Category: Dancing

Another cold day – 28 November 2023

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I suppose that’s the weather we should expect as we near the end of November.

Yes, we are nearing the end of November and the mercury in the thermometer is dropping. Today was fairly bright to start with. We went shopping in Tesco. I don’t think either of us were all that bothered with going far from home. That’s one of he benefits of staying in Cumbersheugh, there are plenty of shops. Not the most interesting shops and sometimes the selection isn’t all that great, but at least we are covered for the essentials of bread, milk, fish, meat and vegetables. As Scamp is ofter heard to say, “We won’t starve.” We should consider ourselves lucky. On the way home we stopped at Greggs for a Chicken Bake each for lunch and a surprise of a custard doughnut for afters.

I’d intended cutting my hair today, but decided it was too cold in the back bedroom to start any of that nonsense. I suppose I could have been brave and started the initial chopping in the living room, but even a Number 4 would have made for colder walks in this weather when we’re being told do expect -4ºc tonight. Maybe next week, then.

After my lunch had slid down I did take myself out for a walk in St Mo’s just as the sun was getting low. Not too low though, there was still enough light to stretch the shadows of the now skinny looking trees that have lost all of their leaves. But PoD went to a hardy lady jogger who did three circuits of St Mo’s pond. When she passed me on her third time round, I took a few shots and then went home with the hope that I could make a picture of it. It took a bit of time and a fair bit of jiggery pokery in Lightroom to get the effect I wanted, but I was happy with the result. Also on Flickr is a shot of the windows of the College of Building and Printing on Cathedral Street in Glasgow. It seems that it is a category ‘B’ listed building and therefore cannot be demolished, not can it be ‘messed about with’ too much. According to what I’ve read, it is being turned into a business hotel. Just now it’s a ruin, but I liked the patterns of the windows.

Scamp was chef tonight and we had Mac ’n’ Cheese with a couple of slices of streaky bacon on top. Maybe not her best, but far better than I would have made.

Also on the subject of food, we watched the final of Bake Off. I won’t tell you who won, but I will give this spoiler: It was one of the blokes! Not surprising as it was an all male final.

More plotting and planning between the ladies of the family booking our summer house and dealing with the financial side of things. WhatsApp was working overtime when I was out walking.

A quick practise of the quickstep again tonight.  I think I’ve mastered the turns and the steps and even the Twinkle, it’s just the speed of the steps that makes it difficult for me.  I seriously believe I will get better once I stop thinking about what I’m doing and just leave my feet to get on with it.  In the end, it’s all to do with muscle memory.

As I said earlier, the temperature is forecast to drop to around -4ºc tonight. Scamp is planning to meet Isobel for coffee tomorrow. Other than that, no plans.

 

 

 

Out on the town – 22 November 2023

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Up fairly early and heading for Glasgow.

Meeting Alex an hour early at 11:00. That gave us time to have a cup of coffee and plan our day. The weather wasn’t looking very promising, but Alex had some places he wanted to go and I was happy to comply.

First stop was Princes Square which was decorated like the big day had arrived and Santa was whizzing around the world on his sleigh pulled by reindeer. It was all jolly and happy and expensive as most things are in Princes Square. I’m not complaining. This was my first stop to get a chance of a photo or five of the fancy wrought iron railings on the stairs. Alex had photographed them a few months ago, but I got the shot with the fake Christmas tree branches and the sparkly lights. One of those photos made PoD. It’s glitzy and twee and I’m quite delighted with it.

St Enoch’s Square was next, because we knew the amusements were there and the Christmas Market. Again, all sparkly lights but with pretend chalets where Welsh folk were selling Xmas tat from old French Citroen vans. A veritable community of nations. Also there were the usual rides, German beer, German sausage and German Bratwurst whatever that is. So really it wasn’t a Christmas market, more a German market with some Welsh folk in old French vans. Anyway, we wandered round taking a few photos, but knowing that at about midday on dull wet day we weren’t going to get many keepers.

We walked down to Clyde Street and took a few photos of the graffiti on the Clyde Walkway. It’s a constantly changing blackboard for these skilled and not so skilled artists. Always worth a look.

Hunger pangs were telling us that Paesano should be our next port of call and that’s where we headed. Alex for a number 5 (no cheese) and me for a number 3 (just as it comes).

