Dancing – Page 71 – My Photo Blog

Those who can, do … 26 January 2016

Posted on January 25, 2016January 26, 2016 by Zogman

And those who can’t, teach. And those who can’t teach? Well, we met one tonight. He thinks he’s a great dancer and now he thinks he’s a great teacher. Oh dear, wrong on two counts. We’d enjoyed our own salsa class and then I’d given in and said I’d go to a Bachata class afterwards. Bit mistake. The fat bloke wasn’t there tonight, instead we had to put up with the other Fat Bloke who appears to have been dancing for a year now and “thinks he’s god’s gift.” Not my words, but those of one Scamp’s friends and someone who’s opinion I hold in the highest regard, as well as being a great dancer. Anyway, I survived the hour although my tongue was really sore at the end from me biting it. If FB2 is taking the class, I’ll be giving it a miss. It looks as if AdS is on a downward slope.

That was this evening. The day wasn’t much to write home about. I went for a walk in the afternoon to avoid Scamp’s Gems group practise and it rained and the light was terrible as is the norm in January.

Previous to that I was to be found rolling around in the boot of Scamp’s car trying with part success to repair a broken boot lock. Hopefully I’ll get a switch tomorrow and perform the open heart surgery on it to get it locking (and more importantly unlocking) to order again.

Overall, not the best Monday ever, but it will be better tomorrow – heavy rain forecast.

“Ur ye dancin’?” – 3 January 2016

Posted on January 3, 2016January 3, 2016 by Zogman

Scamp had an upset night with sickness and diarrhoea. We’re not sure exactly what caused it, but the new Indian restaurant is a prime suspect. Strangely, I wasn’t affected at all and we shared the food, as we always do. It’s a strange one indeed and will need further investigation, maybe even a return visit with a packet of Diocalm with us. Once she was up, Scamp was as right as rain again, but sensibly didn’t want to travel far from the house, so I took myself off for a solo walk along to Dumbreck Marshes to see what the new year had brought in the way of photo opportunities. Not a lot was the answer and with the ISO up in four figures at least, grain was going to be a problem again. Oh, I wish we had one day of sunshine, just one.

Scamp declared herself fit enough to go dancin’ and we set off for The Garage around 4.30. Place was nicely busy. Not too crowded and not looking abandoned either. I’d expected it to be a bit emptier than it was with all the events and venues that Shannon was punting recently on FB. Had an enjoyable couple of hours of energetic salsa and realised how much exercise we’d been missing in the last two weeks. It’s amazing how you get lazy with the short days. Hoping to get out in daylight tomorrow – bank holiday, so no salsa class, but may go to the gym for a swim at least. I’m expecting all the New Year Resolutions will be crowding out the gym for the first two weeks in January. After that, things will get back to normal.

The days are getting longer aren’t they?

Cold and Frosty – 13 December 2015

Posted on December 13, 2015December 14, 2015 by Zogman

Out just after 10.00 this morning to make the most of the bright light, blue sky and ground frost. Just a quick trip to St Mo’s to see if there were any deer around (there were) and if there were any photo opportunities to be had (there were).

I had hoped that Mr Grey would be out near the shore fishing for food, but as I was walking across the road, he was flying above me in the opposite direction. I did get a shot of two one-footed coots on the icy pond. I guess it doesn’t hurt so much if you only stand on one foot, because only one foot freezes at a time. I walked down through the deciduous woods without a sign of any deer, then when I was almost at the small pond, two of them ran across my path about 100metres away. I walked on a bit and startled another group of five or six younger animals who sped away fast. I didn’t attempt to photograph them, it was just good to see them run.

Walked on over the hill at the road and got a few more shots of frozen leaves and dried thistles. The stuff most photogs like me take. My kind of photos, Scamp calls them. I liked the light on the pine trees beside the path from the boardwalk and got some good directional light on them. After that, it was back home for tea and toast.

Didn’t do much else other than make some bread and cook the venison I got yesterday for my dinner.

At night it was the Salsa Christmas Ball. I think we both had a ball, despite the floor being sticky with something unmentionable and there being very little room to dance when it seemed that everyone was on the floor at the same time. Because neither of us had work in the morning, we could stay as long as we liked. We liked midnight as a time to stay until. By then I’d danced with seven girls which must be a record for me. Still to see the Photo Booth photos, but I’m sure they will be hilarious. Great time with great people.

