Category: Driving

Dunfermline Toon – 6 July 2023

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Off to meet my brother and drive to Dunfermline today.

The weather wasn’t as good as was predicted earlier in the week, but we’ve never let that stop us before and it wouldn’t today. After our traditional coffee we discussed our plans for the day. We were in the Peacock cafe which was chock full of screaming toddlers but a peacock, a real one, was parading around outside the cafe seemingly unaffected by the mayhem inside. I suggested we might start by going to visit the rest of the peacocks that roam free around the park. We saw a white peacock among the other ‘normal’ ones. Apparently only one in 30,000 peacocks is white. There you are, I bet you didn’t know that.

We walked back to find the path that would take us over the burn and up to the Abbey Church. On the way we stopped to watch a boy and his father (?) flying a small electric powered radio controlled Messerschmitt Bf109. The tiny little plane had a wingspan not much more than 400mm, but flew well. I think we both though “I want one!”, but we walked on and found the path.

The Abbey Church is a beautiful building and much better lit than Glasgow Cathedral, Alex commented, and I had to agree. We took a lot of photos and my favourite was the shot of the main part of the church, the ‘modern’ church. It’s a combination of two shots that allowed me to ‘paint out’ visitors who spoiled the view of the alter. That became PoD. As we were walking through the Nave on our way out of the church the rain that had been threatening all day came down in torrents and we waited until it had moved on before we left.

Lunch was in Wetherspoons in Dunfermline and again, just as we were leaving the rain became heavier, so we waited until the rainclouds had passed before we went for a walk up the Main Street, than back down to the park for the drive home.

I dropped Alex at the station and about ten minutes later got a text to say he was on the train. Dinner was Fish Fingers, Egg and Spaghetti. A family favourite.

Watched Andy Murray battering a ball about for a while and managing to start making inroads on his younger opponent’s initial lead. Poor Andy looked as if he’d done himself a mischief just before clinching the set. The umpire actually called “New Balls Please” just after it happened! Let’s hope they weren’t needed.

No plans for tomorrow, but the rain is lashing down again tonight as I write.

A day in the Toon – 5 July 2023

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We drove in to Glasgow today just for a wander and the chance of a spot of lunch.

We started before that, at home having a serious talk about money and cars and it looks as if the blue car will be staying for a couple of years.

In Glasgow we began in JL. There is so little in the ‘toyshop’ now for me, it was really only a cursory glance over what little they had to offer. One overpriced camera (second-hand, although JL don’t call it that). The shop now seems to have become a clearing house for goods bought and returned, unwanted gifts, but really, whisper it, second-hand. Maybe it’s a sign of the times, maybe it a warning sign of things to come! Scamp was luckier than me, she found a couple of things in the sales.

Walked down Buchanan Street and along Argyle Street, taking in the sights and sounds of Glasgow. Scamp went looking for a dress she’d seen in M&S a month or so ago, but we came out empty handed.

By this time lunch was on our minds, but we couldn’t settle on a place to go. There is a new restaurant in Exchange Square and we thought that might be good to investigate. It used to be Zizzi’s, but now it’s called Banca da Roma. The building used to house the Bank of Scotland back in the dim and distant past. Lovely big space with a high, high ceiling with glass panels that spread sunlight over everything today. I had Porchetta con Salsa Verde as a starter and Rigatoni Amatriciana for main. Scamp opted for Forcaccia con Rosmarino as a starter and Spigola e Spinaci which is Grilled Seabass with sautéed spinach. Service was a bit slow and the food when it came was, to my mind, quite expensive for what we got. As a lunch it just about managed to fit the bill, but the portions were small. There was a 12.5% service charge at the end of the meal which might be standard practise in London, but is not common in Glasgow. “Style over Substance” was how Scamp described it and I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Walking back to the car I noticed a wee man painting en plein air in St Vincent Street, using oils. He was doing a pretty good job of it too amid the tourists and the traffic. I took a few shots over his shoulder and one became PoD.

Drove home after a relaxing day and started the procedure to get some of the scrapes on our car repaired using Smart Cover which we’d paid for when we bought it and never thought we’d use. I think it might be a long process.

Hoping to go to Dunfermline tomorrow with Alex. Today was a lovely warm day. Hoping for something similar for tomorrow. Scamp will be hoping for the same as she’s intending to cut the grass again.

Driving everywhere – 3 June 2023

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The dance class for today was cancelled due to too few numbers, so we used the daw wisely by tidying up loose ends.

We drove to The Fort in about 23ºc of heat with the intention of getting a pair of Crocs for me and a pair of shorts for Scamp. Neither of us achieved our goals and we went for lunch at Wagamama to console ourselves. Prawn raisukaree for Scamp and Chicken raisukaree for me (raisukaree = curry) with Ebi Katsu to share (butterflied prawns coated in panko and deep fried)

Fed and watered we next drove to B&Q to get an adapter that would allow the hose to be used from the kitchen tap without the use of a great deal of swearing and fountains of water. I think we got the right adapter this time, but I believe we may be testing tomorrow.

I fancied getting a hat (Hazy, similar to Neil’s) and that meant a trip further into darkest Coatbridge, but with the satnav to help us, we found Go Outdoors. There they had the hat I wanted in a size that fitted but at a price that was a little more than I’d intended paying. However, if you bought a discount card for £5 we got roughly £15 off the price and a further 20% off the remainder. That brought it down to what I’d call a reasonable price!! Pity they didn’t have Crocs!

We drove back to Cumbersheugh, trusting the satnav to get us back to ‘civilisation’ and I finally snagged myself a pair of Crocs to replace my ancient and crumbling pair I bought in Fuerteventura many, many years ago. Just a bit annoyed that I had to pay full price for them! Scamp also managed to get herself a pair of shorts and we drove home slightly emptier of pocket, but with new purchases.

Back home it was still hot, so to cool down I changed into shorts and went for a walk in St Mo’s. Managed to capture my first damselfly of the year, an Emerald. Also photographed a wee fly, looking a bit like a robber fly sitting on a buttercup. The robber fly got PoD. On the way back home I dropped in at the chip shop in Condorrat for a Special Fish Supper to share with Scamp. Sat for a while in the garden reading, watching the birds queue up to get some water from the birdbath.

We watched a fairly interesting Spanish GP tonight, with a few drivers demonstrating their off-road skills, but thankfully no crashes.

Got a message from Jamie to say their new boiler has been installed. Hot and cold running water is a great thing, isn’t it. That and a real shower! We know how you pair feel.

No plans for tomorrow, although we may water the garden, hopefully without flooding the kitchen!

A busy day – 2 June 2023

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Dentist and Optician on the same day, and what a glorious day.

In the morning, Scamp was going to the Dentist hoping she could repair a broken tooth. She could, but it would take some time to complete and cost a bit of money, but that’s always the way, isn’t it? The main thing is that she trusts this dentist. She, the dentist, managed to protect the broken tooth with a temporary support, but it will be about six weeks before she can start the work.

After lunch we drove over to Larky where Scamp had an appointment with the optician. I dropped her off and continued my journey to Millheugh which is really just an extension of Larkhall now, but in the past it was a fishing village on the banks of the Avon Water. It’s a bit untidy and sad looking now, but back in the day Millheugh a working salmon fishery.
I wasn’t looking for salmon today, I wanted to photograph the gully and the bridge which my mum always called the Cauves Know, but others called it the Clove Mill. Two similar sounding names for the same place. I managed to splash about and get a few shots of the narrow Powforth Glen and the waterfall that runs down under the bridge and into the Avon. My favourite made PoD. Then it was time to walk back round to the car. If the water had been just a wee bit lower today I could have walked straight across to the car, but the rocks would have been even slimier then and I’m sure I’d have fallen in.

Picked up Scamp and we drove home in sunshine! She doesn’t need new glasses and according to the optician, she has 20/20 vision now just about a year and a half after her double cataract operation. We sat out in the garden before Scamp made dinner which was Crispy Sea Bass with Lentils. Lovely summer dinner.

We watered the garden with watering cans tonight because quite a lot of the pots were drying out. I’d meant to get a new adapter for the kitchen tap today, but I forgot, so it was watering cans tonight. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the adapter tomorrow.

Ah, tomorrow. It should have been a chance to draw a line under the New Joy’s Waltz, but there weren’t enough couples to get a quorum, so no dancing tomorrow. Not sure what we’re doing, but it looks like it will be warm and dry … again.

Dancin’ with strangers – 1 June 2023

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Today we drove over to Glenburn community centre for the tea dance and there were two strangers there!

We did have a quick practise in the morning just to make sure we could actually do the devious “Outside Spin” where I have to must my right knee to push Scamp round. That could be a dangerous manoeuvre at the best of times, but in a living room and on a carpet it’s a recipe for disaster, except, it seemed to work.

I had hoped that the roadworks that had caused a lot of congestion a fortnight ago would be gone by today, but they were if anything, worse today. We really need to find a way round them. I might have found that way. We need to turn left at the busy roundabout then turn right at the end of that road. This will bring us out past the roadworks. I know this means nothing to you, but hopefully I’ll read this in a fortnight or so’s time and see how clever I was to put this reminder in. Coming from Glenburn to the M77 will be the reverse of going in true Haynes manual fashion. If that too means nothing to you, you’ve never stripped down the front wheel bearing of a Reliant Regal using Haynes Manual.

So, after arriving a good twenty minutes late, we tried a bit of Social Foxtrot and even a Quickstep with ad-lib additions by me which worked some of the time. I’d like to say ‘most’ of the time, but Scamp will read this and say “Oh no they didn’t.” There was a very small class today, only seven couples I think and one of the couples wasn’t from our class. Two asian dancers were in a category above the most of the usual couples and stratospherically higher than us … except when it came to Sequence Dances. That’s where our stepping is just so much better. Dancing in a circle and being able to follow the couple in front (unless it’s John). Never follow John I was told. He never sticks to the sequence and puts everyone who follows him off. I actually felt sorry for the asian couple. Everybody seemed to avoid them. “Who do they think they are? Coming to OUR tea dance?” Scamp went and talked to them, of course, and I was proud of her for doing so.

As usual we left early to avoid the extra busy traffic, but again the roadworks on the other side of the dual carriageway caused problems and we took about an hour to get home.

Back home, I went for a walk round St Mo’s and down to the Shops. Well, it is Thursday with all that entails. I was looking for damselflies beside the pond in St Mo’s, but there were none to be found, just a single dragonfly that was scudding around the pond at high speed looking for a mate, no doubt. Too fast for the kit lens I had on the A7. Instead PoD was a close up shot of a Marsh Horsetail. The Buttercup of the wetlands. Impossible to get rid off, according to my brother. It was sitting in a little bit of sunshine and looked translucent in the light.

Watched the final of Masterchef tonight and thought the person who won was an excellent choice. No spoilers here.

Tomorrow might be a busy day for Scamp. Dentist in the morning and optician in the afternoon is what is planned, hopefully it will work out for her. I have plans for things to photograph in Larky.

Glasgow – 31 May 2023

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Met Alex today for a walk around Glasgow.

We should have been going to Dunfermline, but he called off from that yesterday and suggested Glasgow instead.

It was a rambling walk up Sauchiehall Street and on to Charing Cross, then further on to Park Circus. Lots of photos taken by both of us. I don’t know how many Alex took, but I took 69 shots and rejected a fair amount of them. PoD was a perspective shot of The Beresford which is now divided into private flats after a chequered history of casino, student accommodation, and billet for servicemen during the Second World War.

Lunch was on Alex and in what used to be called the Willow Tearooms. Very posh. I had an open sandwich with smoked salmon. Alex had an Ayrshire Ham and cheese toastie. The american girl who served us couldn’t understand me when I asked for a pot of Ceylon tea. Alex had to repeat it quite slowly as you would for a child. A … pot … of … Ceylon … Orange … Pekoe … Tea. Lovely food, terrible service.

We walked back down to the the Glasgow Concert Hall to find the steps thronging with posh frocks and tight suits. We still haven’t worked out what was going on, but there was a power outage at the time and maybe the fire alarms had sounded, but a lot of kids seemed to be clutching diplomas of some sort. Scamp thinks it might have been a graduation ceremony for one of the posh schools. Maybe she’s right. She usually is.