We had a quick look at George Square where the Christmas lights were lit, but the Christmas Village was still being constructed, decided it was a lost cause and instead headed back to Clyde Street and followed the Clyde downstream to the financial district knowing in our heart of hearts that it was a lost cause. The good light had gone and wasn’t coming back until tomorrow … maybe.

We found a different Nero from the morning and each had a coffee before plodding our weary way back up to the bus station where my X3 was patiently waiting for me, while Alex headed back to Motherwell. Next photo walk is loosely booked for two weeks hence, all being well.

Back home, Scamp had returned from her lunch and after filling her in on our day and finding about her’s, it was almost time to go dancing at Kirsty’s dance class. It was Quickstep today and although I though I’d mastered the steps last night in the living room, I’d forgotten just how Quick the Steps were. My feet got into a terrible fankle trying to extricate myself from the Twinkle. Nine times out of ten I used the wrong foot to start the move and so ended up in a mess. I do know how to do it, but my feet don’t. It’s their fault, not mine!

Tomorrow we are planning on going for the messages.

St Mo’s Twice – 21 November 2023

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Once with company and one solo.

Lots of little things to do today, most of them completed.

Scamp and I went for a walk in St Mo’s in the morning. Just one circuit of the pond then back home. The light was poor, but I got a few photos. We walked home for lunch.

After lunch Scamp and I filled a planter with home made compost from the bin and Scamp planted nearly twenty mixed daffodil bulbs. We didn’t bother to water them in because we’re expecting that will be done by the rain clouds we are forecast to see tomorrow.

Later in the afternoon, when I expected it to get progressively darker, I was pleasantly surprised as the sun came out from behind the clouds. I didn’t need to be asked, I still had my boots on from the morning, so I trotted over to St Mo’s again and got more interesting photos than in the morning. Then I walked down to the shops to get some veg for tonight’s dinner.

Dinner tonight was Mince ’n’ Tatties with some cabbage. Scamp had Bubble and Squeak. It looked and smelled almost as good as my mince. Almost, but not quite!

We had a quick practise of the Quickstep, solved a problem with the Tango and had two runs through the Waltz Nioli. Hope I remember all the updates tomorrow.

When the living room was back looking normal again, we watched the semi-final of Bake Off. So now it’s down to three going in to the final next week.

PoD was a Rose Hip bush with vibrant orange leaves. Unfortunately you may have to wait until tomorrow to see it online as Flickr is having a hissy fit for the first time in months. Just when you think it’s safe to go back in the water …

Tomorrow I’m expecting to go out in the morning, meeting Alex and Scamp is intending to be out in the afternoon for lunch with the Witches.

 

Friday lunch – 17 November 2023

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Today we were booked for lunch with June and Ian.

First, Scamp was off to FitSteps class and because the sun was shinning after a cloudy, dull, dodgy looking start, I went over to St Mo’s to get some photos.  There were some nice beech trees glowing away in the sunshine and they are always worth a few shots. With a couple in the bag  after my first circuit of the pond, I turned and went back the same way.  It’s amazing how different scenery looks from the other direction and so it was today.  The trees I saw going were so much better with the sun coming from a slightly different angle. Also some cow parsley seedheads were catching the sun and I hadn’t noticed them on the outward walk.  Best of all was a little vetch plant that had managed to trap a waterdrop in one of its tendrils.  That was going to be PoD.

As I was walking back, I realised that time was getting on and checking my watch I found that it was just after midday.  Scamp would be home soon and I needed to make tracks.  I was going to send her a message when I realised I didn’t have my phone.  I was pretty sure it was in the house, pretty sure but not definitely.  So I upped the pace and found the offending article where I’d left it next to the computer.  Not lost, not stolen, just strayed.

When Scamp came in we headed over to Condorrat to have lunch and a blether with June and Ian. Friday lunches had become a monthly occurance for us four last year. Usually the Red Deer was our go-to place, but today we were trying out Brodens again. We had been there two weeks ago and it passed muster. I’d was sure it would be the same today, and I was right.  Lots of folk in the restaurant, well, lots more than there was last time, but the food was just as good, as was the Guinness! I think the other two were quite happy with their food today and I’m sure we’ll be back again. Steak Pie for June and Ian, Fish ‘n’ Chips for Scamp and Gammon Steak for me.  What’s not to like?! We were there for a couple of hours and then Ian booked a taxi for June and him while we walked home.