Fairy Nuff – 7 December 2015

Posted on December 7, 2015December 7, 2015 by Zogman

This is not the fairy at the top of the Christmas tree, that status goes to the old fairy with the silver card wings, the paper underskirt and the gauze dress. She must be over 40 by now, but doesn’t look it, well not to me at least. No, this grumpy wee bear has been gracing our tree every year for about ten years or more and goes under the name of Fairy Nuff. It’s become a bit of a Christmas tradition to give her a chance to be POD, after all, she doesn’t get out much the rest of the year.

Spent an hour or so working on my 2016 calendar. Always an onerous, but also very enjoyable task. Then scrapped my acrylic painting but used the heavy body acrylics to do what they were intended to do, produce heavy impasto. I think it’s a waterfall. Maybe that’s just because there is so much water around just now, it’s certainly an abstract and was definitely a great deal of fun to paint.

Went to the Leisure Centre this afternoon for a swim followed by a shot in the steam room and the sauna. It’s was one of those days we’d talked about when we joined away back in May. A dull day with rain on the wind and nowhere to go. Ideal for a swim and a seat in the warm looking out the world and the mad golfers who were out banging golf balls around a sodden piece of grass. That’s not a game, that’s a form of torture. Not for me.

Nothing much else to say about today other than it was Sacr’s last night as salsa teacher and it was just as enjoyable as the other two. That said, it will be good to get Jamie Gal back next week for the last class of the year.

Angels, Markets and Parties – 3 October 2015

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Zogman

combo We went to Angel to meet JIC and Sim. All organised and planned by Hazy and ND’A (thanks again folks). After a bum steer with a dodgy looking Indian/Mexican dive and finding a tank in the process(!), finally settled on Jamie’s Italian restaurant and had an enjoyable lunch (Italian sausage and pappardelle for me). Then went for a walk around a small market we’d visited before with Hazy. Some strange things for sale there. Numerous stalls selling spoons and fish-knives(‘?’ again) and other things that will not be mentioned for fear of nightmares – just don’t ask! Some beautiful opportunities for photos in the low afternoon light, especially with the 9mm and 20mm lenses. After that JIC and Sim went for their train and we did the same. Scamp was in a bit of a rush to get back to Hazy’s, to make sure we’d be ready for the party. I’d rather have had a wander around Kings Cross, or even better Vauxhall. I really want to have a go at photographing those riverside buildings. They are quite a favourite of mine, but obviously not as good as the one on Ingram Street in Glasgow. We agreed to disagree on timings and I left Vauxhall for another day. I need more practise anyway, to do them justice. Got some more photos of grapes in Hazy and ND’A’s garden. Then it was time for the party.

In the usual D’A style, this was a party not to be missed. Food, drink, dancing, speeches, laughs. These people really know how to enjoy themselves. It took my breath away the first time I met them and seemed too good to be true. It’s not. It’s just the way they are, and they are an object lesson for the rest of us. I admire them in so many ways. Anyway, we all had a great time and although Hazy didn’t stay long, I’m sure she too had a good time. When it was time for the last dance I was so disappointed, I hadn’t noticed the time passing. After we helped clearing up the hall, ND’A drove us home and we had to get ourselves organised for the journey back up the road.

A short trip, but a lot crammed in.

As I said, “… I need more practise anyway, to do them justice.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Perth – 16 September 2015

Posted on September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 by Zogman

combo Off to Perth today. Poor weather predicted, but aside from some misty, foggy stuff before we left, it looked good. Arrived in Perth in sunshine too. I’d broken my favourite watch’s strap on Monday and I wasn’t totally happy with the substitute watch I’d found. Last night I searched for and found my old Pulsar which has a metal bracelet, so that’s not going to break very easily. Unfortunately it needed a battery, so on my list of to-dos today was a battery for said watch. Scamp recommended Timpsons for the replacement. I eventually found Timpsons shop in Perth more by dead reckoning than by using my iPhone which couldn’t get a 3G signal in the centre of the town. All the phone companies are busy offering 4G-ready phones. Not much use when there’s not even a 3G mast nearby. Maybe it would be ok in Engaland (sic), but in Scotland it’s a no-no. Anyway, the nice man in Timpsons changed two batteries, yes TWO, one for the digital side and one for the analog apparently. I could say that he did it in double quick time, but that would be a pun too far 🙂 It’s a heavy watch, but at least I can read it without peering at it and the strap won’t come apart very easily. Sorted!

