Category: Driving

The Rain Came – 26 August 2025

Posted on by Zogman

At last, the long awaited rain came during the early hours of this morning.

I almost believe the flowers and plants in the garden were cheering when those first splashes hit. We’ve had the odd shower or two over the summer months, but today it was a deluge for a while. After that the clouds disappeared and the sun shone, then everything dulled down and a second downpour started. After that there were more showers, but not as heavy nor as long as those first two. The weather fairies are now predicting further showers, some heavy and some light in the coming weeks. Hope you down south folk get your share of the rain.

We drove over to Tesco after the first shower because Scamp wanted more compost to fill those green tubs we bought yesterday. The good thing about buying the compost from Tesco as opposed to garden centres is that Tesco stores their compost bags under the glass shelter at the front of the shop, at least that’s what happens in our Tesco shops. That means the compost bags are much lighter than those in the garden centres where the bags are stacked outside in the rain. I often think that in rainy, wintry weather, some of the goodness is washed out of the bags stacked outside.

I was due a telephone appointment with a doctor from the health centre this afternoon, some time after 2pm, I’d been told. My phone rang just after 6pm. The sister at my recent annual checkup had noted that my iron levels were a bit low and passed the message over to one of the doctors. I’d been given a course of Folic Acid and Ferrous Fumarate. Both seem to bolster the amount of red blood cells in the body. One pill in the morning and another in the evening. That’s in addition to the other pills I’m taking.
I’ve been taking both for about a month now and despite everything being normal in my results, the doc wants me to do the same test again in a month, just to make sure everything is normal. It was my turn to cook tonight and I added some spinach to the pasta to give us both some extra iron. If it’s good enough for Popeye, it’s good enough for me!

PoD was a photo of our latest addition to our garden furniture. ‘Crazy Chicken’ seems happy enough in the back garden, even in the rain!

Tomorrow Scamp is intending meeting Shona for a blether, but I’ve got to get more pills and I’ve even more tests to do.

Looking for plant pots – 25 August 2025

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Out looking for plant pots and came home with a chicken.

We slept last night with just a duvet cover on top of us. Too warm for the actual duvet itself, so the cover provided all the warmth we needed. The weather is due to break in the next few days according to the weather fairies, hopefully that will mean that the weather will return to real Scottish weather. Cold and wet.

Scamp was looking for half a dozen plant pots for the back garden, so we drove to Torwood Garden Centre to source some. A lot of the plant pots we have have suffered in the recent weather. The pots being plastic are easily damaged by bright light. It makes them brittle and it won’t be the first time I’ve picked up a pot and had the bottom fall out of it and be left with just the rim in my hands. Like everything, plastic doesn’t last for ever.

We found exactly the pots Scamp wanted almost right away, so I volunteered to get a trolley because I just knew by the look in her eye that more things would be going into that trolley before the day was through, and I was right. A raspberry bush, pansies, wallflowers some black kale plants, a pot of heather and a chicken. All went into the trolley along with lots of other things.

Once we got them all into places in the boot and the back seat of the car, we went for cup of coffee for me and peppermint tea for Scamp. Then we shared a tipsy cake, tipsy in name only I think because this was a No Alcohol tipsy cake. I’m sure tipsy cakes used to have a distinct whiff of alcohol about them, or maybe I was dreaming.

Drove home via a narrow road just outside Haggs. I wanted to get some photos of the Forth & Clyde canal from one of the locks. I got the shot, but the real interest was a red tractor in a field next to the canal being loaded up with hay bales, presumably for silage. The bloke who was driving the tractor, was also carting the bales onto a low loader with a forklift attachment to the tractor. The light was constantly changing and I duly took around twenty shots from different angles and in different lights. That gave me some photos to turn into a PoD. I was really quite taken with them.

Back home and with the pots, flowers and of course the chicken safely unloaded, it was nearly time for Kirsty’s dance class.

Today was part 4, the final part of the rumba routine. This was the most complicated part so far, but by the end of the hour I was beginning to see how it hung together with parts 1 – 3.

Tomorrow I have a phone consultation with a doctor from the health centre to see how I’m getting on with my two lots of iron tablets.

The chicken has been named Crazy Chicken and is 100% ceramic! It lives in the back garden under some bushes.

Out to the East – 21 August 2025

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We were driving to South Queensferry today to meet up with Canute and Delia on the last day of their summer holiday

Earlier, I filled the tank of the Blue car and took it through the carwash just to make it look a bit more presentable when we got to Queensferry.

We arrived with almost an hour to spare and walked through the town with its quirky narrow cobbled streets and alley ways showing views of the Forth Rail bridge. The town had changed quite a lot since we had previously been there, a couple of years ago.