The water drop got PoD, but another two kept it company in Flickr.

I actually watched and enjoyed a Masterchef tonight. That’s not something I say very often.

Only two couples wanted to go to dance class tomorrow (Saturday), Millie & Ronnie and us.  Scamp got the message about 9.30 tonight to say that the class was cancelled due to lack of numbers. I was quite happy with that.  If there had been a class, there would have been nowhere for me to hide!  Scamp was disappointed and I feel sorry for her.  We are regulars at the class and although I accept Stewart’s reason, I don’t think it would have hurt them to have run an hour long class for the four of us.

So, no dancing tomorrow, but Scamp wants to do some shopping and I’m looking for somewhere that sells single CO2 detectors.

A rather full day – 16 November 2023

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Lots of things to do and a tea dance in the middle.

Out in the morning. Dropped Scamp at Tesco then carried on to B&Q hoping to get a replacement for the CO2 alarm that packed in yesterday. Unfortunately, the only CO2 alarms they had were in double packets and I only needed one. They did have a single packet of CO2 alarms, but they were the same price as the double packet. Well, I didn’t expect anything better from B&Q. Drove back to Tesco and picked up Scamp and drove her home.

It was a bright autumn day and I was determined to get some decent shots with the new lens on the first decent day. I knew I only had an hour at the most to grab some images before driving to Glenburn for yet more dancing, so I couldn’t go far. So it was over to St Mo’s again to see if the colours would jump off the page for me, and thankfully they did.

The new lens didn’t let me down. Focus is quick and accurate. I’d little need today to resort to manual focus, but I’m getting used to the oddly placed focus ring and the A6500 did seem to lock on quite quickly. I still wasn’t sure about the edge sharpness or the corner detail, but a quick look when I got home was enough to assure me that Sigma had everything sorted. Time to put the dance shoes on.

It was a packed room today, but strangely, the floor wasn’t all that busy. We started with a Waltz Nioli and after a few mistakes I found my feet and rhythm and we had it beat. That might serve us well next week when Kirsty has promised a quick couple of tracks of that waltz to keep it in our heads and in our muscle memory. Next was Cha-Cha and we danced our version with very few errors. We were promised two Foxtrots next and I suggested we wait and dance the second one. But the second one turned into a Social Foxtrot, so disappointed, we danced that instead. That was almost the end of the ballroom dances and Stewart decided there weren’t enough folk dancing ballroom on the floor and announced that it would be sequence dances for the second half of the afternoon. A strange and poor decision in our eyes.

We danced a few of the sequence dances after the tea break, but I’d much prefer to attempt the ballroom dances. One of the reasons we come to tea dances is to practise what we’ve learned over the last week or two and although it’s not the real reason for the fortnightly dances, it’s a major part of them and just walking round in a circle to music isn’t going to entice folk to come back. Practising and learning from others you see dancing will make folk want to improve. Sequence dances have their place, but variety is the key.

We left a little later than our usual 3pm, but still managed to miss most of the traffic and get back fairly quickly. Simonne was on a sales visit to a few of the universities and pharmaceutical establishments in Scotland and was coming to us for dinner. After discussing whether we’d eat at home or book a table somewhere, Scamp chose to cook dinner. She arrived around 6pm and we had Chicken Thighs, Cauliflower Florets and Green Lentils. It was a tray bake and it worked really well. Dessert was Lemon Meringue Pie, also lovely. Afterwards we sat and talked about replacing the roof of their house and the problems that brought as well as catching up with what else they had been doing in their lives. A good night.

PoD turned out to be a path through the trees in St Mo’s.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending going to FitSteps in the morning. Then we’re hoping to have lunch with June and Ian.

A toy off the rack – 15 November 2023

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It was a dull morning, but it brightened up for a while.

Hazy phoned in the morning and that brightened up the day for a while. We talked about places to go in Yorkshire and Cumbria and how both she and Simonne were deep in consultation about it, but no decisions had been made at this time. We also discussed hats and Christmas prezzies, and of course the wedding that’s just come on to our destinations list for next year with the obvious necessity for Scamp to get a new hat and/or a dress and/or shoes. I might wear my kilt.
I’m glad to hear that Neil is starting to reduce his workload. It’s so easy to agree to taking on everything you get asked to do. Sometimes NO is the correct answer. Taking charge of that right answer is the difficult part of the discussion.

