Category: Driving

I think that was summer! – 19 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

A beautiful morning with sun streaming in the window.

It did just entice me to get up, but one look out the window confirmed my suspicion that there was ice on the birdbath. Too cold for an early morning walk. I keep thinking I should get up early and go for a walk, an take some photos, but I never really get round to it.

After breakfast I drove Scamp and Jackie over to The Fort and set them loose on that big avenue of retail therapy. I drove home. I thought I might drive up to Fannyside to get some landscapes, but instead, I dug out Scamp’s kneeling device and tried to make myself comfortable, stuck between the bins, but couldn’t settle. So it was back to the old trusted fold down canvas seat.

Strangely, tucked between the bins, I was almost invisible to folk passing by. I sat there for almost an hour with my new book “Paperboy”, written in broad Glaswegian. After that I made myself a cup of coffee and returned to the bins … and the book.

Eventually I had to stretch my legs and go for a walk into St Mo’s. Only managed one decent photo, but I liked it. A Coltsfoot Daisy. That was my dad’s favourite wild flower.

When Scamp and Jackie returned, I volunteered to walk over to Golden Bowl for tonight’s dinner Chicken Chow Mein for two and Chicken Chop Suey with fried rice for Scamp.

Tomorrow there may not be a blog post. We’ll see how things work out.

 

Exchange & Mart – 18 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Bought a lens on Friday. Sold it back on Tuesday.

It was a very poor quality lens that I could have updated using an app I’ve had for years, but it wasn’t worth the money or the time it would have taken me to do the upgrade. I wish now that I’d have kept the original that I sold at a loss a few years ago. However, I do have an equally good lens with less artefacts for a little bit more. Winners and losers, that’s what life is about.

We drove in to Glasgow to do the exchange. Scamp suggested parking at Cowcaddens carpark. From there, she could go for a coffee and a cake in Waterstones while I went to do the handover. The exchange only took a few minutes and then I was back on Sauchiehall Street and heading for a Flat White and a cake while Scamp was almost finished.

Drove home, but I didn’t feel all that great. Feeling dizzy and aching all over. It felt that I had picked up Scamp’s cold. A vitamin-c tablet and a couple of paracetamol sorted things. Then Scamp’s suggestion (demand) that I have a wee snooze in the afternoon seemed to hit the mark.

She woke me a few hours later with a cup of tea and I realised I’d caught myself snoring on the bed, after I’d been criticising other people for doing the same thing. Of course, I was ill and the other person was only snoring. There is a difference!

I took my second lot of pills and Vit-C and went for a quick walk round St Mo’s and got at least one good shot of the late afternoon sun shining through the trees and that made PoD. By the time I got home Jackie was almost in Glasgow and I was ’encouraged’ to allow her to take the bus back to Cumbersheugh.

Scamp made her delicious Prawn & Pea Risotto for dinner tonight and as usual it was perfect. As she says, it’s one of the few dishes I’ll eat with loads of lemon in it.

Tomorrow the ladies might be going for a walk around The Fort, but it won’t be an early rise, I’m sure.

 

Another sunny day – 17 March 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Scamp suggested we go out for lunch somewhere today. I agreed.

We drove out past Stirling to The Smiddy, not the seedy wee pub in Cumbersheugh, but the cafe / deli / restaurant near Doune. We go there quite often and the food is always good, especially the ‘specials’. I had a Venison Burger with all the trimmings and delicious chips. Scamp had Posh Fish Pie. Both were lovely and tasted just as good as they looked.

We drove home via the conjoined Dobbies and Lakeland. Their adjoining shutter door was having a bad day which separated the two stores. Scamp almost got a pair of black shoes to fit her in Moshulu, but came home with a scrubbing brush from Lakeland instead. I also took a detour past B&Q to look at power drills. My old Black & Decker with its NiCad batteries just won’t hold the power these days, but then they are ancient now. I had a look, but need to have a word with Crawford to see what he recommends I should buy.

Finally back home, I took the A7iii out for a walk and tried the Samyang lens and wasn’t impressed with the results. I think it may go back. Too much colour fringing and vignettes. Maybe I can fix it with an upgrade, but I doubt it. I did get a close-up of some of the thorns of a hawthorn bush and that became PoD.