It was Scamp who was the first to spot Canute and Delia walking along the promenade, so we crossed the road to meet them. We took our time walking to the restaurant we’d chosen for lunch and were quickly seated.

The menu was basic restaurant fare and we ordered and found out about their ‘Glamping’ and the Michael Buble concert. The photos they showed us of the Glamping tents made them look more glamorous than we’d imagined. That doesn’t mean I’m thinking of booking one!

The food in the restaurant was mixed. The Sriracha & Honey Cauliflower starter was excellent, but my Steak and Pale Ale pie was really disappointing. Far too hot and salty. I did complain and got its cost removed from the bill. Nobody else had a problem with the food. Scamp’s Sea Bass, Delia’s Sriracha Cauliflower and Canute’s Fish Goujons were all fine. Maybe it’s just me, then!
Only Delia and Scamp had desserts. Passion Fruit & White Chocolate Pavlova for Delia and Salted Caramel Tablet Sundae for Scamp.

After that feast, we all sat and talked for a couple of hours before it was time for the other couple to go back to their hotel and start packing for tomorrow and for us to go home. We drove through the horrific Edinburgh traffic and after an hour of that, I followed Scamp’s directions to avoid being caught up in a tailback after an accident near Easterhouse, we finally arrived back home.

It had been a beautiful day with blue skies in the east coast. Not so good with black clouds and the threat of rain as we neared Cumbersheugh.

PoD was a photo of a couple sitting looking across the Firth of Forth with the Forth Bridge in the background.

It really was a great day. I think we all enjoyed the chat and the stories that were told.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending to go to FitSteps in the morning, but we have no other plans.

Drilling in the Sun – 17 August 2025

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The whole thing started out because Scamp wanted a hook to hold one of her sweeping brushes for use in the garden.

I’ve had an old Black & Decker with two NiCd batteries for what must be 20 years now, if not longer. Anyone who has used NiCd batteries will know how quickly they lose their charge. I’d been looking for a better drill for some time. A DeWalt for preference. Today I got one. It feels better balanced than the Black & Decker and hopefully it will last as long as the old B&D, but with better electronics. And yes, Scamp did get her brush hook. Now she’d like “ A few more things done in the house.”
No Comment!

Both of us took the folding chairs out and sat in the front garden with a book and a drink or two until we had cooked enough. Then, when the heat got too much we headed for the back garden where there was more shade.

Dinner tonight was Sea Bass with Potatoes and Sweet Corn. Dessert was a Peach Melba Trifle from Lidl at the new Westway retail park. So much cleaner and cooler than the overcrowded one in St Maurice’s Gate. Badly named, because it doesn’t have any gates!

We spoke to Jamie later and heard about the Birthday Barbecue. Really glad you had a good time, Jamie.

PoD was a photo of “Kelly Anne”. A pretty pink geranium, closely related to Rozanne.

I’ve deliberately not mentioned computing today. I’m having a day off from it. Tomorrow I may dive back in and try to workout where I am.

Also tomorrow, I’ve a dentist’s appointment in the morning. Fillings will be the order of the day. Just in case she need to drill it out a bit first, I have a DeWalt drill she can borrow!

A lazy start to Saturday, but … – 16 August 2025

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… then it got busier and busier.

This was the first evening dance for months. At least the first one we had a chance to go to. We didn’t do very much, but we did both remember to send Jamie a Birthday Message, just because it was a special one.

We spoke to Hazy in the morning and heard about the goings on down south. She and I talked books for a while and I told her of the problems I was finding with the iMac. I realise this isn’t your forte now Hazy, but thanks for trying.

As you will have gathered, this is a catch-up, so I’ll cut to the chase:

  • We both sent birthday wishes to Jamie.
  • Spoke to Hazy in the morning.
  • Scamp noticed that Karlyn and John, our next door neighbours, were dressed for a wedding.
  • I offered to take their photos and got half a dozen decent images.
  • Later in the afternoon Scamp watered the garden, both back and front.
  • Then Scamp was getting ready to go to the August Dance
  • That meant I had to too.
  • Actually enjoyed the dance, but the room in Brookfield was really warm, even with the doors open.
  • It was a lovely drive home after the Last Waltz. Very few cars on the road. It was like Glasgow had become a deserted city!

No PoD’s worth posting. Sorry!

Tomorrow I’m hoping it will be a more relaxed day.

A fairly lazy start – 14 August 2025

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We knew that wouldn’t last!

There were lots of things that had to be gathered together, but I’m not allowed to give any more details, other than to say that sellotape is really sticky and adheres to every surface it’s not meant to stick to. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it had a mind of its own.