When we were all talked out, we said “Cheerio” to Hazy and drove in to Glasgow. I was going to look for a new ‘standard’ lens for the A6500. The standard lens that came with its predecessor is good, up to a point, but I felt the newer camera deserve better glass. I’d discussed it with Scamp and we’d come to an agreement. So today I was going in to Glasgow to get my hands on a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 DC DN. I found it in WEX, took two shots with it and bought it on the spot.

While I was off getting a new “Toy off the rack”, Scamp was wandering round the shops in Buchanan Galleries. We met up back at Nero and had a quick lunch of a toasted panini and a coffee. The day hadn’t brightened up again, so we drove home.

I took the new lens out to see St Mo’s and it seemed to like the leaves and a spider in the woods. The spider got PoD. The lens behaved well except that to zoom in to subjects you have to turn the ring the “wrong” way, ie. the opposite way from most other lenses. Also the manual focus ring is a bit awkward to find, especially if you’re wearing gloves. I’m sure I’ll get used to these things. It just takes a little time.

Dancing tonight with Kirsty was mainly the Quickstep and a more gentle run through the middle and end of the dance. I think Scamp was getting annoyed with my continuous mistakes, just as I was getting ratty with her not wanting to turn at the corners. However, I’d have been stuck without her instructions on what foot to move next and what foot had no weight (technical term!). We finished up with a few runs through the Tango and we were done for tonight. I feel a lot more confident about the Quickstep now. Whether we’ll dance it at tomorrow’s tea dance is not a foregone conclusion yet.

So, tomorrow we’re hoping to go dancing at Glenburn community centre and in the evening Simonne may come over from Motherwell for dinner, since she’s up in Scotland for business. Looking forward to that too.

Heading home – 12 November 2023

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But before we were released, we had one more hour of dancing.

We went for a walk again in the morning after breakfast and watched the pipers leading the armed forces and junior sections to church for the Armistice ceremony. At the rear were a group of men, I think it was all men, no women, but I could be wrong. All were dressed in black and wearing top hats, carrying ceremonial batons. They had insignia on their right lapel and some displayed medals on the other. I grabbed three photos, two of which were blurred but the sharp shot showed I’d been spotted and given a steely stare from one man. Later, after a bit of research I discovered they were all members of the Society of High Constables. That one sharp photo became PoD.

Another walk round the town that seemed to be a lot busier than it had been on the previous days, then it was time to go back and face the music, so to speak.

More sequence dances and with a much quieter dance floor, a chance to attempt a foxtrot plus a final Ria Bachata before it gets put back in its box. We had already put most of the heavy bags into the boot of the car, so it was the shoe bags and my camera that we carried back after saying a thank you to Stewart and Jane, because they did a lot of work in arranging the weekend and keeping it running smoothly throughout the mornings, afternoon sessions and evenings.

We drove back home via M&S in Dunblane where we picked up food for tonight, because neither of us really wanted to cook. So tonight’s dinner was King Prawn Curry and rice x 2 followed by Eve’s Pudding. It looked like the fog we’d left on the road to Stirling had stayed in Cumbersheugh all weekend. I’m glad it did, because we had some glorious weather.

We watched Strictly and were disappointed that this week’s loser wouldn’t make it to Blackpool next week (or whenever it’s filmed). We’re in agreement that there are too many actors and singers in Strictly. It seem unfair because they have almost all had some dance training, meaning they have less to learn that those who are meeting this for the first time.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard how the new roof is progressing and also about some of the more challenging tasks he’ll have on his plate this coming week at work.

One last word of thanks to Scamp for the help she’s given me this weekend and continues to give, translating the sometime archaic dance terminology into understandable english and also into the movements I need to make. This dance stuff is great when it works, but can be a nightmare to understand at times. I really do appreciate it, even although it might not seem like it sometimes.

Tomorrow, some blood-letting is required.

More of the same … – 11 November 2023

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Another day of dance dawns.

Downstairs for breakfast. It’s nice to have somebody to make your breakfast for you, even if it does contain more than the the recommended amount of saturated fats, but to offset that, I had porridge to start with! The healthy option.

