Category: Driving

Going to the big city – 23 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today we drove to Portree. The big city.

The potholes seemed to be worse on this side of the road and the traffic was almost as bad as yesterday. The road surface coming in to Portree from the north was even worse than on the way up.

Portree itself was absolutely mobbed. People everywhere.We parked in one of the few parking places up near the nursery, then we walked into the town. We couldn’t see any of the shops we remembered. No butchers, no clothes shops, not sure if there was a bakers, but plenty of shops selling cheap tourist tat for not cheap tourist prices. We walked round the town twice before agreeing we would just head back to Staffin.

Scamp filmed some of the queues outside Storr, but the worst place was where a herd of Highland Cattle were being photographed by numpties who had just parked their cars in the road to record this spectacle. I counted half a dozen cars abandoned on both sides of the road so eejits could take photos. We drove home shaking our heads.

We drove back to the house via The Slip. It used to be a great place to walk and take photos. Many’s the time I went fishing for mackerel or lythe there from the rocks. That was before the fish farm arrived and collapsed. That same fish farm’s collapse also led to work stopping on half a dozen industrial unit next to the slip. Now it seems that dozers and cranes haul materials from one part of the site to another … before hauling it back again, giving the impression that work is being done. Another wasted opportunity.

Our mood changed when we visited Grian and his mum in their house. Thankfully Jackie was driving. You just couldn’t help but smile at this wee boy. Even I got a smile from him!

Back at the house I took some photos of the sheep and lambs on the croft as well as Murd’s old tractor.

Tomorrow we may be going out to lunch.

Over the Sea – 22 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

After breakfast we said goodbye to our B&B host and also to Fort William for a while and we pointed the blue car north for a couple of hours. We had agreed to stop at Eilean Donan for a comfort stop. For the first time in ages, we had to pay to park at the castle also known as the Biscuit Tin, because it is on more biscuit tin lids than any other. I think the charge was to help pay for the massive car park that had sprung up in the last couple of years.

  • Lots of decent patient drivers.
  • Lots more crazy drivers driving at 30mph on the A82.
  • Coffee at Broadford when we were on Skye.
  • Saw a bloke sitting on a seat at the back of his truck in Broadford.
  • Looked like a home made job.
  • On the lookout for potholes all the way to Staffin.
  • Got caught on two potholes just before we would have turn off.
  • Drove down to the slip and went for a walk.
  • Busy place now. New buildings where the old slip used to be.

Ham, Cabbage and Potatoes for dinner. Hoping for a lazy day tomorrow.

Driving to Fort William – 21 April 2025

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On Thursday, Scamp suggested a few days in Skye might clear up my problems with photography. Did I want to drive or take the bus? I jumped at the chance to drive to Skye – in two stages. First day would be from Cumbersheugh to Fort William. Second day would be Fort William to Staffin.

  • Weather was drizzling rain for most of the way.
  • Stopped at The Green Welly for a comfort break.
  • Saw a train of old carriages pulled by equally old double header diesel engines.
  • That stop also gave us a chance to get the give the sat nav the coordinates for the B&B
  • Sat nav got the wrong road, but Scamp remembered where we should be going.
  • The B&B was the same, but the owners had changed.
  • Went to The Lochy for dinner. Fish ’n’ Chips and Scampi ’n’ Chips.

Hoping to head for Staffin tomorrow morning.

Coffee in Starbucks? NOOoooo!!! – 16 April 2025

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Actually it wasn’t that bad!

I was driving over to Hamilton today to meet Billy Kent. He was married to my distant cousin, Margaret. Margaret’s mum and my mum were cousins, so that probably would have made us second-cousins. Margaret died about two years ago.

I got a Christmas card from Billy last year saying that we should meet up some time. He put his phone number on the card and for once I put it into my contacts. In February we had a phone discussion and decided we’d meet halfway at Starbucks in Hamilton. Unfortunately every day he suggested didn’t suit me and all my suggestions didn’t suit him. It was beginning to look as if we weren’t going to have this meeting. However, last week we did find commonality and that day was today.