Back home and with a couple of slices of toast for lunch, a quick shower and a tidy up, we set off to Coatbridge by the most complicated and circuitous route the Sat Nav could make up. Eventually we found the destination at the hospital. We arrived with about 20 minutes to spare, but we needn’t have worried because the consultant was running about 30 minutes late.

So about an hour after arriving at the hospital, we got the decision we’d been hoping for, since the end of January, six months ago. I don’t think either of us was really bothered by the wait now, and the answer was basically “Keep taking the tablets”, and add an extra one for luck!

On the way home we stopped at M&S in Coatbridge for fruit and something for tonight’s dinner. We arrived home exhausted and posted messages to friends and family.

Today’s PoD was another photo of the Japanese Anemones. This time a solo flower in the garden, backlit by the sun just before it sank behind the fence in the back garden.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending to go to her FitSteps class then might meet Isobel for a blether followed by lunch with Shona. That’s if everything goes according to plan. I’m thinking I might have a look at the new iMac, now that it’s mine and I can’t give it back.

Another hot one – 12 August 2025

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Temperature reached 28º which is very hot for us Northern types!

We were going in to Glasgow to do some shopping today, but instead of driving in, we caught the train instead. I was looking for a pair of trainers and I think Scamp was just checking out my ability to walk past the Apple shop without going in! In the end I couldn’t find a pair of trainers that I liked and was willing to pay for. Instead, I tried on a pair of Scarpa Terra GTX walking boots. Exactly the same boots I bought in 2022. They have covered a few hundred miles since then, and were worth every penny.

We walked down Buchanan Street after I’d bought the boots and listened with a couple of hundred others to the massed pipes and drums of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo band. It actually was quite stirring music and it drowned out some terrible ‘singing’ from a few street buskers. All the pipers and drummers were in full dress regalia who must have been really uncomfortable in today’s heat.

We had lunch in Waterstones on Argyle Street and were surprised with the quality of the Tuna Croque. I must remember to introduce Alex to it sometime. Pity the coffee wasn’t quite up to the same standard.

We caught an absolutely mobbed train home. It was heading for Edinburgh for the final Oasis concert and had the feel of the crazily overcrowded train we’d been on after Christmas. Glad we weren’t going far on today’s one.

The temperature in the car going home read 31º, but that was mainly because we were parked in the full blast of the sun. Not that there was any shade anywhere in the car park.

We ended up sitting in the garden when we got back, drinking Soda Water and Lime and being surrounded by clouds of butterflies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many butterflies in one place before and definitely not in our garden.

PoD went to a photo I took in Caffè Nero in Glasgow. It’s a combination of two photos and it took me a while to remember how to join two photos together to get the effect I wanted. However I did eventually remember and I was pleased with the final result.

Tomorrow we may go shopping. Nothing special, just Tesco shopping for the messages, to fill up the new fridge/freezer.

Walking – 29 July 2025

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Today, we went for a walk around Colzium estate, but before that I had to face the ladies who like my blood.

It was time for my annual review at the health centre and the first stage of that is to give a sample of my blood for testing. Not something I look forward to, but I guess it is better getting it over with as soon as possible. So I was up fairly early to get it done.

After that the day was our own. After lunch we discussed what to do and where to go. I voted for a walk round Colzium estate in Kilsyth. It’s a fairly short circular walk with offshoots you can take if you’re feeling fit or if you feel the real need for exercise. We stuck to the easiest route we knew we could manage and had a pleasant walk up almost as far as the Tak Ma Doon road, a narrow, twisty road that’s not bad to drive in the spring, summer and autumn, but not in the winter especially if there is lying snow or ice.

We crossed the Colzium burn near the top of the estate and then walked back down the other side. There is usually a quite photogenic waterfall under the wee, old, bow backed bridge near the top, but there was very little water going over the ‘Falls’ today. We thought we’d stop in at the cafe for a cup of coffee on the way back to the car park, but found out that it closed at 3pm. It was now 3.15pm. Never mind, we went for a walk round the Walled Garden instead. It’s a bit overgrown now and really need a bit of TLC, but the flowers and trees are interesting. It also gave us a chance to have a seat. It’s easier coming down from the top of the estate, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Lots of butterflies again today in the walled garden, gorging on the Buddleia flowers.

When we walked down to the car we crossed another bridge over the same burn and I spotted two little saplings growing out of a crack in the bridge parapet. That made a decent PoD with plenty of out of focus ‘Bokeh’ to create a backdrop.

Not far along from that we chanced to meet one of Scamp’s ‘Witchy’ friends. Not real witches, you understand, just a nickname. Stood talking the family and then drove home.