We were expected to attend the morning session which as always was a dance lesson. However, before that we had an hour or so of freedom to wander through the park again. It was a bit cool, but the sun was shining brightly, so we made the most of the walk along the banks of the Tay.

Back on the dance floor we started the lesson, the Ria Bachata. Like I said last week, this was just a piece of fluff designed to cause as much confusion to those who had never seen it before and give everyone a laugh. Thankfully the Brookfield lot had been given a couple of weeks to take onboard the tricky footwork of the bachata that never was. After an hour most folk had learned it and the lesson was over. We were free to roam again until the grand ball at 6.30pm.

I wanted coffee and tea in the Bean Shop in Perth and also we dropped off some books in the Salvation Army charity shop. Scamp went for a browse while I walked down to ’The Ship’ to get some more photos looking over the river to the posh houses on the far side.

We chose to drive out to Scone Palace. It looked easy on paper, but navigating Perth’s traffic system made it more like driving in a maze. Maybe it’s something in the genes of the Perth folk. The hotel was definitely designed as a labyrinth and the road from the carpark to Scone which is about two miles away was equally convoluted. But we made it to the grand palace which was closed for the winter, but the tea shop was open and the carpark was free. Beautiful scenery with extensive views over the valley to the mountains to the north. Scamp found the kitchen garden and we wandered round that for a while, wondering why someone had planted what looked like bunches of privet at opposite corners of the beds. Many of the beds were empty but we were both impressed with the size of the leeks all neatly labeled and the amount of herbs that seemed to take over about half of the garden.

We walked back to the house itself and had coffee and scone in the tea shop. I thought it was funny to have a scone in Scone with both words being spelled the same but pronounced differently. No wonder Americans think english is a stupid language.

PoD went to the Palace Chapel with its sword in the stone and bell that was rung to signal that a new law had been passed. Also, a neatly camouflaged peacock. Scamp chased an albino peacock for a while and eventually got a photo of it.

When we drove back to Perth we passed two of the dancers walking back. We offered them a lift, but they said they would enjoy the walk back, but thanked us for stopping. Thankfully, the road back was much easier to navigate than the one coming and we took a detour up to the carpark on Kinnoull Hill I’d been trying to find a month or so ago. I’d forgotten my boots, so we didn’t stop, but marked it as a place to come back to some time.

Soon it was time to get ready for the Grand Ball. Food was better in general this time but my prawn cocktail starter “that I could have made and I can’t cook” to paraphrase the late Albert Collins. had a few cardboard prawns in a Marie Rose sauce with some stringy lettuce. It had a load of allergens in it, but unfortunately they had forgotten to put any taste in it. The breast of chicken stuffed with haggis I had for my main must have been made by the chef, because it definitely had taste added to it as well as more allergens. Scamp had vegetable lasagne which looked good and apparently tasted good too. She had prawn cocktail with real prawns too. Maybe she’s just lucky.

The dancing, as the title of this blog explains, was more of the same. No “getting to know you” this time round, but there were a couple of rounds of Ria Bachata, on to real bachata rhythm and one to a jazzy, fast beat. There was an Aberdonian contingent and they taught all and sundry their dance. I don’t remember it having a name, but it was fun to dance to after a beer or two. Eventually after about two and a half hours, tiredness set in and I declared myself ‘danced out’. Scamp’s feet were aching so we said our goodbyes to anyone who would listen and we climbed the wooden mountain and fell asleep almost immediately.

Yet more of the same tomorrow is on the cards.

Heading North – 10 November 2023

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Packing bags, repacking bags and suspicions.

We were off to Perth today for a dance weekend if the fog that was blanketing Cumbersheugh would lift. Scamp had decided to forego her FitSteps class because she had lots to do, choices to make, dresses to pack. Then, what and how many pairs of dance shoes would she need? I, on the other hand, had a couple of shirts, a couple of pairs of trousers and a jersey sorted out and waiting to go in the bag. The important stuff, like what camera and what lenses I’d need took a lot longer to sort out.