Lunch at Café Tabou was good, but the service, for once, was very poor. If this had been our first time at this restaurant, I don’t think we would have been back. The waitress made the excuse that one of the cooks was off and she hadn’t been able to get a replacement. What she really meant was the check had got missed in the kitchen. It happens. She did give us a discount on the bill which more than made up for the wait. Which reminds me, I had emailed Zizzi head office about the pulled pork pizza with the invisible pulled pork and yesterday I got a £30 voucher and an apology. Squeaky wheel … grease. Next on the list is an email to Vodafone about the service at their Glasgow shop. Maybe I’ll get a free iPhone 6s for my trouble!

Took some photos in Perth round about the bridge over the river and then stopped on the way home I took some more of the corn fields just outside Blackford. The 9mm lens makes beautiful skies.

Salsa at night, but our usual teacher still wasn’t back from his sojourn to Engerland (sic again – and I was). Teacher was dire. Luckily there were too many men and I managed to exempt myself from the proceedings and sat out the first class. Scamp called it a day after that class and we went home. Let’s hope JG is back on Monday.

Painting, Squirrels and Salsa – 14 September 2015

Posted on September 14, 2015September 14, 2016 by Zogman

combo I did get up quite early(ish). Well, before 9.00 anyway. Started an oil painting on a square canvas. I tend to shy away from square photos and paintings. I always think a square shape is quite boring. Not as dynamic as a vertical rectangle (portrait format), nor as relaxed as a horizontal one (landscape). However, I’d seen an interesting oil at the weekend and was impressed with the way it used the square format, so I set to work. I was using water-based oils which might seem a contradiction, but they work well. I like the smell of oil paint and also natural turps, but I know that not all people find it so favourable, so I experimented with the water-based oils and quite liked them. They seem to dry quicker than normal oils, and that’s a pity, because I like the fact that you can work into previous layers and change them. That’s the difference between oils of any variety and acrylic. Acrylic dries quickly, too quickly for me. What I do like acrylic for is the ability to layer washes when using the paint very dilute – as watercolour in fact. Once a wash has dried, you can layer another on top without the fear of one mixing with the other and diluting it. I digress. This one was to be in oils and it’s sort of half finished at present. I’ll take a fresh look tomorrow.

Watched a squirrel trying to steal some peanuts from the bird feeder. Managed to get a few shots of its acrobatics.

Went to the gym in the afternoon and found the pool was full of people. So it was exercise and no relaxation after. Then I went to the solicitors to pay our bill for signing off the house. Ha, the mortgage is only part of the expense in house buying. Hopefully that will be it bought now and properly signed over to us.

Salsa at night and our usual teacher was off galavanting somewhere down south, so we had a mystery teacher. One we’d never had before, although we had seen him dancin’ I mean reeeeely dancin’ at the Christmas ball and were both impressed. We were both impressed with him tonight too. Complicated move that looked oh so simple to start with. Unfortunately, he only stayed for one class. Colin took the other and oh dear, it was “Look how clever I am” and “Let’s just add another bit to this on to make it a bit better.” Then it was “Oh, you’ve almost got it, but you just need to turn a tiny wee bit more …” I don’t mind people making corrections when they are necessary, but when it’s just to allow them to preen, it doesn’t impress me. That’s an hour of my life I won’t get back.

An Asymmetric Day – 6 September 2015

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Zogman

One of those asymmetric days. The morning was all laid back and lazy after a late night yesterday. The afternoon followed suit with me doing very little except try to get a .bash script to execute so I can pull in WordPress entries into Day One entries. It all seemed easy, but it’s still not solved. May have to contact the writer to see what I’m doing wrong.

That was the easy part of the day. Late afternoon, we went dancing in the now upgraded and almost total darkness of the Garage. Do they think this looks chic? It looks shite to me. However, I expect it saves a packet on lighting. After that it was home to make the dinner – Chicken Curry if you must know. After that we watched a really boring F1 GP from Monza. For once I was glad it was only the highlights. If that was the highlights, I’d hate to see the boring bits! Then dishes needed washing and by that time the little hand on the clock was pointing to the 10 and the big one was pointing to the twelve and I still hadn’t done POD or Flickr or anything that I should have, so here I am at 11.12 finishing the blog.