Scamp and I had visited Billy and Margaret’s house for dinner many moons ago and I they had visited ours. I really think it was Covid that broke the bond between us and it was difficult to rebuild it. Then Margaret died. So, in a way, this was the rebuild beginning. Although I wasn’t sure if it was the same person I was going to meet today. Thankfully it was.

Over a couple of mugs of coffee, we just blethered like two auld guys do. Telling stories, some of them slightly exaggerated and some just stories. After an hour and a bit we were both talked out and it was time to go our separate ways. I enjoyed the experience and we said we’d do it again. I think we will.

I’d arrived a bit early and it was beginning to drizzle. By the time we were leaving, it was bucketing down. I think they were even throwing down the buckets as well as the rain.

The motorway was treacherous with standing water making driving a bit risky, but I got home ok. I stopped at M&S to pick up some things for dinner. My turn to cook and it was to be fish risotto made mainly in the oven.

Since I had some time to spare in the afternoon I re-started work on the giant 3D Lego jigsaw. The first section from last week was easy to visualise. This one, not so much. To make things more complicated, some of the parts were made as mirror images of each other before being joined together later. I’m glad there was a QR code that I could scan to see the construction in more detail. That was a great benefit. Hopefully this present section will be completed tomorrow. I should also photograph the sections as they are completed.

PoD was a picture I saw while I was building the Bonsai. It’s a Poinsettia plant that sits on the window ledge of the back bedroom. Beautiful colours that contrast so well.

I’m hoping to meet Alex tomorrow for a walk and a blether.

Out to lunch – 15 April 2025

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Taking Shona to belated birthday lunch today.

Just before midday we picked up Shona and drove the mile or so to Nonna’s at Dullatur.

The place was empty, but then it was only 11:50 and it didn’t open for lunch until 12:00.

Starters were Focaccia for Scamp and I to share while Shona had Chicken liver Paté

Mains were Scallops and Black Pudding for Scamp, Courgette Spaghetti with Zucchini Crisps. I had Penne Salsiccia

Desserts were Tiramisu for Shona and Sticky Toffee Pudding for Scamp and a pot of tea for me. Scamp criticised the Sticky Toffee Pudding and I felt there was too much cream and salt in the Penne Salsiccia. Other than that, it was fine. Service was slow, but the place was filling up by the time we left and there seemed to be only two people on the floor and possibly another two in the kitchen.

It was a lovely day. We had a window seat and a view over the golf course watching all the golfers walking and driving their golf buggies full of their golfing bats.

We dropped Shona back at her house after lunch and she was still in time to collect Ben from his carers.

Back home, Scamp was out gardening for a while and I had an afternoon snooze! Later she took me on a guided tour of the garden and I took some photos of the Stellata Magnolia which is almost in full bloom. One of the flowers made PoD.

I’m hoping to meet up with Billy Kent tomorrow at Starbucks – I might order tea, rather than a Starbucks. At least you know what’s in tea!

It rained – 14 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Today was a bit dull to start with, but so is going for the messages, and that’s what we were doing today.

The postman was early today and the post was coming through the letter box just as we were opening it to go to Tesco. Scamp’s appointment letter for her scan was amongst the junk that always arrives on a Monday, through the letter box. After a quick read through it, we felt a lot better. At last we had a date to work towards.

Drove over to Tesco and half filled a trolley with messages. Just the usual day to day shopping, like fruit, milk, bread and stuff. Nothing fancy, just the basics.

After lunch I wrote out a couple of cards, sympathy cards for Margaret from Warrington and another card for her to pass on to her daughter whose husband had died recently after a short illness. I put on my uncomfortable and expensive waterproof jacket and walked over to Condorrat to post the cards in the rain.

I had intended to walk down to the shops to get some veg to breathe a bit of life into our usual Monday Pasta dinner, but decided half way there that I’d just go home instead. The rain was getting heavier and it wasn’t a day for wandering around getting wet.

The Monday Pasta dinner wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be, in fact I was quite pleased with it. Another “What have we got in the fridge” dinner.

The PoD went to a little cluster of daisies on the football park behind St Mo’s school. All the wee flowers had closed up shop early because of the rain. I didn’t blame them. There’s another photo in Flickr of the bird feeder you sent me, Hazy. No takers from the bird yet. I think the Blackbirds in particular aren’t keen on eating above the ground, but it’s early days. An interesting idea. Thanks.

Tomorrow we’re intending taking Shona out to lunch. I’m hoping for a drier day!

 

Another day in the sun – 11 April 2025

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It won’t last. The weather fairies have spoken and rain is on the way for the weekend. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

Scamp went out to FitSteps in the morning and I set up the workspace for the big build of the Lego Bonsai tree. Didn’t really get started, I think that will happen tomorrow, when I’ve more time to spare, at least in the morning. What I did do was contact Billy, a distant relation of mine who I’d promised to meet up some time in late February, or maybe March. It looks like we will eventually meet in April DV.

When she came home, Scamp made a list of shopping we needed for tomorrow. We walked down to M&S and found that we’d left the list at home. Then we were even more disappointed to find that the few things we could both remember weren’t available in the shop. M&S used to be a good shop with a decent range of goods, but the Cumbersheugh shop seems to have landed on hard times.
We walked back home and took the car to Tesco. Not the best food shop in the world, but at least they cover the bare essentials and a little more.

We sat out on the front garden and read for an hour or so after lunch. Then Scamp wanted to water the plants she’d recently planted and I was looking for some photos. My favourite of the day was a little pair of leaves poking up from the dry ground. I do hope we get that promised rain soon or these plants are going to struggle.

Back home it was pizza for dinner. It was a bit soft and wet in the middle, but it filled a space.

John & Marion are expected for dinner tomorrow, so there will be a lot of work to be done. Thankfully, most of my work will be done by the oven, hopefully!

Shopping – 10 April 2025

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Today we went shopping in Stirling, just for a change.

Drove to Stirling and parked at Waitrose, then went for a walk through the town. Coffee and a wee bite to eat, plus we bought a couple of dresses for our friends’ one year old grandchild. After that we walked back to Waitrose and spent lots of money on some things we may never use, but a lot of the things we will definitely use and even more on things we’ll drink. I don’t need to go into details about what we bought, do we? If you really want to know, tough!

We drove home, and as the wee Blue car had been struggling in the heat of the sun, I turned the air-con into ‘Cool Mode’ and after a couple of misfires it kicked in and we weren’t melting in the sunshine anymore. So nice to have air-con when you really need it.

A cup of coffee and a piece ’n’ cheese and beetroot – possibly an acquired taste, but it works for me. Scamp had a piece ’n’ jam instead (and no beetroot!). Then the chairs came out and we sat and read for an hour in the front garden. I’m on page 58 in the book, Hazy. I can see what you meant when you said it was strange! The good weather isn’t meant to last past the weekend, unfortunately, but it we’ll make the best of it while it lasts.

I took myself off to St Mo’s later in the afternoon and walk round the back of St Mo’s School and on to the shops. We needed mushrooms for tonight’s dinner, which was Bacon & Borlotti Beans. It’s become a staple now, Jamie and Simonne! Scamp substituted Spinach for the recommended Kale, and it was fine.

Watched the semi-final of The Apprentice with its usual array of gormless would-be millionaires. It has become so formulaic now it’s lost a lot of its fun element. I’ll say it again “We may not watch it next year”, but we will, all things being equal.

PoD was a close-up of some Larch needles. The Larch being one of the few conifers that loses its needles in the winter.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending to go to FitSteps in the morning and I have some correspondence I may need to catch up with.

Rail cards and Butterflies – 9 April 2025

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Scamp was trying unsuccessful to solve a rail card problem on a dull Wednesday morning. Dull? Is this the end of the good weather?

She had purchased mine, and thought she’d cleared the hurdles put in place by Railcard.co.uk, but they didn’t like the way she’d done it. Allegedly she could fix the problem at any rail station, but that would only get her a one year, paper card (is that an oxymoron?), not the two year one she’s always had. The person in the ticket office suggested she phone Customer Services. So not the easy fix she was promised. We drove over to Tesco and got bread and milk and some odds and ends.

Back home Scamp phoned Customer Services and had to answer all the questions she’d answered yesterday. Name, Date of Birth, Address, Size of big toe (LEFT FOOT). You know what it’s like, we’ve all been there. Then the person she was speaking to, possibly in a different country, had to go and check with “Her Team” (she didn’t say if they wore Green shirts or Blue ones). Five minutes later she returned to say she had to complete the questionnaire again to pass on to the “Team” and someone would contact her within the usual ‘Ten Working Days’. It was all a bit of a faff. Why is life never easy?

With all that done, it was lunch time and that meant half a Ginsters for me and a piece ’n’ egg for Scamp, and the sun had returned to a blue sky. Later Scamp decided the sun was warm enough in the corner of the garden to sit outside and read. I put on my boots and went over to St Mo’s looking for Flora, Fauna, Animal or Insect life. I found no fauna, a very few flowers, but there were animal tracks and there was a Peacock butterfly, sunning itself on a log. So that was one insect in the bag (digitally). I took that as a sign to head for home.

Quick and easy dinner was Giovanni Rana pasta with olive oil and grated Parmesan.

The following description is for my reference, but feel free to read it if you’re interested.

I needed to transfer some of my photo files from the iMac to hard disk (NTFS). My iMac won’t read or write NTFS drives now – don’t know why. The MBP can read and write to NTFS. Here’s how I managed to ‘easily’ copy the files from iMac to the NTFS drive.

  1. Power up the iMac the NTFS drive and the MBP
  2. Ensure that the MBP can ’see’ the iMac
  3. Connect the NTFS drive to the MBP.
  4. Search the iMac for the NTFS drive on the MBP.
  5. Drag the files that I’m looking for from the MBP to the NTFS drive

If all is well, the MBP becomes the conduit between the iMac and the NTFS drive. Today it worked perfectly. About 15GB of data copied in just over 9 minutes. Happy Bunny!

PoD was the Peacock butterfly.

Tomorrow, I’m informed that we may need some ‘Messages’!

 

 

Dancin’ – 5 April 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Dance class was in full swing this morning in Brookfield.

Lots of folk desperate to get their fix of dancing, all eager to learn, even including me. There would be no dance class for at least two weeks because the teachers were off on holiday ( or as they described it, “teaching on a cruise” ). So a holiday by another name.

A gentle intro to start with. A couple of easy sequence dances before we charged into today’s topic: Tango and all that it entailed. Bent knees, staccato movements, spin turns, half turns, reverse turns. My head was spinning and we were only halfway through the routine.

A break for a lecture then on again, this time the target was a quickstep nobody really remembered from before Covid. Isn’t it strange that so much is now described as pre-Covid and past-Covid, but nobody wants to discuss the years that were stolen by Covid itself. This dance, though was done during Covid and we were just learners then and hadn’t reached the heady heights of Quickstep. We learned a lot of it today. Even they mysterious ‘Fishtails’ that used to baffle me, but which are quite familiar territory now. Most of it I enjoyed.

We finished with another couple of sequence tracks before being sent on our way back home.

It was a beautiful day. At least, to look at, it was a beautiful day, but it was the cold wind that stole away the warmth of the sun. When we got home it was great to sit and soak up the heat coming through the windows, knowing it was really cold outside. The weather fairies say it’s going to get warmer during the coming week. I certainly hope so.

We decided to have dinner from the chip shop. Scamp settled for a Black Pudding Supper and I had the first Chicken Breast Supper I’ve had for years and years. Both were very filling but Scamp said her’s was a bit spicy.

We watched an old BBC programme about who wrote what songs back from the ‘70s until the present day or at least into the 2020s. It was a bit tedious after a while, but there was nothing else worth watching on a Saturday night. To be honest, there never is at the weekend.

PoD went to some flowering cherries or Gean as they are known in Scotland.

Tomorrow, hopefully we’ll go out for a run somewhere. Prezzies are needed for some folk.