With most of my packing done, I sat down to read my emails and noticed a strange WhatsApp message. I’d had one a week ago on Facebook and was suspicious. You’ve probably been warned about the plague of “Hi mum. I’ve lost my phone and this is a temporary replacement. Please phone me back on 07654321123 etc.”. I’d guessed the FB message was one of those and ignored it. Both seemed to come from my niece who I hadn’t spoken to in years. I thought I should phone my brother and ask him to give me the last three digits of his daughter’s phone. He did and it checked out. He also told me she was probably going to invite us to her wedding next August. After a couple of WhatsApp exchanges, she emailed us the RSVP form and we duly accepted . So now we have a wedding to look forward to in Jersey next year! From suspicions to delight on a foggy, busy morning!

I wasn’t looking forward to the dance weekend. It’s something in my psyche, I don’t like being out of my routine. The older I get, the worse it becomes, but I knew I’d enjoy the drive up and I knew the fog would lift as soon as we were out of Cumbersheugh. As it turned out I was right. The fog lifted as we climbed up the M80 heading for Stirling and soon we were parked in the Canal Street carpark after a drive through the hills in glorious sunshine.

Our room at The Salutation Hotel was better than the poky hole we were in last time. We even had a shower with water! We went for a walk around Perth and noticed right away that ‘The Ship’, the cantilevered viewing gallery, out over the River Tay was blocked by the massive flood gates. It appears that Perth council were taking no chances after their disastrous decision not to close the flood gates a month ago! A walk through the park and then back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

PoD was a sculpture called “Eagle of Perth III”, but it looks like a fat seagull to me and is one of Shona Kinloch’s humorous sculptures at the entrance to the park.

Dinner was a carvery and I chose roast pork. Once I’d tasted it I wished I’d asked for two slices. Then I could have resoled both my boots! I’m not saying it was tough, but my knife was blunt by the time I’d cut through this ‘delicious’ meat. Scamp had the much nicer vegetarian option of Sweet and Sour Vegetables. I might remember for next time, if we go back.

The dance was the usual format. A ‘getting to know you’ changing partners dance to start with then the first waltz saw 80 folk trying desperately to find a space to dance in … mostly unsuccessfully. We danced for about three hours, attempting most of the dances we knew.

Exhausted, and with burning feet, we climbed the stairs in the labyrinth that is The Salutation for a well earned rest.

Tomorrow we get to do it all again, plus we’re hoping to get out for a drive to Scone Palace.

A little visitor – 8 November 2023

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Just nibbling away at our recyclable food bags.

Scamp was off in the morning to meet Isobel for coffee. While she was out I was about to replace the food bin bag when I noticed the confetti of scraps of the bags in the cupboard. As I took the roll of bags out of the rack they almost fell apart in my hands. Aha! I think we have a little mouse trying to take the Mickey. Strangely, only the food bags had been chewed. What could have attracted them, I don’t know. I emptied the cupboard and couldn’t find a hole big enough for a mouse to squeeze through, but just in case I’ve set a trap tonight with some peanut butter as an attraction. I hope we don’t hear a clunk in the night. I feel so sorry for the wee rodents, but it’s a health problem that has to be dealt with.

The rest of the morning I spent reading when I should have been out enjoying the unexpected bright sunshine. But I did manage to warm up the remainder of yesterday’s pizza dough to make a lunchtime pizza, baked in the oven as all good pizzas should be. It wasn’t as good as yesterday’s prize winner, but was deemed good enough to satisfy our lunchtime appetites.

I did go out late in the afternoon, but by then the light had disappeared and it was a cold looking sky. There wasn’t much to see by then and I had to be satisfied with some shots of silhouetted Alder catkins agains the sky. Not very interesting and to be honest, not a very good photo. Must do better!

Wednesday is midweek dance night and tonight we were covering the technical second half of the quickstep routine and to start with I was a bit flummoxed. However after watching others making light of the steps, I managed to put most of the bits into the right place and finish were I was meant to be. How I actually got there was a question waiting to be answered. I think I cheated more than once. Still now I have twelve videos of the different parts and surely I’ll be able to work out which foot goes where after I’ve viewed them a few times. To finish up, Kirsty put us through our Tango paces and again there were a few missteps, but most of it worked. After three or four tracks I was back in the swing of it again.

Tomorrow I’m off to get my annual retinopathy check and I’m hoping against hope that I don’t need drops because I’m meeting Alex for lunch and we will probably be taking photos as well. Scamp is booked to get her hair cut at the same time.