That was about it for today. Hoping for more good weather tomorrow, but Scamp wants to “do some tidying up”. That doesn’t sound much like fun!

First F1 GP of the year – 16 March 2025

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We just had to watch it.

We’d recorded it, and I had avoided looking too carefully at the BBC news on my phone this morning just in case I saw the result before I watched the race. I had to wait Scamp had finished watching Laura Kuenssberg tearing into some politicians. Usually it’s interesting, but really, this isn’t politics, it’s much more important. This is Formula One. The first race of the season!
Yes, I know I’ll suffer for that … later!

Anyway I ate my lunch while the politics thing was on, then I had a couple of hours of entertainment as cars went skidding this way and that. Even the big names were sliding across the Melbourne grass, and that was before the rain came! For once there was fun, frolics and broken cars in F1. Thankfully there were no serious injuries.

With that done, I wrote out a shopping list under Scamp’s dictation and went shopping. I found out where the Paracetamol and the Ibuprofen were kept, they were in a different Tesco. The main Tesco seems to get all the goodies while our skimpy one gets the leftovers. I’ve suspected it for ages, but I prove it to myself today.

Back home with ticks in all my shopping boxes, I prepared my Breast of Lamb for the oven, then with a host of herbs adorning it, I bunged it in the oven at about Gas Mark three and a bit for a couple of hours and went for a walk in St Mo’s. There wasn’t much to see until I was heading home and the sun came out from behind the clouds. That gave me two possible PoDs. The winner was a landscape looking across the pond to two individuals who appeared to be looking for the frogs that had been there last week.

Back home the lamb was halfway through its allotted time, so I gave it a shake and a turn, then it went back into the oven to finish off.

It actually turned out fine. Perhaps a bit overcooked, but it tasted fine. Scamp had a lovely big thick fillet of salmon which also looked good.

Spoke to Jamie and heard that Simonne is labouring under the same symptoms as Scamp. Sore throat, runny nose and an awful cough. I think Scamp felt better after that.

We have no real plans for tomorrow. It depends on how Scamp is feeling. Both of us have been sitting here having a sniffing competition!

Here, there and everywhere – 15 March 2025

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A day for cramming loads of things in.

Started out this morning watching the first qualifying for this year’s F1 GP in Australia.

Next, I was heading for Glasgow to pick up my new lens. Thought I should look for some Paracetamol capsules and Ibuprofen for Scamp instead. Some raspberries for her wouldn’t go amiss too. I don’t know what’s wrong this year, but paracetamol, and ibuprofen are quite hard to come by. Maybe there is a ‘bug’ going the rounds and everyone is stocking up on them, but raspberries? Why are they so difficult to come by? All of a sudden there are no raspberries nor strawberries to be found. Just to contradict myself, there were a few trays of strawberries today. Lots of those strange, naked looking white strawberries too. I just drove back home with the meds and my fruit for Scamp.

After a frugal lunch of bread and cheese, we both set off looking for a suitable vase to hold the bouquets flowers we’d accrued over the last few days. Locally first, then further afield to Falkirk until Scamp found the vase she was looking for. I must admit the vases of flowers in the living room give the room a totally different look.

We drove home after that and I decided I’d just enough time to take the train in to Glasgow to pick up my new lens. Scamp didn’t want to come, she was happier to rest up for a while.

Long story short, I drove to Croy station, got the train to Glasgow and walked from Queen Street station up Bath Street to WEX and picked up the Samyang 18mm f2.8 lens. Then it was back down Sauchiehall Street to the city centre, stopping on the way to photograph the demise of the 02 ABC building. Glasgow was buzzing today. Groups of folk, mainly young folk sitting outside enjoying a pint or two in the late afternoon sun while the more mature Glaswegians were heading for home on the bus or the train. It did feel like spring!

Just managed to get on the Alloa train and retrieved my car from the carpark then drove home.

The lens seemed to be fine. No scratches nor scrapes on it, so I took it to St Mo’s to take some photos of the setting sun from the top of the BMX track. Checked them at home and they looked fine. I’m hoping to do a more detailed check tomorrow if the weather permits.

PoD was the partial demolition of the O2 ABC building in Sauchiehall Street with the ill fated Art School in the background.

More lens testing if the weather behaves tomorrow, and the possibility of the first F1 GP of 2025 later.