We said our goodbyes and he walked back to the bus station while I walked down to find the doors to Buchanan Galleries locked with guards only allowing people out, but not in. Possibly something to do with the power outage. I did manage to get in to the Galleries by another route, but the lifts were off in the multistorey carpark and I was on level 6!!

Drove home through chaotic traffic and posh frocks and suits crossing the road without thinking that the cars have right of way sometimes. Glad to get home to fish fingers and spaghetti for dinner.

Today’s final prompt asked for A Coin.
I decided three was better than one and that’s why there are three coins here. All are UK currency. A 10p on the right, a 20p coin in the middle and a little copper 1p on the left. Add them up:
10p + 20p + 1p = 31p on the 31st.
The end of this EDiM.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this challenge. Some difficult prompts and some easier ones, but no downright EASY ones. That would be no fun at all.

Tomorrow we’re hoping to dance the afternoon away at Glenburn.

In Glasgow – 29 May 2023

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Today we were going in to Glasgow.

It was what I would call “A Roaster”. I don’t know what temperature was reached but it was certainly in the mid to high twenties. We were on a mission though. We had a list of things to buy, or to be more precise, Scamp had a list of things to buy, but this time they were for me:
A pair of Crocs – Failure. Couldn’t get my size in anything other than white. Can you imagine me in a pair of white Crocs? How long would they stay white?
Dubbin for my boots – Success. Even if it was one and a half times the price of my old tin!
A new Concertina Sketch book – Success and I also got a ‘Rigger’ which is a very fine long haired brush for painting fine lines.
A Hat – Failure. The Tiso shop I was in didn’t have the fancy sun hat I was looking for, but it did have a cheaper version. Maybe …

That took us an hour or so of wandering around, then for lunch I suggested going to The Burrell. It was a good idea, but all of Glasgow seemed to be there. A lovely lunch there, although Scamp complained that the scone she had was a bit dry. I had the New York Special which wasn’t dry inside!

Drove back home and began to feel a bit tired, hard to explain. A fifteen minute snooze on the couch turned into a two hour sleep. I think I should have bought that hat and worn it to keep the sun off my rapidly balding head.

Eventually sat outside with Scamp and a bottle of beer.

Dinner was another Scamp salad with Tuna Macaroni, Baby Tomatoes, Grated Carrots and Peaches and a variety of leaves. Quite delicious and to finish a slice of M&S Bramley Apple Pie.

PoD went to a couple sitting in a chair at the end of a corridor at the Burrell.

Today’s prompt was Something Under A Magnifying Glass. I was initially at a loss as to what to draw, then I thought about the distortion a magnifying glass brings and this is the result. I’m not sure if the person holding the glass is being examined, or if they are examining ME!

Tomorrow Scamp is booked for coffee with June and I’m intending taking stuff to the skips.

 

Intense – 27 May 2023

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Drove through some fairly heavy traffic to get to dance class and it was hard work, the driving and the class!

The traffic was heavier than normal for a Saturday morning, but we managed to pass the slower traffic and ended up in Brookfield earlier than I anticipated. The class started with a Foxtrot. We’d expected Joy’s Waltz v2 and had practised it last night, but after a few dummy runs, our foxtrot was decent enough. No fancy rise and fall, just the basic routine but smoother than it sometimes is. It took me a while to fall into the order of the steps, but by the end we were looking quite good, and able to finish the routine and start again without stopping.

That foxtrot took us and the teachers a lot longer than they had intended, but the next one, Queen of Hearts Rumba was new to us, well it certainly was new to me. It’s a sequence dance, and after a couple of walk throughs, I was getting it right most of the time.

Third was Joy’s Waltz v2 and that v2 made a big difference. None of that complicated foot entanglement we had two weeks ago. That didn’t mean it was easy. Both of us found that we were turning the wrong way, but with a few helpful shoves from Jane I got the idea of the correct way to go.

A couple of sequence dances to lighten the mood and to bring us up to the end of the class. One, of course to Scamp’s favourite ‘Shivers’, and Stewart’s favourite ‘Green Door’.

The traffic going home is always terrible, but today for some reason it was fairly light and although we went the M74 route, we could almost have made good time crossing the Kingston Bridge instead.