Dinner was pasta with thin slices of bacon, a tin of tomatoes and a couple of frozen spinach balls thrown in for good measure. It seemed to go down well.

Watched this year’s final of Masterchef – The Professionals. We are always amazed at the lengths these couples go to to create their sugar and chocolate presentations.

Tomorrow I’m intending staying at home while Scamp is hoping to go out with the ‘Witches’.

Decisions made – 24 July 2025

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After yesterday’s problems and the early morning repair iCloud Drive had done, I found that another part of the tangled web was also self-repairing.

I made the decision to drive in to Glasgow and speak to someone who could explain what was happening in the iMac, but not until I got my hair cut!

After the shearing, Scamp came along in to Glasgow for the ride, but she was heading for Waterstones to buy a gardening book. We split up, she went up Sauchiehall Street and I went down Buchanan Street at almost exactly 90º to each other. Central Glasgow is built on a rectangular grid. That’s why it is constantly being used as a substitute for New York by film makers.

As usual, all the ‘Geniuses’ were busy in the Apple Store and I didn’t have an appointment, but one member of the sales team answered all my questions, including what was going on with the self repair thing. I decided there and then that I’d order a new iMac 4 with a decent amount of storage and a nice fast processor. Decision made. Now I just have to be patient and wait a couple of weeks for the Blue iMac to arrive.

I walked up from Buchanan Street to Waterstones to meet Scamp and it was there I saw the opportunity for today’s PoD. Three ladies having lunch and setting the world to rights and demonstrating that they could do it much more efficiently than any three men!

Scamp got her book. A well written description of lots of flowers, only flowers, so that’s exactly what she wanted.

We walked back down to Paesano for a pizza lunch. A coffee in Nero and then drove home. Thankfully Glasgow wasn’t nearly as congested as it had been last week.

There were a couple of surprises waiting for me back home. Scamp handed me a Mowgli recipe book written by the owner of the Mowgli restaurant we went to for my birthday, back in April. All 30 minute recipes. The second surprise was that today was the anniversary of the day we got engaged back in 1971! An auspicious day.

There was still a bit of heat in the air when we got home, so we sat in the front garden for a while with a G ’n’ T each before the sun was almost dipping behind the nearest houses.

Another busy day, but when I got home, the confirmation email was on my old iMac and I felt better.

No plans for tomorrow yet.

Out early to speak to a Genius – 22 July 2025

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I’d a 10.35am meeting with a genius. Not an everyday occurrence, but this was a problem solving mission and only an Apple Genius would do. Scamp, meanwhile went for a coffee in the Benugo cafe in JL.

After lugging my big heavy iMac to the Apple Store, I met a big friendly giant Genius who was going to sort out all my problems. He didn’t actually solve all the problems, but by watching carefully what he was doing I managed to remember the sequence he worked through to get the Desktop back and other stuff too. The rigamarole below took him about 10 seconds, but undid a lot of the damage last week’s outage had created. He seemed quite impressed that I was running the system on a couple of SSD drives and told me to connect the master drive to the new Mac if I was getting one and use it to enter all the complicated stuff for me. I didn’t want to tell him I’d done that about four or five times already over the years.

<Technospeak>

Find ‘System Settings’ from the Apple menu

Click on my name

Choose iCloud

Choose iCloud Drive and then ensure that the top two buttons are set to ON.

Done

I later found that I could also mess about with the bottom buttons too, but didn’t.

</Technospeak>

Packed up the big heavy iMac again and took it back to dump in the car, then I went to have a coffee with Scamp in the cafe and told her whole story.

We went down to the JL basement to look at fridges and freezers and fridge / freezers. Scamp found a few she liked and we made a shopping list of them, but we bumped into a very helpful salesperson who told us that JL have a cutprice sale of goods on the first Sunday of every month. I think we might be going there to see what they have. Just to finish off the morning, we bought a DIY fan, because it’s still quite warm and this big old fashioned fan will help to keep us cool.

PoD turned out to be a couple of Red Clover flowers. I found them during a walk round St Mo’s.

I was a bit disappointed with the amount of cleaning out I’ll need to do before the iMac is ready to give up it’s place at the table and meet the new challenger, but nothing is perfect in this life, as Scamp always reminds me.

Dinner was an M&S stir-fry. Not the best one I’ve ever had. Too sweet for me and Scamp didn’t like the Singapore noodles. I don’t think we’ll get that again.

Watched Bakeoff the Professionals tonight and wondered where they get the ideas for the challenges.

Tomorrow Scamp is intending to meet Shona for lunch. I think I may be ironing out more of the ‘puter problems.