Another sunny morning – 14 March 2025

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A sunny morning that deserved a walk or something active, but instead we stayed home and just enjoyed the sunshine.

Scamp had woken with a stinker of a cold. I had had some business in the village but was given a list of medicines we needed in the house, but Benylin Original was high on the list for Scamp. I managed to source the Benylin easily, but Paracetamol and Ibuprofen were more problematic. However I had found a couple of the meds and that meant I wasn’t going home empty handed.

Back home, I found the final photos I needed to finalise the Order of Service booklet and sent them off through the ether to the Funeral director. She got back to me fairly quickly, confirming that everything had been received. That meant my work was done. The photos for the screening were with the funeral people, as were the Order of Service photos.

Meanwhile Scamp cleared the bed and was ready to rotate the mattress. A monthly process where we either rotate the mattress of we flip fit over. It weighs half a ton, so the word ‘flip’ is rather flippant for turning over such a heavy load!

We decided we deserved a day out for lunch, and after some discussion, settled on The Riverhouse in Stirling. We drove to find that the carpark was completely full, not even a space to squeeze a little BMX bike far less a car. We couldn’t think where else we’d find a decent restaurant on a Friday afternoon, so we drove home.

I went for a walk in St Mo’s and got a nice bit of ‘Bokeh’ (out of focus highlights) with the sun setting behind some Gorse flowers. That easily made PoD.

I made a mess of the pizza I’d bought on the way home, forgetting to put it on a tray in the oven which led to the centre of the pizza falling through onto the empty tray beneath. Some days I just can’t do anything right!

The Benylin and the paracetamol plus the ibuprofen seemed to work on Scamp’s cough and her cold, I’m glad to say.

I’m hoping to pick up my new lens tomorrow. Scamp’s looking for a new vase for her flowers. Maybe we can achieve both. That would be nice!

A fairly lazy morning – 10 March 2025

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A lazy morning for me at least, but Scamp was determined to get the washing done and hung up on the line outside to make the most of the gusty wind that was blowing in from the east.

My morning task was to clean up all the twenty five photos we’d selected for next week’s slide show. I did that, then checked it with Scamp before sening a copy of the photos to Jackie for her comments. Both ladies seemed satisfied with the images.

After lunch we drove over to Falkirk to meet Andrew, the money man. As usual, he was a lot more upbeat than any of the TV reporters and had the graphs and figures to back him up.

From there we drove to Klondyke Garden Centre, still hoping to get a pair of shoes for next week, but found nothing suitable. Lots of flat shoes and even some with Velcro straps, but none with the required heels. We actually had a decent lunch at Klondyke.

On the way home we stopped at the funeral office for Scamp to drop off some clothes for June to wear next week. Shona had been as good as her word and had chosen some things she thought her mum would like.

Back home I gave Scamp some space while I went for a walk in St Mo’s. That’s where today’s PoD came from. I think it’s a sycamore seed that has germinated down in the leaf litter. It looks as if something has chewed it already, but they are strong little plants and can look after themselves.

Dinner was a bowl of Slimmers World soup each. Quite appropriate because it was June who gave us the recipe.

No real plans for tomorrow. Nothing either of us have to do, touch wood!

Good Friends – 8 March 2025

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Crawford & Nancy came visiting today.

Just after the early hour of 10.15am! We’re not used to such early rises, but they did bring cakes!

They were doing what all good friends do, they were showing support. We sat and talked about June, Paul, Shona and Ian. We listened to the antics of their grandkids and made all the right noises. We complained about all our aches and pains and what we could do about them. It was a strange morning, but a welcome one too. Living life in the ’New Normal’. Later in the morning we got a message from Hazy. Asking after Scamp and just making contact. It really is good to have the support of family and friends. Sometimes we just take them for granted and we shouldn’t.

We are still in the Shoe Hunt, so in the afternoon we drove in to Stirling for a change of scenery and also to see if any of the shoe would fit the dainty feet of the princess. They didn’t. We went back to Waitrose where we’d parked and took a basket rather than a trolley. It seemed a logical way to get the shopping we needed without getting too much. It worked, except we still got more than we’d intended and I felt my arms were getting longer with every jar or bottle we put in the basket!