I went out for an hour when we came home, but didn’t get anything startling. PoD turned out to be a buttercup flower which I liked.

The prompt for today was Your Favourite Game. Mine was Wordle

For the past year or so, since Scamp found this addictive game on a friend’s page on Facebook, we have struggled to complete it every day.
Like all good games, it’s the simplicity that makes it addictive. Six tries to find the hidden five letter word with minimal clues.

One of the best things about it is that you can only play one game a day, so you have to make the most of it, but it doesn’t take up all your day. Unlike Angry Birds which is my second favourite.

One of the worst things about it is that you need an internet connection to play it. That means if you are flying or on holiday in some remote place you can’t complete the game and if you can’t complete it, you lose all the points you’ve gained. That is maddening!

Dinner tonight came from Bombay Dreams and it was a shade poorer than is usual from them. Scamp had her usual Mushroom Paneer and I ordered a Special Handhi. I’m not sure that’s what I got, because there was no mention of a tomato sauce in the menu and there were none of the onions that were advertised. However the bread was good, Tandoor Roti. Best bread we’ve had from there.

There had been a sprinkling of rain today during the morning and afternoon, but nothing serious. We may water the garden tomorrow. Apart from that, no plans.

Going Home – 21 May 2023

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Like I said yesterday, today there was a sad wee hour long dance class. I’d much rather have joined the ones who left after breakfast.

But there was music and a much less crowded dance floor, so room to breathe and dance without getting elbowed off the floor, so we danced for that hour then said our goodbyes.

Paid our £16 odd for the parking and drove home on another sunny day. Not a lot you can say about heading south for an hour.

PoD was a shot of a pansy I took on a quick wander around the garden.

Today’s prompt was for a paper bag.  There is a movement for less plastic and more recyclable materials. I understand the need to re-use and recycle, but in a country with more than its fair share of rainy days, paper bags are impractical.
This is a sketch of a brown paper store bag made completely from paper, including the handles. On a wet day, would you rather carry your new suit or new dress home in it or in a plastic bag? I’m afraid I’d choose the plastic bag. Better protection, and it’s re-useable. There is a place for both, I believe, if used sensibly.

We had to make our own dinner tonight. No dining in the breakfast room or with the other dancers at their tables. Just us and a baked fish risotto.

Tomorrow I believe Scamp will want to do some gardening and I will be writing up these blogs!

A Busy Morning – 19 May 2023

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Bags to pack, Cards to post, Sketches to do and Photos to take

Strangely for me, all the above were achieved in a morning!

This afternoon we drove up to Perth to the old dilapidated Salutation Hotel which started taking paying guests in the year 1699 and is still taking guests to this day. Inside it’s an overheated maze with a wheezy old lift that struggles to carry folk up to the third floor and that’s where we were going. We had a corner room, not open, airy outside corner room, but a tight oddly shaped internal corner with a view into a compactor where the day’s rubbish and all sorts was compressed in a skip. Delightful. I won’t mention the shower which wasn’t so much a shower as a warm drizzle. There, I said I wasn’t going to mention it, but I did. I will not speak of it again.

We had plenty of time for a walk round Perth which was looking at its best today. An almost totally calm and still River Tay gave perfect reflections and one of them became PoD. We walked through the park beside the river on a beautiful spring day. On the way back Scamp went browsing in M&S and found what might have been a new dress, only to discover when we returned to the room that it was the wrong size and would need to go back tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was served in the breakfast room. Last November it had been a slightly shambolic buffet in the ballroom. Today’s was a better arrangement and the food was ok, just ok. Dancing started around 7.30pm and continued until midnight, but we had had enough by 11.30. One of the good things about having the dance in an old hotel is that the walls and floor seem to be a lot thicker and sound deadening than in newer establishments. In our room there was not a whisper coming from Stewart’s sound system, or maybe we were just so tired by then that we didn’t notice.

The prompt today asked for Sports Equipment.
I’m not really a sporting person these days. Maybe a couple of days cycling a year but nothing more energetic. There was a time I liked a game of badminton, but that was many years ago. I almost reached the point of the owner of this racket, but not quite.

More dancing, much more dancing planned for tomorrow night, plus the dreaded Joy’s Waltz with its Overturned Spin Turn.