Category: Driving

A Day in the Toon – 5 May 2025

Posted on by Zogman

Not off the leash this time, but joining Scamp on a shopping spree.

Well, a shopping spree and a bit of window shopping too. Scamp wanted to look at interesting things, like Freezers (Brrr) and Fridges ( Just Cool). Me? I went looking for bottles of descaler for my coffee maker. I know it’s just about due a decoke, I just don’t know when, exactly, but it’s best to be ready for it when it occurs. I did have a look at a new coffee maker like Jamie’s, but the prices were just a little over the top.

I’d forgotten to take my sunglasses out of the car and was half way down Bucky Street when I realised. I thought I’d be able to buy a pair of clip-on shades now that I need a pair of distance glasses and also a pair of readers. A clip-on pair can be hot swapped across both pairs of specs although it’s a bit of a faff. Also I can flip up the clip-ons and give myself Mickey Mouse ears. Scamp always laughs at that. I’d have liked a pair of clip-ons, but nobody in the vicinity of Buchanan Galleries wanted to sell me a pair. Maybe they’ve gone out of fashion these days.

I got a couple of photos while I was wandering aimlessly down and around Buchanan Street. My favourite was a couple sitting eating ice lollies on the steps of the Galleries. That became PoD.

We drove home via Tiso where I was hoping to find a pair of trainers. Maybe found one pair of Scarpa trainers, but I was getting tired by that time and just wanted to get home. Maybe go back again toward the end of the week.

Spoke to Hazy for a while after we got home and heard about folk who can’t take a hint about over staying their welcome, even if they are distant relatives (not our side of the family, by the way) and that poor Tilly needs an expensive x-ray of her back legs.

Just had time to drive down to The Link to attend Kirsty’s dance class. Tonight was a full class. Six or seven couples gyrating in a Tango. We had missed last week, but enjoyed the class tonight. Some bits of it need cleaned up, but the general shape of the dance is ok. A much more compact routine than Stewart & Jane’s, but still with all the technical terms.

Tomorrow, Scamp is supposed to meet Isobel for coffee in the morning. I might go too.

Remembering Dancin’ – 3 May 2025

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Today for the first time in ages, probably more than a month, we drove to Brookfield for a dance class.

Quite a big class. At least half a dozen couples ready to strut their stuff … and us, almost ready. Willing too, in as much as, willing the big hand to go round the clock one and a half times and set us free … or maybe that was just me. Ok, enough with the ellipses, lets get started.

We started with Scamp’s absolute favourite, the Tina Tango danced to Shivers by Ed Sheeran. That was us hooked. From there we went into a Foxtrot, not just any foxtrot, the Gershwin Foxtrot. The one we both liked. Much better that those chopped up foxtrots Jane invents in an attempt to make things ‘easier’. This was the full strength one with the “Continuous Hover Cross”. Don’t let anyone convince you that it’s a ‘lot less bovver with a Hover’. It isn’t, at least not with this one. However, after two lessons from Jane and one set of instructions from Stewart the whole thing was becoming possible. Not every time, but at least half the time. It’s a really elegant dance and one both of us like.

Next up was a Blue Angel which we first learned with Kirsty, in fact, one of the first things we learned from Kirsty. Now it’s just a wee easy dance, then it was very complicated.

Next was a Viennese Waltz. You know the one it’s just continuous spinning, first one way, then the other with a bit of straightening out to prevent the participants throwing up or spinning into a wall. What one of the dancers a long time ago called “A Burly Roon”!

We finished with a Mayfair Quickstep danced to “500 Miles” by The Proclaimers, which was appropriate because it felt like we’d danced 500 miles today!

Drove home and risked the lengthy roadworks at the Barrs factory, but we didn’t have to wait too long to get through, then we found a parking space outside the house. How convenient.

Scamp wanted part of the old blackcurrant bush chopped down, so I took a saw to it and cut out a fair chunk of the diseased bush. Hopefully that will open the bush to the air and possible encourage new growth. Later in the afternoon I planted three potatoes in the fancy two part pot. I’m intending to plant the remainder tomorrow or maybe Monday.

PoD went to a lovely pink Aquilegia flower I photographed, growing beside the path when I was going over to Condorrat to get dinner which was a Special Fish Supper with two Pickled Onions (one each).

No plans for tomorrow, but temperatures are set to fall. There is even a chance of snow in the north. Brrr!

A little bit cooler – 2 May 2025

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At last!

Scamp was out to Fit Steps in the morning and that gave me an hour free, so I just stayed in bed and read for a while. It was one of those days that seemed undecided whether to rain or to just stay cloudy. It stayed cloudy for a while, before giving us some sunshine to brighten our spirits.

When Scamp came home we drove over to Larky to collect my new two pairs of glasses. One pair for distance and one pair for reading. I thought it was a bit of an overkill when the assistant told me and asked her to check with Euan. She did and he confirmed it, so two pairs it was. I still wasn’t convinced until I tried on the distance pair and Wow, they showed what I should have been seeing for at least two years. The reading pair were less of a surprise, but having both means that I can now happily dispose of my cheap ‘readers’. I drove home wearing the distance glasses and then I found just how dirty the front screen was!

I had a snooze after lunch because I’m still not sleeping well at night. If it continues I’ll make an appointment with the doc or the nurse. It’s quite unlike me.

While I was out for the count, Scamp was working away in the garden, planting stuff and moving other stuff around. When I woke, I hardly recognised the back garden. More plants and less green space. Plus, my Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon meadia) were in bloom and I managed to get a photo of them, while keeping the background out of focus. The plant has produced about half a dozen flowers with quite a collection still to bloom. Last year I think I had one flower. Of course, the Shooting Stars got PoD.

Dinner tonight was Paella, or a version of paella. Everything was going smoothly until I was almost ready to serve, then I realised I’d forgotten to add the chicken stock cube. Ten frantic minutes later the problem was solved. Scamp said it tasted fine, so disaster averted!

Tomorrow we may be going to dance class.

The first of May – 1 May 2025

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We really should have been up early and washing our faces in the dew, but we’re probably beautiful enough and it would only make everyone else jealous!

Instead of an early morning face wash, Scamp drove over to the dentist for her six month checkup. I read more of Tainted Cup, a very twisted tale with the most complicatedly named cast I’ve ever seen. I wonder if Mr Bennett made up the names of all the places or if they have some meaning.

After a wash and brush up, it was time to go over to Glendale for the Tea Dance. Sitting with David and Carol and hearing about their adventures with their grandson from Kingston on Thames. In exchange we told them stories about the roads on Skye and the beautiful weather we’d had for almost a full week.

Dances were the usual mix of latin, sequence and ballroom and although we both struggled to get it right sometimes, for the most part we managed to cover the floor quite well.

Lengthy roadworks near the Barrs factory in Cumbersheugh meant a detour to Tesco on the way home to get dinner which was Bacon, Cabbage and Potatoes with Scamp swapping Black Pudding for Bacon. We’ll need to remember that if we’re going to Brookfield on Saturday.

I went for a walk round St Mo’s in the afternoon and got a photo of a wild flower that I couldn’t name, although I knew it. Finally I resorted to looking it up and it was a Plantain, but not the Plantain they have in Trinidad, the one they have in Scotland. Allegedly it is very effective at dealing with insect bites and stings. It is also much better than dock leaves to ease the discomfort of being stung by a stinging nettle too, but don’t quote on either of these remedies.

The Scottish Plantain made PoD, there being no competition for it here today. Note the bonus spider in the photo!

It was a fair bit cooler in the afternoon, compared to the last few days. The weather fairies were at pains to confirm that for the next day or two, the weather will stay cooler.  We’re just hoping for rain.

Scamp is hoping to get to FitSteps tomorrow and then I might go and collect my new glasses.

Gettin’ New Glessies

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Off to Larky to get my eyes tested. Just a normal routine eye check.

I was a wee bit apprehensive about having my eyes checked after being told the during my last test that I was borderline for being able to drive. However, that was before Mr Sharma gave me the two magic bottles and instructed me with “This Bottle ONCE a day. This Other Bottle TWICE a day … This Bottle ONCE a day. This Other …”
Y’see Mr S, I did remember it. Your repetition method worked for me!

I needn’t have worried though, it was Euan doing the testing and I trusted him. As it turned out he hadn’t met Mr S, face to face, only corresponding through emails. Lucky man.

Long story short, I did need glasses, actually two pairs of glasses, one for reading and one pair for distance. At Scamp’s insistence, I ordered scratch resistant lenses! They should be ready tomorrow, or by Wednesday at the latest.

I couldn’t see well enough to drive after the eye dilation drops Euan had used and although it wasn’t really bright sun outside, I was glad I’d remembered to pack a pair of sunglasses. Because of the drops, Scamp had to drive us to Brookside garden centre on the outskirts of Larky. Just outside the wall if you know what that means! A flat white of decent coffee and a roll ’n’ link sausage for me, a latte and a roll ’n’ scrambled egg for Scamp. Now that we were fed and watered, we went for a walk round the plants and magically we walked out of the shop with a big box full of roses and other flowers. How that happened, I do not know.

I felt happy enough with my eyes, so I drove back home Scamp got busy planting all the new stuff we’d bought and I put my boots on and walked over to St Mo’s. I managed to get a Large Red damselfly. My first this year and unusually early in the season. It was earmarked for PoD, but was beaten to the line by a wee Amber Snail. Tiny thing. It was crawling down a blade of the now sprouting Flag Iris plants that abound behind St Mo’s school. The iris leaves are an almost luminous green in the spring.

It’s Monday and that means Pasta. Today’s pasta was Carbonara, and it was a good one. Plenty of taste from chopped up bacon and lots of Parmesan in the sauce.

Scamp’s smart watch is proving to be less intelligent than its name and has been playing up for a while. Now it seems that Google who now own the license are closing down the FitBit side of things completely, so she’s looking for a new watch. I’ve made suggestions, but she really wants to see what she’s buying, which makes perfect sense. We may go looking later in the week.

No plans for tomorrow.

It Rained! – 26 April 2025

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The last day of the holiday and it rained.

We amended yesterday’s plan and drove down through Glencoe to the Green Welly at Tyndrum. Stopped there for a late breakfast / early lunch in the restaurant. Scamp had a Roll ’n’ Scrambled Eggs and I had a Roll ’n’ Sausage – Lorne sausage to be precise. Both were rated excellent. Mine was thick and cooked medium rare, just the way I make it myself. Obviously a classically trained chef, like myself. Then it was back in the car and on into the rain again.

I remember a teacher at school telling us how he always drove through Glencoe with the Speed Limiter set to just below the legal limit because near the ski lift there are so many places for polis cars to hide. With that in mind I did the same today and found it’s much better than having Cruise Control. I’ve never liked the SL, but today it worked for me. I think CC works for motorways, but SL is better for normal roads.

After driving at a maximum speed of 50mph, when we reached the M9 motorway it felt illegal to be travelling at 70mph! It was a drag of a run down from the Green Welly. Not a lot you can do but keep in the tyre tracks of the car in front. At least Glencoe has an interesting backdrop.

Today there was the Devil o’ the Highlands Footrace, a challenging 42-mile trail ultramarathon along the West Highland Way in Scotland, from Tyndrum to Fort William. The race features a scenic route with 6,500 feet of ascent, mostly on trail. At least that’s what it says on the Running Life blurb. I don’t have a clue what all that means. Scamp watched them running their races while I tried to keep the Wee Blue Car on the black and between the white lines.

PoD was a last look over the Caledonian canal to the Nevis Range. Hopefully we’ll be back again, some day.

Things I’ll remember:

  • The number of bends from Crianlarich to Callander.
  • How slow it is to to drive at 20mph through Callander.
  • How scenic Scotland is when there’s nowhere to stop and take a photo.
  • How miserable it is to drive in drizzle
  • How good a roll ’n’ sausage or a roll ‘n’ egg is when you’ve had nothing since yesterday.
  • How great the feeling is to come home to a warm house.

 

The start of the long drive home – 25 April 2025

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A great week of weather and family had almost come to an end. Jaki had brought Grian to say bye-bye before we left. One last wave from the end of the drive and we were off. Heading south on a cooler day than the last ones, but probably better for that. Scamp filmed the hoards at Store and I tried to avoid most of the potholes. You can never avoid them all, but if you miss the majority, you’re doing well.

PoD was a photo of Ben Nevis from Neptune’s Staircase.

Things I’ll remember from today:

  • Feeling that summer was over when the clouds rolled in.
  • Filling the tank at Portree almost to overflowing.
  • The drive over the Skye Bridge, feeling like we were flying.
  • Climbing up the hill after Cluanie with no cars in front of us.
  • Going out for a walk up Neptune’s Ladder with Scamp before dinner.
  • Disappointment with the Chicken Tikka Masala served to us by what might have been an Indian family.
  • Wishing I’d had Scamp’s Fish ’n’ Chips!

Tomorrow we are intending to have breakfast in Morrisons, do some shopping in Fort William and driving home.

 

Going to the big city – 23 April 2025

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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

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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.