PoD was a photo of a ‘Ghost Sign’ we saw in Stirling. A ghost sign is usually an advertising sign above a shop or building that has been badly damaged by wind and weather. We saw this one over a shop in Stirling. When did you last see a three digit phone number?

We drove home and received an email from Paul with more information about the funeral. We agreed to meet him at his house. He had done a fair bit of work during the week. So far:

  • We now have a date and time to meet the Celebrant.
  • We have the codes for the streaming of the funeral.
  • There have been a lot of problems with getting the death certificate as I outlined a couple of days ago, but it should be in Paul’s hands on Monday or Tuesday.
  • Scamp and Jackie have agreed a tea for after the funeral.
  • The Docherty family are providing the flowers.
  • Music for the Entrance, Reflection and Exit from Daldowie are almost complete.
  • The photos have almost all been scanned, or assembled.

All in all, we are in a better place than we were a few days ago.

No plans for tomorrow yet.

A walk in the park – 6 March 2025

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We woke to a misty, almost foggy day.

Jackie was travelling up to Skye on the morning bus. We waved her off as she got in the taxi that would take her to Glasgow on the first leg of the journey. The second leg was a six or seven hour journey on the bus from Glasgow to Portree on Skye where Murdo would be waiting to take her on the last leg to Staffin. A few days later she was intending to do the whole thing again in reverse to return to Cumbersheugh.

With a morning and part of an afternoon to fill, I was pleasantly surprised when Scamp suggested we go over to Kilsyth for a walk in the sunshine that had appeared just as Jackie was getting in the taxi. We drove over to Colzium estate and that’s where I saw a single white crocus flower among the miniature daffodils. Just one, though, but it was shining brightly in the sun. That became PoD. We walked our usual path round what had been the driveway to the “Big House”, and then onward into the trees. This was the first time we’d walked in Colzium and there were a lot of torn up trees courtesy of the storms last month, or was it two? Anyway, a shorter than normal circuit took us to the coffee shop that, conveniently, was just opening. After coffee we walked back to the car and drove home.

Just enough time for a quick spot of lunch and then we had to get a bit better dressed for a meeting with the Co-op funeral office where we had a meeting with a funeral director. Paul, Margaret, Shona, Scamp and I were present at a rather disjointed meeting where it appeared the lady who was dealing with us had to also speak to a constant stream of other customers. Not the most professional way to treat people who are already stressed and upset. However, I was not running this show and had little to do, but on two separate occasions we had a thirty minute hiatus while someone somewhere talked to someone else.

The upshot was that a firm date for the funeral was agreed and all the papers were duly signed by Paul who was the senior member of the family today. We left after about two hours and went for a quick coffee and a discussion with tasks being allocated to willing parties.

Drove home and dropped people off as we went. Finally got home and parked. Dinner was Paella and it was a good one this time. It isn’t always so good.

Tomorrow we’re hoping for a more restful day.

A meeting of minds – 5 March 2025

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We met the interested parties in Tesco for coffee today.

We were discussing the plans for June’s funeral. Margaret phoned Scamp to ask where we were, because they were waiting in Costa. Then Scamp reminded her that she had told us it was to be at Tesco. That maybe ‘put her gas at a peep’ as my mum would have said. Scamp, Jackie and I had been prepared for a fight, but as a result, it never happened.

The group was Ian, Jackie, Margaret, Paul, Scamp, Shona and myself (listed alphabetically for fairness!). Everyone offered suggestions to the group with Paul and Shona as adjudicators.

The upshot of the meeting was that:

  • We had some photos of June to use in a short display
  • Paul wants to do a short ad hoc speech about his mum
  • Jackie would probably write a talk and if she wasn’t comfortable with it, I’d be ready to take over.

We left it at that and have a meeting planned with the funeral directors tomorrow.

We drove over to The Kelpies because Jackie had never seen them in real life. It turned out to be an awful day as far as the weather was concerned. Heavy rain showers driven along on a gusty east wind. However we did get a walk around the mighty beasts and I think that brightened Scamp’s day. The size of the sculptures impressed Jackie. We finished with another cuppa and a scone paid for by Jackie.

Later, at home I was delegated to go to the chip shop for fish suppers. A successful day with some of the pressure removed. Jackie goes back home tomorrow and is intending to return in a couple of days.

PoD was a slightly different view of a Kelpie,

Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow.