic flows slowly, but it does flow. Other days it’s just a car park with the occasional chance to move forward by a car’s length. I hate driving on a Saturday!

We did get back home in about an hour which is quite good for a Saturday when there’s football on. After that, I fell asleep on the couch, so don’t ask me who won, or even who were playing! I was just glad to be off the main road,

I went for a walk in the late afternoon and managed to get some photos of some Salmonberry flowers near the outfall at St Mo’s. I know I’ve photographed them before, but they are pretty little flowers and deserve a place in the sun, and there was sun today.

Dinner tonight was home made Fish & Chips. Two lovely big slices of haddock fried in batter with homemade chips. We watched the Japanese F1 GP while we had dinner. Not as exciting as the previous ones, but Suzuka is a scary looking race track. Today was the qualifying race, hopefully the race tomorrow will be just as exciting.

No real plans for tomorrow. If we can avoid the rain we may go for a walk.

Catkins in the rain – 23 March 2026

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The first day of rain in a week. I’d hoped the dry weather would have lasted longer, but we’ll take the dry week and say “Thanks”.

Scamp was out in the morning for coffee with Shona. I stayed home and left the ladies to their discussions. When Scamp returned, I decided to risk a walk. I was barely out the front door when the raindrops started falling. It’ll be fine, I said and walked over to St Mo’s, but the rain kept coming and by the time I was halfway round my walk, I turned back, but by that time my Rab jacket was quite wet. There was nothing to do but get home as soon as I could. By the time I got back, I had to do a complete change of clothes. However, I got today’s PoD which was a trio of Catkins on a branch.

Dancing tonight was the Blackwood Waltz again. I think a few of us were tired of it, but that was all that was on the menu for tonight. I couldn’t concentrate on it and eventually was ready to walk away. Scamp did her best to keep me right, but heart just wasn’t in it. Eventually we were released and we could drive home.

A parcel arrived for Scamp when she was out. It was two bunches of flowers, very well wrapped and secured. I know her big day is not until tomorrow, but I thought it a bit unfair to stick strictly to the day before she got to open the parcel.

Tomorrow, Scamp is in charge. She can choose what we do and when.

Dancin’ & Traffic again – 21 March 2026

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This morning we drove to Brookfield for the usual Saturday dance class.

The traffic was a bit busier than normal, but we made good time on the way and weren’t the last ones to arrive.

It was a morning for remembering old, almost forgotten routines. First the Catherine Waltz. A fairly easy and gentle waltz routine with no need for either of the teachers to make it more ‘interesting’ or more difficult.

Next it was a quickstep, not a named one, but a do-it-yourself one where you just dance, keeping mainly to time and fitting in the occasional additional routine in where you can.

Next was the Vogue Waltz which is bit more complicated than the Catherine Waltz, but still easily doable, as we demonstrated. That is what Tea Dances are good at. It’s the repetition that hammers the routines into your brain and makes sure you will remember them.

Next was the Charnwood Cha-Cha. Another easily remembered routine with a few tricky changes in it, but nothing to worry about.

To finish we danced two sequence dances: Midnight Jive and Square Tango.

It was quite a dull lesson, more a refresher than anything else. We knew a lot of the dances because we’re often at the Tea Dances and have the steps embedded in our memory. Scamp thinks the reason of the teachers hammering in old favourites is because the “class week out” to Calpé in a few weeks and the teachers want us to put on a good show. I think they are just lazy and can’t be bothered writing new dances!

The drive home was almost as bad as last week. Trying to squeeze three lanes of traffic into two lanes. Any primary school child will tell you Three into two won’t go! Or they would have if they were in my school. Barely three quarters of an hour to get to Brookfield, almost an hour and a half to get back home. Roll on May when the roadworks will (allegedly) be completed.

PoD today went to Prunus incisa ‘Mikinori. A large shrub with pink buds that turn to white flowers, later.

No plans for tomorrow as yet.

Rain, Rain, go away – 16 March 2026

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Another wet day

In the morning we went shopping. Nothing exciting, just a wander round Tesco. They seem to be digging up different areas of the Tesco car park every day we to there now. It appears to be connected to drainage that’s got them excited this time. Actually, it’s just a big pain in the backside working out where we can drive and where we can’t. Maybe one day soon it will all make sense … maybe!

With the shopping done and a quick lunch, we settled we settled down to read or to complete today’s puzzles in Wordle. I kept looking out the window to see if the rain had stopped, or at least reduced, but it was just the usual wet day Monday outside.

Finally I gave up and rearranged the shelf in the downstairs toilet to give me something to photograph. The ‘something’ in question was an unused egg box that has six chitting potatoes in it. In case you don’t know, Chitting is a method of preparing potatoes or other tubers for planting. Usually it’s done in a cool place with good light to encourage the tubers to sprout before planting. This gives them a head start for an earlier and higher yield when harvest time comes around. After a bit of work, I was satisfied with the photo and it got PoD.

Kirsty’s class was the same as last week, a Waltz. I don’t think Kirsty was impressed when nobody seemed to remember a single word she had said last week and the first half of the class was a lecture about what we were all doing wrong. We are a strange group who pay £10 every week for someone to shout at us for an hour.

The torture eventually came to an end and we were free to go. A shared bowl of Giovanni Rana Mushroom and Mascarpone Tortelloni washed down with a glass of red while we watched Mastermind and University Challenge was our prize for getting the first part of the waltz almost correct.

Tomorrow I expect we’ll have more rain 🙁.

It was a dancing day today – 14 March 2026

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Drove over to Brookfield for the first dance class in ages.

Traffic was quite heavy this morning when we went to Brookfield. First worrying sign was that everyone still had their outdoor jackets on. While I was signing in, Stewart broke the news that the heating was off. Something had gone wrong with the Hive heating system and this in a big hall is not a good thing.

Stewart suggested we start with a House of Bamboo to get us moving. Not my favourite line dance, but at least it warmed us up. Next was a much more complicated ‘Hobie Quickstep’. I remembered the name, but couldn’t remember the actual steps. Scamp remembered part of it, but it was just a blur to me. Also, it went on for ages and I was getting really fed up with it. A new Waltz was next. It might be named Britannia or it might not. It was really just a bit of fluff to keep us on the dance floor and moving. The final dance was Rona’s Rumba, named for an enthusiastic dancer in the class, who passed away a few years ago now. This was one of Jane’s creations because she and Rona were great friends. We finished with two old favourites, Midnight Jive and the mental Fireball. I excused myself to go to the toilet instead of chancing the Midnight Jive because although it gets your heart pumping, it’s a bit of a nothing dance. Fireball is just a fun dance, in fact I wouldn’t even call it a dance. It’s just an attempt to be the person or persons who can shout “Oi !!” and “FIREBALL” the loudest.

With that we were done and returned the hall to the poor bowlers who must have been freezing sitting in an unheated room discussing this year’s competitions. Rather them than me.

The drive home was a nightmare with two lanes being squeezed into two and a crawl for about ten miles before everything started to thin out with no rhyme nor reason for the problem. Sometimes it’s like that and some day I’d like to view the motorway from a helicopter to try to understand the flow of traffic ( or the lack of flow ).

Back home I went for a walk to stretch my legs and got today’s PoD which was a Sycamore seedling pushing its green head out of the leaf litter in St Mo’s. I thought it deserved a photo. Walked home in the rain. By the time I got home the rain was going off! Sometimes life is like that.

For ages, since I got this new iMac I’ve had the feeling that the colour balance wasn’t right. Today I found out why.  I fixed two switches in the “Displays” part of “System Settings” Here they are for when I next need to use them:

Brightness set as suits the display.
Automatically adjust brightness – OFF
True Tone – ON
Colour Profile – Adobe RGB (1998)

Remember that ya Numpty!

No plans for tomorrow, but I might see if Alex is free next week.