Good Night

Forty years ago today – 16 August 2015

Posted on August 16, 2015August 16, 2015 by Zogman

Forty years ago today our son was born. It hardly seems possible that that amount of time has passed. I remember the day quite well, but remember the previous day, the Friday even better. Where have all the years gone? Is it only us old folk who say things like that?

Today, after the obligatory phone calls and singing of “Happy Birthday”, we settled down to enjoy yet another day in the sun. I was cooking dinner tonight and it was to be chicken curry. It involved a fair degree of preparation as there was a curry paste to make from onions, garlic, tomato puree and half the herbs and spices in the house. Tried blitzing the paste in the little hand chopper thingy. That was too small. Tried the Magimix (other food processors are available). It was too big. Thought I’d found Goldilocks with the liquidiser, but it was too big too and I gave myself a scare watching myself put my hand in to push the mix down while it was plugged in. Swiftly withdrew my hand and counted all my fingers twice just to be sure. The liquidiser wasn’t actually running, I hasten to add, but it was still a scary moment. Finally went back to the little hand chopper thingy, which doesn’t actually chop hands, thankfully. Eventually was satisfied with the texture of the paste and it smelled like it should which was a big bonus. Tried to bake some bread and dropped the loaf just as it was going in to the oven. Baked it anyway into a shrivelled loaf. Said “OK, I’ve had enough” and went outside to take some flowers pictures. Liked the Gladiolus stem which looked like the Gladius, the Roman sword it’s named after. Gave in to the pleas of the Violas and took their picture too.

Dancing at the Garage in the late afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed it. Worked out with Steven and Jess (!) how to do the move ‘Lunes‘ from last week. That’s not its real name of course, it will change this week I’m sure.

Came home and cooked the curry. The agreement is that there is too much coconut milk in it, it’s too watery with too little chicken, but otherwise it’s fine. Oh yes, and the curry paste is a keeper!

Burds – 19 July 2015

Posted on July 19, 2015July 19, 2015 by Zogman

Despite it being colder than normal last night, I was too hot and couldn’t sleep. So about 4.00am, I got up and had myself some cereal for a very early breakfast then went back to bed. Even at that early hour, the birds were singing.

Finally woke around 8.30am and made real breakfast (more cereal) for us both. While I was waiting for my tea to brew, I threw out a couple of stale slices of my lovely homemade bread, for the birds. This immediately attracted the corvidae population. These scavengers are really taking over this year with crows, ravens, jackdaws and the ubiquitous magpies which I detest. This is the first year I’ve seen so many of them. They seem to arrive in masses to roost on rooftops all around us and, of course, grab any food that’s going. I’m thinking of making a cage that will cover the bread scraps with a mesh big enough to allow the smaller birds through, but prevent these black rogues from stealing any. One of them sidled along the fence until it was within snatching distance, or so it thought. Thankfully, I only have to grab the door handle and they are off on a sortie around the houses before returning for another look. Actually, I don’t mind them as much as the pigeons. The crow family are at least wild. The pigeons live in a pigeon loft a couple of streets away and if left to it, can hoover up a whole loaf in no time. Big fat rats with wings. Not the brightest lights on the tree either. My brother used to shoot them with an air rifle and said it took two or three slugs before they noticed that they were dead!

After the pigeon and crow watch, I restarted my painting, this time with oils. I just painted on top of the acrylic (which was on top of a watercolour!) As far as I can remember, you can paint oil on top of acrylic, but not the other way round. If I get up tomorrow and find that the whole thing has slid down off the easel onto a pile on the floor, I’ll know I’ve got it wrong. Anyway, I think it looks better and it’s has a much more tactile painting with oils rather than painting with acrylic – it’s like painting with soft butter – a strange analogy, but that’s the way I see it.

Salsa in the Garage tonight and it was really good and very hot. We surely lost a kg or two at least. Lots of people from our class there as it is Fair Monday tomorrow and the STUC is closed. So no salsa classes this week unless we go to help with the beginners on Wednesday. We’ll see.

Hoping to try out the bike carrier tomorrow if the rain stays away.